You’re Invited To Basin Sports Customer Appreciation Demo Day #2!
Our Season Tuners are invited to the 2nd Customer Appreciation Demo Day of the 19/20 season. One of the many perks of being a Basin Sports Season Tuner is the two seasonal demo days where you can test the latest skis from all our ski companies.
You are encouraged to sign-up and complete your waiver in advance at the store. Demo Days typically start at 8AM and finish around 1PM. If you’d like to try a specific ski let us know in advance! That way we can notify the rep for that brand and they can bring that ski.
Brands That Will Be Attending:
Atomic
Armada
Black Crows
K2
Nordica
Salomon
Rossignol
Basin Sports is the oldest businesses in the Killington community. In fact, the Basin Ski Shop opened ten days before Killington Ski Resort, on December 14, 1958. For more than sixty years Basin Sports has been a leading mountain-sports retailer with a long history of outstanding customer service.
The Torrey family, owners and operators of Basin Sports since 1991, are determined to continue providing an unmatched experience, both in the store and on the slopes. The industry has taken notice too, awarding Basin Sports the Ski Magazine Gold Medal nine years in a row and twice naming Basin Sports the best ski shop in New England.
Though attending Outdoor Retailer is fun and has a lot of positives, it’s also exhausting and a lot of work is accomplished over 3 short days. Working 10-12 hour days, emails, content creation and the occasional long night out leads to some serious fatigue. During the show you’re normally running from one appointment to the next, often skipping snacks and lunch- it’s stressful. One of the happier sides of the show though is all the dogs you meet hence the Dogs of Outdoor Retailer. Some very famous, with more Instagram followers than the average influencer- some just cute and there for the attention. This year I decided for my own sanity and for the additional content to photograph some of these dogs for your viewing pleasure. I can attest too, that a friendly face lick and fur pat helped reduce stress and anxiety from the show. So enjoy! This years “Dogs of OR” was an on the whim idea. Next year I plan to be more analytical and get each dog’s name and a quote from the owner.
Dogs of Outdoor Retailer: Day 1
Day 1 was all business for me. Jam packed with appointments and trying to get familiar with the layout of this show. If you’re unfamiliar with the Colorado Convention Center it’s about the size of a football stadium but has 3 floors. A walk at a brisk pace front to back takes about 5 minutes. So day 1 was all about work. I snapped the pic above of this dog after my meeting with Mike Girard from Jones/NOW and then and there decided hey, maybe I should start snapping some Dog pictures and do a whole bit on it. This was towards the end of the day and I was running out of the show to meet with Bogner, so this was the only picture I got on day 1.
Dogs of Outdoor Retailer: Day 2
First thing in the morning I’m greeting with this cute pupper. One of the clauses for a dog to be able to attend Outdoor Retailer is they must be well behaved and have good manners. This Dog, whose name I did not get seemed a bit overwhelmed by the noise, but was calm and composed.
This dog is Finn the Mini Aussie, owned by Kelly Thomson. Finn founded his roots right here in Vermont. Though he now live in Colorado, Kelly used to bartend at Lookout back in the day. You may have even seen him in puppy for a few years ago. Finn loved all the attention he received at Outdoor Retailer and I’m sure he’ll be a repeat attendee.
During the Happy Hour peruse I stumbled upon this guy. His owners didn’t even see me. But once you kneel down to setup a shot, most dogs would like to come say hi with a face lick. This guy held his composure, though I did get a bit of motion blur with a happy tail wag. I’m sure he’s thinking, “Finally! Someone is paying attention to me!”
Over at the Black Diamond Booth (where unbeknownst to me Alex Honold the famous free solo rock climber is doing autograph signings) I came across this dog. Hard to tell in this picture but in person this dog had some wolf- like characteristics. And he’ll do tricks for treats!
When I came over to this dog and it’s owner we were by the Patagonia booth. The owner is on her knees with the dog and explains to me (when I ask if I can snap a photo) that she just needs a minute. See this dog, who is very well behaved did not like one dog in particular, a small little cocker spaniel and he was in the Patagonia booth next to us (we were outside). So we took a minute to get the dog settled then set up the shot. When they say all the dogs need to be well behaved to enter the show, they aren’t understating that. All the dogs I snapped photos of were some of the most well-mannered and respectful dogs I’ve encountered. Props to this owner for being able to calm her pup down and keep on going.
Is it really an Outdoor Retail Show without a Bernese Mountain Dog? I saw plenty but this is the only one I got a photo of. He was the size of a small couch too and love the attention he received. If you’ve never met a Bernese Mountain Dog the pretty much keep that puppy personality their entire lives.
Do Not Pet. There were actually a few dogs with Do Not Pet vests on. I didn’t inquire as to why this lab had this vest on. One could summarize that maybe she get’s overstimulated by people touching here. Or maybe she’s an off-duty K-9. At any rate she was more than happy to let me take her photo.
I find walking the tradeshow floor exhausting. And that’s in comfy hiking shoes. Imagine being a Dog and doing that. I feel you tired Golden Retriever. I tried to get a photo down on his level (it didn’t come out well) and he just stared straight past me. Tradeshows are hard work!
Coco was a bundle of love. So much so that his owner had to hold him back for the photo. Hence the confused look on his face. I have another blurry photo of Coco attempting to give me kisses. Coco was one of my favorites.
Poco here is good friends with Finn the mini aussie I discussed earlier. What breed do you think Poco is? I see a bit of Basenji, maybe some Pit Mix, and Lab? Your guess is as good as mine.
Kicker Muse here is very Instagram famous. If you have an Instagram account and don’t follow this dog, go do it. Kicker’s sit, stay commands where extremely good too. Notice how he’s looking off camera? That’s because his owner Andrew Muse is over there. Andrew and Kicker travel around the country in their tiny house skiing and surfing. Not a bad life!
When I first met the dogs of D-Curve a goggle company, and inquired about the table a rep said “this is their table, and they’re not allowed to leave it until we say so.” It’s a great marketing strategy too. Put a large table at the front of your booth and add four very cute dogs to it, and people are bound to get drawn in. Towards the end of Day 3 some of the dogs weren’t having it (and you can see in one photo one laying down in the back of the booth) and started to jump off the table. But for the most part Carousel and Icicle were more than happy to get their pictures taken and enjoy pets from various passer-by’s.
Day 3
Owner says stay
Camera shutter goes off (final edited pic)
Oh Hi Human!
At first I wasn’t going to use all 3 pictures of this dog. In fact I won’t even edit 1 and 3. But this serious of shots is just too good. It’s funny too. With all the Golden’s I photographed they all perked up when the shutter went off- but this round of photos is just too good. Even the owners reactions in the background is priceless.
A Blue Heeler/ Terrier Mix this girl did not want to stay still for a photo. Characteristically correct for this mixture of breeds. But a treat dangling above the camera. Oh not that’s something worth stopping for. Thanks for being a good sport Frannie!
Remember that Cocker Spaniel I mentioned from Day 2? This dog didn’t like that particular dog either, who happened to be walking past the DC booth while were hanging out. But she posed for a photo and later was spotted hanging out with the Pit Viper crew ( A brand of 80’s looking sunglasses that are wildly popular among millennials). What mix of breeds do you think this dog is? I honestly couldn’t put my finger on it.
Yes! Husky sighting! Stalking dogs like the paparazzi do to celebrities is something I started to do on Day 3. I would seek out dogs, follow them for a moment and when the owner stopped at a booth would come over and ask if I could pet and photograph their best friend. Nevica also wasn’t too keen on posing for a photo (hence the slight blur in the face) but she was beautiful and enjoyed her pets post photo taking.
Rex The Shiba Inu was more than content to pose for a photo. I saw him as I was walking into the cafeteria to eat lunch. Luckily he was still there when I finished up and I was able to snap his photo.
What an interesting mix of breeds. German Shepherd, Sheepdog, maybe Belgian Shepard? He definitely did not want to pose for a photo but was to much fun to not take his picture.
This dog is a mascot for the company Bula, and he was pooped when I came across him. Granted it was the final hour of the show on Day 3. So I don’t blame him. Being this cute is hard!
The owner of the scruffy dog in the flannel was the one who said he went to a festival in California, took 300 dog photos, got the name of the dog and a quote from the owner. A good idea for me to attempt next year at Outdoor Retailer which will probably result in twice as many photos.
The dog on the left almost looks like Nyla the unofficial mascot of Basin Sports. Nyla is a purebred Rhodesian Ridgeback and this dog has some Rhody characteristics. I also though it looked like maybe there was some Weimaraner in there too. Rio on the other hand (to the right) was too cute and looked like a dog you’d see in a cartoon.
It’s “Ruff” being this cute. As I left the Convention Center on Day 3 I saw this girl (the last dog I encountered) at the front hall near the Ikon Pass Booth. Cutness overload! I’m happy to have photographed these dogs, and of course have the opportunity to attend Outdoor Retailer. When stress levels got high, a quick photo, pat and face lick just everything better. Next year we’ll have more photos, names for each dog and possibly something else.
A Local’s Perspective On The Annual Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge
As many ski resorts get ready to close for the season, here at Killington it feels like the party is just getting started as diehards and amateurs alike prepare for the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge. In the days prior, some are seeking bumps to practice on, others are ironing out their tailgating plans, but whether planning to take part or spectate, anticipation for the weekend is high.
The moguls are on the iconic Outer Limits, that get deeper as the days 150 competitors ski them, nestled between two large jumps and surrounded by the many who come in costume, ready to cheer and tailgate. Competitors ski a qualifying run where the top 16 women and 32 men progress to finals, a sudden-death dual format with the first person through the finish line progressing into the next round, all with big airs and underdog upsets. Killington is still a bastion of mogul skiing, a community who loves to celebrate a competition where anything can happen. To such an extent that when the mountain decided they wouldn’t host the rowdy event anymore in 2012, bumpers hosted it anyway and titled it the “Denial Cup.” The next year the event returned, and recently the mountain acknowledged those winners by engraving their names onto the trophy that sits in Bear Mountain’s base lodge.
Even as skis have grown fatter, there are still quite a few skiers here who haven’t lost their skinny skis and look forward to the event all year long. I am one of them, and can already feel the competition day nerves, the nervousness of practicing mogul jumps that send you straight up into the air, the excitement at the starting gate, the rainbow colored crowd in vintage one pieces, all of it. A friend recently told me that I just needed to “pretend that no one was there” when competing this weekend (I agree!), but it’s an admittedly hard task to practice when the crowd is audacious, and the skiers around you are some of the best mogul skiers anywhere. Anyone can compete though, and competitors uphold that good sportsmanship, helping to support and cheer on others while waiting for their turn in the starting gate.
It’s hard to think of another event that is more of Killington and espouses just how much we love skiing here. Whether you are tuning your skis, seeking out the seeded bumps on Wildfire, or picking out your best eye-turning outerwear, prep work for Saturday continues for many. If you are considering attending your first Bear Mountain Challenge, whether to ski it or to see it, you won’t be disappointed and you will really know that you arrived at the Big K, where mogul skiing is still very much alive, well, and celebrated.
— Tricia Tirella, Basin Sports ambassador, Killington local and bump enthusiast
Updates From Basin Sports, Maybe you’ve been in the store and have noticed the absence of one familiar smiling face. Our president, Christine Torrey has taken a much-wanted Sabbatical and will be missing the majority of our winter season (though she’ll be stopping by here and there). Where is she you ask?
Santa Cruz, California
Just imagine, waking up every day to endless sunshine, surfing, and cycling within an arms reach. Plus with Tahoe not too far away, well that’s not a horrible place to go for a change of scenary. She’s been out there for most of the summer already too. Chief Financial Officer, Owner , and Mom, Lorraine Torrey is out visiting Christine and went Mountain Biking with her the other day. I mean, doesn’t everyone want to take an extra long California vacation sometimes?
Of course we have been sending photos of this year’s tremendous snowfall to Christine, making sure she is missing all of us and Killington as much as we are missing her!
Will Killington make their World Cup Deadline? This is the State of Skiing in Killington, November Report
Photo by Basin Ambassador Trish
Winter started off with a bang this season with an opening day of October 19th. Since then The State Of Skiing In Killington has well really just gotten sweeter. We started as usual on the North Ridge and walked the catwalk both ways to access skiable terrain. Soon after we were skiing down and only walking back up. Confirmed for Wednesday too we’ll be skiing top to bottom as well. Which is great for me who’s been hesitant to get out there and get those turns. Maybe I’m spoiled, maybe I’m still daydreaming about summer. Either way skiable terrain is expanding rapidly with no real end to this momentum in site.
Turning over to the south side of the mountain, World Cup preparations have been moving along swimmingly. We were worried for a second there when it poured rain for two days. But that worry was quickly put to bed by 6-8″ inches of snow. Definitely 6 inches by the steps of Basin Sports, 8″ most likely up on the mountain. Since then temps have stayed cold and below freezing. I was going to say bitterly cold but if you were around this last December when it was -20 for two weeks its well hard to call anything bitterly cold anymore- we’re seasoned Vermonters after all. But I’m getting of subject here. On Superstar yesterday they began crushing snow. This is part of two reason- one, there’s a lot of snow already made on Superstar and it’s time to push it down and measure snow depths. Number two is more important in that today (Monday, November 12, 2018) marked inspection day by the FIS. Slopes had to be looking good to get the green light to host the Women’s World Cup this Thanksgiving.
So far so good and everything looks in tip-top shape. If you were planning on skiing this upcoming weekend be worry free about walking because we won’t have to do that anymore. Keep in mind that pretty much until Christmas that we’re still in early-season conditions and generally blue to black terrain. Remember the season gets better and better from here and that there’s a lot of early season hype so far. Now get off your phone or computer and go shred!
Photo by Basin Ambassador TrishWe’re Ready To Shred, Are you?
Photos and Words by Basin Ambassador and Killington Local Tricia Noelle
No lack of ski season stoke as lift spins~ The beginning of the ski season is always a time of excitement. Some wait before the sun rises for the gondola to turn on opening day, others may opt to a midweek start, and others might not have gotten to make turns on snow yet; but all share one thing in common, and that is stoke for the return of the winter.
The conditions for early season have been a little bit of everything so far; from passing clouds, moments of sun, soft spring conditions, the magical manmade snow our snowmakers make, and even flurries that fell in clumps yesterday. The coverage and conditions have been stellar in North Ridge, and while a short run in comparison to what we will have in a few months, laps on Rime, Reason and Upper East Fall are plenty to reawaken muscles that have been dormant since Spring.
From locals to season regulars, we all get to holler from the lift as our friends make their first turns of the season. North Ridge is small enough that we can see everyone we missed all summer long, and give hugs and greetings to people we will make turns with for months to come. We all may be returning from different challenges in life, and in different abilities to hike those stairs, but for all of us sliding on snow helps bring us together at least for a few runs, and makes the stairs undeniably worth it.
It is about way more than just returning to the movement we love, we get to share something larger as a community that brings us together. We get to tune out of the stressors of life and tune into the frozen covered trees and snow around us. We share conversation on the lift over the roar of snow guns. We see our friends carve their first turns of the season, smile ear to ear. Killington has a stoke for the ski season like no other place I have been to yet, and we keep it going all the way until June. I don’t know about you, but I am stoked to be celebrating another season back.
Basin sports is the premiere mountain sports retailer in Vermont, specializing in skiing, snowboarding and biking. Basin Sports has received the Ski Magazine Gold Medal nine years in a row and twice naming Basin Sports the best ski shop in New England. Basin Sports has some of the best technical boot fitting service in the country, with certified Pedorthists on staff. As much as we love getting Basin Sports customers into the perfect gear for them, there is one thing we love just as much, if not more. You guessed it, skiing, riding, and just plain enjoying the mountains. You can rest assured that all of us at Basin Sports are taking every opportunity to get out and enjoy all that Killington has to offer. In the winter we ski daily and we are constantly testing new gear, sampling the conditions, and sniffing out powder stashes. Feel free to ask us any questions that you may have, we love to talk about skiing, snowboarding, cycling, hiking and even snowshoeing. In fact, in the winter, we update our website, basinski.com, every day with conditions reports, photos, and videos. Check us out for the most up-to-date and honest info around.
Killington, the mountain we love, the friends we keep, especially on powder days, mean so much to many of us.
Few things bring that more home than having to watch on from the sidelines, but times like those bring the value of being out there, a life outside fully lived, that much more apparent. We are so fortunate to have all of the many opportunities the Green Mountains have to offer, whether here for the day, weekender or local; from downhill skiing to biking, and beyond.
I have been lucky enough to call Killington Mountain home since 2013 and was 44 days into my fifth year as a season pass holder when a freak accident on New Year’s Eve tore my ACL and Meniscus. My ski got stuck in a notch of ice and my leg went in the wrong direction, and I knew immediately my knee and season were done.
I also was reminded quickly that being hurt in this town is something to be immensely grateful for. Offerings of help are plentiful as are reminders from so many friends that they too also wore the ACL badge, and that while a long recovery, I will be coming back stronger than before.
Photo Credit: Chandler Burgess and Killington Resort
Injuries are accidents, but what we do with them as a result never is. After I accepted that there would be no fifth 100 day season in a row for me this year, I counted all the good that would be happening as a result. Becoming a better trained, balanced athlete, having the time to re-learn guitar, reading more, the list goes on. I am also extremely lucky to have something go wrong that can be fixed. And as a friend said, “if you are an athlete at all, it happens, now you are a part of the club.”
As I heel from ACL reconstruction I have been living vicariously through the many deep powder pictures posted of last week. I look forward to seeing everyone in the parking lot when tailgating season begins. If you see me taking gondi laps, or once ready, hiking to the top of Superstar to great my bump enthusiast friends in the spring, say hello! And please make an extra turn or two!
Basin sports is the premier mountain sports retailer in Vermont, specializing in skiing, snowboarding, and biking. Basin Sports has received the Ski Magazine Gold Medal nine years in a row and twice naming Basin Sports the best ski shop in New England. Basin Sports has some of the best technical boot fitting service in the country, with certified Pedorthists on staff. As much as we love getting Basin Sports customers into the perfect gear for them, there is one thing we love just as much, if not more. You guessed it, skiing, riding, and just plain enjoying the mountains. You can rest assured that all of us at Basin Sports is taking every opportunity to get out and enjoy all that Killington has to offer. In the winter we ski daily and we are constantly testing new gear, sampling the conditions, and sniffing out powder stashes. Feel free to ask us any questions that you may have, we love to talk about skiing, snowboarding, cycling, hiking and even snowshoeing. In fact, in the winter, we update our website, basinski.com, every day with conditions reports, photos, and videos. Check us out for the most up-to-date and honest info around.
Yesterday morning (October 26th) was horrible. I woke up to rain, drove to work in the rain and worked all day in the rain. It was cold, damp and not fun. With an unseasonably warm fall my mind had been focused on biking still and hadn’t really switched to winter. The rain sucked. I couldn’t ride my bike or ski- I was stuck. So here I am working, feeling down because of the rain and thought (for a laugh) to pull up the mountain webcam and see if I could get a look at what was happening at the peak. So I pull up the webcam, the 360 cam first and lo and behold, there’s some white stuff up there. Before I can think the marketer in me get’s thrown into overdrive. If I can beat the mountain to posting about the first snow at their resort then I’m doing okay. (I did not beat them this time). Next, I click over to the North Ridge webcam, which provides much better live coverage and snag a screenshot and proceed to post it on all of our Social Media channels. Keep in mind the peak is still covered with clouds so very few in town know that there’s snow on the peak. I‘ve now uploaded the webcam image and can now take a breather.
Fifteen minutes after this one of the managers comes darting into the office shouting, “There’s snow on the peak!” to which I reply, “I’m one step ahead of you.” You’ve got to understand this is a pretty big deal- first snow that is. Even if it doesn’t amount to much, and even if it melts the next day it symbolizes the start of winter and even more so symbolizes the start of ski season which we rely on to make a living. I posted this content sometime around 5PM and was already out the door in a way so I didn’t have too much time to try and snag photos of the peak exposed, plus it was getting dark by then.
This morning was different and this morning was brilliant. We all know that turn, that turn by the foundry where you get your first glimpse of the mountain in all its glory- this time dusted in snow. I drive to the Basin, walk in the door and the first thing I go for is the DSLR camera, a long lens and a UV filter. I then proceed to head to the roof, this is where the majority of photos taken of the mountain is captured. I start snapping photos and since I’ve taken enough photos of this mountain, I have a general idea of how to make her look her best and what angle to get. I walk downstairs, pop the SD card in my computer and start editing the photos. I wish I could say the photos have #nofilter, but any credible photographer will admit to some post-production to just make the images pop a bit.
It wasn’t until this photo, the one above that I thought to myself, “I wouldn’t mind going skiing right now.” I don’t find it too far fetched to think that someone is up there skiing that fast grass too. This is nothing substantial snowfall wise, but it signifies A change in seasons. We predict skiing by the end of next week. The beast often doesn’t disappoint and with 365 being their big push that would mean the resort has to either open again for Mountain Biking the weekend of the 4th and 5th or have the North Ridge up and operating by then.The winter itch is real and it needs scratching, who’s with us?
P.S: If you’d like to use these photos please tag @BasinSports so we get some credit. Or just ask- we’ll probably say yes.
