Skiing News, Gear Reviews & More - The Access Road

Truth in Motion – Behind the Scenes with the US Ski Team

February 7, 2010
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It’s tough to imagine the pressure olympic athletes must be under with the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Winter Olympics only a few days away. Truth in Motion, a feature length documentary on the US Olympic Ski Team’s preparations for the games, is a fascinating window into this world, and it’s free in iTunes right [...]

SIA Denver 2010 Recap: The Show

February 4, 2010
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We’re fresh off the six day trade show marathon that is SIA, the annual snowsports industry trade show which stretched from the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver to Winter Park, and it was quite the show. In case you weren’t able to follow our copious twitter updates and photostream, we’ve put together this comprehensive recap [...]

SIA Trade Show 2010 – Pre Show Tips

January 20, 2010
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It’s here! SIA 2010 is underway, and we are ready to bring it all back to you on our SIA live update page. If you are new to SIA, attending the show, or just want  a little background on what it’s like, this handy guide of pre-show tips is just what you need.

Heated Jackets – Can’t Anyone Do This Right?

January 13, 2010
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It seems like every couple of years it’s a different manufacturer trying and eventually giving up on heated outerwear. The idea makes perfect sense, particularly for snowsports enthusiasts. Skiers and riders aren’t as sensitive to weight as backpackers and mountaineers are (making reasonaby sized batteries less of an issue), need more warmth during periods of [...]

Augmented Reality Skiing Apps

January 4, 2010
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In case you don’t keep up with tech news quite the way I do, I’ll let you in on a little secret – “augmented reality” is poised to be the next big thing on mobile phones and devices – and it poses some really neat possibilities for skiers & riders.
Augmented reality is exactly what it [...]

Swift Silent Deep Movie Review

December 24, 2009
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I’ll admit that I enjoy a lot of the mindless “ski porn” trotted out each winter. The sweeping panoramas and montages of big mountains, helicopters and deep powder are a great way to get psyched up for the season. But there are so many great stories in skiing that have simply never been told – [...]

All About DIN Settings

December 21, 2009
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During my years on the demo circuit, I’ve had the pleasure of calculating thousands of DIN settings with skiers looking over my shoulder, oftentimes asking questions or insisting I’m doing it wrong. While there is a lot of information online about DIN settings, a lot of it is incorrect and there isn’t any one good [...]

Amazing Avalanche Video

December 15, 2009
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You knew it would happen – with the explosion in popularity of helmet cameras, we would be seeing some amazing first person footage of people encountering some really bad situations in the backcountry.

Ski Gift Certificate // Gift Guide 2010

December 13, 2009
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As of November 24, Liftopia.com has been offering a first of its kind ski gift certificate. While this may not seem like news at first glance, it’s been incredibly hard to give the gift of a day on the hill until now. Even some larger resorts still don’t offer gift certificates of any kind; and many of [...]

Skier Gifts // Gift Guide 2010

December 6, 2009
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Buying a thoughtful gift isn’t easy – that’s why we have come up with a list of some great new items that any skier would appreciate, with items at every price point. Everything below is new in 2010 and has received top ratings from actual consumer reviewers. Be sure to also check out our 2010 [...]

2009/2010 Ski Area Improvements – Northeast

December 3, 2009
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Given the state of the national economy, it isn’t much of a surprise that ski areas across the country were apprehensive about making  multi-million dollar upgrades over the summer. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t exciting things happening if you know where to look – here’s our list of the biggest capital improvements of [...]

Skiing Helmet Cameras Roundup

November 29, 2009
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It’s been a few years since the first low priced, commercially available skiing helmet cameras hit the market – and a lot has changed since then. In November 2007, the GoPro Helmet Hero was a phenomenal deal at just $175 – but it had some major limitations, as anyone who has used it can tell [...]

Whistler Smashes All Time Monthly Snow Record

November 25, 2009
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Yes, it’s November – and yes, you read that right. Whistler Blackcomb has officially received more snow this month than in any single month for the past 30 years (since records have been kept). Through November 25th, Whistler has accumulated a stunning 538cm (17 feet) from a line of storms that have hovered over the [...]

Black Friday Ski & Gear Deals 2009

November 25, 2009
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Escaping all of the Black Friday advertising is nearly impossible, especially in a year when retailers are fighting for every penny of consumer dollars. Luckily, many of the top ski and outdoor retailers online have jumped on the Black Friday / Cyber Monday bandwagon.
We are working hard to amass a list of the best Black [...]

Behold the Snowtunnel

November 24, 2009
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Think of a giant washing machine turned on its side, coated with ice and snow on the inside. Now think about climbing inside. That’s the big idea of the people at snowtunnel, who are touting this as a low cost way to ski & board all season long.

Salomon Shogun

November 20, 2009
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The Salomon Shogun is a real “show” in many ways. From the topsheet design that has garnered quite a bit of attention to the technology inside – a bamboo core with a layer of basalt stone that gives it a unique and variable stiffness, this is a revoloutionary ski. But how does it perform out [...]