We recently updated our Facebook app for Snowago, which allows people to plan and log their days on the slopes and get updates on snow conditions for over 700 mountains.

Since this is the second year of the app, a new structure of “seasons” has been added to group snow days for each 12 months starting September 1. Some interface enhancements have been added including an ajax type-ahead to make it easy to jump to any mountain page.

The primary changes involved updating the app for the new profile. The layout is now wider and also incorporates some of the redesign on the Snowago.com site to display snow conditions in a new “console” format. The app also utilizes two new integrations points. Users can add a tab on their profile to display their snow log as well as the latest conditions for their favorite resorts. They can also use the publisher to post their snow plans to friends. For business pages, a new profile box has been created allowing snow reports for a specific mountain to be added.

Behind the scenes, the data has been expanded to include new information such as latitude and longitude, allowing Snowago to display a Google map with 3D views for every mountain alongside a graphical trail map.

We hope these new enhancements help everyone share their skiing and snowboarding adventures this year, and we’ll be adding even more features as the season progresses.

Who's going to Steamboat this winter?

Did you know that if you book your vacation by opening day (November 26th) you can ski free until Christmas?  With the current state of the national economy I personally cannot see this promotion being anything but successful.  Read more about this opportunity here.

A few fun facts on Steamboat Springs:

*Steamboat hosts the Western finals of the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge, a free race circuit, every year on a Saturday in late March or early April.

*Steamboat boasts 2965 permitted acres, 165 trails, 23 lifts, and 2 terrain parks.

*Steamboat's longest run, 'Why Not,' is over 3 miles long.

Check this out:

http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/contest/index.htm

Want to win a free trip to Whistler-Blackcomb this year and a bunch of free gear totaling a staggering $25,000?

In celebration of the opening of the world-record breaking Peak 2 Peak Gondola project opening on December 12th, Whistler is giving away A LOT of great stuff.  Their website describes the Gondola, allowing skiers easy access between Whistler and Blackcomb, as "an 11 minute journey to infinite possibilities."  Check out their site to learn more and take a virtual tour.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald online, ski resorts in Victoria will be going green by using wind-generated energy and creating their snow from recycled water.

Also of note, today, June 9, marks the official start of the Aussie Ski Season, and the beginning of what's shaping up to be an awesome ski season in the Southern Hemisphere.

Feel free to share your thoughts on resorts going green or the Southern Hemisphere Ski Season in comments here or in the forums.

Until next time...

~BoarderGuy 

Recently, Lindy Burdet and Heinz Fischer made a skiing holiday to the North Pole. As Burdet says in an article at KOAA Online, they didn't even know they could be setting a World Record until their guide happened to mention it. At 76 and 79 respectively, Burdet and Fischer could be the oldest couple to have skied to the North Pole, a new Guinness World Record.

Wouldn't you love to be as active as this couple in your seventies, suffering the frigid bite of the arctic wind to ski over miles of ice-ridden wasteland? If I'm still able to strap on my board or skis at the age of 76, I will be VERY pleased with myself!

What do you think? 

Don't pack up your skis and boards just yet snow fans, it appears that ski season just got a whole lot longer in Great Blakenham, Suffolk, England. According to the Eastern Daily Press Business Online, there's a new type of resort coming to town that could extend the ski season indefinitely.

In order to escape the fickle tides of weather, SnOasis is set to be the largest indoor ski facility in Europe. It will feature Europe's longest indoor ski slope, as well as a variety of other winter sport activities.

I guess it just goes to show that some people just can't accept the end of ski season, and we should thank them for their ingenuity.

~BoarderGuy 

According to recent news, a US company may soon be launching an all new, one-size-fits all (157 cm) snowboard that is completely recyclable. The board is known as the makboard.

As green and eco-friendly solutions are continuously becoming more trendy, does this board really have a future? I think it all depends on whether its performance can match its innovative design.

What do you think? 

With ski/board season in the northern hemisphere winding to a close, we're left with two options: either we face the music and resign ourselves to waiting until next year, or we move to the southern hemisphere in time for their first major snowfalls!

Whichever route you take, I hope you've enjoyed your season so far, and I hope you share your greatest moments with us. Head to your favorite resort page and check out the new activity about the Season Recap. Feel free to share any pictures that help express how truly awesome your season has been!

Whether you hang your skis/board up in the garage until next year, or lovingly wrap them in your suitcase with a ticket south, I wish you happy sloping!

Best,
~BoarderGuy 

Because of some record snowfall in the Western US, some resorts have begun pushing back their closing dates. This is good news for those of us who haven't had enough time to hit the slopes this season.

Check out this article to hear more about the later dates.

Happy skiing and boarding!

-BoarderGuy