Ski Bum Poet

Last ski season I had the opportunity to meet Mike Doyle (Skiing Editor from About.com) and his daughter Katie. We spent the day at Alta skiing around the entire area. I had a good time showing them a place that’s very close to my heart. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Mike recently, and I’m not even sure if they made it out west to ski this year…but I just received the following news that he’s won a prestigious Internet writing award! Way to go Mike!! Here’s the news:

The North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA) honored three notable persons who have made significant contributions to winter sports endeavors and also bestowed their top awards in the field of snow sports writing and photography for 2007. The awards, this year presented at the Mt. Washington Hotel in BrettonWoods, New Hampshire, were revealed at a banquet on March 29, 2008 that was climax of the organization’s annual meeting.

The Carson White-Golden Quill Award, named after the group’s first president, honors an individual who has made a significant contribution to snow sports in North America. For 2008, the honor went to long-time SnowSports Industries America (SIA) president David Ingemie. Starting out as a marketing director in 1976 for SIA, he took over as president in 1981 and remains so to this day. This native New Englander guides the non-profit winter sports trade association from its McLean, Virginia headquarters.

NASJA’s 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring a lifetime of snowsports-related innovation, competition, design and other endeavors, was presented to Cecile Ryden Johnson, a well-known watercolor artist who created lasting works of winter scenery, sports and imagery from countless resorts and mountainsides. This nonagenarian, whose work has appeared in Skiing Magazine and in many television specials, is still active in the art world from her Washington D.C. home.

Bonnie MacPherson, the media relations director at Vermont’s Okemo Resort, is the recipient of the 2008 Bob Gillen Memorial Award. This award, named in honor of a former Ski Magazine editor and marketing wizard of Crested Butte and Sugarbush ski resorts, honors an individual who exemplifies the highest standards of professionalism in public relations and media communications. Ms. MacPherson came to Okemo via stints at the Mt. Washington Hotel, and Loon Mountain and Cranmore resorts.

The Harold S. Hirsch Awards, named after the ski clothing pioneer-creator of the White Stag Company, honors the best writers in the snowsports journalism fields of magazines, newspapers, columns and internet and for winter sports photography. The awards were underwritten by prize grants from the Head Ski Corp. and Sport Obermeyer, the ski gear manufacturers.

In Magazine Writing, Chris Solomon of Seattle, freelance writing for Ski, Skiing and the New York Times Magazines, captured the Hirsch trophy and some Head skis for his 2007 stories. He was a double winner at last year’s awards.

Claudia Carbone of Denver, Colorado, a former president of NASJA and Hirsch winner, took home the Columns honors for 2007 with pieces on Colorado destinations such as Wolf Creek, Keystone and Loveland.

Tops in Newspaper Writing for 2007 was freelancer Hilary Nangle, from Waldoboro, in the Great State of Maine, writing for the Boston Globe about her state’s ski destinations and equipment innovation. She is also a previous Hirsch recipient.

Internet Writing honors for 2007 went to About.com’s Skiing Guide Mike Doyle, from Stillwater, New York. Doyle, who is a first-time recipient, made the jump into cyberspace from stints as the IBEW union’s press secretary and traditional print media.

In the category of Snowsports Photography, Karl Weatherly of Ketchum, Idaho took top honors with attributes the judges describe as “the best sense of light and composition, excellent action, shot by someone with obvious expert skiing skills.” Karl’s photos appear on the Getty Images and Corbis websites and in winter sports magazines.

About NASJA
The North American Snowsports Journalists Association, founded in San Francisco, California in 1963, is the largest organization of its type in the world. Please visit our website at www.nasja.org for more information.

By the way if you’re interested, check out the piece Mike wrote on our day at Alta last year:

Skiing Alta and Snowbird on the Same Day?

And here is Mike’s Blog:

Ski The East

I went and listed our place for sale on Craigslist.com. We’ve been playing with the idea of trying out a new place to live. Actually it’s not much “playing” anymore, I think we’re pretty committed. The thing is I can work from anywhere these days as long as I have broadband Internet and a room of my own (my workdays get intense, to say the least. Sorry to D :~).

So we figure why the hell not. I look at it as an opportunity to go out and about and live it up, farm it up, the way we want to now (no growing season up here), instead of regretting that we didn’t do it later. I’d rather not snap out of it in ten years and wonder why it is that we had a chance to go and live/work anywhere, and we didn’t. Our first stop will likely be the country side of Tompkins Country, NY. Near Ithaca. But shoot, with the price of gas and where it’s going we’re talking more about a spread in town with sustainable living emphasis in the house and out.

Yes we’ll miss Alta and the powder. What kind of a question is that? But it’s all good because I’ll still be cranking on AvantLink, ranting on Ski Bum Poet, workin’ on AltaCam; and D will still be documenting life on Peas & Love. Oh and we’ll be leaving our touring and fat skis at Jesse’s house. (or somewheres on the Wasatch front) Won’t be needin’ those at Greek Peak, where Elliephant may be learnin’ to turn.

If things work out like I have them planned then we’ll be back in Utah at least some of the time, maybe up the PowMow way instead of in the stinky city and urban sprawl zone. Give us 3-5 years on that, though.

So that’s that. The place is on the market. This is my first attempt to sell it on our own. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve, so stay tuned. Here’s the listing on Craigslist:

Timberlakes Utah Mountain Home - 1 Acre Lot