Just a reminder that we are now on Summer Hours at Avie’s Ski / Sports! The shop will now be open Sunday from noon until 5:00 PM.
You now have another shopping day available at the store which, once again, was voted in the Westerly Sun Reader’s ChoiceAward as #1 Sporting Goods Store.
Summer apparel, sandals, flip flops, sunglasses, stand-up-paddle and surf gear have replaced skis, snowboards and winter clothing. Stop by and check out the new brands available this season.
As always, Avie’s is your “Go to” for tennis and scuba gear.
And a few reminders:
If you still have Seasonal Lease gear — BRING IT TO THE SHOP! We need to refurbish them for use again next season and like to have all that done by June. If you already brought seasonal lease gear back — THANK YOU!!
If you haven’t yet had your gear tuned at seasons end, now is the time to do so before the summer humidity settles in. Do It Yourself or bring it to Avie’s and have it “Summerized.”
The Tuning Shop will close for the season in early June, so any tune ups or gear maintenance needs to arrive at the shop now!
Avie’s will be CLOSED on Monday May 27th in honor of Memorial Day.
From then through Labor Day however, Summer Hours are in play at Avie’s Ski / Sports!
This Sunday, March 24th, is the official last trip of the Avie’s Ski / Sports Ski & Ride Bus Trip season. And that final bus is going to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire.
Right now, Friday morning, it is snowing at Loon. Snowing hard. In fact, they are expecting 5-8 inches of snow up there before it ends tomorrow morning. Then it stays cold through Saturday, meaning not much of it melts.
Sunday however, sees the temperature slide up into the mid-40s. And sunny.
That means some sweet, soft, buttery turns at Loon. Yes, spring skiing at it’s best. Nice fresh snow and nice warm sun.
The trip to Loon is a definite “Go!” There are some seats left, but given the predicted conditions, empty seats may fill quickly.
Get to Avie’s and get signed up for that trip! The last chance, last trip this season! Sad but true.
47 skiers and riders embarked on a bus from Avie’s Ski / Sports on Sunday March 17th—St. Patrick’s Day. It was also Avie’s Customer Appreciation Day. The bus went to Okemo. Ted and all the Avie’s shop employees were onboard for this special trip.
While there was no corned beef and cabbage, Ted had plenty of coffee and donuts to go around. Everyone was well fed and well caffeinated when the bus arrived at Okemo. While St. Patrick’s Day is known as a day of green, this one was white. As the bus pulled into the lot at Okemo, it was snowing. Hard enough so that you couldn’t see the upper mountain.
On the mountain, conditions were firm and fast throughout the morning. Okemo, true to its claim to fame, did an incredible job grooming the slopes. Recovery from the two previous days of temperatures nearly into the 60s was incredible. Everywhere on the mountain snow coverage was good to great. Great was found on most of the main mountain face trails.
The sun popped out in the afternoon and warmed things up a bit. This made for some nice soft turns, especially along lower mountain trails. The sun, the light breeze, and the soft snow was a reminder that spring is nearby.
Happy skiers and riders
Leprechaun and princess
Apres ski at the fire pit
All in all it was a great day on the slopes at Okemo. Skiers and riders had a fun time in the early morning snow and chill, and in the warm afternoon sunshine. Inside the lodge a leprechaun was greeting Avie’s skiers and riders at lunch. At days end, tired skiers and riders relaxed around the fire pit, swapping stories about the days adventures.
But alas the day closed and the group followed it’s leprechaun leader back to bus for the trip south.
The smiles say it all
Chillin’ to a movie
Big smiles were everywhere. The great day on the slopes was followed by the leprechaun giving out some St. Patrick’s Day cheer. Drink koozies, warm knit hats—some with pompoms—T-shirts, goggles, and more. The leprechaun made what seemed like endless trips up and down the aisle of the bus bearing gifts. Clementines, cookies, string cheese, and more.
Finally the onboard movies flickered onto the screen, and everyone settled in to chill and relax for the last part of the ride back to Waterford and then Westerly. It was a long day, but a great day.
Usually the Customer Appreciation Day Trip is the last ski and ride bus trip leaving Avie’s Ski / Sports for the season. But not this year. There is one more opportunity to get on the bus from Avie’s. The final trip, Sunday March 24th, heads to Loon Mountain in New Hampshire. Seats are still available, so stop in and sign up if you want a day of fun on the slopes.
Ski country to our north is still covered in white. But it won’t last forever. Get out and enjoy that white stuff before it turns to water!!
Thirty patrons of Avie’s Ski / Sports ventured forth to Killington ski resort yesterday, Wednesday March 13th, for a bit of skiing and riding. And it was quite a day!
Upon arrival, 153 of 155 trails were open for skiers and riders. That’s an impressive amount of territory to play in. If you can’t find something to suit your fancy in that array of trails, time to think about partaking in a different sport.
Winds were light to non-existent, and the sun wanted to play hide and seek. Then it just decided to hide, at least until early afternoon. Temperatures were in the high 20s in the morning, jumping into the low 30s early afternoon. It was warm enough where you didn’t get cold, and cold enough where you didn’t get hot. Pretty much perfect in other words.
Conditions ran what I consider the typical New England gauntlet for this time of year. Firm and fast early, with those trails that were groomed having some nice crunchy corduroy ribs to sink an edge into. As the day progressed and warmed, the snow softened. Particularly in those areas that were in the sun when it poked through for a mid-day visit. Late in the day, since the sun went back into hiding, most surfaces refroze, providing for some fast last runs.
Overall, conditions were ideal. Fantastic even. And that was quite evident on the faces of the 30 Avie’s skiers and riders as they made their way off slope and onto the bus for the return trip. All smiles. No grumbles—other than wishing it didn’t have to end.
Snow conditions up in ski country continue to be incredible. While northern New England has not seen—at least not yet—the major March dumps of white stuff experienced last year, they have received multiple smaller but significant snowfall events. No bare spots, not many icy patches, and still a ton of snow on the trails and in the woods. It’s mid-March and most ski areas are, or nearly, 100% open!
The bottom line is—get out there and enjoy these incredible conditions while they continue. There is still lots of skiing and riding left, but we are indeed on the “downhill slope home” for this season.
Avie’s Ski / Sports has it’s well loved—and for good reason—Customer Appreciation Trip taking place this Sunday, March 17, heading to Okemo. Ted comes along and brings all kinds of ski and snowboard “bling” to give away. All of it interesting and all of it useful in some way or another. All the Avie’s staff are also along. Coffee and donuts for the ride up. Snacks and water for the ride home. All in all it’s a really fun time.
And there is still space available for the March 17 trip to Okemo. But those seats will not stay empty for long, so don’t dawdle too long over deciding to go or not. The weather looks to be in the twenties on Sunday the 17th, and Okemo is famed for their incredible groomers. Looks to be a good day for ripping up some corduroy!!
Join Ted, I, and the rest of the Avie’s Ski / Sports staff for a day of fun.
Clouds are scudding into Vermont from upstate New York. Pretty, fluffy, white flakes are trickling down from them. By the time dawn approaches tomorrow there will be another 8 to 10-inches of fluffy white powder gracing ski slopes in Vermont.
Add this to the several inches of snow received over the weekend, and things are looking pretty sweet in the mountains to our north. Such a nice recovery from the nasty rain only a week ago.
All this means some pretty good conditions at Mount Snow in Vermont. And that’s where the Avie’s Ski / Sports trip is heading this Sunday, February 3rd. You could have the view in the image above, taken on the Bluebird Express to the summit at Mount Snow.
Sure, it’s Super Bowl Sunday. And yes, the Patriots are playing. The lure to be there in front of the TV watching Tom Brady and the rest of that fabulous team work their magic is strong.
Game time isn’t until 6:30PM. The Avie’s Ski / Sport bus will leave Mount Snow at 4:30PM. Almost sure to be back to Westerly by 8:00PM. Still plenty of game time left to go. Most if not all of the second half of the game will await your viewing pleasure. If you are one of the skiers or riders being dropped off in Waterford, you certainly will catch the second half of the game.
Be realistic. The Patriots have a history of having these big events turn into nail-biters decided in the final moments of the game. Maybe even in overtime. My playbook says this:
Get in a great day of skiing and riding in the great conditions at Mount Snow
Chill on the bus on the way home and stay abreast of the game on your phone
Arrive home around game half-time and watch the most exciting part of the game
Why waste your entire Super Bowl Sunday sitting around doing nothing WAITING for the game to start?
Go skiing and riding. Get yourself to Mount Snow on the Avie’s Ski / Sports bus trip and make your Super Bowl Sunday a fun-filled, action packed, back-to-back thrills day.
I have had the pleasure of being on several Avie’s Ski / Sports bus trips to Mount Snow on Super Bowl Sunday in the past. And here is what happens:
It’s a typical Sunday morning on the mountain, though maybe a bit less busy than usual
Late morning sees a mass exodus of skiers and riders rushing elsewhere to make chili
After a lunch break there are no lines at the lifts and few skiers and riders on the slopes
By late afternoon it’s so quite on the slopes you think its your private ski mountain
The big smile won’t leave your face on the bus ride back home
You try to focus on the second half of the Super Bowl, but can’t get the memories of such a great day of skiing and riding out of your head.
Get signed up for this incredible trip to Mount Snow by end of the day this Thursday. $99.95 is a great price for a great day of skiing and riding. Followed by an evening watching the New England Patriots vie for yet another Super Bowl title.
Hope to see you Sunday morning for the trip north.
The trip to Okemo on Wednesday, January 30th, needs about eight more skiers and riders to make it a “Go.”
If you have been thinking about taking advantage of a day on the slopes without the crowds, turn your thoughts into action. Get over to Avie’s Ski / Sports by tomorrow—Sunday—by mid-day to sign up. A decision on the trip must be made by mid-afternoon tomorrow, so don’t delay if you want to take advantage of a mid-week ski and ride opportunity.
And you should take that opportunity. Several inches of snow overnight tonight and into tomorrow will be gracing the hills of Vermont. Then Tuesday and into early Wednesday more inches—as many as 8—will fall in the Okemo area. That means a lot of nice, fresh snow to play in. Hmmm, what’s that called?
A powder day?
Pass along this information far and wide. Grab a friend and get over to Avie’s Ski / Sports and sign up for the Okemo trip this coming Wednesday. Be one of those fortunate ones on the bus to Okemo. You will not be sorry.
Fresh snow. No weekend crowds. No driving. And no high cost—$99.95 covers the ride via coach bus to and from Okemo, and your lift ticket to a day of fun letting gravity have its way with you on the slopes.
Sign up by tomorrow. Before mid-day. Okemo. Wednesday the 30th.
We have all been waiting for snow. And we got it. But unfortunately in a melted physical format. But no worries!! Up north they got snow. And lots of it. A foot and more of the wonderful white stuff fell on ski slopes all the way from New York to Maine.
And we have been waiting for a few other things beside snow. Such as, snowboards from Capita, fluorocarbon wax from SWIX, and bus trips from Avie’s Ski / Sports.
Snowboard Arrivals
Capita snowboards have had a hard time getting to retail shops this season. But no longer. A shipment of Capita snowboards arrived at Avie’s Ski / Sports and are now available. If you have been waiting for Capita boards to arrive, wait no longer. And don’t wait too long because they probably won’t have a long shelf life.
Fluoro- Wax
SWIX has been having some difficulty getting fluorocarbon waxes out of Norway, where they are produced, and into the US. The policy log jam finally opened up and we expected SWIX LF waxes to arrive mid-January. But the US government is not open for business, which means that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can’t sign off on the permits that would allow the shipment to get to us eager New England ski and snowboard waxers.
So we found an alternate source, and expect some low fluoro- ski wax to arrive early this week. What’s the big deal? If you wax your own skis or snowboards, low fluoro- wax is the “go to” wax for New England conditions. New England snow is typically high in moisture content, and low fluoro- wax significantly improves glide in high humidity snow. Never used a fluoro- wax? You should. As soon as you make the switch you will notice that your skis, or snowboard, want “to go” is the only way to describe it.
Ski & Ride Loon
And then of course there are ski and ride bus trips hosted by Avie’s Ski / Sports. Next on tap is a trip to the great state of New Hampshire to ski and ride at Loon. Great price of $99.95 per person, which includes round trip travel on a coach bus and your lift ticket at Loon. To best ensure that the trip runs to Loon, sign up before mid-afternoon on Thursday of this week. Avie’s needs to commit to bus and driver Thursday afternoon, and if there are not enough people signed up to go, the trip will be cancelled. You can of course get on the trip if you sign up after Thursday. But you might be disappointed to find out there is nothing to sign up for because the trip was cancelled due to lack of interest. That’s a shame. If you are interested in skiing or riding at Loon, sign up earlier than later.
Wednesday Trip to Okemo
On Wednesday, January 30th, the first Avie’s Ski / Sports mid-week ski and ride trip heads to Okemo in Vermont. Do you want a day on the slopes where you can rip up the trails top-to-bottom without crowds? Do you want a day skiing or riding from top-to-bottom and going directly onto the lift back to the top? If you answered YES to either (or both) then you MUST be on the Wednesday trip to Okemo. Be sure to sign up for the Wednesday January 30 trip to Okemo by mid-day on Monday the 28th so we can ensure the trip runs.
New snow, snowboards, and wax. And some new ski and ride trips ready to bring you someplace fun. So you can play on the new snow with your new snowboard which is slicked up with new wax.
The group from Avie’s Ski / Sports had a blast at Stratton on the January 13th trip north. Conditions were phenomenal. Temperatures stayed in the high teens, but without a breath of wind. Great temps for skiing and riding.
And the sky. Such a beautiful sky. Not a cloud to be seen anywhere. The only thing resembling a cloud were the snow-capped peaks of the Presidential Range in New Hampshire off in the distance to the east.
Ok, great weather. How were conditions?
Incredibly good. Most of the mountain was open, and most open trails were groomed. With no wind, the snow stayed on the trails. The only spot that got a bit nasty in the afternoon was Janeway Junction. Too much traffic always seems to make that spot get scraped to glacier status. But if you avoided that, the rest of the slopes were firm, fast, and snow covered.
The new lift in the Snow Bowl area of the resort is a fantastic addition. The trip back to the summit from the bottom of World Cup now takes about 5 minutes rather than the 15 or so minutes with the previous lift. Better still, few seemed to know it was there because there was never a line. So, you could avoid the long, slow runout back to the base area with a short hop back to the summit. Very nice addition.
Was it crowded?
Even more surprising were the crowds. Or lack thereof. Yes, it was busy, but the longest wait I had was at the Sunrise Express lift out of the Sun Bowl, where it took about 5 minutes to get on the lift. So there were fewer people on the trails than what I think of as “normal” for a Sunday.
And once the Patriot’s game started, the trails got even more lonely. For those that decided to forgo at least the start of the game, the skiing and riding throughout the afternoon was spectacular.
Starting to get the idea it was a great day? It was. Personally, I thought the snow in the Sun Bowl area was the best, and my favorite trails for the day were Sunrise Super Trail, skiers left as you get off the Sunrise Express chair, and Lower Downeaster, skiers right coming off the chair.
Last Run
Right at the end of the day, the Sunrise Express lift in the Sun Bowl experienced problems and was shut down for repairs. Fortunately they got everyone off before shutting it down. This left the Solstice lift running, which I hadn’t been on before. It is a sloooooooow lift, but when it’s the only lift, you take it. Fortunately I took it only once, for my last run of the day. I took Big Ben, a novice trail right off the Solstice lift, back to the Sun Bowl lodge. It’s a scenic, winding trail through the woods, experiencing a gentle grade. It pops out of the woods at the top of a big, broad slope leading past the tubing hill.
The sun had been on the slope earlier in the day, which was now in the shadows as the sun was setting. I tipped over the top of the long wide slope, quickly finding out that the sun must have slightly thawed the surface, which then froze over as the sun dipped behind the mountain. For a novice trail, I had a fast ride down the slope back to the lodge. Big carves across the face of the trail, all the way to the bottom, was a fantastic way to end the day.
I was tempted to jump on the lift for one more spin down Big Ben, but opted not. My quads were screaming from a fun afternoon of torture. I decided to let it end on a high note. My quads were very grateful for that decision.
The bus ride back to Westerly was particularly quiet. Everyone was what I call “blissfully exhausted” from a fun day on the snow.
Mount Snow on tap
This coming Sunday, the 20th of January, the Avie’s Ski / Sports trip heads back to Vermont to visit the slopes at Mount Snow. Same great price of $99.95. Be sure to sign up by early afternoon on Thursday the 17th to help ensure that the trip will run.
Sure, you can still sign up for the trip after Thursday. But you run a risk of two very bad things happening. First—too many people waited until after Thursday afternoon to sign up, and the trip was cancelled because we thought there wasn’t enough interest. Second—too many people did sign up before Thursday afternoon and there are no seats left on the bus. In the first case, everyone loses. In the second, there is a big number of winners, and one loser.
Don’t be a loser. Sign up before Thursday afternoon
Following Mount Snow Avie’s heads to Loon in New Hampshire on the 27th. On January 30th, a Wednesday, Avie’s Ski / Sports has the first mid-week trip of the season, heading to Okemo. I urge you to be on that bus. Mid-week skiing and riding cannot be beat. Sign up for this trip early so that we know there is enough interest.
Vermont and New Hampshire are getting whacked with a nice blanket of that fluffy white stuff we call snow. This weekend—Sunday specifically—you can be at Stratton on January 13th.
The 5 to 7-inches of snow, maybe more locally on the mountain, will freshen things up quite nicely for our skiing and riding pleasures. Stratton is a fun mountain, with a variety of terrain for all ages and abilities. A brand new lift over in the Snow Bowl will give another opportunity to get to the summit without returning to the base village.
The best part of the trip, sponsored by Avie’s Ski / Sports in Westerly, Rhode Island, is the price.
$99.95 per person
That price includes a ride to and from Stratton, on a comfy coach bus. Get on the bus in the morning and relax for a few hours as someone else does the driving. Get to Stratton and ski and ride all day long. Get on the bus at the end of the day, exhausted from so much fun, and let someone else do the driving.
The price includes your lift ticket cost. If you were to drive all the way to Stratton on your own, then go to the ticket window and get your lift pass, you would experience at least three unpleasant things. First, you would have driven all that way to Stratton early in the morning instead of relaxing with friends and family. Second, you would pay MORE for the lift ticket than for the entire Avie’s Ski / Sports cost of the trip. Third, at the end of the day, tired and crabby from paying full price for a lift ticket, you have to drive all the way back home.
So, don’t go on the Avie’s Ski / Sports bus trip this Sunday, January 13th, to Stratton. Then you get the pleasure of driving 6 hours AND paying MORE for your lift ticket than if you joined the folks leaving from Avie’s. That sounds like a great deal for YOU.
But not for me. I will be on that bus leaving Avie’s Ski / Sports and headed to Stratton.
Decision to confirm the bus and driver for the trip to Stratton must be made by mid-afternoon Thursday.
That’s tomorrow.Tomorrow afternoon. If you want to go on this trip, you need to have your reservations in place before mid-afternoon tomorrow. If too few are signed up to go, then the trip gets canceled. That would be a sad thing. Sad indeed.
I look forward to seeing you Sunday morning at Avie’s Ski / Sports. Stratton awaits us!!
Looks like the first Ski & Ride trip, headed to Okemo, is a no go for this Sunday. That’s a bummer because conditions are getting increasingly good. Yeah, we had a few flip-flops into some spells of nasty warmer conditions.
Look at the picture above? What do you see? You see “snow whales.” These are gigantic mounds of snow that the mountain ops snow makers create. They close trails and make snow whales. Then they push that mountain of snow around to make nice conditions to ski and ride on. That’s whats been going on up north the past few weeks.
We have a return to cold on tap. And some fresh snow has fallen up in the north country. With more predicted in the days to come. Granted, no major dumps in sight. But they will come. No doubt about that. They just never happen soon enough or often enough for us snow hounds.
Ski conditions are good and getting better. So all of us should be chomping at the bit, as the saying goes, to get out on the hill and let gravity have some fun with us. I know I am. But I don’t get to feed that need at Okemo this Sunday on an Avie’s Ski & Ride Trip. And that’s a bummer.
An Avie’s Ski / Sport Ski & Ride Trip is always fun. And cost effective. The price of a trip, which includes the ride—on a coach bus—to and from the ski area AND the full day lift ticket, costs less than the price of the lift ticket for the day at the resort. Participants have nothing to do except chill on the way up. Ski and ride like banshees until the bull-wheels stop spinning and the lifties wave you away. Chill on the return trip and take in a movie or two.
The thing is that decisions on “trip go or no-go” have to be made by Thursday mid afternoon. The bus company needs to confirm use of the bus and driver for the day. If, as seems to be the case sometimes, everyone thinking about going on the trip waits until Friday or Saturday, it’s too late. The sad decision to cancel the trip has already been made. Days earlier.
Owen, after hearing the trip was off.
Ted gets sad. I get sad. Owen gets sad and depressed. People walking in with big smiles on their faces ready to sign up for the trip Friday evening and Saturday morning leave with frowns. That’s a bummer.
If you are considering participation in an Avie’s Ski / Sports Ski & Ride Bus Trip, then you need to get to the store and commit to the trip before mid-day on Thursday. I figured this was worth saying because hey, how would you know otherwise?
Now you know.
Commit to Avie’s Ski & Ride trips by mid-day on Thursdays
At latest.
Next trip up north on bus from Avie’s Ski / Sports takes place on Sunday, January 13th. This trip goes to Stratton. If you are interested in this one, and you should be, get to Avie’s and sign up.
Do it now. Or tomorrow. Maybe even wait until Monday. But don’t wait until the last minute. Though if you do, that last minute should be Thursday the 10th at noon.
Share this far and wide. Especially with friends and family you know who do take part in the Ski & Ride trips from Avie’s Ski / Sports.
I hope to see you Sunday the 13th as we head to Vermont together to ski and ride at Stratton.
