[caption id="attachment_6584" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
Photo by Liam Doran, Skiing Magazine[/caption]
If you've ever skied at Colorado's Loveland ski area, you've probably seen Doug Evans. He's the guy ripping nonstop, high-speed laps down the Chair 1 liftline, effortlessly jumping off building-high cliffs and finding powder stashes when everyone else has given up hope. He'll be on first chair and last chair, disappearing only to hike a backcountry lap. Need more proof that Doug is as dedicated a skier as they come? He's skied every single month of the year (yes, that means July and August, too) since 2001 without missing a single month. Doug recently appeared in a Skiing Magazine article about skiing Las Vegas. We gave Doug a shout to ask about the steeps above Sin City and how he finds snow all summer long.
What was it like traveling to Las Vegas ... to go skiing? Did people give you weird looks on your way there?
It was strange and exciting. I didn't know what to expect. We left winter in Colorado and when we arrived in Vegas, it was in the 80s. From the downtown hotel room I could only see one snow-capped peak, and that ended up being where we were going skiing. The base of the ski area is nearly 6,ooo feet above the city, so the 45-minute drive takes you from Joshua trees to snowy bristlecone forests. There were plenty of strange looks when we were checking in with our skis and boots. One nice lady on the elevator asked us if we were bungee jumpers.
doug
Be honest: How was the terrain and snow at Las Vegas' local ski hill? Worth a visit next time anyone is in Sin City? The lower terrain at the ski area was pretty mellow, mostly groomers and a small terrain park. The skin-to sidecountry terrain was much more exciting. Despite the thinner, desert snowpack and fairly steep terrain, we found some fun skiing with the help of a knowledgeable local. On the right snow year, I would definitely return. Are there slot machines and blackjack tables in the base lodge? Or cocktail waitresses in the cafeteria? There were no slots at the base area. Just a normal small ski area bar, restaurant and deck with usual colorful locals, a few tourists, and a few strippers and bouncers snowboarding on their day off.
You ski every month of the year, right? What drives you? Yes, I've been skiing on snow at least one day every month since 2001. I'm up to 180. At first it was just to see if I could do it without traveling too far from home. Then the adventure of seeking out new local snow patches to slide on during the hot months became a bit of an obsession. What does it take to find snow in Colorado in say, July and August? The real summer skiing can start as early as May and as late as July. During the early summer you can easily drive to the snow, then start skinning. Later in the year, I trade the skins for approach shoes and boot-up when I get to the snow. The quality and size of the longer lasting snowfields depends on the previous season's precipitation, wind direction and strength, and presence of any dirt layers. During the worst Augusts, I've skied 200 feet of black ice, and on the best, a thousand feet of smooth corn. September is the most challenging month because I typically wait for the first colder storms to lay down some skiable drifts above treeline.
What Flylow gear do you wear? How's it holding up? I like the Genius Jacket and Baker Bibs for the coldest in-bounds pow days. For touring and any other time I like the breathability of the Lab Coat. The Chemical is my go to pant for its durability. I've got at least 150 days on my current pair and they're holding up well.