BC Banter: Big Storm in the Northeast, Aspen Mayor Pushes Uphill, CAIC Hosts Benefit Bash, Wintery Western Weather

Big Snow in the Far Northeast

Murdochville, Quebec It was high fives all around when Philippe Bouchard and four others chased fresh snow over two days in Murdochville, Quebec. The small mining town of Murdochville, located on the Gaspé Peninsula in northern New Brunswick, receives 500 inches of annual snowfall and got its first bramble-deep dump last weekend. Additional snowfall is expected throughout the coming week.

Murdochville 7-8 novembre 2014 from Philippe Bouchard on Vimeo.

Aspen Mayor Pushes Uphill

Aspen, Colo. Aspen Mayor Steve Skadron, director of development Chris Bendon and project coordinator Damien Williamson are working to make Aspen into Colorado’s hotspot for organized uphill skiing festivals. The Aspen Times reported Skadron’s goal is to provide ski brands and local athletes alike the opportunity to educate skiers on the latest equipment and techniques. Skadron, Brendon and Williamson aim to legitimize uphilling in Aspen over a six-month to 10-year plan. “We want tourists to come here for gear testing and athletic training,” Williamson says. Mayor Skadron told The Aspen Times that ski mountaineering is just the beginning, with additional year-round races, including running and mountain biking, to follow. Read the full story, here.

Uphill Central. [Photo] Aspen Skiing Company

CAIC Hosts Benefit Bash

Breckenridge, Colo. On November 8, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) raised more than $100,000 during their annual Benefit Bash. More than 1,200 people gathered in Breckenridge for the event, which included 28 kegs of beer and a silent auction that raised more than $27,000. As expected, the Benefit Bash sold out—just like it had during the previous five years. “I’m so excited to see the continued support,” Aaron Carlson, executive director of Friends of the CAIC told The Summit Daily.

Wintery Western Weather

Golden, Colo. Reporting live on a comparatively warm day—considering how frigid it’s been here since November 10, dropping into the negative digits—it’s a balmy 12 degrees at noon today (Nov 13). Boulder’s Daily Camera reported a 73-degree temperature plummet since November 9, and an advisory for Denver and the Front Range on November 13 predicted wind chills as low as -25. It’s been the coldest early November recorded in Colorado in the last 98 years, with the cold snap extending through the Great Lakes. At least it’s snowing somewhere, though: more than 35 inches have fallen in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this season, according to weather.com.

Backcountry Hosts 7^th Annual Barn Bash

Cambridge, Vt. This weekend, Backcountry Magazine hosts the 7^th-annual Barn Bash, a fundraiser for Cambridge Winter Wellness Days, presented by Union Bank, Smugglers’ Notch Resort and Lost Nation Brewing. The event, held on Saturday, November 15 at the Barn at Boyden Farm, kicks off at 3:30 p.m. with a kids’ movie. The night rolls into high gear at 7 p.m. with a showing of Powderwhore Productions’ Some Thing Else followed by a huge raffle and music from Brett Hughes and the Honkey Tonk Allstars. For more details on the event and to purchase tickets, visit brownpapertickets.com.