It's All Downhill: Ski Dad advice, Part 2

[View web version]( [It's All Downhill. The latest from the slopes of New England and beyone by Matt Pepin] Friday, November 9 | [Follow Matt Pepin on Twitter]( A+ DAD MOVE My recent story for the Globe's Chill section titled ["Advice from a Ski Dad: Tips on making a family ski trip more fun"]( elicited a lot of kind responses. Thanks to everyone who wrote or commented. One reader shared some additional Ski Dad advice that was too good not to share, so this week we give the intro to the newsletter to Kristin Grip. Here's what she shared: "Two other things my husband did (and still does) is try to engage with fellow gondola riders by telling really lame dad jokes. At first my kids cringed, then they realized it allowed everyone to chit-chat in the gondo instead of pretending they're not right next to you. Now I see my kids do it to engage young kids they're riding with. "The other thing is 'Skier of the Day.' My husband starts it on the first day of the season — doesn't matter if it's a day trip or multi-day vacation. The recipient earns the title not necessarily by being the best skier. Maybe it was braving a first black diamond run, or hanging back to ski with mom, or wearing the most embarrassing outfit, or surviving an epic garage-sale fall. Everyone looks forward to it — it's just bragging rights — and to being the next person to give it away." I love them both, and "Skier of the Day" has been added to my playbook for this year. Now, what about Ski Moms? Care to share your advice for making ski trips awesome? Email me at [matt.pepin@globe.com](mailto:matt.pepin@globe.com?subject=). CLICKING IN CONGRATULATIONS: Two longtime public relations and marketing pros from New England ski areas were honored Friday at the annual BEWI Award Luncheon, held in conjunction each year with the Boston Ski & Snowboard Expo, which BEWI produces. Bonnie MacPherson, Okemo's PR director, and Tom Meyers, the marketing director at Wachusett, were this year's award winners because they are "two pros who have set the standard in getting the snowsports message out to the widest possible audiences." The expo runs today through Sunday. [Details are on the event website](. FITTING TRIBUTE: Andrea Mead Lawrence was the daughter of the founders of Pico ski area in Vermont, and an accomplished ski racer who won two Olympic golds in 1952. She was recently honored in Rutland, Vt., with a sculpture depicting her skiing that is part of a series of marble statues in the city. "Her love of sport, her love of mountains, all started here in Rutland, Vermont. It was nurtured here and she brought it with her wherever she went," her daughter, Quentin Andrea Lawrence, said, [according to the Rutland Herald.]( Andrea Mead Lawrence's parents, Brad and Janet Mead, were among [the 2018 inductees to the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame.]( HARMONIC CONVERGENCE: I'd never thought much about how the baseball and ski seasons could possibly be connected, but that was before reading [Laura Shir's recent short essay on the topic on Baseball Prospectus](. It's a thoughtful and smart take as part of BP's "Short Relief" series. Hers in the second entry on the link provided. BRING IT ON: Here's the money line from [David Epstein's latest weather forecast for BostonGlobe.com]( "a storm that arrives Tuesday could bring some significant snow to ski country." Let it snow. BEHIND THE SCENES: Initially I thought [a recent post]( on Gregg Blanchard's [SlopeFillers website]( which is about ski resort marketing strategy, would be a bit too "inside baseball." But his recent entry on ["effective approaches to snowmaking marketing"]( included two fascinating videos that explain a lot about snowmaking, which of course is just about all New England skiers have right now to be eager about as we await the first serious storms to really get this season going. One video is just a short explainer by the crew at Sugar Bowl Resort as it fired up its efforts for the season. The other is a longer, more detailed look at how snowmaking works. Both are fascinating. SOMETHING'S MISSING: Ranking ski areas is like a preseason ritual for snowsports media, and almost all of them are open to considerable debate. Normally I'm not one to make a big deal out of anyone's rankings, but a recent post on SnowBrains touting ["The Top 9 Ski Resorts to Visit On A Budget"]( was noticeably lacking for a New England destination. In fact, Mont Tremblant in Quebec was the only thing even close. A bit of a head-scratcher here for sure. BE CAREFUL: On train rides to Boston in the morning, I read stories. On the way home, I prefer podcasts or games on my phone, and one game I discovered recently is highly addictive. [Alpine Ski III is a fun, easy to use, and clever app]( but be careful with it. I got so caught up in it recently I almost missed my stop. Oh, and watch out for the bears. [Subscribe to BostonGlobe.com]( [Like It's All Downhill? Tell a friend to subscribe.]( [Sign up for more Boston Globe newsletters.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( About This Email You received this message because you signed up for the It's All Downhill newsletter. 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