Down to the wire. The closet has exploded with ski gear and my desk is covered with work and photos that needed to be out the door yesterday. Oh yes, it's officially the crunch before going away for a week. How many of you will be up for the next 24 hours? It's worth it for me. So I'm pushing out this newsletter, packed with things you need to know before you go. If you're not going, or you're lucky enough to walk out your door and go ski without any travel stress, I hope you find it useful. I'm based at the Village, hope to ski with you.

DoubleBlackDiamond brings you resort intelligence - what you need to know before you go. In depth detail for you summit goers. Your favorite DoubleBlackDiamond correspondent spent many days last April and earlier this season gathering the beta to share with you. The last few storms have been major ones, tracking across the west with snow totals measuring in feet. Please think twice before leaving any backcountry gates due to avalanche danger. A few resorts have been hit with inbounds avalanches, please be aware.

Who is Barney Ford?
An "escaped slave who prospered and became a prominent entrepreneur and black civil rights pioneer in Colorado. In 1880, Ford became the first black businessman in Breckenridge when he opened Ford’s Restaurant and Chop House..." and also had (for the time) the flyest house in Breckenridge. The Barney Ford House Museum is now a historical site. 111 East Washington Avenue (a half block off Main Street) Breckenridge, CO 80424

Lift Tickets
Well, if you didn't follow the season pass deals mentioned in the previous newsletter, take this one. $48 per day and good until the end of the season. Purchase the Peaks Perfect 10, good at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, and Arapahoe Basin. This is an even better deal if you plan to go to WR Winter Carnival as the card works there also. You can request this pass online or in the season ticket office.

Within a 30 minute drive of Breckenridge, you've got many choices for variety. Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Loveland, Copper... Arapahoe Basin's new expansion Montezuma Bowl opens today If you haven't been there in years, check it out.

Transportation
A Breckenridge Transportation summary and shuttles to Vail, The map of the free Breckenridge town bus system . The free Summit County shuttle bus connects Breckenridge with Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Copper and the towns of Frisco, Dillon and Silverthorne. Skip the drive from the airport. Colorado Mountain Express shuttles between DIA and resort locations in Summit and Eagle counties. Other shuttles: Big Sky Shuttle and Vail Coach

Bootfitting
For those that need help in this area - first, get aquainted with some key concepts like alignment . Then check out some bootfitting specialists - our own Derek Ligons @ Christy Sports, Jeff Bergeron's Boot Fixation and Jeff and Kris at Colorado Freeride