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DCSki Columnists
The following volunteer DCSki Columnists contribute many informative (and often entertaining) articles throughout the ski season, sharing insight into local and far away ski areas. You may view past articles from your favorite columnists below.
Current Columnists:
Robbie Allen Lou Botta James Chen Matthew Graham Jim Kenney Connie Lawn J.R. Patten John Sherwood M. Scott Smith |
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Robbie Allen
![]() Robbie Allen learned to ski on Whitetail’s opening day! Since then his travels have taken him to many a ski area from the smallest 150-foot hill to the Swiss Alps to Ski Dubai. His passion is for small local ski areas. When not skiing Robbie can be found in melted snow, an All American swimmer in his youth he continues to swim today. He has raced in the waters around Manhattan and across the Chesapeake Bay. Also he has completed 4 Ironman triathlons - winning the swim portion in each. When not swimming he is found working on his other goal of running 50 marathons by age 50. An aspiring writer Robbie he has written for Sprit magazine, Metro Sports, Xtri.com, Trip Advisor.com as well as others. In his day job he is a Project Manager and/or a Naval Reserve Officer. He is married with two kids (The Team) who all ski! Robbie has written 26 stories for DCSki since 2008. Recent articles by Robbie:Going Further Afield: Skiing in Orlando? (May 23, 2009) Going Further Afield: Sunlight Mountain - Real Western Skiing in a Real Western Town (April 18, 2009) Firsthand Report: Breckenridge - an Area in Transition (April 18, 2009) Going Further Afield: Echo Mountain (April 9, 2009) Firsthand Report: Spring Mountain - A bit of the Midwest in the Mid-Atlantic (January 4, 2009) |
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Lou Botta
![]() While actually born in the tropics (Cuba), Lou grew up in New England and went to College in Vermont, where he initially took up skiing. He then embarked on a twenty-two year Air Force piloting career that took him to over 50 countries. He has skied in Europe and America (both North and South). On his second career as a senior officer with the Federal Government, Lou’s vacation time is almost entirely devoted to skiing, whether at West Virginia’s Snowshoe, where he has a second home, or traveling and skiing throughout New England and the Rockies. Lou also takes a yearly ski trip to Europe, having been most recently to St. Moritz and Zermatt, Switzerland. He is also a pilot, scuba diver, long-distance cyclist, and marathon runner. Lou has written 6 stories for DCSki since 2001. Recent articles by Lou:Firsthand Report: Snö Mountain (February 14, 2009) Firsthand Report: Blue Mountain, February 1, 2009 (February 7, 2009) Firsthand Report: Hiking the Kalalau Trail (November 12, 2007) Firsthand Report: Whistler/Blackcomb (February 21, 2005) Snowshoe Weekend - More of the White Stuff (January 18, 2003) |
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James Chen
![]() James “Jim” Chen is a member of the National Ski Patrol and a volunteer patroller at Liberty Mountain ski area in Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania. Jim has been a member of the Liberty Patrol since joining the National Ski Patrol in the 1995-1996 season. Off the slopes, Jim is a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Crowell & Moring, LLP where he practices environmental, transportation, safety, and product regulatory law. During the off-season, when not in the office, he usually can be found on the Potomac River trying his luck with the local fish population. Jim has written 22 stories for DCSki since 1999. Recent articles by Jim:Firsthand Report: Wonderful Weekend at Liberty (December 21, 2009) Firsthand Report: Spring Skiing in February at Liberty, February 8, 2009 (February 14, 2009) Firsthand Report: Powder on Super Tuesday Weekend at WIsp (January 24, 2009) Liberty Mountain Patrol Gears Up for Ski Season (November 18, 2008) Liberty Mountain to Purchase Carroll Valley Golf Course and Resort (November 11, 2008) |
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Matthew Graham
![]() Matthew Graham is a skier as well as a hang glider and paraglider pilot, SCUBA diver, cavern diver, equestrian, polo player, sailor, hiker, biker, rock climber, paddler, and skater. He’s also dabbled in just about every other sport, even bull riding! He writes for the Washington Post, Washingtonian Magazine, USA Weekend Magazine, Hooked on the Outdoors, Richmond Magazine, Chesapeake Life Magazine, Metro Sports, Blue Ridge Outdoors, Recreation News and numerous other outdoor and travel publications. His wife, Karen Carra, is a freelance photographer, dancer, skier and extreme sports athlete. Matthew has written 22 stories for DCSki since 2002. Recent articles by Matthew:Firsthand Report: Massanutten Weekend (February 28) Firsthand Report: Return to Seven Springs (March 9, 2009) Tips for Avoiding Crowds on Weekends (February 18, 2008) Firsthand Report: Viva Vail (February 12, 2008) Colorado Quickie: A Firsthand Report (March 19, 2007) |
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Jim Kenney
![]() Husband, father and civilian employee of the Department of Navy, Jim Kenney is a D.C. area native and has been skiing recreationally since 1967. Jim’s ski reporting garnered the 2009 West Virginia Division of Tourism’s Stars of the Industry Award for Best Web/Internet/E-Magazine Article. Jim has written 78 stories for DCSki since 2000. Recent articles by Jim:Firsthand Report: Snowpocalypse Now at Blue Knob (February 11) Firsthand Report: Skiing Pretty at Seven Springs (February 7) Firsthand Report: Mad River Glen - True Believers (January 18) Firsthand Report: Pilgrimage to Stowe (January 18) Firsthand Report: Sugarbush, Vermont - A Classic Refreshed (January 17) |
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Connie Lawn
![]() Connie Lawn calls herself “The Skiing White House Reporter.” She has been covering the White House as a correspondent since 1968, and heads her own news bureau. But, as the years roll by, the passion for skiing and the mountains has become more intense. Connie now does her snow reports for DCSki. She also circulates her feature reports on radio, and is looking into television and a book about humorous ski experiences. Some of Connie’s funny ones (in Czechoslovakia in 1968) can be read in her book, You Wake Me Each Morning (iuniverse.com). Connie skis the local areas and, when possible the West, New England, New Zealand, and Europe. The industry keeps growing and Connie believe this is a good time for as many people to be involved as possible. Connie has written 135 stories for DCSki since 2003. Recent articles by Connie:Firsthand Report: Whitetail (March 7) Firsthand Report: Liberation at Liberty (March 7) Notes from the Road: Stuck in Utah (February 11) Firsthand Report: Embedded with the Wounded Warriors at Wintergreen Resort (February 1) Notes from the Road: Snowshoe Mountain (updated) (January 9) |
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J.R. Patten
![]() J.R. Patten is an outdoor nut and would probably still live in the middle of the woods if the animals hadn’t kicked him out for being uncivilized. He does anything and everything that gets him outside, and a lot more other stuff than he has time for. Among other seemingly unrelated things, he enjoys playing banjo, running ultramarathons, doing freelance web development, backpacking, camping, kayaking, reading, writing, and spending what little money he has traveling places. He also manages to get to class at Georgia Tech from time to time, where he is majoring in Computer Science. If he’s not at the computer or in class, you can find him in the mountains of north Georgia, the Smokies, or his new favorite place east of the Mississippi: Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. However, more and more frequently you’ll find him in the mountains west of the Mississippi. If and when he ever gets out of school, he plans on moving out west, starting a company, and doing fun stuff all day long. J.R. has written 3 stories for DCSki since 2008. Recent articles by J.R.:Vail: Getting There is Half the Fun (or: It’s the Misadventures) (January 6, 2009) Firsthand Report: The Canyons (December 26, 2008) Firsthand Report: The Canyons, Utah (August 6, 2008) |
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John Sherwood
![]() John Sherwood hails from Bedford, Massachusetts - the snow belt of Boston’s western suburbs. He first experienced the joys of skiing on the 240-foot vertical slopes of Nashoba Valley in Littleton, Massachusetts. As a teenager, he enjoyed skiing at Gunstock, Waterville Valley, and Stowe. He moved to DC in 1991 but a combination of graduate school poverty and a false belief that “local skiing just can’t be any good” kept him away from the slopes for 9 long and miserable years. John finally received his Ph.D. in history, got a real job as a Navy historian, and officially ended his skiing hiatus. To celebrate, he took his wife, a native of Slovakia who grew up skiing to school, to Stowe for a week in February 2000. Hooked again, John decided to explore local skiing during the 2000-2001 season and visited Whitetail, Seven Springs, Timberline, and Blue Mountain. He also took another trip to Stowe. When he returned from Vermont, he concluded that local skiing really is not that bad; in fact, it can be great when the conditions are right. Arguably, Timberline at the end of March had better snow conditions than Stowe in early February. A proud Timberline season pass holder since 2002, John generally skis over 20 days a year at that resort. He also enjoys skiing in Europe, the West, and New England. The West Virginia Division of Tourism awarded John “Stars of the Industry” awards in both 2003 and 2004 for articles on skiing in West Virginia.
In addition to DCSki, John has published winter sports related articles in the The Slovak Spectator, Financial Times, Ski Racing Magazine, and the SkiEurope Report. He is also the author of four books in military history. His latest, Black Sailor, White Navy: Racial Unrest in the Fleet, was published in November, 2007 by New York University Press. John has written 83 stories for DCSki since 2001. Recent articles by John:Getting Fit for the Slopes: The Benefit of Strength Training for the Skier (February 13) Springtime Snapshots: The Canaan Valley Region in Late Spring (June 25, 2008) The Transplanted: A DC Skier Heads West (December 1, 2007) Spot Report: Timberline Four Seasons Resort, January 21, 2007 (January 23, 2007) Firsthand Report: Timberline, December 30-31, 2006 (January 1, 2007) |
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M. Scott Smith
![]() Scott is Editor and founder of DCSki. He writes the articles, takes the photographs, designs the pages, programs the site, pays the bills, and occasionally catches a wink of sleep. In addition to DCSki, Scott works full time as a researcher and computer scientist. Scott loves outdoor activities such as camping, hiking, travel, skiing, kayaking, and mountain biking. He is an avid photographer and writer, and also plays keyboards and drums. Scott grew up in Colorado and currently resides in Maryland. (That’s right - he went from Colorado to Maryland - what was he thinking?!) Scott maintains a personal weblog at www.mscottsmith.org. Scott is a member of the Eastern Ski Writers Association and the North American Snowsports Journalists Association. Scott has written 685 stories for DCSki since 1997. Recent articles by Scott:Whitetail After Dark: A Pictorial (January 21) The Ski Channel Expands Distribution to East Coast (January 20) West Virginia Governor Proclaims January Learn a Snow Sport Month (January 20) “Jibbing for a Cause” Rail Jam at Roundtop to Benefit Leukemia/Lymphoma and Breast Cancer Research (January 18) Mother Nature Delivers Early Holiday Gift to Mid-Atlantic Skiers: Some of the Best Pre-January Conditions on Record (December 24, 2009) |





























