Although relatively few new articles have been posted to the DCSki site in recent weeks, some major changes to the site have been occurring behind the scenes in anticipation of the 1998/99 winter season. I thought I would take this opportunity to let you know about the changes and some of the new features you can expect to see appearing in the coming months.

Over the next several weeks, we will be upgrading our server to increase flexibility and performance for the coming season. Note that the DCSki site may be temporarily unavailable as the upgrade takes place. This upgrade will allow the DCSki site to serve 4 gigabytes of data per month, and allow us to roll some real-time features into DCSki, such as weather updates. For those of you who are techies, you might be interested in knowing that our web server is Apache-based, running atop Linux. All production work for DCSki is performed using Apple Macintosh computers, which make producing DCSki a joy.

Some major design changes are being made at DCSki. Over the next several weeks, you will begin to see the new design permeate throughout the DCSki site. We have been refining a new design that allows us to pack more information on each web page, while reducing images and clutter. This new design will result in pages which load significantly faster in your web browser.

DCSki will also be expanding its coverage this winter. Last winter, we provided in-depth coverage of Whitetail, Ski Roundtop, Ski Liberty, Wisp, Snowshoe Mountain Resort, and Seven Springs. This winter, we will be adding Hidden Valley, Canaan Valley, Timberline, Wintergreen, Massanutten, Bryce, the Homestead, Doe Mountain, and Blue Knob. We’ll be getting in touch with these resorts shortly in an effort to establish a productive, working relationship.

As a result of reader suggestions, we will also be expanding coverage to include nordic skiing in addition to downhill skiing and snowboarding. As always, we will continue to cover other outdoor activities such as mountain biking and hiking.

DCSki is advertiser-supported, and we have added some exciting new advertising plans to the DCSki site. This year, companies or individuals can sponsor the DCSki web site for the entire season, for a very economical fee. We have a duty to advertisers to ensure prominent exposure, and a duty to readers to make sure advertisements are discrete and don’t interfere with content. Sponsors and advertisers are largely responsible for the continued success of DCSki, and we ask that you patronize our advertisers and let them know that you saw their ad on the DCSki site.

You can expect to see an increase in the number of news articles during the upcoming season. Our goal is to publish new content on a daily basis. As always, news articles will be professionally written and complemented with pictures and links to relevant web sites. DCSki will also continue to serve as an excellent repository of information about area ski resorts, area ski clubs, etc. If you have any news tips or article suggestions, be sure to pass them our way.

We hope to add some innovative new features to DCSki as well. For example, we hope to revamp the home page with real-time information such as the current weather forecast.

All of this “summer construction” should result in a great new web site for the winter. We are very excited about these changes and are looking forward to informing and entertaining you during the upcoming winter season and beyond.

Hopefully Mother Nature will do her part with some snow.