For Mike Eytel. Forty years on Summit County snow. This is new terrain. Here's the trail map.
Start your first run ↓
News breaks on X before it hits TV. TV moved from cable into apps. And there's a new kind of tool that answers a question the way a sharp friend would, in plain English, in seconds.
You already have the gear: an iPhone and a Tesla. Nothing to buy to get started, and nothing to fear. You just need a map and a few good first runs.
On a scale of zero to ten, the goal is a solid four: comfortable, daily, useful. The double blacks can wait.
Never opened Grok. Not sure what any of it is. Totally fine. That's where everybody starts.
The Grok app is on your iPhone, and you've asked it a real question out loud.
You reach for Grok instead of Google. Weather, news, how-to, "what's this about." Some of it on the drive.
You check claims before you believe them, and Grok helps you find what's worth watching and where it streams.
A few Grok Bots work for you on their own schedule: a morning news brief, the college search, research for work. Their results land on your phone and in your email.
Tweaking your bots yourself, without Steve. Not today.
Six names you'll hear. Here's what each one actually is.
An AI assistant from xAI, the company tied to X and Tesla. You talk or type to it like a very well-read friend. It can look things up live on the web and on X.
Free on the iPhone App Store. Tap the microphone and just ask. It's also where your bots' reports pop up as notifications.
What used to be Twitter. Agencies, companies, reporters and resorts post here first. It's also how you sign in to Grok. You never have to post a word.
Grok with one job and standing orders. It works on a schedule while you're out skiing, then reports back. Think of a ski patroller who runs the same sweep every morning.
Everyday Grok lives at grok.com. Bots run in the Grok Bot app from x.ai/bot. After setup you mostly hear from them on your phone.
Grok can ride along. Press and hold the voice button and ask, same as the phone. Handy on the drive, and optional for now.
It's the same Grok on the phone, the computer and the car.
Nobody learned to drop a knee from a manual.
You learn it by making turns. Same here.
Twenty minutes on the couch with your iPhone. If you've done the steps in Steve's email, you're already halfway down.
Tap Copy, open Grok, press and hold in the text box, and tap Paste. Or just say it out loud.
What's the avalanche forecast for the Summit County zone today from the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC), and what does it mean in plain English?
How much snow is forecast for Breckenridge and Loveland this week, and which day looks best to ski?
Explain the latest on the Colorado River negotiations like I'm smart but haven't followed it. What changes for Summit County?
I've telemark skied for decades. What's actually changed in tele bindings and boots in the last ten years, and is any of it worth it?
Plan a two-night winter car-camping trip within two hours of Silverthorne: where to go, what to bring, and what to watch out for.
I just heard about [your topic]. What is it, why are people talking about it, and what's the other side of the argument?
First time, parked: on the screen tap App Launcher → Grok → Sign In and finish on your iPhone. After that, press and hold the voice button on the steering wheel and ask anything: the road report, a question from the radio, where to eat in Glenwood.
Grok in the car needs a paid Premium Connectivity plan (or Wi-Fi) and a newer AMD screen computer. Check under Controls → Software → Additional Vehicle Information. If yours doesn't qualify, the phone does the same job.
You read conditions before you drop in. Information works the same way.
End important questions with "Show me your sources." Grok will list where it got the answer. If it can't, treat it like a rumor in the lift line.
On X, posts have a small Grok button. Tap it and ask "Is this true?" You'll see what's supported and what's guesswork. Most people never notice it.
On anything political or contested, ask "What's the strongest case on each side?" Then decide for yourself.
At level four, a Newsman bot reads it all every morning and sends you the ten minutes that matter. More on that below.
Cable isn't where the good stuff lives anymore. It's in apps on the TV, and finding it is the hard part. That's a job for Grok.
I like big-mountain ski films, nature documentaries and a good Western. Suggest five things to watch tonight and tell me which app each one streams on.
I have Comcast cable. Compare my options for live TV with local channels and sports, with current prices, so I can decide if I should switch.
What are the best YouTube channels for ski films, backcountry trips and winter camping? Give me links.
Camping in the Tesla? Camp Mode keeps the cabin warm all night, and Theater mode plays on the big screen while you're parked.
This is level four. You stop going to Grok, and Grok starts coming to you. Each bot has one job, a schedule and standing orders, and it reports to your phone and your inbox.
Remind me to check the propane Thursday, and give me a Costco list for a weekend of winter camping.
Compare these three schools on cost after aid, her major, and distance from Summit County. Flag any deadlines in the next 60 days.
Research smart (AMI) water-meter options for a mountain town our size: leading vendors, rough costs, and what other Colorado utilities chose. Sources on every claim.
Every morning at 6:30, send me the five things that matter: Summit County news, Colorado River and water policy, ski conditions, and one good thing to watch. Under 300 words. Mark anything unconfirmed.
Steve's email covered these. If any are still open, do them before you two hire the first bot together.
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