Steamboat Springs, CO – High-speed GS turns arced down the Vagabond trail as I chased Cathy Wiedemer, Steamboat’s charming Public Relations Manager, as she sped downhill on her telemark gear. Wind whistled past my ears as I swept from one trail edge to the other at the edge of my personal speed envelope. The feeling … Continue reading Steamboat: Authentic Western Flavor →

Keystone, CO – A full moon rose above the ramparts of the Continental Divide, as the rental car engine whined up one side of Loveland Pass and down the other. It’s a good thing that I remembered to feed the gerbils that ran on the treadmill used to power the tiny foreign subcompact. When the … Continue reading Night Moves →

Steamboat Springs, CO – The Tugboat Grill & Pub in Steamboat’s Ski Time Square was quickly filling with après-ski revelers as I joined Steve Rakowski at the bar, lamenting the lack of new snow. A local for the past 14 years, Steve was equally frustrated that it hadn’t snowed significantly in two weeks, and no … Continue reading Purrr-fect Cat Skiing in Colorado →

Reno, NV – What comes to mind when you think of Nevada? Likely it’s the kitsch and neon of Vegas, but it might be dry deserts, lonely roads, houseboats on Lake Mead, missile ranges, Wayne Newton, or even legalized prostitution. But skiing? Not in most people’s heads. Nevada is a desert, after all … right? … Continue reading Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe: Betting on Nevada →

Missoula, MT – Spokane International Airport seemed a long time ago. Located very nearly on the border between the Mountain and Pacific zones, it was a whole time zone away. Grinding up the long, switchbacking gravel access road to the resort in the gathering darkness in our trusty rental Subie Outback, I thought back a … Continue reading Montana Snowbowl: Hardcore Hospitality →

by Leigh Daboll Whitefish, MT – Let’s face it – there’s a bold statement contained in the above long-winded title. Nevertheless, after 30-odd years of skiing and visits to several score of North American ski resorts, I can at least feel somewhat qualified in making it. And, quite frankly, I can’t think of a more … Continue reading “The Best Danged All ‘Round Ski Resort in America”? →

Tahoe City, CA – First light, and the chirping alarm did little more than elicit an anguished groan from my daughter Jacquelin, age 14. It was 6:00 AM and less than nine hours since we had last been on the snow, tubing our hearts out at Squaw Valley. Frankly, the attitudes of son Jonathon, 10, … Continue reading Alpine Meadows: So Laid Back →