Big Sky, MT – Believe it or not, Montana has a new destination ski resort. This may not seem like such a remarkable statement, but in fact when it opened for the first time last season, Moonlight Basin was the first new destination ski resort that the U.S. has seen in over two decades. Located … Continue reading Moonlight Basin: Montana’s New Frontier
Londonderry, VT – When I was in graduate school in 1988 I skied at Magic Mountain. The weekday lift tickets were $15 back then, an attractive price for a poor student. It may have been cheap, but I remember good skiing for such a small place, with nice terrain and no frills barely more than … Continue reading Magic Mountain: Keeping the Magic Alive
As an Australian, I imagine that most of the world has an image of Australia as being filled with kangaroos, beautiful beaches and the outback – but on the Great Dividing Range, stretching down the southeast coast of mainland Australia, there are snow-covered mountains that each winter host some world class ski resorts. No, they … Continue reading More Than Just Kangaroos
Ellicottville, NY – The warm rain washed away the early December snow that had fallen in copious amounts the prior weekend and frigid air was on its tails. The conditions for the coming weekend were looking like refrozen saturated snow, in other words “boilerplate” and “death cookies.” The cold air worked up the moisture from … Continue reading Ski Capital of Western New York
Photos by Henry Georgi Fernie (BC), Canada –Combine exceptional powder, exceptional terrain, exceptional food and exceptional service, and you have Island Lake Lodge. Island Lake Lodge is perhaps the most famous snowcat skiing operation in Canada. A couple of outfits in the Selkirk Mountains are older, but Island Lake, founded by Scot Schmidt and the … Continue reading Powder Island (Lake)
Photos by Marc Guido Six warm, snowless months have passed. The leaves have fallen from the trees, and the first stretches of cold weather have come to the northeastern United States. On the Internet, ski-related chat rooms, message boards and listservs are busy with the buzz of the dawning winter season. Ski swaps, pre-season shop … Continue reading Early Season, O.K.
Truckee, CA – Every ski resort has a Dark Side. You know, that trail sends shivers up your spine, starts your knees knocking, and makes you wish you had hit the restroom more recently. Some resorts feature the Dark Side prominently: the Front Four at Stowe, Paradise at Mad River Glen, Alf’s High Rustler at … Continue reading Northstar at Tahoe: In Search Of the Dark Side