As if two Olympic silver medals wasn't enough, ski racer Julia Mancuso has decided to take on the Verbier Xtreme this weekend, the final stop on this year's Freeride World Tour. The venue for the big-mountain competition is the Bec de Rosses, a massive face filled with rocky cliff bands and no-fall zones. Find out why Julia is taking on the challenge.
We've got springtime suggestions for the best resorts to visit this weekend. For free concerts and fresh snow, head to Aspen. To watch a big event, try the Big Air Fiesta at Stevens Pass, Washington, or the U.S. Alpine Championships at Whiteface, New York. Looking for a good deal? Go to Schweitzer, Idaho. Or maybe you feel like driving a snowcat? The Canyons, Utah.
Despite the fact that most ski towns are land-locked, many of them have world-class sushi. And there's something about raw fish and powder skiing—they go together nicely. Here's a round up of the best sushi restaurants in ski towns across North America.
The ski season may be winding down, but that means that pond-skimming season is just beginning. We’ve got tips on how to become a pond-skimming pro and what ski resorts host the best ponds and spring festivals to display your newfound prowess. —Brigid Mander
Big-mountain skier Dylan Crossman recently won the North American Freeskiing Championships at Kirkwood, California. This weekend, he’s competing at the Freeskiing World Championships at Snowbird, Utah, the last stop on this winter’s Freeskiing World Tour. We spoke to him about mountain-bike-assisted ski touring and what it's like having a couloir in Austria named after you.
Every year, certain skis rise above the rest. So to make it easier for you to find those skis, we've compiled a gallery of reviews of the skis you search for most on our site—including the K2 Backlash, the Line Prophet 100, the Fischer Watea 84, the Dynastar Exclusive Legend, the Armada ARV, and more. Find your 23 favorites of 2010 here.
It was as good as it gets skiing with North Cascade Heli—plenty of deep, cold snow, boatloads of sun and not a lick of wind. Check out some shots here from the day.
Mission Ridge is a sweet local hill that knocks the socks off of most major mountains out there. It's got a family feel, but has all the rowdy, technical lines that any serious skier could want. When the rest of Washington is sopping wet, Mission Ridge skis clear and cold. We had the pleasure of catching it on a beautiful spring day today. Here are a few photos from the day.
Taos reported 36 inches of snow just in time for the Salomon Extreme Freeride Championships, a big-mountain competition taking place this weekend. Friday's comp was held on West Basin, a zone full of steep rocky chutes and huge airs. Only one dilemma: Sit in the sun, soak up the vibe, and watch back flip after front flip or go shred the 36 inches of fresh? Difficult decisions down here in Taos.
A new website offers tips on dealing with one of the most congested ski highways in the country.
The European X Games finished up today in Tignes, France, with the women's ski slopestyle and halfpipe and the men's ski slopestyle. North American athletes represented on the podium with Canadian and U.S. skiers winning all three of today's events. Here are photos from the day.
Despite what you think, it takes more than looking good in a bikini to become an official Lange Girl. We spoke to winner Denja Rand about her photo shoot, her campaign strategy, and her boyfriend, who just won an Olympic bronze. By Olivia Dwyer
Europe's first-ever Winter X Games started today in Tignes, France. Skiing magazine is at the event to bring you the latest details. In today's men's superpipe finals, France's own Kevin Rolland takes the gold.
From pond-skimming to free concerts to corn skiing, you don't want to miss the springtime festivals at ski resorts happening now. Here are five favorite festivals, picked by Ski.com, and discounted travel deals to all of the mentioned resorts.
Spring touring season is right around the corner in Colorado. Here’s a peak at one of our favorite backyard spots.
Salt Lake City-based photographer Jay Beyer shoots and skis mainly in Utah’s Wasatch backcountry. But we found Jay recently riding the Collins chairlift at Alta ski resort. We spoke to him about what a backcountry skier was doing at the resort, why he switched from snowboarding to skiing, and tips for shooting photos on stormy days.
The Freeskiing World Tour has traveled to its second-to-last stop for this winter: Kirkwood, California. The big-mountain competition is taking place on the permanently closed Cirque terrain. Here is video from day one of the event.
After a day of skiing, nothing feels better than a steamy soak in a tub. Except maybe a steamy soak in an all-natural, outdoor hot spring, which also helps eliminate fatigue, promote blood circulation, and loosen muscles and joints. We've searched high and low for the 13 best hot springs near ski towns. Find them all here. By Molly Baker.
Conceived by Rob Gaffney and Shane McConkey, Squaw Valley is currently holding a contest to determine what skier can win the game of GNAR (Gaffney's Numerical Assessment of Radness), which involves rowdy skiing, cliff hucking, and embarrassing acts (like skiing naked). Griffin Post gives us the first update on the contest.
Heading to the mountains this weekend? We've got the latest snow reports (19 inches at Snowbird), travel deals (spring savings at Steamboat or $39 Fridays at Attitash), and events (like live music at Mount Bachelor) around the country.
It was a dramatic few days at Squaw Valley, but the big-mountain competition took place Tuesday on Silverado. The men's ski winner was Sweden's Henrik Windsted; the women's ski winner was Jackie Paaso, a Squaw local who got a wild card to compete at the event. Here are final results and videos of the winning lines.
Freeskier C.R. Johnson, an X Games competitor and pioneer in introducing park-and-pipe skills to the backcountry, died recently at Squaw Valley. We asked his longtime friend and fellow Squaw local Michelle Parker, also a pro freeskier, to write a tribute to C.R. Here's what she wrote. And some photos to celebrate his life.
Check out these hot deals in Colorado.
After two weeks of heated competition, foggy weather, and some surprising victories, the Vancouver Winter Olympics are officially over. Here's a gallery of images to wrap up the Games, showcasing everything from powder skiing at Whistler to Julia Mancuso in action to behind-the-scenes with Bode Miller.
With over 33 feet of snow a year on more than 8000 acres, Whistler Blackcomb's avy forecast team is hard at work keeping every skier safe. The four forecasters are part of the larger ski patrol staff that services both mountains. With over 400 avalanche paths and a 300 person patrol, this is the largest avalanche control program in North America.
Of course, you go to a ski resort for the good snow and terrain. But you've got to eat while you're there, right? We've done our research—eating at ski areas all over the country—and have selected the 10 best on-mountain restaurants in ski country. To call these places cafeterias simply doesn't do them justice.
The Freeride World Tour, a European-based big-mountain competition, will make its only visit to the U.S this weekend when it comes to Squaw Valley, California. The competition is slated to take place on Sunday on the legendary Tram Face, a permanently closed venue filled with rocky cliffs and steep chutes. We spoke to Squaw locals and FWT competitors Cody Townsend and Elyse Saugstad about what to expect this weekend.
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Telluride installs a set of stairs to better access its newly opened Gold Hill Chutes.
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There have been whole books (like Squallywood, by Robb Gaffney) written about how to ski the gnarliest lines at Squaw Valley, California. So there aren't a lot of secrets left. But we uncovered a few insider tips (with help from local pro skier Elyse Saugstad) that might help anyone planning a visit to Squaw.
A group of pro skiers, filmers, and photographers have traveled to Gulmarg, India, to ski the highest lift-accessed terrain in the world and attempt to avoid the military with machine guns. Forrest Coots gives us an update from Gulmarg.
College kids are always finding ways to not actually study. Here’s the latest way they’re procrastinating: The Campus Rail Jam, a touring competition that scores freeskiers on urban jibs located on college campuses. The tour is hitting the road for their 2010 West Coast competition. Next stop: University of Colorado.
On Wednesday, Whistler-based ski photographer Blake Jorgenson celebrated the release of his new book, called Blake Jorgenson Photography: Whistler British Columbia 1999-2009, at the Westin Hotel in Whistler village. The coffee table book features scenic mountain vistas and action shots of some of the world's best freeskiers and mountain bikers. Here are few shots from the book.
Canadian skiers have blown it at these games. No matter the cause of this failure, no one is pointing fingers at the ladies’ coach. He’s all but failure-proof. Why?
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It was an unlucky day for America's two top female ski racers: Lindsey Vonn crashed into the fence during the GS race and obstructed the run of her teammate Julia Mancuso, who was granted a rerun but finished a disappointing 1.30 seconds behind the current leader. The second run of the race takes place Thursday.
Very sad news out of Squaw Valley today: Long-time pro freeskier C.R. Johnson, a Squaw local, passed away from injuries sustained from a cliff jump. We don't have many details at the moment, but we'll report back when we do.
Every ski hill seems to have a secret society, a band of skiers who live for nothing but powder turns, top ramen, and cheap beer. We recently were able to infiltrate such a tribe and sneak some photos of their clubhouse.
Finding your own tipping point for the season is easy if you live at a ski area; you just hang in there until the storms come and the game is on. But if you’re looking to hit a mountain just right on your next trip to snow country, you’ll want to be armed with some advance info. Here are five websites that let you do just that.
Planning a last-minute ski trip? Follow the snow. Southwest Colorado is expecting several feet of snow. The Berkshires in Massachusetts got 10-plus inches. And Squaw Valley is getting storms—and is hosting the biggest freeride competition in the U.S. on Saturday, the Freeride World Tour. We’ve got snow reports, travel deals, and more.
With 100,000 condoms at the athlete villages in Whistler and Vancouver, Olympians are said to be copulating like it’s the end of the world. Sadly, the media and Olympic brass are treating this issue as same. Isn’t it time we lightened up? What’s so interesting about exceptionally fit, good-looking people having savage and prolific sex, all over the place?
Introducing a ski competition that doesn’t involve gold medals, spandex, body armor, or sixty 60-foot cliff drops—it’s a comp for the rest of us and requires only punctuality.
The Stowe Derby—the Northeast’s oldest and perhaps craziest downhill cross-country ski race—turns 65. The race is taking place Sunday, February 28. Here's why you should sign up, from someone who's competed in it.
This weekend, Griffin Post and Claudia Bouvier nabbed first for the men and women, respectively, at the Freeskiing World Tour stop in Crested Butte, Colorado. We have photos from the powder-day big-mountain competition,
Or, how I tried to get captured by secret army watch posts in the Whistler backcountry.
With a gold medal from Sunday's super combined at the Winter Olympics in Whistler, Bode Miller is smashing the record for the most medals earned by an American ski racer. We sat down with Bode's dad to talk about how Bode got into skiing, his biggest weaknesses, and why he didn't show up to the event celebrating his medal.
With pink hair, a blinding smile, and a silver medal in moguls from the 2002 Olympics, Shannon Bahrke stood out in a crowd before the five-ring circus in Vancouver kicked off. Now she’s won a bronze medal and made multiple appearances on the Today show, finishing her last Olympics as one of America’s darlings. By Olivia Dwyer
A lot has changed since Sarah Schleper skied for the U.S. at the 2006 Olympics in Turin. On hiatus due to a knee injury, she fell in love and got married. Then she took another winter off to have her son. Now she’s back, competing in Vancouver with her new family cheering her on. By Olivia Dwyer
A massive storm (more than 20 inches in 24 hours) in Crested Butte didn't stop the Freeskiing World Tour big-mountain competition from taking place this weekend. We have final results, video, and more.
A recent avalanche ripped Bridger Bowl, Montana's slack country to the ground. We spoke with Eric Knoff, an avy forecaster at the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center, about the fact that tracks don't mean a slope is safe (there were over 200 tracks on the face that slid). This slide was skier triggered, but nobody was caught by the slide. Special thanks to the GNFAC for the photos.
Due to heavy snowfall in Crested Butte, Friday's Freeskiing World Tour was cut short early. Another six to 10 inches of new snow are predicted over the weekend. Day two of the event takes place on Saturday. Here's a video from day one.
Weibrecht, a first-time Olympian from Lake Placid, New York, shocked everyone by winning bronze in today’s super G (Bode got silver). Skiing's online intern grew up with Weibrecht—and used Facebook to track him down for an interview last week.
After a silver medal in Wednesday's women's downhill, American Julia Mancuso nabbed the silver in Thursday's super combined, which includes a downhill run and a slalom run. Thanks to a gold medal in GS at the Torino Winter Olympics four years ago, that makes Julia the only American female ski racer to win three Olympic medals.
Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso made history yesterday when they claimed the gold and silver in the ladies downhill. We were there while they toasted glasses of champagne and celebrated with friends and family.
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Sure, freeskier Kaya Turski, a 21-year-old from Montreal, Canada, has endured her share of injuries (including a split pancreas), but none of that matters now: In January, she earned her first X Games gold in women’s slopestyle. This weekend, she’s competing in Homecoming, an all-women park-and-pipe competition founded by pro skier Kristi Leskinen, at Pennsylvania’s Seven Springs ski area. We chatted with Kaya at her home in Mammoth, California.
Jack Turner, a Durango, Colorado-based filmmaker, decided to create a spoof ski movie—picture Wayne’s World meets Warren Miller. The result? Cheap Ski Movie, a comic documentary-style take on ski porn that will tour the country next fall. We spoke to Turner about heli-skiing in Massachusetts and how to make a ski movie for under $60,000 (hint: use cardboard).
Snow King Resort—Jackson, Wyoming’s town ski hill—is camp to some of France’s Olympic ski racers, who are training out of the public eye until the technical ski events begin in Vancouver. We chatted with French racer and first-time Olympian Tessa Worley, who'll be competing in the GS in Whistler, after some morning training runs about lucky underwear, cowboys, the English word for pick-up truck.
After a much hyped shin injury (Lindsey Vonn) and a made-for-TV rivalry (Lindsey and fellow racer Julia Mancuso), the results of today's women's downhill from the Winter Olympic Games in Whistler are finally in. We're so thankful all the hype was worth it.
How does the best skier in the world prepare for today's Olympic downhill race? If you're Lindsey Vonn, you bake banana bread and shave your little brother's head. And your family gets together for a regular, 'ol Midwestern party—minus the karaoke and cheese curds.
He's back. After a bronze medal win in yesterday's Olympic downhill, Bode celebrated his victory with sushi and sake. Just a normal guy, right? Except, now he has the most Olympic medals of any American skier. Ever.
Which is good news for skiers who need an excuse to head to après.
America's rebel ski racer Bode Miller surprises everyone by taking bronze in today's men's downhill in Whistler.
One girl's a media darling with a banged up shin and a medley of World Cup victories. The other is a Victoria's Secret-style vixen with a bad back and a gold medal. Ski racer Lindsey Vonn wants what Julia Mancuso's already got: an Olympic gold. You can watch them go head to head during Wednesday's Olympic downhill in Whistler.
Alexandre Bilodeau becomes the first Canadian athlete to ever win gold on home soil.
Remember the infamous words of Bode Miller from Turin, "I got to party and socialize at an Olympic level"? Well, he was right. Here's a guide to party-hopping Olympic-style.
Remember the infamous words of Bode Miller from Turin, "I got to party and socialize at an Olympic level?" Well, he was right. Here's a guide to party-hopping Olympic-style.
Mogul skier Hannah Kearney picked up the U.S.'s first gold medal at the Vancouver Olympic Games this weekend—just as she predicted she would.
It’s official: the biggest story at the Olympics is Lindsey Vonn’s shin. It has received more coverage than the nations of Latvia, Montenegro, Moldova, and San Marino. But here's what it, and the rest of the media, isn't telling you.
It's not too late: There's vacancy, good eats, a bunch of snow in the forecast, and one hell of a party. It's being spoiled on people who may not even be there for the skiing. Follow this simple guide and make it happen this week.
Whether you're heading to Vancouver to watch the Olympics or just tuning in from your TV, we've got a schedule of the events you don't want to miss from February 12-28. And if you are traveling to watch the Games live, we've got some helpful pointers on where and when to eat, ski, and party.
Why the guy who tunes your skis is as important as your coach. Almost.
If charging down a super G course doesn't scare you, it should. After a rash of early season injuries, officials re-examined how race courses are designed, making the Olympic slopes safer—maybe.
The only thing better than Silverton? Seven of them. The legendary lift-accessed backcountry op has offered heli-skiing for two years now, and for $999, you get a hell of a lot more terrain than the guys using the lift.
RIMBY. It’s an obscure acronym that evolved from another, better-known acronym, NIMBY, which stands for “not in my backyard.” RIMBY stands for “right in my backyard.” You might call the photographers whose images follow “rimbies.” They’re the envy of us all—skiers who live and work in proximity to kickass skiing. Here they show us those yards in pictures. If you feel like sharing your backyard stash, email us a photo to editor@skiingmag.com.
We just got a copy of photographer Christoffer Sjöström’s new photobook "The Book Of Candide." The book beautifully documents the last 10 years of Candide Thovex, one of the best skiers in the world today.
Errol Kerr still laughs at jokes about lucky eggs, but he is all business when it comes to being the best in the world at skiercross. This week, he’s heading to Vancouver for his first visit to the Winter Olympic Games. By Olivia Dwyer
A recent survey by Ski.com discovered some interesting findings: Namely, that work obligations more than the economy are affecting ski trips and that almost 50 percent of people have called in sick on powder days. We spoke to Ski.com's Dan Sherman to find out more.
The third stop on this year's Freeskiing World Tour took place in Telluride, Colorado, over the weekend. Here are some photos and results from the big-mountain competition.