A new book tells the story of the deadliest avalanche in ski-resort history—which happened 28 years ago. We spoke to the book's author and the slide's lone survivor, a woman who spent five days buried in a building collapsed by the avalanche. By Megan Michelson.
This week, the first North American stop of the Freeskiing World Tour takes place in Revelstoke, BC. We'll be covering the event from a competitor's point of view. But before we get to the actual skiing, here's a look at the kickoff party that took place on December 26 at Green Street in Salt Lake City.
There are several legendary inbounds bootpacks in the Western U.S., places where the resort's toughest skiers hike for their turns. Take the Ridge at Bridger Bowl, Taos' Kachina Peak, Jackson Hole's Headwall, or Aspen's Highland Bowl. We spoke to ski patrol at Highlands to find out the best technique for carrying your skis up the bootpack.
Oregon's Wallowa Avalanche Center opened this fall as the Wallowa Mountains' first-ever avalanche forecaster. If only it'd been open one year ago, it could have saved one man's life.
If your New Year's resolution is to finally ski Jackson Hole, we are here to help. Check out our goals for 2010 (including carpooling to the ski hill and buying powder skis) then tell us what your ski-related New Year's resolution is and you can win a four-day trip for two to Jackson Hole, Wyoming (including airfare, lodging, and lift tickets!).
Ski racer Lindsey Vonn was just named Female Athlete of the Decade by NBC's Universal Sports. After months of waiting for an interview, we finally managed to get Vonn to answer some of our questions. But instead of asking her about the Vancouver Olympics coming up in February, we spoke to the two-time World Champion about what it's like being hounded by the press.
A report from a 10-inch day at Grand Targhee, and updates and predictions on where the snow is falling across the country.
Scott Markewitz is one of the best ski photographers in the business. And from February 4-7, he's teaching the inaugural Scott Markewitz Photography Workshop at Snowbird, Utah. It's a three-day instructional workshop for all levels of photographers who want to learn to take better action and scenic shots. Here is a gallery of Markewitz's work and more info on the workshop.
Just in time for 2010, California's Alpine Meadows Ski Area is getting hammered with snow and is debuting a high-tech snow cat turned mobile entertainment system with a 210-square-foot stage. The machine will be unveiled at noon on December 31.
Known for their ski porns, Teton Gravity Research has released an award-winning new film about climate change's impact on skiing. We spoke to producer Steve Jones about the simple things you can do to cut your carbon emissions and what TGR is doing to offset all that heli time.
A year and a half ago, American ski racer Caitlin Ciccone quit racing for good. Or so she thought. Now with the 2010 Vancouver Olympics around the corner, she’s trying to make the U.S. Women’s Ski Cross team. That is, if she can raise enough money to go to the Games.
After two weeks of dismal snowfall in the West, the Powderchaser blog is calling for light and heavy snow in the seven-day forecast for Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and California.
Plus some surf action video of her in Hawaii.
The accidental 1988 Olympic hero on learning to ski jump in five months, the conspiracy to keep him down, and plastic surgery.
We asked freeskiing phenom (and former ballet dancer) Angeli VanLannen about Russian massages, chasing your dreams, and tips for newbie jibbers.
Yep, you heard right: Skiing in Hawaii. Cody Townsend and Mike Douglas traveled to the North Shore of Maui with the Salomon Freeski TV crew to shoot some surf skiing. Here's the clip.
The U.S. Ski Cross Team consists of two guys: Daron Rahlves and Casey Puckett, both retired ski racers. We caught up with them while they were training in Telluride in preparation for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The first of the three-stop Winter Dew Tour took place this weekend at Breckenridge, Colorado. We were there to watch athletes throw down during the slopestyle and superpipe finals.
Cold temperatures and heavy snowfall have created unstable backcountry conditions throughout the Western U.S. Which means it was a perfect time for Snowbird to hosted their first annual Freeride Avalanche Summit.
Monster Pacific storms are building a base for Tahoe-area ski resorts like Northstar, Squaw Valley, Sugar Bowl, Kirkwood, Alpine Meadows, and Heavenly.
In attempts to spread the word about global warming's effect on our snowpack, pro skier and environmental consultant Alison Gannett walked 225 miles across European flatlands with skis strapped to her back to meet with world leaders at the United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen. Here, she gives us a glimpse into her journey.
Greetings from Breckenridge, Colorado, where the second-annual Winter Dew Tour—a slopestyle and superpipe competition for skiers and snowboarders—is currently in mid-swing. We were there today to check out the preliminaries for ski superpipe, Colby West’s mustache, and the lack of women skiers.
We chatted with Austrian/Australian pro skier Lorraine Huber, a guide with Kästle Adventure Tours, about ski mountaineering in New Zealand, filming with Warren Miller, and whether a ski trip to Austria is better than a surf trip to Australia.
Two new events—male skier superpipe and snowmobile knockout—are added to the roster for the 2010 Winter X Games, planned for January 28-31 at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado. Plans don’t yet include women’s superpipe. We asked X Games competitor Jess Cummings why.
Falling in with a tribe of expats who went a little too local. Tim Neville, an Oregon expat who moved to Switzerland to live the dream, is writing a six-part column for us. This is his fifth story in the series.
Olympic skiers do more than work out and bash gates. Some make goggles, coffee, hats, and notecards. Introducing four Olympians to watch out for at the 2010 Vancouver Games—and the products and businesses they've launched to provide a little job security after the big show. By Liz Yokubison.
Wendy Fisher is a former Olympian, a Crested Butte World Extremes champion, and a mother of two. The Crested Butte resident took her first real hiatus from competitive skiing when she had her first son. But now she’s getting her strength back. Rehabbing from a knee surgery, we hit the gym with Wendy in Crested Butte.
We've compiled 22 powder shots, along with a bunch of powder-related tips into a gallery for your viewing pleasure.
We sent Tom Winter to Austria to see if he could become an Austrian, or at least grind skis in some factories or fit boots in some shops. Turns out, all he did was ski powder. Here are shots of his trip.
Far from Utah's powder and Jackson Hole's steeps lies a pig farm turned ski area where all skiers are equal: Paoli Peaks, Indiana. Check out a gallery, from photographer Ilja Herb and writer Tim Sohn, of Paoli's finest skiers and surrounding scenery.
Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Washington ski areas saw cold temperatures last week followed by new snow, currently creating snowpack instabilities. Avalanche warnings remain at high for mountain locations in these states.
Unless you live in Whistler, you wouldn’t know that a certain segment of the community is opposed to hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics. Some locals have decided to leave town for two weeks, rent their houses to “some rich Americans,” and go surfing in Mexico. Let them. Here are seven reasons why the 2010 Winter Olympics are the perfect time to hit Whistler.
We made it to Vail’s early-season kickoff party, Vail Snow Daze, just in time to catch some heavy metal and fresh snow.
A few images from the recent storm that pummeled Utah ski resorts. Some resorts claimed as much as 48 inches from the weekend system, a necessary addition to the base before holiday skier traffic.
Find out how your favorite ski resort stacks up on a new environmental scorecard put out by the nonprofit Ski Area Citizens’ Coalition. The winning resorts? Squaw, Aspen, and Buttermilk.
Utah ski resorts are claiming as much as 48 inches in the last 48 hours. Read more to find out what Utah resorts got slammed.
To make pure alcohol, start with a batch of raw ingredients. Distill it, and you’ll get a more refined batch. This is how we compiled this best-of-the-year photo gallery. We started with thousands of images. Gradually we selected the shots that illustrate skiing and photography in new and different ways, along with an explanation from each photographer. Please enjoy responsibly. Then we asked you, our readers, to vote for your favorite image. Introducing the Readers' Choice award for Best Photo of the Year.
We sent photographer Ilja Herb and writer Tim Sohn to Paoli Peaks, Indiana, to see what midwestern night skiing is all about. Here are some images from both of them.
Most of Austria’s huge ski industry clings to its heritage—ski racing. But one small company is betting that’s all wrong. An American tries to get a job in the Kästle ski factory to find out what it takes to be Austrian.
If it works for Sports Illustrated, it’s got to work for the ski world. The Rad Boob ski calendar, which was put together to raise money for breast cancer awareness, highlights the more desirable talents of some of the ski industry’s favorite females.
It takes years of training and experience to become an expert in avalanches and backcountry safety. We sat down with Brian Lazar, the executive director of the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education, to talk about getting buried, why being a guide makes it tough to have a relationship, and skiing in Russia.
Far from Utah’s powder and Jackson Hole’s steeps lies a pig farm turned ski area where all skiers are equal: Paoli Peaks, Indiana. What it lacks in natural gifts, it makes up for in hours of operation.
A backcountry touring lodge and home of the 7,500-foot run.
It’s all about precision. And personality. Historically slalom racers have gone on to become racecar drivers, actors, and even personalities branded with their own perfume line. Check out our picks for racers we think might podium or have a future in Hollywood.
Welcome to the throwdown, year one, also known as ski cross. A Winter X Games event since 1998, ski cross premieres this year as an event in the Winter Olympics. If you are wondering about gold, make sure to watch the two former ski racers, Daron Rahlves and Casey Puckett, participating in the event.
The precursor to slopestyle, moguls are as close as you will get to watching off-axis 720’s. Twenty-three year old American mogul skier Hannah Kearney seems like a promising gold medal pick for the event, held at Cyprus Mountain, just 20 miles from Vancouver.
Like thoroughbred racing but with more cowbells, downhill races seem to be the most captivating event at the Olympics. Go to watch the Austrians and ski racing’s favorite girl, Lindsey Vonn.
How to get up in deep snow, avoiding "tree wells", and other powder-related tips.
In hillbilly America, we don’t have cute funiculars rising from every little village, like in the Alps. It starts in luxury and ends with nearly rotten mayonnaise.
A new book charts the evolution of Austrian farmland into megaresorts.
Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, and Jerry Garcia are just a few personalities honored by shrines in the woods of Aspen. Check out a few photos of the infamous memorials.
He won two Olympic gold medals, experienced one of the most horrific crashes in racing history, and nearly lost a leg in a motorcycle accident. The Austrian bricklayer turned ski legend won 54 World Cup races and four overall World Cup titles. In October, Hermann Maier announced his retirement. Here are six takes on what his career meant to skiers.
Four upcoming ski movies tackle everything from sailboats to community development in Central Asia. And yes, there’s lots of skiing.
The man behind two ski magazines moves into politics.
Every winter, hundreds of big-mountain athletes vie for spots on the Freeskiing World Tour, a competition circuit hosted by the International Freeskiers Association. Online registration opens today and tomorrow for this year's stops in Revelstoke, Telluride, Crested Butte, Kirkwood, and Snowbird.
Because the powder is deeper when you ski sitting down.
This mountain looms nearly 6,500 glaciated feet above the town of Engelberg, home to one of Switzerland's longest-operating monasteries. Go there and pray for snow stability and for one of the many transplanted Swedes to show you around so you don't get cliffed out. Or you could bypass Jesus and follow these directions.
EVE 6 and a few other more well known bands, like the Barenaked Ladies, are playing free shows in Vail this week and weekend.
Female skiers are more likely to tear an ACL than men. So we sent our knee-injured intern to the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine to find out why and to learn how to prevent and rehab knee injuries. Including her own.
Marco Sullivan's fan club, decked in "Marco Rocks" T-shirts and hosting cook-offs, proms, and costume contests, celebrated in style at the annual Birds of Prey World Cup Downhill at Colorado's Beaver Creek over the weekend. Kelley McMillan reports from the grand stand.
The latest storm has pummeled Tahoe resorts and is currently heading east, with blizzard warnings through Utah and Colorado. Jeremy Benson gives us a powder-day update from Alpine Meadows, California.
Pyramid Brewery’s sweepstakes could get you five days of resort and cat skiing at Squaw Valley.
The next time you head to Crested Butte, save some money and meet some interesting personalities by staying at the Wanderlust Hostel in Gunnison, Colorado. For only $23 a night, you’ll get a warm room, communal kitchen, hot shower, and an inviting common space to play the guitar, cards, or just chat with other hostel goers.
A World Cup newbie heads to watch the races at Lake Louise and comes away with four valuable insights, ranging from cowbells to ski racer quads.
One December 1, skier Chris Tatsuno was announced the winner of the Powder Highway Ultimate Ski Bum Contest, which will give him three months of free skiing and travel around BC's Powder Highway. We have his winning YouTube entry, plus a few more of our favorite videos.
Take a look at a year's worth of ski photos in the Rad Boob Calendar documenting some of skiing's favorite females. Created to raise money for the Rethink Breast Cancer Foundation, these ladies provide good reasons for gifting a calendar this Christmas.
Another reason to love Canadians this winter. Canadian Mountain Holidays’ is teaming up with ski mountaineer Greg Hill and Arc’teryx to give away a seven-day helicopter-assisted ski tour with Hill in British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains.
If it works for Sports Illustrated, it’s got to work for the ski world. The Rad Boob ski calendar, which was put together to raise money for breast cancer awareness, highlights the more desirable talents of some of the ski industry’s favorite females.
If you don’t recognize the name Tom Wallisch you either don’t watch MTV or spend enough time on newschoolers.com. Winner of last season’s Red Bull Dumont Cup, featured on MTV2’s freeskiing episode of the Alli Show, and newly signed Scott athlete, Wallisch answered a few of our questions about being a TV star.
Beaver Creek’s Finest Condominiums and Private Homes
Feeling hungry for winter? Here's a short clip from Rage Films to satiate your appetite.
Taos Ski Valley kicked off its 2009-2010 season on Thanksgiving with one of their biggest openings ever. It's game on for the best terrain the Southwest has to offer. Enjoy a few shots captured from the day.
Serac Adventure Film School catapults aspiring filmmakers into the Colorado backcountry. From January 25 to February 2, learn how to make your own movie while snow camping, hut traveling, and working with film-school mentors.
A Venice, California-based musician tells us about bringing beach music to the mountains, and why L.A. is just like Taos.
U.S. Women’s Ski Team coaches vie for the sickest mustache in the name of prostate and testicular cancer awareness. Following this weekend's World Cup in Aspen, we sit down with the winner of the mustache contest, women’s technical coach Chris Knight.
Sadly, the contest is over now. But check back for future giveaways. Here's a list of who won this time around.
A small New York ski area reopens after a four-year closure, thanks to an army of volunteers and a Texas businessman.
Thousands gather to kickoff ski season in Idaho and play with their new toys, including a new gondola and brand new park features.
Transue can do a 360, enjoys old Warren Miller movies, and likes to listen to the Vermont-based jam band Strangefolk before he races. We chatted with him during a pre-World Cup training day at Copper.
This is our stuff. We own it, use it, and believe in it too. We think you'll like it, too. Check out this video for interviews with the Skiing staff about why they picked mustard, boxed wine, and a flask as part of the Best Gear of the year.