When I was looking over this blog recently, it occurred to me that while we’d mentioned and recommended various ski holidays in resorts around Europe, from France to Switzerland, that we’d overlooked Andorra. Internationally recognised as one of the best value ski holiday destinations available, Andorra is just about hidden on the border between France and Spain, this tiny principality is also a tourist and tax haven. is rarely mentioned in the international travel media, and instead caters to some more specialist tourism markets, namely skiing.

How to Get There

Dwarfed by its more well-known neighbours, Andorra is probably one of the most difficult holiday destinations to get to in Europe. As there is no airport in Andorra, many visitors fly into the either Toulouse airport or Barcelona airport, and then embark on a three hour car journey, or opt to take a helicopter ride to Andorra, which can hold up to four people, and will take around 35 minutes. Another option is to take a train to either L’Hospitalet station in France, which stops 1.85 miles from the Andorran border or Spain’s Puigcerdà station, which stops 50 miles away and then take a care direct from the station to Andorra.

So Why Go?

Skiing holidays in Andorra offer an eclectic range of resorts and activities for people of all ages and abilities. Andorra’s most famous ski resort is Arinsal, a mountain village which is located at a height of 1550 metres, with the top of slopes at 2560 metres. Located on Vallnord, a ski and snowboarding resort in the Pyrenees mountains, Arinsal is linked to the nearby Pal resort by a cable car that can hold up to 50 people. Boasting a 63km ski area, 31 lifts, a varying number of slopes, including five green, sixteen blue, sixteen red and five black slopes, Arinsal can accommodate a great number of skiers, and is particularly suitable for families and groups, including intermediate and beginner skiers.

But What About Apres Ski?

Andorra, and Arinsal in particular, are just as well known for their off slope activities as they are for their on slope sports. Arinsal has an excellent amount of lively and family friendly bars, restaurants and shops to keep you busy after a hard day’s work off-piste. Several of the village’s best shops, which sell ski and snowboarding accessories and clothing, as well as several others, can be found at the top of the gondola, which is located at the base of the slopes.

Arinsal’s nightlife is also worth noting, as its bars are noted for being loud, busy and very lively. Earlier this year, the town was the venue of The Big Snow Festival, a week long musical extravaganza, organised by the people behind The Big Reunion. The festival, which is the first of its kind in Arinsal, was a huge success, and the line-up for 2011’s festival, which will take place from March the 13th-20th, includes Tim Westwood, Judge Jules and Example. With more acts still to be announced, and a St Patrick’s Day party being advertised as the event’s big theme, Arinsal could just be the place to ski next year.

Are you tired of spending your hard earned money on a ski area that doesn’t treat you as a valued customer? Are you concerned that climate change will affect your favorite winter pastime? Do you feel ski areas should be more socially responsible and better members of their surrounding communities?

So does a group of like-minded skiers and snowboarders who have formed the Mountain Rider’s Alliance (MRA).

Mountain Rider’s Alliance believes the great ski and snowboard community  can make a change

MRA believes that it’s time for the ski industry to make a radical change for the better…that is if you think working together is positive. On a belief system that is a bit like a food co-op: i.e. those involved in the co-op do so to sell nurturing products because they are a member of a health conscious community, MRA believes that it is time to unite the giant ski and snowboard community in creating healthy ski areas. Acting as a rider-owned and operated ski resort, their business core values are based on helping the environment, providing an atmosphere that focuses on a great ski experience for everyone, despite economic status, and being socially responsible to the communities that they serve.

Or as described by one of the co-founders Dave Rubin, “This isn’t just another ski area, this is a way of consciously working together to make ski areas positive in our communities again. “this is collaborative effort to move away from the current trend of involving highly leverage real estate and marketing geared toward intermediete skiers looking for their second and third homes. This is embracing the people in our community that have been forgotten for a long time. The hard working lifties, waiters and waitresses, the teachers, firefighters, ski patrol. The ski bums. The artists. The nature lovers.”

Can a ski resort create more energy than it consume? MRA believes so!

MRA’s plan will also incorporate renewable energy into the business model with the goal of creating more energy than it consumes. Not only will this help to combat climate change, but it will create an additional year round revenue stream, take pressure off the need to sell expensive lift ticket prices, and stop basing profit margin on skier visits. Another one of the founding nucleus, Jamie Schectman explains, “MRA is bringing together multiple revenue streams, instead of depending on how much the base village condos are selling for and how many people we can get on the hill. We are also hoping to make it the norm that ski areas are helping Mother Nature out, not hurting her. As we all know, we skiers and snowboarders are pretty dependent on snow.”

The newly formed group is currently evaluating projects in the United States as well as Canada. As projects are studied for terrain, yearly snow totals, renewable resource potential, and proximity to communities, MRA will create feasibility studies of each area. Upon deciding which area has the most potential, MRA will offer shares in the ski-energy centers. Share prices will be around $500, as stated on the website. They expect to make an announcement of the location of their first project in December, 2010.

They have a detailed website, www.MountainRidersAlliance.com, blog MRABlog, Twitter and Facebook page.

For more information, contact them directly at info@MountainRidersAlliance.com

Homeboy reader Anne sent me email and asked if she could share a couple of her photos of the local ski resort called Terry Peak. While we are still developing social media “element” of Homeboy, we wanted to publish Anne’s shots of the Terry Peak in a blog post. We also took a bit more closer look at this small ski resort and gathered you a small information package.

Terry Peak in the Black Hills is a small but lively ski resort

Let’s check what Wikipedia says about the Terry Peak and Black Hills.

The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an “island of trees in a sea of grass”. The Black Hills encompass the Black Hills National Forest and are home to the tallest peaks of continental North America east of the Rockies.

The name “Black Hills” is a translation of the Lakota Pahá Sápa. The hills were so-called because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they were covered in trees.

According to Homeboy reader Anne the mountain sits at about 5,900 feet and is geographically placed to receive quite a bit of snow, despite the fact that it isn’t as high as neighboring Rocky Mountain ski resorts. There are quite a few trails, a terrain park, main lodge, etc. Terry Peak operated the highest chair lifts East of the Rocky Mountains and has been open since 1938.

While Terry Peak is a tiny ski resort compared to giants such as Whistler/Blackcomb, it really seems to be lively and active. For those interested in Terry peak I recommend following them in Facebook which get updated frequently. As an example there is a six-week ladies only ski program is designed and taught by women, which is totally new kind of event to me.

Time for ladies only!

Terry Peak ski resort stats

Terry Peak was open 125 days during the 2008-09 Season. Over 280 inches blanketed the mountain from December to early April. Terry Peak is home to South Dakota’s only two high-speed detachable quad chairlifts, and it is the highest lift-served area east of the Rockies.The closest major airport to Terry Peak is Rapid City Regional Airport (a one-hour drive)

Terry Peak ski resort in figures

Surface Lifts: 1
Chair Lifts: 4
Cabin Lifts: 0
Trails: 30
X-Country: 0 miles
Fun Parks: 1

Top altitude: 7100 Ft.
Bottom altitude: 5900 Ft.
Vertical Drop: 1100 Ft.

Longest Run: 0.8 miles
Skiable Terrain: 450 acres
Snow Making: 225 acres

Wanna share information of YOUR local ski resort with Homeboy readers? Just contact us to get your resort info published!

Statistics

• Average snowfall: 300 inches (760cm)
• Vertical drop: 2,353 feet (717 m)
• Terrain: 3000 acres  (15% of that beginner, 35% intermediate, 40% advanced, 10% expert)
• Lifts: 12 total lifts, 3 of them high speed quads

Over the past few years Whitefish has gone through a lot. It has been transformed from a locals ski area to a bigger, more visitor orientated resort with a resort village and real estate developments. The locals can’t make up their mind about if the developments have been for the better or worse.  Some locals say that the day visitor parking lots have been moved too far from the center of the resort to create space for condos, lift tickets have gotten more expensive and that increased crowds are bothering them. On the other hand the new visitors always bring in more money, which has allowed Whitefish to update their lift system with the new high speed quads, making the trip to the top of the mountain a breeze. Even though we visited Whitefish during one of the busiest time of the year, between Christmas and New Year the lift lines were either non-existent or short. And the lift ticket prices are still reasonable compared to many other resorts big resorts, with the adult day pass costing $61.

Skiing Whitefish

One good thing about Whitefish that when all of the terrain is open the entire mountain is truly skiable. The lifts go up the mountain on each side of it, and there’s a network of trails that goes around the mountain. Between the groomed trails there’s terrain of every variety from open bowls to tree skiing. The profile of the mountain is in general great for skiing, with consistent fall lines and just a few flatter spots that might annoy some.  The views are amazing if visibility is good, with the Glacier National Park’s huge mountains looming behind the resort and Whitefish Lake to the south.

The mountain has 3 main areas, Front side, North Side and Hellroaring Basin.

The Front Side is the place to be for the beginner skier

Pretty much all of the beginner trails are located on the Front Side. There’s couple of chairlifts that serve beginner terrain only which will surely keep beginners and families happy. Its nice to have own, separate areas where you don’t have to be afraid of expert skiers wooshing by on their way to the double black diamonds. For those who prefer the green runs there are a good variety of them, also from the top of the mountain, so you don’t have to stick for the one and same run for the whole duration of your holiday.

View of part of the Frontside

The Front Side has some expert terrain too, separated from the beginner terrain, and it’s great for someone who’s looking to do quick, leg-burning laps off the fast chair 1 on a quiet powder day. On the far right side of the Front Side is the East Rim, which has some nice cliffed terrain, but watch out for the 80 feet high ones.. The area holds powder for longer than many other runs if you know your way around, but the traverse back to chair one is long and boring on a green run. The problem with top-to-bottom runs on Chair One can be the snow quality since the base station of the chair sits relatively low.

Click here for the full trail map of the Front Side.

The North Side of Whitefish

Intermediate skiers will find themselves at home here with a variety of blue runs. The North Side is north facing (obviously) and in shadow (just what you’d expect from backside, duh) and coupled with the fact that the base station of the chairlift serving this terrain is higher than other lifts in Whitefish results to usually the best snow conditions on the mountain. Because of small local weather variations the backside also gets a bit more snowfall than the frontside.

There are two gripes though – the skiable vertical here is only about 1000 feet (300m) and the runs tend to be steep in the beginning and somewhat low angle after that. Luckily this is the only area of Whitefish that is affected by this problem. The North Side is served by one high speed quad, and if the Front Side has lift lines then the North Side is a good place to escape them.

Click here for the trail map of the North Side.

Hellroaring Basin – pure off-trail skiing

Hellroaring Basin is where most of the off-trail skiing in Whitefish is. There is only one groomed run down the area, a blue run that is not really worth talking about. It mainly serves the purpose of getting skiers to the Hellroaring chair after a run off the trail. Rest of the skiing is black and double black diamonds.

One can drop into the horseshoe-shaped basin from any point along the cat tracks that circle it. There’s some great tree-skiing here, along with couple of chutes and open areas. It doesn’t get tracked out very fast, partly because to do laps in the basin you first need to ride up Hellroaring Chair to the side of the basin and then ski down to Chair 1 to get up to the top of the mountain again. An annoyance, but only a minor since it keeps some of the crowds away. Those who are comfortable on expert runs will like this area a lot on a powder day.

Laura, fog, and a lot of snow in Hellroaring Basin..

The whole Hellroaring Basin and the chairlift alway close on April 1st to protect the local grizzly bear population and let them have their peace. Obeying the closure is a good idea unless you first want to get clawed by a big, ugly bear and then get fined by big, even uglier Flathead National Forest ranger.

Click here for Hellroaring Basin trail map.

Conclusion

Summa summarum: There are many ways people feel about the recent development of Whitefish. In the end its still not the most megalomaniac resort with thousands of condos, but it’s not the mom-and-pop ski area either. With the lift ticket prices still reasonable and a medium-sized resort town and ski area you can still feel like you’re in the mountains instead of Disneyland. The crowds aren’t as bad either. Whitefish might have lost some of its local charm in the last years, but the fact that the skiing is great along with the views from the top of the mountain can not be ignored.

More and more skiers, especially freeriders from all over the world are coming to the Salzkammergut to ski Krippenstein. They don’t really come for the view, which still is spectacular with Dachstein to the south and Hallstätter See to the north. But there is something special about this place, and that is the snow. The snow is not better than in other ski-resorts in the Alps and there probably isn’t an above of average number of days with snowfall. But when it snows, oh my…

If a snowstorm comes through from the right direction (which is northwest to north, by the way) just “it is snowing” is no adequate word for the event of incredible amounts of white stuff getting dumped in the area north of Dachstein. And in the middle of this area lies Krippenstein. I have never experienced snowfall as strong as in Krippenstein anywhere else in the Alps and I have been to places which are famous for their strong snowfalls like Arlberg, Engelberg, Nordpark or Andermatt during heavy storms. It just makes you smile even if you are not skiing or snowboarding. Combine that with some nice terrain, lack of crowds and you have a pretty good resort for powder-skiing.

Krippenstein Resort Review: General Info

Krippenstein is different to many other resorts in many respects. One reason is that the infrastructure is not designed for skiing, but for the use during summer and for the Austrian military, which has a base just a bit south-west of the ski-resort.

There is just one important lift, “Dachstein-Krippensteinbahn”. It is a tram with three sections. The first two sections were renewed in 2007 and have pretty modern, comfortable, fast and quite big gondolas. Even on busy days you won’t have to queue for long. If it is very crowded you may not make it into the first gondola which leaves after you enter the station but you’ll always make it to the next one.

The first section takes you from the valley-station at 609m above sea level to the middle station, which is called “Schönbergalm”, at 1350m. There’s a lot of infrastructure here but all the buildings are closed during winter. The second section takes you from there to the top station, which is located pretty close to the summit of Krippenstein at 2100m. The station itself is big and has been a hotel once, but it has been closed for a long time. If you step outside of the station, you can not miss the “Lodge” which is restaurant, hotel and information centre. It is a nice place to have lunch, or a coffee on the terrace with a great view towards the Dachstein or a beer after your ski-day before you make one last decent to the valley. They also serve, hands-down, the best Topfenstrudel (traditional Austrian quark strudel) I’ve ever had. The third section goes down from the top station, towards the Gjaidalm , it has no real use for skiing, but it is a nice old gondola and there are some nice views from it. The Gjaidalm is a private hut, but run in a way that resembles an alpine club hut. It is big, and can get crowded in spring since it is close to the popular skitours towards the Dachstein.

If you ski down on the piste, you will suddenly enter a little village, which is called Krippenbrunn . It consists of a few houses which are all available as accommodation for tourists, and one restaurant and a bar. Krippenbrunn is a popular place to stay at during the season so the restaurant can get pretty crowded at lunch break and in the evening but they offer acceptable and cheap food and drinks.

Tired of dropping cliffs? Try roofs in Krippenbrunn.

There is a special military gondola, which comes from Obertraun and goes through Krippenbrunn to the military barracks behind the Gjaidalm. This gondola is not included in the ski pass and it can not be used as for skiing. You can get single rides on it in the spring and start touring towards Dachstein from the top though.

There is one chairlift at the resort, at the top, which is pretty short and two beginner t-bars, one at the top of the resort, close to the chairlift and one, which chronically lacks snow, down in the valley.

Piste skiing at Krippenstein

As stated above, there is only one real piste. It is a long one, 11km in total. It starts at the top station and goes east for a while, than it turns north and continues through Krippenbrunn towards the valley. It is a nice run, manageable for beginners, but long and demanding enough for more experienced skiers. The snow is usually quite good because it is pretty north-facing and well-groomed. There is another short run from the top station towards the chairlift, which is not really worth mentioning. But you do not come to the Krippenstein to ski on-piste all the time…

Krippenstein Resort Review: The off-piste

There are three really nice and long more or less official off-piste-runs, which are marked with sticks, some shorter variants of them, and countless hidden descents, which are hard to find. Because all of them are north-facing, the snow stays nice and soft for quite some time, especially in the higher parts.

But some words on the special dangers at the Krippenstein at first. The rock in the whole area is limestone, which is heavily karstified due to millennia of chemical weathering. This means that the whole mountain is full of holes and dolines like a piece of Swiss cheese. Some of them are big caves, which attract a lot of tourists in the summer, the dangerous ones are smaller, just a few meters wide. They can be really deep (40m and more) and are basically like crevasses on a glacier in winter, except that because they contain warm air don’t really get covered with snow that well. Falling into one of those holes could be fatal, so you should be very careful if you leave the marked runs. Hire a guide if you are not sure where you can ski safely. Getting lost is also easy if you leave the marked runs.. and that would be very bad because there are huge cliffbands in the area, and slopes which look really good from above may not lead down to the valley. Only a few people ski off-piste, especially on storm days, so there may be no-one to help you if things turn bad. Because of that you should never ski alone and always carry avalanche safety equipment and know how to use it.

Off-piste runs at Krippenstein

The three main off-piste runs, which are marked, but not controlled and not checked for safety, are Angeralm, Schönbergalm and Imisl/Eisgrube (I call the upper part Imisl and the lower part Eisgrube, some people call it upper and lower Imisl).

The combination of Imisl and Eisgrube is the easiest of the three. From the top station, you follow the piste until it crosses the cables of the third gondola section. There is a sign somewhere which shows the exact starting point. The first part is more or less flat and can be bad for snowboarders if there is a lot of fresh snow. There are some sections which are a bit steeper until you reach the start of the Eisgrube, which is a bit east or skier’s right from Krippenbrunn. You can exit here to Krippenbrunn and the piste, and you can also access the Eisgrube from Krippenbrunn if you follow the piste for a few meters until it turns right, and then left pretty soon. Just head straight ahead, instead of following the bend to the left. There is also a sign.

Eisgrube is steeper than Imisl and because it gets skied a lot it turns into a mogul run more or less during the season. It is still great to ski if there is fresh snow (or if you like mogul-skiing), and it is big enough that you will find some untracked parts even some days after a snowfall. You end up pretty low on the piste, from where you have to continue down to the gondola.

Angeralm is a difficult run, especially at the beginning and at the exit. It starts at the top station, just turn left after you leave the building. You can see the upper part of the run from the second gondola section. Its steep at first with some pretty narrow areas, then it opens up in a wide and open slope with scattered trees.

There is the marked run to the left, and an unmarked one further right which requires a traverse to get there and another to get back again. If you ski down, you will notice orange “EXIT”-signs on trees at some point, which all point skiers left. You have to follow them to get to the exit. Do not ski past them. The exit is pretty bad, especially if there is not much snow or if it has been a long time since the last snowfall. It is steep, there are lots of trees and rocks, there is not much snow and it gets skied out pretty bad. If you are not a good skier or snowboarder, you will be in trouble here, at least the first few times. But it is short, and can be sidestepped if the conditions are really bad. After the exit, you come to the lowest part of Eisgrube, from where you get back to the piste and the gondola.

Schönbergalm is an intermediate run skiing wise, but it is really wide and has a lot of variations, which makes it easy to get lost there, especially if it is foggy and you leave or lose the marked run. You reach it with a traverse and a hike of about 15 minutes from the top station.

First, you ski down towards the beginner t-bar, which you cross at the upper end. From there you continue east. In general, there is a cat-track, but it takes some days after a big storm before they groom it properley. If there is no track, you should only go there if you know the way, because there are no marks until you reach the little hut which marks the start of the descent. Again, it is easy to get lost on the traverse in the fog, and there are dolines all over the area, so be careful. The hut at the start of the Schönbergalm run is open, so you can have a break in it if it’s really cold and windy and you feel like it. From the hut you ski more or less directly to the middle station, from where you can get the gondola to the top again. There is a bigger cave a little bit skiers left of the marked run which you can easily visit on your way down. You can see it from the gondola, which makes it easy to find. It may not be really big but it gives a taste of what can be seen at the Krippenstein in summer when the big caves are open for the public.

As stated above, there are lots of runs which are not marked, like Himmeleck, Minigolf, Little Face, Gelber Stein, Gamsjäger nein danke (which is my favourite at least in its name), Krippenbrunn direkt and a lot more. Some shorter stuff from Imisl towards the piste can be seen from the third gondola section, but in general most of the runs are hard to find and not always in good condition. I would recommend hiring a guide if you want to see more of the terrain that Krippenstein has to offer.

Avalanche danger could be considered low in general on the marked descents since they get skied regularly after each snowfall and the runs aren’t very big or steep. They’re also mostly protected from strong winds. But you can never say that anything is safe, so make your own conclusions, or get a guide. Here are just a few things I’d like to point out:

• Be careful at the Start of the Angeralm and Schönbergalm routes right after a storm, there is always windblown snow and the terrain is fairly steep.
• Stick straight to the markings at the beginning of the descent of the Schönbergalm. There are dolines and holes all over, especially to the left.
• Do not ski close to the cliff-faces skiers left in Angeralm and skiers right in Imisl/Eisgrube (especially at the start of Eisgrube), even if it looks pretty good and there are tracks. There are avalanches coming down from the top of the Krippenstein regularly, especially after or during storms, and when temperatures rise.
• Do not ski Schönbergalm late in the afternoon. If you miss the last gondola, you are in trouble, because you can not get down to the valley from the middle station on skis.
• Do not follow tracks which go straight instead of following the EXIT-signs at the end of the Angeralm. There is one possibility to get down there safe (except the normal exit) and it involves a 3m drop. And there is always just enough snow for one or two skiers. You will not find it if there are no tracks, and if there are tracks it is already skied and you have to downclimb it, or to go back up to the normal exit. Both of those options suck, believe me.

Here are the links to the local avalanche-bulletins (you may take a look at those from Salzburger Land and Styria too, because Krippenstein is located very close to the border):
Upper Austria
Styria
Salzburger Land

Ski-touring near Krippenstein

A lot of people ski-tours in the area, especially from Krippenstein towards Dachstein. As nice as the tours may be landscape-wise, most of the classic ones do not offer great descents. There are some nice ones, for example down to Hallstatt if there is enough snow, but the plateau between the Dachstein and the Krippenstein is pretty flat, and you skin from the Gjaidalm to the Dachstein ski-resort on a cat-track most of the time. In spring, lots of people take the gondola up to the Krippenstein, skin from there to the Dachstein (you can not reach the summit with skis), ski back to the Gjaidalm on the cat-track and continue from there on the piste to Obertraun.

Krippenstein accomodation/après-ski

You can stay in Obertraun or in Hallstatt, but I would recommend staying at the mountain, at the Lodge, the Gjaidalm or in Krippenbrunn. Unlike at other resorts, it is not really expensive (especially in Krippenbrunn) and you will not have to drive to the mountain in the morning. There are ski-buses, but you can not reach the first gondola with them. There is also a kind of a hostel in between Obertraun and the ski-resort.
There is no real après-ski at the Krippenstein. You will meet lots of people in the Lodge, after the last ride up with the gondola and sometimes there are nice spontaneous parties in the Bar in Krippenbrunn. Obertraun is a small village with less than 1000 inhabitants, but if you really want to party you can try the Haifischbar…

Best times to visit

The season starts in mid December and ends at some point in April. I would say that in general, February is the best time to ski the Krippenstein. Since the terrain in the upper parts of the mountain is quite rough and rocky it requires a lot of snow to be really skiable; I would say at least 2m base is needed at the top station. This amount can be reached in January, but not always. In a normal season, there are between 3 and 5 meters of snow at the top station by the beginning of March. Later in the season, it can get pretty warm at the lowest parts of the resort, but still be chilly enough at the top. I had one of my best skiing days in Krippenstein at the end of March, even when I had to carry my skis back to the gondola through pouring rain for about 15 minutes after each run. The higher elevation bit was still really great and you can always avoid going down into the valley by skiing Schönbergalm.

How to get there

You can get to the Krippenstein by car or by train. Do not forget to check the road-conditions if you choose the car! The nearest bigger airport is Salzburg and some cheap flights exist. From Salzburg you have to drive over the Pass Gschütt which can be difficult in heavy snowfall! If it really snows a lot, which it does sometimes in the area, the road from Hallstatt to Obertraun will be closed because of avalanche danger. Very rarely the train connection gets cut off also.

Stuff to do without skis

Hallstatt is definitely worth a visit. It is a really nice village with a long and rich history and culture, lots of nice old houses, some parts of them are build on wooden piles into the lake.

Hallstat during snowfall

The famous big caves in the area are closed during winter, but you can see the small cave in the Schönbergalm descent and you can visit the old salt mines in Hallein and Bad Aussee.

Got a comment or a question that wasn’t answered in this article? Go ahead and drop a note!

Courmayeur ski resort is a combination of awesome landscapes, good skiing and tasty Italian food. In Courmayeur you can enjoy the best Italian wine and pasta, but also tons of powder snow and sunshine.

Skiing in Courmayeur

Courmayeur has 100 kilometers of slopes, out of which there are four black slopes, 15 red and six green slopes. The rest are blue slopes. Longest run is 7,3 kilometers, while the biggest vertical difference is 1335 meters. 18 lifts of Courmayeur carry skiers ad snowboarders to the slopes, and the highest ski lift station is located in 2624 meters of altitude.

The main skiing area is at Plan Checrouit and, with over 80% of the skiable terrain covered by snow cannons, snow here is virtually guaranteed. You can get to Plan Checrouit by a cabin lift directly from the center of Courmayeur. Other skiing areas in Courmayeur ski resort are a bit more challenging Lago Chécrouit, nice and easy Cresta Youla, modern La Thuile, and Cresta d’Arp and Punta Helbronner that provide access to the best off-piste runs in Courmayeur.

Courmayeur ski resort is much like Chamonix on the other side of Mont Blanc (in Italian side they call the mountain Monte Bianco), but much less crowded. If you get frustrated with crowded Chamonix, just drivee through the tunnel of Mont Blanc and ski Courmayeur. We have noticed that sometimes when there is a bad weather in Chamonix, the sun is shining in Courmayeur, so it is really worth of checking. Also the rush in Chamonix during a powder day is sometimes unbelievable and most of the new snow is skied in two hours. If you want to ski more powder hit the road and drive to Courmayeur where you can ski powder all day long, and maybe even the day after.

Courmayeur dining, afterski and shopping

There are 2971 inhabitants in the Courmayeur ski resort town. Although the town itself is pretty small, there are plenty of choices when it comes to dining, afterski and shopping. 93 restaurants, 20 on-piste restaurants and 48 bars and discos make sure you get what you need.

Take a walk in the car-free center of Courmayeur and enjoy the diversity of window-shopping. There are a number of good shops and boutiques offering quality clothing, jewellery and souvenir.

Enjoy a beer or a glass of wine while looking at the magnificient peaks of the high mountains of Mont Blanc massif. Afterski in Courmayeur ski resort is lively, but not rowdy. If you are looking for great skiing with a nice atmosphere, Courmayeur might be a good choice.

Other activities in Courmayeur ski resort

In addition to skiing there are many other things you can do in Courmayeur. For example there is a weekly market where you can buy things made by the locals. You can also take a bus and drive to Chamonix or other ski resorts or towns in Aosta valley. In Courmayeur you can go ice skating, curling, swimming, cross-country skiing, snowshoe walking, or you can just enjoy the fitness centre.

Downsides of Courmayeur?

There is no perfect ski resort and Courmayur is no exception. What are thethe downsides? For experienced skiers Courmayeur does not provide too much challenges, and also there is a lack of very easy slopes for beginners and first time skiers. Courmayeur is a relatively small ski resort with short runs, so if you are looking for big something then consider resorts like Les Trois Vallee in France. Slopes in Courmayeur are pretty crowded on Sundays, but not as much as in Chamonix. There is also a tiresome walk and cable-car ride between Courmayeur village and the slopes.

Pictures: dirkgroeger, tmesis

We also received some snow in Helsinki, but I guess we need to wait another month before starting the ski season in Finland.

The Aspen Winternational Audi FIS Alpine World Cup races were held last weekend. The Giant Slalom kicked off the event on Saturday and the Slalom continued on Sunday. Robert Randolph and the Family Band played the first Bud Light Hi-Fi Concert of the season at the base of Aspen Mountain on Saturday. Finally fireworks were shot over Aspen Mountain.

Lift ticket prices in Aspen/Snowmass are $69 for adults, $59 for youth (13-17) and senior (65-69), and $39 for children (7-12). Children who are 0-6 years old ski for free.

The village of La Clusaz (population about 2000) is said to be one of the most beautiful alpine villages, and it is no wonder since La Clusaz looks like it was transplanted from a beautiful alpine post card. In addition to the beautiful scenery and landscape, La Clusaz provides a palpable feeling of traditional European alpine skiing. Being in La Clusaz is in itself an unforgettable experience.

La Clusaz ski resort provides good skiing without lift queues

La Clusaz ski resort provides 220 kilometers of pistes with 10 black pistes, 36 red pistes and 85 blue/green pistes. The total number of lifts in La Clusaz is 94. The highest ski lift station is located at 2460 meters, while the village is located at 1100 meters. La Clusaz also provides a freestyle park and a pipe for snowboarders and new school skiers. Ski lifts are open from 9 am to 5 pm. The price of an adult ski pass during high season is 145 euros for six days and 240 euros for 13 days. During low season the prices are 135 euros and 220 euros respectively. Ski gear rental costs about 70-150 euros for six days.

One of the best things at La Clusaz is that the ski lift queues are short or nonexistent. On weekdays, skiers don’t even see any queues, but on weekends short queues do exist. The wait times are short because of the modern ski lift equipment used in La Clusaz.

Afterski and nightlife are pretty quiet

La Clusaz is a tiny little French alpine village. It is very beautiful and well-functioning, unlike many other alpine villages. Most of the tourists are French, so the services are mostly provided in French. An English-speaking tourist must sometimes use body language to communicate.

Afterski as well as nightlife are pretty quiet in La Clusaz, but the nearby city of Annecy comes to the rescue of those looking for parties. The nightclubs and restaurants in Annecy are located only 20 minutes away from La Clusaz or, if this is not enough, one can drive to the city of Geneva which is an hour from La Clusaz. There are 25 restaurants in La Clusaz and only two night clubs.

La Clusaz is cheaper than many other French ski resorts because it is not as fancy and trendy as some other resorts. Credit cards accepted in La Clusaz include Visa, MasterCard, EuroCard and American Express.

Accomodation in La Clusaz ski resort

La Clusaz provides typical hotel and chalet accomodation, but the prices are lower than in big French ski resorts, such as Les Trois Vallee and Chamonix. A typical price for a night for two people with bed and breakfast is about 70-75 euros. We hear that hotels in La Clusaz and comfortable and the service is good and friendly.

If you are looking for a European ski resort with versatile family runs, excellent snow conditions, good service and beautiful landscape, consider La Clusaz in France. I bet you won’t be disappointed.

For more information on La Clusaz ski resort, please check the following websites:
www.laclusaz.com
www.legrandbornand.com
www.skipasslaclusaz.com
www.aravis.com

Pictures by Wolf Gang, Toprural and Delaere

So many people go skiing at the most popular ski resorts such as Vail, Whistler, Chamonix and Zermatt, but few skiers look for something different and unique. Only a fraction of American and Western-European skiers, for example, go skiing at Sinaia ski resort in Romania. So, what kind of resort is Sinaia?

Sinaia ski resort – Basic facts

Sinaia ski resort is located in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains, 2 hours and 120 kilometers away from Bucharest. The distance to the nearest airport is about 100 kilometers. The village of Sinaia is surrounded by two-kilometer high mountains that provide one of the most unique European skiing experiences.

Located at one kilometer of altitude, Sinaia ski resort provides five ski lifts and 20 slopes, the longest of which is 2,5 kilometers. Out of these 20 slopes Sinaia provides 11 black runs, 4 red runs and 6 blue runs (here’s a map). Sinaia is not comparable to bigger European ski resorts such as Les Trois Vallee in France, but it provides a very good and versatile playground for average skiers. Even off-piste runs are pretty good in Sinaia.

The lowest ski lift station is located at 850 meters of altitude, while the highest one is located at 2050 meters of altitude. The total length of all pistes in Sinaia ski resort is 26 kilometers. Ski lifts in Sinaia are open from 8:45 am to 4:00 pm. For some reason lifts are closed on Mondays.

Sinaia ski resort nightlife and shopping

One of the best things in Sinaia is that it is very cheap compared to Western-Europe and American ski resorts. Dining in Sinaia is ridiculously cheap. The price of beer is 1.5 euros, while for 3 euros you can buy a bottle of wine. All together there are about 20 restaurants, 5 on-piste restaurants and 5 night clubs. Visa and Mastercard credit cards are accepted in most of the stores and restaurants.

Sinaia is a bit old-fashioned, at least when it comes to ski pass usage. Tickets cost 2 euros per run, and all tickets for one day are purchased beforehand. Every time a skier enters a ski lift, one ticket is collected. One can estimate 20 euros per day costs for ski pass, which sounds pretty cheap. This is especially a good deal for backcountry skiers, who typically need only 2-3 tickets per day because they spend most of the time climbing and skiing off-pistes far from the slopes.

Ski gear rental at the Sinaia costs about 50 euros for six days.

Staying in Sinaia

Hotels in Sinaia ski resort are not as modern as in Western-Europe, but they are clean and comfortable. In addition to hotels, Sinaia also provides chalets in which people can prepare their own food. Bigger groups can rent even an entire chalet, which is again a good deal for skibums who prefer staying longer in Sinaia.

In addition to skiing there are also other interesting things near Sinaia ski resort, such as very old castles. The famous castle of Dracula is located only 50 kilometers away from Sinaia. Another interesting castle is Peles, which has been the home of the Romanian royal families.

Sinaia is absolutely worth visiting. Sinaia features good skiing in the Carpathian Mountains spiced with warm Eastern-European culture. If you’re not sure where to go this season, consider skiing at Sinaia ski resort.

We’ve complained a few times how the skiing in Finland is mostly pretty boring and at best only mediocre.  At the same time we’ve also noticed that many times it can depend on one’s attitude - even small hills offer enough challenge for e.g. learning new things or throwing freestyle tricks. At least we (usually) have snow in winter, one could say.

However, the most northern part of Finland, Lapland, sometimes offers almost world class skiing. Or maybe not if you think only about skiing itself. But as an experience and holiday, Lapland often just rules.

Pallastunturi ski resort in review

I had a week long holiday with my family in Pallastunturi, Lapland. Seemed like we had it just perfect: it dumped some 30 cm of new snow as we arrived (to a very good base), temperatures stayed steadily on the freezing levels, we had the grandparents of the kids with us so I could ski together with the wife a few times (a very rare occasion these days, be that good or bad..), and the best: we were lucky and scored some real, nice, light powder snow.

Rare situation in Finland, real fluffy snow!

Pallas isn’t actually a ski resort at all. Most people concentrate on cross-country skiing here. And why would’nt they: I’d even state that the Pallas-Yllästunturi National Park has some of the best possibilities for cross-country skiing in the whole world! You have to experience the cross-country skiing in Lapland’s spring to believe this.  I did a few laps on xc skis and I dare to say it felt damn good. My parents skied alot of xc too and I introduced my four year old daughter to the sport. I believe knowing xc gives you a good basic background for alpine skiing, a fact that you realize when you check out Scandinavian skiers in the slopes of the world.

Ok, no more on cross country skiing as this is a downhill oriented website after all, but you get the point: cross country skiing here is very good and very recommended.

The Pallas Ski Resort only has two lifts yet it boasts the second greatest vertical drop in Finland with a maximum 340m descent, which only Ylläsof the other circa 120 centres can beat. (Ylläs, on the other hand, is a modern tourist resort with very efficient lift system, big hotels, all the possible services, world class park skiing etc. A very nice and also recommend place but Pallas just offers so much more if you’re looking for authentic, unique experiences based on nature).

The nearby hills also offer almost indefinete possibilities for different kind of back county / off piste skiing. Best vertical drop is about 400 meters (over 1300 feet) which is very nice from our perspective. There are several huts for overnight trips, if that is your thing. Traditionally the light nordic type gear is used mostly but you see more and more AT (Alpine Touring) gear and (burly) tele skis in the backcountry too. The descents are quite mellow generally but still offer enough lenght, gradient and fun  feature variations for high speed, modern off-piste skiing.

I popped into a guide leading a group to overnight trip to a hut and he was wearing Dynafit boots and had older Fritschi Diamir bindings and K2 Axis skis, while most of the client had nordic touring or light telemark gear. I ask the guy about his gear choice and the answer was simple: “I got bored with the telemark gear on the cruddy, wind affected snow”(as a novice telemarker that was not the answer I wanted to hear by the way…)

Talking about cruddy snow leads us into a talk about weather. Generally, spring is the time to ski here – from mid March to early May, for backcounty skiing often until the mid June. Early winter doesn’t have enough snow covering the rocks in the fells and it is totally dark. Which can, on the other hand, be very mellow, relaxing experince – believe it or not. The dark time, Kaamos, is very different in Lapland. Often you also get to see the mighty Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis.

Mid winter then is traditionally very cold (up to -40 C degrees). Believe me, the snow is usually not that delicious on those temperatures and the ever-blowing wind makes the situation even worse.

But when the spring comes, the amount of light increases, the snowpack has buried all the rocks and it still often snows some more. Sunny days and freezing nights give you that enjoyable corn-freeze-corn cycle…hike up on the hard cover, wait and eat & drink some at the top and ski down on the perfect corn (or firn as the Euros tend to say) snow.

During our stay the weather was even untypically winter-like. Night temperatures were over -10 C and even the days stayed well below freezing level. The steady north-east wind also blowed for the first four days, making the barren upper hills not so enjoyable (=your typical Lapland wind crust snow outside the slopes). However, the lower hill has some trees too and also the lee-side slope had saved us some goods. So, we really scored some very good snow for Finland (see the  video below  – my wife cruising some nice, slightly wind packed snow in the trees).

By the end of the week the snow started to get more packed in the nearby small scale off-pistes and we cruised quite alot just on the slopes. Having kids with us on the trip we didn’t quite have the time to make some longer (3 hours to whole day) tours. Too bad, maybe next time…

Despite having only two lifts the slopes of Pallas are pretty good and well prepared too. The fact that there is no huge crowds keeps the slopes quite smooth for a long time – as a starting telemark skier this was a huge pleasure for me…cruising soft, relatively long, well prepared groomers on tele skis was really a blast…

Before the storm faded, we also had one day with raging wind of 18 meters/second on Pallas. Lifts were closed and  we visited the nearby Olos fell instead. The hill offered some ok left-over pow, a park that look decent (didn’t try on teles!) but otherwise quite mediocre feeling…nothing unique. The hotel complex seemed might and fine though, probably a very classy and quality place?

All in all, I’d say I had some of the best skiing/snow I’ve had in my home country and a very relaxing holiday with the family in an amazing environment. If you ever visit Finland, this is the place to visit, both in winter or summer time.

Pallas cold facts

• Altitude of the down station: circa 400 m
• Altitude of the highest lift station: circa 750m (highest top nearby, Taivaskero, 807m)
• Slopes: 9 (one illuminated)
• Lifts: 2 t-bars
• Cross Country Skiing: over 250 (!) trails
• Freestyle Park: found in nearby Olos (15min drive)
• HalfPipe: no
• Lifts open 10 – 17.00
• Number of slope restaurants: 1
• Restaurants: 1
• Bars: 1, Nightclubs: 1
• See also other activities here
• How to get there information

PS. Go before it is too late; there is a plan of building a new hotel and increasing bed places from current 120 to 500. Some say this might ruin the “authentic” feel of the place. I’m a bit worried about this too. Time will tell but I hope the development doesn’t take away the peaceful, unique feel of the resort!

Skiing in Europe and North America is not dead yet. There is still one month time for rocking and rolling on skis. Pack your skis now and head to the powder fields. Cannot decide where to go? Here are five cool ski resorts you could consider.

Cervinia

Cervinia in northern Italy is the pearl of European skiing. Located in +2000 meters, next to Matterhorn, is one of those European ski resorts where you most probably can always find good skiing. Cervinia provides lots of slopes and ski lifts, so you won’t get bored in a couple of days. Cervinia is not only a great ski resort. Cervinia is very beautiful and provides you spectacular views to the Alps.

Zermatt

Zermatt, located next to Cervinia, is one of those Swiss ski resorts where cars are banned. In Zermatt you can see famous Hollywood celebrities doing window shopping and enjoying their after-ski. Just like Cervinia, Zermatt provides you stunning views to the highest peaks of the Alps. Notice that Zermatt is pretty expensive ski resort.

Niseko

If you find traditional European and North American ski resorts boring, we suggest you Niseko. Located in Hokkaido’s island in northern Japan, Niseko definitely provides you a different and exotic skiing experience. Niseko is well known from its massive dumps of snow, so you should not worry about the snow in Hokkaido. Niseko is the day dream of many backcountry skiers, also mine.

Kirovsk

If Niseko provides exotic skiing, and you feel like it is not “exotic enough”, then check out Kirovsk in Russia. Skiing in Kirovsk is a well kept secret. Kirovsk is located pretty close to Finland, so you don’t need to travel seven days by train to Siberia. Kirovsk is not as big as Megeve in France, but the good point is that Kirovsk is not as crowded as European ski resorts. For those looking for some great backcountry skiing, we would like to remind that heliskiing in Kirovsk is VERY cheap compared to Alaska. The drawback of skiing in Kirovsk is that there is really nothing to do on afternoons and evenings. Nightlife in Kirovsk is really dead.

Åre

How about something different? Well, may be Kirovsk was different enough.. Anyhow, one more ski resort we would like to mention is Åre in Sweden. This pearl of Sweden not only provides you good skiing until the end of the spring, but also pretty hot after-ski and nightlife. In Sweden they know how to party. If you feel like skiing some late spring Scandinavian snow and taking it relaxed, consider a one-week trip to Åre, Sweden.

So, there is still one month time to ski. In some ski resorts you can ski even until the end of June, but in general ski season ends in the end of April. Although I find myself planning a trekking vacation in Austria or mountain biking trip to Rhodos island next summer, I will pack my skis once more and go ski the late spring snow with my sons. You there, do the same now!

However, there are a lot of top notch resorts we haven’t visited and would like to visit someday. Especially Northern America is a huge grey area for us and we’d like to correct that issue as soon as possible. This post is dedicated to our “wish-list” of ski areas.

Some of these resorts/ski areas are just legendary, “must” places to see for every skier. Some are, on the other hand, more exotic, wilder places that might have a cult status among a small group f skiers, or are probably almost unknown (so, don’t expect to read only about the most obvious ones here!)

1. Alta, Utah, USA

This one is almost a tie, like in the earlier list too. The second one is a rising star and a challenger but this one is an all time classic. Just a place every true skier should visit once in his/her life (in our very humble opinion of course).

Utah markets itself in words “the greatest snow on Earth”. That says it all.

The snowboard ban in Alta is IMHO pretty old-fashion thinking. But I kind of understand it. Alta is an old school ski area, so let it be like that. I love snowboarding but in Alta I’d be proud to catch a pair of fat skis and feel the history of skiing and modern age blend together.

2. Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan

Again, the biggest reason to go: snow. Plenty of it actually. Dry – even when located only thirty kilometres  from the sea, because it is often very cold! I love cold, dry snow…and who wouldn’t?

Couple of friends visited the place in the middle of February. Well, I’m trying to tell to myself I’m not jealous…well, the guys were swimming in the very light powder snow up to their chests…

Some say the terrain in Niseko is too flat but I guess those guys are jealous too. I see no reason to name Hokkaido and its resorts the best place to ski powder on earth (at the moment at least, you never know what the today’s weird weather has for us in the upcoming years though?)

Japanese culture is another reason to go. You won’t get bored in the down days. And the food is supposed to be  very delicious too. I dream about going Japan to “second honeymoon” with the wife some day (while leaving the kids to the grandparents…well, you can always dream!)

3. Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

If you ever watched any Match Stick Productions film you gotta have dreamed about Whistler too. Everything is big there: the mountains, the lift system, the night life, the snow fall, the “scene”…

Of course big resorts have their downsides. But I guess in this case those are just minor details that won’t harm the essence: good skiing.

See the trail map, the place is huge: trail_map_whistler_blackcomb1.jpg (source: http://www.whistleroutfitters.com)

4. Krasnaya Polyana, Soviet Union

Another MSP joint(I don’t remember which one but MSP film a few years ago showed Eric Pollard in the trees of Soviet Union in Krasnaya Polyana). Powder article also described the place having probably the best tree skiing in the world, and about the any other type of terrain you can imagine too - the vertical meters are stunning.

I’d like to go and see what it is all about.

5. Powder King, BC, Canada

Only 640m of vert but check out the reports on their site: http://www.powderking.com/ -the “overnight”, “24h” and “72″ snow reports often show incredible figures!

6. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA

Home of the rowdy TGR. That says quite alot. Many people (here in Europe) who ski like a ten days a year also know lines like “Corbet’s couloir” in Jackson - that says quite alot of the Jackson’s legendary status too.

7. Kirovsk, Soviet Union

Many people probably haven’t heard about this one. No wonder, it is located in the middle of nowhere in the Kola Peninsula in Russia. However, it is actually relatively close to us Finns and can offer vertical meters up to about 900. Snowfall is great too and season long.

If you want exotic skiing this is the place!

Some info: http://www.kolatravel.com/downhill_ski_holidays.htm

And here is a nice gallery from some Finns who have visited the place: http://rinnetmaki.net/gallery2/v/Urheilu/Kirovsk2007/

8. Bansko, Bulgaria

You see, I have this weird fix for Eastern Europe skiing.

Terrain in Pirin mountains (sub range of the Balkan mountains) seems pretty similar to Slovakian/Polish Tatras. TGR filmed a pretty good segment few years ago from Bansko, showing skiing of world-record cliffhucker Jamie Pierre and Marc-Andre Belliveau.

Some info can be found here: http://www.kolatravel.com/downhill_ski_holidays.htm

9. Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, USA

Maybe not the highest and not the one with the best snow. But still having a “legend status” as a mecca of American style freeskiing. My wild guess is that Squaw is one of the most filmed places of skiing, starting from the age of the great Scot Smidt, Glen Plake &co…

10. Treble Cone, New Zealand

I actually don’t know much about New Zealand skiing and this one is just the one I remembered. However, going to skiing in summer is fun and everything I’ve heard about New Zealand has been compliments about its beauty and friendly people. So, having visited south America (see the earlier story about the top resorts we already have visited), this is the next one, if I ever get another opportunity to have a skiing trip in the middle of our summer…

Treble Cone site: http://www.treblecone.co.nz/

Some more info on NZ skiing.