by James Michaud

Highmount, NY - While the formation of a citizen's group to help save a local ski area in danger of closing isn't unheard-of, the longevity, enthusiasm, and organizational powers of the Coalition To Save Belleayre Mountain are. Formed in the early 1980s when New York State threatened to shutter this government-owned and -operated ski operation in the western Catskills, the Coalition has, over more than a quarter century, served as a vigilant watchdog and public-relations advocate for an unspoiled, but economically struggling region.

by Leigh Mytton

St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria - Most of us dream of walking in a winter wonderland, and this festive season I was fortunate enough to experience a genuine white Christmas in the picturesque resort of St. Anton am Arlberg.

How I Came To View North Carolina As A Legitimate Ski Destination
By Jeff Hemmel

A ski and snowboard vacation in the mountains of the Kitty Hawk state can be summed up in a variation on one simple phrase: “We’re in North Carolina.”

by Tony Crocker

Revelstoke (BC), Canada - For several decades Revelstoke has been home base for some of the world's finest backcountry powder skiing, but in 2007-08 the tiny local Powder Springs ski area was replaced by the new Revelstoke Mountain Resort on Mt. MacKenzie, which now boasts the greatest lift-served vertical drop of any ski resort in North America.

Story and photos by James Michaud

Jackson, WY – Friends sometimes ask me why I often fly to ski regions with large, world-famous mountains and then end up spending as much or more time at the lesser-known "second-banana" areas nearby.

by Jeff Hemmel

Tahoe City, CA - There's something about the onslaught of spring that makes me long for a few last days on the snow. Maybe it's the simple realization that I won't venture onto a slope — at least not one covered in white — for more than six months. Or maybe I just kind of like that combination of sunshine, corn snow, and those tanned faces at the outdoor grill. Whatever the case it's about this time every year I start getting a little itchy to take one last, glorious road trip.

by Leigh Mytton

With numerous skiing opportunities in North America, its easy to overlook the potential of the European Alps. It's not cheap to get there and you lose valuable mountain time in making such a mammoth trip.

Author Steven Woodruff descends the 14,005-foot Colorado landmark with famed extreme skier Chris Anthony

Eagle County, CO - She appears to stand alone when observed from a distance. Like a lighthouse guiding a ship in the night, she has been my beacon in the Vail Valley from the first day I called Vail my home.

She is surrounded by a supporting cast of ridges and valleys with an entire ecosystem dependent on her presence. She is easily identified by her significant markings and height. She is powerful enough to create her own weather systems. Unmistakable from hundreds of miles away, her name is The Mountain of The Holy Cross. She has been the center of much intrigue throughout most of Colorado’s history. She has a story, a following and a spirit like no other mountain in the Rockies. Why do I refer to Holy Cross as a female? I’m not sure, other than because of her beauty and the draw she has for my attention.

by Tony Crocker

La Grave, France - Extremely Canadian is best known for its steep skiing clinics at Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia. Several of their guides and coaches are competitive freeskiers and have extensive photo and video credits from all over the world. Starting in the 1990s, some of the company's guides who were most knowledgeable about the Alps started to run guided tours in Europe. For advanced and expert skiers much of the best terrain in the Alps is uncontrolled off-piste, so skiing with guides greatly enhances the experience. Now the “World Tours” are a popular and expanding part of Extremely Canadian’s business.

I’ve enjoyed two of the clinics at Whistler Blackcomb, and in September 2005 a tour to Las Lenas, Argentina, so I naturally turned to Extremely Canadian to ski La Grave last March.

by Marc Guido

Eden, UT - Think Utah skiing, and what comes to mind? The ski and snowboard resorts surrounding the state's only true ski town, Park City? Or maybe it's the deep snows of the Cottonwood Canyons? Chances are, though, that it isn't the three ski resorts that surround the pastoral Ogden Valley of northern Utah.

by James Michaud

Banff (AB), Canada - During my salad days as a bachelor, well-meaning friends would occasionally set me up on blind dates with “someone you’ll really like.” You know the drill; they tell you that she’s beautiful, smart, funny, loves the outdoors, cooks like Mario Batali, has a great career, etc. In fact, their descriptions are so convincing that for the next day or so, you build elaborate fantasies about the undiscovered model you’re about to meet – the one who scored a 1580 on her SATs. But more often than not, after you walk into a pre-appointed meeting place and set eyes on the person in question, the description from friends doesn’t quite match up with your perception of reality.

by Tony Crocker

Pincher Creek (AB), Canada - Prior to 1998-99, only local skiers from the southern Alberta towns of Lethbridge and Pincher Creek patronized Castle Mountain, formerly known as Westcastle Park with its 1,700 vertical feet and 400 acres. In the summer of 1998 Castle purchased a double chair from Sunshine Village and expanded the mountain upward to 2,800 vertical feet and 1,440 acres. First Tracks!! Online Editor Marc Guido and I each independently visited Castle during that 1998-99 season, and both of us came away with same reaction that it was “The Best Ski Hill You’ve Never Heard Of.”

by James Michaud

Windham, NY - Is there a ski area within easy driving distance of where you live that you never got around to – either because you heard that it’s too expensive, or crowded, or that the terrain wasn’t that interesting, or you didn’t like the crowd that hung out there, or some other reason that you can’t even recall? Most people have one of these blindspots, and Windham Mountain was mine.

A Guide to Chile's Northern Ski Resorts
by Tony Crocker

Santiago, Chile - North American skiers and snowboarders looking for a summertime fix cast their gaze toward the Southern Hemisphere. While skiing is available in Australia, New Zealand and even South Africa and Lesotho, the biggest resorts and most dependable snow cover lie in South America.

Santiago, Chile's capital city in the country's central valley and one of Latin America's most modern metropolitan centers, is the most convenient gateway to Southern Hemisphere skiing. Skiing from Santiago doesn't require a connecting flight when flying from North America, as New Zealand and Argentina ski resorts do. Chile also offers more flexibility and choice among ski areas than Argentina.

In September 2007 I divided my time between Los Andes, an hour from Santiago and a little over an hour down the hill from Portillo, and the interconnected ski resorts of Valle Nevado, El Colorado and La Parva, located an hour and a half from Santiago. From Los Andes I also sampled two days with Valle El Arpa snowcat skiing.

Story and photos by James Michaud

Highmount, NY - When you go back to visit your childhood neighborhood or a town where you spent part of your earlier life, things are rarely the same as before. Change or "progress" has occurred. The family-owned dairy that made and sold its ice cream on-premises has been razed and replaced by a Chili's. The forest where you cut bike trails as a kid (before there were mountain bikes) was bought by a developer and transformed into a subdivision filled with identikit houses. The baseball stadium where you used to watch the hometown team is now named after a supermarket chain, bank, or soft drink. Maybe it’s different for you, but that’s my story and I'm sticking with it.

I guess the short version of this setup is that these days, it's getting more and more difficult to find "places" rather than brand outposts. And it’s not just cities and suburbs; ski areas are moving in this direction too. Meat-and-potato skiers who prefer atmosphere to amenities are getting increasingly disenchanted about the fact that many of today's mountains seem to be increasingly dedicated to one thing –separating guests from their discretionary income. But with snowmaking and other costs pushing the number of "lost" ski areas here in the northeast into the mid three figures, realists also have to come to terms with some unpleasant truths.