Cordova, AK - I had first met Points North owner Kevin Quinn at the L.A. ski show a decade ago, and we shared a ship to Antarctica in 2011 along with some of his guides and several of his customers where he helped my friend Liz and gave her a powder lesson one afternoon. So…
Ushuaia, Argentina - Antarctica is one of tourism’s final frontiers. The first tourist cruise to the frozen continent took place in 1969 but tourism remained rare there until the 1990’s. Nearly 7,000 tourists landed in Antarctica in 1992-93, growing to 13,900 in 1999-2000 and peaking at 33,000 in 2007-08, although economic conditions have limited tourist landings…
Meadow Creek (BC), Canada - It’s been years since I signed up with Ski Plus Tours for my first ski vacation in the British Columbia interior, a guided road trip in 1997. Lead guide Brad Karafil operated on a flexible schedule, allowing him to follow weather patterns and utilize personal contacts to choose resorts or…
Niseko, Japan - In January I spent three days skiing in Japan’s Hakuba Valley, site of the 1998 Olympic alpine events, and eight more days on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, which over the past decade has attracted a growing number of powder skiers from all over the globe thanks to the world’s greatest…
Christchurch, New Zealand – In July 2010 I embarked upon my fourth ski trip to New Zealand. On the previous three visits I spent most of my time in the Southern Lakes district, based in the popular international tourist center of Queenstown. Coronet Peak and The Remarkables are the closest ski areas to Queenstown, while…
Boise, ID - Boise is viewed by most destination skiers as a less than ideal gateway to Sun Valley, over three hours distant. But visitors should not overlook the two ski areas patronized by Boise locals and regional visitors, Bogus Basin and Brundage Mountain. Bogus Basin (photo: Bogus Basin Recreational Association) Bogus Basin is…
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…
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…
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…
A Guide to Chile’s Northern Ski Resorts 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…
