If you’d like to get rid of the wedge or snowplow, and finish your turns with your skis parallel, this lesson is for you. nIn ski turns, each of your feet plays a different role. One foot is the stance foot – you balance primarily on this foot, and it supports most of your weight. … Continue reading No More Plow: Learn a Strong, Parallel Turn Finish
Often referred to as “the poor man’s heli-skiing,” snowcat tours are by no means the neglected stepchildren of the backcountry skiing experience. Whether managed by ski areas or operated independently, cat outfits offer powder-hungry snow riders a heli-like backcountry experience—for as little as one-tenth the cost (anywhere from about $100 to $300 per day). Not … Continue reading Snowcat Tours Make Skiers Purr
Glenshee, Scotland – When hiking in Switzerland several years ago, we had the unusual experience of our Swiss guide, Ruidi, giving all affirmative answers as “Aye” rather than “Yes” or the German “Ja.” It turned out that he had been married to a Scottish woman and had been a ski instructor in Scotland for several … Continue reading Skiing Scotland
Burn. Heaven & hell are one; in beautiful white hot flaming forests. Waste no time in contemplation. Leap into the dream. n Author Matt Duffy feels the force in the Vermont woods of Smugglers’ Notch (photo Gary Duffy) Rush the glitter. Blow it up & out and send it swirling behind. Don’t look back. Charge … Continue reading Feel the Force
Pincher Creek (AB), Canada – Pulling into the town of Pincher Creek, Alberta, one certainly doesn’t feel that they’ve arrived at a ski mountain. Situated 30 miles east of Castle Mountain Resort, though, the 600 or so beds contained in a number of motels constitute the closest lodging to the ski area. The town is … Continue reading Castle Mountain: The Best Ski Hill You’ve Never Heard Of
Lake Louise (AB), Canada – Think about your favorite place to ski or board. Think about why it’s your favorite. Make a list. Good. Got your list? Lake Louise will likely have just about everything on your list, maybe. What could possibly be missing from this mammoth resort in the Canadian Rockies? Read on. n … Continue reading Lake Louise: The Mountain with Just About Everything
Fernie (BC), Canada – Ever since Charlie Locke’s "Resorts of the Canadian Rockies" (RCR) purchased Fernie Snow Valley in June of 1997, rechristened it Fernie Alpine Resort and doubled the size of their lift-serviced terrain during the 1998/99 season, the southeastern British Columbia hill has been transformed overnight from a ski-bum secret into a darling … Continue reading Fernie: Growing Pains