Evelyn Kanter

Ski Sauvage Tour: Test Gear and Ski With Champions

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French performance skis and apparel brand blackcrows is bringing back the Ski Sauvage tour for the 2022-23 winter season, with gear to test and celebrities to ski with.

The Ski Sauvage crew is loaded with an array of skis from the all terrain, touring and big mountain collections. The team moves around from ski area to ski area preaching wild skiing, sharing experiences and creating new stories of life on skis. They will be supported by a rotating cast of ambassadors who will help lead the guided sessions, share tips and attend the events.

This season the Ski Sauvage tour is focusing on big weekend events and product specific events. Multi-day events will include a full quiver of skis to test, ambassadors and athletes to meet, loud music and special screenings of the brand’s newest videos.

Confirmed events include: ski touring 101 with professional skier, Liv Sansoz and ambassadors Casey Rietz and Celeste Pomerantz, big mountain skiing with Freeride World Tour champion Kristoffer Turdell and Air Carving with twin-tip enthusiast Tuck Graham. Additional special guests from the blackcrows team will also be in attendance.

It’s all free, but registration is required.

“The Ski Sauvage tour is about sharing adventures and the love of skiing with like minded people in pursuit of pleasure,” says Giorgio Saviane, blackcrows, chief marketing officer. “It’s a way of exploring new resorts, bringing people together and enjoying time in the mountains.”

Confirmed dates and locations in the USA:

 December 16-17 • Taos, NM

January 7-8 • Aspen Highlands, CO

January 21-22 • Killington, VT

January 28-29 • Ragged Mountain, NH

February 8 • Vail, CO

February 13 • Keene Valley, NY

February 24-26 • Jackson Hole, WY

Confirmed dates and locations in Europe: 

December 3-4 • Val d’lsère, FR

December 10-11 • Avoriaz, FR

December 21 • Chaonix-Mont-Blanc

December 28-29 • Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, FR

January 6  • Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, FR

January 7 • Meribel, FR

January 20 • Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, FR

January 28-29 • Verbier, CH

February 18 • Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, FR

February 20 • La Rosière, FR

February 21 • Tignes, FR

February 23 • Courchevel, FR

February 25 •  Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, FR

March 4-5 •  Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, FR

For updates and registration, visit https://www.black-crows.com/us/en/ski-sauvage-calendar-na.html .

Bob Trueman

How to “Knowtice” and Improve Your Skiing

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Here’s a new word for you – “Knowtice”.  It describes the mental process combining knowledge with noticing.  Learning to do this is essential to developing skill, including skiing skills.

No system can purposefully change without accurate, prompt, feedback. If feedback is delayed, inaccurate or simply not noticed, any change will be random, and probably short lived – perhaps thankfully!

 I have mentioned elsewhere of my own miserable experiences trying to become a better skier by spending three nights a week for years at a dismal artificial slope ski school in the West Midlands of the UK, and managing only to make slow progress. I came to believe that the fault must lie with me rather than with the instructors I worked with.

 Since I took up skiing around middle age, I became convinced that I must simply not be sufficiently athletic, or fit, or whatever it took to be a good skier. The fault obviously lay with the teachers, not with me.

 Then one year, in the Alps, again with not much expectation of improvement, in just one week I made huge transformations in my skiing. Just seven weeks later I went again with the same teacher, and again made terrific leaps forward. Indeed, immediately after this experience I started on my own journey through the instructor training program and on to coach and to be an instructor trainer. That’s how much impact one teacher can have.

 So what made the difference?

 It was the rare ability of an exceptional communicator and coach. But just what was it he did that was the essence of the difference? He put effort into making the whole thing simple not mysteriously arcane. He didn’t demonstrate or show-off; he explained that only I could effect the changes, but he took responsibility for helping me.

 What made the difference was noticing.

 He constantly and repeatedly encouraged us to “be aware” – of our toes, or perhaps our shins, or our legs, or our hands. For a long time I did not internalize the simple power of this. Only gradually did I begin to perceive that in all the practice before meeting him, the key element which none of my instructors had ever brought into the mix, was “to have a clearly defined intention, and to notice what I was getting”. 

 Instructors had always told me to watch them and copy. When I was unable to emulate their own performance, they mostly got frustrated, or jeered, or urged me to try harder.  But it was pretty hopeless, and the reason was that I was never helped to develop an ability to notice what I was getting as a result of what I was doing, and why.

 Without that ability my development was all but completely stifled, and yours will be too. In my case the pain lasted eight years until I met this life-changing coach. The lack of the desired outcome was painfully obvious, but there was no connection in my mind between intention and outcome. Something was missing, and it wasn’t my mind. Does this in any way echo your own experiences?

 So, what is “knowticing” and how is it done?

 To develop skill there is no better process than the “Intention-Attention Feedback Loop”.  It was developed by John Shedden and others and is now applied to almost all top level sports.

 “Knowticing” is the ability to become aware of one highly specific physical manifestation, through the medium of one selected sensory channel.  Sounds fancy, but it’s simple. For example, first you and your coach agree on one simple action you will do, such as  just flexing your ankle a bit more. Then – and this is key  – to become aware as you ski, of where there is pressure under your foot, or maybe your shin.  It’s simple and it’s powerful.

 You first decide jointly that “pressure under your foot”, or against your shin is the manifestation you will select, and the sense of touch, is how you will appreciate it. It is crucial to its successful application that only one manifestation is to be noticed, and that only one sensory channel is used to “knowtice” it with.

 Deciding what you’ll do is your intention, and the “know” bit of my new word gives you your attentional focus, and understanding. The “knowtice” bit comes from having made a conscious decision to employ one sensory channel – feeling, or seeing, or hearing, or one of your other senses.

 The “know” part is founded on an understanding of how skis work, and is expressed in the form of simple physical tasks or goals, such as the example above.

 If you employ this simple powerful model at least some of the time when you are skiing, you will begin to make significant changes to the way you ski, and also to your understanding of skiing, especially your own skiing.

Herb Stevens

The Skiing Weatherman November 25, 2022

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By the time you read this you may have already made your first turns in the new season.  Mother Nature has been generous with cold and natural snow from coast to coast, with the West favored in late October and early November and then the Midwest and East over the past couple of weeks.  The East is where I am going to focus my reports this season.  It makes sense because I have skied at most every resort east of the Appalachians over the years and the vast majority of my forecast clients are in that same area.

It might surprise you to know that the FIRST resort to open in the East this year was Sugar Mountain, NC.  When early season cold is short supply, elevation matters, and Sugar’s base is right around 4,000 feet.  Since they started turning lifts mid-month, several dozen resorts have joined in the fun, and many of them are already sporting double digit trail counts with multiple top to bottom routes open.  Everything is set up for one of the busiest Thanksgiving weekends in many years, but there is just one problem…the weather.

The early season cold outbreak from Canada has just about run its course, and for the next ten days or so…through roughly 12/6…any cold air masses that move through the East will be transient, and generally confined to the resorts of NY and New England.  As Black Friday gets underway, a weakening low pressure system and cool front are moving across the spine of the Appalachians and the passage of that system will lead to a round of light rain.  Saturday will be the best day of the weekend to get out on the slopes, but another low will cut up through the eastern Great Lakes and then cross central New England Sunday and Sunday night.  There won’t be cold air around to support snow, so Sunday looks wet…not the greatest news for Day 2 of the Women’s World Cup at Killington.

Temperatures will be quite variable over the next ten days as relatively weak disturbances track into the Lakes and then run along the U.S. Canadian border…an unfavorable track for snow and cold except for northern Ontario and northern Quebec.  Snowmaking windows will be small, but there will be several along the way.  The pattern will change at the end of the first week of December, though.  Why?  Well, first there is the EPO, or Eastern Pacific Oscillation.  The EPO is an index based on the relative positions of upper level ridges and troughs over the northern Pacific Ocean.  When it is negative, we find a ridge over Alaska and British Columbia and a trough downstream over central North America.  The clockwise flow around the ridge directs very cold air from the high latitudes southeastward into the counter-clockwise circulation around the trough, leading to an intrusion of very cold air into the lower 48.  Even if the main thrust of the cold is into the center of the country, it will spread out and reach the east coast.  Here is the forecast for the EPO over the next two weeks…

The correlation between a negative EPO and cold in the East is a strong one and you can see that the EPO is consistently negative, suggesting a change in the temperature regime.  Supporting that idea is the outlook for the NAO, another ingredient of the “alphabet soup” of indices that I use to sort out winter pattern changes.  The North Atlantic Oscillation is built on the pressure differential between Greenland and the Azores.  When pressures are high over Greenland, the jet stream pattern gets blocked up, often with an upper trough setting up shop over the Northeast, where it can draw cold air south from Canada.  Here is the two-week forecast for the NAO…

If we take a quick look at the jet stream setup anticipated for 10 days from now, you can see that the pieces are in place for a return to colder weather…the ridges over Alaska and Greenland, with a trough over central Canada poised to deliver a fresh cold air mass to the eastern U.S. as it tracks southeastward.

The season is off to a fast start, but trail count expansion will pause before picking up the pace again about ten days from now.

alg turkey best
Harriet Wallis

How Okemo saved Thanksgiving

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photo credit: Harriet Wallis

“Quick. Look over there. Do you see what I see?”

The fog was as heavy as a wet blanket. I’d already been driving for 3 hours and most of it was in the pea soup as I headed north up the Connecticut River Valley. High beams were too much. Low beams weren’t enough. Just stay on the road.

Destination: Killington, Vermont.

We left home in Connecticut in the middle of the night with the intention of being first on Killington’s slopes. It was the late 1970s, and Killington was the only New England ski area that was open – on just a few trails on the top of the mountain. We’d have to ride several chairlifts to get to those trails. We built in extra time for that, but we hadn’t expected heavy fog and slow travel.

It was the first Thanksgiving that I was a divorced mom. The three of us – Craig, 12; Alison, 10; and I – agreed that it wouldn’t be any fun sitting around a turkey by ourselves, so we decided to start a new Thanksgiving tradition. Let’s go skiing!

That’s where we were heading. It was vaguely becoming daylight as I left the fog-bound interstate and headed north on 2-lane roads toward Killington. Fog was thinning a bit, but I still had a white-knuckle clench on the wheel. I was beginning to wonder if we’d get to Killington in time to make the long drive worth it.

 

Waves of fog continued. Horses looked over pasture fences and exhaled plumes of frosty breath. Little farm houses appeared ghostly and then quickly dissolved away. The images were magical, but we wanted to get to the slopes.

Just beyond Ludlow, the wispy curtains of fog opened for a moment and we saw snow guns blasting snow at Okemo.

“Quick. Look over there. They’re making snow!”

It was still another hour to Killington, but I needed a break. I drove to Okemo and we took a look. Snow guns were pounding the beginner slope – and skiing was free for anyone who dared to ski it.

Skip Killington. We’re here. Let’s ski Okemo’s beginner slope. The price was right and the drive was over. The snow guns turned us into frosted doughnuts on every run. We crinkled from our wool hats to our ski boots, and we had to chip the ice off each other after every run. But we’d started our new ski on Thanksgiving tradition.

alg Jers, Elle, Betty
Harriet Wallis

At Some Ski Areas, the Flavor Really Lasts

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Brighton’s drumstick trio: “Jers,” Elle & Betty

A rag-tag snowboarder with a ratty-looking mop of hair held the door open for me. Then he graciously acknowledged my thank you.

A staff wearing a headband with jiggling Thanksgiving drumsticks raced by to check on something. I burst out laughing.

A lodge cleaner guy pushing a vacuum around the locker room looked up to cheerily wish: “Happy Thanksgiving and have a great day out there.”

I’d been in the lodge less than 3 minutes, and the staff’s exuberance was already showing the flavor of this ski area – Brighton. It’s always been like that.

It was Thanksgiving day and my first day back in over 2 years. Health things have kept me away. The staff has changed a lot, and I scarcely knew anyone. But the flavor was still the same– unleashed happiness and fun.

At some ski areas, staff members are uniformed and groomed to perfection. At Brighton it’s often hard to identify the staff from the skiers and riders. Some ski areas are upscale. Brighton is down home.

Today, too weak from recent chemo to ski, I brought my computer to the lodge intending to get some work done. I went for a cup of coffee and the cashier noticed my season pass but my non-ski clothes, and she said the cup of coffee was on her. Only at Brighton. She was new. I’d never seen her before but she had the Brighton spirit. Her kindness brought tears to my eyes.

I was pounding away on my laptop when a long time ski patroller stopped by with a hug. Hugs are common. Brighton is family.

Looking back over the years, Brighton has become a snowboard haven with woods and cliffs and radical off-piste terrain. Some people hate snowboarders partly because they are often counter-culture with a rumpled and unsavory look. But when I crashed a few years ago, it was Brighton’s snowboarders who stopped and stayed with me. Several times it was Brighton’s snowboarders who dug my car out during a powder dump. And today, it was a snowboarder who held the door open.

Brighton, at the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon beyond Salt Lake City, Utah, is family. And whether you’re a skier or snowboarder, Brighton has a flavor that lasts.

skihistoryf22
Seth Masia

Skiing History Magazine

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Skiing History Nov-Dec 2022 Cover

The Herminator Turns 50, Collecting Books and a US Ski Team Reunion

The November-December issue of Skiing History magazine is on press, but you can read it now, online.

The Herminator Turns 50: Top story comes from Patrick Lang, who recently retired after a lifetime covering the Alpine World Cup circuit. Patrick summarizes the career and bucolic retirement of Hermann Maier. During 11 seasons the Herminator won 54 World Cup races, four overall World Cup titles 10 discipline titles, plus 10 Olympic and World Championship medals, including five golds—and he came back from nearly losing a leg in a motorcycle accident. Now, Patrick reports, Maier lives quietly and secretively, protecting the privacy of his wife and young daughters. 

Boot Camp on Mount Rainier: A week after Pearl Harbor, John Woodward and Paul Lafferty began teaching recruits in the 87th Infantry Regiment how to ski, working out of a lodge on Mount Rainier. Their greater purpose, according to author John Lundin, was to figure out how to train the thousands of troopers who would, within the next year, become the 10th Mountain Division.

Caroline Lalive and Nelson Carmichael: After earning America’s first Olympic medal in freestyle, two-time World Cup champion Nelson Carmichael went home to Steamboat – where he married Alpine Olympian Caroline Lalive. Edith Thys Morgan catches up with them.

A Dusty Passion: Everything you need to know about the collecting rare books about skiing. Meet the history nerds who love old books. Maybe you’re one of them.

Other stories:

And: Ski with the ISHA gang at Big Sky Resort, March 21-24. We’ll hold our 31st Annual Awards Banquet there on March 22. Be there!

greg-rosenke
Evelyn Kanter

New Parking Policies and Prices at Utah Resorts

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Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash

The good news is that several ski/snowboard resorts in Utah have increased parking spaces, paved lots, preferred close-in parking for vehicles with three or more passengers, and added shuttles from outlying lots to the base area. The bad news is that parking is likely to cost you more this season.

Here are the new parking policies and prices in Utah.  But first, the advantages of taking the UTA Ski Bus:

The UTA Ski Bus picks up at several locations in Salt Lake City and throughout the Salt Lake Valley and beyond, including at special park and ride lots. Many resort season passes and the Ikon Pass offer FREE fares for their passholders.

The UTA Ski Bus takes riders directly to the following resorts:

So here are the new parking rules, by area:

Alta Ski Area – For the 2022–23 season, Alta requires a $25 parking reservation for Friday-Sunday and during holiday periods. For those who purchase an Alta day pass, parking is only $10. No reservations are required any day after 1 p.m.

Find information about reserving your early morning parking spot here. Your Alta season pass and/or Ikon Pass comes with a free UTA ski bus pass, and carpoolers (3+ passengers) get preferred parking.  Alta is releasing parking spaces every Sunday afternoon during the winter season.

Snowbird – There’s a a variety of parking options, from their Preferred Parking Pass and valet to $25 parking reservations and free first-come parking. Snowbird is making carpooling a priority for vehicles with 4+ passengers by providing expanded carpool-only parking areas at all the entry points. There are free UTA bus passes for all-season passholders and employees.

Brighton – Since free parking is known to fill up quickly, you can guarantee a spot by reserving one of their 120 VIP parking spaces between Great Western and Explorer for $30.

Solitude Mountain Resort – There is a fee now for all lots. Cost depends entirely on the number of people in your vehicle and whether it’s weekday or weekend or holiday.  Fees range from $5 to $35, but parking after 2p.m. is free. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect to pay for parking this season.

Vehicles with 4+ occupants: Free parking opening day through December 11. $5 Friday through Sunday after December 11 and holidays/peak periods.

Vehicles with 3 occupants: Free parking opening day through December 11. $5 parking Monday through Thursday. $15 parking Friday through Sunday and holidays/peak periods.

Vehicles with 2 occupants: $5 parking opening day through December 11. $10 parking Monday through Thursday. $20 parking Friday through Sunday and holidays/peak periods.

Vehicles with 1 occupant: $10 parking opening day through December 11. $20 parking Monday through Thursday. $35 Friday through Sunday and holidays/peak periods.

Sundance Mountain Resort – In keeping with their long history of conservation efforts, Sundance has introduced winter paid parking for select lots for cars with 1-3 occupants on weekends and holidays. Cars with 4 or more occupants receive complimentary parking.

Lot B (Premium) – Weekdays 7am – 2pm: $25/day or $5/hour • Weekends & holidays 7am – 2pm: $45 all day

Lot A & C – Weekdays 7am – 2pm: Complimentary • Weekends & holidays

7am – 2pm: $22/1-3 occupants, complimentary/4+ occupants

Lots D&E – Weekdays 7am – 2pm: Complimentary • Weekends & holidays 7am – 2pm: $5/1-3 occupants, complimentary/4+ occupants.

Park City Area Parking Information

The UTA PC-SLC Connect is a great public transit option between Salt Lake City and Park City. Once you’re there, the town of Park City buses are all free. Park City Transit routes can be found here.

The Mountain Village base area moves to a parking reservation system with a combination of paid parking – up to $40 a day – with free parking, and incentives for carpooling and public transit.  Paid reservations are now required at the Main, First Time and Silver King surface lots and in the Mountain Village Garage. Here are the details:

Reservations will be required seven days a week until 1:00 pm, and are available online. After 1:00 pm, all parking is free and no reservations are required.

The fee for paid reservations will be $25 per vehicle per day in the surface lots, December 12 through April 2.

Early and late season parking reservations are free in Main, First Time and Silver King surface lots, but reservations are be required.

Reservations for surface parking are free for vehicles with four or more occupants, but reservations are still required.

The fee for paid reservations is $40 per vehicle per day in the Mountain Village Garage for the entire season.

Free parking will remain available at the Canyons Village base area, Park City High School (on weekends and holidays) and High Valley Transit Park-n-Ride locations.

In partnership with the City, Park City Mountain is establishing a new traffic circulation plan in the Mountain Village base area that will prioritize bus and transit access seven days a week.

Park City Mountain also is implementing text message alerts to provide updates to text subscribers in real time.

Make your 22/23 season parking reservations here

Richardson Flat – The park and ride has more than 700 parking spots and will have bus service every 20 minutes from 6am to 11pm. This route also services the Park City Heights neighborhood.

  • Learn more about this route here.

Woodward Park City – Parking is free, but the lot can fill up quickly. If you’re in the town of Park City, take the free PC Transit Bus

Deer Valley Resort – There is free parking at five base area parking lots below Snow Park Lodge, along with a complimentary shuttle to the lodge. There is also limited complimentary parking at the Jordanelle Express Gondola.

Limited paid parking is available mid-mountain at the Silver Lake Lodge. There is no day skier parking at Empire Canyon Lodge.

All day lodge locations are serviced by Park City’s complimentary transit system, which runs frequently throughout the greater Park City area and within the Deer Valley Resort area.

Vehicles containing three or more people are allowed to park in Lot 2 during busy holiday periods and on weekends throughout the season.

Snowbasin Resort – There is free parking in five locations: Earl’s Lot, Maples Lot, Canyon Rim Lot, Wildcat Lot and Green Pond Lot. Snowbasin has expanded the total number of parking spots, and those who carpool with three or more in their vehicles have the option to park in the carpool lot closest to Earl’s Lodge.

  • The UTA Ski Bus also runs routes to Snowbasin from Ogden.
  • Find more information here.

Powder Mountain – Free parking can be found at the Timberline, Hidden Lake and Sundown base areas. The UTA Ski Bus also provides routes to Powder Mountain. More information can be found here.

There are complimentary shuttles between the Powder Country area, Sundown Lodge and Timberline Lodge.

These Utah resorts provide complimentary parking, but do not have UTA Bus Service:

Brian Head Ski Resort
Beaver Mountain
Cherry Peak
Eagle Point
Nordic Valley

This list was assembled from a combination of press release information from Ski Utah and from individual resorts.  Of course, make every effort to be factual and accurate, but sometimes things change after an article has been published. If you find that one of the prices or conditions is different than what you read here, please let us know so we can fix it.

See you on the chairlift. Or gondola. Or Magic Carpet.

Evelyn Kanter

What’s New for the 2022/2023 Season – Idaho Edition

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With the La Niña weather pattern developing thousands of miles away in the Pacific Ocean for the third consecutive winter, the Northwest should expect a cold, wet winter with heavy mountain snow. That means another great ski and snowboard season in Idaho.

It’s not just the snow – for the first time in history, SKI Magazine named three Ski Idaho destinations to its list of the top 30 ski resorts in the West, and two have been nominated as part of USA Today’s “10Best”list.

So here’s all that’s new this season in Idaho, by region.

Northern Idaho

 Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area – In northern Idaho, near the historic town of Wallace and straddling the Idaho-Montana border and the Mountain and Pacific time zones, this multi-use area opens highly anticipated Eagle Peak Expansion this winter, with a new fixed-grip quad.  It adds 500 acres of new terrain, nearly doubles the resort’s footprint to 1,023 skiable acres and adds 14 named runs, raising its total to 52 trails. With a summit elevation of 6,150 feet, Eagle Peak offers 1,650 feet of total vertical — 500 feet more than the original Lookout Pass summit. The new chair stretches just under a mile at 5,640 feet and can move at least 1,500 people uphill per hour.

Eagle Peak will deliver more and drier snow than Lookout’s already snowy reputation thanks to the 500 feet in elevation gain.  Lookout Pass also regraded its Success beginner learning terrain to offer a more consistent pitch ideal for learning to ski and snowboard. It upgraded its trail cameras to streaming video, and also improvements to the main lodge, rentals and additional parking.

Schweitzer – near Sandpoint, Idaho’s northernmost ski resort, skiers and riders will enjoy better access to the tree skiing and long groomers in The Outback Bowl thanks to 14 new chairs on the six-pack Stella. This will boost total uphill capacity on the lift by 25 percent, allowing it to carry 600 additional riders per hour.  The resort also has expanded its children’s center — a fully licensed childcare facility serving guests ages 4 months to 6 years old – with age-appropriate indoor and outdoor programming.

Schweitzer also opens its new spa, Cambium, in the village in a new building adjacent to Selkirk Lodge. The 3,600-square-foot retreat includes a relaxation with outstanding mountain views.  Schweitzer’s boutique, 31-room hotel, Humbird, which opened in February, will officially reach completion with the new 12-person rooftop hot tub.  Construction continues on Schweitzer’s new $22 million employee-housing project in Ponderay, with 84 apartments and a full-service daycare facility for employees with young children.

Silver Mountain Resort – South of the Border terrain is now within the borders, with the destination expanding its boundaries to include the popular pow stash. Off Chair 2 to left of Skyway Ridge just past Sunrise, SOB is naturally gladed, holds tremendous powder, and now boasts a new marked trail graded to get skiers and boarders back to the lift. The resort, in the historic North Idaho mining town of Kellogg, also opens the new Jackass Snack Shack at Midway Chair 4. It is on the original site of the ski lodge back when the mountain was named Jackass Ski Bowl in honor of Bill the $12 Million Burro, who accidentally assisted in founding the Bunker Hill Mine underneath Silver Mountain. The structure will have a restroom.

 North Central Idaho

The three destinations encircling the Camas Prairie — Bald Mountain Ski Area near Pierce, Cottonwood Butte Ski Area near Cottonwood, and Snowhaven Ski & Tubing Area near Grangeville — have not announced any upgrades for the 2022-23 ski season beyond usual maintenance and upkeep. They offer throwback experiences where it’s all about snow riding, family, and happy vibes with adult lift tickets costing only $20.

Central Idaho

Renowned for its glade skiing, Lost Trail Ski Area on the Idaho-Montana border between Salmon and Missoula has thinned more than 80 acres of its intermediate and expert tree-skiing terrain served by Chair 2 and Chair 4. It also completed micro grooming on its beginner and intermediate runs to help ensure an early opening.

Three miles west of Hailey, Rotarun Ski Area heads into its 74th ski season with key infrastructure improvements including new snowmaking that supports early and late-season programming. It also celebrates winter sports and mountain-town culture with free public skiing under the lights on Wednesday evenings.

For the third consecutive year, SKI Magazine named Sun Valley Resort — the birthplace of the chairlift and American’s first destination resort — the top ski resort in North America in its 2022 Annual Resort Guide. Sun Valley ranked no. 1 in the West for overall satisfaction, lifts, dining, apres and nightlife, family-friendly, and local flavor.

The resort is also a leader in sustainability, with the Bald Mountain Stewardship Project to improve forest health, reduce fuels and associated fire risk, and preserve the recreational experience on and around Bald Mountain. As a result, the resort will open up 79 acres of new gladed terrain in the Warm Springs area in advance of two new lifts being constructed this summer — including a six-pack chair — slated to open next season. Sun Valley also hosts the Alpine Skiing National Championships for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Southwest Idaho

Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area  – Near Boise, Idaho’s capital city, installed additional chairs on the Morning Star and Superior Express lifts, which will increase uphill capacity on those lifts by 30 percent.  There also are two new trails — Independence and Blackbird – with 11 acres of additional terrain. Blue and black runs, respectively, the new trails return riders from the backside of the mountain to the frontside. The nonprofit ski area also expanded night-skiing terrain by 15 acres, lighting the Sunbeam and Superior runs off the Superior Express lift, bringing the number of lit trails to 21.

Several beginner runs and cat tracks have been widened and improved, including Buttercup Cat Track, Shamrock, Sleepy Holly, and Sunshine has been regraded to improve learning progression.  New and extended snowshoe trails have doubled the distance of mapped snowshoe trails, and Bogus Basin will offer regularly guided and special-themed snowshoe tours. It is also introducing RFID ticketing technology for hands-free access to lifts. It also paved the main parking lot and added 50 new paved parking spots.

Brundage Mountain Resort – Between McCall and New Meadows, the resort added a 2,800-square-foot ski and bike patrol first-aid facility. This is the final season for nostalgia-minded visitors to ride the Centennial Triple Chair, a fixed-grip lift installed in 1990. A new Doppelmayr CTEC high-speed detachable quad will debut in its place next winter, cutting ride time from 14 minutes to 6 minutes and offering two high-speed quads on the front side of the mountain. The resort also purchased and transformed a historic building in New Meadows into its newest employee-housing facility.

Just outside McCall, the Little Ski Hill has lit a third trail, Race Run, and added more lights to the base area and lodge face. The Payette Lakes Ski Club will finish lighting the ski area’s terrain park next summer. Only the top quarter of the terrain park is currently lit.

The après ski scene at Tamarack Resort near Donnelly gets a boost with the opening of Seven Devils Tap House. Located next to The Village’s grand staircase, the 5,000-square-foot restaurant and bar is large enough for more than 300 guests with indoor seating, a mezzanine for more intimate dining, and covered and uncovered outdoor seating overlooking the snow front and West Mountain.

Save time and money by pre-purchasing day tickets with 24-hour advance online purchase — only $55 for midweek and $75 weekend tickets — and through Tamarack’s expanded system of ticket-pickup kiosks and automated ticket-scanning lift gates. New features include RFID-enabled snow-front ski check and heated seasonal lockers along with paid seasonal access to prime ski-in, ski-out parking via RFID gates. SOUTHERN IDAHO

Although Magic Mountain Ski Resort near Kimberly has not announced any major upgrades for skiers and snowboarders this winter, it is promoting a new Kosmik Tubing experience on Friday and Saturday evenings. Private group bookings are available on those evenings and other nights, and weekday afternoon group tubing will be available on a limited basis by reservation only. The mountain’s Saturday and Sunday daylight tubing will continue as normal.

Pomerelle Mountain Resort near Albion has upgraded grooming with new PistenBully 400 Park Pro groomers. The rental shop sports a new fleet of ski and snowboard gear from Rossignol and Burton, respectively.

New adventures and an improved on-mountain experience will greet guests at Soldier Mountain, near Fairfield.  The tubing hill which opened last winter returns, plus key runs at the top of Chair 2 have been cleared of brush, which will allow the snow to stick better and enable the resort to open trails earlier and keep them open longer. In addition, Soldier Mountain deployed three SNAPD action cameras — one at the top of the magic carpet, one as skiers and riders unload Chair 1, and a third near the top of Chair 2 with a picturesque mountain backdrop.

The camera systems are designed to work like those at amusement parks that automatically capture guests as they pass by. They leverage RFID technology to identify guests and allows them to access their pictures online or via a smartphone app. SNAPD day passes at Solder Mountain will cost $10 and a SNAPD season pass will run $25. Soldier Mountain is already booking seats on the snowcat for its renowned backcountry experiences

Eastern Idaho

Grand Targhee Resort — which lies four miles across the border in “Wydaho”, across the Teton Pass from Jackson Hole, and affiliates with Ski Idaho because the only way to reach it is through Driggs, Idaho debuts the brand-new Colter Lift on Peaked Mountain. The new lift can transport up to 2,000 people per hour, gain 1,815 vertical feet in just over 5 minutes, and provide 30 percent more skiing and riding with the addition of the new terrain on Peaked Mountain. These 600 acres used to be accessible only via snowcat bootpacking when the gates were open. Now, skiers and riders can access varying types of terrain, including awesome tree skiing and steep pitches.

This is the first major terrain expansion at Grand Targhee since 2001, when it opened the Sacajawea lift.  Grand Targhee also has renovated the slopeside Teewinot Lodge, and is introducing RFID ticketing technology to allow guests to access lifts hands-free via smart gates.

Kelly Canyon Ski Resort near Ririe as added new snowmaking and upgraded its trail lighting system. The new owners also have upgraded the lodge and transformed its cafeteria into the Half Cab Grill with an expanded menu.

Pebble Creek Ski Area, near Inkom has replaced the haul rope on the Skyline Lift and gave the rental shop a facelift.

Noteworthy Milestones

 Amid all these improvements, Ski Idaho, which counts 19 ski areas among its member destinations, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, Bogus Basin is turning 80, Soldier Mountain is turning 75, and Silver Mountain is turning 55 this season.

Multi-Resort Passes

Sun Valley has joined Schweitzer as partners with the IKON Pass.

The Indy Pass has a new, seventh Ski Idaho member with Kelly Canyon joining Brundage, Lost Trail, Pomerelle, Silver Mountain, Soldier Mountain, and Tamarack.

Grand Targhee and Sun Valley are members of the Mountain Collective.

Lost Trail joins Bogus Basin and Silver Mountain as partners in the Powder Alliance.

Sun Valley offers a Sun & Snow Pass with Snowbasin in Huntsville, Utah, that allows up to three days at each resort.

About Ski Idaho

Founded in 1982, the Idaho Ski Areas Association, a.k.a. Ski Idaho, is a nonprofit association funded in part by the Idaho Travel Council via the state’s 2 percent lodging tax paid by travelers and collected by hotel, motel, private campground, and vacation rentals owners.

Boasting 29,000 feet of vertical spanning more than 21,000 acres, Idaho is home to America’s first destination ski resort, the birthplace of the chairlift, and often considered the soul of skiing. Its 19 family friendly alpine ski areas offer trails and backcountry for skiers and snowboarders of all ages and skill levels, breathtaking views, hundreds of inches of fresh powder, affordable passes, and short lift lines. Many Ski Idaho destinations open for the summer season, as well, to provide lift-served mountain biking, scenic chairlift rides, hiking and trail running, disc golf, horseback riding, and more.

Visit skiidaho.us for more details.

What’s your favorite destination in Idaho?  We love your comments

Randy Johnson

What’s New for the 2022-23 Season—Southeastern Edition 

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Massanutten Resort

Terrain expansions and technology upgrades are routine at the seventeen ski resorts south of the Mason-Dixon Line. This year, that trend continues.

Here’s what’s new for the 2022/2023 season in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Virginia –

Massanutten – 2022-23 marks the 50th year of skiing inside the “Kettle” bowl of Shenandoah Valley landmark Massanutten Mountain. In 1990, the resort joined the regional “big list” jumping to its present 1,110 feet of vertical by opening two major slopes and a summit quad.

This year, Mueller’s Mile adds a third run from the summit, along with two other new slopes, a black connector to Mueller’s Mile called Slot, and Ridgecrest, a blue from the upper mountain along the craggy crest of the Kettle. The expansion finishes up next winter, replacing the old fixed quad with a detachable, and turning the lift line into the resort’s only double black diamond run.

The requisite snowmaking expansion started five years ago with a two and a half-mile pipeline tapping a new water supply, and finishes this year with 21,000 feet of new snowmaking pipe on the mountain. Director of Skiing Kenny Hess, says “this expansion will be a game changer for Massanutten, especially next year. With a double black lift line trail, Mass will ski much bigger than in the past.”

Bryce Resort, near Basye, Virginia, has converted its legacy double chair to a fixed grip quad. And Wintergreen Resort, near Charlottesville, makes a big snowmaking upgrade to its Upper Dobie and Lower Diamond beginner slopes and The Plunge snow tubing park.

West Virginia –

Timberline Mountain – After being closed for two pre-pandemic seasons, Timberline Mountain in Canaan Valley (pronounced kuh-NANE) was purchased in 2019 by Indiana’s Perfect North Slopes. The reinvention of a great southern ski area is picking up speed as COVID issues ebb.

The new owners have made “a complete do over on the snowmaking, quadrupling capacity,” says Paige Perfect. Two new lifts went in, West Virginia’s first six-pack detachable, to the summit, and a fixed grip quad to mid-station with a loading conveyor. New lighting to mid-station brings back night skiing this winter.

The summit, where two-mile Salamander starts, the South’s longest run, stays dark for now to protect the Cheat Mountain salamander. Flanking the alpine-like Dolly Sods Wilderness Area, the slope is the only one in the region on US Forest Service land. In fact, Perfect says, “we saw Salamander and knew Timberline was it.” The slope’s beginner pitch, few intersecting runs, and expansive width make it a regional favorite.

Snowshoe Mountain – Even with nearly 200 inches of annual southern snowfall covering its 1,500-foot vertical, this Alterra Mountain Company resort added 15 automatic fan guns on the revamped Skidder beginner slope beside the summit village, creating a longer, wider learning slope with consistent pitch. There’s also additional snowmaking at Progression Park and at the Silver Creek area, the ridge top run and adjacent easy routes get the same snow gun expansion as Skidder.

To reduce traffic on the Ballhooter lift, the usual route back up to the village from The Boat House eatery on a lake below, Skidder’s carpet lift has been realigned to access the village from the top of the Grabhammer lift.

Winterplace – The only southern ski area located five minutes from an interstate highway celebrates its 40th anniversary this season. The resort has redesigned its rental process and expects a 75% decrease in the time required to rent from a ski and snowboard inventory that this year is all new. There’s also a new Progression Terrain Park with a double chair located beside one of the area’s favorite easier slopes, Highland Run.

North Carolina –

Appalachian Ski Mountain – This area, in Blowing Rock, becomes the latest of the South’s slopes to embrace the RFID ticketing system based on an easy, radio verified lift ticket purchase that’s reloadable online.

Beech Mountain – In the northwestern High Country corner of the state near Boone, this is the East’s highest ski area at 5,506 feet, one of two major ski areas flanking Banner Elk (town license plates read “Ski Capital of the South”). This season, Beech’s far left legacy double chair has been upgraded to a fixed grip quad with a loading conveyor. he mountain’s former terrain park becomes a new beginner trail, Carolina Caribbean, named after the resort’s original development corporation back in the late ‘60s that paired the ski area with a resort in the US Virgin Islands. That new green gets an enclosed conveyor lift.

New terrain parks are being built, for advanced riders on the former Powder Bowl slope, and for beginners on the Meadows run, both with new LED lights and fixed SMI tower Polecats (among Beech’s ten new guns for this year). An interesting new Latitude L60 All Weather Snowmaker is being installed in the tubing area.

On the “back side” of the mountain, the Oz slope’s new name is West Bowl, and its Lift 7 has gotten an electrical upgrade.

Sugar Mountain – The other ski area near Banner Elk, Sugar Mountain adds its second new high speed detachable quad chairlift in three years, on intermediate cruiser Oma’s Meadow. The first opened on the Easy Street beginner run in 2019, and a new fixed grip quad went in on intermediate Big Birch in 2021.  There’s also a six-person Summit Express servicing the rousing Gunther’s Way advanced run.

With all the new high-speed lifts since 2014, and lift configurations since the mountain has literally reinvented its slope system, dramatically improving the ski experience at one of the region’s top ski areas. Snowmaking improvements will help cover the expanded base of the Oma’s slope and on adjacent upper mountain runs from the mile-high summit. The resort’s conveyor lift gets an enclosure to shelter skiers and new electronic lockers make ski storage easier in the lodge.

Cataloochee – The snowmaking system has been fully automated at North Carolina’s first ski area (1961) and an additional twenty-seven guns added. The lodge has a new menu with gluten free and vegetarian options, along with authentic, on-site smoked North Carolina pulled pork barbecue. Hand-crafted ski racks have been installed on many walls and railings.

 Tennessee –

Ober Gatlinburg – The state’s oldest (1962) and only ski area has changed hands, with original owners the Anders family selling to local investors led by Joe and Jessi Baker, founders of Ole Smoky Distillery and Yee-Haw Brewing. The name means “over Gatlinburg” in German, and Eastern America’s largest tram lifts skiers to the slopes from the streets of the Great Smoky Mountain tourist town. The area’s new name will be Ober Mountain.

Evelyn Kanter

Alaska Airlines Offers a Monthly Subscription for Flights to SLC

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Alaska Airlines, the only U.S. airline to offer a pay-by-month flight subscription service, is expanding its popular program to Salt Lake City less than a year after its launch.

Just in time for ski/snowboard season, subscribers to Flight Pass can fly between Salt Lake City and San Francisco or San Diego, in addition to 18 other routes throughout California and select cities in Nevada,  Arizona and now Utah.

The service allows passengers to book six, 12 or 24 roundtrip flights at a fixed-monthly rate starting at bargain $49 a month that includes six roundtrip flights a year, which works out to as low as $15 per flight – plus FREE checked bags.  Subscribers lock in main cabin deals for a full year and pay taxes and fees when booking flights.

Since its launch earlier in 2022, Flight Pass has grown steadily among frequent travelers on the West Coast, particularly from Northern California. The most booked Flight Pass routes connect between the major metro areas in California, while the most popular plan among the Flight Pass options is the $49 per month service that includes six roundtrip flights a year. Flight Pass is currently offered in select cities in California, Nevada, Arizona and now Utah.

Through Nov. 30, new Flight Pass subscribers also will earn complimentary Mileage Plan MVP status for 12 months, while new Flight Pass Pro subscribers l automatically earn MVP Gold status, if eligible.

For existing subscribers enrolled in qualifying Flight Pass plans, Alaska Airlines is upgrading subscribers to complimentary MVP or MVP Gold status through 2023.

Find additional information on the Alaska Airlines website, including terms and conditions – because there are always rules with a deal this good.

news.alaskaair.com

Company statements

“Utah is a popular ski and outdoor recreation destination among our California subscribers, and we’re happy to now make those trips more affordable and accessible with Flight Pass,” said Neil Thwaites, Alaska Airlines regional vice-president of California. “We’re also excited to introduce Flight Pass to Utah and provide Salt Lake City travelers with an affordable option for their frequent travel to California.”

“To thank subscribers for their commitment to Alaska Airlines, elite benefits that would normally be earned after flying for a year can now be enjoyed from the very beginning,” said Thwaites. “Flight Pass members will be able to enjoy the perks of being Mileage Plan elite members throughout their subscription, including upgrades to First Class and Premium Class, earned bonus miles and free checked bags.”

Harriet Wallis

When an Avid Skier Faces a Life Threatening Challenge: a Perspective

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Harriet and Alison at Alta by Peak Photo

Aging comes with health issues — sometimes life-threatening health issues. Body parts wear out and disease happens. I often jest that it would take five or six seniors to have enough good parts to assemble one complete person. 

But in spite of fused spines, mechanical joints, heart stints and disease, we ski.  We ski for the fresh air, the whole body motion, and the camaraderie with other senior skiers. Skiing is such a positive sport it lets us shine even when the physical body is headed in the wrong direction. 

Senior skiers generally seem positive. When members of Alta’s Wild Old Bunch gather in the lodge for snacks and conversation, we talk about upbeat topics such as recent road trips or discovering a new restaurant. One subject never comes up: what hurts. That’s just the way it is. 

Then it happened. The leaves had changed color and snow was in the forecast when a gardening friend and I headed off for a day at a botanical garden. We hadn’t seen each other for a while, so as we drove we caught up on each other’s families and our recent gardening projects. 

Suddenly, she asked, “How long?” 

“How long — what?” I replied. Since she’s a non-skier I assumed she was asking about ski season. “Ski season starts around Thanksgiving,” I said, “ and I’m really looking forward to it.” 

That wasn’t what she wanted. She pressed on. “How long are you going to live?” 

Stunned, I shot back, “I’m not a can of soup. I don’t have an expiration date stamped on my forehead.” And I added, “Some people flaunt their life-threatening challenge. I guess it makes them feel unique. But I’m not discussing this because I don’t want my brain to lock onto the negatives. I’m going forward.” 

She batted her eyes at me and rushed onto her next question. “What do your doctors say? They must tell you when you’re going to die.”

“What my doctors say is none of your business. And your questions are ghoulish.”

Defensively she whimpered, “My aunt had cancer before she died. I’m just trying to be comforting.”

Take-aways

There are some take-aways that might be useful if you’re confronted by well-meaning friends who probe for details about a serious medical issue. 

Be strong. Don’t let people push you for details unless you really want to spill the beans. It’s your body and you’re under no obligation to tell all. In addition, everyone knows somebody who had “exactly the same thing.” You’re under no obligation to listen to those stories of struggles unless you really want to. 

Be bold. Decide what you’ll say to those who ask about your condition. Write your own script. For me it’s “Thank you for asking about me. It makes me feel good that you think of me, so please keep asking. But I’ll give you the same answer every time: ‘I’m fine.’ I don’t want my brain to lock onto the negatives. The more I’d tell about the down side, the more powerful those negatives would become.”

Look forward. There’s a saying I live by. “The best way to go forward is to quit looking in the rear view mirror.” 

I’ll see you on the slopes!

seniorsskiing

How to Select Your Next Pair of Skis

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Regardless of the number of years you’ve been on the slopes, making the correct ski choice can be a challenge.

As part of its annual review of new skis, realskiers.com, the go-to site for in-depth ski evaluations, has determined the best skis for older skiers. Most of the selected skis have relatively soft flex, which helps them engage the snow with minimal exertion. Regardless of one’s physical condition, using skis with these characteristics allows older skiers to turn more easily and to ski longer without tiring.

Those who visit a variety of areas in different regions and who experience different snow conditions, may want to acquire a “quiver” of skis, each of which can be used for different terrain and different conditions. An alternative is to rent equipment when you get to the mountain. For example, Eastern skiers who tote their narrow skis to Alta, would be better served with a pair of wider powder skis.

We strongly recommend trying before buying. Start by choosing the most suitable ski category for the terrain and snow and working with a quality ski shop, preferably one at or close to the mountain so you can switch out demo equipment throughout the day. That said, this information also can be useful to those running across previously owned boards at a Swap or Sale.

BTW, SeniorSkiers.com subscribers are eligible for a 50% discount off subscriptions to realskiers.com.  This is a limited time offer.  Click here to request your promo code.

Recommended 2023 Skis for Senior Skiers

The Best 2022 Skis for Senior Skiers has 29 selections from Blizzard, Dynastar, Fischer, Head, K2, Kastle, Nordica, Rossignol, Salomon, Stockli, and Volkl. Ten of the recommended skis are identified as women’s skis, which sometimes are engineered for female size and physique.

The selections fall into four groups, organized by range of ski width, which helps determine the terrain where its performance is optimized.

Specific recommended skis follow:

FRONTSIDE

75MM-84MM
Fischer RC One 82 GT
K2 Disruption 78 TI
Stockli Montero AX

WOMEN’S FRONTSIDE

75MM-84MM
Blizzard Black Pearl 82
Nordica Santa Ana 84

ALL-MOUNTAIN EAST

85MM-94MM
Nordica Enforcer 88

WOMEN’S
ALL-MOUNTAIN EAST

85MM-94MM
Blizzard Black Pearl 88
Head Kore 85 W/91W
Nordica Santa Ana 88/93

ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST

95MM-100MM
Dynastar M-Pro 99
Head Kore 99
Volkl M6 Mantra

WOMEN’S ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST

Blizzard Black Pearl 97
Dynastar E-PRO 99 
Kastle FX96 W
Head Kore 97 W

BIG MOUNTAIN

101MM-113M
Blizzard Rustler 10
Fischer Ranger 102 
Head Kore 111
Nordica Enforcer 104/110 FREE
Rossignol Sender 104 Ti
Salomon QST 106/Stance 102
Volkl Blaze 106

WOMEN’S

Fischer Ranger 102
Rossignol Rallybird 104 Ti
 
LeMassif
Evelyn Kanter

What’s New for the 2022/2023 Season – Quebec Edition

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LeMassif

Fall and cooler weather are giving antsy legs to all skiers, snowboarders, as well as all other winter lovers.

Here’s what’s new this season, north of the border in the province of Quebec, by region, including several important resort anniversaries.

Bas-Saint-Laurent

Parc du Mont-Saint-Mathieu has expanded its snow park, and snowmaking improvements will allow both earlier and later season access to an area with multiple glades.

Eastern Townships

At Mont-Orford, the new electronic RFID ticketing system will simplify the customer experience, and improvements to the snowmaking system will ensure a longer ski season, just like at Mont Sutton and Owl’s Head.

Centre-du-Québec

At Gleason, there’s been a transformation to LED lights for night skiing and improvement of the snowmaking system.

Quebec and Charlevoix

Mont Grand-Fonds celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, adding a new magic carpet and improvements to the snowmaking system. There will be special anniversary events throughout the year.

This is the first full season for Club Med Quebec which opened in December 2021 with all-inclusive food and drink, and an instructor-level on-snow touring guide.

Chaudière-Appalaches

Massif du Sud also has implemented a new RFID system on the mountain.

Côte-Nord

This season is the grand reopening of Gallix Ski Resort, which was partially closed last season due to a major chairlift breakdown.

Gaspésie

Petit Chamonix celebrates its 60th anniversary this season.  Val d’Irène has added two new double-black runs.

Laurentians

Belle Neige celebrates its 60th anniversary this season with new lift, La Fenster, as well as improvements to the snowmaking system. At Vallée Bleue, the new Le Muskeg Bar is sure to be the scene for great après-ski.

Les Sommets has upgraded the snowmaking system for Sommet Saint-Sauveur, Versant Avila, Sommet Gabriel and Sommet Morin Heights, and to the learning zone at Sommet Olympia. Sommet Gabriel skiers will be able to sit in the new La Laurentienne chairlift.

Mont Blanc has added a new main lift boarding mat, new service center and improvements to the Pioneer Bar.

Tremblant introduces a new app with live weather and ski conditions, ski and village interactive maps, run history and challenges, and more. Details here.  Hymne des Trembles is a new multi-phase project that will connect the Versant Soleil to the Versant Sud areas, supporting the eventual expansion of skiable terrain.

Montérégie
Mont Rigaud will offer a different experience to the users of the magic carpet since it will now be covered with a dome. The mountain’s lighting is now all in LED. Also, improvement was made to the snowmaking system. At Ski Saint-Bruno there’s a new terrace and a ski café for après-ski enthusiasts.

Outaouais

Camp Fortune has expanded the main lodge and made improvements to the snowmaking system which will extend the ski season.

Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean

Mont Fortin introduces a new magic carpet ski or snowboard beginners. Valinouët is launching a new website.

Thanks to the Quebec Ski Areas Association for this information.

Founded in 1979, the ASSQ is a non-profit organization grouping together Quebec’s ski areas. Its mission is to promote and defend the interests of the ski areas, to foster the development of the next generation, and to support the industry to offer skiers and snowboarders memorable experiences.

Skiing and snowboarding are practiced by about 1.4 million Quebecers.

What’s your favorite place to ski in Quebec?

TMT HIVER_ 86
Jonathan Wiesel

XC in Mont Tremblant Canada

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XC at the Domaine Saint-Bernard

Mont Tremblant is a major alpine ski resort just north of Montreal, part of the vast Alterra Mountain Company menu of ski areas, which includes Steamboat, Winter Park, Mammoth Mountain, Deer Valley, Stratton, Sugarbush. Therefore it’s part of the Ikon Pass system. 

 Though it’s well-known to Eastern Canadians, cross country skiing around Mont Tremblant isn’t quite the clichéd “hidden gem” for Nordic skiers in the U.S., but it’s certainly not a byword.  And that’s mildly ridiculous for so many reasons, ranging from extensive, superb terrain and good grooming to opportunity to mix your sports to the fantastic dollar differential between the U.S. and Canada.

Mont Tremblant is a year-round resort in Quebec’s spectacular Laurentian mountains, roughly 1.5 hours northwest of Montreal’s airport, which is served by multiple airlines from American hubs.

For XC visitors interested in history, this is Jackrabbit Johannsen country (so is Lake Placid, incidentally). Famous in Canada but not so much in the U.S., Jackrabbit was a fascinating guy who is justifiably credited with introducing skiing to eastern North America. Still skiing at the age of 102, he died in 1987.  And check out the Canadian Ski Museum while you’re at Mont-Tremblant.

XC in the Mont Tremblant Region

The best pre-trip resource on Mont-Tremblant-region XC skiing – including extremely useful trail maps – is https://www.tremblant.ca/things-to-do/activities/cross-country-skiing

 A typical XC season runs from early December through March; average snowfall is around 135 inches per winter.

 A quick summary: Lots of trails (many of them short), lots of lovely kilometers (100+), many of them with multiple uses – some classic technique only, some classic and skating, exclusively snowshoeing, a number with XC and fat biking or snowshoeing and fat biking or walking.  Overall, there’s a nice mix of “boulevards” and winding narrower routes, many trails passing by many lakes. While most skiing is suited to beginners and intermediates, there’s some challenging stuff too. It’s guaranteed that you won’t get bored. 

There are two trail networks with some parking for easy access. The northern system emanating from the resort (Secteur Tremblant) is smaller, has generally easy trails and several access points, as well as road crossings.  It also connects to the famous P’tit Train du Nord trail (the roadbed was formerly a Canadian Pacific railroad line) via la Villageoise-de-Mont-Tremblant trail; and the system based around the Domaine St.-Bernard, these days a large nature (ecotourism) and recreation complex. The two are connected by the ski-over Pont Jackrabbit over the Devil’s River (Rivière du Diable). 

Secteur Domaine Saint-Bernard has much more extensive skiing, with a day lodge, more diverse terrain (snowshoeing and walking paths too), outstanding viewpoints, and a number of convenient parking points as well as several warming huts. Some trails are groomed for both classic and skating, plus some ungroomed routes. 

There’s also equipment rental as well as the only XC ski school in the region (CANSI-trained instructors), offering both private and group instruction. 

In sum, there’s meadow, forest, mountain views, intriguing rock outcroppings, even riverside skiing… and birds that will feed from your hand.

Accessible by car nearby are another 40-or-so km of groomed trails, along with rustic wood-heated shelters, at Parc National du Mont-Tremblant. Difficulty runs from easy to difficult, with multiple loops. There’s a trail fee, which you can purchase online. 

Other Stuff

Purpose-built Mont Tremblant Village is a European-style village, reminiscent of Whistler Village in BC. You can visit spas or a casino, and enjoy a wide variety of fine dining and local cuisine, Mexican, Lebanese, pizza. Les Moulins Lafayette is one of a Québécois bakery chain… delectable! Plus, the old Mont Tremblant village is a few minutes away with more traditional shops and restaurants. 

As to winter recreation locally, there’s also ice skating on lakes and rinks, hiking and walking, fat biking and now e-fat biking, ice climbing, ice fishing, sledding, sleigh rides, dog sledding, snowmobiling, paintball. And if you also ski alpine, there’s more than 2,000’ of vertical drop on 102 trails. 

 If you’re a cross country skier and part of a group or family, consider staying at Domaine-St.-Bernard’s Farmhouse or Pavillon de Chasse (fully equipped kitchen and full bathrooms but bring your own bedding).

 If you’re splitting your time between XC and alpine and have a little Jackrabbit nostalgia but like more comfort, consider the comfortable Le Johannsen – right in the pedestrian village but not immediately accessing the XC trails. 

 Along with pervasive – and charming – French-Canadian culture, what more could you ask for?