Tag Archive for: Ski Areas

SCol de Joux ski area
Richard Pazara

Skiing 1,241 Ski Areas Around the World

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Everywhere There’s Snow. (And Some Places Where There Isn’t.)

Reader Richard Pazara has skied almost everywhere on the globe, and he’s still going.
Credit: Richard Pazara

You can’t have a favorite place until you’ve seen them all. That seemed reasonable to me, so when I started skiing back in 1973, I wanted to favor new locations over ones that I had already skied. My general plan is to fly somewhere, rent a car and stay in a centrally located non-resort town and drive for less than hour to different ski hills. Definitely not ski-in ski-out.

Since retiring in 1994, I’ve had the time to accelerate that effort.  At the end of this season, I have a total of 1,241 different ski areas in 31 countries which includes 432 in North America, 560 in Europe, 203 in Japan and 30 in the Southern Hemisphere.  The experience differs greatly based on local culture, ski area marketing philosophy and, of course, topography and climate.

How does lunch in the French Alps compare to the cafeteria line at your local resort? You kidding?
Credit: Richard Pazara

Truth be told, in terms of sheer numbers such as vertical drop, number of lifts, on-mountain restaurants and miles of runs, the Alps come out way ahead over North American resorts. In the Alps, an area with 1,500-2,000 foot vertical and five-seven lifts will have a day price of $35-40.

For example, Trois Vallees in France with a 7,000 foot vertical with 375 miles of runs is serviced by 143 lifts and has a $65 day ticket price. Add the incredible views of the Alps and excellent food and wine, and it’s really an memorable experience. And yet, most North American skiers I have spoken are totally surprised by these numbers.

Outside the Alps, European skiing becomes much more moderate with hundreds of small T-Bar areas in Germany, for example.

Scandinavian skiing reflects the hardiness of Scandinavians. Go to Salen, Sweden and see pop-up campers in the parking lot in 5 degree F temps. Or go night skiing  at 9:00 am at Levi in Kittila, Finland  (in January there is no day) when it’s -4 degrees F and be told it’s better than last January when it was -60 degrees F.

Ski Dubai is an indoor experience. And cool (17 degrees F)
Credit: Richard Pazara

Japan had the most ski areas of any nation, but the total has been in steady decline for several years. Skiing in Japan which boasts heavy snowfall and some significant mountain complexes is still mainly a social phenomenon.  Not uncommon to arrive on the weekend to a totally full parking lot and see no lift lines as a large portion of the young snowboarders are there to see and be seen, not to make a lot of runs.

The infrastructure is Japan is also different.  In the southern part of the main island Honshu, ski areas have ice plants installed on the mountain. That’s right; it’s too warm to make snow with air and water, so ice is made and crushed to cover the slope. I skied one spring on a 1,500 foot vertical snow cone. Japanese lift people are almost always older men who bow as you exit the lift every time. When it’s snowing, the chairs are always swept clean before you sit down. And there will be an air compressor by the lodge to blow off any snow before you put them away. The Gala Yuzawa lodge has a gondola entry at one end and the bullet train station (from Tokyo 115 miles and 100 minutes away) at the other end.

There are also ski areas in unsuspected places. Morocco has Oukaimeden in the High Atlas (14,000 feet) where I was offered a donkey ride to the lift by a local boy. Dubai has an indoor ski area in a mall. It is kind of odd to be quite cold after a two-hour session in a thin rental ski suit at Ski Dubai where it’s 17 degrees F inside and 107 degrees F outside.

Skiing in the Southern Hemisphere is a joy. Driving a circle route in Chile and Argentina was quite an adventure with some wonderful skiing. Australia has Theadbo and Perisher Blue among other resorts which are quite nice with some very unique twists. I think of Eucalyptus trees as tropical but the Snow Gum tree is a hearty winter variety.  Seeing them and wombats and kangaroos on the drive to the hill is still amazing to me.   New Zealand has some real mountains, and the chance to ski the Tasman glacier on the spur of the moment was a thrill.

So I have enjoyed a lot of different places in all conditions, from unbelievably good to unbelievably bad. I have some places I prefer, but I’m not done yet, so I can’t have a favorite place until I’ve seen them all.

 

Pat McCloskey

Ski Areas Versus Ski Resorts

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There Is A Clear And Distinct Difference. Which Is For You?

Hangmans at Mammoth. Pat calls the big mountain a hybrid between corporate and local.
Credit: Pat McCloskey

Just returned from my annual ski adventure with my group of guys from all over the country.  We all converge on our friend in Tahoe and enjoy the Tahoe areas and then head to Mammoth to end the week.  Have to tell you folks, there is a lot of snow left out in the Sierra.  Most likely skiing at least until Memorial Day for many Tahoe areas and Mammoth is reputed to be skiing well into July.  We had a lot of interesting conversations on the lift about our experiences at the corporate ski areas (Northstar at Tahoe), the local community supported ski areas( Mt. Rose, Nevada), and the hybrid – Mammoth Mountain, which has the feel of a ski area even though it has a large village which has that corporate resort feel.

No doubt about it. Snowpack in the Sierra is 160% of normal.
Credit: Pat McCloskey

We love Mt. Rose.  It is definitely the local area for the skiers of Reno and they take pride in the fact that it is there primarily to service the day skier.  Where else do you get 25% discount on food if you are a season pass holder?  They have specials on daily lift tickets like “Two fer Tuesdays”—two lift tickets for the price of one.  Ladies day is Thursday, and they also offer a discounted ticket if you show up the day you flew in.  I came in from Denver and was on the chair by 11:30 with a $59.00 ticket.  Pretty reasonable.  Good skiers at Rose, and most of them are either local Reno skiers, retired folks who ski there regularly, and visitors who stop to ski there on the way to Tahoe’s other areas.  The Chutes are pretty special, too, with challenging runs serviced by a chair that brings you back to the main Slide area.

When you ski Northstar at Tahoe,  you can definitely sense that corporate-ish Vail feeling.  Very chic, lots of shops and restaurants in the base village which is surrounded by well developed condo complexes. Bring your wallet because most things like food, lift tickets, and lessons, are pretty pricey as per the corporate ski resort theme.  There is a lot to be said for the ambiance created by Vail and the logistical expertise to bring good food, grooming, and snowmaking to a mountain for all to enjoy.  But a different feel altogether.

Finally, Mammoth is what I call a hybrid.  My friend always parks early in the lot by Chair 2, where we change into our boots. My father in law would call us “trunk slammers” –like the guys changing their golf shoes in the parking lot. Heading up to McCoy Station and ultimately to the Summit, we avoid most of the village rush by parking in this removed location. Most of the people are regulars.  Like Mt. Rose, there are enthusiastic Mammoth loyalists who ride the gondola all day long reveling in the epic conditions.  Again, more of a locals area than the more corporate resort areas.  People drive five hours plus from the LA area and also from the Bay Area to get there.  Ticket deals and lodging are best located on line. A little tip if you go, we ate at Giovanni’s Pizza in the Timber Ridge Resorts property—437 Old Mammoth Road.  Really good Italian food and reasonably priced.  We liked it so much, we ate there every night.  Typical senior skier behavior.

So, all in all, when visiting the Sierra as a senior skier, you have a lot of choices.  But we tend to like the ones that cater to the skier rather than the resort dweller.  But that is just us.  Go and enjoy it.

Pat (second left) and his mates who take an annual trek to the Sierra. This year they found big snow.
Credit: Pat McCloskey