Switzerland Tops the Ski World
The train to Kleine Scheidegg (Gerry Wingenbach)
The scenery is straight off a postcard—the extraordinary Swiss Alps, the sculpted slopes, the sense of getting so much of the world in one big gulp. It’s always a thrilling adventure. With skis or snowboard in hand you board the cogwheel train at Grindelwald, bound for the ski area of Kleine Scheidegg, directly beneath the Eiger’s infamous North Wall in the heart of the Jungfrau region. The cogwheel train grinds its way up the valley to the Eiger’s North Wall and, under the cover of several avalanche tunnels, delivers you straight to the jaw-dropping views at Kleine Scheidegg. A day like this can make your year.
There’s nothing even remotely like it at North American ski resorts. And that’s only one of the reasons why every skier and snowboarder should make a winter pilgrimage to Switzerland. The high mountain villages offer reliable snow, there’s a wide choice of resorts, and they’re easy to get to. Before leaving home get yourself a Swiss Pass. You can get anywhere you want in this Alpine country via rail, bus, lake steamer, or cable car. It may be the only country in the world where you don’t need a car.
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March 31, 2009
Photo Highlight: Skiing Japan
I took this photo at the base of a ski lift at the Japanese resort of Hakuba Happo last March. The Buddha head sculpture was massive, about ten feet tall, and was one of the many snow sculptures that the lifties had built (others included SpongeBob and a variety of Japanese cartoon characters I didn't recognize). But what I found most interesting here was the use of the red coloring. In Japanese anime, blood dripping from the nose and mouth signifies sexual arousal—and to incorporate that kind of thing into an image of the Buddha is pretty damn sacrilegious, to say the least. My friend Dan, a U.S. expat who lives in Kyoto, was pretty surprised to see it—and to notice that no one else on the slopes seemed to be as disturbed as he was.
Check out my other photos of skiing in Japan, and download an exclusive screensaver of skiing in Japan.
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March 27, 2009
Great Swiss Skiing in Leukerbad
Leukerbad's scenic slopes (Gerry Wingenbach)
I want to tell you about Leukerbad.
Last Sunday I boarded a Swiss International Air Lines flight out of Chicago bound for Zurich. Nine hours later I was riding one of those set-your-watch-by Swiss trains rolling through Switzerland’s heroic scenery to the rugged Valais region, home to this cartoonishly magnificent country’s highest concentration of 13,000-foot summits.
The European Alps horseshoe their way around Switzerland, Austria, France, and Italy. But it is here, in Switzerland, where most of my best European ski days have been.
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March 25, 2009
Photo Highlight: Skiing in Niseko, Japan
This photo was taken on the summit of 4,295-foot Mount Annapuri, home to three ski resorts that are anchored around the small town of Hirafu, one of many in the Niseko region on the northern island of Hokkaido. Reaching the summit is relatively straightforward though not easy: Lifts take you near the top of the peak, and then you can hike up for about 20 minutes of lung-burning snow stomping.
I made the climb a few times, to catch fresher tracks as the terrain is expert-only, but the first two days I was there, conditions were cloudy—and even rainy at times. My last day proffered bluebird skies, so I zipped out and made the ascent one final time—and did so quickly, as I was taking a midday bus back to Sapporo.
The snowboarder here reflects both the exhaustion resulting from the climb up, and the almost ethereal feeling that envelops you when you reach the summit. The snow-clad volcano in the distance is Mount Yotei, which can be tackled by daring off-piste skiers and 'boarders. I didn't have the chance—which is precisely why I hope to return. And considering that the region gets over 500 inches of powder each year, I suspect I won't be alone.
For more photos of skiing in Japan, check out my photo gallery of Hakuba/Nagano, another of Japan's ski and snowboarding hot spots, and download our exclusive screensaver of skiing and 'boarding in Japan.
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March 20, 2009
Ski Resorts Welcome Spring with Festivals
BUST N' BURN: Sunday River brings together bump skiers vying for bragging rights (courtesy, Sunday River Resort)
I could give you a long-winded argument on why the weeks ahead offer great skiing—the snow is soft, the weather warm, the slopes are empty, you're finally in ski shape, your favorite resort has better snow than on opening day, the package deals have hit rock bottom—but let's spare each other, shall we?
Let's get to the fun part. Where are the to-die-for, season-ending, spring skiing festivals? Where can we party and ski, and party some more?
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March 12, 2009
Skiing Canada's Banff
NEIGHBOR TO THE NORTH: The Canadian Rockies make for great late-season skiing (courtesy, Sunshine Village)
How about an April ski trip? I say go north where 77 cents gets you a Canadian dollar. April in the Canadian Rockies is like early March in America's Rockies; the weather and snow quality are at their best.
You begin by flying into the Olympic city of Calgary, which plays the role of Denver to Colorado-like Alberta. Then you've got 80 miles of jagged-peaked horizon and country music on the rental car’s radio before you reach Banff. A motor coach from the airport to your hotel is an option. But having your own wheels is nice. Without a car, you'll have to wait around for buses to get to the ski resorts.
The point is you have to get to Banff, which is a town (population 8,000), a national park (2,500 square miles), and Ground Zero for skiing and snowboarding along Canada’s Continental Divide all rolled into one. This is unquestionably Canada’s most stunning mountain scenery. The blue-tinged see-forever mountain vistas, spectacular river valleys, and sightings of heavily antlered big game are reason enough to make the journey.
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March 11, 2009
Snowboard Tester For a Day
TAKE IT FOR A SPIN: Snowboarders plot their descent (Digital Vision)
One Sunday each year, I wake up before dawn like a kid on Christmas day, except a little sleepier and still sporting makeup from the night before. Armed with coffee, I hit the road for a 90-minute drive to Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin ready to ride. This is Demo Day, the one day a year that I have the opportunity to try out next year’s snowboards for Viking Ski Shop.
Although my 9-to-5 keeps me in the world of online marketing, I spend my weekends at Viking Ski Shop. Unsuspectingly located in Chicago, Viking has been named best ski shop in the country year after year by Ski Magazine. People come from all over to get expert service on skis and snowboards, while soliciting the advice of knowledgeable staff. As a family-owned company, Viking Ski Shop makes a point to get firsthand feedback on new products—this is where I come in. As one of two female snowboarders working at the shop, I have the opportunity to test and rate next year's boards. This year’s Demo Day offered a wealth of amazing boards.
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March 06, 2009
Alta Is for Skiers
FEARLESS FOUR: Our ski blogger Gerry with his ski partners for the day at Alta resort (Gerry Wingenbach)
This season marks the 70th anniversary at Alta Ski Area. Located in Little Cottonwood Canyon, next door to Snowbird and above Salt Lake Valley, Alta is arguably the most iconic ski area in America. It sets the standard for quantity and quality of snowfall, challenging and family-fun terrain, and jaw-dropping beauty. The resort’s slogan—Alta Is for Skiers—refers to both the depth of the ski experience and the banning of snowboarders on the lifts.
Last Sunday I hooked up with three die-hard Alta regulars who have been skiing the steep and deep up there since they were two years old. Charlie, fearless and fast, likes moguls, powder, and the accessible backcountry at Alta. She's also a fine rock climber and is currently studying the cultural depths of Africa. Paige, who is just as fearless, enjoys flying down groomers looking for kickers to launch into thin air. She's a budding author in real life. Tyler, an all-round great guy who can ski anything, is a football player who actually enjoys math problems. I was honored when these three, well-rounded skiers invited me up to Alta.
I should probably mention that Charlie is in grade two, Paige is ten years old, and Tyler, the football player, weighs in at 87.5 pounds. Who better to show me around the mountain that helped birth American skiing? Trust me, these kids can rip.
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March 03, 2009
Photo Highlight: Skiing Japan
Last March I was fortunate enough to ski in Japan, and this month we’re publishing a series of photos I’d shot while on assignment in the snow-choked mountains of the Land of the Rising Sun. Over the next couple weeks I thought I'd call out a few of my favorites, and offer a bit more background on the photos themselves.
This image was taken on the summit of 4,291-foot Niseko An’naupri, which is one of the higher peaks in the small northern island of Hokkaido. Three ski resorts—Niseko An’nupuri, Higashiyama, and Grand Harifu—dominate the front of this massive snow-covered peak, though none of the lifts reach the top of the mountain. You can, however, make a relatively easy, 30-minute climb to the summit, which affords spectacular views of the snow-covered Mount Yotei volcano, the thriving resort town of Niseko, and, in the distance, the glittering Sea of Japan. But the skier pictured—who worked as a ski patroller for all three resorts—has turned his back on the in-bounds terrain and was heading across the snow-covered ridge line to patrol the backcountry (and likely find some fresh-powder turns away from the resort crowds).
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February 27, 2009
A Skier's Tribute to Hip Snowboarders
COOL MOVES: Snowboarder on a rail jib (courtesy, Snowbird Resort)
Of the hip snowboarder, I now rave.
Of wild, way-out-there lines, swooping parabolic tracks, and pants-down-to-the knees fashion; of a gangsta mountain lexicon, wildly colorful threads, and mothers that don’t want their daughters to grow up to be boarders; of snow rashes, twisted wrists, and face plants in crater-size halfpipes; of a uniquely American sport jammed in the face of the world, I rave. I rave of the hip snowboarder.
During the chairlift ride you wax eloquently on the pleasures of messing with iPod defaults. You know that mitts are better than gloves, and that 7Eleven makes the coolest hot chocolate. You guys wear faux fur collars and you girls wouldn’t be caught dead in them. The gaucho bandanna is de rigeur. Deer Valley won’t have you so neighboring Park City Mountain Resort welcomes you with the best terrain parks in the country. Even Old-World Taos Ski Valley wants you, after shunning you forever. And in the lift line, ambitious and sharp-elbowed skiers don’t bother you one bit. You know how to chill.
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