Red Corner: Cheap Polish Skiing

by Neil Woodburn on

While it may not be the best skiing in Europe, it is certainly some of the cheapest.

Just in time for the ski season, The Warsaw Voice has published a comprehensive list of Poland’s best ski resorts. Although Poland is usually not the first place that comes to mind when searching for some heavenly slopes, you might want to reconsider after checking out the details. Where else, for example, can you cruise 18 km of ski runs on a 1-day pass that costs just $25? And rent skis or a snowboard for just $15 a day? Food is equally as cheap and accommodations are laughably inexpensive compared to the Alps.

Don’t expect the best skiing in Europe, however. Conditions aren’t as great as the Alps, but they are good enough for resorts like Zakopane to host this weekend’s World Cup of Ski Jumping. With this in mind, Poland may not warrant a trip on its own for the sole purpose of skiing, but if you happen to be in this part of the world in wintertime, it is most definitely worth a detour.

Oh, and if you’re in North America instead and looking for some Polish-style, inexpensive skiing, check out Erik’s “Ski Cheaper” post today.

Ski Cheaper

by Erik Olsen on

Guess I’ve got skiing on the brain. I’ve been posting a lot
about skiinig lately. maybe part of the problem is that I’ve been living in New York City now for six years, and
getting out of the city to ski is so damn hard. But when I was living in Seatle and Colorado, well, I skied all the
time. I even worked at Squaw Valley for a winter way back when. Well, the good folks over at National Geographic Traveler magazine have a piece on how you
can cut your ski-trip expenses. Always a good idea .

What do they suggest?

First, take a look at cheaper
booking opportunities in what is called the "hidden low season"…that is, January to mid-February, after the
Christmas/New Year blowout and before winter break. With the exception of Martin Luther King weekend, you can get deals
up to 25% lower. Then consider spring skiing when rates come down but you can still get some dynamite freshie.
According to the piece  Alta had 77 inches of snow in April. 

Book your condos with friensd or
other groups.Even poeple you can find online at Craigslist or such. You can drop your room mate significantly..and even
make a few new fiends….um, friends.

Next, buy yourself those multiday and early-purchase lift tickets.
These can reduce your daily ski cost significantly. And fnially what about Canada! Canadian ski destinations can be
much cheaper (and some are not) because the exchange rate is lower. Take a look here for some ideas. 

On Snowboarding

by Erik Olsen on

I remember the days long ago when snowboarders were
largely a reviled group. Knuckle-draggers, we called them. We had little but disdain for their tattered, stony-eyed
ranks, and there were always notions about that they wrecked the snow, that the shape of their boards, and the way they
turned, made mole-hills out of moguls. And they smelled.

But then slowly, the
pro-skier forces arrayed against snowboarders began a traitorous trend of moving to the other camp. Skiers who
proclaimed you could have their skies when you pried them from their cold, dead mittens, would suddenly find themselves
whooping with glee as they cut lovely arcing turns in the virgin freshie. I should know. I am one of them. I became a
snowboard convert relatively recently, and I have to say I am glad I made the move. I did not, mind you, give up
skiing. I still have my Rossignol boards and do both sports probably half and half. I know there are those out there
who still object to snowboarding, snowboarders, and the knuckle-dragger sub-culture, but they tend to be of the older,
Puritan ilk that no one has much use for anyway.

Anyhow, that is just a short
something I wanted to get off my back.

Eine Kleine Nacht Skiing

by Erik Olsen on

When I was living in Colorado, one of the easiest ski
resorts to reach was Loveland Pass. It was only about 45 minutes away from town and while it doesn’t have the epic
slopes of a Vail, it’s still not a bad hill. I have to say, though, that I never thought of the place as a haven for
night skiing. But apparently it is. But then again, it may not be for long.

According to this piece, for
years and years ski hounds have headed to Loveland to shush the night away during the full moon. I can picture that.
The mountain bathed in a soft, creamy light, the drunken faces of your friends bathed in spilt Schnapps. But now the cops are cracking down and night skiing
at Loveland may be no more.

Powder Road

by Erik Olsen on

It’s not everyday I’m blown away and deeply inspired
by a piece of online multimedia. But that happened recently when I took a look at the online documentary and the
accompanying book Powder Road by Stellar Media. Now, I’ve posted about Stellar
here a few times before. The Stellar site is a wonderful place to read stories and encounter superb online multimedia
about adventure sports and personalities. The site is elegantly designed, and the media – such as video interviews with
various outdoor personalities – is usually entertaining and well-edited.

But I have to single out this
particular effort because I have the book and because I watched much of this online documentary. The story of
Powderroad is pretty basic…but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Basically it’s the story of four buddies, all
of whom have a passion for skiing epic terrain, as they head to Alaska to heli-ski and generally tear up the gargantuan
slopes of the 50th state.

This is really worth the time, maybe a sit down with your sandwich lunchtime
thing. The photos are amazing as well. You might even call them, um, stellar.