Here we were talking recently about skiing for free in Utah, and I
come across this post over at Luxist about the exact
opposite idea: the most pricey resorts. Now, paying lots of money to get pampered while skiing has never really been my
bag…but then again, there have been times when it would have been pleasant to have someone handy to wipe my nose after
a particularly grueling run. What the article referenced here talks about is the increase in private clubs at various
resorts around the contry. Exclusive places where you can have your apres ski hot toddy without dealing with all the
knuckle-dragger riff raff. Places like Spanish
Peaks in Big Sky, Montana, which charges members between $500,000 and $1.3 million for access to 3,500 private
acres of skiable terrain and an 18-hole golf course. Too, ritzy for you? Oh, do shut up, Porsche.
Utah Giving Free Lift Tix
It doesn’t get any better than this. The ski-topian state of Utah is offering arriving skiers coming from out of
state a free lift ticket as part of the Park City QuickStart
Program. Of course, as you can tell by the name, the deal only applies to areas within the Park City resort area.
That is, Canyonlands, Park City Mountain itself, and Deer Valley. All respectable areas, though I have to say I prefer
Alta. But that’s just me. Still, I wouldn’t ever pass up the opportunity for a free ski pass. It basically works
like this. From opening day to December 24 (they screw you for high season, of course) and from January 2 to February
16 and March 27 to April 16, if you fly into Salt Lake City airport, you can trade your boarding pass for a ski pass.
You have to show an ID and bring along a voucher
from this Web site, but other than that, the
sailing should be as smooth as the open white bowls of freshie.
Almost Backcountry Time
It is almost backcountry time, when powder hounds sick of paying ridiculous lift ticket prices
say f*ck it and head off into the welcoming wilderness to find gobs of the luscious white stuff they can call their
own. Hopefully, people will take some care this year and stay away from heavily avalanched areas…and hopefully they
will equip themselves properly, bringing along radios and/or avalanche beacons. Speaking of which, in the spirit of
helping you find the right gear, I’ve got a couple of sites you might be interested in.
Backcountrygear.com has got deals on everything from skis to packs
to tents. And of course, you should never forget the old standbys
REI
and
EMS, both of which have some decent deals this year on
randonee
skis and equipment.
For a good update on what’s happening in the backcountry, check out Lou
Dawson’s wildsnow.com, a blog dedicated to backcountry skiing. Frequently
updated and loaded with posts on equipment, ski spots and news, this is a fine site for backcountry fans. And of course
you can’t go wrong with Couloir Magazine.
Latitudes Magazine
Here’s a goodn’. Latitudes Magazine,
whose online Flash version is consistently one of the best travel-related feature sites out there, is out with a new
issue that takes a look at one of my favorite (and therefore one of the best ;-)) places in the world. The story an
photo essay take us to the Andes in Chile, a divine climbing and skiing spot, and a great place to
eat your comrades…um, I meant WITH your comrades. The
photos in this issue are Nat Geo quality and the Latitudes folks add cool little features, Easter eggs as it were, to
the story. It takes a bit of time for the whole thing to load…I think they need a Flash engineer to help them out…but
it’s well worth it because the photos alone are worth the wait.
The Kungsleden in Sweden
It’s nice to see the Times do a bona-fide adventure piece. Seems like it’s been a while since I’ve read something
like this. And
this is a real sweet one, too. The author takes us to King’s Trail, or Kungsleden, in Sweden, a 265-mile trail that
can be traversed by cross-country skis and dog sled. And all along the way, you rest your weary bod down on beds/cots
in numerous comfy mountain huts. What a dream. The only thing missing, this being Sweden, after all, is the bikini
team. (just kidding!). But seriously, Scandinavia has got loads of places like this, where you can ski from hut to hut,
stopping beneath the gaping, Borealis smeared sky to take hefty gulps of Aquavit. It’s a white winter paradise if you
ask me. If you don’t, take a look at the excellent
gallery that accompanies this piece.