Mongolia’s first ski resort opens for business

by Kraig Becker on

Aspen, Colorado, Chamonix, France, Zermatt, Switzerland, three destinations that have earned a reputation for great skiing, pulling in thousands of visitors from around the globe each year. Now you can add Ulan Bator, Mongolia to that list, as Sky Resort opened late last month, becoming the first ski resort in that country.

Located on Bogd Khan Uul Mountain, a World Heritage Site found not far from Mongolia’s capital city, Sky Resort is a far cry from those global skiing meccas mentioned above. The mountain stands just 3000 feet in height and offers only a modest amount of vert. Snow is at a premium as well in the arid Mongolian climate, so the resort uses two Italian engineered snow guns to fill the slopes with powder. Still, it is a welcome respite from the long, very cold, Mongolian winters, and the locals are happy to have it.

The resort features five different runs, varying in length from 800 to 1070 meters. Most are designed for beginners and intermediate skiiers, but one is rated as a “Black Diamond”, or expert route. There are also two rope tows and two chairlifts to deliver visitors to their various destinations on the mountain, and the on property restaurant seats 300 guests, while serving a variety of Mongolian, Korean, and European dishes. Full day lift tickets cost roughly $12 on the weekends, making Sky a relative bargain for foreign visitors, while remaining quite expensive for most Mongolians.

The Sky Resort owners aren’t resting on their laurels when it comes to finding uses for the property in the off season either. Next summer, a golf course will open at Sky, with plans to host a PGA Tour event in the near future as well. It seems that while the country remains a good choice for adventure travelers, it is looking to expand its appeal to more mainstream travelers as well.

Gadlinks for Friday 12.11.2009

by Brenda Yun on

We’re closing in on mid-December and Christmas is lurking around the corner (it’s in two short weeks!). This weekend is the last minute Christmas shopping push for those of you hoping to send your gifts in time to have them under the tree. As for those of you who got your shopping done, you may have a few more minutes to spare to read up on some of the latest travel stories from about the web. Enjoy!

  • Who said you can’t find love on the road? This article makes it seem like your true love may just be waiting for you on the other side of the world. [via CNN Travel]
  • If you didn’t know this already, there is such a thing as apparel etiquette when traveling abroad. Try these tips on for size so you don’t make a fool of yourself. [via MSNBC Travel]
  • Less than 1% of the world’s population will ever see the likes of the top of Mount Everest, but we can always dream, can’t we? [via Travel Fusion]
  • If there’s one place floorsurfing comes in handy, it’s London. This article from the Faster Times shows us how it’s done in the East End.
  • Winter in Hawaii means unbeatable surf on the north shores of the islands, but it also means you can hit the slopes and go skiing/snowboarding! [via Honolulu Magazine]

‘Til Monday, have a great weekend!

More Gadlinks here.

Three exciting winter deals from the Four Seasons

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts wants to host you for ski season and is offering some great deals this season. So, instead of just hitting your old standby or scrambling at the last minute, go upscale this time. The Four Seasons is delivering bargains from Jackson Hole to Whistler, BC. Chances are, there’s a great one waiting for you.

Skiing in Jackson Hole – This resort is hosting the first annual How-to-Heli Camp. You’ll be able to get to the virgin trails of the Teton mountains, delivering for skiers a real expedition through fresh snow … with no lines! The camp comes with two days of on-mountain instruction, lift tickets, a day of heli-skiing and four nights in the Four Seasons. The camp runs from February 3 – 7, 2009 and starts at USD 2,975.00 per person based on double occupancy.

Ice climbing in Whistler – Demonstrate your physical prowess with waterfall ice climbing (don’t worry, you’ll have a guide) … all it takes is a heft dose of courage and the $466 (USD) for a personal climb. Skiing’s a blast, but this will kick your adrenaline into overdrive.

Bungee jump into Cheakamus Canyon – drop into the canyon and trigger an unparalleled thrill. Plunge 160 feet toward the Cheakamus River; it probably won’t occur to you that it’s glacier-fed, but that will be interesting later. Book it through the Whistler concierge, at $115 a pop.

Every ski resort in the U.S. on one list

by Kraig Becker on

Winter is still officially a month away, but the snow has already started to fly, and ski season is underway in a variety of locations across the U.S. With Thanksgiving nearly upon us, many skiers and snowboarders will hit the slopes for the first time this week, and many of them will be wondering where the best snow can be found. Fortunately, for them, The Adventure Life has compiled a complete list of all of the ski resorts in the U.S., offering suggestions on where to go from Alabama to Wyoming, and just about everywhere in between.

All told, there are 481 resorts on the list, ranging in size from a few snow covered hills with a rope tow, to massive mountain resorts with multiple runs and chair lifts up to places where the air is thin. The Adventure Life offers links to the website for nearly everyone of those resorts, and when ever possible, a second link to the latest snow reports from the hill as well. So, if you want to know what the current conditions are at Snowbird, in Utah, for instance, you could go to this site to find out that they currently have 17″ of powder, with more expected in the days ahead.

For ski bums across the country, this is an invaluable list, with suggestions on where to ski no matter where they are. But for some industrious soul, it will no doubt be seen as a challenge as well. How long before someone sets out to ski every one of these 481 resorts?

Utah ski resort on the auction block

by Kraig Becker on

Do you struggle with what to get your favorite ski bum for Christmas each year? Have plenty of cash, but unsure what to buy? Then you’re in luck, as Utah ski resort Elk Meadows has gone on the Internet auction block, looking for a new owner. But you better have deep pockets, as the auction, which opened on Friday, has a minimum bid of $1 million.

Elk Meadows was originally designed to be an exclusive luxury ski and golf area, catering to an upscale clientele. But its location made it difficult to attract that crowd. While it is located in a very scenic area, with good ski runs and plenty of snow, it is more than four hours south of Salt Lake City, requiring visitors to bypass a number of other excellent options to hit the slopes. The resort closed its doors following the 2001-2002, averaging just 20,000 visitors per year.

The winner of the auction will likely get quite a bargain. Elk Meadows comes complete with six ski lifts, covering more than 1300 vertical feet. Reportedly, there are other pieces of infrastructure in place as well, but the company that is conducting the auction says that the resort will require a lot of work to get up and running again. Consider this investment property a “fixer-upper”.

The bid deadline has been extended to 6 PM Mountain Time on Monday, in order to allow more potential buyers to consider purchasing the property. As of this writing, the highest bid is $1,051,000, and it is unclear if there are other interested parties who may make a move to grab the resort on the cheap. If you’d like to make a bid of your own, head over to LFC.com and get your Christmas shopping started early.