Has anyone skied at over 100 ski resorts?

[maskinut]

To make this easy, Live in Vermont, California, and North Cal. A stint in SLC helps too. A stint in Geneva too. Then do some storm chasing in Japan, they have 500 resorts. Then some club field fun in NZ.

[Mike Pow]

Goddamn! Represent!

Were any of them really unique compared to the rest?

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

Caviahue, Argentina
Totally different trees from Northern Hemisphere
Live volcano

Kiroro, Hokkaido, Japan
Blown away by the consistency of snowfall
Been skiing there since 2008
Dud days on the fingers of one hand

Club fields of New Zealand for the walk in & nutcracker lifts

Narvik and Stranda in Norway for skiing above the sea / fjord

Belalp, Switzerland
Skiing through a tunnel to get to the good stuff

Engelberg, Switzerland
Over the head bluebird pow on 15 May

[Angle Parking]

Caviahue, Argentina
Totally different trees from Northern Hemisphere
Live volcano

Kiroro, Hokkaido, Japan
Blown away by the consistency of snowfall
Been skiing there since 2008
Dud days on the fingers of one hand

Club fields of New Zealand for the walk in & nutcracker lifts

Narvik and Stranda in Norway for skiing above the sea / fjord

Belalp, Switzerland
Skiing through a tunnel to get to the good stuff

Engelberg, Switzerland
Over the head bluebird pow on 15 May

Dare I ask, but were any on your list that were memorable for their blandness, forgetfulness, crappiness ?

Basically, to add to the discussion, resort you HAVE to go back to it was so awesome ? Resort you don't ever want to go back to? (for whatever reason)

Resort I have to go back to is and has been the same for the entirety of my skiing life. Lake Louise. Such an awesome place. I have to think about which ones occupy the other end of the spectrum.

[Mike Pow]

Dare I ask, but were any on your list that were memorable for their blandness, forgetfulness, crappiness ?

Basically, to add to the discussion, resort you HAVE to go back to it was so awesome ? Resort you don't ever want to go back to? (for whatever reason)

Resort I have to go back to is and has been the same for the entirety of my skiing life. Lake Louise. Such an awesome place. I have to think about which ones occupy the other end of the spectrum.

Would return to nearly all of them, gladly.

Didn't get / never had the best conditions at Lake Louise and Panorama, Canada; Tignes & Val d'Isere, France; Zermatt, Switzerland so would like to return to those when it's pumping.

Hiked both Jay Peak and Mad River Glen one October before the lifts started spinning, would like to ski them when they're fully open.

No desire to return to Cardrona and Coronet Peak in New Zealand; and Rikksgransen in Sweden.

And bottom of the list is The Canyons, Utah. I worked a winter based in Park City and had free seasons passes for Park City, Deer Valley and The Canyons.

At the end of the winter I'd paid for and skied more times at Snowbasin and Powder Mountain. Way more times. That should tell you all you need to know.


My one hill for the rest of my days?

Overall, Kiroro Resort on Hokkaido, northern Japan. Got everything, including steep and long if you're prepared to tour.

Off the lift



My favourites in each country which I could easily call 'home' - mostly about the snow and terrain but the town or proximity to real towns is a major factor

Andorra - Arinsal
Argentina - La Hoya
Austria - Lech
Canada - Kicking Horse
Chile - Termas de Chillan
France - Chamonix
Georgia - Gudauri
Italy - San Martino di Castrozza
Kosovo - Brezovica
Montenegro - Savin Kuk
New Zealand - Mount Dobson
North Macedonia - Popova Shapka
Norway - Stranda
Scotland - Nevis Range
Switzerland - Engelberg
Turkey - Sarikamis
USA - Whitefish Mountain Resort

[maskinut]

I am around 200

Did the actual accounting. Not 200 but in the 165-175 range depending on how you count some things. In the process, I remembered a lot about skiing and just started adding it.

Most Exotic: South Africa, Dubai, Israel
Best Run: Super C Couloir In Chile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uBNXJj712Y
Best Heli Drop: Oz Couloir
Best Snow: Japan
Best Vacation Spot: Trois Vallees France.
Best of VT: Stowe or Killington.
Best of CO: Snowmass
Best of CA: Squalpinisades or Mammoth
Best Adventure: Ski Arpa Chile, Mt Hermon Israel,
Biggest Air: Squaw Granite Peak or Buttermilk X Games Big Air.
Biggest Injury: Killington (hipshot to granite)
Learned at: Waterville Valley
Met Wife: Stowe
Kids 1st runs: Squaw
Best Terrain on Earth: Alaska, (Cordova/Valdez)
Deepest Days: Tahoe, Tahow, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe,
Ski town Jobs: Valet, Waiter, Resort Marketer, Tech Marketer
Best Ski Car: Audi S4, Thule Box, Valentine 1 Radar, Blizzaks.
Easiest Binding to free mount: Marker Jester
Favorite Ski Ever: Kastle MX88 188
Widest SKi: Liberty Genome 170-141-158 or Moment Comi- 160/135/145
Fastest Skied: 82 MPH
Most Laps on a single Chairlift: 38 (KT 22)
Best Victory: Dick's Ditch Jackson Hole Silver Belt Buckle
Rescues: 1 (Cliffed out in Austria)
Avalanche Deaths: 3 friends
Quiver: DH, GS, SL, Mogul race skis. Moment Comi's for 10 foot Tahoe storms, Salomon qst for BC, Daily Driver, Kastle 104 HP, and about a dozen other old skis I take out from time to time. Oh, and Tom From Austria sponsored me for his RaxSkis. (Long story)
Ski Towns I've lived in: Burlington/Stowe, Aspen, Squaw Valley, Anchorage.
Broken Skis: 4
Binding Heels Ripped Loose: 3
Hospitalizations: 1 Knocked out, 1 hip impact, 1 Jackson Hole Snowmobile crash.
1st pair of new skis: Rossignol 7xk
Fun Comps/Events: Pain McShlonkey, High Fives Skinny SKi-athon, Rahlves Banzai Tour, Cushing Crossing, Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge.
Best Spring Skiing: Squaw Valley or Killington
Best Bars: Mooservirt, Picklebarrel, anything in the French Alps.
Best Skier I've ever skied with: Shane McConkey ( He didn't know we were skiing together), Daron Rahlves (in his Banzai Tour and in High 5's Mothership Classic)
Best Thing About Skiing: It feels superhuman to move around like this.
Days a Year: Never less than 40 since I got a driver's license. (Except Year of Kid 2)
Most Ridiculous: Aspen Cloud 9 Champagne Apres
Most Days in a Season: 100+ Aspen 2x
Most Overrated: Alta generally (Not nearly as good as the next closest resort, snowbird). Squaw when the snow is low.
Best Gloves: Hestra Vertical Cut
Best Helmet: Smith Vantage
Best Goggles: Smith
Coldest: -25F Sutton Quebec

[Mike Pow]

Stellar work

Well played

[Angle Parking]

Did the actual accounting. Not 200 but in the 165-175 range depending on how you count some things. In the process, I remembered a lot about skiing and just started adding it.

Most Exotic: South Africa, Dubai, Israel
Best Run: Super C Couloir In Chile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uBNXJj712Y
Best Heli Drop: Oz Couloir
Best Snow: Japan
Best Vacation Spot: Trois Vallees France.
Best of VT: Stowe or Killington.
Best of CO: Snowmass
Best of CA: Squalpinisades or Mammoth
Best Adventure: Ski Arpa Chile, Mt Hermon Israel,
Biggest Air: Squaw Granite Peak or Buttermilk X Games Big Air.
Biggest Injury: Killington (hipshot to granite)
Learned at: Waterville Valley
Met Wife: Stowe
Kids 1st runs: Squaw
Best Terrain on Earth: Alaska, (Cordova/Valdez)
Deepest Days: Tahoe, Tahow, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe,
Ski town Jobs: Valet, Waiter, Resort Marketer, Tech Marketer
Best Ski Car: Audi S4, Thule Box, Valentine 1 Radar, Blizzaks.
Easiest Binding to free mount: Marker Jester
Favorite Ski Ever: Kastle MX88 188
Widest SKi: Liberty Genome 170-141-158 or Moment Comi- 160/135/145
Fastest Skied: 82 MPH
Most Laps on a single Chairlift: 38 (KT 22)
Best Victory: Dick's Ditch Jackson Hole Silver Belt Buckle
Rescues: 1 (Cliffed out in Austria)
Avalanche Deaths: 3 friends
Quiver: DH, GS, SL, Mogul race skis. Moment Comi's for 10 foot Tahoe storms, Salomon qst for BC, Daily Driver, Kastle 104 HP, and about a dozen other old skis I take out from time to time. Oh, and Tom From Austria sponsored me for his RaxSkis. (Long story)
Ski Towns I've lived in: Burlington/Stowe, Aspen, Squaw Valley, Anchorage.
Broken Skis: 4
Binding Heels Ripped Loose: 3
Hospitalizations: 1 Knocked out, 1 hip impact, 1 Jackson Hole Snowmobile crash.
1st pair of new skis: Rossignol 7xk
Fun Comps/Events: Pain McShlonkey, High Fives Skinny SKi-athon, Rahlves Banzai Tour, Cushing Crossing, Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge.
Best Spring Skiing: Squaw Valley or Killington
Best Bars: Mooservirt, Picklebarrel, anything in the French Alps.
Best Skier I've ever skied with: Shane McConkey ( He didn't know we were skiing together), Daron Rahlves (in his Banzai Tour and in High 5's Mothership Classic)
Best Thing About Skiing: It feels superhuman to move around like this.
Days a Year: Never less than 40 since I got a driver's license. (Except Year of Kid 2)
Most Ridiculous: Aspen Cloud 9 Champagne Apres
Most Days in a Season: 100+ Aspen 2x
Most Overrated: Alta generally (Not nearly as good as the next closest resort, snowbird). Squaw when the snow is low.
Best Gloves: Hestra Vertical Cut
Best Helmet: Smith Vantage
Best Goggles: Smith
Coldest: -25F Sutton Quebec

You are killing it dude. A ski life well lived!

Very entertaining thx.

[subtle plague]

Did the actual accounting. Not 200 but in the 165-175 range depending on how you count some things. In the process, I remembered a lot about skiing and just started adding it.

Most Exotic: South Africa, Dubai, Israel
Best Run: Super C Couloir In Chile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uBNXJj712Y
Best Heli Drop: Oz Couloir
Best Snow: Japan
Best Vacation Spot: Trois Vallees France.
Best of VT: Stowe or Killington.
Best of CO: Snowmass
Best of CA: Squalpinisades or Mammoth
Best Adventure: Ski Arpa Chile, Mt Hermon Israel,
Biggest Air: Squaw Granite Peak or Buttermilk X Games Big Air.
Biggest Injury: Killington (hipshot to granite)
Learned at: Waterville Valley
Met Wife: Stowe
Kids 1st runs: Squaw
Best Terrain on Earth: Alaska, (Cordova/Valdez)
Deepest Days: Tahoe, Tahow, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe,
Ski town Jobs: Valet, Waiter, Resort Marketer, Tech Marketer
Best Ski Car: Audi S4, Thule Box, Valentine 1 Radar, Blizzaks.
Easiest Binding to free mount: Marker Jester
Favorite Ski Ever: Kastle MX88 188
Widest SKi: Liberty Genome 170-141-158 or Moment Comi- 160/135/145
Fastest Skied: 82 MPH
Most Laps on a single Chairlift: 38 (KT 22)
Best Victory: Dick's Ditch Jackson Hole Silver Belt Buckle
Rescues: 1 (Cliffed out in Austria)
Avalanche Deaths: 3 friends
Quiver: DH, GS, SL, Mogul race skis. Moment Comi's for 10 foot Tahoe storms, Salomon qst for BC, Daily Driver, Kastle 104 HP, and about a dozen other old skis I take out from time to time. Oh, and Tom From Austria sponsored me for his RaxSkis. (Long story)
Ski Towns I've lived in: Burlington/Stowe, Aspen, Squaw Valley, Anchorage.
Broken Skis: 4
Binding Heels Ripped Loose: 3
Hospitalizations: 1 Knocked out, 1 hip impact, 1 Jackson Hole Snowmobile crash.
1st pair of new skis: Rossignol 7xk
Fun Comps/Events: Pain McShlonkey, High Fives Skinny SKi-athon, Rahlves Banzai Tour, Cushing Crossing, Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge.
Best Spring Skiing: Squaw Valley or Killington
Best Bars: Mooservirt, Picklebarrel, anything in the French Alps.
Best Skier I've ever skied with: Shane McConkey ( He didn't know we were skiing together), Daron Rahlves (in his Banzai Tour and in High 5's Mothership Classic)
Best Thing About Skiing: It feels superhuman to move around like this.
Days a Year: Never less than 40 since I got a driver's license. (Except Year of Kid 2)
Most Ridiculous: Aspen Cloud 9 Champagne Apres
Most Days in a Season: 100+ Aspen 2x
Most Overrated: Alta generally (Not nearly as good as the next closest resort, snowbird). Squaw when the snow is low.
Best Gloves: Hestra Vertical Cut
Best Helmet: Smith Vantage
Best Goggles: Smith
Coldest: -25F Sutton Quebec

Best mammoth experience?

And I have to say I liked the terrain in Haines more than in cordova, but that may have to do with lead guide vs. Soso guide.

I've only toured in valdez so I don't know about the heli terrain apart from the stuff at the pass there.

[maskinut]

I've never really hit mammoth on a "great" day. But, it is amazing in the spring. My peak mammoth day would have been April 21 about 10 years ago. I put the summer tires on the car and had a fun rip-up sonora pass. On Saturday I skied bumps 9-12 non-stop, switched to the MTB park at the bottom 12-3 ish and then said what the hell, and got 9 holes in at the local course. Ended up golfing with Eric Jackson as he was also shooting solo. The plan for Sunday was to drive home and skin a lap somewhere but my body was smoked and just getting into the car was peak activity for the day.

I've lucked out on guides and weather in AK landing the owners as guides a few times. (Dean at H20, Kevin at PNH).
I didn't discern a big difference b/t Valdez or Cordova in terms of terrain. Haines is a place I need to check out, as is where Silverton flies in AK.
But, there are real benefits to going with an op that "knows you", your skills, and your ability to make good decisions vs a random tourist with a credit card. So it is always a hard call, go to a new place and build the trust to get the good shit (if the weather agrees) or go to a known quantity where if the weather permits, you are in world-class terrain at run 2.

[Endlessseason]

.
Best Terrain on Earth: Alaska, (Cordova/Valdez)
.
Deepest Days: Tahoe, Tahow, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe, Tahoe,
.
Best Ski Car: Valentine 1 Radar
.
Best Thing About Skiing: It feels superhuman to move around like this.

Fun list and four of them really stood out to me.
Couldn't agree more with Valdez, AK. Deepest, most incredible snow I've skied on the planet. I've heli'd Cordova as well, but didn't like the company or all the down days there at all.
We have both skied about 170 different areas. It's highly probable that at least half of them are on both our lists. Which is why, considering all the amazing powder days you have no doubt experienced just as I have, I can't get my head around how your deepest days have been at Tahoe. So interesting. And it's not like I haven't skied all the Tahoe areas on amazing powder days. I guess my Tahoe timing just hasn't been as lucky as yours.
I had a good laugh at your inclusion of the Valentine One. I don't go on any long drives without both the V-1 and the fancy 2020 Cobra (I can't remember the model).

[maskinut]

My tahoe definition might be flawed because sometimes we don’t actually ski all 10 feet of the snow that falls in the big storms (too dense so we ski the top foot). So the altaholics might argue that’s crap. But, having lived here for 10 years and 500+ days there is denominator bias in effect. And there is no where other than Japan and AK that I’ve seen where a 5-10 foot storm is a thing like it is here. Nipple deep, neck deep, so deep people are tossing bodies off 100 footers in the resort.

Honorable mentions:

AK delivered a 50 inch heli day.

Portillo a massive run where the wind filled in the super c couloir and we set the bootpack to 14k in waist deep.

Japan is perhaps a wrongful omission on my part. Endless pow.

But Europe and Rockies never really delivered more than 2-3 feet for me. Good snow of course. (though the lack of trees in euroland makes for hit or miss storms and wind)

An oldie from a big storm. No real pro ski pow porn but you can see some of the snow depth. https://youtu.be/Mpp2D3NSUU4

The fast AWD car with radar, a result of the boston to VT commuting days where it was common to see 10-12 speed traps each way.

[TonyC]

Here's my list as organized on an Excel summary page. First number is order in which I first skied an area, second number is number of days skied there. Of the 261 locations, 220 are lift served, 14 backcountry (marked with *), 14 snowcat, 12 heli and 1 ski plane.

Nevada
1 Lee Canyon 1
115 Mt. Rose 5

Arizona
91 Arizona Snowbowl 2

Southern California
2 Mt. Baldy 82
3 Kratka Ridge (lost) 4
4 Mt. Waterman 16
5 Mountain High (West) 17.5
7 Mt. High East (Holiday Hill) 16.5
8 Snow Valley 6.5
10 Snow Summit 52.5
11 Bear Mt. 19
12 Ski Sunrise 2
18 San Gorgonio* 5


Northern/Central California
6 Northstar 5
9 Mammoth 427
13 Heavenly Valley 20
14 June Mt. 7
19 Sugar Bowl 2
20 Squaw Valley 22
21 Kirkwood 15
22 Alpine Meadows 12
30 Mt. Reba Bear Valley 1
60 Sierra at Tahoe 2
105 Tioga Pass* 1
158 Mt. Shasta* 2
192 Diamond Peak 1
241 China Peak 1
243 Homewood 1


Colorado
15 Aspen Highlands 8
16 Snowmass 9
17 Aspen Mt. (Ajax) 8
35 Beaver Creek 5.5
36 Vail 16.5
37 Copper Mt. 5
42 Arapahoe Basin 10.5
43 Winter Park 4
44 Keystone 4
48 Steamboat 3
54 Crested Butte 9
55 Telluride 10
56 Purgatory 2
63 Loveland Pass* 1
64 Breckenridge 4.5
92 Wolf Creek 2
93 Monarch 1
113 Silverton 1
157 Loveland 2
185 Powderhorn 1
186 Sunlight 1
187 Buttermilk 1

Utah
23 Park City 7.5
24 Snowbird 132.5
25 Alta 62.5
39 Deer Valley 9
40 Brian Head 2
41 Brighton 7.5
46 Solitude 6.5
47 Utah Powderbirds 1
51 Powder Mt. 5
69 Snow Basin 13
80 The Canyons 2.5
138 Sundance 1
184 Eagle Point 1


Oregon
33 Mt. Bachelor 32
50 Timberline 1
57 Mt. Hood Meadows 2
87 Mt. Bailey Snowcat 1
244 Mt. Ashland 1

Washington
34 White Pass 2
58 Crystal Mt. 5
135 Mt. Baker 1
171 Mt. Rainier Sunrise* 1
239 Stevens Pass 1
245 Mission Ridge 1
246 49 Degrees North 1

Alaska
127 Chugach Powder Snowcat 2
128 Alyeska 8
129 Chugach Powder Heli 3
170 Points North Heliski 4

Idaho
31 Sun Valley 9
85 Schweitzer 6
146 Pomerelle 1
147 Brundage 3
148 Bogus Basin 2
167 Silver Mt. 1
191 Lookout Pass 1
242 Tamarack 1

New Mexico
32 Taos 11
59 Ski Apache 1
125 Santa Fe 1
126 Sandia Peak 1
240 Pajarito 1

Wyoming
38 Jackson Hole 19
61 Targhee Snowcat 1
62 Grand Targhee 6
119 Snow King 1
182 Beartooth Basin 2

Montana
88 Montana Backcountry Adventures (lost) 1
89 Big Sky 5.5
90 Yellowstone Club 1
97 Whitefish 6
117 Bridger Bowl 2
118 Moonlight Basin 2.5
168 Montana Snowbowl 2
183 Logan Pass* 1
193 Lost Trail 1
194 Discovery 2
247 Turner Mt. 1
248 Maverick Mt. 1

Minnesota
143 Lutsen 1

New Hampshire
49 Tuckerman's Ravine* 1

Vermont
45 Killington 4
98 Stowe 1
99 Mad River Glen 1
100 Jay Peak 1
225 Stratton 2
227 Sugarbush 1

Maine
226 Sunday River 1

Quebec
101 Stoneham 1
102 Mt. Ste. Anne 1
103 Le Massif 1
104 Mont Grands-Fonds 1


British Columbia
52 Blackcomb 15
53 Whistler 14
65 Island Lake Snowcat 14
66 Fernie Alpine Resort 15
67 Whitewater 4
68 Red Mt. 10
74 TLH Heliski 3
75 Selkirk-Tangiers Heli 1
76 Apex Alpine 4
77 Big White 5
78 Silver Star 2
79 CAT Powder Skiing (lost) 2
82 RK Heliski 1
86 Retallack Snowcat 2
94 CMH Kootenay Heli 2
95 Kicking Horse 13
106 Panorama 2
114 Great Northern Snowcat 3
120 Mike Wiegele Heli 8
121 Sun Peaks 2
123 Chatter Creek Snowcat 16
141 Revelstoke 11
142 Eagle Pass Heli 1
144 Mustang Powder Snowcat 31
145 Kimberley 1
166 Baldface Snowcat 4
169 White Grizzly Snowcat 4
180 Purcell Heliski 1
181 Wild Horse Snowcat 1
212 Valhalla Powdercats 1
213 Mt. Baldy B.C. 1

Alberta
81 Castle Mt. 17
83 Lake Louise 8
84 Sunshine Village 7
96 Mt. Norquay 1
124 Marmot Basin 1
136 Nakiska 1
137 Canada Olympic Park 1

Austria
172 Lech/Zurs 5
173 St. Anton 4
174 Stuben 2
203 Warth-Schrocken 1
204 Ski-Welt Wilder Kaiser 1.5
205 Kitzbuhel/Kirchberg 0.5
206 Pass Thurn 0.5
207 Westendorf 0.5
208 Saalbach-Hinterglemm 2
209 Fieberbrunn 1
210 Ischgl 2.5
250 Solden 1
251 Obergurgl 1
252 Surfaus/Fiss 1
253 Rifflsee 0.5
254 Pitztal Glacier 0.5

France
109 Le Tour 1
110 Grands Montets 2
111 Vallee Blanche 2
114 Brevant/Flegere 1
139 La Grave 4
140 Serre Chevalier 1
222 La Clusaz 1
223 Val d'Isere 4.5
224 Tignes 3.5
236 Morzine/Les Gets 1
237 Avoriaz 1
238 Chatel 1
255 Val Thorens 4.5
256 Meribel/Mottaret 1
257 Courchevel 0.5
260 Les Arcs 1
261 La Plagne 1

Switzerland
113 Verbier 2
175 Klosters Madrisa 0.5
176 Davos/Klosters Parsenn 2.5
177 Davos Jakobshorn 1
178 Flims/Laax 2
179 Andermatt Gemsstock 3
188 Zermatt 3.5
189 Klein Matterhorn 2
211 Samnaun 0.5
228 Arosa 0.5
229 Lenzerheide 0.5
230 St. Moritz: Corvatsch 1
231 St. Moritz: Corviglia 1
232 Diavolezza/Lagalb 1
233 Engelberg-Titlis 2.5
234 Brunni 0.5
235 Andermatt-Sedrun 1
258 St. Luc/Chandolin 1
259 Nendaz/Veysonnaz 1

Italy
112 Courmayeur 1
190 Cervinia 2.5
214 Pila 1
215 Alpi di Suisi/Seceda 1
216 Arabba/Marmolada 1.5
217 Civetta/Falzarego 0.5
218 Val Gardena 0.5
219 Alta Badia 0.5
220 Alagna/Gressoney 1.5
221 Champuloc/Gressoney 0.5
249 Cortina d'Ampezzo 1

Iceland
195 Hlidarfjall 1
196 Arctic Heliskiing 4

Japan - Honshu
152 Goryu/Hakuba47 1
153 Happo One 2

Japan - Hokkaido
154 Niseko 11
155 Rusutsu 2
156 Chisenupuri (lost) 1
197 Furano 1
198 Tomamu 1
199 Moiwa 1
200 Kiroro 1
201 Sapporo Kokusai 1
202 Sapporo Teine 1

Australia
70 Thredbo 1

New Zealand
26 Mt. Hutt 2
27 Tasman Glacier 1
28 Coronet Peak 3
29 Whakapapa 1
71 Treble Cone 3
72 Cardrona 1
73 Harris Mt. Heli 2
122 Remarkables 1
149 Mt. Olympus 1
150 Porters 1
151 Broken River 1

Chile
130 Portillo 2
131 Arpa Snowcat 2
132 Valle Nevado 2
133 La Parva 0.5
134 El Colorado 0.5

Argentina
116 Las Lenas 19
159 Martial Glacier * 1

Antarctica
160 Wiencke Island * 1
161 Paradise Bay* 1
162 Brabant Island* 1
163 Charlotte Bay* 1
164 King George Island* 1
165 Livingston Island* 1

Dividing areas is subjective. Any of the following criteria always lead me to count as two:
1) If the areas merged and I skied them before the merger (Snow Summit/Bear Mt., Big Sky/Moonlight)
2) Defined boundary and lift tickets are cheaper to ski just one of the areas (Alta/Snowbird, Portes de Soleil)

I usually count as two areas those that are connected only by a transport lift but the connecting terrain is unskiable or uncontrolled (Arosa/Lenzerheide, Les Arcs/La Plagne). I nearly always count as multiple if not connected by either lift or terrain even if covered by a single lift ticket (Aspen, Chamonix).

There are some very large complexes in the Alps with multiple lodging bases that still count as one due to single lift ticket and not easily defined boundaries (Flims/Laax, Serfaus/Fiss). I lean more in the direction of two in borderline cases when the areas are large and a geographic boundary is easily defined (Whistler/Blackcomb, Val d'Isere/Tignes)

Fractional days occur when I ski one day divided between two areas. This can be frequent in the Alps but I've done it a lot at Big Bear and Mt. High in SoCal and at Alta/Snowbird under Mountain Collective and Ikon. Those days need to be split in half so that they add up at the end of a season to the number of days I actually skied.

[Stuntmonkey]

^ Jesus christ. I bow to you good sir.

Would return to nearly all of them, gladly.

No desire to return to Cardrona and Coronet Peak in New Zealand; and Rikksgransen in Sweden.

How come? Cardrona is pretty good. Growing up we had several horrible years and spent those seasons on Turoa or Whakapapa in the club lodge. I'm stoked to see Dobby is your fav resort though! I learned to ski there, and subsequently transitioned to snowboarding like a horrible teenager I was on Craigburne and Fox.

[uglymoney]

Who is Tony C? What an incredible list.

Awesome.

Sent from my SM-G991U1 using Tapatalk

[Beder]

And he’s a weatherman.

Hey Tony, what’s with this persistent La Niña? Another year?


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[TonyC]

Who is Tony C? What an incredible list.

http://bestsnow.net/bionet.htm was what Leslie Anthony wrote about me for the 1995 Powder magazine cover story. At that point I had skied 62 areas, all in the western US except 4 days in New Zealand in 1982, 6 at Whistler in 1991 and 4 in the Northeast associated with business trips.

Leslie is Canadian and touted interior B.C. skiing including snowcat and heliskiing, and you can see from the length of the British Columbia list that I heeded that advice starting in 1997 and have been up there nearly every season since.

More details on my ski seasons can be found at http://bestsnow.net/vertfeet.htm by clicking through to regions. There are also links to selected TR's on those regional pages.

I place some priority on skiing new places and the pace of that quest picked up considerably after divorce in 2004, retirement in 2010 and finding a partner in crime with Liz in 2011. She had skied 85 areas when we met and is now at 195.

Living in western North America is a deterrent to skiing far flung regions while gainfully employed and with family obligations. When I retired in September 2010, the published reports were coming out of the first commercial ski cruise to Antarctica by Doug Stoup's Ice Axe expeditions in 2009, so I signed up for the next one in November 2011. I also took my first Japan trip in January 2011. Since 2013 most of the new areas have been in the Alps. Being retired makes it easier to go over there for 2+ weeks with a flexible schedule to chase the best weather and conditions.

[mogul5480]

These categories are awesome. Inspired me to join the fun (albeit with less interesting answers):
Most exotic: Santa Teresita van shuttles (El Colorado Backcountry), Chile
Best run: top to bottom at Les Grands Montets along the Glacier Rognon (longest), Center of Gravity Couloir at Snowbird or Cheminea couloir at La Parva or Big Couloir at Big Sky (most aesthetic)
Heli drop: sadly, NA
Snow: Alta/Bird
Vacation Spot: Chamonix
Best of VT: Jay all day
Best of CO: A Basin
Best of CA: Kirkwood
Adventure: getting lost with my wife on her first ever BC trip at Halls of the Gods (and getting Slim and Skier666 in trouble with their wives for being late waiting for us to get un-lost)
Air: prob something inbounds in the 15-20' range at Vail
Injury: partial (thankfully) ACL on one of those aforementioned Vail airs
Learned at: Hidden Valley, NJ
Kids first runs: Snowbird and Northstar
Best terrain on earth: Chamonix (never been to AK, though you may have seen me training for it on the stairmaster at the Morgan Stanley company gym)
Deepest: chest deep at Alta
Jobs: instructor, waiter, bartender, doorman, hotel catering
Car: any Subaru wagon (I've owned 4)
Binding free mount: only time I ever tried it was with Dukes
Favorite ski: Rossignol Viper Z in 1999 ish
Fastest: somewhere around 60, per the guy I was with who had Strava on
Victory: 2nd place (out of 4 who showed up) at a bump comp in Sugarbush
Ski towns lived in: Vail, Waitsfield, VT (if you count weekend couch surfing in college as "living".
Events: Bear Mountain, Mogul Madness (Vail), Heavenly Gunbarrel, Kirkwood LBD about 10 yrs ago when like 90 pct of the skiers in California showed up)
Spring skiing: concur 100 pct. K-mart and Squallywood. A basin and copper get honorable mention
Bars: concur re: Chamonix
Best skier skied with: John Egan (he was skiing with us on purpose, but we lost sight of him within 3 turns)
Most days: Vail 105
Fewest days: when I lived in NY one yr i got like 4

[dunfree]

Dare I ask, but were any on your list that were memorable for their blandness, forgetfulness, crappiness ?

Basically, to add to the discussion, resort you HAVE to go back to it was so awesome ? Resort you don't ever want to go back to? (for whatever reason)

Resort I have to go back to is and has been the same for the entirety of my skiing life. Lake Louise. Such an awesome place. I have to think about which ones occupy the other end of the spectrum.

The monkey puzzle trees at caviahue are awesome but the skiing is mediocre, at best. It’s on a wouldn’t go back list because it was meh.

I lucked into apparently really rare good conditions (powder) in New Zealand and wouldn’t return for entirely opposite reasons - awesome experience I’m unlikely to repeat

The alps by a combo of weather/terrain/trees/laws/lifts seemed to make lift served deep pow more rare. But still better than tahoe

[TonyC]

And he’s a weatherman.

Hey Tony, what’s with this persistent La Niña? Another year?
Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

I'm not a weather forecaster. I collect snowfall data and also by experience observe ski conditions and often make recommendations based upon altitude/exposure as much as by snowfall. I recommend OpenSnow for short term forecasting/powder chasing.

La Ninas tend to persist more than El Ninos. There have been several examples of two consecutive La Ninas but 1974-1976 is the only example of three. This time of year is when El Nino/La Nina is unstable and tends to break up. If the La Nina is still here in July/August, it will likely persist well into our winter.
http://bestsnow.net/El_Nino.htm
http://bestsnow.net/La_Nina.htm

[Stuntmonkey]

http://bestsnow.net/bionet.htm was what Leslie Anthony wrote about me for the 1995 Powder magazine cover story. At that point I had skied 62 areas, all in the western US except 4 days in New Zealand in 1982, 6 at Whistler in 1991 and 4 in the Northeast associated with business trips.

Leslie is Canadian and touted interior B.C. skiing including snowcat and heliskiing, and you can see from the length of the British Columbia list that I heeded that advice starting in 1997 and have been up there nearly every season since.

Mote details on my ski seasons can be found at http://bestsnow.net/vertfeet.htm by clicking through to regions. There are also links to selected TR's on those regional pages.

I place some priority on skiing new places and the pace of that quest picked up considerably after divorce in 2004, retirement in 2010 and finding a partner in crime with Liz in 2011. She had skied 85 areas when we met and is now at 195.

Living in western North America is a deterrent to skiing far flung regions while gainfully employed and with family obligations. When I retired in September 2010, the published reports were coming out of the first commercial ski cruise to Antarctica by Doug Stoup's Ice Axe expeditions in 2009, so I signed up for the next one in November 2011. I also took my first Japan trip in January 2011. Since 2013 most of the new areas have been in the Alps. Being retired makes it easier to go over there for 2+ weeks with a flexible schedule to chase the best weather and conditions.

If you're in the Kootenays next season, send me a message and we will get some turns.

[Flyoverland Captive]

I rode a lift at 49 North in WA about 15 years ago with a guy who was on a quest to ski every area in North America. Nice guy; I should have got his contact info. I wonder if he’s done yet.

[uglymoney]

http://bestsnow.net/bionet.htm was what Leslie Anthony wrote about me for the 1995 Powder magazine cover story. At that point I had skied 62 areas, all in the western US except 4 days in New Zealand in 1982, 6 at Whistler in 1991 and 4 in the Northeast associated with business trips.

Leslie is Canadian and touted interior B.C. skiing including snowcat and heliskiing, and you can see from the length of the British Columbia list that I heeded that advice starting in 1997 and have been up there nearly every season since.

Mote details on my ski seasons can be found at http://bestsnow.net/vertfeet.htm by clicking through to regions. There are also links to selected TR's on those regional pages.

I place some priority on skiing new places and the pace of that quest picked up considerably after divorce in 2004, retirement in 2010 and finding a partner in crime with Liz in 2011. She had skied 85 areas when we met and is now at 195.

Living in western North America is a deterrent to skiing far flung regions while gainfully employed and with family obligations. When I retired in September 2010, the published reports were coming out of the first commercial ski cruise to Antarctica by Doug Stoup's Ice Axe expeditions in 2009, so I signed up for the next one in November 2011. I also took my first Japan trip in January 2011. Since 2013 most of the new areas have been in the Alps. Being retired makes it easier to go over there for 2+ weeks with a flexible schedule to chase the best weather and conditions.

Bad ass. Thanks.

[Angle Parking]

^ Jesus christ. I bow to you good sir.

I too bow to Tony C. WTF dude! Amazing.

And the deeper dives into the minutia of resort experiences by various posters are very interesting. Thx all.

[subtle plague]

TonC is pretty inspirational. I love the categories. I'll get back to those.

[Mike Pow]

^ Jesus christ. I bow to you good sir.



How come? Cardrona is pretty good. Growing up we had several horrible years and spent those seasons on Turoa or Whakapapa in the club lodge. I'm stoked to see Dobby is your fav resort though! I learned to ski there, and subsequently transitioned to snowboarding like a horrible teenager I was on Craigburne and Fox.

Cardrona did nothing for me. Far better on the doorstep.

Dobson and Fairlie were really special.