It took a horrific accident in the Alps to make Karolina Ekman fully appreciate the power of Mother Nature. by Karolina Ekman in the Spring 2012 issue As deliriously excited big-mountain skiers from around the world wait for the latest storm in the Alps to subside and the upper lifts of the resort to open again, I cannot say… More »
Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you will ski We’re under siege and falling fast. This army doesn’t play fair: it’s co-ordinated, exploits our weaknesses shamelessly and knows only victory. And now it’s returning with foie gras—the smart bomb of entrées—the umpteenth of I-lost-count-how-many courses. As it arrives, fantasy and fetish trump common sense:… More »
Slide of the century March 4 will be a somber date for anyone around Rogers Pass between Golden and Revelstoke, B.C. It was 100 years ago that Canada’s worst avalanche disaster occurred, when only two of the 60 men working to clear an avalanche from the main CPR line survived a massive second slide from… More »
From the Buyer’s Guide 2010 issue More than a good life, “it’s a dream come true,” says Hans Solmssen. Hans is at the top of his profession, one of the most sought-after guides in the Alps. His story is an inspiration to any North American aspiring to the ultimate job. “If you want to be… More »
Pounding music, hoarse yells, diminishing inhibitions and a crush of costumed but not heavily clad flesh beggar the senses. Per Jonsson, pro rider, is sporting a short dress, shaved legs, stubby pink fingernails and an inane grin as he attempts to maintain balance with the help of twin beers and the shoulders of two virtually… More »
Recent headline news in my local newspaper read: Swiss government is considering banning helicopter skiing across the nation. It wasn’t the first time such a measure was officially considered. Back in 2000 a group of “ecolos,” as environmentalists are dubbed in French, led by an organization called Pro Natura and backed by the WWF, proposed… More »
It’s that good in Bruson. There are only two chairlifts and two brutal T-bars. The groomed piste skiing is distinctly limited, easy enough for an intermediate to exhaust in an hour. But the off-piste excursions are epic in variety and, in my experience, unique in their ability to reinstill the elemental joy of skiing in… More »
It’s a question I get asked often, and one that draws more discussion with readers and editors alike than questions of snow quality and slope inclination. (Not that I am an authority.) Despite my limitations in the downhill department, most of my friends would readily agree that I am a considerably more expert and experienced… More »
Why travel all the way to Europe when Canada has some of the best skiing in the world? Well, you could ask any of the Canadians I wrote about last month why they left to settle with such satisfaction in the Alps. European skiing is more extensive and higher in altitude with more sophisticated ski… More »
It was Canadian mountain guide John Hogg, for example, who popularized ski safari routes across Switzerland and the Italian Dolomites, and who reconfigured the classic Haute Route ski tour from Zermatt to Chamonix to maximize downhill skiing thrills. And it was Mark Shapiro from the epicentre of skiing in Canada (Hamilton, Ontario) who revolutionized if… More »
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