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 »
from Fall 2011 issue The other day I was out on the balcony of Mike’s $99-million chalet just blowing smoke with my buds. From the 4,314m summit of Grand Combin on the Italian border, across to our own local petit Combin (3,670m) and over to the Mont Blanc massif in France, the mountains were painted… More »
Ski Canada’s first-ever readers’ trip headed to Switzerland’s Grindelwald and the Jungfrau. BY IAIN MACMILLAN PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARTY MCLENNAN Before Martin Schürmann, our BASE-jumping mountain guide from the Mürren Ski School, hucked his short, muscly body with a parachute-stuffed backpack off a cliff about 900-metres to the valley floor below, I tried to think of something intelligent to ask. I eventually blurted… More »
From the Buyer’s Guide 2011 issue One corollary of big-mountain skiing is the way the terrain swallows up the people doing it. We had just crested a gentle saddle a few minutes’ walk from the Diavolezza cable car terminal, and within moments my two companions had been rendered into microdots by the vastness around us…. More »
From the Fall 2009 issue Hard times need not rule out high times. Even if you’re on a gap year, don’t write off that dream trip to the Alps just yet. True, even a less than luxurious hotel room can easily cost $500 to $1,000 in a top resort. But there are plenty of high-altitude,… More »
From the Travel Guide 2010 issue So I am touring the fantastic Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, overlooking Lake Geneva and surrounded by swank villas with swimming pools—perks for the lifers at the International Olympic Committee—when I meet this cute blonde. Although she was born in B.C., albeit educated in Alberta, this doll who has… More »
Skiers of all ages enjoy being overwhelmed by the legendary Swiss resort From Blackcomb to Zermatt, lots of people have skied on a glacier, but how many can say they’ve skied under one? Okay, so technically we didn’t actually “ski” so much as “slide our bums uncontrollably on the most frictionless surface we’ve ever encountered,”… More »
Soup’s on! When it comes to accommodation, Big White is one of Canada’s most complete ski-in, skiout resorts. “Home for lunch” can be as easy as choosing from one of the village’s 15 eateries. One cabin and condo rental agency, Rent Chalets, goes a step further and stocks your cupboards before you arrive—and, for Ski… 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 »
Nothing defines the European skiing experience better than staying a night in a high-altitude hut. Variously called cabanes, refuges, rifugi or hütte, these shelters on the snow are unparalleled anywhere else in the world. They are also a world unto themselves, where special rules apply and where only a certain type of person goes. I… More »
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