Freestyle hero Glen Plake makes his way to the top of Glacier Ronde in Chamonix.
For some, the coming of winter snow means the beginning of three (or four or six) months of self-imposed exile to the great indoors. For others, it’s the time when the calendar really snaps to life.
I wrote Fifty Places to Ski and Snowboard Before You Die for those who appreciate the exhilaration of racing down a mountainside and the special sense of solitude that only an alpine snowscape can provide.
“What makes a destination a place you have to ski or snowboard before you die?” you might ask. “The chance to take in sweeping mountain scenery? To push your skills to the limit on dizzying steeps or monstrous moguls? To walk in the turns of some of the sports’ most celebrated practitioners?” The answer would be yes to all of the above, and an abundance of other criteria. One thing I knew when I began this project: I was not the person to assemble this list. So I followed a recipe that served me well in my first nine Fifty Places books—to seek the advice of some professionals. To write Fifty Places to Ski and Snowboard Before You Die, I interviewed a host of people closely connected with the alpine world and asked them to share some of their favorite experiences. These experts range from celebrated Olympiads (like Jonny Moseley, Tommy Moe, and Billy Kidd) to equipment manufacturers (like Tait Wardlaw) to journalists (like Leslie Anthony). Some spoke of venues that are near and dear to their hearts, places where they’ve built their professional reputations; others spoke of places they’ve only visited once, but that made a profound impression. People appreciate skiing and riding for many different reasons, and this range of attractions is evidenced here. (To give a sense of the breadth of the interviewees’ backgrounds, a bio of each individual is included after each essay.)
“Skiing” and “boarding” mean different things to different people. For some, it may mean a few runs on groomed cruisers before a leisurely lunch at an Austrian ski hut; for others, it may mean tracking fresh powder in the B.C. wilderness or taming seemingly impossible double black diamonds at Silverton. Fifty Places to Ski and Snowboard Before You Die attempts to capture the spectrum of alpine experiences. While the book collects fifty great ski/snowboard experiences, it by no means attempts to rank the places discussed, or the quality of the experiences afforded there. Such ranking is, of course, largely subjective.
In the hope that a few readers might embark on their own adventures, I have provided brief “If You Go” information at the end of each chapter, including the level of difficulty of each experience (based on information provided by ski areas/outfitters). The “If You Go” information is by no means a comprehensive list, but should give would-be travelers a starting point for planning their trip. (As lodging tastes/budgets may differ dramatically from individual to individual, I’ve tried to offer a general resource for lodging options. For some remote venues, there may be only one option, and it’s been provided.)
Skiing and snowboarding can be risky pastimes, especially given some of the terrain extremely advanced practitioners will attempt to tackle. It should go without saying that skiers/riders should always use good judgment and know their limitations and wear a helmet … and that when skiing/riding in the backcountry, they should go with someone who knows the terrain, and carry necessary avalanche response equipment.
One needn’t travel to the ends of the earth to find a rewarding alpine experience. A good dump of snow on your modest local hill can make for a great day. Yet a trip to a dream venue can create memories for a lifetime. It’s my hope that this little book will inspire you to embark on some new skiing and snowboarding adventures of your own.