One year ski trip - where would you ski?

Well this is it.

I am currently in the process of planning a 1 year ski trip that would depart in late 2010 and begin anywhere in the world. This would be a non-stop powder chasing year of skiing. Although on a budget I would hope to get in at a minimum 200 days of skiing around the globe.

From AK to Afghanistan and Japan to Argentina there is no location that I am going to rule out. Any suggestions are welcome as I will need to do some research and plan everything based on accumulated weather data and costs of travel.

Hopefully, I can snag a few sponsors and maintain a blog about all of the travels. I will be running the mission solo and hopefully just have a one year adventure immersing my self in new cultures, new friends and new terrain. If you guys can make any suggestions that would be great.

Anyone who wants to join is more than welcome as I am just trying to hit all the slopes before the disappear - not that I am an idealist I just really think that as lot of our slopes will be gone over the coming 20 years.



FY~

Skipping the obvious stops:
 
I'm intrigued by the more northern BC resorts: Shames, Smithers, Apex, Powder King, etc.

In Europe, how about St Foy Tarentaise? The Val d'Anniviers in Switzerland? Andorra?

There are all kinds of funky stops like Turkey and Lebanon and Iran. 

The Caucasus, the Hindu Kush. 

Lappland.

Las Lenas in Argentina?

Man, you could really make something of it. 

Or, you could do a one-year tour ONLY skiing with people you hook up with on Epic.

 
 

PRICKLY !

Tthat would be a great idea and a GREAT BLOG. A world wide ski tour with Epic Ski Forum users.... Def. something to mull over.

Keep in mind there are no obvious destinations as I am still researching. I know I would want to hit the Alps, France, Switzerland, Austria etc. But I do not know any of the resorts. Additionally, one could spend an entire year skiing NA alone so I would have to be select in my stops through the USA and CA. I am hoping to knock as many off the list as possible now and will be taking down Steamboat, Revelstoke and Kicking Horse for 7 days each this winter followed by adabble down to Chile for a quick 10 days of fun over the summer holidays.

As for the rest of the world I agree some of the exotic locations are a def. must. I would love to get into Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iran but the security issues are still of concern. I know that Japan will be a destination stop over as well as Russia and maybe in the Himalaya's if there are any resorts there - again research needed.

Resort recommendations, no matter how obvious, are welcomed as I still need to research living accomodations, ticket pricing and seasonal patterns.

Additionally, the concept of making this a totally green trip has come to mind as well. A kind of Eco Skiing trip...I currently have the Powder article from last year written by Alex Eaton the the environmental aspects of skiing beside me at the office and it is def. putting pressure on me to make this trip worth something more than my own benefit and pleasure.... I will keep working on this.

FY

All 7 continents? Antarctica is a budget buster.
Oddball places? Finland/Sweden - above the arctic circle? Morocco, Iran, India.
Dry slopes in the UK, US
Indoor slopes? (Dubai)
Hiking included? There are a couple of volcanoes (e.g. Africa and Hawaii) that ought to be on the list. Sand sliding on desert dunes?
Lost ski resorts - find the places in Georgia, Mississippi that used to be resorts and hike them when natural snowfall hits.

Just in case your going by the attached map. Chacaltaya, Bolivia has melted away & no longer exists !!

You should definitley plan around a couple of the "big events" in the ski world

Hahnenkamm in Kitzbuhel
the olympics in Whistler
The gathering in Utah :)

It'd be a shame to miss out on some of the big events in ski culture while doing a worldwide ski tour.

For a few years, i've wanted to take a ski-roadtrip around the NA resorts. it's not world wide, but, to me, it would sure be fun to get a 4x4 pickup with a nice campershell on it and drive around between the different resorts here (the west for sure) from taos up through UT/CO then into British Columbia then back down along the coast, or some manner like that.

I suppose, if snow cooperated, and if timed right, that could be done, plus doing the same thing in Europe before migrating south for the summer... I need to be a professional lotto winner or something!

Sounds very cool.  But I'm thinking that the planning is going to take almost as long as the doing to fit things in economically and not lose time just spinning your wheels somewhere.

To quote everyone. The departure date would be late 2010 - ie November /December so I would miss the Olympics and other events of 2010.

I do agree that the planning phase will take just as long as the execution and am trying to get a head start on everything now in advance. NA is def on the list but I would want to avoid areas I have already been. As mentioned before one could spend an entire season skiing the rockies and never truly hit everything. I am trying to break everything up as much as I can based on seasonal weather patterns - more research required. But the places I would love to hit in NA include Lake Tahoe (SQUAW), Utah, and Washington State (is there any good skiing in Oregon?) as well as the exotic local's of BC - Bella Coola or Prince Rupert Coast Line (Ocean Explorer). 

I am unsure of the European and other exotic locations which is where I stand right now. I def. want to make it to Chile/Argentina skiing and if I could slam through Eastern Europe, China, Russia, Japan and NZ that would be great. My main focus will be on these locations as you can always ski NA on a series of weekend trips.  I am writing here to gain information on the various Whistler's and Squaw Valley's of the world as it is one thing to say you should ski in Iran and Lebanon but it is another thing to give specific resorts or destinations.

Any help is appreciated. And I am not going by the map above.


Costs - my initial estimates put it in and aroundf $80k.

Antarctica - I have already done the research and save that for my mid-life crisis. Here is a copy of the email response from Voyage Concepts http://www.voyageconcepts.co.uk/travel/trips_southpole.htm

 

 

 

Dear Matt

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you are well. Thank you for your interest in one of our expeditions to the South Pole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voyage is the only UK Polar operator that is ATOL bonded, and has many years experience of North & South Pole expeditions, from fly-ins to ‘all-the-way’ ski expeditions, including the World Record for the fastest overland journey to the South Pole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The prices for the 09/10 season are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fly in expedition:           $37,850 per person

 

 

 

Last Degree expedition:  $46,450 per person

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This cost does not include international flights or accommodation in Punta Arenas, although we can organise these for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have attached the itineraries for you to have a look through. Do let me know if you have any questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best regards

 

 

 

 

Michelle Lonnon

Voyage Concepts Ltd

81-83 Victoria Road

Surbiton

Surrey KT6 4NS

 

 

 

 

Telephone: +44 (0)20 8399 6327/9090

Fax: +44 (0)20 8339 9171

SKYPE: voyagelondonoffice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

www.voyageconcepts.co.uk

 

That is my mid-life crisis trip.

Maybe in 50 years we'll be able to ski on the moon!

Wow. Are you flying your own aircraft and using small airports or flying commercial? If it were me and using commercial I'd be fixated on costs and would tend to ski in regional clumps, skipping exotic outliers. Do you have a handle on which regions have optimum snow for a given time of the year?

Wild guess at general itinerary:

Dec 2010 to Feb 2011: France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria

Mar to June 2011: US, Canada

July and Aug 2011 Argentina, Chile

Sep and Oct 2011: Australia and New Zealand

Nov 2011: Japan

Above could be extensively modified depending on which places are you're most curious about seeing under prime conditions vs. those you don't mind visiting in fringe season? For example, you could ski glaciers during late or early season in Europe, but that would be a lousy way to experience the Alps.  Also, I don't know about a month's worth of skiing in Japan in Nov

Edited by Jamesj - 10/13/09 at 1:39pm

You need Pan Am for a sponsor.  Other than major regional changes why get too hung up on a schedule?  Yes you will need to get your visas ahead of time, and some of the flights ahead for cost containment, but why miss  a really good celebration someplace.  Weather, regional events, political events, wars could all throw you a curve. 

Where the storm tracks are running could make major differences in where you want to be in a given month.  Within major regions Alps, Rockies, Pacific coast, Nordic countries are you planning to use ground transport like rental cars, trains, thumb?

Saw a PBS show last Spring of 2 guys from the States that recreated Marco Polo's overland route.  It was fascinating some of the transport they used was way off of the grid; tramp steamer, camels, open trucks.  Pack light and be flexible seemed to be two of main things they learned. 

There better be a book or a video coming out of this adventure.  $80K, huh ?

Visa's good idea. I will look into this now.

Book or video maybe. A blog for sure as this trip is still 15 months out I am able to really shape it into anything I would want. Storm tracking is a def must on the trip. Transportation is really a function of cost I anticipate to fly into the major areas and if I am going to make have a dedicated amount of time in NA I will buy a a car and store with with friends in Colorado or BC depending on where I launch from.

Forgotten in that list, but not over looked, are the Nordic Country's (que Focused introduction here) but again I am unsure about time frame. When I travel through Europe the train will most likely be utilized the most and I will save flights for crossing the atlantic or storm chasing.

Stranger - Any good recommendations for Nordic skiing. Furthermore, anything on Iceland or Greenland? God damn I should have bought some  Krona's when they were cheap....

Wow, I envy your situation!  I did a season long adventure like this, although not as extensive, in the 1999/2000 season.  I had a US Gold pass, so I stuck mostly to the resorts of the Western US by car.  I did do a few weeks in Europe that same season.  I was pretty much on the road for 5 months, skiing as many resorts as I could.  If it was good, I would stay extra days, if not I would move on.  I hit some of the areas in Montana & BC I had missed in a shorter, 3 week road trip in the 07' season.  It was a great time!

On an exotic trip like yours, I would definitely put Gulmarg on your list.  Also with the Olympics upcoming in Russia, I would look into some of the places they are developing there.

Good luck, & have fun!
JF

When in South America, don't stay only in Portillo - Valle Nevado - Las Lenas.

There are lot's of nice resorts in the south of Chile and Argentina.

- Ski Arpa (cat ski in central Andes)
- Los Penitentes
- Antilanca
- Termas de Chillan
- Chapelco
- Pucon
- Caviahue
- La Hoya
- Cerro Castor (the world's southernmost ski resort)

Mid August is a good bet.

Cheers!


 

 I just spent the last summer season in Cerro Catedral in Argentina. Definitely one to go for - its the biggest resort in the whole of south america (but unfortunately not the highest). If I were you i'd go late August/early september to be sure of good snow as they have had some pretty rough seasons recently. Anyway hope it goes well.

If you can make a hop to Scotland, you can ski on mountain snow, on a dry slope and indoor snow all within <150 miles.

Nevis Range/Glenshee/Cairngorm/Glencoe - outdoor snow
Braehead Xscape (Glasgow) - indoor snow
Hill End (Edinburgh) - dry slope

My plan would be to follow the snow - and of course what's happening. If I arrived at a location and bad snow or nothing of interest happening I would move on.
I for one do not like long time plans to interrupt a vacation, if it were a year of skiing I would just go with the flow. Just like sking a new area, see a trail that looks interesting take it, if it turns out good maybe a second run, if not try another route. After a couple trips ask some questions and get an idea of if I have seen what the area has to offer, if little of interest, move on.

Las Lenas in Argentina
Chile Skiing in Portillo
Jackson Hole Wyoming
Big Sky Montana
Bridger Bowl Montana
Loveland- Colorado
Snowmass- Colorado
Telluride- Colorado
Silverton-Colorado
Alta/Snowbird- Utah
Kicking Horse- BC
Whistler Blackcomb- BC
New Zealand Skiing
Japan Skiing
Possibly Himalayas skiing in Nepal or India
and Aleyeska and Chugach Skiiing- In Alaska

Better idea: you travel the world, meeting up with Bears at their home hills. But instead of the boring way of affecting this, eg, messaging them and setting up meetings, you have to track them down cold -- and that's the name of the blog: BEAR TRACKING.

You show up at the hill and have to find the Bear and ski at least one run with them before you can move on.

 

Now, at some hills, this would be pretty easy. For example, you show up at Montana Ski Bowl, look for a guy with long hair and a pair of Volants, and voila. Or you go to Jackson Hole and ask for, like, Bob Peters, and you find Bob Peters. You could track me down at Madesimo pretty easily too, BTW.

But some others might be trickier. How do you find Harken Banks at Targhee? That's not his real name. What do you really know about him? Have you seen a photo? You know that Finndog can be found at Steamboat, but when? You'll have to scour past posts to be sure you're there at the right time. And at the rate he swaps gear, how do you spot him? SkiMangoJazz lists his home hill as Berkshire East, so you'll be sure to find him there; it's a small place. But are you really up for asking around for "Mr MangoJazz"?

Maybe it would be better as a film than a blog, though. Especially if some of the Bears got stroppy about being "outed", like:

 "Hey, excuse me, Mr Nobody?"
"Get the f*** outta here you little punk! And stay the hell away from my stash!"
Whacks camera with ski pole, offpiste chase ensues.

This could be fun...

Edited by prickly - 10/19/09 at 1:41am

[Quote]You could track me down at Madesimo pretty easily too, BTW. [/quote] 
"Pretty easily" it's an understatement, "sure hit" might be closer...one just need to know the right keyword and ask around...
Anyone (well 97% of) would reply "Sure!" and point you toward him...Ehehehe.

It would be fun fo' sure.
Somethinog of that kind happened to me in the mid '80s...
I was standing in a queue, in my f@rtbag, and happend to hear someone behind me saying to his buddy "Hey that girl in the one piece sure has got a great @$$"...To which I turned so to show my beard and replied "Girl? Where?"
The look on their faces was priceless...(to their defence I must say that I had grown shoulder lenght hair, that winter...)

And that, my firends, is one hard-to-beat ski story.

I cannot remember the name of the place to save my life, but I just watched a Shawn White special where he goes to Japan at a place they refer to as "the playground of the gods".  There are no lifts, just hot spring tubs in the middle of nowhere and supposedly "the best snow in the world."  It looked pretty "epic".

good place in Oregon?  Mt. Hood son.

Bachelor over Hood for sure.

Oh my lord, I've been browsing these interesting ski forums for a night and I have been tempted to create an account a couple times believe me but I had to now because this statement right here absolutely baffled me.

I am very jealous of your big trip, believe me, I myself and moving to mammoth for the winter then hopefully down to Argentina.  Anyways, to my point.  It is absolutely impossible to make any trip like this "green". No matter how many carbon offsets you buy, what you are doing is completely selfish and the fact is it is probably contributing to the global warming you are worried is going to wipe our ski hills. It sounds like you are going to have some amazing experience but do not try to claim some kind of "green" eco-friendly trip because that is 100% bullshit.

However, if you want to benefit someone else, I am going to broke as fuck, you can stop by Mammoth and hook me up with food, money, new ski socks, whatever. Maybe show you what a "green" lifestyle is in northern cali.

peace

I kind of agree, but not so pointedly.  It kind of reminds me of the L.A. media/stars/producers that pat themselves on the back for driving a prius after they just flew in from Japan on their private 747 for their family.  However, if the world can spare some pollutants, I would hope it would go towards people doing things like this.  One of the most rewarding things I have done is go on a month long motorcycle ride with my dad up the pacific coast and down visiting all the national parks.  We camped half the time, stayed in hotels half the time.  Although this trip was semi wasteful as far as pollution goes, I would say that I absolutely got to see what is worth saving and i'm sure that pollution will be offset by the behaviors I now have as a result of that wonderful trip.  Enjoy your conquests amigo. 

 Did you know that there have been Bear sightings in Michigan?