Brian's Ski Links

This page is my attempt to share one of the best parts of life!

Currently I'm in California, where the weather is generally better than the snow.
I volunteer with the Sugar Bowl National Ski Patrol at Sugar Bowl.

Blackcomb Glacier

 KT-22, Squaw Valley
Blackcomb Couloir

Alpine - Recommendations

Whistler/Blackcomb - It doesn't get much better, believe me! Ski magazine rates Whistler-Blackcomb #1. Agreed, on a good-snow day.

Big White is one of my favourites, mainly because it typically has awesome snow. Can be foggy, oh yeah! The back side which opened in 96-97 is not too steep, but is wide open at the top.

Squaw Valley is big. They like to let you know it too! But if you had to pick a single lift to ski in perfect conditions, KT-22 might well be it.

Kirkwood has plenty of good terrain, including open bowls, steeps and bumps. It's pretty high (7800' base) compared to other Tahoe resorts, and is only 3.5 hours from Stanford.

Bear Valley has not a single high-speed quad, but great terrain and modesty not found in many Tahoe resorts!

Telemark!

If you know what it means to tele, you are probably close to ski Valhalla! Telemarkers are some of the most complete people you'll meet! Telemarking is a different technique to downhill (alpine) skiing, in that only your toe is attached to the ski, like in cross country skiing.

Visit Telemarkslauget Orwad, THE Telemark web-site.

Some nifty video footage of a telemark racer.

Couloir Magazine is the a favourite for the back-country.

skiTELE.com, a new telemark site. Free Heels, another great telemark site.

MAS (Mountain Adventure Seminars) is a great group if you're looking for telemark lessons, and they're away from the crowds, at Bear Valley.

I'll put out more stuff on Telemark skiing. Trouble is, all the great people who can make web pages on this are probably searching for powder!

Links

Interactive Map for folks in California.
Tahoe Map
California Ski Resorts
AMI Ski Page

Cross Country

I don't do much cross-country skiing, but if you do, I recommend Bear Valley Cross Country. Bear Valley is a quieter ski town without the crowds that Tahoe resorts have. Bear Valley Cross Country also rents Telemark Equipment.
Thanks to the Whistler/Blackcomb page for the photos!