Big Sky, MT – It didn’t take us long at Big Sky to ask ourselves, “Where is everybody?” It was a Sunday in February on a non-holiday weekend, with a brilliant blue sky and temps in the mid-30s. All the chairlifts were running and most of the trails were open. But at times it seemed…
Cordova, AK - I had first met Points North owner Kevin Quinn at the L.A. ski show a decade ago, and we shared a ship to Antarctica in 2011 along with some of his guides and several of his customers where he helped my friend Liz and gave her a powder lesson one afternoon. So…
West Yellowstone, MT - At one point while cross-country skiing in Yellowstone National Park last February, I paused to consider my position — and the bison that was lumbering toward me on the ski track. Since I was on skis, I technically had the right of way. But since the buffalo had about 2,000 pounds…
Meadow Creek (BC), Canada - It’s been years since I signed up with Ski Plus Tours for my first ski vacation in the British Columbia interior, a guided road trip in 1997. Lead guide Brad Karafil operated on a flexible schedule, allowing him to follow weather patterns and utilize personal contacts to choose resorts or…
Bend, OR - With over 3,000 skiable acres, 10 chairlifts (seven of which are high-speed detachable quads) and a vertical drop of 3,365 feet that follows all 360 degrees of a volcanic cone, Oregon’s Mount Bachelor is one of America’s largest ski resorts. By all rights it should be a world-class ski and snowboard destination,…
Pincher Creek (AB), Canada – The most common form of a rhombus is of course referred to as a diamond, and Castle Mountain is a diamond in so many forms. Unlike the ski resorts located inside the National Parks of Alberta, Castle is instead in a remote narrow valley well south of Calgary and approaching…
Banff (AB), Canada – Mount Norquay is not at all what it seems. You look at the trail map and the ski area looks kind of small. You read the stats and see only 190 acres of terrain. I am here to tell you that all of it is just an illusion. This place skis…
Lake Louise (AB), Canada – There are only a few truly huge ski resorts in North America, and Lake Louise is a member of that select crowd. It spans the front south-facing and back north-facing sides of a large mountain as well as a decent portion of a second mountain. Somewhat uniquely, in spite of…
Banff (AB), Canada – Banff. Most folks have heard of it, but it’s also true that the vast majority of people visit here in summer. This makes Banff a good choice for a winter destination during the Canadian Rockies resort town’s relatively slow season. Of all the places to stay in the National Parks of…
Jasper (AB), Canada – With its location within a National Park, Jasper has a distinct lack of unused mansions in town and a distinct abundance of snowy, jagged peaks surrounding it. And while Marmot basin is a 20-minute drive from town, the commute is actually quite easy as shuttle buses ferry visitors to the slopes…
