Alpine Skiing in Alaska

Alaska has long been known for having some of the best big mountain skiing in North America. With its sprawling Alaska Range and a max elevation of 20,310 ft atop Mt. Denali there is no shortage of stellar skiing opportunities. The mountains in the Alaska Range also receive an average of 650 inches of snow that blankets an area of 95,000 sq miles. The main, most prominent resort in Alaska is Alyeska Resort which is conveniently situated just an hours drive from the state capital of Anchorage. While Alyeska Resort is most certainly not the largest resort around with only 76 trails and 1,610 skiable acres, it boasts and is considered to have some of the most challenging terrain out of any resort in North America. 37% of their trails are rated expert/advanced and the resort possesses a respectable vertical drop of 3,200 ft. Like the resorts in the Cascades, none of the resorts in Alaska have any ski towns filled with attractions or any other external amenities. The people who end up going to Alaska to ski are the ones who really care about a great ski experience with deep snow and expansive terrain. While Alyeska is definitely a quality resort that offers great in bounds skiing, most people come to Alaska for the truly world class powder heli-skiing and backcountry skiing. Alaska's peaks and mountaintops are the perfect environment for stellar heli and powder skiing as they are much taller, steeper, and more closely positioned next to one another compared to Colorado's peaks. Because Alaska's peaks are positioned closer to one another a person can get in more runs simply because the helicopter has a shorter distance to cover. One of the most renown heliski tour guide companies is the aptly named Alaska Heliskiing company as well as Mica Heliskiing. Both companies have been around for a little over a decade with Alaska Heliskiing getting founded in 2001 and Mica Heliskiing in 2003. Both companies guide you around the mountains surrounding the town of Haines, Alaska. With each company you are organized into either groups of four or ten depending on your preferred package and lead by highly trained guides who are well versed in the mountain topography. Both companies offer two packages that range from two to five days in length. The packages that are available from the two companies vary slightly in terms of what they offer and the cost. Both the Alaska Heliskiing packages are slightly cheaper in price but the base package doesn't provide cooked meals, while both packages from Mica Heliskiing do provide cooked meals. The terrain that each company resides over along with the guides play a role in determining which company to choose. The price may be the final deciding factor, and while all four packages from the two companies are expensive, if you're a true lover of skiing and want a once in a lifetime experience that you'll remember forever shell out the 5,000 dollars and book a trip. 

Alpine Skiing in the Cascades

Skiing in the Cascades of Oregon and Washington has been and continues to be one of the most underrated places in the country to ski. None of the resorts in Oregon or Washington have any of the fancy amenities or other attractions such as a ski town filled with fine dining and shopping that so many other western ski resorts pride themselves on. The resorts in the pacific northwest have for the longest time attracted mainly die hard ski bums and locals, and are only just now beginning to attract a broader skier base. In this post I'm going to focus on the six biggest and most recognizable resorts in the pacific northwest, four in Oregon and two in Washington. There are two major mountains, both dormant volcanoes, where the four Oregon resorts are located, Mt. Hood and Mt. Bachelor. Three resorts are situated on Mt. Hood, Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Timberline Lodge ski area, and Mt. Hood Meadows. The fourth prominent Oregon resort is situated at Mt. Bachelor ski area. The three resorts at Mt. Hood are all best known for something different. Mt. Hood Ski Bowl has long been considered more beginner and family oriented since it has the least amount of vertical drop and the most green and blue trails out of the three Mt. Hood resorts. Timberline Lodge ski area has the smallest skiable terrain but also the highest point of lift accessible terrain and is the only resort in the lower 48 states with consistent chairlift accessible summer skiing. Mt. Hood Meadows is considered by many to be the premier Mt. Hood resort as it has the most skiable terrain, the greatest variety of challenge and the greatest vertical drop. Mt. Bachelor ski area is the largest ski resort in Oregon in terms of sheer skiable terrain, but is also the farthest away from the major population center of Portland. Native Oregonians who live around the major cities of Portland and Corvalis tend to flock to the trio of Mt. Hood resorts due to their relatively close proximity to the two cities. Residents of Bend, the third largest city in Oregon in terms of population size, favor Mt. Bachelor due to the easy twenty minute drive it takes to get there. All four Oregon resorts share one thing in common though, which is the rustic, more undeveloped nature of the base area and the main emphasis being on the quality of skiing. All four Oregon resorts have a nice variety of trail difficulty and they all receive approximately the same amount of snow, so what separates them is the in bounds trail terrain and the backcountry terrain as well as the overall skiing vibe of the resorts. I haven't been to any of the pacific northwest resorts yet so I can't attest to what the vibe is like, but I do know that each of the resorts has its own distinct backcountry experience. Mt. Hood Meadows is generally considered to be the go to resort for eastern oregonians looking for a decent backcountry offering, while Mt. Bachelor has the best backcountry offering for inland oregonians. Moving onto Washington the two most prominent resorts with the most to offer are Stevens Pass and Crystal Mountain which are both conveniently located around an hours drive from the major population hub of Seattle. Stevens Pass is located closer to Seattle and Tacoma which means it is usually the first skiing option for Seattlites. Crystal Mountain on the other hand due to its farther distance from the major cities tends to attract fewer people even though it boasts a much higher max elevation and twice the amount of skiable terrain. The two Washington resorts mentioned in this post have more in common than the four Oregon resorts as both Stevens Pass and Crystal Mountain have roughly the same backcountry access and terrain. One thing that all six pacific northwest resorts share in common is the general vibe which I would assume is much more laidback and less stuffy than some of the comparable Colorado or Utah resorts.

     

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Alpine Race Skiing vs. Nordic Race Skiing Part 2

Continuing off my last blog post, it is very evident that alpine race skiing and nordic race skiing are vastly different from one another. Nordic race skiing in comparison to alpine, while still being based on technique, places a much greater emphasis on endurance. The average nordic ski race length is around 25 km which is only a little bit shorter than a marathon. And like a marathon course for runners, the average nordic ski race course goes up and down, making it extremely grueling and exhausting for even the fittest racers. To gain an edge racers train for hours at a very intense pace while refining their technique and race strategy. Race strategy plays a huge role in nordic ski races while having almost no impact in alpine ski races due to the missing endurance component. Nordic ski racers have to decide either to go out fast and hope they can hold onto the lead that they build or go out slow and hope they can catch people from behind. Perfecting your race strategy is certainly important for any nordic ski racer, but refining your technique and maximizing the usage of your gear are arguably just as important. Technique is really important for a nordic ski racer because, when racing, a racer needs to be as energy efficient as possible and by tweaking your technique a racer can preserve just the slightest bit of energy that gives he/she the extra little boost at the end of the race. A racer needs to know the exact time at which he or she should use one technique versus another which again plays into race strategy. How a racer utilizes his or her gear can also have an impact on the final result of a race, particularly if their gear is used in an ineffective manner. One of the few similarities between nordic ski racing and alpine ski racing is that in each the racers wear super tight, full bodied suits to improve aerodynamics and reduce drag. Nordic ski racers suits are not padded in certain areas like those of alpine racers because nordic ski racers never hit any gates. Also unlike alpine racers, nordic racers don't wear protective helmets or goggles as there is no risk of any high speed crashes. The skis, boots, and poles that nordic ski racers use are also much different than those used by alpine racers. The skis are much thinner and lighter with little to no camber, making them more suited for going in a straight line. The boots are also much lighter and more maneuverable due to the fabric based materials and reduced number of buckles. The poles on the other hand are usually longer to generate power, and, consequently heavier.