Category: Snow

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Home Mountain: Stratton Mountain, VT

Stratton Mountain is the best mountain in Southern Vermont when it comes to conditions. I ski there every weekend, all winter long. I reach the mountain at 8:20 and am on the lift at 8:30 every morning. The first run I take is North American, a long black diamond that is perfectly groomed. After laying down those fresh tracks it is hard to decide where to go next. Stratton is never busy before 10 o’clock so I can get most of my runs in before the crowd. When the crowds hit my favorite place to go is the Mid Mountain Lodge. There you can find some of the nicest and funniest chefs I have ever met. Even if it is after the time that they make breakfast sandwiches, if I ask they will still have one ready for me in 5 minutes. After refueling with a freshly cooked meal the crowds will start to pile in for lunch and that is when we head back out onto the slopes for some more runs. Stratton offers many different features like mogul runs down World Cup, terrain parks on Lower Middle Brook, and groomers on Upper Standard. Powder days at Stratton are unbelievable! Days after it snows I can still find a stash of fluffy powder in Stratton’s woods trails. If my equipment ever breaks during the day I can alway run down to one of the village’s ski shops and be back on the slopes in a half hour. After a hard day of skiing it is always fun to walk through the village to Stratton’s ‘Mountain Sweets’ candy shop where I can find all the sweets I need. With my bag of candy in hand and skis on my shoulder I walk to my car and can’t wait to come back again tomorrow for some more winter fun.

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Home Mountain: Sugar Bowl, CA

I LOVE my mountain because It’s not a really huge mountain like SOME resorts and it’s like having a family. I love when I get up a little early for a pow day and find a few of my friends already waiting in line at the chair to make sure and get some of the SUPER SWEETNESS first. Also, it’s really cool when everyone knows you from the mountain because you are in the family and not just a number.

Sugar Bowl!! It’s your turn

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Home Mountain: Mountain High, CA

Most resorts aren’t that hospitable and fun. Most resorts aren’t Mountain High. I love Mt. High for a couple reasons. First it’s the people. Not just the employees, but the riders too. The employees are always nice, and keep people moving happily. The riders are considerate of other people and that’s always good at a resort. The lift operators make the places where we get on and off the lift easy to ride on and keep the liftlines fun. The people are nice to talk to and that makes for an awesome time everyday I’m up there.
Next is the terrain. Mt. High has got terrain from top to bottom. You can never get bored there. The boxes aren’t just flat. There are thick ones, thin ones, long ones, short ones, curved ones, straight ones, ones that go up, ones that go down, you name it. Mt. High’s got it. Plus, the jumps are all sizes. Mt. High’s got huge booters, like X games, smaller kickers, tabletops, step-ups, step-downs, and smaller rollers. There is something for everyone there. You could be a 5 year old who is learning how to snowboard or a professional who is decorated with medals and trophies, you will still have fun there.
The snow is another thing to love Mt. High for. They get so much snow. You could get a storm that blows in 4 feet of snow in one week. Then go the next day and ride some 4-foot powder and go over and hit some slopestyle stuff on the groomed snow. You can do it all in 1 day.
I remember my first day I ever snowboarded was at Mt. High. It was what made me decide I wanted to snowboard A LOT more. If I had taken my first ride at another resort I might not have had the same opinion. It took me 3 days at Mt. High and I could ride pretty well. That was my best day ever. Not the best riding day ever, but the best day ever because I got to take my first ride and discover the awesomeness that is Mt. High.
However, I’ve also had my best riding best there. When I learned to Backflip. That gave me so confidence. It was up on Chisolm on the kickers. That was my best day of the season. And one of the best riding days I’ve ever had.
It is no wonder that Mt. High has an Olympic rider (Louie Vito) riding for them. Even though it isn’t the biggest resort ever, it’s as much fun as the bigger ones. It’s quality over quantity. Mt. High’s got so much quality. The terrain, price, and atmosphere. They ARE the bar, they don’t set it.
Overall I love Mt. High for the reasons I said before and many more that I couldn’t fit into 500 words or less. I know I’m not the only one who loves Mt. High but I love Mt. High more than anyone else.

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Home Mountain: Chill Factore Manchester, UK

Why I love my home mountain!!!!!!

My home mountain happens to be a indoor slope called the chill factore

,which I love.I love my home MTN because they gave me the A chance to

snowboard when my surgeon told me i couldnt ski again ! They coached

me three times a week and got me ready for com

ps and now i love riding

with all my mates at the chill factore, and ther is no better

atmosphere when you have a group of riders all pushing each other to

try new tricks then when you land them everyone goes crazy with

excitement, and the buzz as you get ready to drop in and try and stomp

a new trick and now I have as many boarder friends as skier friends

and I enjoy riding with both, for me The best nights are with my

friends when we don’t come off till the lifts stop and we unstrap and

keep running up for another go till we are told enough is enough, and

you smile and know inside you’ve had a good time.

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Home Mountain: Cataloochee, NC

Going on a trip to the Deep South doesn’t usually conjure up images of great winter sports, but in the case of the mountains of Western North Carolina, it probably should. Here, six ski areas are sprinkled amongst the highest elevations of the Blue Ridge. AMong these great resorts, one stands above the rest-Cataloochee. I learned to ski here as it is mostly a beginner’s mountain. They have wide open green slope with a beginner’s chairlift and it was a great place to get started with the sport. Over the years, my technique and confidence have improved drastically, but each year I find myself coming back to The Cat.

Yes, it is the closest ski area to my house, but it is the management that really stands out here. Though they may not have the steepest slopes or the most challenging runs, they recognize that people who love skiing are the kinds of people that will bring their friends to learn to love skiing. When other ski areas in the area are pandering to the beginner crowd, Cataloochee allows some of their trails to bump up, and last year they even cut a small glade area. Up until a few years ago, they had the only open bowl skiing on the east coast, a high altitude meadow that opened up after big dumps, but the lawyers ended that one.

All of this is to say that my home mountain Cataloochee is like no other. Whether you are a rank novice or can schuss like no other, the folks at Cataloochee will make you feel welcomed and like you belong at their mountain.

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Home Mountain: Crystal Mountain, WA

On my 17th birthday I spent the day snowboarding up at Crystal Mountain, Washington. In all of my 17 birthdays so far, this was the best birthday I have ever had. It wasn’t a surprise to my friends that I skipped school to hit the slopes on a blue bird day, especially since there was 3 feet of fresh pow. I arrived at Crystal that morning stoked to ride some fresh pow and headed up High Campbell Basin chair to get some fresh tracks. My step-dad and I were carving turns down the slopes breathing in the fresh crisp mountain air when all the sudden the tip of my board went right into the powder and I flipped down the slope through the powder and landed right back on my feet and continued to ride down. All I could do was laugh and keep riding. In the same day when on the ridge at the top of High Campbell Basin crossing over to the bowl, My step-dad was following me when the path went straight up and I bit it and fell. My step-dad didn’t see it either until he was there and right as he went up the path his ski’s popped off because it was so vertical, and came flying at me while he managed to flip to his back and landed right next to me. Luckily I got this all on film and put it on YouTube. My passion for snowboarding has blossomed so much in this past season that my requirements in colleges are that they need to be located near some mountains so I can have a quick escape to the slopes. Being a girl snowboarder has had its up’s and downs. I love it because the guys don’t expect me to be good but when they find out that I am its priceless to see the look on their faces. I can’t get enough of the rush of being at the top of the mountain and being able to feel like you can touch Mount Rainier at your finger tips. Without the great people and the staff crew at crystal it wouldn’t have the same vibe. Everyone up there is so welcoming and the mountain has a chill vibe overall. Crystal Mountain offers so much, whether its big mountain, side country, back country, park and groomed runs that I am really glad to call it my home mountain. I can’t wait to one day when being asked, What’s your home mountain? when I’m in college or maybe a pro snowboarder and say, Crystal Mountain, Washington. It will be an honor.

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Home Mountain: Bromley Mountain, VT

It is difficult to describe Bromley Mountain in words without selling it short. Bromley is the friendliest, most down-to-earth place to be during the winter months, especially once the snow hits. It is a mountain where one can never get bored of bombing Twister-Twister over and over again, where kids laugh while trying to throw bras onto the undie-tree, where the one and only Pigdog can occasionally be spotted rocking tele skis, and where it is easy to get a sun burn in January while tearing apart excellent corduroy on Vermont’s Sun Mountain. A smile appears on my face each time I walk towards my favorite mountain. The relaxed nature, that has been part of the culture of Bromley ever since its founding, keeps bringing me back day after day. It is no surprise that families love this incredibly friendly atmosphere. It is difficult to escape from the corporate feel that has plagued the skiing world, but all the stress and troubles of the world disappear as soon as Big Brom comes into view. A welcome home to tele skiers, Bromley’s homely feel is apparent even before you catch a glimpse of the smiling moose head in the rustic base lodge. I have never had a bad experience at this mountain, even despite some East Coast conditions that can scare off even the most dedicated shredder. I always sprint out of class and to my car after school during the week so that I can get as many runs down Bromley as possible before the lifts turn off on me. I do not know how many times I have been the only one riding the Sun Chair at 3:59pm, but I know that it is enough times so that the employees expect my daily presence on the slope. Even if the traffic is slow or I need to gas up causing me to delay my arrival on the slopes, one run down Bromley’s East Slope is all it takes for me to feel that I have had a fulfilling day. The serenity of slowing being pulled up the hill on a Wednesday afternoon in December, all alone on the mountain, and gazing into the valley as the sun begins to set, is something that will always be a part of me. For even if Mother Nature has only provided us with ice or pouring rain, these moments are what continue to make me speed up the mountain and race to put on my boots each afternoon. The advances in the park and to the infamous “Bromley Booter” that the staff makes each year only heighten my excitement for the winter seasons during these long autumn months. Even in the summer I can’t drag myself away from this mountain, for if I am not racing down the Alpine Slide at Bromley’s Adventure Park, I am hiking in the beautiful woods and searching for another cliff drop or another pow chute to hit up when the lifts are running once again.

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Home Mountain: Perisher, Australia

Hi my name is Jakob Obian Kennedy and i am writing about my home resort of Perisher because: At first thought of Australia you might not find yourself thinking of big mountains and awsome snow fields, but more likely warm sunny days and beaches. Whilst we do have incredible beaches and alot of hot days, if your willing to take the 5 hour trip south from Sydney (if you love the snow like me you will) you will find yourself in a small town, by a breath taking lake, called Jindabyne. A quick trip up the hill will find you in my home resort of Perisher. Although it isn’t as vast as somewhere like Whistler Blackcomb or Mammoth Lakes it has plenty of terrain which I am still learning about and finding new things to do every season. The 49 lifts there are in operation make for some quick hot laps if you know where to go. Spred over 6 different peaks meaning alot of inbounds exploring, also making it the biggest ski resort in the souther hemisphere. There is plenty of great accomadation on the hill but if your looking for the night life you will want to stay down the hill in Jindabyne.
A short snow-cat ride away from Perisher is a small quiet restort called Charlottes Pass. It is only small with just one chair lift but it is always quiet and has some great cheeky terrain to go and enjoy and mix it up a little.
Perisher has a tube park with 2 lanes, a big toboganing area and some amazing cross country trails full of scenery and wilflife you cant see anywhere else in the world. also the tree riding in Australia in like nowhere else, with tight turns, big open areas and solid branches that can easily spane 7ft sideways makeing for some of the most quick thinking and intense tree turns ever, but big smiles.
There are also 4 parks ranging from very beginner to the main park on front valley with a 4 jump line going from 20ft to the last jump at 70ft, a cheeky jib line and the Torah Bright half pipe. The food court, called the Pub, is located right at the bottom of the main park on front valley making for some inspiring scenes during your lunch brake. There is alot of big areas for beginners and enough steeps and drops to keep the rest happy.
If your willing to do a little bit of hiking there is some awome backcountry to be explored but im not giving anything away.
I love Perisher ski resort because we get plenty of blue bird days and it offers everything. While it may not get quite as much snow fall or isn’t as big as some of the resorts I’ve been to in North America it makes up for in spirit, good times, atmosphere, people, and claim factor, where else in the world can you ride past a snow wallabie? And the surf is only 2 hours away, YEW.

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Home Mountain: Squaw Valley, CA

I love Squaw Valley because…

of the fingers,

the palisades,

adrenaline shoot,

all the other super technical terrain,

the top notch terrain park (most years),

its rich history,

the chammy, slot, and cantina,

proximity to Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City,

accessibility from SF and the Reno airport,

and most importantly because it’s where all my friends ride!

From last summer in Bariloche…

[vimeo video_id=”13723273″ width=”550″ height=”310″ title=”Yes” byline=”Yes” portrait=”Yes” autoplay=”No” loop=”No” color=”00adef”]

…The skiers crushing it in Argentina last summer with coaches Michelle Parker, James Heim, and Garrett Russell.  Want to crush powder this summer with the crew?  Check out our Argentina program, starting July 23rd with limited spots still available through September 3rd.