Every time I’m on the mountain, witnessing the next generation of skiers and snowboarders tearing it up, I feel hopeful and excited for the future. These kids—thanks to their parents, instructors, and coaches—are daring, brave, and strong, from the bunny hill toddler snowplowing S-turns to the pre-teen blazing down a black diamond. Here are four …
By William Dexter Some people enjoy a day on the mountain by skiing miles and miles of corduroy. Others love deep, endless powder days, and many just like being in the mountains with family and friends. For myself, skiing is crushing levels of g-forces, suits tighter than a second skin, ice, and obscenely skinny skis. …
The Wenatchee Valley, in central Washington, is the perfect shoulder season destination, with opportunities for spring skiing, hiking and trail running, rock climbing, kayaking and river sports, and mountain biking.
While there have always been news stories about avalanches, some incidents more sad and deadly than others, this Silver Mountain avalanche is a home heart-break story. Mountains will still be our happy place, and powder days will still bring us joy. But now we do so with the knowledge of this cautionary chapter in our regional history. We would be remiss to not learn lessons from our sorrow.
Off-Piste is no longer available in the classic and often collected black and white newsprint version, but during its run was issued four times a year. Yet the essential elements of the magazine remain on the website at Offpistemag.com, which hosts gear reviews, beta on where to ski, soulful narratives about winter backcountry travel, trailers for independent ski films, and avalanche safety resources.
Twenty minutes south of Nelson, B.C., just outside the zero-stoplight community of Ymir, Paul Hulshoff and partner Annelies Ellerman have built Logden Lodge, one of the few vehicle-accessible luxury lodges in the Kootenays. The handful of private cabins bring hand-crafted European style to the Kootenays, but even more importantly, they bring winter adventurers within easy reach of classic Powder Highway locales.
By Chris Gabrielli 100 percent coverage, knee-deep powder, and face shots for days—wake up, you’re dreaming. Although almost every ski hill in the Pacific Northwest, and even the interior Northwest, receives more than 200 inches of snow annually, Mother Nature can still be a fickle beast. Seasons start slowly and some years Lady Winter never …
Traveling north of the border for skiing, snowboarding, hot springs soaking, snowshoeing, or other winter adventures is incredibly easy and worth every kilometer of extra driving. One of the best yet often under-appreciated things about living in Spokane and North Idaho, in fact, is the proximity to interior British Columbia. This lightly-populated, vast expanse of wild mountains, valleys, lakes, and rivers; enchanting yet authentic mountain towns; and destination-worthy resorts, parks, and trails is a wonderland right next door.
Back before I lost what grip I had on reality and joined the ranks of corporate America, I had the privilege of living and working in the mountains of the great state of Washington, and I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. Well, I might trade it for early retirement or to be one of …
