Snow Sports
Archive
What are the key differences between polo played on a regular field and polo played on the snow—and how does it affect the horses?
One of the most revered skiers in North America demystifies the life of a ski patroller, and talks about living and working at one of the best mountains on the planet and storms that dump eight feet in one go
Can you suggest some survival tips for those who unexpectedly find themselves in an emergency situation during the winter months?
AMRC development engineer Craig Atkins with the SPUC. Photo: AMRC Center Some day, the researchers at the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (AMRC) will help design lighter, smarter vehicles, from electric cars to airplanes, that will employ bio-based materials with low-environmental-impact and high-performance characteristics…
Leader of the New Canadian Air Force and one of the most influential skiers in the sport talks about the importance of creativity, skiing with Glen Plake, and how the need for freedom has defined his career
Merv Bodnarchuk's dreams for curling seemed harmless, and even kind of inspiring, at first. But that's not how it turned out.
“We are all going to make mistakes. It’s truly learning from them that makes life really sweet,” says skier, climber, and parent Roger Strong in the video embedded above. On April 6, 2011, Strong took off on his favorite backcountry run in Snowqualmie Pass, Washington, and was picked up…
When Palladium was founded in 1920, the company didn’t make boots; it made rubber tires for the fledgling aviation industry, tires of layered canvas, and vulcanized rubber. By the late 1940s, the World Wars were over and the French company shifted from making tires to building boots…
On December 22, 2011, 16-year-old Jake Hickman crashed while participating at a United States freestyle ski team selection competition in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The reigning J2 junior national champion caught the edge of his ski in the snow before a jump and the accident resulted in a spiral compression fracture…
Five-year-old William “rides the bump.” Photo: Peter Sullivan We had a dry start to winter here in Santa Fe, but by the time this picture was taken, on December 29, there were four inches of snow most everywhere in town. Just not on…
Last year’s pitiful snow season left skiers and boarders starving for the white stuff. Which is why we’ve dug up a smorgasbord of new terrain, fresh trips, and killer deals that will have you ripping all winter long.
I'm unable to invest in a lot of new gear this snow season, so should I go with cross-country skis or a pair of snowshoes?
In September 2012, we posted the trailer for Tempting Fear, filmmaker Mike Douglas' surprise documentary on 29-year-old extreme ski-mountaineer Andreas Fransson. Douglas originally planned to make a short about Fransson, but after discovering how articulate the…
The ultimate guide to the greatest ski adventure of your life
Also: the only curling quiz in the world
One of the world's best park and pipe skiers talks about new tricks and competing in the 2014 Olympics, and demystifies the life of a young, pro skier—it’s not all fancy cars and film premieres
Boards bound for new life. Photo: Snow Sports Recycling Program Way back in October of 2009 we wrote a story about a nascent ski and snowboard recycling program that the trade group Snowsports Industries of America (SIA) had launched. Since then, the…
Being stuck in the the city shouldn't be used as an excuse for not going snowboarding, at least in Montreal. Snowboarder Sebastien Toutant proved that when he took to the slopes of Mount Royal to weave down trails, jump monuments, and slide down rails. The…
Bode Miller's ultimate goal is to ski at full strength in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Last February, Miller hurt his knee while skiing in a race there. When he tried to ski on it a…
I live down South and am leaving to go on my first ski trip this winter. How worried should I be about frostbite?
One of the most revered guides in the United States demystifies the life of a guide, explains what it takes to become one, and shares other insights gleaned from a life spent in the mountains
Beaver Creek. Photo: Jack Affleck/Beaver Creek Resort We’ve had a slow, dry start to winter here in the southern Rockies. So dry that doomsday scenarios began to creep in. Was winter dying? Would it ever snow again? Would our kids forget what skiing is? Would we…
My New Year’s resolution is to commute to work by bike. How do I do this in the snow?
Down is the warmest insulation. In fact, when you’re hiking or skinning, it can be too warm. Same with Primaloft. It’s fantastic when you reach the summit, when you’re belaying your partner, or riding a lift, but get your heart rate up, and you’ll…
Perhaps the best skier of his generation discusses his dream ski trip, what it means to be “chamified,” and a recent mission to Bolivia
A basic 10-question checklist to make sure that you're focusing on the right things when you head out into the backcountry
We won the European Championship! And all we got was this crappy video.
I live in Florida. How can I train for a snowshoe race?
The godfather of freeskiing discusses his contributions to the industry, how film is pushing the sport forward, and his mixed feelings about freeskiing’s induction into the Olympics
Larry Olmsted holds the official record for "Most Pistes Skied in 8 Hours," but he knows his number—64—can be beaten. And he wants you to try.
A graceful ponytail helps ease the pains of a childhood long gone
In 1958, Sun Valley Idaho’s Ed Scott, an engineer and ski racer, invented the first tapered aluminum ski pole. The new aluminum pole replaced bamboo and steel, and launched Scott, which became a leading manufacturer of ski gear.
During expeditions to the world's most remote mountains, athletes often leave out the details about getting there. Not so with Xavier de Le Rue and the team from Mission Antarctic, who are on a month-long quest to snowboard new lines in Antarctica. After flying…
Whenever the seasons start to change, I feel like I have to shave my legs far more often to achieve the same results. What gives?
In the last week, Sweetgrass Productions has dropped two new videos. Yesterday, Nick Waggoner and crew released the teaser to their new ski movie Valhalla, a story about “one man's search to rediscover the freedom on his youth.” The video…
All-mountain skis. They've been made before. But all-condition skis? Ones that can bulldoze through crud, that still have the flexibility and sheer girth to carve sweeping, surfing turns in deep powder? It sounds impossible, right? Anyone who has used a set of true powder skis on resort groomers knows they…
The big mountain specialist with a knack for hucking huge air and developing his own touring bindings and boots discusses saving his feet, designing gear, and how to get after it in the backcountry
New research done for Protect Our Winters and the Natural Resources Defense Council puts dollar signs on something we already know: climate change is killing the snow sports industries. yuriy kulik/Shutterstock Jeremy Jones and Chris Steinkamp, founder and executive director, respectively,…
Make the most of that noblest of winter weekend sports
I like to listen to music when I'm out skiing or snowboarding. Does that put me at greater risk of injury?
The hardest part of watching Jordan Manley's third episode of A Skier's Journey is knowing that it's the last in this year's series. That thought quickly fades away as the stunning footage of Iceland transports you out…
One of the pioneers of big-mountain skiing in North America and his 17-year-old son, who is following in his dad's footsteps, discuss skiing first descents, the importance of being calculated, and how to stay alive in a sport full of risk
I know many resorts scale back their operations when the wind picks up, but is it really possible to get blown off of a mountain?
The idea for the five-part B.A.S.I.C.S. series hit J.T. Holmes after a friend of his died who shouldn't have. “This person simply made a bad choice, chose an objective on a mountain that was completely above his skill set,” says Holmes. “He was doomed…
Bamiyan, Afghanistan. Home to the best unexplored ski terrain on the planet, occasional town-crushing avalanches, and only a hint of Taliban presence. Saddle up for an intrepid boot-packing expedition deep into the Hindu Kush.
Fat bike slednecking: A sport is born. Photo: Ian Anderson This photo popped up on my Facebook feed last week. It was taken by Ian Anderson, an outdoor industry public relations professional, accomplished outdoor athlete, and father of two kids (ages two and five). Ian lives…
One of skiing's most recognizable icons discusses fame, death metal, and the lessons he has learned during a decades-long career in a sport that can wear people down pretty quickly
In Outside's November issue, Megan Michelson shares her haunting story about surviving a fatal avalanche in the backcountry of Stevens Pass in Washington's Cascades. It's a thoughtful, in-depth look at a mistake that cost several skiers…
Both Yaktrax and MICROspikes tout themselves as superior traction devices that keep you upright on snow and ice. Which product should I buy for winter running?
Historically, installing chains on your car to get over a mountain pass has been an awful task. Nearly always it involves crawling around under your car, usually in the middle of a storm or in deep and cold snow drifts, freezing your hands off. It's typically wet, cold, miserable, and…
Last fall, ESPN said All.I.Can was the best movie in skiing. The film blew up after a clip of skier J.P. Auclair performing tricks in three British Columbia towns went viral. He skied down stairs, jumped a clothesline in someone's backyard, and sent sparks…
The British Columbia-based videographer-photographer discusses Dubai’s ski community, what draws him to mountain people, and being naked—a lot—in Japan
What started as a glorious powder day ended in a desperate fight for survival after three skiers were buried by a killer avalanche in the backcountry of Stevens Pass, in Washington's Cascades. Megan Michelson lived to tell about it, but she can't shake off a haunting question: How did a group of expert skiers make such a deadly mistake?
I want to support my local charity by participating in their marquee event this winter, but fear that diving into ice-cold water could be dangerous. What do the experts say?
“I'm on the edge of the largest sand desert on the planet, where every night, it snows.” So begins the narration in the second episode of filmmaker Jordan Manley's series “A Skier's Journey.” Skiers Chad Sayers and…
It's one of the most dangerous outdoor sports for pets, but if you invest the time and discipline in proper obedience, it can be fun for everyone
The preeminent female ski mountaineer of our time discusses recovering from the tragedies of last winter, breaking into the backcountry, and schussing on an erupting volcano
Not pretty, but powerful. Part of the Elk Creek methane-to-energy system. Photo: Vessels Coal Gas Before it was at the vanguard of North American luxury ski resorts, Aspen, Colorado, was a mining town. Now, Aspen Skiing Company has made a $5.4 million…
As an athlete, is my skin more susceptible to damage during the winter? What can I do to protect it?
The 29-year-old Swedish ski-mountaineer with an elegant outlook on life discusses fear, risk, and that one time he broke his neck in an avalanche that swept him 400 meters down ice, rock, and snow
Two years ago Klymit launched its Variable Warmth Technology in a vest with sealed air/gas chambers that the wearer could inflate with his own breath, or Argon (the gas used to insulate between glass layers in your home's windows). Its premise: bodies change…
A rough map of Linsdau's route Photo: AaronLinsdau.com In a Monday blog post, American skier Aaron Linsdau reported from South America on the gear he was packing into Antarctica. One picture stands out. It shows two of his five duffel bags…
On March 11, 2011, an underwater earthquake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale caused a tsunami that may have killed an estimated 20,000 people in Japan, flattened tens of thousands of homes and businesses, and led to a disaster at…
It’s that time of year again: The first snowflakes are falling; winter hats and gloves, jackets, boots and skis and snowboards are being pulled from the back of the closet. Ski season won’t be here for a few weeks unless you’re a diehard frost skier.
When Frederick Reimers wrote the 2012 Adventure Bucket List for Outside this past spring, he made sure to include neck-dusting runs in the dark at Niseko, the snowiest ski resort in Hokkaido, Japan. Here's a bit…
Versatile. That’s how our East Coast tester described Brooks Range's four-way stretch, water-resistant Isto softshell jacket. He spent 100 days last winter and spring skiing, hiking and ciimbing in snow, rain, slush, sleet, freezing rain, some more snow, sun, blue skies, and any other…
Snow gunning. Photo: Tim in Syndey/Flickr Pointing to the sacredness of the San Francisco Peaks north of Flagstaff, Arizona, a coalition of Native American tribes has been fighting the development and expansion of Arizona Snowbowl ski resort since 1979. It remains…
Here's the trailer to the third season of A Skier's Journey, a Web series by Arc'teryx and Gore-tex that begins on October 29. —Joe Spring@joespringfacebook.com/joespring.1…
Benedikt Böhm on Manaslu. Photo: Dynafit Roughly a week after the deadly avalanche that claimed at least 11 lives on Manaslu, German climber and skier Benedikt Böhm summited and skied down the world's eighth highest peak without the use of supplemental oxygen in less than…
Unlike traditional snowboard bindings that use two ratchet straps to secure your boot to your binding, K2's National uses Auto, a new device that tightens both front and rear straps with a single ratchet. Auto saves weight and ups the speed and ease of…
Just before an avalanche swept through Camp III on Manaslu this past Sunday morning around 4:30 a.m., skier Glen Plake was resting inside his tent with teammate Gregory Costa. Strong wind gusts kept them awake. Their teammate Remy Lécluse was in another tent. The three…
A reindeer running in Norway. Photo: Shutterstock Here's something that might not surprise: Scientists have used a model to predict that if a formation of 241 snowkiters were to fly across…
There has been no better series about the making of an adventure movie than Sweetgrass Productions' 12-episode collection On the Road. The Colorado-based crew chronicled all the stink, snow, and blood that went into making the ski flick…
Reporter Devon O'Neil of ESPN has closely followed the career of Swedish alpinist and skier Andreas Fransson for years. When the trailer for Tempting Fear, a new movie about Fransson was released this week, he wrote…
With the Chinese government restricting foreign access to Tibet and, thus, Cho Oyu, skiers and climbers may head to Manaslu in Nepal. Cho Oyu is the world's sixth highest peak, and one of the best options for skiers looking to make an 8,000m descent. Benedikt…
Due to low snowfall and unstable avalanche conditions in many areas of the lower 48 this past winter, the crew at Powderwhore decided to follow skiers and snowboarders to more exotic locales. They packed light and fast, so their gear didn't interfere or slow down…