Spring 2010 Midwest Skier Magazine

The spring 2010 edition of Midwest Skier magazine has been released, with updates on top ski & snowboard clubs throughout the Midwest, plus great destination articles on worldwide ski & snowboard destinations. Don’t miss the article about potential Olympian ski jumper Mike Glasder.

Read the entire edition in digital page flip format.

Top European Ski Destinations For Groups

Directski.com, the UK’s fastest growing winter holiday company, have come up with their pick of the top ten ski destinations, for families, skiers, non-skiers and groups.

1. Best beginners’ skiing – Arinsal, Andorra
60% of Brits fall into the `beginner’ category so an unpretentious resort like Arinsal, away from the glare of Europe’s superior skiers and prices that are among the best value in western Europe is ideal.

2. Best group ski resort – Soll, Austria
The Tyrolean resort of Soll is a great choice for a group of skiers travelling together. There is a good selection of properties that take groups and they vary from half board hotels to self catering apartments. All offer fantastic value for money. As well as this you can enjoy the lively apres ski while taking advantage of the short transfer to resort and the 250km of marked piste.

3. Best family ski resort – St. Johann, Austria
St. Johann is a great choice for a family, it’s main advantage being its location, just a little over an hour from Salzburg airport, with centrally located hotels, excellent English speaking ski schools and creche facilities . The ski lifts, ski school and ski creche, which operates in conjunction with the adult ski school, are all located within 100 metres of the centre.

4. Best value skiing – Pas de la Casa, Andorra
The prize for best value ski holidays and best value apres ski has to go Andorra for its duty free pricing, inexpensive, great value resorts. The happy hours, discos, lively cafes and restaurants also give the Andorran resort of Pas de la Casa its reputation as one of the liveliest resorts in the mountains.m

5. Best advanced skiing – Val d’Isere, France
Val d’Isere is a traditional village that is now a world famous draw for skiers from around the world. Home to the men’s downhill in the 1992 Olympics it offers extensive, world-class skiing, amazing powder and great opportunities for off-piste adventures.

6. Best apres ski – Livigno, Italy
Start early and finish late in the tax-free Italian resort of Livigno, with its reputation for great skiing, lively apres ski and numerous watering holes. The resort has access to over 100kms of pistes and even more bars, clubs and reasonably prices restaurants.

7. Best ski & spa – Bad Gastein, Austria
The Austrian spa town of Bad Gastein is world renowned for the healing powers of its natural thermal waters. Its snow record is pretty good too, which makes it a perfect ski and spa combination for those looking to relax after pounding the slopes.

8. Best glacier skiing – Tignes, France
Tignes is one of Europe’s premier destinations for glacier skiing with the Grand Motte glacier dominating the surrounding area giving it one of the longest ski seasons in Europe. The resort is served by the large well linked L’Espace Killy ski area and offers access to over 300km (190 miles) of pistes.

9. Best ski weekend – Lillehammer, Norway
The former Winter Olympic ski resort of Lillehammer has all the ingredients of a great ski weekend, with guaranteed snow from November through to April, great skiing, lovely hotels and a short airport transfer. Non-skiers can enjoy tobogganing, luge, sleigh rides, ice-skating and snowy walks.

10. Best non-ski activities – Zell am See, Austria
For non-skiers and those wanting to take a break from the slopes Zell am See has masses to offer, including tobogganing, bowling, a sports centre with indoor pool, ice-skating, snow shoeing, sleigh rides and cinema.

Sugarloaf Mountain

by: Elizabeth VanderSpek

Maine’s Carrabassett Valley is home to Sugarloaf Mountain, a ski destination like no other. Standing at 4,237 feet, Sugarloaf boasts the most vertical skiing in Maine and New Hampshire and the only lift-serviced, above-treeline skiing in the East. Ride up to the summit on the Timberland Quad to get see the dramatic views of Vermont, New Hampshire, Canada and majestic Mount Katahdin before plunging into the snowfields of Sugarloaf.

Serious skiers will find single- and double-blacks in Sugarloaf’s natural King Pine Bowl, where a variety of slopes await. Haulback is partly groomed and partly bumped, Ripsaw is always left untreated, and Widowmaker and Flume are favorites of the U.S. Ski Team. Cruisers will love Ramdown and Tohaul.

At the top of Central Mountain, with the steepest terrain and longest continual fall line in the New England, you will find even more choices. You can cruise the legendary Narrow Gauge, the only trail in the East that can host any FIS alpine event, including World Cup Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom and Slalom. Or head toward the thrilling chutes, trails and glades on the Spillway. Don’t miss Skidder, Sugarloaf’s signature bump run, and other favorites on Central Mountain.

Sugarloaf’s SuperPipe will give you all the tools you need to become an expert on the slopes with the same specifications that are required for professional competitions like the Olympics. In fact, 2006 Olympic gold medalist Seth Wescott honed his snowboarding skills right here. If these facts are intimidating, don’t worry; Sugarloaf has a second half-pipe that is geared to those who are still learning.
While Sugarloaf caters well to more experienced skiers and riders, there are plenty of opportunities for beginners to gain confidence in their sport. The Birches and Double Runner are two areas of gently sloping terrain that are perfect places to improve your skills before trying the green and blue trails on the Whiffletree section of the mountain.

This season Sugarloaf has invested $4 million to increase its snowmaking capacity by as much as 20 percent, improve grooming, upgrade facilities and create a new surface learning lift. Money has also been put into expanding Bullwinkles, Sugarloaf’s mid-mountain lodge, to include a table service restaurant. The Sugarloaf Outdoor Center is undergoing major expansion and renovation to increase capacity and add an Olympic-size skating rink to the existing skiing and snowshoeing facilities. If you haven’t been to Sugarloaf in a while, now is the time to see how they’ve enhanced the skiing and snowboarding experience.

In addition to skiing facilities, the Sugarloaf Sports and Fitness Center and Carrabassett Valley’s Anti-Gravity Complex offer a wide variety of indoor sporting options. The No. 1 golf course in Maine since 1985 is at Sugarloaf, and there are hiking and biking opportunities with access to the Appalachian Trail. World-class fly-fishing, whitewater rafting, kayaking and canoeing are also readily available at Sugarloaf, making it an ideal destination for outdoor enthusiasts.