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Europe Stop #4 - Lost In Translation

J Dogg — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Rating

The great thing about gravity is that no matter which way you point your skis; you'll always slide downhill. Without such fundamentals of nature, we'd still be skiing in erratic circles to nowhere, lost in the unrestrained alpine terrain that makes up Davos/Klosters Mountains, Switzerland.

It was the only resort on our European tour that we knew nothing about, and it became glaringly obvious as we slid aimlessly downhill into the foggy oblivion. Without a cult following of ski bums in town we had no friends to show us around, no overheard treasure-hunt stories of powder stashes, and with that, no expectations. We had come on a whim, but had a sneaking suspicion we wouldn't be disappointed.

Day 1 found us unfolding the resort map and playing eenee meenee minee moe to choose 1 of 5 mountains apparently hiding in the clouds above us. Jakobshorn was the closest, so up we went. While a big oaf led a whaling German sing-along for his literally 'captive' gondola audience, we peered out the window to scope invisible lines. Back on the snow, we did what we do best and pointed our skis downhill in hope. After a dizzying day of fog skiing and wondering, we were finally spat out on the valley floor, calling it quits for the day.

Day 2 saw much the same, or should we say didn't see. Eyeing up the map we noticed steep lines in the Parsenn resort area (Davos & Klosters), and the sound of its 'Weissfluhgipfel' peak had us sold. With a name like that we couldn't go wrong, or so we thought. Loading the Parsenbahn mountain railway, our alpine express ride landed us atop the mountain in what seemed like a misplaced metro station, with a matrix of lifts and hallways in every direction. When we surfaced on the snow, things didn't get any clearer.

Gravity once again had us sliding downhill, and we continued exploring the endless resort before being spat out once again in the valley floor, but not the same town. Try after try, we shredded long foggy laps of the resort, only to continue popping up in Wolfgang or Klosters, a full 30 minutes by train from where we'd started. It was like skiing in Whistler, and ending your run in Pemberton, but with an efficient and frequent train to whisk us back to where we started.

Luckily our visit ended nothing like how it started. We woke on Day 3 to bluebird skies and fluffy new snow, and immediately headed back to Weissfluhgipfel for redemption. The lack of local shredders that had plagued our last 2 days was a blessing in disguise, as we now had the off-piste almost exclusively to ourselves. Leapfrogging with one other group of strong skiers and their camera crew, we scored lap after powdery lap on the Weissfluhgipfel, linking it with the natural half pipe features alongside the Haupertali T-bar below.

Taking our sweet time on the empty faces, our only threats were the late spring sun and our train departure time that would surely be on time. Under bluebird skies we finally skied successfully back to Davos, jumped onto the first train we saw, and crossed our fingers that muffled Swiss-German announcement said something about Andermatt; our next stop on the tour...

DETAILS

Davos & Klosters Mountains are located in eastern Switzerland, close to the Austrian border, but like anything in Switzerland they are not far from Zurich. The huge resort area is made up of 5 mountains; Parsenn (Davos and Klosters), Jakpbshorn, Rinerhorn, Pischa, and Madrisa. The one group of locals

we did meet said we weren't even close to the best terrain stashes. Mind you, they were skiing right beside us. For more info visit www.davosklosters.ch

ACCOMMODATIONS

For something quick and easy, the Best Western Banhoff Terminus is right in front of the train station. Good rates, andthey've got a pimpin' sauna room for rainy afternoons.

The Hotel Strela is another good 3 star hotel up the hill, with tasty breakfast buffets, a lounge and free internet.

If you're reading this, odds are you're looking for budget accommodation. There's a variety of hostel options in town, the main choice is the Schweizer Jugendherberge Youthpalace. Search the web for other choices, it's a big town so there should be plenty of options.

Europe Stop #6 - Verbier, Switzerland

J Dogg — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Rating

When pigs can fly, will all the crazy statements people have made over the years come true? More importantly, if billy goats could fly, would they all migrate to Verbier, Switzerland for the winter to join the lucky ones already there?

Fortunately, since the invention of airplanes skiers can fly, and anyone with a sense of adventure should be headed to Verbier as soon as possible, to hone their billygoating skills in one of the gnarliest mountain playgrounds on earth.

With Verbier scheduled as the third to last stop on our tour, nobody told us it would evolve into our last. Spending the first few days covering as much terrain as we could, it became obvious we wouldn't touch even a fraction of the terrain in the resort, not to mention the backcountry potential stretching as far as we could see. With the same tropical spring conditions that hit most of Europe, our choices were at least made easier by sticking to the highest and most northerly terrain we could find, of which there was no shortage.

Topping out the resort, the Mont-Fort tram spat us out at 3330m where a short traverse led to a maze of steep North and East facing ridges and chutes to session for the days to come. And in true big mountain Euro-style, the long laps finished with a descent to Lac de Cluesen, the impending traverse around it, sliding the side of a huge damn, and tucking through single track trees towards a chairlift in another village below. And every afternoon we pushed our luck further, trying to squeeze in yet another lap before the lifts closed. The fear was not of being stranded in another ski town, but of missing our daily 2 for 1 happy hour at the Pub Mont Fort.

When the beer started flowing so did the stories, and soon enough the drunken rumors of a huge spring storm had made it's way through the fervent crowd. If pigs could fly I might have believed that a 3-foot snowstorm was on it's way in mid April, aimed to burry sundecks, spring flowers, unsuspecting pedestrians in flip-flops, and anything else in its path. Luckily though, we were at least curious enough to stick around for the outcome... scoring more snowy bounty than any drunkard could have anticipated.

After 2 days of merciless snowfall, the balmy streets of Verbier in April had swung full circle back into the wintery playground we'd been looking for. With over 3 feet of freshies in the alpine and clearing skies in sight, we were in no hurry to leave. The new snow had opened up a whole new realm of tempting terrain, so we frantically skied as many easy-access laps as we could before returning to the real goods; the north face off the Mont-Fort, for unrelenting steep powder from top to bottom.

But it wouldn't be Verbier without a little billygoating, so to wrap the trip we climbed and skied the nearby Bec de Rosses to sample the steep venue of the annual O'Neil Extreme Freeride contest. A true billygoater's paradise, the Bec de Rosses' 45-55 face is scattered with cliffs and doglegging chutes to give any competitor or aspiring billygoater a run for their money.

As we milked every bit of the vacant, knee-deep bowl below, our fast-approaching flight to Canada was a dismal thought to contend with. After all, it's hard to look forward to sharing a plane seat with a pig.

DETAILS

Resort
Located in South-West Switzerland, Verbier is best accessed from Geneva. For more info about the resort, visit the resort site at www.verbier.ch.

Events
Verbier is home to a few high caliber big mountain events. Find out more about the Verbier Ride and the O'Neil Extreme Freeriding contest.

Accommodation
If you're looking for nice accommodation to impress the girlfriend/boyfriend, be sure to try the 'Aux Vieux Valais' chalet & restaurant right in the heart of town, with incredible views of the Grand Combin across the valley.

For cheap accommodation, the local bomb shelter doubles as an underground hostel, 'The Bunker'. Yes you read that correctly, and hey, at least you'll be safe. Find out more at www.thebunker.ch/

Europe Stop #1 - St Anton

J Dogg — Thu, 12 May 2005 00:00:00 -0400

Rating

They say the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. But what I wanted to know was why there was any grass at all? Grass skiing has it's moments, don't get me wrong, but a whole winter of it leaves a bit to be desired. Watching the reports of big winter storms bashing Austria and North East Switzerland was tough to cope with. Then as the stories and photos of deeeeep pow came rolling in, it was time to get over there and see for ourselves.

As I rolled out of Whistler, helicopters and dump trucks continued their desperate attempt to keep every last bit of snow on the runs. Yet I had a creepy suspicion it was all a big joke on me, and my departure was the punch line. Flying through Toronto, flights were delayed by the flash snowfall that hit upon arrival, hmmmm. Arriving in Europe, out came the down jacket and everything seemed wintery again for about 24 hours, until I switched to shorts and a t-shirt. Getting fishier.

That very day, March 16, the beefy winter storm that blessed Europe for 2 months just picked up and left, heading straight for Whistler. I didn't know it just yet, but for the next 3 weeks I'd be strolling through the Alps in shorts and flip-flops while Whistler enjoyed 10 feet of fluffy white stuff.

Though a month in Europe wasn't going to waste, oh no. It had just begun, first stop: St Anton am Arlberg, Austria. Fresh off the train I tracked down some old friends who I knew would show me how it's done in St Anton, both on and off the hill. Sam 'Chief' O'Keeffe, 'Lloydo' Munjee, and Will 'Pissy Knickers' Hoddell have been milking St Anton for all it's worth the past few seasons, and this winter was no exception. It wasn't long before the 'shoulda been here last week' stories started coming out, and I did my best to contain the drool.

Skier Lloyd Munjee. Photo: Richard McGibbon

Not far from the Swiss border, St Anton was smack in the heart of the epic winter storms that hovered over Europe in the months before my trip. Seasoners weren't even bothering to explore the expanse of terrain while the snow came pounding down, they just sussed out their daily powder stash and went for it. Lower mountain runs at St Anton, St Cristoph and Stuben hoarded pow stashes that held up all day long, well out of harms way from the sketchy snow pack lurking in the alpine.

Photo: Richard McGibbon

Now up on the hill in baking late March sunshine, that sketchy snow pack had called it quits for the year, with big wet slabs sliding on dirt and grass in every direction. Not a good week for off-piste skiing, and oh what a tease it was. While we sloppy slush carved our way down every marked run we could find, dodging gold one-piece suits as we went, the stories of the past month came out at every new corner. I pretty much stood there jaw-to-the-ground while the boys pointed out huge lines in every direction, as far as I could see, all lift-accessible. With 270 km's of on-piste runs, you can imagine how far the real goods stretched for, all connected with 83 trams, chairs, and a few steps across a street or two.

Where you'd be on a good day at Rendl. Photo: Richard McGibbon

Finger Chutes on a good day. Photo: Richard McGibbon.

A better view of the terrain in St Anton. Photo: Richard McGibbon

Lucky for me, daydreaming about the weeks I missed wasn't the only thing St Anton had going for it. As we slow dog noodled to the valley each afternoon, the thumping bass of German techno revealed St Anton's other source of infamy... apres-ski like no other resort knows how.

While skiers around the world casually sip beers on a patio, Austrian and German tourists flock to St Anton without even checking the forecast, ready to party like none other. They don't sit around waiting for full moon parties, concerts or raves like other sissy cultures. It's on, every day, right after skiing until they pass-out or get sent home. No time for siestas, dinner can wait till tomorrow, and the kids can put themselves to bed or come with. That kind of apres.

Lounging at Steps Bar in the sun seemed innocent enough, but table dancing and pounding John Denver techno remixes somehow lured us to the Mooserwirt in no time. Serving more beer than any other bar in Austria (in half the time), the Mooserwirt has two full time staff switching kegs in the basement, all day long. Vodka flows from fountain taps while grannies in all-white sway on tables to live folk songs backed with dance beats. And just when the madness is winding down, they close the bar and send hundreds of drunken skiers to perilously navigate the last stretch of vertical to the village. Think Chinese downhill on refrozen crud and grass patches with oblivious drunk competitors... in the dark. Sounds like a good idea for Doglotion's next competition, eh? Maybe the grass is greener after all. With local races like this, you can imagine the apres ski out.

Photo: TVB St Anton Am Arlberg.

Next Stop: Lech am Arlberg, Austria. Check back soon.

DETAILS

St Anton Am Arlberg is 100km from Innsbruck , 200km from Zurich, and 250km from Munich. Heck, it's all close, get yourself to Europe and hop on a train to St Anton. The area is huge and it's packed with big mountain Euro-style terrain, all inter-connected with St Christoph, Stuben, as well as Zurs and Lech if you tour a bit. Word on the street is it's one of the best pow stashes in the Alpes, this past winter included.

Web: www.stantonamarlberg.com for more info.

Krazy Kangaroo and Moosewirt are hosts to the silliest apres sessions on the planet. Best grub in town is at Pomadoro's, mmmmm. And it's right beside the Funky Chicken, the place to be when the sun goes down (if you're not still rockin' at apres).

It's Called 'Powder King' for a Reason

J Dogg — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Rating

By: Jon Faulknor & Tyler Gigg Photos: Jon Faulknor

It's February 5th 2005. It's been raining for the past 2 weeks here in Whistler. This is the Longest down time I have ever had in my skiing Life. Talk About depressing. I'm not the only one feeling this. Myself, and two local Whistler Skiers, Alex Vu from Head Tyrolia-Carrera and Tyler Gigg from Salomon started checking out different ski resort web sites searching for snow and nothing looked promising at all, until we hit Powder King resort, located 2 hours north of the infamous logging town of Prince George. 120cms in the past 7 days read the snow report. That was all we needed to see.

A week later the truck was packed and we were on the road. Ten hours later and fueled by Base Energy Drink and Tim Hortons Coffee we were in Prince George. We woke up February 11 in some overpriced motel situated next to the local fire department in Prince George. That was the fastest departure from any motel I have ever experienced. After a quick breakfast at White Spot we were on the road again. Two hours later we arrived at the base of Powder King Ski Resort with the presence of 50cms of fresh, light, dry powder. This is what we had dreamed and longed for all season in Whistler but Ullr had denied us of our staple to live: powder.

We scrambled to get our skis on in true Whistler fashion and fought for the powder from the seemingly non existent crowds that we were used to. For a powder day with so much snow, there was no one around to take what we drove so far for. Lap after lap on the old rickety triple diesel powered chair we took our fair share of lines and then took more. Every lap back we were expecting to see some sort of lift line. Not at Powder King, where 40 people on the hill is a busy day. When 3:30 rolled around there were still fresh lines to be had. As we headed for the bar from the Chateau Atco where we had been graciously put up, and the snow was still falling. With only two groomers I understood why they never got used. The amount of snow falling from the sky explained it all. After looking out the window, after each pitcher, we then realised the tracks from that day had already filled in and it wasn't even 6:00 yet. We knew the next day would be epic as well after talking to some of the locals that frequented the bar.

That night we met Terry, son of Richard Doyle who owns Powder King, and Terry agreed to take us for the locals tour of Powder King the next day. He went ever further than we expected and arranged for a couple of locals to tow us out to the summit of Aszu Mountain so that we could ski down the Easter run. We knew this was special treatment that people rarely get around these parts. We were super stoked for this. This would normally take an hour hiking in waist deep snow, but Terry had delivered us to our newly found playground. This was by far the best run Alex, Tyler and myself have had this season. Skiing down the Easter run was like being in a totally different world. Deep powder, small cliffs and well spaced trees were just some of the features that made this run so unforgettable. As we reached the bottom of our epic run, it felt as though we were skiing in Japan. Willow trees and small shrubs litter the bottom half of the locals well hidden secret.

We got to the bottom and Terry had arranged for a vehicle to pick us up and transport us back to the resort. Twenty years ago Powder King was named Aszu Mountain, but for the past ten years, Richard Doyle and partners have taken it over and kept it's realistic back woods feel. If your ever up for some deep powder tree skiing, don't think twice. Head up to Powder King.

DETAILS

Day ticket Price: $40

Open: Thrus- Fri. 9:30am - 3:00 pm. Sat-Sun 9:00 am - 3:30pm.

Website: www.powderking.com

Average snow fall: 41 feet

Lifts: 1 triple chair, 1 T-bar

Base Elev.: 3,000 Ft

Top Elev.: 5,500 Ft

Vertical Rise: 2,100Ft

597 skiable hectares 33% beginners 37% Intermediate 30%Advance

The Place Where Snow Falls

J Dogg — Fri, 11 Feb 2005 00:00:00 -0500

Rating

Words: Jamie Bond, Photos: Jordan Manley

An old wise man once said that at any given day of the year, it is snowing somewhere on the earth. What he forgot to mention is that more often than not... that place is Shames Mountain, BC. Or maybe he didn't forget, but rather 'neglected to mention' the name of the place. We'd love to keep it a secret too, but could we really do that to our fellow skiers stranded at closed resorts throughout BC? Hmmmmmm, damn we're too nice.

Skiers throughout the Pacific-Northwest from Vancouver Island to Fernie, Oregon to Idaho have all been starving for their fix of powder this season, as Mother Nature decided to spend most of her winter having an affair with Hawaii. While some skiers fled the country and others abused their Playstations, we knew there was one place she wouldn't neglect.

So it was no surprise when the Shames Mountain snow-phone told us to sit down and listen up good, "95 cm of snow has just fallen on the resort". Daydreams of last year's powder filled our heads, and we knew we couldn't miss a meter of snow only 2 hrs away.

Located between the industry towns of Terrace & Prince Rupert in Northern BC, it's an easy-going 2 hour HAWKAIR flight from Vancouver to Terrace/Kitimat, with stellar views of the Coast Mountain range the whole way up. Within no time we were lounging at the Best Western in Terrace, dusting off the powder boards and prepping for the days to come.

At the resort the next morning, we immediately saw all the familiar faces from our trip in 2004. Only a handful of local hardcores and families have caught onto the wise man's secret, leaving 40 feet of annual snowfall and some killer backcountry terrain all for their own taking. We got word that a rain-crust had accompanied the meter of snowfall, but more snow had fallen since, and we were good to go. Starting the trip off with fast leg-burners, we hit lap after lap of Deliverance trees before moving on to short hikes to long runs Phasar Trees down to the infamous V gully. Local shredder Jake Palmer had no shortage of tricks up his sleeve to keep us entertained all day.

Word of Shames' bounty was already spreading, and on day 2 we met up with Whistler's Chris Eby and photographer Jordan Manley for some killer laps of Phasar trees before venturing up to North Bowl for the afternoon. Meanwhile, more and more familiar Whistler faces were making the pilgrimage to Terrace for their piece of the action, and they didn't regret it...

The real goods came day 3, when a bluebird sky let us to hike from dawn till dusk. The further we went, the bigger our eyes grew as locals Jake and Chuck showed us more areas than we could possibly ski in one trip. Zimbucktwo had our names written all over it, as we all chose different lines down it's featured 45-55 degree face of oh-so-juicy sluffing powder. Next stop was a lap of Zimmer Chute; a steep, fairly narrow couloir with tall rock walls to lock you in for the ride. Last but not least, the playground of North Bowl was hoarding a hefty stash of powder with spines, gullies, and cliffs from end to end. And without lifties to announce quitting time, we slayed North Bowl's powder until the sun set on our trip to Shames Mountain.

While we're back in Whistler, that wise man is likely still skiing untracked powder at Shames Mountain, all-the-while wondering why only a handful of locals are with him...

CLICK HERE FOR TEASER VIDEO

DETAILS

SHAMES MOUNTAIN is about 30 minutes drive up the road from Terrace, BC. In their first year of operation locals blasted through 72 feet of snowfall! If you haven't been, you don't know what you're missing.

Web: www.shamesmountain.com

Email: info@shamesmountain.com

Tel: 1 250 635 3773 Toll Free Snow Phone: 1 877 898 4SKI

HAWKAIR is a small airline that flies to select cities throughout BC, and their Vancouver to Terrace/Kitimat flight is as easy as it gets. Look for ski packages on their website.

Web: www.hawkair.ca

Toll Free: 1 800 487 1216

BEST WESTERN TERRACE INN is the place to stay while in Terrace, offering killer deals on hotel/lift ticket packages. For less than the price of a day ticket in Whistler, you can stay here and ski at Shames. And on Sundays and Wednesdays, their infamous Picasso burger and fries will be filling your belly for a measly $3.95. Mmmmm, burgers.

Web: www.bestwestern.com/ca/terraceinn

Toll Free: 1 800 488 1898

Jake Palmer on Zimbucktwo

Author in the spotlight

Hike up North Bowl

Chris Eby

Author at sun set