Gotta love the French. Masters of bureaucratic directives. Or circumventing them. Take heliski, for instance. Heliski is illegal in France. But here we are, spending a day with skis and helicopters. For only 60€, to boot. It turns out that it is illegal to use a helicopter to take us to a mountain. But there is nothing that prevents using one take us from a mountain.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
February 2013, Alpe d'Huez, France
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts, Heli, Car); Sauna (Normal); Flying
Skiing and pine trees in Arizona? Oh yes. I spent the day following Ben, the ski patrol guy, and Kyle, a base jumper on his off day, through beautiful, dense forests on the steep hills of the Arizona Snowbowl ski area.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
February 2013, Snowbowl, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)
Does anyone remember the arcade game where you stood on skis? I loved that game, and one of the interesting tracks in the game goes through a cave. Ever since playing the game I have wanted to experience skiing underground. This week I was visiting Alpe d'Huez, France, and my wish was fulfilled. The "Le Tunnel" slope begins with a 200 meter tunnel through the mountain. And then continues as the most difficult black run the ski area has to offer.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
January 2013, Alpe d'Huez, France; Val d'Isere, France
Skiing (Snow, Outdoor, Underground, Lifts); Skiing (Snow, Outdoor, Underground, Lifts); Caving (Man-Made); Caving (Rock, Rock-Limestone, Skiing)
Innovation. Desire to do something new is not enough, you also need an opportunity and a catalyst. This time the opportunity was returning from a ski trip in Austria, with a flight leaving late in the day. And the catalyst was finishing the excess alcohol we had in the cabin. Suddenly I found myself staring at the Google Maps screen. The route via Liechtenstein would be almost the same length as going straight back to the airport in Munich. Why not?
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
January 2013, Malbun, Liechtenstein; Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)
This is the burning question everyone has. Should you spend your ski vacation in Peuramaa or Chamonix? The Planetskier is here to answer this difficult question once and for all.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
December 2012, Chamonix ski areas, Chamonix, France; Peuramaa, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)
On New Year's Eve the celebrations usually involve fireworks. It seems appropriate to post a video about fire, pyrotechnics, and, of course, skiing. And sacrificial pagan rituals, naturally.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
December 2012, House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)
My local hill may soon be opening, as they predicted over a foot of snow today. It has not yet arrived, but lets hope it will. Anyone want to join for a pre-season ski run this evening? Bring your old skis... could be grassy or even rocky.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
November 2012, Kauniainen ski hill, Kauniainen, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Skiing (Outdoor, Grass)
Amsterdam. Such a nice place to go skiing.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
September 2012, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Skiing (Indoor, Snow)
Amsterdam, what a nice place to go skiing! from The Planetskier on Vimeo.
I'm on a ski trip to London. To the site of the 2012 winter Olympics. To the shades of the Tower of London, the highest peak in the country. To the powder fields of Paddington and the couloirs off the Big Ben... Dream on. But I
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
September 2012, Hernel Hempstead, London, United Kingdom
Skiing (Indoor, Snow)
What might be the world's southernmost ski resort? Internet claims that the answer is Cerro Castor, outside Ushuaia, on the southern end of Argentina. But, that is actually NOT the right answer. Glaciar Martial, a small ski slope in the city of Ushuaia is actually south of Cerro Castor. But wait, even that is NOT right. There's an even smaller ski slope, Club Andino Ushuaia, south of Glaciar Martial. Or is there?
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(TGR version)
August 2012, Cerro Castor, Ushuaia, Argentina; Glaciar Martial, Ushuaia, Argentina
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)
So close, yet so far. I wanted so much to ski down from Volcán Copahue (2953 meters), but despite trying very hard it was not going to happen.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
August 2012, Caviahue, Argentina
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Climbing (Mountain); Urban-Exploration (Ruins, Buildings); Swimming (Outdoor, Thermal-Bath, Water, Waterbody-Lake)
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday was a sunny, powder-filled day, touring the backcountry of Cerro Catedral (2405 m). And evening in the famous Bariloche after-ski scene. In five different bars, all the way to 4AM. But today I'm not feeling so good. A headache. Breakfast that wants to return. I must have caught some illness. And did I mention the powder? It is raining and the powder is gone. There's only mud in the ground.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
August 2012, Cerro Catedral, Bariloche, Argentina
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Mud); Afterski
I like skiing, and my youngest son likes to visit aviation museums. When I booked a family trip to UK, both two randomly selected cities that we are staying at turned out to have an indoor ski hall and a museum with Concorde. What are the odds?
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
July 2012, Chill Factore, Manchester, United Kingdom
Skiing (Indoor, Snow)
This ski area is so hot that it melts your skis. Water would help, and also make the skiing faster. But their sprinkler system is being replaced, and this also happens to be the only day on our vacation when it does not rain.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
July 2012, Midlothian Snowsports Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Skiing (Outdoor, Plastic)
Many of my friends are regulars at Riksgränsen. But I had never been to this place that calls itself "Sweden's most legendary ski area". The legends are true. It is an amazing place. For starters, we were there in midsummer, skiing at midnight. In bright sunshine! The ski area is far above the arctic circle, and for about two months in the summer the sun does not set.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
June 2012, Riksgränsen, Sweden
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Afterski; Sauna (Normal); Urban-Exploration (Buildings)
We went to Matinkylä, southern Espoo today. One of the largest shopping malls in Finland, Iso Omena ("Big Apple") is located in Matinkylä. But they are also known as the site of M2, a mountain with icy slopes even in the middle of the summer. The steep slopes of M2 rise a whopping two feet above the surrounding landscape, scaring skiers and mountaineers alike. Indeed, very few climbers have climbed it.
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
June 2012, Matinkyla, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Imported-Snow); Urban-Exploration (Skating-Rinks)
