Skiing the Planet

"Mongolia is kind of close, right?" Story about an attempt to ski everywhere in the world where there's snow. And in some places where there isn't. On and off-piste skiing on all continents, skiing into craters of live volcanoes, climbing, photography, and travel.

The blog about skiing around the world. The most recent blog articles can be found in Blogspot. This page lists all the skiing-related articles from this blog series.

Mythbusting
Midsummer. Getting desperate with no snow around. But no matter. I will turn to doing something I have wanted to do for a while: testing skiing on dry ice. There's a claim in the Internet that dry ice isn't slippery. I want to know if that is true. So in Mythbusters style I have built a small test slope. I plan to put some dry ice on it and see if it I can ski it.
Full story
Alternate link

June 2013, Tampereen jäähalli, Tampere, Finland; House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Substance-Other)

June Snow Report
June 2nd. Sunny, temperature 25 degrees Celsius. I should be able to find some skiing, right? But the Grani slope seems all too green. Perhaps I should try skiing in Sahara? But I find only sand. But then my luck turned...
Full story
Alternate link

June 2013, Kauniaisten jäähalli, Kauniainen, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Imported-Snow)

Dublin
There is great skiing in Ireland. Even in the summer. Really. It is Sunday and I'm spending the afternoon with Matt Campbell from the Ski Club of Ireland. We are in the outskirts of Dublin, sampling different qualities of fake plastic snow in the club's ski hill. I like the hard, brushy surface better than the soft, white beginner's surface. The white plastic feels like packed powder, but somehow I find the surface a bit too soft. I can understand that the beginners like it though, the 40 cm of padding under the surface will ease the falls.
Full story
Alternate link

May 2013, Ski Club of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Skiing (Outdoor, Plastic)

Bird Poo
"It is bird poo". I'm looking at the ski area webcam and there is a spot of white on the green. My friend does not believe I'm seeing snow, and she is a local here in Virginia. But I think it is worth a shot, particularly since I have nothing to do on Saturday morning, having completed the week's meetings and heading back to Europe in the evening.
Full story
Alternate link

May 2013, Wintergreen, Virginia, USA
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

Search
I am searching for a destination that I can fly to and back next Sunday, no Visa required for entry, there is snow left, and I have not been there before. This is surprisingly difficult.
Full story
Alternate link

April 2013, House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

Yellow Snow
I always wanted to ski on yellow snow. Well, not really. But it always seemed that those fun half pipes were forbidden for skiers, so I was glad to find an empty half pipe in Tahko last Sunday. With no one to tell me that skiers were not welcome. Even if it was a yellow half pipe.
Full story
Alternate link

April 2013, Tahko, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Sauna (Normal)

Druskininkai
Country number 36 is Lithuania. I visited Snow Arena in southern Lithuania, near the border to Poland and Belarus. Snow Arena is a unique indoor-outdoor ski center, something that I have not seen before anywhere. The indoor ski hall operates throughout the year, but during the winter they open an exit from the top of the structure. An elevated "bridge" carries the upper part of the outdoor slope, which then continues along the natural terrain.
Full story
Alternate link

April 2013, Druskininkai, Lithuania
Skiing (Indoor, Snow)

Skiing in Aland
It is mid April and the sun is shining. Is there still some snow left somewhere? There is, at Aland! The Aland islands between Sweden and Finland are known for their sunny summers and flat landscape. I took a boat there to investigate if there'd be any skiing.
Full story
Alternate link

April 2013, Germundo Alpin, Aland, Finland; Hotel Savoy, Maarianhamina, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Sauna (Normal)

Season Is NOT Over
The skiing season is not over at all, not even here in the Helsinki region. Grani and Swinghill were still operating today, and Grani will run a couple of more days in the coming week. And in the other ski areas you can always hike up. And the weather is excellent. Get up, get out, get up, and come down!
Full story
Alternate link

April 2013, Kauniainen ski hill, Kauniainen, Finland; Swinghill, Espoo, Finland; Peuramaa, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Mankkaan lumenkaatopaikka, Mankkaa, Espoo, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

NOBODY Expects the Spanish Off-Piste
Who would have thought there is incredible off-piste skiing in Spain? Let alone at La Molina, a beginner's ski area that we thought we had already scouted last year. It turns that that the second lift takes you to some interesting terrain. Including some hairy routes where falling is not a good idea.
Full story
Alternate link

March 2013, La Molina, Catalonia, Spain; Grandvalira, Andorra; Vallnord, Andorra
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

Denmark
Sunshine, snow, skislope, grill, loud Schlager music... Clearly, I must be in ... Denmark. This is a yet another one of my quick Sunday trips, this time to collect my 35th country.
Full story
Alternate link

March 2013, Hedeland Skibakken, Copenhagen, Denmark
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

Flagstaff, Arizona
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.
Full story
Alternate link

February 2013, Snowbowl, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

Vuokatti
This sunday's random ski trip almost went to Denmark or Hungary. But we ended up going to Vuokatti instead. I knew where I wanted to go, as soon as ski area closures, flight availability, wife's non-negotiable requirements, and teenager's changing opinions became clear :-)
Full story
Alternate link

February 2013, Vuokatti, Finland
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

Inverted Heliski
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.
Full story
Alternate link

February 2013, Alpe d'Huez, France
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts, Heli, Car); Sauna (Normal); Flying

Underground Skiing
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.
Full story
Alternate link

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)

Black in Liechtenstein
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?
Full story
Alternate link

January 2013, Malbun, Liechtenstein; Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

This is the 19th set of articles. The previous sets were set 1, set 2, set 3, set 4, set 5, set 6, set 7, set 8, set 9, set 10, set 11, set 12, set 13, set 14, set 15, set 16, set 17, and set 18. The next sets are set 20, set 21, set 22, set 23, and set 24.

See also the Planetskier blog articles about caving, urban exploration, climbing, cycling, flying, swimming, and saunas. There is also a full list of all articles regardless of topic, a list of services "approved by the Planetskier, and a world map of all skiing related destinations from the blog series:

	Mythbusting Midsummer. Getting desperate with no snow around. But no matter. I will turn to doing something I have wanted to do for a while: testing skiing on dry ice. There's a claim in the Internet that dry ice isn't slippery. I want to know if that is true. So in Mythbusters style I have built a small test slope. I plan to put some dry ice on it and see if it I can ski it. Full story Alternate link June 2013, Tampereen jäähalli, Tampere, Finland; House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland Skiing (Outdoor, Substance-Other)

	June Snow Report June 2nd. Sunny, temperature 25 degrees Celsius. I should be able to find some skiing, right? But the Grani slope seems all too green. Perhaps I should try skiing in Sahara? But I find only sand. But then my luck turned... Full story Alternate link June 2013, Kauniaisten jäähalli, Kauniainen, Finland Skiing (Outdoor, Imported-Snow)

	Dublin There is great skiing in Ireland. Even in the summer. Really. It is Sunday and I'm spending the afternoon with Matt Campbell from the Ski Club of Ireland. We are in the outskirts of Dublin, sampling different qualities of fake plastic snow in the club's ski hill. I like the hard, brushy surface better than the soft, white beginner's surface. The white plastic feels like packed powder, but somehow I find the surface a bit too soft. I can understand that the beginners like it though, the 40 cm of padding under the surface will ease the falls. Full story Alternate link May 2013, Ski Club of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland Skiing (Outdoor, Plastic)

	Bird Poo "It is bird poo". I'm looking at the ski area webcam and there is a spot of white on the green. My friend does not believe I'm seeing snow, and she is a local here in Virginia. But I think it is worth a shot, particularly since I have nothing to do on Saturday morning, having completed the week's meetings and heading back to Europe in the evening. Full story Alternate link May 2013, Wintergreen, Virginia, USA Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

	Search I am searching for a destination that I can fly to and back next Sunday, no Visa required for entry, there is snow left, and I have not been there before. This is surprisingly difficult. Full story Alternate link April 2013, House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

	Yellow Snow I always wanted to ski on yellow snow. Well, not really. But it always seemed that those fun half pipes were forbidden for skiers, so I was glad to find an empty half pipe in Tahko last Sunday. With no one to tell me that skiers were not welcome. Even if it was a yellow half pipe. Full story Alternate link April 2013, Tahko, Finland Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Sauna (Normal)

	Druskininkai Country number 36 is Lithuania. I visited Snow Arena in southern Lithuania, near the border to Poland and Belarus. Snow Arena is a unique indoor-outdoor ski center, something that I have not seen before anywhere. The indoor ski hall operates throughout the year, but during the winter they open an exit from the top of the structure. An elevated "bridge" carries the upper part of the outdoor slope, which then continues along the natural terrain. Full story Alternate link April 2013, Druskininkai, Lithuania Skiing (Indoor, Snow)

	Skiing in Aland It is mid April and the sun is shining. Is there still some snow left somewhere? There is, at Aland! The Aland islands between Sweden and Finland are known for their sunny summers and flat landscape. I took a boat there to investigate if there'd be any skiing. Full story Alternate link April 2013, Germundo Alpin, Aland, Finland; Hotel Savoy, Maarianhamina, Finland Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts); Sauna (Normal)

	Season Is NOT Over The skiing season is not over at all, not even here in the Helsinki region. Grani and Swinghill were still operating today, and Grani will run a couple of more days in the coming week. And in the other ski areas you can always hike up. And the weather is excellent. Get up, get out, get up, and come down! Full story Alternate link April 2013, Kauniainen ski hill, Kauniainen, Finland; Swinghill, Espoo, Finland; Peuramaa, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Mankkaan lumenkaatopaikka, Mankkaa, Espoo, Finland Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

	NOBODY Expects the Spanish Off-Piste Who would have thought there is incredible off-piste skiing in Spain? Let alone at La Molina, a beginner's ski area that we thought we had already scouted last year. It turns that that the second lift takes you to some interesting terrain. Including some hairy routes where falling is not a good idea. Full story Alternate link March 2013, La Molina, Catalonia, Spain; Grandvalira, Andorra; Vallnord, Andorra Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

	Denmark Sunshine, snow, skislope, grill, loud Schlager music... Clearly, I must be in ... Denmark. This is a yet another one of my quick Sunday trips, this time to collect my 35th country. Full story Alternate link March 2013, Hedeland Skibakken, Copenhagen, Denmark Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

	Flagstaff, Arizona 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. Full story Alternate link February 2013, Snowbowl, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

	Vuokatti This sunday's random ski trip almost went to Denmark or Hungary. But we ended up going to Vuokatti instead. I knew where I wanted to go, as soon as ski area closures, flight availability, wife's non-negotiable requirements, and teenager's changing opinions became clear :-) Full story Alternate link February 2013, Vuokatti, Finland Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)

	Inverted Heliski 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. Full story Alternate link February 2013, Alpe d'Huez, France Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts, Heli, Car); Sauna (Normal); Flying

	Underground Skiing 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. Full story Alternate link 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)

	Black in Liechtenstein 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? Full story Alternate link January 2013, Malbun, Liechtenstein; Baden-Württemberg, Germany Skiing (Outdoor, Snow, Lifts)