Posts Tagged ‘blackcomb’
Top 5 expert runs in North America
We had a heated argument in the pub the other night about the top 5 epic expert ski runs in North America. The debate was fierce – what makes a ski run ‘epic’ – pitch, scale, snow, exposure, elevation, scary terrain features, fear factor, what?
Pitch can be conquered with bullet-proof technique. Scale means stamina. Runs always change their character in different snow conditions, weather, light and time of day. Exposure makes you feel alive. Elevation – no pain, no gain. Scary terrain features? I laugh in the face of ‘mandatory air’! Fear factor – beats the crap out of the X-factor. What should be included, and what criteria should we use? Does Snowbird have better terrain than Kicking Horse? Is the snow depth and quality in Fernie better than Crested Butte? Who can say, but in my opinion a truly epic ski run needs five qualities – (1) a degree of difficulty that keeps you thinking and working hard the whole way down. (2) a fear factor. (3) a tick-the-box factor. (4) an aura. (5) a scale that’s off the dial.
Top 10 Mountain Restaurants
As the days become longer, the temperatures slightly warmer & the terraces of mountain restaurants busier with skiers enjoying their well earned “steak frites” and beer, we thought we’d share with you our top 10 mountain restaurants across Europe & North America.1. Cloud Nine – Aspen
1. Cloud Nine – Aspen
Dine at 10,740 feet at Cloud Nine, the former Highlands Ski Patrol hut on Highlands Mountain. Chef Andreas Fischbacher and his staff prepare gourmet meals with a European flair including fantastic raclette & fondue and more unusual osso bucco of elk among other daily specials, all to be finished off with a healthy shot of schnapps or two! This is undoubtedly one of the best mountain restaurants we’ve ever experienced!
