22F travelling to Japan (hakuba) for some skiing - if anyone around my age happens to be travelling there too and would love to hang let me know ! :)

Not this guy again. ( Last one, I swear )

😆

I mostly ski nights at small local hills in Ontario and Quebec. Mostly groomers that have been torn apart by 3,000 snowboarders before me. Not pure ice or anything, just old, slightly hard bumpy snow.

I'm an advanced (not expert) skier, 200+ days experience, I'm not expecting to progress more for the foreseeable future since I'm skiing with kids. Last skis were Atomic Redsters. I'm looking for something more playful, fun, and forgiving so I can ski a little more leisurely with the kiddo.

If I could describe what I'm looking for in one word, it'd be: "weeeeeee". 70% skidding and baby carves on blues, 15% side hits / drops / small jumps, and 15% bombing it down the last 500m of the run.

I don't want anything too stiff or demanding, like Enforcers or Dancers. Probably no metal.

Contenders so far are:

• Armada Antimatter 88
• K2 Mindbender 90C
• Elan Ripstick 88
• Salmon Stance 84 R
• Atomic Maverick 88C

I'm not particularly attached to 88mm skis. Something as narrow as 75–78mm would probably do, but some of these ski lines only seem to fit my needs at the wider widths. The narrower models sometimes have substantially different constructions, for example.

GoPro app a little inaccurate i’m sure but what’s what i got..

Bring on the Hate, Baby!

Hi! Planning a trip on the ikon pass for Jan 1-8 and was wondering your guys thought on these resorts and logistics. I’m not looking for anything fancy just a nice place to stay and watch movies at after I’m done. Right now my options are Slc and banff with prices looking somewhat similar?

SLC:
Flight (from La) ~350
Airbnb ~6-700
Car rental ~400( could be cheaper if I find airbnb right next to shuttle)

Banff:
Flight(from La) ~500
Airbnb ~700
Shuttle from airport to banff ~100 usd

From my understanding the shuttles in banff can take u to resorts and back.
Logistically what do you think would end up being the cheaper option? I looked for a few Airbnbs at Slc right next to the shuttle stops but prices either hike up a lot or they don’t exist(10-15+ walk which would suck after a ski day while in boots and holding gear)

22F travelling to Japan (hakuba) for some skiing - if anyone around my age happens to be travelling there too and would love to hang let me know ! :) we could exchange socials beforehand

At a lower discounted rate*, I meant so split the difference.

Thinking about going to Japan for 2 weeks to ski at the end of Jan 2027 and beginning of Feb.

Is two weeks too short to ski Niseko and Nagano area?

I was thinking of flying into Tokyo, spending 1-2 nights there. Take the high speed train to Nagano. Rent a car, get a hotel.

Ski for 3-4 days at different resorts. Drive to mmj marimoto airport and fly to CTS airport. Bus to hotel near niseko. Ski for 4 days, then bus back to CTS. Fly to Narita, then fly home.

Just wondering if that's all too much. A lot of driving and riding buses.

Anyone with some experience comment? Better itinerary?

I mean zoe atkin is great, but it just seems like there is this ceiling for all other halfpipe female freeskiiers, which is Eileen Gu, of which they simply cannot surpass. Eileen is too dominant

Hey,

I bought my first pair of skis from second hand, got them for a good price.

However I was wondering if there is any way to make them look less used.

They have multiple scratches around the bindings and on the topsheets of the skis themselves, but the bases are in perfect conditions

I know scratches are normal with used skis and I’m not expecting them to look brand new, but I was wondering if there’s anything I can do to improve their appearance or make them look a little nicer.

If you have any tips or advice please let me know!

Thanks in advance

EDIT: Just to clarify, the photos are from the warehouse of the shop where I bought them I dont have the skis yet with me. Before sending them, the shop makes a wax of the base and sharpening of the edges

also curious if I should choose 168cm or 174cm ? I’m 5’8” 180lbs. I ski northern NM, southern CO, and Mammoth.

Thinking of moving to Denver from Aus, with, amongst many things, one of the perks being close to the Ski fields.

Can anyone confirm if they're worth it? obviously without the travel and accommodation and being able to pack lunches, surely Aspen or Vale become more reasonable?

Got my first turns today with my 6 and 3 year-old in Massachusetts! Only about 10 turns at a time, but it was 65 and sunny - can’t wait for winter.

I'm planning on taking my 8yr old skiing in the interior over Christmas, but he's still a beginner with just of couple seasons. I'd like to end up on a hill he'd be more comfortable with than say Whistler or Kicking Horse, would you guys have any suggestions on a hill out there that has some fun greens/lighter blues for him?

Coming back from a 7-year gap of not skiing. Used to be an advanced skier. I'm completely out of the loop on modern skis. The last pair I had was a Dynastar Legend 8000 which I loved. Would like something with the same stable feel and good all-around performance. Any suggestions appreciated.

I got a couple of friends trying to convince me this is something I should do. But I know nothing about it. They have been very sparse on details. All I really know is they want to go this spring. Don’t know exactly when and I don’t know with what company.

If you have been, what are the snow conditions like? Is there powder to be skied? What’s the best time of the year to go?

Just for reference, I live in Utah. And the truth is I need to be sold that this is a better idea than the same type of trip anywhere else.

Hi everyone,

I'm a ski racing fan and I wanted a "bucket list" poster for downhill courses, the kind of thing cycling has for famous climbs. I couldn't find one, so I built it myself [AI]. Before I send it to print I'd like the community to pick it apart, because I'm sure I've made some mistakes.

What it is

• Double-sided A2 landscape poster (594 × 420 mm).
• Front: a 9 × 5 grid of vertical cards. One card per downhill course that hosted a men's or women's World Cup, World Championships or Olympic downhill between the 2000/01 and 2025/26 seasons. The centre card is a small legend.
• Each card shows: the country (diagonal stripe in the flag colours), the course name, the resort and its logo, and four stats: number of men's World Cup seasons, number of women's World Cup seasons, Olympic year, World Championships year. There's also a small "Visited" checkbox so you can tick off the courses you've skied (or watched in person). Courses whose name I'm not sure about are marked with an asterisk.
• Back: a "sticker collection" board with one empty slot per resort (31 slots), to fill with souvenir stickers from the places you've visited. The full season-by-season data is not on the poster itself, so I've put it at the bottom of this post.

The numbers

• 44 courses, 31 resort logos (some resorts host more than one course, e.g. Val d'Isère, Crans-Montana, Saalbach)
• 10 countries: Austria (12), Italy (10), Switzerland (7 + 1 shared Swiss/Italian course), France (6), Germany (2), Norway (2), Sweden (2), Andorra (1), Bulgaria (1)
• Season range: 2000/01 to 2025/26, including the 2026 Olympic courses (Stelvio, Olympia delle Tofane)
• Only downhill. No super-G, GS, slalom or combined.

How I collected the data

• Started from FIS calendars and results, then cross-checked with Wikipedia (several languages) and the resorts' own sites.
• I counted a season, not individual races: if a course hosted a downhill in a given season, it counts once.
• † marks a season where all the planned downhills at that venue were cancelled or moved, but the season is still counted (the course was in the calendar). Examples: Kitzbühel 2004/05 and 2006/07 (no snow, moved to Garmisch).
• Where a course hosted both men and women, the men's and women's seasons are listed separately, since they often use different starts or even slightly different tracks.

Where I'm unsure (this is where I need you)

These are the things I couldn't fully confirm from a primary source, and they're flagged on the poster:

1. Course names. For 7 courses I had to rely on a single secondary source. The weakest cases: Gertrud Gabl (St. Anton, women's WSC 2001; only German Wikipedia uses that name, another source says "Kandahar"), Olympiaabfahrt Patscherkofel (women, 2003), Schneekristall (Saalbach, women, 2002).
2. Same course or not? For example Planai vs. Streicher in Schladming (FIS lists them as separate, but are they physically different below the start?), or the men's finals in Saalbach 2024 (did they belong to Ulli Maier?).
3. Zauchensee 2001/02 men's finals - same course as the later women's Kälberloch races?
4. Cancelled / replaced races: I count the season if the venue was in the calendar even when the downhill was swapped for a super-G (e.g. St. Anton 2022/23 women). Is that how you'd count it?
5. One course whose name I couldn't find at all (a cancelled downhill). The card uses the resort name instead.
6. Anything I missed entirely. Are there downhill venues from 2000-2026 that aren't on the list? Or ones that shouldn't be (e.g. a race that was actually only super-G)?

A deliberate choice

I excluded Russian courses. They would have been in the data (Krasnaya Polyana hosted the 2014 Olympics and some World Cup races), and I left them out on purpose because of the war in Ukraine. It's noted on the back of the poster.

Design and tools

Layout is inspired by the "Europe's Ultimate Cycling Climbs" poster. The data lives in a spreadsheet (CSV/JSON), logos and flags were collected and normalised by hand and with scripts, and I used Claude (Anthropic) for data checking and layout work. All the facts are mine to be wrong about, which is why I'm here.

What I'm asking

• Spot an incorrect name, season, date or country? Please tell me which card and what the right information is (a source link is gold).
• Missing or surplus course?
• Design/readability feedback: is the stat row clear? Is the back too dense at A2 print size?
• Would you actually hang this? And would you want other versions (super-G, GS, slalom, Nordic)?

Logos belong to their respective resorts / FIS and are used here for a personal, non-commercial project. If I ever sell prints I'll sort out the licensing first.

Thanks in advance. I'll update the poster with every correction and credit contributors on the back if you'd like.

Full data: every course, with all seasons

Legend: M = men's World Cup downhill seasons, W = women's, OWG = Olympic Winter Games downhill, WSC = World Championships downhill. † = all downhills planned there that season were cancelled/moved (season still counted). ⚠ = course name not confirmed by an official source.

Tell me in the comments which of these you've attended (as a spectator, racer or just skied the course), and which data points are wrong.

Austria (12)

AUT-04 · Kälberloch — Ski amadé / Zauchensee, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee (men & women)
M (1): 2001/02
W (11): 2001/02; 2006/07; 2008/09; 2010/11; 2013/14; 2015/16; 2016/17; 2019/20; 2021/22; 2023/24; 2025/26
OWG: — · WSC: —

AUT-05 · Kärnten – Franz Klammer — Bad Kleinkirchheim, Bad Kleinkirchheim (women)
M (0): —
W (4): 2005/06; 2011/12; 2014/15†; 2017/18
OWG: — · WSC: —

AUT-06 · Krummholz — Haus im Ennstal / Hauser Kaibling, Haus im Ennstal (women)
M (0): —
W (3): 2000/01; 2003/04; 2009/10
OWG: — · WSC: —

AUT-07 · Olympiaabfahrt Patscherkofel ⚠ — Patscherkofel, Innsbruck (women)
M (0): —
W (1): 2002/03
OWG: — · WSC: —

AUT-01 · Streif — KitzSki, Kitzbühel (men)
M (26): 2000/01; 2001/02; 2002/03; 2003/04; 2004/05†; 2005/06; 2006/07†; 2007/08; 2008/09; 2009/10; 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14; 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18; 2018/19; 2019/20; 2020/21; 2021/22; 2022/23; 2023/24; 2024/25; 2025/26
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: —

AUT-10 · Schneekristall / Zwölfer — Skicircus Saalbach, Saalbach-Hinterglemm (men)
M (3): 2014/15; 2019/20; 2020/21
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: 2025 (M)

AUT-12 · Schneekristall ⚠ — Skicircus Saalbach, Saalbach-Hinterglemm (women)
M (0): —
W (1): 2001/02
OWG: — · WSC: —

AUT-11 · Ulli Maier — Skicircus Saalbach, Saalbach-Hinterglemm (men & women)
M (1): 2023/24†
W (1): 2023/24
OWG: — · WSC: 2025 (K)

AUT-08 · Planai — Planai / Schladming, Schladming (men)
M (1): 2011/12
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: 2013 (M)

AUT-09 · Streicher — Planai / Schladming, Schladming (women)
M (0): —
W (1): 2011/12
OWG: — · WSC: 2013 (K)

AUT-03 · Gertrud Gabl ⚠ — Ski Arlberg, St. Anton am Arlberg (women)
M (0): —
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: 2001 (K)

AUT-02 · Karl Schranz — Ski Arlberg, St. Anton am Arlberg (men & women)
M (1): 2003/04
W (7): 2007/08; 2012/13; 2015/16†; 2018/19†; 2020/21; 2022/23†; 2024/25
OWG: — · WSC: 2001 (M)

Switzerland (7)

SUI-04 · Mont Lachaux — Crans-Montana, Crans-Montana (women)
M (0): —
W (9): 2013/14; 2015/16†; 2018/19; 2019/20; 2020/21; 2021/22; 2022/23; 2023/24; 2025/26
OWG: — · WSC: —

SUI-05 · Nationale — Crans-Montana, Crans-Montana (men & women)
M (2): 2024/25; 2025/26
W (2): 2007/08; 2009/10
OWG: — · WSC: —

SUI-06 · Silvano Beltrametti — Arosa Lenzerheide, Lenzerheide (men & women)
M (6): 2004/05; 2006/07; 2010/11; 2012/13†; 2013/14; 2020/21†
W (9): 2000/01; 2001/02; 2002/03; 2004/05; 2006/07; 2010/11; 2012/13†; 2013/14; 2020/21†
OWG: — · WSC: —

SUI-02 · Corviglia — Engadin St. Moritz, St. Moritz (men)
M (3): 2001/02; 2013/14†; 2015/16
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: 2003 (M); 2017 (M)

SUI-03 · Engiadina — Engadin St. Moritz, St. Moritz (women)
M (0): —
W (14): 2000/01; 2001/02; 2003/04; 2005/06; 2006/07†; 2007/08; 2008/09†; 2009/10; 2011/12; 2014/15; 2015/16; 2022/23; 2023/24; 2025/26
OWG: — · WSC: 2003 (K); 2017 (K)

SUI-07 · Piste de l'Ours ⚠ — 4 Vallées, Veysonnaz (women)
M (0): —
W (1): 2003/04
OWG: — · WSC: —

SUI-01 · Lauberhorn — Jungfrau Ski Region, Wengen (men)
M (26): 2000/01†; 2001/02; 2002/03; 2003/04†; 2004/05; 2005/06; 2006/07; 2007/08; 2008/09; 2009/10; 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14; 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17†; 2017/18; 2018/19; 2019/20; 2020/21†; 2021/22; 2022/23; 2023/24; 2024/25; 2025/26
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: —

Switzerland / Italy (1)

SUI-ITA-01 · Gran Becca — Matterhorn Ski Paradise, Zermatt / Breuil-Cervinia (men & women)
M (2): 2022/23†; 2023/24†
W (2): 2022/23†; 2023/24†
OWG: — · WSC: —

Italy (10)

ITA-02 · Stelvio — Bormio Ski, Bormio (men & women)
M (21): 2001/02; 2002/03; 2003/04†; 2004/05; 2005/06; 2006/07; 2007/08; 2008/09; 2009/10; 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14; 2017/18; 2018/19; 2019/20; 2020/21; 2021/22; 2022/23; 2023/24; 2024/25
W (1): 2007/08†
OWG: 2026 (M) · WSC: 2005 (M)

ITA-04 · Olympia delle Tofane — Cortina Skiworld, Cortina d'Ampezzo (women)
M (0): —
W (24): 2000/01; 2001/02; 2002/03; 2003/04; 2004/05; 2005/06; 2006/07; 2007/08; 2008/09; 2009/10; 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14; 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18; 2018/19; 2019/20†; 2021/22; 2022/23; 2023/24; 2024/25
OWG: 2026 (K) · WSC: 2021 (K)

ITA-05 · Vertigine — Cortina Skiworld, Cortina d'Ampezzo (men)
M (0): —
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: 2021 (M)

ITA-09 · Franco Berthod — La Thuile – Espace San Bernardo, La Thuile (women)
M (0): —
W (2): 2015/16; 2024/25†
OWG: — · WSC: —

ITA-10 · La VolatA — Val di Fassa – Passo San Pellegrino, Moena / Passo San Pellegrino (women)
M (0): —
W (2): 2020/21; 2025/26
OWG: — · WSC: —

ITA-07 · Fraiteve Olympique — Via Lattea, San Sicario (women)
M (0): —
W (2): 2004/05; 2006/07
OWG: 2006 (K) · WSC: —

ITA-03 · Deborah Compagnoni — Santa Caterina Valfurva, Santa Caterina Valfurva (men & women)
M (3): 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17†
W (1): 2004/05
OWG: — · WSC: 2005 (K)

ITA-01 · Saslong — Dolomiti Superski / Val Gardena, Santa Cristina / Selva di Val Gardena (men & women)
M (26): 2000/01†; 2001/02; 2002/03; 2003/04; 2004/05; 2005/06; 2006/07; 2007/08; 2008/09; 2009/10; 2010/11; 2011/12†; 2012/13; 2013/14; 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18; 2018/19; 2019/20†; 2020/21; 2021/22; 2022/23; 2023/24; 2024/25; 2025/26
W (1): 2018/19
OWG: — · WSC: —

ITA-06 · Kandahar Banchetta — Via Lattea, Sestriere (Borgata) (men & women)
M (1): 2003/04
W (3): 2003/04; 2007/08; 2010/11†
OWG: 2006 (M) · WSC: —

ITA-08 · Pista Di Prampero — Tarvisio, Tarvisio (women)
M (0): —
W (4): 2006/07; 2008/09; 2010/11; 2025/26
OWG: — · WSC: —

France (6)

FRA-05 · L'Éclipse — Les 3 Vallées, Courchevel (men & women)
M (2): 2021/22; 2025/26
W (1): 2021/22
OWG: — · WSC: 2023 (M)

FRA-04 · La Verte des Houches — Les Houches / Chamonix, Les Houches (Chamonix) (men)
M (10): 2002/03†; 2003/04; 2004/05; 2005/06†; 2006/07†; 2007/08; 2010/11; 2011/12; 2015/16; 2023/24†
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: —

FRA-06 · Roc de Fer — Les 3 Vallées, Méribel (men & women)
M (1): 2014/15
W (2): 2012/13; 2014/15
OWG: — · WSC: 2023 (K)

FRA-02 · La Face de Bellevarde — Val d'Isère – Tignes, Val d'Isère (men)
M (0): —
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: 2009 (M)

FRA-01 · O.K. – Oreiller-Killy — Val d'Isère – Tignes, Val d'Isère (men & women)
M (10): 2000/01; 2001/02; 2002/03; 2003/04†; 2004/05; 2005/06; 2006/07; 2007/08†; 2016/17; 2020/21
W (17): 2005/06; 2006/07; 2007/08†; 2009/10†; 2010/11; 2012/13; 2013/14; 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18†; 2018/19†; 2019/20†; 2020/21; 2021/22; 2023/24; 2025/26
OWG: — · WSC: —

FRA-03 · Piste Rhône-Alpes — Val d'Isère – Tignes, Val d'Isère (women)
M (0): —
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: 2009 (K)

Germany (2)

GER-02 · Kandahar 1 — Garmisch-Classic, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (men & women)
M (7): 2000/01; 2002/03; 2003/04; 2004/05; 2005/06; 2006/07; 2008/09†
W (14): 2009/10; 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14†; 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18; 2018/19; 2019/20; 2020/21†; 2021/22; 2023/24†; 2024/25
OWG: — · WSC: 2011 (K)

GER-01b · Kandahar 2 ⚠ — Garmisch-Classic, Garmisch-Partenkirchen (men)
M (14): 2009/10; 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14†; 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18; 2018/19†; 2019/20; 2020/21; 2022/23†; 2024/25†; 2025/26
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: 2011 (M)

Norway (2)

NOR-01 · Olympiabakken — Kvitfjell, Kvitfjell (Fåvang) (men & women)
M (24): 2000/01; 2001/02; 2002/03; 2003/04; 2004/05; 2006/07; 2007/08; 2008/09; 2009/10; 2010/11; 2011/12; 2012/13; 2013/14; 2014/15; 2015/16; 2016/17; 2017/18; 2018/19; 2019/20; 2020/21†; 2021/22; 2023/24; 2024/25; 2025/26
W (5): 2002/03; 2022/23; 2023/24†; 2024/25; 2025/26
OWG: — · WSC: —

NOR-02 · NARVIKFJELLET ⚠ — Narvik, Narvikfjellet (women)
M (0): —
W (1): 2026/27†
OWG: — · WSC: —

Sweden (2)

SWE-01 · Olympia ⚠ — Åre, Åre (men)
M (4): 2000/01; 2005/06; 2008/09; 2017/18
W (0): —
OWG: — · WSC: 2007 (M); 2019 (M)

SWE-02 · Gästrappet (pist 57→58) ⚠ — Åre, Åre (women)
M (0): —
W (5): 2000/01; 2005/06; 2008/09; 2010/11; 2017/18
OWG: — · WSC: 2007 (K); 2019 (K)

Andorra (1)

AND-01 · Àliga — Grandvalira, Soldeu / El Tarter (men & women)
M (2): 2018/19; 2022/23
W (3): 2018/19; 2022/23; 2025/26
OWG: — · WSC: —

Bulgaria (1)

BUL-01 · Banderiza — Bansko, Bansko (women)
M (0): —
W (3): 2008/09; 2011/12†; 2019/20
OWG: — · WSC: —

To be clear, I'm not involved in the development or paid promotion of this game. Just a fan.

This is totally subjective and always look for feedback from locals for additional information for our visiting guests. Get a good bed of coals going before you rake me over them.

I was at a fall festival taking a ride on a gondola and it kept stopping and got swinging really significantly . We were over tough rocky terrain and of course my mind went to having to climb out of this by a rope. It actually happened last winter at this area during some really cold and windy weather. I was not there that day. I was wondering if any of you skiers have ever had to be rescued off a lift and what happened to strand you there?