Portes du Soleil, France/Switzerland, Conditions Report: Sunny Skiing at the 2nd-Largest Resort in the World Report from January 10-11, 2024 Portes du Soleil, France/Switzerland Portes du Soleil is the second-largest ski area in the world. With about 600km (375 miles) of pistes spanning over 12 connected ski resorts, there is a lot to explore. The area lies on the border of Switzerland and France with part of the ski area on either side of the […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 19, 2024 0 Comments
St. Anton Am Arlberg, Austria, Report: Low Visibility Changes to Inversion Up High Report from January 8, 2024 Ski Arlberg Ski Arlberg is one of the largest ski areas in Austria. The most famous towns are St. Anton and Lech, where Princess Diana vacationed. It encompasses five distinct areas with 304km of slopes offered on 88 lifts. To explore the whole area from one base, it would be necessary to ski backpack. You […] Trip Report Brett Ploss | January 9, 2024 0 Comments
Engelberg, Switzerland, Report: Sunny Powder, Late Gray Skies Report from January 9, 2024 Engelberg Engelberg is located in a valley only a 41 minute train ride from the Luzern Central Train Station. There are two main areas, Engelberg Titlis and Engelberg Brunni. With 82km of slopes and 24 lifts it starts to feel more like a North American sized resort. Yet with the vertical it is still massive. […] Trip Report Brett Ploss | January 9, 2024 0 Comments
Kitzbühel, Austria, Report: Icy with Snow on the Way Report from January 4-5, 2023 Skiing I started off the day with the intention to explore more of Kitzbühel. With 57 lifts and over 60 on mountain food huts, it’s nearly impossible to see it all in a day. The Kirchberg and Kitzbühel sides were easy to get to from town, with great skiing. Although still icy, so I would […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 8, 2024 0 Comments
Mayrhofen, Austria, Report: Nonstop Snow Report from January 6-7, 2024 Europe has experienced a long, dry, and warm period. It was abruptly put to a stop by more than 36 hours of continuous light to medium snowfall. The Resort Mayrhofen is a large resort part of the Zillertal region, about a two-hour train ride from Innsbruck. With 48 lifts and 157km of slopes, there are […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 8, 2024 0 Comments
Kitzbühel, Austria Report: Monday Skiing Niseko, Tuesday Skiing in Austria Report from January 2, 2024 Resort Overview Kitzbühel is a world renowned Austrian ski resort located about a two hour train ride from the Munich Airport. Along with Niseko, it is part of the IKON pass giving American skiers an incentive to visit. The town has many luxury storefronts much like Aspen. It’s not uncommon to see a Louis Vuitton […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 4, 2024 0 Comments
Kitzbühel, Austria, Report: Sunny Skies and Icy Runs Report from January 3, 2024 Started off this morning in Kitzbühel. I walked about five minutes to the lift in ski boots. The issue here is small rocks are used for traction when it snows in town. In a dry period like now, these destroy the bottom of boots. I even noticed some damage to my GripWalk soles. It’s hard […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 4, 2024 0 Comments
Niseko, Japan, Backcountry Report: Sunny Skies and Soft Snow Report from January 1, 2024 What better way to start 2024 than by breaking out the skins and looking for some fresh snow. Driving to the backside of Mt. Niseko-Annupuri, there was noticeable snow accumulation on the parked cars. The sun was shining which made for scenic views. I parked and headed up the skin track passing tons of Sassa […] Conditions Report Brett Ploss | January 3, 2024 0 Comments