The Magazine Blog

NY Ski Magazine: The Inland Northwest

Posted on by James Michaud

Even though I’ve written three dozen resort features over the past decade, I still have a long way to go before I’ve visited all of North America’s major ski regions, particularly out west.

Inland-Northwest-Skier

Just off the top of my head, I still haven’t made turns in California, British Columbia, Montana, western Washington and Oregon, central Idaho, Maine, or Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula. Being based near NYC (at least for the near future), that should keep me busy for a while.

Thankfully, last March, I finally got around to a region that had evaded my grasp for a while: the Inland Northwest, located in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Within a two-hour drive of the Spokane airport, there are five interesting and varied ski areas covering the gamut from full-service resorts to entertaining off-the-beaten-path day areas. What’s more, everything is surrounded by beautiful scenery: lakes, mountains, and gorgeous vistas, along with the cute towns of Sandpoint and Coeur d’Alene. Explore:

NY Ski Magazine
Inland Northwest: Destination, Not A Gateway

Tagged: Magazine, Western US

NY Ski Magazine: Ischgl, Austria

Posted on by James Michaud

For the third and final installment of the Magazine’s series on Austria, we head to the popular resort of Ischgl, which not only offers an extensive, snow-sure winter playground straddling the Swiss border, but also an après-ski scene that’ll test the mettle of even the most hardcore party hounds.

Skiing Ischgl Austria

Sometimes referred to as St. Anton’s indefatigable younger brother, Ischgl is truly a place where you can have your schnaps and drink it too — stay in the lively urbane town for easy access to 40+ bars and nightclubs (pole and lap dancing optional) or use one of the quiet nearby villages as a headquarters if you’re only there for the skiing and/or have the family in tow.

Equally noteworthy, the ski area manages to simultaneously celebrate its fun-loving reputation and more than five months of lift operations (stretching from late November to early May) by holding two huge outdoor concerts at mid-mountain to open and close each ski season. Please click through and read:

NY Ski Magazine
Ischgl Austria: More Than Just A Party

Tagged: Magazine

NY Ski Magazine: Montana Means Mountains

Posted on by James Michaud

Over the years, I’ve compiled a decent record of scoring powder on western ski vacations that were booked months in advance; but based purely on anecdotal evidence, Powderqueen has me beat.

Montana Skiing

Whenever she leaves Central New York for destination trips out west, fresh snow always seems to be along for the ride. Her March 2013 visit to the wilds of western Montana — split between the state’s two major resorts and a few lesser-known mountains — was no exception.

As she points out, Montana is a place that often gets overlooked by northeasterners as a ski vacation destination, yet the northern Rockies boast quality snow on spectacular, uncrowded terrain. Big Sky and Whitefish look like excellent full-service resorts for multi-day stays, but the many great off-the-beaten-path mountains appear to be Montana’s real secret sauce.

Please click through and read:
NY Ski Magazine
Montana Means Mountains

Tagged: Magazine