WorldSkiTraveller: Collector of Ski Areas

This month, Zurich-based skier Roger Gfrörer, known online as Worldskitraveller, completed an undertaking that sounded more like a military logistics operation than a ski vacation. Over six weeks, he skied at 79 ski areas across 18 U.S. states, drove more than 7,500 miles, and checked into 38 hotels and motels along the way.

The endeavor was originally titled Project 101, reflecting an initial goal of visiting 101 ski areas; however, a snow drought in the western U.S. forced a rethink. Regardless, the pace remained relentless: new ski areas (often several in a single day), constant motion, and little downtime.

What drives someone to attempt something like this and what does one gain by skiing and traveling so quickly through so many places? In the following interview, Worldskitraveller explains to NYSkiBlog the mindset behind this ambitious (some call it foolhardy!) road trip.

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When I first read about your goal to maximize the number of U.S. ski areas that you can visit on a destination trip, it sounded like a box-checking endurance test. What motivates you to ski so many places in such little time? Is there any connection to your career in academia at the University of Zurich?

Not directly. Of course, my professional background influences how I approach things with a certain level of rigor, but this project is not only about numbers for me. I like to experience a ski area, get a quick understanding of it, and then move on. It’s not that I don’t appreciate things in greater depth, but variety is more critical to me. Skiing is a big part of it; however, the traveling itself is also critical. I want to see how a ski area fits into a region’s landscape and culture.

When I go to the Alps, I usually ski one area per day unless it’s a very large destination resort; however, you take the “variety junkie” perspective to another level. Why?

Because skiing is only one part of the experience. Driving, walking around, eating, speaking with locals, and observing are just as important to me. It becomes something like a biography of a place. When you move expeditiously like this, you see so many things: small towns, architecture, history, the style of different regions, accents, and so on. Sometimes it’s overwhelming how much you take in, but I find it as enjoyable and instructive as staying in one location or region.

How long was this trip and how much did you actually ski?

It was about six weeks long and I came equipped with all three mega passes: Ikon, Epic (day passes) and Indy. In total, I visited 79 ski areas and I skied the last 41 days without a break. I had nine days off from skiing that were either devoted to travel or to family obligations. It sounds like a lot; however, I’ve actually done more on shorter trips and at a quicker pace. This one was relatively relaxed!

Some people following your trip made comments that you’re more interested in “collecting ski areas” than finding the best conditions, the most interesting terrain, or the most well-regarded mountains. How do you respond to that?

I understand the criticism, but I work within self-imposed limits, specifically: time, schedule, and geography. Given these parameters, I think that this trip went very well. Conditions are never perfect and luck always plays a role in scoring nice snow. I skied very good surfaces in the midwest and northeast whereas out west wasn’t great due to a long drought with many ski areas only partially open or not open at all.

At the same time, it depends what you mean by “best” – is it the biggest vertical, the most interesting character, the most skiable acres, the most challenging?

For me, it’s never only about the runs, the terrain, the infrastructure, or the conditions. It’s always the overall experience – the combination of skiing and traveling – that’s more important than chasing ideal conditions, trying to ski the biggest, toughest, or highest mountains. In my opinion, I’m the opposite of a snob so I wear my “ski-area collector” moniker proudly!

Many skiers from Europe visit the U.S. and immediately make comparisons – “our ski areas in the Alps are bigger, more impressive; more modern” – however, you don’t do that.

I try not to judge. An experience at a ski area can be bad for reasons that have nothing to do with the place itself. Maybe the weather or conditions were unusually poor; a key chairlift may have broken down. Perhaps I was tired or something was going on in my personal life; maybe I was preoccupied with something at work or I forgot something important like my ski jacket! Many small things come together to influence your perceptions.

I’ve skied resorts in Switzerland that I really disliked at the time. Later, I realized it might not have been the resort at all. That’s why I try not to make damning judgments. Sometimes I just say, “OK, that was enough for me” and leave. That doesn’t mean the ski area is bad – it just means my experience on that particular day was complete. Obviously, with this type of road trip there are no do-overs so I had to be comfortable leaving an excellent ski area after only seeing a portion of it.

You visit even very small ski areas and take something positive from them.

I like to look at what a place is, not what it isn’t. The smallest hills can still have something interesting. Even when I make a joke – like saying “Camelback is a water park with a ski area” – it’s not meant as an insult. It’s just an honest observation. What I also find interesting is how places evolve. I heard that Camelback used to be a small ski area for locals and now it has a successful four-season model so good for them!

What do you think about the business model in North America where Epic and Ikon pass duopoly drives up the price of day tickets?

There’s a big difference between North America and the Alps. In Europe, you can decide in the morning where you want to ski and pay 50 to 70 euros in many cases. What I find problematic in the U.S. system is that people are forced to buy expensive pass products far in advance and have very few options for a spontaneous and affordable day on the slopes if they don’t have one. I understand the economic logic, but culturally it feels quite different from the Alpine model.

We also have mega passes in Europe (for example, the Magic Pass) and that can be a very good value. But with any pass, you must understand your own habits: how you ski, where you ski, how you travel, and how often you go. Passes work very well for people who use them frequently and strategically, but they reduce flexibility.

Did you learn anything new about U.S. skiing?

I’m always learning and observing new things, even about places I’ve visited before. On this trip, I was reminded that skiing is much a more social activity here than in Europe. On the lifts at home, unless people already know each other, the entire ride up is in silence. Here, total strangers start chatting, often just by asking “how are you doing?” I find that very pleasant; however, at the same time it’s disappointing to prematurely end an interesting conversation five minutes later when you arrive at the top!

Something else that caught my attention this time was how much drinking I saw on the lifts: people nipping at a flask, pulling beer cans out of their coat, and so on. I’m not sure if that’s typical in the U.S. or if it was just a coincidence that I saw it several times. In Europe, there’s drinking but it’s always during après-ski at a bar or restaurant.

You also mentioned being impressed by Americans’ ability to clear snow from roads.

Yes, this impressed me! Roads are cleared quickly and efficiently so you can still drive – and the snow stays where it matters, on the slopes. I noticed this especially while driving through Michigan after storms. It makes a big difference in how a region functions in winter.

How far in advance did you plan this trip?

I first had the idea for it in the spring of 2024 and the initial planning began that summer. During the winter of 2024-25, I researched which mega passes I needed to buy so I could take advantage of the cheaper pre-season prices. At that point, I wasn’t aware that I’d ultimately have to buy all three: Ikon, Epic, and Indy.

Do you ever get exhausted keeping up such a relentless pace? As you move into the later weeks, does it start feeling like a job or worse, a death march?

No question, collecting ski areas can be demanding. When I had to put my ski boots back on at 4:30 pm for the fourth ski area in one day, Cochran’s in Vermont, it took some willpower. A good friend once told me on a similar type of trip, “only the tough ones survive” and that motivates me when the going gets rough.

Which smaller ski areas did you like in the northeast and midwest?

I liked Nubs Nob in Michigan. The mountain is versatile yet compact and the branding is compelling. I also liked Saskadena Six in Vermont: one lift with “The Face” in your face and the history of the area, which stretches back to 1936. Shawnee in Pennsylvania had nice groomed runs and a fast chairlift. At Chestnut in Illinois, the terrain is short (475 verts) but steep; it has a back bowl; and the view of the Mississippi is great. I also liked Sunapee in Massachusetts, Hunter, Greek Peak, and Holiday Valley in New York, and Granite Peak in Wisconsin; however, after spending so much time in these regions, I no longer classify them as small! It’s all about perspective.

Other observations that I noted: how retirees go to the lodge in the morning with their skis and boot bags, change, and then go home after a few runs. In the midwest, I saw young people take a break from night skiing or snowboarding, retreat to their cars with their ski boots on, cover the windows, and do whatever they do. Base lodges here offer a place for everyone and everything – including brown bagging, which is strongly discouraged in Europe – and I love the perfectly organized drop-off zones. I also noted that safety bar use was quite low in western states like Colorado and California and very high in the northeast.

How do you research which ski areas to visit or do you simply try to visit as many as possible?

I look at the ski areas listed for a particular region on skiresort.com, make note of the largest ones, then I check their locations on a map. After that, I start identifying the towns and cities from which I can easily access these areas. Finally, I start planning and optimizing the itinerary. For example, I want to book my hotels in advance whenever possible. At the very least, I want to know where I’ll be staying each night, especially in a country like the U.S., where the distances are so vast.

Is your goal to ride a certain percentage of lifts or terrain before moving to the next ski area?

I strive to ride and ski from all of the open lifts at least once; however, I don’t stick to the letter on this point, especially if a lift services bunny slopes. Let’s say that I want to ski at least 80% of all open lifts.

Is spending two hours or less per ski area something you only do on foreign destination trips? Have you skied an entire day (or multiple days) at one ski area in the Alps?

In some Alps regions, I ski until I’ve ridden all of the lifts. In spring, I stay at one resort in Austria and Italy for several days at a time and at Easter, I spend four days in Scuol, Switzerland so I’m not a fulltime ski-area collector!

What was the most times in one day that you put on and took off your ski boots?

In February 2019, I visited nine Austrian ski areas in one day.

What is the most number of hours that you drove between two areas that you skied on the same day?

On this trip, it was between Greek Peak and Titus Mountain in New York State, approximately four hours of drive time. I arrived at Titus 40 minutes before the lifts closed.

Are you planning a final U.S. trip at some point in the future to “check off” any outstanding ski areas that you’ve missed?

I still have a few areas in Oregon and New Mexico, as well as Telluride and Winter Park in Colorado; however, I can easily combine these places with other areas nearby. I could also travel a bit later in the season and perhaps be more flexible, although that wouldn’t have made much difference this winter with the drought situation out west.

How many ski areas have you visited in total? Are you in competition with people like Arnie Wilson or Jimmy Petterson?

I’ve now visited 820 ski resorts. As soon as people start counting, a competition (either publicly announced or not) is soon to follow. I have a complete list which I update at the end of every season. I don’t know Arnie Wilson personally; he’s probably not very active anymore, and I don’t know if Jimmy Petterson is still collecting resorts. There may be other names higher up on the list than me.