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The insider's guide to the best slopes and best snow in the West Everything people need to find the best mountain for their personal skiing or snowboarding preferences Includes inside information on resorts and slopes that only a ski instructor or long-time local would know Advice on getting the most out of your vacation, including accommodations and restaurants, plus where and when to find the powder no one else knows about With candid, critical, and objective information on skiing and boarding the southern Rockies, the northern Rockies, and the West Coast

Lito Tejada-Flores, Seth Masia, Claire Walter, and Kurt Repanshek are four of the most experienced ski writers in America. All have been contributing editors to Ski or Skiing magazines. Lito and Seth are also gifted ski instructors with years of experience matching skiers and snowboarders with the right runs, advising on when and how to ski or snowboard the slopes, and planning the perfect trips.

List of Illustrations.

About the Authors.

Introduction.

About This Guide.

Why “Unofficial”?

Westward Ho.

Skiing the West: An Overview.

How to Use This Guidebook.

Tech Tips.

Letters, Comments, and Questions from Readers.

Map Legend.

Part One: Planning Your Ski Trip.

Things to Consider before You Go.

When to Go.

Where to Go.

Special Events.

Local Skier Impact.

Games Ski Mountains Play.

A Word about Grooming.

Special Considerations.

Comparing Ski Mountains.

Getting There.

Lodging.

The Sellers.

A Word about Ski-In/Ski-Out Accommodations.

Condos and Rental Homes versus Hotels.

Condos and Rental Homes.

Hotels and Lodges.

Helping Your Travel Agent Help You.

Part Two Colorado and New Mexico.

The Vail Valley.

Vail.

Lito’s Tech Tip: A Powder Primer.

Beaver Creek.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Polishing Parallel.

Greater Aspen.

Aspen.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Short Turns—The Key to Black Slopes.

The Ski Mountains Next Door.

Buttermilk: The Biggest Little Ski Area in Aspen.

Highlands: Maverick No More.

Bob’s Tech Tip: Collision Avoidance.

Snowmass.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Cruising—Big Turns for Big Mountains.

West and North of Denver.

Steamboat.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Trees without Fear.

Winter Park.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Basic Bumps.

Loveland.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Stepping Out: Skiing Off-Piste.

Summit County.

Keystone.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Hard, Icy Snow.

Arapahoe Basin.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Corn Snow and Springtime Strategies.

Breckenridge.

Lito’s Tech Tip: A Snowboarding Primer.

Copper Mountain.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Improving Your NASTAR Handicap.

Soulful Southwestern Colorado and Northern New Mexico.

Crested Butte.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Telemark Skiing.

Telluride.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Skiing Super Bumps.

Durango Mountain Resort.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Skiing against All Odds.

Taos Ski Valley.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Safety on the Steeps.

Ski Santa Fe.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Protection from the Elements versus Style.

Part Three Utah and the Northern Rockies.

Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Alta.

Peter’s Tech Tip: Skiing the Deep.

Snowbird.

Inside Story: Powderbird Heli-Skiing.

Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Brighton.

Peter’s Tech Tip: Stormy-Day Strategies.

Solitude.

Inside Story: The Utah Interconnect.

Backside Wasatch.

Park City Mountain Resort.

Deer Valley Resort.

Inside Story: Utah Liquor Laws.

The Canyons.

Inside Story: Avalanche Hunters.

Sundance.

Ogden Area.

Snowbasin.

Inside Story: Aspens.

Powder Mountain.

Inside Story: Back Side.

Southern Utah.

Brian Head.

Inside Story: Side Trips.

The Northern Rockies.0

Jackson Hole.

Inside Story: Ski the Big One.

Grand Targhee.

Inside Story: Snowcat Skiing.

Big Sky.

Inside Story: Lone Mountain Ranch.

Bridger Bowl.

Inside Story: Joining the Ridge Hippies.

The Big Mountain.

Inside Story: Dealing with Cold.

Schweitzer.

Inside Story: Fog.

Sun Valley.

Inside Story: Ski Schools.

Part Four California and the Pacific Northwest.

Hot Rocks and Cold Water.

The Sierras and Tahoe.

Mammoth Mountain.

June Mountain.

Bear Valley.

Kirkwood.

Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Lito’s Tech Tip: A Revolution in Skis.

Heavenly.

Alpine Meadows.

Lito’s Tech Tip: To Wax or Not to Wax?

Squaw Valley.

Inside Story: Sierra Cement.

Northstar-at-Tahoe.

Sugar Bowl.

The Pacific Northwest.

Mount Bachelor.

Crystal Mountain.

Stevens Pass.

Mission Ridge.

Mount Baker.

British Columbia.

Whistler/Blackcomb.

Blackcomb Mountain.

Lito’s Tech Tip: Ski Tuning without Tears.

Fernie Alpine Resort.

Kicking Horse.

Sun Peaks.

Panorama.

Index.

List of Maps and Illustrations Western United States.

Colorado and New Mexico.

Colorado Resorts.

Arapahoe Basin.

Aspen.

Aspen, Highlands.

Aspen Mountain.

Aspen Mountain: The Peak.

Beaver Creek.

Beaver Creek: Arrowhead.

Breckenridge.

Buttermilk.

Copper Mountain.

Copper Mountain: Copper Bowl .

Crested Butte.

Keystone: Front Face.

Keystone: North Peak and Outback.

Loveland.

Snowmass.

Snowmass Village, Colorado.

Steamboat.

Steamboat: Elkhead.

Steamboat Springs.

Vail.

Vail: Back Side.

Vail: Blue Sky Basin.

Vail: Front Side.

Winter Park.

New Mexico Resorts.

Durango Mountain Resort.

Santa Fe.

Taos.

Telluride.

Utah and the Northern Rockies.

Salt Lake City Area Resorts.

Alta.

Brighton.

The Canyons.

Deer Valley.

Park City.

Powder Mountain.

Snowbasin.

Snowbird.

Solitude.

Sundance.

Utah Resorts.

Brian Head.

Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho Resorts.

The Big Mountain: North.

The Big Mountain: South.

Big Sky.

Bridger Bowl.

Grand Targhee.

Jackson Hole.

Schweitzer: North Bowl.

Schweitzer: South Bowl.

Sun Valley.

California and the Pacific Northwest.

Lake Tahoe Area Resorts.

Alpine Meadows: Back Side.

Alpine Meadows: Front Side.

Bear Valley.

Heavenly.

Northstar-at-Tahoe.

Sierra-at-Tahoe.

Squaw Valley.

Northern California Resorts.

Kirkwood.

Sugar Bowl.

Southern California Resorts.

June Mountain.

Mammoth Lakes Area.

Mammoth Mountain.

Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia Resorts.

Crystal Mountain.

Kicking Horse.

Mission Ridge.

Mount Bachelor.

Mount Baker.

Panorama.

Stevens Pass: Front Side.

Stevens Pass: Mill Valley.

Sun Peaks.

Whistler.

Fernie Alpine Resort.

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