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November, 2024

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Far flung ski destination and skiing in unexpected places

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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7841 - Karma: 22,153
It's super interesting finding out about skiing in places you wouldn't think of. I worked at a tiny resort called Smokey mountain in Labrador, Canada this season, and my home mountain is a tiny hill on Prince Edward Island where it's usually 90% man-made snow.
Skiing on the tiny hills Serena and Talma in Southern Finland reminded me of home with the quick laps and cameraderie, but a lot of things were totally different and unexpected too, like riding the city bus to the ski hill, and only T-bar lifts, but lots of them.

I think it was @theabortionator who worked at a ski hill in Africa, which sounded super cool, and I remember someone did a write-up on skiing in the caucasus mountains in Georgia.
I read an inspiring newspaper article years ago about a man who skiied in all 50 states.
I would love to go skiing in Scotland, just to see what it's like.

The quirky micro ski scenes that develop in smaller, out of the way areas are always fun to discover.

Who has stories of going skiing somewhere super remote or where they wouldn't expect to find skiing?
Apr 26 2021 4:51PM
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BradFiAusNzCoCa
Posts: 7072 - Karma: 61,938
I totally know what you mean about the bus to the resort and then t bars. I was skiing a little resort in Finland this winter called Laajis. It’s where the real Skifi guys are from.

But of places I didn’t expect: I didn’t expect to ski in Australia at all. I was actually working and skiing in NZ and after that, my gf (now wife) and I went to Australia on a working holiday visa. I thought I was going to live the beach life but immediately nabbed a job at a ski shop. Had no intention of working another season but then corona happened and I got to think and started applying around.

I ended up working at the highest resort in Australia just below the Australian main range. There were no vehicles allowed in and you had to take an oversnow vehicle (Tucker sno cat or regular cat) in for about 45 minutes to get the the village from the base of perisher valley. I would often forget I was skiing in Australia. It was a trip.


https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1002146/trim-99F7E7B9-78F3-44B8-AEB8-F8A683C95DD1-MOV
Apr 26 2021 5:05PM
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hi_vis360
Posts: 5104 - Karma: 51,809
havent been but I would love to check out skiing in Iran someday, this edit is sick af

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/698231/Haparut---Iran-2014
Apr 26 2021 5:11PM
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Jacobthesadskier
Posts: 491 - Karma: 4,839
It's possible to ski in hawaii, on top of mauna kea. Mauna kea actually means 'white mountain' in hawaiian (There aren't any lifts so it's touring all the way up.) There's also (possibly) a ski resort in Indonesia, and it was once the 2nd highest ski resort on earth. Look up the story behind it, its actually a really interesting thing, and quite possibly the closest thing the ski world has to atlantis.
Apr 26 2021 5:13PM
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BradFiAusNzCoCa
Posts: 7072 - Karma: 61,938
I forgot to add that it was a very small, private owner resort located between Thredbo and Perisher. Home to the famous Koscziuszko chalet - one of the birthplaces of Aussie skiing.

There was some pretty quirky things about it, including the lifts which all seemed way too old to be running. These included a fixed grip chair lift running WAY too fast with a tiny Bull wheel which meant the chair whipped when coming around. There was also a “high speed Poma” aka J bar which felt overly dramatic. It was very loud and had a green light and red light. When the light went green, you would push off these handlebars to the left and right of you and it would trip a sensor (like in alpine racing). You then had 1-2 seconds to grab the j bar before it whipped you. I saw so many people eat it on that thing. It was ridiculous.

It was a great experience overall, but it honestly felt like being transported to a resort in the 80s. So different than my Northstar working experience.

Funny how it seemed like no customers at the shop knew of it before I left.
BradFiAusNzCoCaI totally know what you mean about the bus to the resort and then t bars. I was skiing a little resort in Finland this winter called Laajis. It’s where the real Skifi guys are from.

But of places I didn’t expect: I didn’t expect to ski in Australia at all. I was actually working and skiing in NZ and after that, my gf (now wife) and I went to Australia on a working holiday visa. I thought I was going to live the beach life but immediately nabbed a job at a ski shop. Had no intention of working another season but then corona happened and I got to think and started applying around.

I ended up working at the highest resort in Australia just below the Australian main range. There were no vehicles allowed in and you had to take an oversnow vehicle (Tucker sno cat or regular cat) in for about 45 minutes to get the the village from the base of perisher valley. I would often forget I was skiing in Australia. It was a trip.


https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1002146/trim-99F7E7B9-78F3-44B8-AEB8-F8A683C95DD1-MOV
Apr 26 2021 5:19PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51744 - Karma: 163,531
Sorry to scroll bomb, but place was pretty sick. Got hit up to go back down this summer but with the rona I don't think it's going to happen. We built a pretty sweet park and got a legit pow storm my first season. Lesotho, Africa.

Was looking for the most random, unexpected place I could possibly do my job. I think I found it. Some friggin amazing times though. The 2 seasons I was down there were a blast.



https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/859431/Afriski-Maluti-Powder-2016---Teaser





Apr 26 2021 5:22PM
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OregonDead
Posts: 6925 - Karma: 24,825
Anyone know anything about this ski area with snowflex type dry slopes in Mexico? https://www.monterreal.com/
Apr 26 2021 5:24PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51744 - Karma: 163,531
pinkcamo1000havent been but I would love to check out skiing in Iran someday, this edit is sick af

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/698231/Haparut---Iran-2014


I was going to do a touring trip there and maybe hit one of the resorts. Seems like I missed my window for a bit. Was looking into it 2015/17 ish.

I heard it's sick though. Honestly I'll blow money on something like that. Those kinds of trips are that of a lifetime.
Apr 26 2021 5:35PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51744 - Karma: 163,531
BradFiAusNzCoCaI forgot to add that it was a very small, private owner resort located between Thredbo and Perisher. Home to the famous Koscziuszko chalet - one of the birthplaces of Aussie skiing.

There was some pretty quirky things about it, including the lifts which all seemed way too old to be running. These included a fixed grip chair lift running WAY too fast with a tiny Bull wheel which meant the chair whipped when coming around. There was also a “high speed Poma” aka J bar which felt overly dramatic. It was very loud and had a green light and red light. When the light went green, you would push off these handlebars to the left and right of you and it would trip a sensor (like in alpine racing). You then had 1-2 seconds to grab the j bar before it whipped you. I saw so many people eat it on that thing. It was ridiculous.

It was a great experience overall, but it honestly felt like being transported to a resort in the 80s. So different than my Northstar working experience.

Funny how it seemed like no customers at the shop knew of it before I left.


Word that's sick dude. What spot is that. Is that Charlotte? I never made it there but wanted to check it out. Also never made it to Perisher because VR sucks and referred me to there website to save 10% on a full priced day ticket when I asked about a comp or discount because I worked at northstar in the northern hem season.

I worked at Thredbo for a year, really liked it down there, was going to make it my new home but the rona messed that up. Hoping I can get down there next year and start going regularly.

I dig Australia, also cool you worked at Northstar.
Apr 26 2021 5:39PM
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switchlip2
Posts: 2142 - Karma: 25,105
I was on a family vacation a few years ago in Scotland in mid April and we were traveling through the highlands and we saw a sign for glencoe mountain resort. We just wanted to see what it was like not expecting it to be open and how it was different from places back in the states, but we pull in and see the lift spinning. Went into the resorts rental shop and got everything I needed and set off. There is 1 lift at the bottom that takes you to a single chair, one of the few left in the world, and a bunch of T bars and Tows at the top. For Around April 19th they had extremely limited terrain but it was good skiing because the widest trail they had was about 50ft and I call having to jump over patches of rock and dirt constantly every run(see photos below) and it was amazing. During most of winter they have about 2600ft vertical and 150 inches of snowfall a year. Shoutout to all my British shredders I didn’t even know y’all existed




Apr 26 2021 5:49PM
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TroyBallsack
Posts: 586 - Karma: 11,317
Everyone knows about it but it still blows my mind that there is a ski resort in north korea.

Also i found out that one of my friends who went to lebanon to see his family ended up skiing there, even though he has never skiied in canada. I think the resort was called kfardbebian
Apr 26 2021 5:50PM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7841 - Karma: 22,153
timdrachanEveryone knows about it but it still blows my mind that there is a ski resort in north korea.

Also i found out that one of my friends who went to lebanon to see his family ended up skiing there, even though he has never skiied in canada. I think the resort was called kfardbebian

In the 2004 Plehouse movie Skimatic they go to Lebanon.
Apr 26 2021 6:00PM
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h3nry.
Posts: 216 - Karma: 3,497
The ski resort on North Korea would be super interesting to go to. I saw a ski movie, if you can even call it that, with Sam Smoothy and the place is crazy. Everyone there was wearing the same rental jackets and the place was basically empty. On top of that it’s obviously in North Korea so there is a bunch of weird rules and stuff you have to follow.
Apr 26 2021 6:13PM
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Jacobthesadskier
Posts: 491 - Karma: 4,839
Julian0Shoutout to all my British shredders I didn’t even know y’all existed


Fun fact, the UK has the 4th largest skiing population on earth, with 6.3 million skiers, almost 10% of the population.
Apr 26 2021 6:16PM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24730 - Karma: 29,989
BradFiAusNzCoCaI didn’t expect to ski in Australia at all.


Yeah, I didnt expect to ever have that opportunity either. Then I moved there in 2017 after a season in NZ, bootfitting in Melbourne and ended up skiing fucking powder and some really epic backcountry all the way up until mid-october. It was sick.



But now Im living in Japan... and though I always knew about skiing in Japan being awesome, I never thought I'd end up backcountry skiing at a bunch of old abandoned ski areas on the coast of the Sea of Japan...




Apr 26 2021 6:39PM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7841 - Karma: 22,153
DingoSeanYeah, I didnt expect to ever have that opportunity either. Then I moved there in 2017 after a season in NZ, bootfitting in Melbourne and ended up skiing fucking powder and some really epic backcountry all the way up until mid-october. It was sick.



But now Im living in Japan... and though I always knew about skiing in Japan being awesome, I never thought I'd end up backcountry skiing at a bunch of old abandoned ski areas on the coast of the Sea of Japan...






Do you have more pictures or info on these abandoned resorts?
Apr 26 2021 7:00PM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24730 - Karma: 29,989
skiP.E.I.Do you have more pictures or info on these abandoned resorts?




There are 3 abandoned ski areas within about 45 mins of the main niseko area.

Chisenupurri, Nisekoweiss, and Iwanai Resort. All three are now used for cat skiing operations and backcountry use.

Here is iwanai







It was actually an awesome ski area, but it was doomed by its proximity to the sea and its remoteness. The local town had been shrinking and didnt attract like the niseko or sapporo ski areas. The management company eventually backed out, and the lifts all kinda deteriorated quickly due to being literally on the ocean. They still run a double chair but the quad and all the single chairs are rusted out. The terrain rules








Then theres Niseko Weiss




This was one of the many areas around niseko, but due to local competition from the bigger ski areas with better terrain and the bubble bursting in the 90s, they couldn't keep going and they closed about 15 years ago, the lifts and lodge left to die on the vine.










Lastly Chisenupuri.






This little ski area was run by one of the local town run hills that was operating for decades but had to shut in 2013 because the 30 year old chairlift had been eaten away by the nearby hot spring that sends sulfur and shit over that way. Theres still the remains of the Hidgh speed detachable double chair there, and the old chairs are even for sale right now. The Black Diamond Lodge/Hokkaido Backcountry Club guys run cat and sledge operations out of there now.





Apr 26 2021 8:04PM
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BradFiAusNzCoCa
Posts: 7072 - Karma: 61,938
Yes, it is Charlotte pass. It was so fun up there. You should definitely head there for a powder day (if you can). All the wind whips off the main range so you get fresh turns all day. Have you heard of Didj? The main groomer?

Perisher felt so stale to me, to be honest. The whole valley area and stuff feels very.. how do I put it.. lifeless. But it was closest we could get to town so we would take the oversnow down and get drunk at the man from snowy river hotel ha

I loved my time in Aus in the mountains. I miss it. I got married in Jindy at the lake too. The snowy mountains will forever have a place in my heart.

I heard about Charlotte pass my first weekend of orientation at Northstar actually. Some guy told me about it over a parking lot beers get together and I was like “300 people daily occupancy, where is this place?” And it forever held a fascination in my mind.
theabortionatorWord that's sick dude. What spot is that. Is that Charlotte? I never made it there but wanted to check it out. Also never made it to Perisher because VR sucks and referred me to there website to save 10% on a full priced day ticket when I asked about a comp or discount because I worked at northstar in the northern hem season.

I worked at Thredbo for a year, really liked it down there, was going to make it my new home but the rona messed that up. Hoping I can get down there next year and start going regularly.

I dig Australia, also cool you worked at Northstar.

Wow, that’s not too different from my timeline. I was bootfitting in Sydney. Low snow year but we had about 2-3 weeks of some great cycles and it was awesome powder skiing. Made up for it in my mind.

I was actually really pushing for Melbourne and then Victorian resorts. My wife’s best friend growing up lives in Sydney. So we went to Sydney instead. Then we went to Charlotte pass because we both got jobs but I was initially pushing Victorian resorts. We would have been SOL if we went Victoria like I wanted. We arrived in aus like 3 months before covid. So if we did Melbourne like I wanted, we would have been stuck. Then Victorian resorts closed so if we did vic resorts, we would have been really stuck with no income or mobility.

Where were you skiing that season?
DingoSeanYeah, I didnt expect to ever have that opportunity either. Then I moved there in 2017 after a season in NZ, bootfitting in Melbourne and ended up skiing fucking powder and some really epic backcountry all the way up until mid-october. It was sick.



But now Im living in Japan... and though I always knew about skiing in Japan being awesome, I never thought I'd end up backcountry skiing at a bunch of old abandoned ski areas on the coast of the Sea of Japan...




Apr 26 2021 8:46PM
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BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 9401 - Karma: 68,885

Still my favorite picture on Newschoolers.
Apr 26 2021 9:51PM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24730 - Karma: 29,989
BradFiAusNzCoCaI was actually really pushing for Melbourne and then Victorian resorts. My wife’s best friend growing up lives in Sydney. So we went to Sydney instead. Then we went to Charlotte pass because we both got jobs but I was initially pushing Victorian resorts. We would have been SOL if we went Victoria like I wanted. We arrived in aus like 3 months before covid. So if we did Melbourne like I wanted, we would have been stuck. Then Victorian resorts closed so if we did vic resorts, we would have been really stuck with no income or mobility.

Where were you skiing that season?


Ah, bugger mate. Yeah Melbourne is the absolute tits for a city... it would have been horrible being there for Covid though, given how strict everything is. That city would be frustrating without the social culture.

I was working for Bumps at the time, and doing most of my skiing at Buller, Falls Creek, and Hotham. Then backcountry days usually around feathertop and in the area between hotham and falls. Then sailing on the bay or surfing out in Mornington, Torquay or Lorne on days where we wanted to avoid the long slog of a drive.

It ended up snowing quite a lot in 2017, and I lucked out with some bonafide australian powder days... 20-30cm overnight kinda stuff. The only negative was that you couldnt see dick in front of you because, at least in victoria, youre often skiing in soupy frozen clouds

but yeah man. Great times there. Id certainly consider going back if I was given a long term opportunity.
Apr 27 2021 2:29AM
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jps2.0
Posts: 477 - Karma: 2,401
DingoSeanThere are 3 abandoned ski areas within about 45 mins of the main niseko area.

Chisenupurri, Nisekoweiss, and Iwanai Resort. All three are now used for cat skiing operations and backcountry use.

Here is iwanai







It was actually an awesome ski area, but it was doomed by its proximity to the sea and its remoteness. The local town had been shrinking and didnt attract like the niseko or sapporo ski areas. The management company eventually backed out, and the lifts all kinda deteriorated quickly due to being literally on the ocean. They still run a double chair but the quad and all the single chairs are rusted out. The terrain rules








Then theres Niseko Weiss




This was one of the many areas around niseko, but due to local competition from the bigger ski areas with better terrain and the bubble bursting in the 90s, they couldn't keep going and they closed about 15 years ago, the lifts and lodge left to die on the vine.










Lastly Chisenupuri.






This little ski area was run by one of the local town run hills that was operating for decades but had to shut in 2013 because the 30 year old chairlift had been eaten away by the nearby hot spring that sends sulfur and shit over that way. Theres still the remains of the Hidgh speed detachable double chair there, and the old chairs are even for sale right now. The Black Diamond Lodge/Hokkaido Backcountry Club guys run cat and sledge operations out of there now.







I'm pretty sure they are re opening Niseko Weiss or the closest abandoned resort to hanazono with a new gondola soon
Apr 27 2021 6:41AM
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PacificRimJob
Posts: 24730 - Karma: 29,989
jps2.0I'm pretty sure they are re opening Niseko Weiss or the closest abandoned resort to hanazono with a new gondola soon


Thats the plan yeah


Apr 27 2021 7:31AM
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AK_TO_CO
Posts: 28 - Karma: 167
Slightly off topic, but I’ve always been really interested in abandoned ski areas. I grew up in AK, where I can think of 8ish? lift-serviced areas, only 2 of which are well known. There’s a project called the Alaska Lost Ski Areas (http://www.alsap.org) which documents all historical areas in the state and it’s pretty mind blowing. They’ve recorded 94 downhill areas, most of which were open in the 50s and 60s and had like a 1-2 tbars or rope tows. I’m speculating, but it definitely seemed like skiing had more of a community skatepark vibe, where you didn’t need fucking 10 high-speed quads, 3k of vert, and a $100 pass to have a good time. I wish little community ski areas would return to the west. Shoutout to places that are making the effort to continue that tradition. I taught my gf to ski at the city-owned howelson hill in steamboat springs in November and we had a blast. We dropped 30$/day for passes and made a multi-day vacation out of it for less than a day pass at literally any other Colorado resort. My hometown in AK just opened a new community ski area (skeetawk) that looks super fun. A single lift is enough to provide a solid skiing experience and I think more communities should look into adding one.
Apr 27 2021 10:55AM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7841 - Karma: 22,153
AK_TO_COSlightly off topic, but I’ve always been really interested in abandoned ski areas. I grew up in AK, where I can think of 8ish? lift-serviced areas, only 2 of which are well known. There’s a project called the Alaska Lost Ski Areas (http://www.alsap.org) which documents all historical areas in the state and it’s pretty mind blowing. They’ve recorded 94 downhill areas, most of which were open in the 50s and 60s and had like a 1-2 tbars or rope tows. I’m speculating, but it definitely seemed like skiing had more of a community skatepark vibe, where you didn’t need fucking 10 high-speed quads, 3k of vert, and a $100 pass to have a good time. I wish little community ski areas would return to the west. Shoutout to places that are making the effort to continue that tradition. I taught my gf to ski at the city-owned howelson hill in steamboat springs in November and we had a blast. We dropped 30$/day for passes and made a multi-day vacation out of it for less than a day pass at literally any other Colorado resort. My hometown in AK just opened a new community ski area (skeetawk) that looks super fun. A single lift is enough to provide a solid skiing experience and I think more communities should look into adding one.


Yeah I'm really into the community owned ski hills. Pass Powderkeg in Blairmore Ab and Phoenix Mountain near Grand Forks BC are two mini hills that I loved skiing at for dirt cheap. Really accessible for families and people that work or don't drive.
Phoenix Mtn. had night skiing but you just had to show up with your own headlamp. Kids running wild building jumps and whatnot.
Apr 27 2021 11:33AM
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BrandoComando
Posts: 1486 - Karma: 18,758
There used to be a ski resort only 16° south of the equator in Bolivia. The peak is 20 miles from the capital La Paz. It's located on a glacier in the Andes called Chacaltaya at an insane 17,634ft in elevation. That's higher than the base camp of Everest. The base of the resort would be the 5th-highest peak in North America. 3,000 feet higher than anything in the continental US. Absolutely nuts.

There was a single rope tow that carried skiers to the top of the glacier. It opened in the late 1930s and operated annually until the glacier receded into nothing in 2009. The photos are super cool. I'd love to visit it someday. There's still a restaurant at the resort and people sometimes hike to the top and ski after storms.







Apr 27 2021 11:37AM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51744 - Karma: 163,531
I wanna get back to Morocco and ski the Atlas mountains around Toubkal from Marrakech. I've hiked around there before and it would be a pretty awesome trip. Also there's a hut/hostel on toubkal you could tour from.

It just sucks how much gear skiing and snowboarding require.
Apr 28 2021 4:10PM
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Pilgore
Posts: 71 - Karma: 283
Nothing like some of the epic destinations listed here but I remember being pretty impressed with a ski hill into a Canyon when I was in Alberta.
Apr 30 2021 12:45PM
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GayWolf420
Posts: 37541 - Karma: 121,648
Iran im pretty sure has some riding, or at least crews of Iranian shredders traveling the world. Theres an account on social called "We Ride Iran" that updates stuff occasionally but its cool to see skiing in places you'd least expect.

**This post was edited on Apr 30th 2021 at 12:52:48pm
Apr 30 2021 12:52PM
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