One Two Ski: Sensational Start to 2016 Season!

Sunshine Village - first resort to open in Canada: today! Photo courtesy of Ski Big 3/photographer Reuben Krabbe

Welcome back to One, Two, Ski! I hope you're getting revved up for the 2016-17 season and enjoying all the raving reports of early snow everywhere - particularly in Alberta, Canada where Sunshine Village, Banff opens today, a week earlier than planned, on its earliest opening day in over 30 years!

Below you'll find a handy list of other Canadian and USA resort opening days. Don't panic, you've still got a bit of time to ramp up your ski-readiness exercise regime and purchase this winter's latest gear, as well as get your ski schedule mapped out. My once-a-week articles will help you with all these elements which together make up the perfect ski trip.

Nozawa Onsen, Japan - Photo by Scout Ski

One of my first stories of the season will be about my debut dip into Japan's amazing powder earlier this year. I was lucky enough to visit Nozawa Onsen with Scout Ski in January during my round-the-world voyage with Semester at Sea.

Watch out for the full story in the next week or so..............

Powder to the People!
Thought you should know about the GetTickets.com 10 % discount promotion on Gift Cards. Buy them now - deadline 15th Nov - for the perfect Xmas or birthday gift. Redeemable at top ski resorts across North America, they are available online and can be sent to you or direct to the recipient. As well as lift tickets, the Gift Cards can be used for ski rentals and lodging deals with participating partners.

EpicMix App

With Vail Resorts' purchase of Whistler Blackcomb trending in all the ski news, I am also going to write about the benefits of that quintessential collective season ticket, the EpicPass (which coincidentally added skiing benefits at a Japanese resort in 2014). I'm going to be getting great mileage out of my first ever EpicPass at Park City, Breckenridge, Keystone, and maybe even the bonus days at Whistler this season.

Revelstoke by Mikael Pilstrand

As I was only able to ski for a month last season - slope-time sacrificed for four months' global travel working for the Semester at Sea study abroad program - I am making up for it big-time this winter! So far my itinerary includes two major trips to Canada, totally over five weeks, when I will be skiing Alberta (Sunshine Village, Lake Louise, Nakiska, Mt Norquay and hopefully Castle Mountain) and British Columbia (Revelstoke, Fernie, Kicking Horse and maybe even a few more) - in the delightful depths of December and back again for sprightly spring conditions. I am also skiing at four cutting-edge Colorado resorts late Jan/early Feb (Keystone, Breckenridge, Steamboat and Aspen) and touring as many Utah resorts as possible around Salt Lake City in early March (hopefully including Park City, Snowbasin, Alta, Powder Mountain, Solitude). Watch out for stories about these exciting experiences as they unfold throughout the season.

As usual I welcome your feedback on my articles as well as valuable input from your own ski/snowboard trips or experiences. Please send me your contributions to: louise.hudson2011@gmail.com. If there is anyone in your circles who loves to ski or ride, please send me their email to add to my subscribers list. And do spread the word about this blog whenever I send you a new post via your own social media networks. Digital word-of-mouth is such a great way to spread the love of skiing and riding!

For the record, I have now had over 63,500 views of One, Two, Ski! So, thanks to you all for your loyalty and please spread the word again this season via all your social media networks. Need to work on getting my book Winter Sport Tourism up to the same high count! Remember, it makes a great holiday gift for all your ski/snowboard friends, family and colleagues and is now out in affordable paperback.

FYI - Below is a recap of ski articles I had published in newspapers, magazines and websites last season. And for some actual action, do check out this short video clip - with a few quips from my husband - from a perfect powder day in Kimberley, BC, Canada last December: https://youtu.be/RJXAwPiYHPo. You'll also find some of my summer travel article links below, including Morocco, Charleston, Columbia and London.

SKI RESORT OPEN DAYS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA: