50 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 15 2009
WhistlerBlackcomb,Whistler,
BritishColumbia, Canada
“When I firstwent toWhistler, Iwas a littleworried itwasn’t going to live up to the hype,
but beginningwith thedrive fromVancouver,which isbeautiful, theexperiencewas incred-
ible. I always stayat theFairmontChateauWhistler hotel, and from themoment you check
in, everyone is authentically friendly.
“It’sahuge resort, andyoucannot evenbegin toprepare for the skiablearea. I love that youhave to take thegondolaup
to themoderate runs, where the family zone is, so you get the feel of the enormity of the place. Mostmountains stick the
beginner trails at the base area. Amajor highlight is the peak-to-peak gondola, which connectsWhistler and Blackcomb
mountains and spans a 1,427-foot-deepgorge. Anothermust-do: Ride theT-bar andhike thebackglacier. Youdon’t get an
opportunity like that atmost other resorts. Butwhat reallymakesWhistler are thepeople. I endedupmeeting some local
folks on the lift, andwe skied together the entire day. Theywere happy to showme around.
“You don’t exactly have to live the high life to enjoyWhistler. The village has a lot of different lodging and eating op-
tions, so it doesn’t have to be too expensive, but you should splurge and eat at the Rimrock Café and the Bearfoot Bistro.
I savored the Champagne and liquid-nitrogen ice cream. Or just have a beer and burger at the Longhorn Saloon&Grill.”
Info:www.whistler.com
Verbier, Switzerland
“I tend to thinkof themountainsasaplayground, and if you
go to a playgroundwith one swing set, that’s not very fun.
Themore terrain, variety, better snowquality, thebetter the
experience. Which is why I love Verbier, Switzerland. It’s
enormous— a series of four interconnected valleys, where
lifts go up one side and down the other— and the town is
an idyllic Swiss village on a high, sun-soakedplateau.
“You canmake a plan in themorning to get to a restau-
rant café for lunch that is literally 20 miles from where
you’re starting. Since the trail system is reallywell marked,
you knowwhich sector you are going into anddon’t get lost.
“It’s definitely a family destination. The village is self-contained, there is very
easy access to themountain, and it has aworld-class ski school. Getting toVer-
bier is easy. Fly to Geneva or Zurich and then take a train or rent a car, and an
hour and a half later, you’re there.”
Info:www.verbier.ch
Expert:
ChrisDavenport
Claim to fame:
One of the
world’s most accomplished
big-mountain skiers, Dav-
enport won gold at the
1996 World Extreme Ski-
ing Championship in Alaska
and at the 2001 Red Bull
Snow Thrill of Alaska. He
is an author (
Ski the 14ers
),
has been in more than 20
feature ski films, and is a
commentator for ESPN,
ESPNonABC, andRSN (the
Resort SportsNetwork).
Expert:
Suzy “Chapstick” Chaffee
Claim to fame:
Chaffee is an Olympic
skier and a three-timeworld champion
in freestyle skiing, and shewas induct-
ed into theU.S. National Ski andSnow-
boardHall ofFame in1988. She’salsoa
Fordmodel andhasendorsementswith
ChapStick, Revlon, Dannon yogurt, and
Seagram’s spirits.
Expert:
ChrisHarrison
Claim to fame:
Harrison
hosts ABC’s
The Bachelor
and
TheBachelorette
.
RAChElWAlkER
is a former editor at
Skiing
Magazine
. Her favorite place to ski is Jackson
Hole,Wyoming.
MammothMountain
SkiArea,
MammothLakes,
California
“Mammoth has the best snow in
America, and it is amagnificentmoun-
tain. It is very big, has a ton of vari-
ety, and is gorgeous. The snow sticks
aroundwell into summer, and you can
ski in June. I first skied there in 1965,
when Dave McCoy (founder of Mam-
mothMountain Ski Area) gaveme the
coaching I needed to make the U.S.
Ski Team. Back then, I thought the
area ought to go to charm school— it
was a little rough around the edges.
I’ve been back over the years, most
recently this past May, and I can tell
you, it has. It’s a beautiful town and
base area, with fabulous lakes and
natural hot springs nearby, and if you
drive down to Bishop, in 45 minutes
you’re in an entirely different climate,
one that’s warm and pleasant year-
round. You can literally ski Mammoth
in the morning and golf in the after-
noon. Yosemite National Park is a few
hours away, and the mountain even
has apublic bus to the park. If you like
cheap thrills, you’ll love Mammoth’s
mild earthquakes. They’reminor trem-
ors, really, and good reminders that
Mother Earth is the boss.
“The skiing is legendary, and many
famous skiers have come out of (or
chosen to settle in) the Mammoth
Mountain area. Even though it has
some of the most extreme terrain,
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area has
a lot of family atmosphere. Why is
Mammoth so iconic? It is big enough
that there aren’t too many lift lines,
it is stunningly beautiful, and it has
more snow thanother resorts near the
ocean. I think that’s because Mam-
moth has good karma for sharing this
resourcewith ancestral tribes. The ski
area has worked cooperatively with
the native Paiute tribe from its very
beginning.”
Info:
mountain.com
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