Pow
Abbreviation of
“
powder”; signifies
that the person
using the word
is both a fan of
powder and so
well versed in ski
culture as to be
comfortable speak-
ing in code.
The breathtaking
off-piste runs,
the eye-bulging
views, the
brilliant black diamonds—
none of it means a jot if you
haven’t got the right kind of
snow. And for many skiers
and snowboarders, the only
right kind of snow is the
powdery kind. The Cham-
pagne of snow. “The most
delicate house of cards ever
made.” Which is why they
flock to
BigWhite Ski Resort
in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Thanks to the area’s copious
snowfall, reliably low temper-
atures and relatively dry air,
there are impressive heaps of
the stuff here. As one powder
aficionado emotes, “It gives a
supreme feeling of freedom
and mobility, a great sense of
flying, moving anywhere in a
great white paradise.”
Quiver, One-Ski
A ski that can be used by powder hounds and
groomers equally comfortably; the skiing equivalent
of a Swiss Army knife.
Skiers tend to talk about the one-ski quiver
as if it were the lost city of Atlantis. One blog-
ger has called it “a fantasy, one that’s easy to
imagine but impossible to achieve.” Well, the Salomon
Enduro XT 850
(
$875) comes darn close. It may not be
the world’s finest carving ski or the best on moguls,
but it’s among the most versatile ever made.
Noob
The most damning term in the
skier’s vocabulary, encompass-
ing everything from someone
whose boots are on backward to
a skier who fails to adequately
execute a corkscrew 720.
The names say it all:
Cloudspin, Skyward,
Lookout Below.
Whiteface Mountain,
located in New York’s
majestic Adirondacks,
is renowned for having
some of the most white-
knuckle slopes in the
eastern U.S., as well as
the loftiest drop this side
of the Rockies (3,430
feet). And while there are
no trails called “Noobs,
Do Not Even Think About
Skiing Here,” the 35-acre
expanse known as The
Slides is a preferred
spot for those who like
to do their skiing in the
absence of terrified
howls. Often icy and
littered with hazards,
The Slides pretty much
guarantees a noob-free
day on the slopes.
OpeningDay
A special date in a resort’s skiing calendar, o en marked by drinking, dancing,
whooping and morning-a er head-holding.
Most ski resorts celebrate opening day in one form or another, but
HeavenlyMountain Resort
in Lake Tahoe, Calif.,
takes the tradition to its extreme. Beginning
with Winter Ignite, a 24-hour shindig at
Heavenly’s boisterous Tamarack Lodge, the
festivities continue all week long with
activities that range from rock concerts
to displays by aerial acrobats. There is,
however, a potential downside to all this
merrymaking. “Heavenly leads the world
in first chairs missed,” says Russell Pec-
oraro, the resort’s communications
director. “It’s important to pace
yourself, because if you go
too big your first night, it
can compromise the skiing
aspect of your vacation.”
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
NOVEMBER 2012
99
