How do you do your ski trip research?

Sklar

Sklar

Active member
Staff member
Yo, I do a decent amount of writing about ski travel and destinations, so I wanted to get a better feel for what people actually care about when looking to take a trip.

Where do you typically do your research for a ski trip?

What kind of things are important for you to find out before committing to a certain location or areas?

Is there any info you wish was easier to find?

Is there anything you think Newschoolers offers as far as research and info that is unique?
 
I am getting ready to buy a car that I can sleep in so I can take more trips. My research will be exclusively done on the weather radar. See some snow, send it!

Most of the trips are with a few friends. First we all need to agree on a weekend. Then we just scope out AirBnB for a cheap room. Thats about all it takes. Stop by the store on the way out of town for grub. Spaghetti night with garlic bread is always a mandatory purchase at the store.

I would like to find the best place to get breakfast sandwiches for the morning and the best bar for the evenings. A bit of google work and talking to the locals will usually get me a good spot.

NS can give some good info if you want to research. Most of the stuff I have picked up over the years. Just small bits of info that help. The best way is to make a thread asking for advice about a trip and you will get some legit answers.
 
For resort skiing; I tend to do as little research as possible to never get an expectation of the location. Just have to make sure there are accommodations nearby, or friends that can take me in. But sometimes, I sleep in my car if I cant find anything. Usually couch surfing by asking locals and befriending them so they can be my guide. Its always about experiencing the unknown that is the thrill.

For back country trips, I research the terrain by topography first, to get a clue what kind of terrain Im going to be up against. Once I settle on a particular location, I search for anything that can be used as a shelter for a multiple day stay out there. For the Last 3 years, I have been looking at Bella Coola region 20km north of Hagensborg on the Mackenzie Trail. The problem is the 2 day road trip to the middle of nowhere.

For me, I want to get away from people as possible; find the hidden gems and ride till I collapse. I hate the night scene and I dont give a shit about 5 star meals and touristy bullshit. So, maybe I wont be of any help...
 
I have small kids and proximity of accommodations is really important. I hate when the resort web pages have crappy search functions that don't sort by location or don't have very many search filters.

I guess with the advent of multi-result passes, epic, ikon, mountain collective, etc., many of my decisions will be guided towards resorts on my pass. This year we purchased the Ikon pass, so Squaw is my local and I'm hoping to travel to lake Louise/Big3 late next season.
 
+1 on the best breakfast sandwiches. That kind of info can be kinda hard to source sometimes. Forum threads are really a good way to get info. The fact that regionals has died does not help but usually still some good info to be had in SG.
 
Affordability and accessibility are two very important things when searching for me. I need a pretty good understanding of my budget cause that really dictates a lot. Am I flying to BC to heli ski or planning a weekender just a state away? It would be cool if there was an app/search function that operated by “tiers” of trips. The lowest being a trip from Denver to WP, for example. A tier up could be travel plans for someone from the East wanting to get out of their comfort zone and ski Utah or something. And of course, you could offer planning for the few elite travelers trying out Niseko or the alps from the states. Hell, I’d even pay for the content. I know some smaller travel agencies offer a tailored service to you based on similar criteria and it would be cool to see it implemented with skiing.

Having a method of finding the best ski tune in town, best breakfast sandwich as someone mentioned, and coolest spot to chill after hours would be helpful. Especially hearing it from people like NS and not the average resort goer.

Lastly, weather reports are a must when searching. Sometimes, I’ll make a split decision for a trip to the mountain just because I see a storm is going to hit. Having this info readily available would be awesome.
 
I like to contact someone who lives in the area for info. I mostly travel to places where I have a contact. For backcountry trips, I look at topo maps of the area, google earth and try to find photos of the approaches to plan out routes and get a sense of some landmarks. I check the avalanche forecasts, if available. I look at the weather for the destination pretty much every day from the time I start planning, so I have a sense of the snowpack, wind loading, etc. going in.

For resorts, I look for the most economical way to go. I like for there to be an option for cheap lodging even if I'm camping, in case there's really horrible weather or something comes up where I need more than minimal shelter. Also a grocery store nearby is a plus, or other options for affordable food. If I can, I like to find a place where I can cook. I'm always tempted to go to rail jams/ local comps/ fun races, so that is a big influence on my decision making. I like to know if there's a place to camp/park for the night without being disturbed.

I like to know about smaller/less busy/more affordable resorts and community ski hills. I'm always interested to know about free days, deals and industry discounts.
 
1.Look at awesome mountains like Jackson Hole

2.Realize I already live in Utah and I'm also poor so I don't want to spend >100 dollars on a day ticket for a mountain I don't know.

3.Realize I already have a season's pass at snowbird

4.Check my bank account balance and see double digits

5.Ski at snowbird like every other weekend.
 
topic:Sklar said:
Yo, I do a decent amount of writing about ski travel and destinations, so I wanted to get a better feel for what people actually care about when looking to take a trip.

Where do you typically do your research for a ski trip?

Online, maybe a bit of word of mouth, but I will always seek out proof of what someone has told me.

What kind of things are important for you to find out before committing to a certain location or areas?

I don’t really travel much for skiing anymore as I travel for work to ski areas, but I used to travel a bunch. First order was always the park, then the freeride then price. Always went for places that had all of that, with an emphasis on park.

Is there any info you wish was easier to find?

Park information. It’s gotten a lot better, but reliable park information can be hard to find, especially if it’s a lesser known place. I have often found like “sleeper” parks that nobody knew of but were super sick. Resorts often underestimate the need to market their park product. User generated park information would be sick.

Is there anything you think Newschoolers offers as far as research and info that is unique?
Click to expand...

Maybe user generated park information. Also snow conditions and maybe even accommodation aimed at the average NS user.
 
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