The best ski website in the world is a no brainer. It’s the snow report for the nearest ski area.
The second is an easy pick too. It’s the avalanche information centre for the mountains where you are going, or planning to go, skiing and snowboarding.
From there, online snow riding information gets a lot more nebulous. Some sites work well for booking the most common ski holidays, others review equipment, endless sites sell equipment and highlight the sport, but a few seem to give skiers something different. Surprisingly, a few of the sites I came across, including my Number One choice, are only partially developed sites that I chose in hopes of encouraging the next generation of ski websites. Here are my top five – after the obvious:
#1 SaveOurSnow This site wins because it addresses the most important issue future skiers will likely face – climate change. This incomplete site reveals how the environment affects winter sports as well as how winter sports affect the environment. It includes everything from news on which ski resorts utilize clean energy systems, to how to make ski travel less environmentally damaging.
#2 Colorado Powder Forecast A quirky meteorologist, with a knack for forecasting sick days, er, I mean ski conditions, put together this unique site that does the work of predicting where the best snow will be in the region – a week or so out – so you can plan accordingly. Check out one of his highly educational slideshows:How To Forecast Your Next Powder DayThe concept would be a good addition to any ski community. Are there any other hybrid weather/snow riding gurus out there in other regions who could do this for other mountain ranges?
#3 PisteHors This site is the gold standard of backcountry news websites. The French-based website’s recent news includes detailed information on matters as close to the heart as the current developments in avalanche safety equipment to things as far out as a photograph of a recent dirt avalanche on Mars’ biggest mountain, Olympus Mons – and everything in between.
#4 DogLotion The most apt blend of skiing seriousness and skiing silliness on the web. Of course. It’s Canadian. A vast collection of everything from features on ski superstars to hair-brained stunts like skiing rocks with no snow at all, to unbiased gear reviews, resort info, and a comprehensive guide to Canada’s backcountry huts.
#5 Kootenay Mountain Culture The website for the magazine by the same name. They claim, “Our goal is to motivate readers to interact with mountainous landscapes and their associated cultures. “ I haven’t come across a site that makes me want to get outside more than this one.
Of course we like CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, but really it’s the epic heli-skiing and helicopter snowboarding we do that deserves accolades, not our website.
Bugaboos heliskiing photo by Topher Donahue