Skiing and Snowboarding on a Budget | Money Saving Mountain Tips

By: Brad McNally

Snowboarding and skiing are great hobbies to get into but they suffer from one big drawback: cost. Similar to other action sports, the cost of equipment can add up quickly if you aren’t careful, and then you have to add travel and resort/lift costs. While there is very little chance of you getting to go out and board for free, there are many ways to save a bit here and there to make it a little easier on your wallet.

image: buckeyeline.org

Ski Tips for Tackling Steeps | Mastering the Mountain

By: Ryan Centioli

Progression as a rider is everything, you want to go higher, go faster, have more style, learn more tricks, and simply continue to improve.

One part of progression that is often not talked about is how to get more comfortable tackling steeper parts of the mountain.

Whether it's backcountry, moguls, a treeline, or simply a steep face on your favorite mountain there are a few simple tips that with a little practice, can drastically improve your comfort on steels and riding all together!

A Ski Weekend at Red Mountain Resort in Rossland, Canada

By Patrick Stewart

Today I’d like to tell you about a wonderful little mountain, in a wonderful little town, in Canada. Wait! Come back! It’s barely in Canada, I promise.

Due north of Spokane, WA, about 20 minutes over the border, is a place called Rossland. It’s a quiet mountain town, with a handful of bars and accommodations. It has reasonable lift ticket prices. And while I would recommend this mountain to nearly everyone, for three 22-year-old college students it was a paradise.

Must-See Ski Videos | Ski Videos to Get You Amped

By Maya Silver

Ski videos these days are a dime, a dozen--especially with everyone and their mom strapping GoPros to their helmets. From mediocre “edits,”--as they’re often called--to ski bloopers, to drawn-out cuts of someone skiing the same “sick” bowl again and again, there’s a lot of ho-hum clips to sift through.

Today, however, we’ve got three very unique and creative ski videos unlike any you’ve seen before. They will make you laugh, make you shiver, and make you swoon. They’ll also probably make you want to go get your skis off your ski rack and head straight to the mountains.

Skiing After Fifty | A Weathered Perspective on the Slopes

By Michael Ryan

You may not be there yet, but hopefully you’ll make it. I’ve been skiing after fifty for, well, a few years now and here’s what you have to look forward to.

Lessons for Moving to a Ski Town

By: Claire Botsy

Are you considering moving to a ski town and becoming a ski bum for a season (or longer)?  There are some ski bum steps you should take to prep yourself for the transition and some things to think about before you make the move, like what’s it like to live as a lifty or what job you should get on the slopes.  In addition to all that info, here are 5 more things to think about if you’re moving to a ski town.

Snowboard Terrain Park - Rules to Ride By

By: Brad McNally

For many snowboarders the terrain park is the place to be when you are out on the mountain. If you’ve been in it, you likely know exactly why. If you’ve never been through it, it might seem intimidating or even just plain scary. Knowing what you are getting into is important, but so is knowing how to behave when you are there as well. There are unspoken rules in every sport, but it generally boils down to some basic things. Here are some tips to help you stay on the good side of those you are sharing the park with.

image: bluewood.com/terrain-parks

Winter Mountain Music Festivals for 2015

By: Rachel Novosad

Everyone knows you gotta have a great playlist ready to go for a day of skiing or riding. I love my Spotify just as much as the next person, but from time to time you should consider taking out those earbuds and listening to some live music instead! Summer isn’t the only time for great concerts and music festivals, Old Man Winter has some pretty great acts lined up for you this season. Better yet, they’re conveniently at ski mountains! 

So pack your snowboard bags – here is a sampling of some great acts coming your way. (And be sure to check your local or destination mountain’s event calendar for more!) Once you're there, tag us in all your pics @storeyourboard

Are you Regular or Goofy(foot)? Snowboard Stance Tips

By: Brooke Edwards Staggs

One of the first things new snowboarders need to figure out is which camp you belong in: regular or goofy.

This has nothing to do with your sense of humor or favorite Disney character. Instead, it’s all about your stance, or which foot you put forward on your board. Left foot forward? You’re regular. Right foot forward? You’re goofy.

This may seem counterintuitive, since we tend to think of right-handed people as being more “regular” because they’re more common. But that’s exactly why the terminology, which is borrowed from surfing, makes sense. If your right foot is on the back of your board, that’s the leg you’ll use to do most of your steering, braking and everything else that controls your movement across the slopes.

Tips for Taking the Bus with Your Bike

By Megan Maxwell 

Last summer my mother and I rode our bikes down the Pacific Coast together. We were newbie cyclists and we liked to veer off-course, so we sometimes rode city buses with our bicycles. On one occasion, we wanted to leave the coast and see Portland for a day. Another time, the bike route was taking us inland and we wanted to skip ahead to stay close to the ocean. Hence, we got very good at taking public transportation with our bikes.


Even if you’re not going on a big trip, you might need to take the bus with your bicycle while at home. Biking and taking the bus can reduce your monthly commuting bill by cutting gas costs, car maintenance, and insurance. It’s also a way to stay healthy and be green. And if you don’t have a car bike rack, buses are an alternative way to transport your bike long distances.

Working at a Ski Resort: What Job is Right for You?

By Claire Botsy

Working at a ski resort offers you more than a free pass to ride the mountain. There are a lot of different jobs available for you if you're considering making the jump to full time ski mountain man or woman. Of course there are perks to every job depending on what you want to get out of your winter season - here's a review of the various jobs at a ski resort.

Grinds for Beginner Snowboarders

By: Brad McNally

So you’ve made it through your first days on the board. You’re carving back and forth just fine, and you gave jumping a try when you could, and learned how to do a few grabs, but there is more to the terrain park than just ramps and air. You might have noticed the large boxes and rails sticking out into the air, so make use of them. More technical tricks might not be as attention grabbing to those watching from afar, but they show skill and give you a way to connect your runs through the terrain park together. Here are three grinds to try your first time that will get you started:

Night Moves | Tips for Night Skin and Skiing

By Maya Silver

Crowded slopes and lift lines got you down? We have just the thing to remedy your skiing claustrophobia: Night skiing! And we don't mean lift-serviced night skiing. We're talking about a good old-fashioned skin-up, ski-down workout … in the dark.

When I lived in Crested Butte, Colorado, I used to skin up the mountain all the time. It was a great workout, and when I didn't have a pass, I was able to get a run in for free. However, I never skinned up at night—always in the morning, or just after the lifts had come to a halt at 4pm.

Bikers' Guide to the San Juan Islands, Washington | Lopez, Orca and San Juan Islands

By Megan Maxwell 

The San Juan Islands reside just off of the Northwest coast of Washington. With an accessible ferry system and plenty of campsites, they are a fantastic place to go on a bike tour. My mom and I spent five days biking the islands last June.

View from Mt. Constitution on Orca Island

Crested Butte: Your Guide to a Weekend Ski Trip

By Maya Silver

One of my friends summed up Crested Butte pretty well when she described it as Whoville. It's adorable and it's also deservedly known as “Colorado's last great ski town.” While Vail and Aspen can feel like Alps rip-offs, Crested Butte is authentic, has its own unique personality, and is somewhat less saturated with '90s-era condos and second homeowners than other resort towns.

Mt. Crested Butte as seen from Snodgrass Mountain

It also happens to be a dead end. Unless it's summertime when unpaved Kebler Pass opens up, all roads end in the Butte. That means almost no lift lines, relatively uncrowded slopes, and attainable dinner reservations after a long day's ski. Those slopes also happen to be some of the best in the country if you're an advanced rider, with more extreme terrain than any other resort in Colorado. In other words, it's totally worth making the drive or dishing out for a flight, and hauling your ski bags out to the middle of nowhere.

Here's what you need to know before you load up your gear and head to “Crusty Butt,” as some locals affectionally call it.

Long Distance Bikers Guide to Big Sur

By Megan Maxwell 

Big Sur is a legendary stretch of ocean along the California coast, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The stunning views and beautiful weather make for a great journey on bike.

How Joining Ski Bus and Ski Team Changed My Life

By Patrick Stewart

Steven’s Pass, Washington - 1999

The fog was so thick at the top of the Skyline lift that the tails of my skis couldn’t see the tips. Seventh-grade me hadn’t made the jump to contact lenses yet, and my hand-me-down goggles hadn’t been state-of-the-art since 1973. This meant that I had two layers of fogged glass and plastic between me and the already hazy world.

5 Reasons to Ski or Snowboard Solo

By: Brooke Edwards Staggs

When we plan a day on the slopes, one of the first things we often do is enlist friends or family to come along for the ride.

Some of my best memories are of snowboarding with a group of friends, singing songs as we rode on the lift and challenging each other to hit that new jump.

Riding alone is a different experience. It can be a liberating one, though, and something I’d recommend every solid skier and snowboarder consider. Here are five reasons why.

How to Make the Best of Poor Ski and Snowboard Conditions

By: Ryan Centioli

It's a sad reality that unless you live on a mountain, you are going to have to deal with poor conditions from time to time.

Over the last 15 years, being from the northwest, I have had to learn to make the best of poor conditions. Northwest winters are either very good, or very bad. This year is shaping up to be the latter as two of our three primary resorts just had their opening days and the third with less than five inches of snow, is yet to open. Bad conditions are bad for everyone, including the organization that is operating the mountain.

How to Pick a Tent for a Long Distance Bike Trip

By Megan Maxwell

While going on an overnight bike trip, finding somewhere to sleep is important. You can always do a “credit card tour,” where you only stay in motel rooms and usually eat at restaurants, thus eliminating the need for camping gear. However, most people don’t have unlimited money to spend on vacation. Spending most nights camping is the best way to save money so you can keep your trip going. There’s plenty of cheap, generic tent brands out there, but it is better to have one that will stay dry and upright. You never really know where you will be sleeping or what the weather will be, so it is best to be as prepared as possible.

The DOs and DON'Ts of Ski Glamour Shots

By Maya Silver

Every now and then, it’s fun to have a little photo shoot on the mountain. Maybe it’s a costume day like Santa Ski in Crested Butte or the last day of skiing at any resort anywhere. Perhaps you’ve got friends in town that are more interested in recording their ski experience than actually skiing (in which case, see our tips on how to keep your cool in this scenario). Or maybe you’re just in the mood to strike a pose.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about what it takes to make a great skiing glamour shot. Why? Because just the other weekend, my friends and I attempted to take glamour shots and failed miserably. You see, on our way to the bar to take a break, we spied a small temporary half pipe at the base area. At the top of one of the half pipe’s ends, someone had placed a red sofa that was just calling our names.

10 Songs for Your Ski or Snowboard Playlist

By: Brad McNally

image: ridingswitch.wordpress.com

If you are anything like me, you may not be able to deal with the quiet that comes along with boarding. As long as I can remember, I’ve never been satisfied with most athletic activities unless there has been music involved as well. This has driven me to a state of spending a (sometimes ridiculously) long time contemplating the playlist I will load before I head out for the day. It seems to be well understood that having your headphones in and music blaring can make you unaware of what is going on around you, but it can also keep you engaged in what you are trying to focus on.The right song at the right moment can make your day (or season).

Traveling with Ski and Snowboard Gear | Planes, Trains and Buses

By Claire Botsy

When traveling with ski and snowboard gear always play it safe, because no one wants to discover a broken board that you were hoping to shred on foreign land with. Every mode of transportation comes with its complications, but with some foresight it is all manageable to get to your destination with all your gear in 1 piece.

Planes: Check airlines' travel policies beforehand; basic guidelines can be found online and a phone call always helps as well. Airlines have different policies in what they will cover if there is damage and they do not willingly claim responsibility for broken equipment. Follow specific packing requirements, if it isn’t packed in the ‘appropriate’ way and it is damaged when you pick it up on the other end you won’t be covered. Oftentimes hard snowboard travel cases provide more coverage than soft snowboard travel bags.

Meal Ideas for Long Distance Bike Trips

By Megan Maxwell



When cycling long distances, food is your fuel. It is important to get enough to eat and try to have a healthy diet. It’s also a good idea to eat a variety of different foods. You don’t have to only eat power bars the whole time you are bike touring. First of all, find a decent camp stove for yourself. I have had a MSR Pocket Rocket for several years now and it still works great. Get a cooking pot too. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on one. Wal-Mart has “grease pots” for about $10. Most camp stoves run off of fuel canisters, which can be found in hardware stores or outfitters. Having breakfast is the best way to set yourself up for a good day of biking.

How to Survive Teaching a Friend or Loved One to Ski (or Snowboard)

By Maya Silver

How exciting! Your friend or loved one just asked if you'd show them the ropes on the slope this winter and you said yes. If the person in question happens to just be a local buddy who's just never gotten around to learning, then you may only be facing one manageable day of playing teacher. But if we're talking a friend who's planned to fly in from out of town—perhaps with a virgin pair of boots they just eagerly bought in tow in your ski bag —for the inaugural ski trip of their life, you've got your work cut out for you.

I know firsthand how difficult it is to teach a friend or loved one to ski—you see, I’ve been both the student and the teacher in that situation within the past seven years. When I moved out to Colorado from the East Coast, I didn’t even really understand what skiing was—I’d never seen anyone do it, I’d never watched a ski movie, I had no friends that skied. My boyfriend at the time became so frustrated with my lack of progress that he handed me off to my friend. She was new to skiing herself and thankfully had the patience to get me down a green on a powder day without a freak out.

5 Easy Ways to Stay Warm on the Mountain

By: Cortney Nichols

Most of us spend months waiting for the first snow or first cold snap when the ski areas can make snow.  Spending a day on the mountain skiing and riding can be one of the best experiences or one of the most miserable.  These 5 tips will help you stay toasty all day and make for a much more fun and comfortable day.

A Guide to Lake Tahoe's Area Ski Resorts

By: Claire Botsy

This is an all-purpose guide to the many resorts that surround the beautiful Lake Tahoe. The resorts range from single-chair lift hills to multi-peak resorts with everything you could ask for. Since things like customer service and ski schools are hard to gauge and are fairly dynamic even on a day to day basis and also depend on how ‘needy’ of a patron you are, we will not take those facets into consideration. The factors taken into consideration that differentiate these resorts are size, terrain, facilities and proximity to civilization.

How to Add Rotations to Your Snowboard Tricks

By: Brad McNally

image: mtnweekly.com

Being able to head down the mountain is only one part of snowboarding. Being able to jump into the air and pull off some tricks are quite a different part. Previously, we posted about how to add grabs to your airs, but how can you show even more style and skill while you are flying around from ramp to ramp. One of the best things to learn next is the ability to rotate around and still land aiming in the right direction. In this post, we will tell you how to get your rotation down so you can make your grabs look that much better.

5 Snowboard Grab Tricks for Beginners to Try

By: Brad McNally

https://www.flickr.com/photos/juanancito/3211736203/

It doesn’t take long to start thinking about all the tricks you could do once you start changing from just downhill to downhill with a lot of air along the way. Knowing what you are going to do before you get into the air is helpful, though, because you don’t want to commit halfway to a trick and then fail to execute. As with more traditional sports, one of the best ways to learn is repetitive practice, even if that is during the off-season on the trampoline, so you will be ready when the hills are covered with powder again. Once you learn these five grabs, you can expand to more difficult ones or add in other variables, but if nothing else, these will give you something to do with your hands while in the air.