Ski Mountaineering Web Links
        Amar Andalkar's Ski Mountaineering and Climbing Site
Ski Mountaineering Photos & Trip Reports Equipment & Info Cascade Volcanoes Ring of Fire Site Map SCL
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Links to various useful websites related to ski mountaineering and backcountry skiing, with an emphasis on the Pacific Northwest and the Cascade Range. This page was extensively revised and expanded in 2003, and it now contains over 700 links, all of which are set to open in a single separate window. Although this page is link-checked and updated occasionally, some links may have become outdated.

      (page created March 1998, last updated July 2008)


Weather and Snowfall:
National Weather Service; offices: Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Pendleton, Medford,
      Eureka, Sacramento, Reno, Alaska Region
NWS Western Region (including Satellite Images & Loops)
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (including NOAA El Niño Page)
NOAA Geostationary Satellite Server (visible, IR, and water vapor images and loops)
NOAA Satellite Snow Products Page (snow cover maps for Northern Hemisphere)
NWS Doppler Radar: Seattle, Portland, Medford, Eureka, Beale AFB, Sacramento
      (radar images and loops, and map of all NWS Doppler radars)
NWS Zone Forecasts for the Cascade Range and adjacent areas (all zones for each office):
      Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Pendleton, Medford, Eureka, Sacramento, Reno
NWS Area Forecast Discussions:
      Seattle, Spokane, Portland, Pendleton, Medford, Eureka, Sacramento, Reno
NWS Recreational Forecasts: Mount Rainier (alternate) and Mount Shasta (alternate)
NWS COOP Observations: Mt Rainier Paradise, Mt Rainier Longmire,
      Mt Adams RS (Trout Lake), Crater Lake Park HQ, Crater Lake Rim
NWS Mesonet (surface observations for the western US)
MesoWest (surface observations for over 11,000 stations in North America)
NWS Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (includes the
      Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts Days 1-5, Medium Range Forecasts Days 3-7,
      and Snowfall Probability Forecasts Days 1-3)
NWS Climate Prediction Center (includes the 6-10 Day and 8-14 Day Outlooks,
      plus Monthly and Seasonal Outlooks and El Niño / La Niña Info)
Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center (NWAC) (including Avalanche Forecast,
      Mountain Weather Forecast, and extensive Mountain Weather Data; see also
      Friends of the NWAC, PowderStash, and NW Mountain Weather Telemetry Plots)
Northwest River Forecast Center (see Northwest 10 Day Temperature / Precip Forecast
      which shows freezing levels, plus Northwest SNOTEL summary map)
NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory (including archived radiosonde data since 1998)
COLA / IGES Short-Term (15-day) Climate Outlooks (worldwide temperature & precip)
Unisys Weather (technical weather analyses including numerous forecast models)
California Regional Weather Server (technical weather analyses including jet stream maps)
Snow-Forecast.com (excellent worldwide snowfall forecasts including BC / Washington,
      Oregon, N. California, plus forecasts for hundreds of ski areas worldwide)
U.S. Snowfall & Ski Forecast Maps from The Weather Channel
My own JavaScript rollover pages displaying useful graphical forecasts:
      Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts, All Days 1-5
      Snowfall Probability Forecasts, Days 1-3
      Jet Stream Analysis & Forecasts, Days 1-5
      Surface Analyses, Days 1-7 (fronts and pressures)
      Medium Range Forecasts, Days 3-7 (precip and temps)
      NWRFC 10-Day Temp & Precip Forecasts (large, loads 39 images)
      Climate Prediction Center 6-10 and 8-14 Day Outlooks
      COLA / IGES 15-day Outlooks for North America and also Worldwide
      U.S. Snowfall & Ski Forecasts (from The Weather Channel)
WeatherOffice (Meteorological Service of Canada)
      (includes British Columbia Forecasts and Whistler Alpine Forecast,
      plus local forecasts for Pemberton, Whistler, and Squamish)
Cyberspace Snow and Avalanche Center (worldwide avalanche bulletins and reports)
Avalanche.org (chilling accident reports, educational resources, tutorial)
US Forest Service National Avalanche Center (avalanche centers, info and publications)
USFS Mount Shasta Avalanche Center (see also Friends of the MSAC)
Canadian Avalanche Association (including avalanche bulletins for Canada)
British Columbia Snow Surveys (automated and manual snow course data)
California Cooperative Snow Surveys (excellent, detailed snowpack data & plots;
      see the list of active snowdepth sensors in the Klamath Mtns, Cascades, and Sierra)
Oregon & Washington Snow Surveys (SNOTEL and historical snow course data)
National Water & Climate Center (SNOTEL and snow course reports)
Western U.S. Snowpack/Precipitation (weekly SNOTEL summary) [alternate ftp site]
National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (includes very cool
      Interactive Snow information and National and Regional Snow Analyses)
Western Regional Climate Center (excellent historical climate summaries,
      plus PRISM precip maps, SNOTEL data, and much more)
Washington State Climatologist (climate info for Washington)
Oregon Climate Service (weather and climate info for Oregon)
Spatial Climate Analysis Service (precip maps using the PRISM modeling system)
Climate Source (precip and snowfall data and maps, including PRISM)
National Climatic Data Center (world's largest weather data archive, but mostly not free)
US Snow Climatology (snowfall extremes for every state, but very incomplete data set)
US Snow Monitoring (recent and seasonal snowfall and snowdepth data)
National Snow and Ice Data Center (a wealth of info about snowfall and glaciers)
Environment Canada National Climate Archive (free Canadian weather data)
Mount Washington Observatory (weather info from New England's highest summit)
SnowCrystals.com (excellent info about snowflakes and snow crystals)
North Cascade Glacier Climate Project (long-term study of glaciers, snowpack, etc.)
Western Snow Conference and Eastern Snow Conference
      (scientific papers about snow science and notable snowfall events)
Earthweek (weekly summary of worldwide extreme weather and geologic events)


Road Info and Conditions:
Federal Highway Administration (see List of State DOTs
      and National Traffic and Road Closure Information)
America's Byways: National Scenic Byways Online
Washington State DOT (see Pass Reports, Pass Cameras,
      Route Profiles, North Cascades Hwy, and Avalanche Control)
Washington State Parks Winter Recreation (Sno-Parks info)
Oregon DOT (see Road Condition Report with snow depths,
      plus extensive Road Cams and Sno-Parks info)
California DOT - Caltrans (see Highway Info, Winter Operations,
      and Mountain Highways; Caltrans District 2 covers all of
      the California Cascades, now with extensive Traffic Cams)
Nevada DOT (see Road Conditions including Winter)
Idaho Transportation Department (see Road Conditions)
Montana DOT (see Traveler Information including Winter)
Wyoming DOT (see Road Report)
Colorado DOT (see Traveler Information)
Utah DOT (see Winter Road Conditions)
British Columbia MOT (see Road Reports and Highway Cams)
Yukon DHPW (see Yukon Road Report)
Alaska DOT (see Road Traveler Information, 511.Alaska.gov)

Cartography and Geology:
United States Geological Survey
USGS Volcano Hazards Program
USGS Volcano Observatories: Cascades, Alaska, Hawaii
Smithsonian Institution - Global Volcanism Program
Volcano World (lots of online volcano info)
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
Recent Earthquakes in Pacific Northwest
Geopubs - USGS Western Region Geologic Publications
USGS National Mapping Information:
      Topographic Maps and Digital Raster Graphics (DRG)
      Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQ)
USGS National Atlas of the United States (online US maps)
USGS Atlas of Antarctic Research (links to free Antarctica DRGs)
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS)
List of State GIS Clearinghouse Data Sites (free DRGs online)
GIS Data Depot (lots of data including all USGS DRGs;
      used to be downloadable for free, but no longer :-(
Washington State DRGs (free unclipped and clipped DRGs)
Regional Ecosystem Office (free WA / Oregon clipped DRGs)
California USGS Digital Raster Graphics (free)
Alaska USGS Digital Raster Graphics (free)
TopoZone (online DRG topos for the entire US)
TopoWest (online DRG topos for the western US, nice to print)
TerraServer (online DRG topos and DOQ aerial photos)
ACME Mapper (alternate front-end interface for TerraServer)
National Geospatial - Intelligence Agency [NGA] (formerly known
      as the National Imagery and Mapping Agency [NIMA] and the
      Defense Mapping Agency [DMA], produces worldwide topo maps)
USGS Sales of NIMA Maps
National Aeronautical Charting Office [NACO] (public sales of
      NGA/NIMA topographical maps and aeronautical/nautical charts)
Digital Topographic Map Sets at UC Berkeley (numerous useful
      topographic map sets from various countries worldwide)
Geological Survey of Canada
GSC Pacific Division, Vancouver, BC
Natural Resources Canada Topographic Maps
Toporama (online Canadian topographic maps)
Geogratis (free Canadian geospatial data)
British Columbia Base Mapping & Geomatic Services (provincial maps)
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys
Washington Division of Geology & Earth Resources
      (includes online publications such as Washington Geology)
Oregon Department of Geology & Mineral Industries
      (includes online publications Oregon Geology and Cascadia)
California Geological Survey
Great Circle Mapper (excellent for mapping airline routes)
Airport and City Code Database (use with Great Circle Mapper)

National Parks and National Forests, mostly of the Cascade Range:
National Park Service Home Page
NPS Air Quality Web Cameras (webcams in national parks around the US,
      including Denali, Olympic, North Cascades, and Mount Rainier)
Mount Rainier National Park Washington (see in-depth home page,
      current conditions and climbing info)
North Cascades National Park Washington (see in-depth home page,
      current conditions and climbing info)
Olympic National Park Washington (see in-depth home page and climbing info)
Crater Lake National Park Oregon (see in-depth home page and current conditions)
Lava Beds National Monument California (located on northern slopes
      of Medicine Lake Volcano, see in-depth home page)
Lassen Volcanic National Park California (see in-depth home page)
Yosemite National Park California (see in-depth home page)
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park California (see in-depth home page)
Death Valley National Park California & Nevada (see in-depth home page)
Craters of the Moon National Monument Idaho (see in-depth home page)
Yellowstone National Park Idaho, Montana, Wyoming (see in-depth home page)
Grand Teton National Park Wyoming (see in-depth home page)
Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park & Preserve Alaska (see in-depth home page; includes
      the 4 highest volcanoes in the US, Mounts Bona, Blackburn, Sanford, and Churchill)
Denali National Park & Preserve Alaska (see in-depth home page)
Lake Clark National Park & Preserve Alaska (see in-depth home page; 2 major volcanoes)
Katmai National Park & Preserve Alaska (includes numerous volcanoes, large and small)

USDA Forest Service Home Page
USFS Air Quality Images (webcams around the US, including views of Mt Hood from
      Vancouver, WA and Columbia River Gorge, and Mt Jefferson from Timberline Lodge)
National Wilderness Preservation System and USFS Roadless Area Conservation
USFS Pacific Northwest Region (see Map of National Forests of Oregon & Washington)
Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Washington (includes Mount Baker and Glacier Peak;
      see climbing notes for Mounts Baker and Shuksan, plus trail and road conditions)
Okanogan National Forest Washington
Wenatchee National Forest Washington (see recreation report)
Gifford Pinchot National Forest Washington (includes Goat Rocks, Saint Helens, and Adams;
      see Saint Helens and Adams climbing reports, plus road conditions and snow report)
Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument Washington
Mt. Hood National Forest Oregon (see recreation info and Mount Hood climbing info;
      see also Mt. Hood Information Center and Mt. Hood Area Chamber of Commerce)
Willamette National Forest Oregon (includes Mount Jefferson and the west sides
      of the Three Sisters and Diamond Peak; see current conditions)
Deschutes National Forest Oregon (includes Three Sisters, Broken Top, Mount Bachelor,
      Newberry, and Diamond Peak; see recreation reports and the Oregon Volcanoes section)
Newberry National Volcanic Monument Oregon
Umpqua National Forest Oregon (includes Diamond Lake area, Mounts Bailey and Thielsen)
Rogue River National Forest Oregon (includes west side of Mount McLoughlin)
Winema National Forest Oregon (includes Mount McLoughlin and Pelican Butte area;
      see the Virtual Winema for numerous 360-degree QuickTime VR panoramas)
Fremont National Forest Oregon (includes Gearhart Mountain, an old eroded volcano)
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Oregon (includes more than a dozen 9000 ft peaks)
Nature of the Northwest Virtual Visitor Center (National Forest recreation info)

USFS Pacific Southwest Region (see Map of National Forests of California)
Shasta-Trinity National Forest California (see USFS Mount Shasta Avalanche Center)
Klamath National Forest California (located on N and W slopes of Medicine Lake Volcano)
Modoc National Forest California (located on N and E slopes of Medicine Lake Volcano)
Lassen National Forest California (includes many volcanoes outside Lassen National Park)
Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway California & Oregon (500 mile scenic drive through
      southern Cascade volcanoes from Lassen Peak to Crater Lake)
Plumas National Forest California (northern end of Sierra Nevada just south of Lassen)
Tahoe National Forest California (see USFS Central Sierra Avalanche Center)
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit California (national forest lands within Lake Tahoe basin)
Eldorado National Forest California (includes areas southwest of Lake Tahoe)
Stanislaus National Forest California (includes areas northwest of Yosemite National Park)
Sierra National Forest California (includes areas between Yosemite and Kings Canyon)
Sequoia National Forest California (includes the new Giant Sequoia National Monument)
Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest California / Nevada (largest National Forest outside Alaska;
      includes areas east and south of Lake Tahoe and throughout the higher ranges of Nevada)
Inyo National Forest California (includes many volcanoes near Mono Lake and
      Mammoth Lakes / Long Valley Caldera, plus Mount Whitney)

USDA Forest Service Alaska Region
Tongass National Forest Alaska (largest US National Forest, covers much of SE Alaska)
Chugach National Forest Alaska (includes large areas of south-central Alaska)

US Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
BLM National Landscape Conservation System
BLM Oregon/Washington Office (see recreation info)
Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Oregon (located south of Mount McLoughlin)
BLM Steens Mountain Oregon (scenic glacially-carved fault-block mountain in SE Oregon)

Parks Canada (see List of National Parks of Canada)
British Columbia Provincial Parks (see Map of BC Provincial Parks)
Chilliwack Lake, Skagit Valley, Manning, and Cathedral Provincial Parks BC
      (these parks are located in the Cascades just north of the USA-Canada border)
Garibaldi Provincial Park BC (contains Mount Garibaldi; see trail conditions PDF)
Callaghan Lake Provincial Park BC (located just NE of Mount Cayley)
Upper Lillooet Provincial Park BC (contains part of the Mount Meager Volcanic Complex)
Itcha Ilgachuz Provincial Park BC (contains the Itcha & Ilgachuz eroded shield volcanoes)
Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park BC (includes Rainbow Range eroded shield volcano)
Wells Gray Provincial Park BC (contains numerous subglacial volcanoes, tuyas, etc.)
Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Prov. Park BC (Canada's youngest lava flow, 250 years old)
Mount Edziza Provincial Park BC (huge recent shield volcano in northwestern BC)
British Columbia Ministry of Forests
BC Forests: Squamish Forest District (including maps and logging road info near the
      northernmost Cascade volcanoes, Mounts Garibaldi, Cayley, and Meager)

Skiing and Mountaineering Resources & Information:
Turns-All-Year (NW backcountry skiing info and trip reports)
CascadeClimbers.com (Cascades climbing info and VERY active bulletin board)
Alpenglow.org (Lowell Skoog, Northwest ski mountaineering history project and more)
Cascade Classics (extreme ski descents in WA Cascades)
Cascade Crusades (more extreme ski descents in WA Cascades)
Sky's Lines (more radical ski descents in WA & OR Cascades)
SkiBuilders.com (how to build your own skis at home!)
CascadeClimber.com (mountaineering trip reports on the Cascade volcanoes and more)
Northwest Outdoors Guide (NW skiing and climbing trip reports)
Cascadian Mountain Adventures (NW hiking and climbing trip reports)
ClimbingWashington.com (Jeff Smoot, WA rock climbing and mountaineering info)
Backcountry Resource Center (Paul Richins, CA mountaineering and backcountry skiing)
Bivouac.com (mountaineering and road info for BC Coast Range and Canadian Rockies)
Wild Snow (Lou Dawson, ski mountaineering info, Colorado 14ers)
Climb.Mountains.com (Gerry Roach, mountaineering on Colorado 14ers & worldwide)
North America's Highest Peaks (comprehensive list of 14000 ft peaks)
Highest Lakes in the US and World (lists of and info about high-altitude lakes)
Peakware World Mountain Encyclopedia (info about mountains and ranges worldwide)
SummitPost.com (user-supplied mountain info, photos, trip reports)
TelemarkTips.com (telemark and backcountry skiing info)
PisteHors.com (English language website devoted to French off-piste skiing)
Australian Backcountry Skiing (info for mountains in New South Wales and Victoria)
MountainZone.com (skiing, snowboarding, and mountaineering news & info)

Ski Areas of the Cascade Range and Other Regions:
      (* marks ski areas which are located on volcanoes)
Your Guide to Snowfall (snowfall data for ski areas in US and Canada)
Snow-Forecast.com (forecasts for hundreds of ski areas worldwide)
SnoCountry Mountain Reports (ski area conditions reports worldwide)
OnTheSnow.com (ski area conditions reports worldwide)
Go Ski (info and skier comments about most ski areas worldwide)
Ski Odyssey (extensive info about most ski areas in US and Canada)
SkiLifts.org (everything you always wanted to know about ski lifts)

Northwest Ski Report (firsthand reports from ski areas in WA, OR, ID, BC)
Ski Washington (conditions for Washington ski areas)
Lost Ski Areas of Washington (info about several defunct ski areas)
*Mount Baker Ski Area Washington (located near, not on, Mt Baker) [Snow-Forecast]
Loup Loup Ski Bowl Washington
Stevens Pass Ski Area Washington [Snow-Forecast]
The Summit at Snoqualmie Washington [Snow-Forecast]
Mission Ridge Ski Area Washington [Snow-Forecast]
Crystal Mountain Ski Resort Washington [Snow-Forecast]
*Mount Rainier Paradise Lifts Washington (info about defunct ski area)
*White Pass Ski Resort Washington [Snow-Forecast]

*Timberline Lodge (Mount Hood) Oregon [Snow-Forecast]
*Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort Oregon [Snow-Forecast]
*Cooper Spur Mountain Resort (Mount Hood) Oregon [Snow-Forecast]
*Summit Ski Area (Mount Hood) Oregon
Mount Hood Skibowl Oregon [Snow-Forecast]
*Hoodoo Ski Area (Santiam Pass) Oregon [Snow-Forecast]
*Mount Bachelor Ski Resort Oregon [Snow-Forecast]
*Willamette Pass Ski Area Oregon [Snow-Forecast]
*Mount Bailey Snowcat Skiing Oregon
Mount Ashland Ski Resort Oregon [Snow-Forecast]
*Pelican Butte Ski Area Oregon (proposed ski area, but now appears dead)
Wallowa Lake Tramway Oregon (former ski area, tramway still operates)

*Mount Shasta Ski Park California [Snow-Forecast]
*Mount Shasta Ski Bowl California (info about defunct ski area)
*Lassen Park Ski Area California (info about defunct ski area;
      this link is now dead, but you can view the saved page here)
Sugar Bowl Ski Resort California [Snow-Forecast]
Northstar-at-Tahoe California [Snow-Forecast]
Squaw Valley USA California [Snow-Forecast]
Alpine Meadows Ski Resort California [Snow-Forecast]
Mount Rose - Ski Tahoe Nevada [Snow-Forecast]
Heavenly Mountain Resort California-Nevada [Snow-Forecast]
Sierra-at-Tahoe California [Snow-Forecast]
Kirkwood Mountain Resort California [Snow-Forecast]
*Mammoth Mountain Ski Area California [Snow-Forecast]

*Arizona Snowbowl (near Flagstaff) Arizona [Snow-Forecast]
*Sunrise Park Resort (near New Mexico border) Arizona [Snow-Forecast]
*Pajarito Mountain Ski Area (near Los Alamos) New Mexico [Snow-Forecast]
Ski Santa Fe New Mexico [Snow-Forecast]
Taos Ski Valley New Mexico [Snow-Forecast]
Angel Fire Ski Resort New Mexico [Snow-Forecast]
Ski New Mexico (conditions for New Mexico ski areas)

Wolf Creek Ski Area Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Durango Mountain Resort Colorado [Snow-Forecast] (formerly Purgatory)
Telluride Ski Resort Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Crested Butte Mountain Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Vail Resort Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Beaver Creek Resort Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Breckenridge Ski Resort Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Copper Mountain Resort Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Keystone Resort Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Arapahoe Basin Ski Area Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Loveland Ski Area Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Winter Park Resort Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Aspen Mountain Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Aspen Highlands Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Snowmass Colorado [Snow-Forecast]
Steamboat Ski Resort Colorado [Snow-Forecast]

Brian Head Resort (near Arizona border) Utah [Snow-Forecast]
Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort Utah [Snow-Forecast]
Alta Ski Area Utah [Snow-Forecast]
Brighton Resort Utah [Snow-Forecast]
Solitude Resort Utah [Snow-Forecast]
Deer Valley Resort Utah [Snow-Forecast]
Park City Mountain Resort Utah [Snow-Forecast]
The Canyons Resort Utah [Snow-Forecast] (formerly known as Park West)
Snowbasin Utah [Snow-Forecast]

Grand Targhee Ski Resort Wyoming [Snow-Forecast]
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Wyoming [Snow-Forecast]
Big Sky Resort Montana [Snow-Forecast]
Bridger Bowl Ski Area Montana [Snow-Forecast]
Big Mountain Resort Montana [Snow-Forecast]
Sun Valley Idaho [Snow-Forecast]
Bogus Basin Ski Resort Idaho [Snow-Forecast]
Tamarack Resort Idaho (new ski area, 2004)
Silver Mountain Ski Resort Idaho [Snow-Forecast]
Schweitzer Mountain Resort Idaho [Snow-Forecast]

Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort BC [Snow-Forecast] [Whistler Report]
Callaghan Country Ski Lodge BC (ski trails near Mt Cayley)
*Garibaldi At Squamish BC (proposed new ski area)
Cypress Mountain (Vancouver) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Mount Seymour Ski Area (Vancouver) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Grouse Mountain Ski Area (Vancouver) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Manning Park Resort (Cascade Mountains) BC
Mount Washington Resort (Vancouver Island) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Mount Cain (Vancouver Island) BC
Ski Smithers (far northern) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Shames Mountain Ski Resort (far northern) BC
Sun Peaks Resort (near Kamloops) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Silver Star Mountain Resort (near Kelowna) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Big White Ski Resort (near Kelowna) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Apex Mountain Resort (near Kelowna) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Fernie Alpine Resort (southeast corner) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Panorama Mountain Village (southeast) BC [Snow-Forecast]
Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (near Golden) BC [Snow-Forecast]

Nakiska Ski Resort (near Calgary) AB [Snow-Forecast]
Ski Banff @ Norquay (near Banff) AB [Snow-Forecast]
Sunshine Village Ski & Snowboard Resort (near Banff) AB [Snow-Forecast]
Lake Louise Ski Resort (near Banff) AB [Snow-Forecast]
Marmot Basin (near Jasper) AB [Snow-Forecast]

Eaglecrest Ski Area (near Juneau) Alaska [Snow-Forecast]
Alyeska Resort (near Anchorage) Alaska [Snow-Forecast]
Alpenglow At Arctic Valley (near Anchorage) Alaska
Moose Mountain Ski Resort (near Fairbanks) Alaska
Mount Aurora Skiland (near Fairbanks) Alaska

Skiing and Mountaineering Magazines and Journals:
Back Country (backcountry skiing magazine)
Couloir (backcountry skiing magazine)
Northwest Mountaineering Journal (online ski/mountaineering journal)
Offpistemag.com (online backcountry skiing magazine)
Powder (major skiing magazine, with lots of backcountry info)
Rock & Ice (major climbing magazine, with frequent ski mountaineering info)
Climbing (major climbing magazine, with occasional ski mountaineering info)
Ski (major skiing magazine, with occasional backcountry info)
Skiing (major skiing magazine, with occasional backcountry info)
Ski Press (free ski industry magazine)


Ski Racing and World Cup:
FIS: Fédération Internationale de Ski (Alpine, Nordic, and snowboard racing info)
SkiWorldCup.org (history of the Ski World Cup, by its founder and his son)
World Ski News (ski racing news & info)
SKI&SKI.com (ski racing info, biographies, and links)
Ski Racing (ski racing news magazine)
United States Ski Association and United States Ski Team (ski racing news & info)
Alpine Canada Alpin / Canadian Alpine Ski Team (ski racing news & info)
Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Book and Map Publishers and Retailers:
The Mountaineers Books Seattle, WA (nonprofit publishing division of The Mountaineers club)
AlpenBooks Mukilteo, WA (distributor and publisher of outdoor books)
Sasquatch Books Seattle, WA (publisher of Northwest, Alaska, California books)
Wilderness Press Berkeley, CA (publisher of outdoor books and maps)
Fulcrum Books Golden, CO (publisher of Western and outdoors books)
Mountain Press Missoula, MT (publisher of outdoor and geology books)
The Globe Pequot Press Guilford, CT (including Falcon Books; publishers of outdoor and travel books)
Lonely Planet Australia (worldwide travel and trekking guidebooks, including remote regions)
Cicerone UK (worldwide trekking, mountaineering, and skiing guidebooks, including many unique and exotic areas)

Amazon.com Seattle, WA (leading online retailer of books and also lots of other stuff)
Powell's Books Portland, OR (used and new books, good source for out of print books)
Chessler Books Evergreen, CO (mountaineering and polar exploration books; new, used, and rare books)

Omni Resources Map Catalog Burlington, NC (HUGE selection of worldwide maps; claims to be world's largest online map catalog)
Map Link Santa Barbara, CA (claims to be largest map distributor in the United States)
Map Town Calgary, AB (large online map dealer)
National Geographic Maps Evergreen, CO (including TOPO! Interactive CD-ROM Maps and Trails Illustrated Maps)
Green Trails Maps Seattle, WA (hiking maps for Washington and northern Oregon)
International Travel Maps & Books Vancouver, BC (publisher and retailer of maps worldwide)
Metsker Maps Seattle, WA (retailer of maps and charts for the Northwest and worldwide)

Mountaineering Clubs:
Union Internationale des Associations d' Alpinisme (UIAA) Switzerland (the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation)
American Alpine Club Golden, CO (U.S. national mountaineering organization)
The Mountaineers Seattle, WA (mountaineering club, has extensive Backcountry Skiing and Climbing programs)
The Everett Mountaineers Everett, WA (regional branch of The Mountaineers, see their Backcountry Skiing program)
Other regional branches of The Mountaineers: Bellingham, Kitsap, Olympia, Tacoma, Wenatchee WA
Washington Alpine Club Seattle, WA (mountaineering club)
Washington Trails Association Seattle, WA (hiking, trail maintenance and advocacy organization)
The Mazamas Portland, OR (mountaineering club, offers Ski Mountaineering Course)
Cascades Mountaineers Bend, OR (mountaineering club)
Colorado Mountain Club Golden, CO
National Outdoor Leadership School Lander, WY (long intensive courses mostly for young adults)
Sierra Club San Francisco, CA (leading environmental organization, with various outings and trips available;
    see also local chapters such as: Cascade, Oregon, British Columbia, and Mother Lode [Northern California])
Alpine Club of Canada Canmore, AB (Canadian national mountaineering organization)
Federation of Mountain Clubs of British Columbia Vancouver, BC
British Columbia Mountaineering Club Vancouver, BC
Alpine Club London, UK (British national mountaineering organization)

Mountain Rescue And Ski Patrol Groups:
Mountain Rescue Association Poway, CA (association of over 90 mountain rescue groups, mostly in USA, plus a few international)
Seattle Mountain Rescue Seattle, WA
Olympic Mountain Rescue Bremerton, WA
Tacoma Mountain Rescue Tacoma, WA
Portland Mountain Rescue Portland, OR (includes online info about recent search & rescue incidents)
California Region of the Mountain Rescue Association CA
North Shore Rescue Vancouver, BC
Alaska Mountain Rescue Group Anchorage, AK
National Ski Patrol Lakewood, CO
Canadian Ski Patrol System Ottawa, ON

Guide Services:
United States:

American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) Golden, CO (nonprofit organization that certifies American mountain guides)
Pro Guiding Seattle, WA (offers ski mountaineering trips)
American Alpine Institute Bellingham, WA (offers ski mountaineering seminars, including glacier skiing clinic)
Rainier Mountaineering Inc. Paradise, WA (offers ski mountaineering seminar)
Mount Rainier Alpine Guides Enumclaw, WA (offers ski mountaineering seminar & circumnavigation trip)
Mountain Madness Seattle, WA (offers ski mountaineering seminar)
Alpine Ascents International Seattle, WA (mountaineering instruction & seminars)
Timberline Mountain Guides Bend, OR (mountaineering seminars and trips, offers ski mountaineering seminar)
Shasta Mountain Guides Mt Shasta, CA (mountaineering seminars and trips, offers ski mountaineering course)
Sierra Wilderness Seminars Mt Shasta, CA (mountaineering seminars and trips, offers ski mountaineering courses on Shasta & Lassen)
Alpine Skills International Norden, CA (ski mountaineering courses and trips)
Alaska Mountaineering School and Denali Guiding Talkeetna, AK (mountaineering courses and trips)
Exum Mountain Guides Jackson, WY (mountaineering seminars and trips, offers ski mountaineering camp)
Doug Coombs Steep Skiing Camps Worldwide Jackson, WY (steep skiing camps and private guided ski mountaineering trips)
Colorado Mountain School Estes Park, CO (mountaineering seminars and trips, offers ski mountaineering courses)
Chauvin Guides International New Hampshire (mountaineering instruction, offers ski mountaineering trips)

International:   (this list is obviously very random and not at all comprehensive)

Union Internationale des Associations de Guides de Montagne (UIAGM) Switzerland a.k.a International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations (IFMGA)
Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) Canmore, AB (nonprofit organization that certifies Canadian mountain guides)
Andes Britain (Skiing, mountaineering, and trekking expeditions to South America)
Ecuadorian Alpine Institute Ecuador (Mountaineering and trekking expeditions to Ecuador)
Iran Mountain Los Angeles, CA (Skiing, mountaineering, and trekking expeditions to Iran, especially Mount Damavand)
Himalayan Outdoor & Wildlife Adventures Australia (Heli-skiing and trekking expeditions to the Indian Himalaya)

Equipment Retailers:
Online and Storefront Retailers in the USA:

REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) many locations (all kinds of gear and clothing - 10% dividend for members)
REI Outlet (discount and closeout gear)
L. L. Bean Freeport, ME (lots of clothing, most kinds of gear)
Marmot Mountain Works Bellevue, WA (climbing and skiing gear; wide selection of alpine touring / randonnee gear)
Mountain Gear Spokane, WA (climbing and skiing gear; wide selection of alpine touring / randonnee gear)
OMC (Oregon Mountain Community) Portland, OR (climbing and skiing gear; wide selection of alpine touring / randonnee gear)
Off Piste California (backcountry skiing gear)
The Backcountry Store Utah (backcountry skiing gear)
Sierra Trading Post Wyoming & Nevada (discount and closeout gear)
Pro Mountain Sports Seattle, WA ("carefully selected" mountaineering gear)
Cascade Crags Everett, WA (climbing gym & outdoor gear store, including ski mountaineering gear)
Backcountry Gear Eugene, OR (outdoor and mountaineering gear)
Tahoe Mountain Sports Truckee, CA (outdoor, mountaineering, and winter sports gear)

Online Retailers outside the USA:

NOTE: As of late 2003, the recent decline of the US $ versus the Canadian $ and the Euro has diminished some of the monetary advantages
of buying gear abroad. But I'll leave the following section as-is in the hope that the US $ will recover some of its former purchasing power.
UPDATE: As of 2006, the US $ continues to decline precipitously versus the Canadian $, sliding dangerously closer to parity, while it has
already dropped far below parity with the Euro. See these plots of the US $ vs. Can $ and US $ vs. Euro over the last 5 years.

A big advantage for Americans buying in Canada is the exchange rate, since US$1.00 = CDN$1.50 or more. In addition to this, most
European- or Canadian-made ski mountaineering and climbing gear costs 20-30% less in raw dollar amount, even prior to counting the
exchange rate. Unfortunately, as of late 2000 MEC no longer ships most skiing or climbing items to the USA :-( _
MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) several locations in Canada (all kinds of gear and clothing - sort of a Canadian REI, but no dividend)
Mountain Magic Banff, AB, Canada (climbing and skiing gear; a Canadian store which as of late 2000 still ships to USA)

Most European-made ski mountaineering and climbing gear is MUCH cheaper in France and Spain than in the USA, incredibly it is
often 50-70% less expensive. Shipping is typically $20-50, so it only pays off to buy major items. The following European stores
all have English version of their websites; please email me if you know of any others! _
Barrabes Spain (skiing and climbing gear; includes prices in US$)
Telemark-Pyrenees France (skiing and climbing gear)
Cham3s France (skiing and climbing gear)

Equipment Manufacturers:
Fritschi Bindings Switzerland (randonnee / alpine touring)
Naxo Bindings Switzerland (randonnee / alpine touring)
Silvretta Bindings Germany (randonnee / alpine touring)
Scarpa Boots Italy (climbing, telemark, randonnee)
Kneissl, Dynafit, Dachstein & Raichle (alpine and randonnee)
Garmont Boots Italy (telemark and randonnee)
Lowa Boots Germany (alpine and randonnee)
Nordica Boots Italy (alpine and randonnee)
Tua Skis Italy (randonnee and telemark)
Volkl Skis Germany (alpine and randonnee)
Rossignol Skis France (alpine, randonnee, telemark)
Atomic Skis Austria (alpine and randonnee)
Fischer Skis Austria (alpine and randonnee)
K2 Skis USA (alpine, randonnee, telemark)
K2 Snowboards USA (includes crampons & ascent skis)
Ski Trab Italy (alpine, randonnee, telemark)
Lafuma France (packs, clothing & more)
Petzl France (headlamps & climbing gear)
Charlet Moser France (snow & ice climbing gear)
Grivel Italy (snow & ice climbing gear)
Camp Italy (climbing gear, especially lightweight)
Kong Italy (climbing gear, plus short skis)
BlueWater USA (ropes and climbing gear)
Yates Gear USA (climbing and rescue gear)
Seattle Manufacturing Corp. (SMC) USA (climbing and rescue gear)
Omega Pacific USA (climbing and rescue gear)
Metolius USA (climbing gear)
DMM Wales (climbing gear, including snow & ice)
Hugh Banner (HB) Wales (climbing gear, including snow & ice)
Stubai Austria (climbing gear, including snow & ice)
Salewa Germany (climbing gear, tents, clothing & more)
Leki Germany (skiing & trekking poles)
Ortovox Germany (avalanche rescue gear, packs)
Mammut Switzerland (ropes and climbing gear,
    clothing, packs, Barryvox avalanche beacons)

Black Diamond Equipment USA (backcountry skiing & climbing gear, including
    Scarpa boots, Fritschi bindings, Ascension skins, and Bibler Tents)
Voile Equipment USA (backcountry skiing & snowboarding gear)
Life-Link Equipment USA (backcountry skiing gear)
Dynafit Bindings, Boots, Skis at Life-Link (randonnee skiing gear)
Salomon France (alpine and randonnee skis, skiboards, climbing boots)
Backcountry Access USA (avalanche beacons, alpine touring adapters, etc.)
Survival on Snow Canada (avalanche beacons, shovels, probes)
G3 - Genuine Guide Gear Canada (avalanche probes and telemark gear)
Dana Design USA (packs, and also Garuda tents)
Arc'teryx Canada (packs and outdoor clothing)
Osprey USA (packs)
Mountainsmith USA (packs)
Feathered Friends USA (down sleeping bags)
Western Mountaineering USA (down sleeping bags)
The North Face USA (outdoor clothing, packs, tents, sleeping bags)
Marmot USA (outdoor clothing, tents, sleeping bags, packs)
GoLite USA (outdoor clothing, packs, tents, sleeping bags)
Lowe Alpine USA (outdoor clothing and packs)
Granite Gear USA (outdoor clothing, packs, compression sacks)
Patagonia USA (outdoor clothing)
Cloudveil USA (outdoor clothing)
Mountain Safety Research (MSR) USA (stoves, filters, snowshoes & more)
Walrus and Moss USA (tents, now both owned by MSR)
Cascade Designs USA (Thermarests, hydration systems, plus MSR)
Backpacker's Pantry USA (outdoor cookware and freeze-dried food)
Mountain House USA (lightweight freeze-dried food)
Richmoor and Natural High USA (lightweight freeze-dried food)
Outdoor Research USA (outdoor clothing, bivy sacks & more)
Sierra Designs USA (tents, sleeping bags, outdoor clothing)
Mountain Hardwear USA (tents, sleeping bags, outdoor clothing)
Avalung by Black Diamond USA (avalanche breathing gear)
ABS Avalanche Air Bag Germany (avalanche survival gear; see also original site in German)
    (Alaska Xtreme Products and Life-Link have further info in English)
Ultimate Telemark Binding USA (novel telemark binding design)

Have you found any great ski mountaineering links lately? Please email me!

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with any of the for-profit guide services or companies listed above, and I am not engaged in any marketing agreements
with them. These links are provided for reference only, and no endorsement or approval of their products or services is implied.


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Amar Andalkar   Seattle, WA, USA   <About the Author / Contact Me>
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Last modified Saturday, July 12, 2008