A guest post from Duane Allen.
Each year, millions of people travel far and wide to the world’s ski and snowboarding resorts.
Besides the feeling of the crisp air on our faces and the thrill of gliding down some of Earth’s steepest slopes, what drives us to these frosty trails?
I think it’s the cute and quirky, sometimes off-the-wall names of the slopes! Read on to discover some of my favorites from around the world.
Sugarbush, Vermont is a ski and snowboarding resort with some of the most intriguing trail names in the country. Names range from the Lower Organ Grinder trail, to Heaven’s Gate, to Lookin’ Good, to The Mall.
Each name evokes a sense of the trail’s personality, giving skiers and snowboarders a good idea of what they’re in for when they hit the slopes.
Purgatory, located at Durango Mountain Resort in the heart of the Colorado San Juan Mountains, boasts some of the most creative names for their ski and snowboard runs.
In keeping with the Purgatory theme, you can find yourself skiing Styx, Paradise or Upper and Lower Hades. Two of their most popular slopes are What and Where, making it fun for skiers and snowboarders to say to their family and friends. “You want to go ski Where?!”
Perisher, which lies down under in Australia, is home to a number of mountains, each with their own unique trail names. My favorites are at Mount Guthega, home to the Mother-in-Law trail (surprisingly NOT a black diamond) and the Rock Garden.
Whiteface resort in Lake Placid, New York offers a ton of space to partake in a number of extreme winter sports. The most uniquely named trails also happen to be some of Whiteface’s most popular, including Cloudspin, Lower Skyward, and Blazer’s Bluff.
Killington ski and snowboard resort in Killington, Vermont is another Mecca for extreme sport lovers. One of their awesomely named slopes is Devil’s Fiddle, a natural, ungroomed paradise for advanced skiers. or the less adventurous, there are the slopes with existential names, including Somewhere and Nowhere. Again, making it fun to say to your friends “I don’t feel like skiing anywhere today, except Nowhere.”
Sun Peaks Resort in Canada’s Alpine Village (British Columbia) has something for everyone all year round and is known for its appropriately named slopes like Sun Catcher and Sunshine on Sundance Mountain. Another favorite of mine? Cowabunga. Don’t be fooled by these friendly names – some of these slopes mean business!
Where are your favorite runs? What trail names inspire you, crack you up or intimidate you? What is the quirkiest, most creative trail name you’ve seen?
Duane Allen is a winter sports enthusiast and enjoys working with his team at The Ski Bum. Passionate about all things related to extreme sports, Duane spends his free time with his family traveling and skiing the slopes of the world.
© 2014 – 2017, braveskimom. All rights reserved. Any use or publication of content, including photos, requires express permission.