Skiing and Snowboarding: It’s all Downhill from Here

Skiing Heritage is the Web site and official journal of the International Skiing History Association. The site is a bit disorganized and confusing but it is a valuable resource if you want a serious look at the history of skiing. You’ll find interesting articles such as “A Short History of Alpine Skiing” and “A short history of skis.” Look for user forums and information on ski museums around the world. If you find it difficult to navigate through the content, use the site map on the left navigation bar to help.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s history timeline is a detailed and well-designed look into the modern history of the Olympic sport. Scroll down the timeline on the left, and click on any event for a detailed explanation.

BulgariaSki.com provides an informative and entertaining look at the history of snowboarding. A black-and-white photo of the “snurfer,” the earliest known prototype of a snowboard, helps to illustrate how far the sport has come.

YouTube hosts this nicely done video, “A History of Snowboarding in 2 Minutes Flat.” Get the rundown on the development of the sport over the last 40 or so years, along with cool footage of riders at every stage of its evolution.

The U.S. National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum hosts a list of its honored members with biographies for some. It doesn’t have tons of content online, but it does give you all the info you need to make a trip to the Ishpeming, Michigan, museum.

The New England Ski Museum has a number of interesting articles on ski history in its “Explore Skiing History” section. You’ll also find information on the museum’s collections and a museum shop on this easily navigable site.

The International Ski Federation (FIS) is the premier international ski and snowboard organization, governing World Cup and World Championship competitions in a number of ski and snowboard disciplines. On its site you’ll find a vast amount of information on its competitions and athletes, including event information, statistics, rules, and organizational information. Use the left navigation bar to find what you need.

The Olympic Movement includes the various federations and organizations that follow the Olympic charter, and lists all the ski and snowboard events in the Games. Click on any discipline for a look at its history in the Olympic Games and before, as well as information on the equipment used, a glossary of terms, and an animated demonstration and explanation of the event.

EXPN is a division of ESPN, and is home to the Winter X Games. The games are one of the newest winter sport competitions, and one of the most popular. You’ll find a wealth of articles, features, and information on all past and present Winter X Games here.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association governs Olympic ski and snowboarding on a national level. The site has information on the organization as a whole, as well as rules, and competition and TV schedules. Connect to the U.S. Ski Team and the U.S. Snowboard Team Web sites, which feature competition results and personal information about members. You can also generate ranking lists for any of its disciplines using a number of customized options.

The United States of America Snowboard Association describes itself as the first governing body exclusively for grassroots-level snowboarding. Learn more about its history and the competitions it conducts, or use the top navigation bar to find information on riders, statistics, and how to get involved.

Transworld Snowboarding Magazine is one of the most popular snowboarding publications out there. There’s a great deal of multimedia content here for free, including over a hundred how-to videos, a long list of resort articles and reviews, a product review section, features, news, and an event calendar. Access all these sections easily from the top navigation bar.

Ski Racing Magazine offers a more traditional collection of snow sport news articles. Use the top dropdown navigation bar to access lists of recent news for ski and snowboard racing, industry reports, and other features. The magazine’s full content isn’t online but the site is rounded out with discussion forums and an events calendar.

Powderroom.net is a growing publication and online community for female snowboarders, based in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It might not have as much content as the bigger magazines but it makes up for it with a fun look and well-designed layout. You’ll find interesting features, rider profiles, resort reviews, articles, and some great riding links.

SnowSphere covers snowboarding, skiing, and other snow sports for “snow travellers.” You’ll find articles and features on the best snow outside the United States, places that you’d never think to go for a snow outing, and the gear you should take along with you. The site’s simple design and laid-back tone make it a joy to read.

Ski Blog is a very professional-looking blog focused on skiing in the American west, with plenty of personal asides from the author. During ski season, he attempts to post useful information on resorts and the skiing you’ll find at them.

SnowSlider has an author named “Ise,” who writes from Switzerland about all of his outdoor adventures, including ski touring, hiking, ice climbing, and cycling. This blog, containing a number of nice photo galleries and archives organized by topic, is well designed and pleasant to look at.

Doglotion.com hosts many ski blogs that “keep the spirit of freeskiing alive and thrivin'.” Browse its entertaining video and photo sections, read interesting articles, and make use of its growing “Resorts” and “Gear” sections.

Ifyouski.com covers a great deal of ski theory and implementation. You’ll find print instruction for many aspects of skiing, including beginning to ski and skiing off-piste, as well as a number of video and photo lessons from two engaging ski instructors.

ABC-of-Snowboarding features great animated tutorials for basic skills and more advanced tricks, accessible from the “Learn Snowboarding Online” box on the right of the page. For more information on all aspects of snowboarding, explore the articles on the homepage or on the navigation bar under the “Info” tab.

The San Diego Union-Tribune brings you a very barebones introduction to the basics of snowboarding. The accompanying illustrations under “Snowboarding 101” are particularly helpful for the novice.

BomberOnline.com has help for the novice and the expert in alpine snowboarding. Not all the articles have illustrations but they skillfully take you through the beginning stages of this intense sport. For more advanced technical aspects, take a look at the “Tech Articles” section on the left navigation bar.

The Carver’s Almanac 2007 is an authoritative site that can help you with all aspects of alpine boarding including equipment, style and technique, safety tips, and a directory of resorts around the world.

CPT Fitness lays out a regimen of at-home fitness exercises to help condition your body for snowboarding. Many of the routines have accompanying photographs to help ensure you have the proper form. Use the left navigation bar and the lists at the bottom of the page to explore all the workouts on this site.

Ski-injury.com takes a sober and professional look at ski and snowboard injuries. The site provides statistics and scientific and laymen information on the types of injuries these snow sports typically involve. Learn how you can avoid becoming one of the statistics you see on these pages. In the “Links” section you’ll also find numerous safety and health resources for skiers and snowboarders.

Midwest Skijorers Club has the sport for you if you’ve ever been skiing and thought, “If only my dog was here … pulling me.” Also known to use horses, and to replace the skis with bikes, scooters, or their own two feet, this club is unconventional indeed.

SnoCountry Mountain Reports is an invaluable tool for planning a snow sports trip. Its “Quick Resort Finder” is conveniently organized by U.S. region and state. Resort listings include overviews of the mountain experience, snow reports, mountain operations details, trail maps, and even mountain Web cams for some. You’ll also find a lot of useful information to help prepare for your trip, including advice on equipment, general ski and snowboard riding and safety tips, an events calendar, and information on ski resort real estate.

World Snowboard Guide is chock full of extras to complement its easy-to-use mountain/resort guide. Browse the guide by country to learn about the various snow opportunities each country and region has to offer. After you register with the site, use the “My WSG” feature in the “Community section” to log and plan your own trips. It also offers news, tips, event information, and more.

Mad Dog Ski is a ski/snowboard trip-planning site that focuses entirely on a handful of resorts in France, Switzerland, and Austria. Visitors will find comprehensive information that is well organized and a pleasure to read.

GoSki.com has one of the most extensive international resort listings, though some entries only have cursory information.

SkiReport.com brings you weather and snow reports, as well as trail and area maps, ticket information, and a statistics-comparing tool for a large number of U.S. ski areas. Unique to this site is its “Powder Alerts” tool, which allows you to select ski areas nationwide and receive e-mails when any of them receives a threshold amount of snow. You can also request weekly reports.

Snow-Forecast.com has many powerful tools to keep you informed on snow conditions worldwide. The “Weather Maps” section takes you to a sophisticated, multi-layered map that displays weather and geographic information. The straightforward “Where is snow forecast in the next __ days?” section (in the “Resort Weather” drop-down menu) lets you instantly see the best areas for snow in the immediate future. Take time to explore all the rich features of this site.

Snoweye is a simple but extensive collection of ski area Web cams (3,757 in 45 countries) from around the world. Get an up-close look at what’s really going on at the mountain.

OnTheSnow.com combines its useful snow report and resort information sections with a “Reviews” tab, featuring a color-coded rating system that lets you see instantly what others think of each ski area.