The 7 Most Exotic Ski Destinations Featured in POWDER

1. Transylvania (1982)

Turns out the land of Dracula (the beautifully rugged center of Romania) also harbors some fine skiing. Way back in 1982, POWDER contributor Neil Stebbins brought some extra turtlenecks and garlic to discover what lay in the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania. Seriously, give this one a read; it's filled with delicious quotes from Bram Stoker's classic novel, plus some seriously good quips from Stebbins himself. How's this? "No, no, neffer cross your skis. No crosses!"

2. Chinese Sand Dunes (1982)

Now this one was truly innovative. On a mission to set a world altitude record for a telemark turn on an obscure peak high in the Pamir Range (all while on a training expedition for an upcoming trip up Everest), a group of young skiers recounts hiking up massive sand dunes they encounter in an attempt to ski down them. The story continues with goat polo, Kirghiz horsemen and an incredibly detailed account of a single turn.

3. The High Sierra's Redline Traverse (1983)

You might have seen Jenna Kane and Greg Cunningham's awesome 2024 film about completing a massive ski traverse of California's Sierra Crest, but did you know that was first done way back in the early '80s?

Following two historically deep winters, Sierra skiers Tom Carter and Allan Bard embarked on an epic multi-day ski journey, linking Mt. Whitney with Mammoth on a mission to "redline" their fun-o-meters. The story is recounted firsthand in the November 1983 issue of POWDER Magazine by none other than Carter and Bard themselves. 

4. Kilimanjaro (1984)

The roof of Africa isn't exactly where you'd expect to be able to ski, but at 19,341 feet, there's bound to be some snow. While not exactly plentiful today, POWDER writer Jeremy Schmidt recounts the snow he finds on a ski adventure to the highest point of the African continent in the February 1984 issue. 

5. Chacaltaya, Bolivia (1985)

The Bolivian Andes have long been a popular destination for adventurous alpine climbers, featuring some of the highest peaks on the planet outside of the Karakoram or Himalaya. So naturally, these peaks attracted some of the most adventurous skiers, as evidenced in the December 1985 issue.

Nestled in these massive volcanic mountains lay what was once the world's highest ski area, Chacaltaya. The resort has since been abandoned due to extreme glacial retreat, but writer Shaw McCutcheon, Jr., sure had a good time.

6. Kashmir, India (1988)

"There are 10,000 slopes in Kashmir that have never been skied," reads one of the opening lines of Chris Noble's November 1988 feature about skiing in the northernmost reaches of India. 

Turns out the speaker of that line is none other than pioneering French extreme skier Sylvain Saudan, whom Noble followed around Kashmir to photograph skiing at least a few of those 10,000 slopes. Looks like much of the skiing was accessed via helicopter, with extremely deep snow and huge peaks on each day's menu.

7. Antarctica (1988)

The final frontier for humanity, the southernmost reaches of the planet, and the home to some of the best skiing in the world? Antarctica, really? According to the December 1988 issue, it sure was. Nat Geo (and POWDER Mag) photographer Gordon Wiltsie embarked on a ski expedition to learn more about what on earth the hype was all about, and came back with a heck of a story exploring the frozen wasteland of Antarctica. It included "manly" ski descents, encounters with some of Earth's wildest weather, and solitude on a scale very few have experienced.