How To Become Salomon Ambassador ?

A you a fan of the Salomon brand ? Love downhill/cross country skiing, snowboarding, hiking, trail running, or adventure travel in general ?

Then YOU can become a Salomon brand ambassador/social media influencer !

Love Skiing/Snowboarding ? Here are 10 ways to make money to support your epic lifestyle !

Let's face it, your passion is not cheap ! With lift tickets between $100-$300 a day ( not to mention traveling expenses to and from a ski are ), not everybody can afford skiing/snowboarding 😩😢

But if you're truly passionate about skiing/snowboarding, here are a few ways YOU can make money doing what you love !

1 - Get a job as a ski/snowboard instructor

You don't have to be an Olympic medalist ( or a competitive athlete ) to get a job as a ski/snowboard instructor...

Personally,  I got my job as a ski instructor even though I had started skiing/riding literally a month before that ! I did have education and experience working with kids, and my first job in the industry was teaching kids 4-6 how to ski.

If you're a decent skier/snowboarder,  your experience, and passion for snow sports are all you need to get a job in the industry !
Not only will you get a free season pass, get paid, and have many job perks, but you can get great deals/discounts for skiing/riding at other resorts, and discounted season tickets/season passes for your family members !

And guess what ? There are people who've made this their career ! They travel around the world woking in the ski/snowboard/travel industry year round !

How Skiers & Snowboarders Can Make Money With Liftopia Affiliate Program

The Liftopia Affiliate Program is a great way for people who’re passionate about skiing, and snowboarding to make money through ticket sales online.

Is Spring Fling Pass From Summit at Snoqualmie Worth The Money ?

Spring Fling Pass From Summit at Snoqualmie allows skiers, and snowboarders "ski more, spend less" !

From their website :

Skip the ticket window and head straight to the lift. Summit passes are an unbeatable value, providing access all season long and the freedom to hit the slopes whenever you want. We're so close it's easy to get your money's worth!

But is the Spring Pass really worth the money ?

Night Skiing and Snowboarding At Summit Central

Go skiing under the lights when you buy a night lift ticket from the Summit at Snoqualmie !

Night skiing near Seattle has a certain appeal: fewer crowds, no lift lines, and discounted lift tickets ! 

Time - 4pm -10pm 

Ticket prices start at $31 for adults, and $25 for kids ( save $$$ by buying online !! ) 

Looking for more outdoor adventures in/around Seattle ?

Find more here - Washington Adventures

 

Tips On Climbing Mt Adams

Mount Adams, situated in the eastern Cascade range, east of Mount St Helens and north of Mount Hood, is the second most massive and the third tallest volcano in the Cascade range. Popular among hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, skiers, and outdoor enthusiasts in general, Mt Adams is accessible year round, and visited by folks from both states - Washington and Oregon.

KiteWing - An Awesome Toy For All Board Sports

Kitewing SK8 Ice & Snow Sail

If you've been following this blog, you know that being ExtraHyperActive, I love all types of boards sports : snowboarding, surfing, longboarding, windsurfing, skimboarding... You also know that a few years ago I started doing kiteboarding and kite landboarding. All these boardsports are extremely fun, and offer something for everyone. But I never stop looking for more ways to challenge myself, have fun, and create unforgettable experiences !

Recently I came came across a pretty awesome toy that can be used with any board, and more !





Kitewing (aka Skimbat) is a wing shaped kite. Many people call it “the wing” for short, just because of its shape.

Why Spring Is The Best Time To Learn Skiing/Snowboarding

With warm sunny days and soft snow, spring is the best time of the year to learn how to ski or snowboard. Skiing in the springtime is an altered state. Down jackets and bulky bibs give way to vests, t-shirts and shorts. Ski areas get packed with more sun soakers that with actual skiers/boarders. Skiing becomes a pursuit of pleasure rather than a test of technique.

But it's not just the weather that makes this time of the year perfect for skiing/snowboarding. Here are a few reasons to consider spring the time to start a new hobby :

Ski AND Surf Lake Tahoe

Recently, I read it somewhere that Lake Tahoe had been ranked the No. 1 ski destination for the 2010-2011 season. I can't comment on that since I've never been to Lake Tahoe, but can say one thing: if I ever make it there it's not going to be ( just ) skiing...

When The Ski Season Is Over : 8 Snow Activities To Do At Your Local Ski Area

Just because the lifts stopped running, doesn't mean the snow season is over. Well into the spring, there is still plenty of snow in the mountains, crowds are gone, and the weather and the snow conditions are sometimes better than during the winter months.

Below are 8 snow activities that you can do at your local ski area :

Why You Shouldn't Teach Your Kids How To Ski/Snowboard

In my previous post "Introduce Your Kids To The Joy Of Skiing",  I wrote how many parents turn their kids off from learning how to ski/snowboard by being too pushy or over-enthusiastic. I mentioned that sometimes they forget that while it is important to learn a skill, it's even more important to make it fun and enjoyable experience.

The point of being on the mountain at a young age is about being in an outdoor environment, wearing ski gear, and getting comfortable with sliding on snow.


While I want to make sure that whenever my son learns something new, he's having fun,  I also want to ensure he learns how to do it right from the start.

Learn Backcountry Basics At Alpental, WA For Free

If you are an avid backcountry traveller, you know that you must have "the standard " avalanche gear: beacon, probe and a shovel. But unfortunately, there are lots of people who think that having the right gear is all they need to venture beyond ski area boundaries. But just like the great American writer Mark Twain once said, "Knowledge without experience is just information".

Snowbiking At Hoodoo Ski Resort In Oregon

Move aside skiing and snowboarding, a new and exciting winter sport is coming to the ski slopes around the country  - snowbiking !

When I heard about snowbiking at Hoodoo Ski area in Oregon, I knew I'd have to give it a try ! It just looked so much fun ! It's like mountain biking in winter. And even though Hoodoo ski area is just a few hours away from Seattle, I just couldn't find time to make it down there. And my first introduction to snowbiking ( or ski-biking as it's sometimes called )  happend at Vail resort in Colorado.

Snowskates vs. Snowdecks Videos

"Discovering" snowskating for myself was the best part of this winter. Snowskating is about having fun, challenging yourself in a new way, being affordable, and getting away from the elitism of snowboarding.

Snowskating is growing in popularity, and it seems that more people are looking for new ways to goof around on snow.

But being a relativity "new snowsport", it's little known to general public. Even the leading snowskate manufacturing companies like Burton and Ambition don't seem to agree on the names for their inventions.

Her are two videos that will give you a better understanding the difference between snowdecks and bi-level  snowskates:

Introduce Your Kids To The Joy Of Skiing

Who doesn't want to see his child happy ? We all want the same things for our kids. We want them to grow up to love and be loved, to follow their dreams, to find success. Mostly, though, we want them to be happy.

For me, there is no better reward than watching my kid's eyes shining from the joy of skiing ! Skiing is a great sport that requires confidence, skills, desire, lessons, practice and proper judgement.

We all know first impressions count and nowhere is that more important than on the snowfield. If your child's first memory of skiing is being wet, cold, lonely and miserable, it will leave an indelible impression and could turn them off the sport for life.

Free Skiing In The Urban Ruins Of Industrial Russia

The concrete and steel scaffolding of cities has long provided a playground for skateboarders, parkourists, stunt cyclists, and now skiers.

The hardcore Finnish free-ski stylists of the group Nipwitz have stormed the urban landscapes of Northern and Eastern Europe and made them into an insane and fabulous laboratory for their particular brand of renegade sport.

Their most recent video shows a trip that they made to Russia’s Murmansk Oblast, a bizarre and contradictory universe of pristine mountains and industrial wasteland beyond the Arctic Circle.

“One of the first things we noticed here,” says one of the group in idiosyncratic English, “was the surreal contrast between the beautiful Arctic nature and the rottening cityscapes that have suffered from decades of neglection.” Some areas are so polluted that trees can no longer grow there.

In the remote city of Kandalaksha, the Nipwitz crew soars through windows of abandoned buildings, turns high concrete walls into half-pipes, slides down snow-packed staircases, survives an encounter with a knife-wielding man in an army uniform, and gives bored local teenagers something to talk about for many years to come.

What Is Snowbiking ?

I was checking out Hoodoo.com ( Oregon's ski resort ) to find some information about airboarding ( something that I'd like to try one day ), but instead, I came across another fun winter activity that they offer - snowbiking ( or as some call it ski-biking ).

Multisport Adventures : Ski-Raft-aineering

I am a huge fan of multisport adventures, action packed weekends, and destinations that offer a variety of outdoor opportunities. Our state has an abundance of places where you can hike in the morning, climb in the afternoon , and finish your day with a relaxing sunset paddle.

Recently, I came across a post on "the Mountain Murmur " blog about Forrest McCarthy and his friends, who had been pioneering a " new outdoor sport ".

They combine paddling the lightweight rafts with multi-day climbing or hiking excursions for a rugged, hybrid adventure he and his mates call - “ski raft-aineering.”

Here is a video of them skiing into the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness with their boats on their backs, and floating 75 miles down the Middle Fork of the Salmon River ( Idaho’s most famous rafting river) in seven days :

Ski-diving in Andorra.

Andorra is an anomaly in Europe, a small independent state of little more than thirty villages and a capital, tucked away in the Pyrenees. Winter tourism is big business for this principality. As you drive north south or east west through Andorra during the months of December, January, February, March and April it is obvious this whole country is one big ski resort with two main ski areas – Grandvalira and Vallnord.



This year, scuba diving at more than 2000 metres altitude is the latest trend in Vallnord. The activity combines skiing down to a frozen lake or pool then scuba diving under the ice.

There are two options: a "baptism" for beginners and technical diving for qualified divers. Once the dive has finished, the descent continues through the mountains of Arcalis.



The diving baptisms are a 12-metre dive in La Canaleta pool (2060m) which is complete with an artificial dam to produce snow and ice. This dive is aimed at beginners over the age of 14 and lasts for 15 to 20 minutes and costs €75 per person.

This beginners' dive consists of a descent via a blue slope, wearing the special equipment provided by the organisation, and a submersion under the waters with the supervision of an instructor.




So, next time you are in southwestern Europe ( that's where the Principality of Andorra ( the official name) is located (bordered by Spain and France )), stop by for a quick deep under the ice, followed by skiing in one of Europe's most picturesque places.

Hive Snowshoes Combine Snowshoeing And Skiing

If you're new to snowshoeing and are ready to buy your first pair, you might get overwhelmed by all the brands, types, and styles. When I got introduced to this popular winter activity 4 years ago, and figured out what had worked for me, I tried to make it easier for my readers to make a choice by writing a short post on how to chose your snowshoes.

During my last snowshoe outing with EverGreen Escapes I used a pair of MSR Evo Snowshoes

Light, durable, and unisex,they also have good cleats that are equally suited to backcountry travel and groomed trails. Climbing the somewhat steep slopes of the Paradise Valley was easy and enjoyable. But on the way down I really envied skiers and snowboarders blasting past us on their split boards and BC skis.

Recently, I read about one German company that had designed a unique pair of snowshoes that double as a sort of short ski or glider.

This product is a new type of winter sports products - a reinterpretation and development of the traditional snowshoe.It combines hiking on a mountain with the subsequent “drive-down” in one product. Link

While this snowshoes won't exactly tackle the same range of terrain that a pair of big mountain skis would, they will allow you to hike uphill and then glide back down rather than stumbling your way down step by step.