Michael Schumacher, a record-setting Formula One driver who retired in 2012, is no longer in a coma, a family spokesperson announced Monday. Schumacher had been in a medically induced coma since a skiing accident in late December left him with severe head injuries.

The family has released few details about Schumacher's condition, so it's difficult to know what his prognosis will be. But from what we know about his injuries and his medical care so far, it's safe to say that his rehabilitation process will be long and arduous.

Schumacher's Path So Far

Even when he was first airlifted to Grenoble University Hospital Center, the head of his medical team told reporters that it was impossible to predict how successful treatment would be; at that time, he was "fighting for his life."

The lesions on one side of Schumacher's head were so severe that if he hadn't been wearing a helmet, "he wouldn’t be here," his doctor said. (The helmet split in half on impact.)

Schumacher was conscious after his injury, The New York Times reported, but doctors put him into a coma, a common strategy when someone has experienced major head trauma. "Shutting down function can give the brain time to heal without the body performing radical triage by shutting off blood flow to damaged sections," writes David Biello in Scientific American.

A medically-induced coma is very different from a "natural" coma, largely because it is reversible. Doctors induce a coma to reduce swelling and inflammation and increase the chances of rehabilitation and recovery. They use the same drugs used for anesthesia — "it's just a difference in dosage,"explains anesthesiologist Emery Brown of Harvard.

After surgeons performed initial emergency operations on Schumacher, drilling into his skull to relieve pressure and remove blood clots, they discovered that there were still "extensive blood clots in his brain that were inaccessible to further surgery," according to a New York Times report in January. Such clots often create "a major risk of lasting impairment."

Further details about Schumacher's state were not released, and experts told The Times that "full recovery,""long-term impairment," and even death were all possibilities.

Toward Recovery

In February, doctors began the slow process of trying to bring Schumacher out of the coma, to see whether he would be responsive — or in a vegetative state. Someone does not "wake up" as soon as the sedatives used to induce the coma are stopped, as the powerful drugs can take a while to clear the body.

"A couple of weeks after you stop sedatives it’s too early to say that somebody is in a persistent vegetative state," David K. Menon, a Cambridge University anesthesia told The Times. "But the more time you take to wake up, the less the probability that you’ll have the sort of recovery you’d hope for."

In April, there was finally what seemed like some good news: "Michael is making progress,"a family statement said. "He shows moments of consciousness and awakening." At that time, experts said the possibility of "substantial recovery" was possible, but not certain.

What's Next

So what comes next for Schumacher, now that he has left Grenoble?

The Times pointed to the case of another athlete who sustained serious head trauma, "Michael Watson, a boxer who suffered near-fatal brain injuries in a London bout in 1991." Watson "spent months in a coma — and years learning to walk again and recover other basic living skills." The case, The Times noted, is an oft-cited example of "how sportsmen can make substantial recoveries, with years of rehabilitation, from grievous brain injuries."

Schumacher's next steps may look similar.

A German tabloid reported that Schumacher could "hear voices and respond to touches," but those reports were unconfirmed.

The family spokesperson said that Schumacher will "continue his long phase of rehabilitation." He is being transferred from the French hospital, near the ski resort where he was hurt, to a Swiss hospital closer to his home, the Associated Press reported.

The Associated Press also spoke to a neurosurgeon, who gave a reasonable account about what could come next for Schumacher — although since the family has been mum on details, his actual prognosis could be quite different:

"If he's been released from the hospital he was in, it means he's able to support his own breathing and bodily functions," said Dr. Tipu Aziz, a professor of neurosurgery at Oxford University's John Radcliffe Hospital.

The fact that Schumacher is going into rehabilitation "suggests there's been long-term side effects of his injury," he added.

"With rehabilitation, they'll try to train him to cope with the disabilities that he's got to achieve as much life function as possible," Aziz said. "If he's had a brain injury, he may have weakness in his limbs secondary to loss of brain function. He may have problems with speech and swallowing."

He said that "rehabilitation would probably take a good few months" but noted that Schumacher was an athlete before his accident "so was in good shape."

The spokesperson reaffirmed the family's previous requests for privacy, noting that Schumacher's "further rehabilitation will take place out of the public eye."

SEE ALSO: Formula One Legend Michael Schumacher Wakes Up From Coma, Leaves Hospital

DON'T MISS: We're Beginning To Understand The Path Between Unconsciousness And Waking Life

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This post is sponsored by Spark Business from Capital One.

High-level skiers are always looking for the perfect slope, the right conditions, and the best equipment. Stephan Drake took things a step further: When he couldn't get the skis he wanted, he decided to make them himself.

Drake spent years seeking out the best slopes in South America and Europe before starting his own business to create high-performance skis for serious skiers. His ambitious goal: to design and produce the first pure carbon-fiber sandwich skis, a technology that took him years to develop and perfect.

Launched in 2005, DPS Skis— located at the base of the Wasatch Mountains in Salt Lake City — now employs 50 designers, engineers, photographers, skiers, and sales reps from all over the world. 

We interviewed Drake as part of our Fast Track Q&A series, in which we're asking various small business owners the same 11 questions about their professional and personal inspirations. He shared with us the reasons he started DPS Skis, the story of his ill-advised stint as a bouncer in Venezuela, and the lengths his employees will go to give customers what they want. Read more in the series »

Interview conducted by Business Insider Studios and lightly edited for clarity and length.

BI Studios: When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Stephan Drake: I really wanted to be a skier from a pretty young age. I knew that I had an affinity for the sport, and I'd go out to visit my grandfather in Colorado and ski, then go back to NYC, and I'd spend the other 50 weeks in the city dreaming about being back there. By the time I was 8, my mom had already gotten me a subscription to Powder Magazine.

How did you get the idea for your business?

DPS was started based on a decade of global travel, through living a really passionate lifestyle, following the sport, and living it in its most authentic form. I was traveling season to season, going after that perfect run and that perfect turn, and going to some pretty exotic places. The idea really came from that pursuit, which is really all-encompassing and the fact that there was a void in the market.

The existing, established brands weren't building the equipment that we wanted to be riding on, and moreover, culturally, they weren’t representing the dedication and lifestyle that certain people, the small group of people that you would see on different continents over and over, really had for the sport in its purest embodiment. 

How did you pick the name for your business?

DPS stands for "Drake Powderworks." The idea was that the brand would have something personal to it and that skis are reflections of our vision of the sport. Since Drake is my last name, the skis had a stamp of personal craftsmanship, and then we decided to brand it as DPS.

What is the biggest risk you've taken in your career?

Naively, it really was just trying to build carbon fiber skis in China. It was a risk that we took not fully understanding at the time, but looking back that was kind of crazy and wild. We put all our chips on the table and felt so passionately about the concept and the design that I spent six to eight months a year there for five years, living on the edge on a shoestring budget, trying to develop this new ski technology.

What's the strangest request you've ever gotten from a customer?

The strangest requests we’ve gotten have involved custom topsheets, where we’ve had some weird requests for odd and slightly licentious stuff to be put on skis.

We’ve also had customers who will call us up and ask us to meet them and deliver skis at an airport or a mountain, and sometimes we’ve been able to accommodate those and go on cool little adventures to meet up with customers in the strangest places. I personally haven’t been on any of those missions, but I’ve met our customers in far-flung continents or pretty off-the-beaten-path places in South America or Europe. Mike Cannon, our sales manager, has hand-delivered skis for guys all around the Wasatch area [in Salt Lake City].

What is your greatest talent (professional or otherwise)?

I would say that I do have a talent for skiing itself, as well as a unique ability to translate what I feel on the snow and in the equipment into the [ski] designs.

What's the first job you ever had?

My first real job was working as a dishwasher in a restaurant in Argentina, and it was a great gig. It was tiring, but I would come in every day at 4 p.m. and wash dishes, do food prep, and leave around 11:30 at night or so. Then I'd get up and ski all day the next day. I'd put my ski stuff in the locker and go right to work. It allowed me to spend a season down in Argentina.

What's the weirdest job you've ever had?

I was assigned to be a bouncer at a Venezuelan night club for a few days against my wishes. I’m not your typical bouncer. I was just a gringo, fresh off the boat, in this wild little outpost fishing village in Venezuela. I was just this 21-year-old American kid. If a group of five drunk Venezuelan guys wanted to come in without paying cover, I wasn’t going to tell them not to.

Which entrepreneur or business personality do you most admire?

It’s really fun to watch a guy like Elon Musk at Tesla and SpaceX combine innovation and passion with really neat ideas that are transforming the way we think about life and charging towards the better future within business. That's pretty inspiring.

Also, Yvon Chouinard at Patagonia. The company he's built and the ethics behind that business and the way he’s gone about doing it — with a deference to lifestyle and cultural values that are intrinsic to the sports the company is built on — are also really inspiring. It’s definitely influenced my own path in a big way.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

It's pretty cliché, but flying would be not only fun, but practical. I think it would be very cool to be able to fly to the top of peaks and be able to ski down them. It would logistically be a lot easier and less tiring than what I go through currently. Another superpower would be instant self-healing powers of a Wolverine-type character because my body is pretty beat up after 36 years of abuse and hard skiing.

What advice would you give to an aspiring small business owner?

The advice I would give is to cultivate the ability to persevere, get tough, and mentally prepare yourself to weather storms, because there will be many. I think that's what separates those who survive and those who don't. A lot of people turn back when faced with adversity. If you believe in your vision strongly enough, perseverance is the number one thing that can get you from point A to B and beyond.

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Have you ever wondered what the wealthy do for fun? 

If you have, you probably pictured them lounging on the deck of a yacht, taking a private jet to some exotic tropical location, or bathing in hot springs somewhere in Iceland. 

Reality, however, is something very different. 

In my five-year study of individuals with an annual income of $160,000 or more and a liquid net worth of $3.2 million or more, I discovered their recreational activities were not very much different from the rest of us.

It's how they do them that's a little different: We golf, they belong to a golf club. We ski, they own a ski house. We collect postcards, they collect wine.

Mostly, they favored these five activities:

1. The wealthy like to golf.

By far the most common recreational activity of the wealthy was golf. 51% regularly played golf. It was, by far, their number one favorite recreational activity. 45% of our wealthy golfers were members of a private golf club and the rest hoofed it at local public clubs. 37% who played golf combined their love of golf with business, killing two birds with one stone.

2. The wealthy like to boat.

Water activities seem to be a favorite common recreational activity of the wealthy. 38% of the wealthy in my study owned a boat and used their boat for weekly excursions, typically with family but also with friends and business associates. 68% used their boats for various water sports activities such as waterskiing, tubing, water trampolines, jet skiing, fishing, swimming, or sailing. 21% of the boats owned by the wealthy were yachts.

3. The wealthy like to play tennis.

38% of the wealthy played tennis one or more times a week. Many were members of more than one competitive league. 60% of our wealthy tennis players were members of a private club and the rest were members of one or more local public tennis clubs.

4. The wealthy like to collect things.

Perhaps the most surprising recreational activity I uncovered in my study was that the wealthy liked to collect things. 36% of the wealthy in my study were collectors. Art, cars, boats, wine, and sports memorabilia were among their favorites.

5. The wealthy like to ski.

Perhaps the one recreational activity most associate with being rich is skiing. And my study did not disappoint. Skiing rounds out the top five recreational activities of the wealthy. Of the 33% of those who like to ski, 12% owned a vacation home by a ski resort.

Thomas Corley is the author of "Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals," and "Rich Kids: How To Raise Our Kids To Be Happy And Successful In Life."

SEE ALSO: How To Break Into The Upper Class

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It is well known that Wall Street heads to the Hamptons during the summer, but during the winter the most thrill-seeking of the financial set head to Montana's Yellowstone Club, a 13,600 acre private resort community in the Rocky Mountains.

There they can enjoy anything from mountain golf and fly fishing during the summer, to skiing and snow mobiling in the winter.

"The golf course there is truly spectacular," said Dynasty Financial Partners CEO Shirl Penney.

It should be, as it was designed by professional golfer Tom Weiskopf.

To join the Yellowstone Club you have to buy property on the grounds, which can cost anything from $2 million for a lot of property to $26 million for a full ranch. If you don't buy a house, you can stay at the clubhouse. All of this also grants you access to more skiing at neighboring Big Sky Resort and puts you in close proximity to Yellowstone National Park.

And while some members may want to enjoy a leisurely hike or go on a snowmobile tour or two, others are looking for something with a bit more of an adrenaline rush.

"We've had some pretty extreme athletes here," said Hans Williamson, the club's General Manager. 

These are the folks who go careening down black diamond slopes, who consider gladed skiing a form of relaxation. These are the people who leave the property to go on back country adventures with trained guides — starting early in the morning and returning after the sun has set.

For them, the Yellowstone Club has a full Outdoor Pursuits program of mountain adventures. Some members even insist on designing their own day trips.

"We've had two members ski down to a lake, repel down a waterfall, and then ice climb on the way back up," said  Williamson.

In the summer those same adventurers might take a 22-mile trail — mountain biking to the wilderness, then bushwhacking to the base of a mountain, and then taking the 6,000 foot climb up and back.

That should get you a little pumped up, no?

And then are the competitive ski events mostly led by the Club's ambassador, extreme skiing champion Scot Schmidt.

 "We name our king of the mountain with a pretty extreme race," said Williamson. "The race was designed by last year's winner."

Of course, it's important to remember that this is a luxury resort, so besides the Wall Street crowd you may see some interesting people with some interesting gear on the slopes.

Professional golfer Phil Mickelson shipped a bunch of $800 OSBE Italian leather ski helmets to the Club for the season last year. The luxury brand is catching on because of its sleek look — and because it allows wearers to plug their phones into the helmet's built in speaker and stay in communication while on the slopes.

That's ideal for the skier or snowboarder who is trying to conquer the mountain while keeping tabs on family members around to resort. Or — in the case of the busy Wall Streeter — it's ideal for keeping tabs on the market. 

You'll need to know if it's heading downhill as quickly as you are.

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Whether you aim to take the whole family out to make tracks, escape with your buddies, or seek the ultimate powder playground, here's where you need to head this winter.

The Family Trip: Big Sky, Montana

For serious skiers, a trip with the family poses one big problem — the beginner runs are clustered together on lousy terrain at the bottom of the mountain. The result: Skiing with kids means sacrificing good skiing.

Big Sky requires no such sacrifice. The runs here tend to be intermingled, so while you're challenging yourself on ungroomed terrain or in a glade of trees, your kids can be snowplowing on wide-open groomers, an easy traverse away. What's more, because Big Sky has fewer skiers per acre than any mountain its size, you won't lose track of each other in the process. "All that space gives kids confidence," says Brian Hurlbut, 44, a snowboard instructor and father of two. "Plus, as a parent you don't have to be worried about finding your kids." Factor in two outstanding ski schools and the fact that kids under 10 ski free if you're staying on the mountain (It's six and under at Jackson Hole and five and under at Vail), and Big Sky may be the most family-friendly resort anywhere.

In 2013, Big Sky — which is located about an hour south of Bozeman — acquired neighboring Moonlight Basin, creating one of the largest resorts in North America, with 29 lifts and 5,800 skiable acres, about half of which are beginner or intermediate. "Lift lines are almost nonexistent," says Dave Stergar, a middle-school teacher who lives down the road in Helena and has been skiing Big Sky for 25 years. "On a busy day at other resorts, you may get five or six runs in a day. Here you get 20."

With 4,350 feet of vertical drop, it easily holds its own against monsters like nearby Jackson Hole. The resort is built around 11,166-foot-high Lone Peak, an impressive fortress of cliffs, chutes, and glades that will test anyone. Its signature run, Big Couloir, is a 55-degree pitch down the side of the bowl and in full sight of the main quad lift. For hardcore parents, it offers a real challenge; for their kids, it's something to marvel at while they're learning.

At the end of the day, there's a kid's club open from four to six, so you can enjoy some après-ski time, child free. There's not much nightlife in Big Sky, so Hurlbut recommends taking a trip six miles to Meadow Village, where most locals live. "It gives you a better feel of Big Sky," he says. At Choppers Pub and Grub, kids run wild in a huge room full of old-school arcade games, shuffleboard, and pool tables. A few miles farther toward Gallatin Canyon, you'll find authentic guest ranches and steakhouses. Just be careful — a trip to Big Sky has been known to make kids decide they want to be western ski bums when they grow up.

The Family Trip: Sun Valley Idaho

Sun Valley is a great family ski destination because it's also a great place to raise a family. "It's a strong year-round community," says pro skier Zach Crist, who grew up in Sun Valley and is now raising his own children there. It's relatively hotel-free, but condo living makes you feel more like a local, anyway. As for the skiing, Crist says, a consistent fall line makes the mountain perfect for developing beautiful ski turns, compared with places like Whistler and Vail, with their ever-present flat spells.

RELATED: 10 Affordable Winter Vacation Destinations

The Family Trip: Smuggler's Notch, Vermont

Smuggs, as the locals call it, seems to have been purpose-built for families, promising nonstop activities from morning until sugar crash: free-flowing hot chocolate, tubing, ropes-course-style canopy tours, and fireworks. Its ski school, Snowsport University, works with kids as young as two and a half. "Kids are skiing off the top of the mountain in a day," says longtime marketing director Steve Clokey. Smugglers' also boasts serious skier cred – including the only triple black diamond in the East.

The Buddy Trip: Lake Tahoe, Nevada

Straddling the California-Nevada border, Lake Tahoe combines big mountain terrain and a deep snowpack with cool base villages, and a raging, casino-infused nightlife scene. "The skiing is absolutely insane — and then you add in all the stuff going on once the lifts close," says Todd Offenbacher, a local climbing and ski guide. "It has this unique blend of California cool mixed with a 24-hour Las Vegas style."

The epicenter of the scene is Heavenly Mountain Resort, which boasts 3,500 vertical feet and 4,800 acres of trails. During powder days, shadow the locals through Ski Way Glades and Maggie's Canyon or head straight to the gates that guard the chutes and cliff bands found in Mott and Kilbrew canyons. "If there's good snow down low near the lake," Offenbacher says, "make sure to check out the tree lines directly beneath the Heavenly Gondola. When they're going off, it's some of the best tree skiing anywhere."

The party vibe at Heavenly starts long before the lifts close. A modified Sno-Cat, tricked out with a DJ platform and state-of-the-art sound system, roams the resort all day pumping tunes. At day's end, the Cat parks at the mid-mountain Tamarack Lodge for a daily Unbuckle Après Party, with DJs spinning beats, half-price drinks, and a troupe of go-go dancers known as the Heavenly Angels. From there, ride the gondola down to the base village for a drink around the outdoor fire pits at Fire and Ice, a bar and restaurant popular with locals.

There are nine big casinos in Lake Tahoe — though you don't have to stay in one. If your group is up for a splurge, you can find a pretty spectacular cabin, with a hot tub and lake views, for between $300 and $600 a night. Also keep in mind that Tahoe has nine resorts within 30 miles of one another, each with a distinct vibe. Locals flock to Kirkwood, about 45 minutes south. "It's totally off the grid," Offenbacher says, and it's the place to be if it's been snowing. "It can have double or triple the snow depth compared to town," Offenbacher says, and all that snow will be lighter and drier. The terrain, meanwhile, is insane, with steep chutes and dramatic cliffs — and none of the crowds.

RELATED: The Most Underrated Ski Resorts in North America

The Buddy Trip: Whistler, British Columbia

The sister resorts of Whistler and Blackcomb offer more than 8,000 acres of skiable terrain, including 200 marked runs and countless powder stashes and cliff lines, 14 alpine bowls, three glaciers, an average annual snowfall of 465 inches, and one of the longest ski seasons in North America.

The nightlife in the village can keep you just as busy. Locals like to head to Girabaldi Lift Co. Bar and Grill, located above the Gondola Building, which boasts amazing mountain views and live music. There's also Merlins and Dusty's Bar and BBQ, the oldest bar in the village. Both offer a festive vibe no matter what day of the week. The best part: The entire village core is pedestrian only — so no need to designate a driver.

The Buddy Trip: Aspen, Colorado

The sister resorts of Whistler and Blackcomb offer more than 8,000 acres of skiable terrain, including 200 marked runs and countless powder stashes and cliff lines, 14 alpine bowls, three glaciers, an average annual snowfall of 465 inches, and one of the longest ski seasons in North America. The nightlife in the village can keep you just as busy. Locals like to head to Girabaldi Lift Co. Bar and Grill, located above the Gondola Building, which boasts amazing mountain views and live music. There's also Merlins and Dusty's Bar and BBQ, the oldest bar in the village. Both offer a festive vibe no matter what day of the week. The best part: The entire village core is pedestrian only — so no need to designate a driver.

RELATED: The Best Ski Resorts in North America

The Powder Quest: Fernie, Revelstoke, and Kicking Horse, British Columbia

Backcountry junkies know it as the powder highway — a 680-mile stretch of blacktop in the Kootenay Rockies of interior British Columbia that connects some 64 ski operations: eight alpine resorts, 10 heli-ski operators, 10 Nordic trail systems, 13 Sno-Cat guides, and 23 backcountry-ski-touring outfitters. Add in the funky, authentic, and relatively cheap mountain towns and a couple of picturesque, muscle-soothing hot springs resorts along the way, and this powder-hound fantasyland just starts to sound almost unreal. "The powder highway is one of those magical places where it's always snowing somewhere," says Griffin Post, a top-ranked professional big-mountain skier. "Something always seems to be coming out of the sky. One week on the powder highway can make up for a season of subpar snow at home."

Accessing the road (less poetically known as Route 95A) used to mean a long drive to Fernie, British Columbia. Nowadays, you can hop a flight to Calgary or Cranbrook, rent an SUV, and start from there. Spokane, Washington, is also within striking distance.

Understand that unless you plan to quit your job and truly commit for a season, you'll never experience the whole thing. So here are a few highlights that should be part of any pilgrimage.

The Resorts: You won't want to miss the chutes and pillow lines of Fernie Alpine Resort, or Kicking Horse's expert-oriented 4,100-foot vertical drop. Revelstoke, a relatively unknown monster, boasts the biggest vertical drop in North America, with more than 5,000 vertical feet of bowls, glades, and groomers. All of these resorts offer lift tickets for about $60 per day — 40 percent cheaper than most large U.S. ski areas. "While Cat- and heli-skiing are always a nice option," Post says, "if you don't have the coin for it, there's more than enough terrain to max out your powdometer."

The Backcountry: Both Cat- and heli-skiing were born in these mountains, and you'd be a fool not to indulge. So use the funds you save on the cheap lift tickets and reasonably priced hotels. The world-famous resort CMH (Canadian Mountain Holidays) was founded in 1965 in the Bugaboo Mountains and now operates 11 heli-ski lodges in the surrounding mountains that access every type of terrain you can imagine. If steep and deep tree skiing is your jam, give Retallack or Mustang Powder a try.

For the backcountry purist, there are tons of options, from the rustic and simple Asulkan Hut Cabin on Rogers Pass, to luxury backcountry lodges like Ice Creek Lodge, which you access via helicopter and can use as a base for guided day tours.

Off the Slopes: Be sure to stop and check out the Ainsworth and Halcyon Hot Springs resorts and spend a night or two in genuine mountain towns like Golden and Nelson. In fact, all of the small towns on the highway are cool throwbacks to a time when the major employers of many mountain hamlets were railroads and lumber mills.

On the powder highway, they still are.

Going Global: Lech, Austria

A ski trip to Lech is like a journey back to the sport's early days. With wooden chalets, horse-drawn carriages, and cable cars carrying skiers to mountaintops, the place exudes a charm that's a far cry from the Gore-Tex-clad, vertical-hungry vibe of so many North American resorts.

Located about 120 miles from Zurich in a region of Austria known as the Arlberg, Lech's ski area first opened in 1937. But you don't come here just for a history lesson. Lech sits on the western side of the country and is one of the first resorts to get nailed by storms as they pass over the Alps — which means some of the finest skiing anywhere.

About 40 percent of the resort consists of groomed beginner and intermediate terrain. But traverse a little farther off the lift and you'll find more than 124 miles of empty, powder-stuffed bowls. "What the Arlberg is known for is its off-piste terrain," says pro skier Lorraine Huber, a Lech native whose family has lived in the area for hundreds of years. "You could spend two lifetimes skiing here every day and you still would have new zones to discover."

Compared with the U.S., boundary ropes, signage, and avalanche-control work are minimal, so it's best to hire a guide and carry backcountry safety gear. "You have to know what you're doing," says Huber, "but there is a lot of freedom."

A typical day starts with a tram ride to the 8,000-foot summit, and then a scenic descent to a neighboring valley via wide-open bowls. You can ride new lifts all day long and still not see the entire mountain. Lech also is home to Austria's only resort-based heli-skiing — book a flight to one of two nearby peaks and you can ride untracked snow for less than $550.

For a break, stop in a mountaintop hut for espresso and kaiserschmarrn, a sweet, chopped-up pancake with raisins and stewed plums that has fueled Austrian skiers for generations. For dinner, treat yourself to käsespätzle, Austria's version of macaroni and cheese. Then end your day by going back in time again, listening to a Tyrolean brass band dressed in lederhosen in the Rüfiplatz, the village's main square.

Going Global: Niseko, Japan

If local conditions are bumming you out, here's an easy fix: Head to Niseko, which gets about 50 feet of snow per year. The best part: Most Japanese skiers prefer to ski on groomed runs, which means that you (and a few Aussie ski bums) get thousands of acres of untracked powder through old-growth Japanese forests to yourself. At the end of the day, soak in one of the many onsen — traditional Japanese hot springs and spas.

Going Global: Sochi, Russia

Don't let the brown hillsides and rainy conditions we saw during the Olympics fool you: Sochi is home to some of the best, steepest, most lift-accessible terrain in the world. You'll find four different resorts, more than 51 lifts and gondolas, and a vertical drop just shy of 6,000 feet. The largest is Rosa Khutor, but even during the Olympics, hardly anyone was skiing there. "It was just lap after lap of perfect untracked powder until our legs gave out," says Ben Verge, a U.S. Ski Team coach.

A Couple's Getaway: Taos, New Mexico

Ask a hardcore local to name the most romantic spot in Taos and there's a good chance he or she will point up — to the resort's iconic, 12,481-foot summit, Kachina Peak. "I have several friends who have gotten engaged on the peak," says Ana Karina Armijo, a local graphic designer who has lived in and skied Taos for two decades.

In the past, reaching the summit — for love or adventure — required an arduous 45-minute hike from the top of Chair 2. This year, a new lift, one of the highest in North America, will shuttle riders there. That's thanks to Taos Ski Valley's new owner, hedge-fund billionaire Louis Bacon, who bought the resort in 2013.

Bacon is planning other upgrades to the mountain, as well as some commercial and residential development. But Taos likely will remain one of the most tranquil destinations in the country, a unique mashup of killer skiing, Native American culture, and art-colony ambience.

Taos Ski Valley (at 9,200 feet, the highest town in the U.S.) is a 1,300-acre spread in the shadow of Kachina Peak at the very southern tip of the Rockies. That means terrain that looks and skis a lot like Telluride: steep, technical, and full of tight chutes and challenging glades. Being so far south, Taos gets more sun than most other ski resorts (300-plus days a year), yet it still averages more than 300 inches of snow. And because of the arid climate, when it does dump, the powder is bone dry.

A 30-minute drive down canyon brings you to the city of Taos, which is a different world altogether, with more than 100 art galleries, many of them housed in 200-year-old adobe buildings. Farolitos, used a century ago to light the way to churches, still line many pathways and streets in winter, and locals still burn piñon wood in chalet fireplaces.

About 10 minutes away, you'll find the UNESCO-designated Taos Pueblo, a thousand-year-old Native American habitation where Taos Indians still live and practice traditional arts. Ojo Caliente, a nearby hot springs, is a perfect place to soak sore quads. For dinner, check out Lambert's, a tony steakhouse known for elk and venison — it sits next door to the former home of Governor Charles Bent, who in 1847 was scalped by locals revolting against the American government. "Taos is not a new town," says Hano Blake, the 38-year-old grandson of Ernie and Rhoda Blake, who founded the ski resort in 1955. "It's got real history."

A Couple's Getaway: Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec City, Quebec

The Paris of ski towns, Quebec City is full of narrow cobblestoned streets, soaring church spires, and charming 18th-century houses. And just 30 minutes up the road is some of the best skiing on the East Coast, at Mont-Sainte-Anne — with snow that is almost always light and fluffy, and a season that lasts from November until late April.

Spend your evenings in Quebec City itself, strolling alongside cross-country skiers as they glide along the sidewalks below the famous floodlit turrets of the 100-year-old Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel. Or ride the funicular down to an intimate pocket of bistros and boutiques in the Quartier Petit Champlain.

A Couple's Getaway: Beaver Creek, Colorado

"The Beev" does luxury better than just about any other ski resort in North America. Even better, it will feel like you have the plush outdoor fire pits and martini bars — not to mention 1,800 acres of terrain and 3,300 feet of vertical — all to yourself.

The inbounds and side-country skiing hold powder for days because of the lack of crowds. Off the hill, you'll find all kinds of ways to indulge: escalators instead of stairs, private sleigh rides, outstanding restaurants, and nannies and ski valets to fetch your favorite whiskey — before you've even asked.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Wildest Celebrations In The World

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Vanessa-Mae has been banned from international skiing competitions for four years after the sport's governing body found she used sham races to qualify for the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

Mae is a 36-year-old, world-renowned Thai-British violinist.

After a successful music career in which she sold 10 million albums worldwide, she qualified for the Olympics and raced for Thailand under the name Vanessa Vanakorn.

She was held up as one of the Olympics' most heartwarming stories, despite finishing dead last in the giant slalom. She was the oldest skier in the competition, and told reporters it was her "dream" to make the Olympics.

"You’ve got the elite skiers of the world and then you’ve got some mad old woman like me trying to make it down,"she told the Independent. "I think it’s great the Olympics is here, it gives you the chance to try something new later in life."

According to the FIS ruling, she only qualified for the Olympics after results were manipulated at four races in Krvavec, Slovenia in January of 2014.

The races were organized at the request of Mae's management. The FIS ruled that times were fixed, skiers who weren't there were listed as participants, basic rules weren't followed, and the weather was so bad that some of the races couldn't have taken place.

Mae finished in the top 10 in all four races, earning her enough FIS points to get into the Olympic giant slalom race. She never finished better than 20th before that, and finished 63rd at a race in Italy just six days before.

Here's the list of findings from the FIS report:

• "The results of two giant slalom races on 19th January included a competitor who was not present at, and did not participate in the Krvavec Competitions."
• "Another competitor was placed 2nd in one race despite the fact she fell. Her time is understood to have been adjusted afterwards by more than 10 seconds."
• "At least one competitor started away from the starting gate outside the automatic timing wand that was manually opened by the starter when she was already on the course."
• "A previously retired competitor with the best FIS points in the competition took part for the sole purpose of lowering the penalty to the benefit the participants in the races."
• "The weather conditions were so bad that no regular race could be held and “any comparable competition in Slovenia would have been cancelled” according to the competition referee."
• "The races courses were not changed for the second runs as is required by the FIS rules."
• "Approximately 23 competitors participated in the two races held on 18th January 2014, however at least two competitors on the official results were not in attendance."
• "Only eight competitors were on the start list for the two races on January 19th 2014 and only six achieved a result."

Five other people — a race chief, technical delegate, timing chief, starter, and referee — were also banned between one and two years.

The cut off the qualify for the Olympics was January 20th. The four races in question happened between January 17th and 19th.

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Aspen versus Vail: It's one of the oldest destination rivalries of all time.

And while fans of each will claim that their chosen locale far outshines the other in numerous ways, the two Colorado ski towns are most likely so often at odds with one another because they are actually quite similar.

Both have amazing slopes. Both attract a celebrity clientele. Both are home to wonderful restaurants and shops. 

But we can't help but get in on the "which is best" debate ourselves, so we decided to stage a little face-off between Aspen and Vail in order to finally put this argument to rest (after all, we are the experts, so our opinion should count for something).

In order to dub an overall winner, we matched the two ski destinations off in the following categories: skiing, history, price, celebrity status, getting there and around, dining, and nightlife. Let the games begin, and the victor be declared!!

Skiing

This is perhaps the most important category of all because, well, duh. Although certainly not the only reason visitors flock to Vail and Aspen (some avoid it altogether), skiing is the main attraction in both. So let's take a look at the mountains, shall we?

Vail and Aspen similarly call the Colorado Rocky Mountains home, but the common thread stops there. While Aspen boasts four mountains, Vail has but one. But as we all know, less is often more -- and this proves to be true here. Because while Vail may have just one mountain, it is massive and the entirety of Aspen's slopes could be crammed onto Vail's sole mountain multiple times over. Plus, true skiers prefer Vail's slopes to Aspen's because they are decidedly more challenging (and that's a fact).

 And the winner is...Vail.

History

Aspen will always win this battle because it actually has some history. While Vail was built as a ski resort in 1962, and became incorporated four years later, Aspen began as a mining camp in the 1880s. The Panic of 1893 prompted the town's decline, but the development of nearby Aspen Mountain into a ski destination revitalized the area and turned Aspen into a ski resort of its own.

History buffs can take a walking tour, catch a show at the historic Wheeler Opera House, or even book a stay in an historic hotel -- like Hotel Jerome. 

And the winner is...Aspen.

Price

If you're looking for a budget ski vacation, don't look at Aspen...and don't look at Vail. Both are pricey destinations, whereas mountains in locales such as Vermont and Park City allow for a little more stretching of your dollar. But between the two, Vail offers the better deal. On average, hotel rooms in and near Vail are slightly less expensive than those found in Aspen, as are its restaurants and shops. Our favorite value hotels in Vail include Marriott's Streamside and Austria Haus Hotel, which offers guests free access to The Lodge at Vail's numerous pools. 

And the winner is...Vail. 

Celebrity Status

If you visit Aspen or Vail sometime during peak season (November through March), your chances of spotting a celeb are pretty high. While plenty of stars have homes in other ski destinations (Tom Cruise and Jerry Seinfeld in Telluride, Sandra Bullock in Jackson Hole), these two certainly take home the prize for the highest number of celebrity residents -- with Aspen narrowly beating out Vail.

Vail may be Jessica Biel's hometown, where Lindsey Vonn trains, and the site of one of Michael Bloomberg's many homes, but Vail has slightly more star power; Jack Nicholson, Kevin Costner, Robert Wagner, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Antonio Banderas, and Charlie Sheen all own residences here. 

And the winner is...Aspen.

Getting There and Around

Heated. Sidewalks. No. Joke. Both Vail and Aspen have invested in snowmelt systems, which is great since they quickly clear snow and slippery ice from pedestrian pathways. Both ski towns also have relatively reliable and inexpensive transportation options. But Vail has our vote as being the more easily navigable city, as well as the one that's easier to reach.

Many travelers to Aspen and Vail choose to fly into Denver, as it's the closest major airport and is often much cheaper. While it takes about three hours to reach Vail from Denver, it takes four or more from Aspen, and there are fewer public bus options from Denver to Aspen than to Vail. Plus, while Vail may be able one square mile larger than Aspen, it has about 2,000 fewer residences, many (slightly) fewer crowds and clogged sidewalks than what you'll find in Aspen. 

And the winner is...Vail.

Dining

In order to cater to their well-heeled visitors' refined palates, Vail and Aspen are chock-a-block with gourmet, fine-dining options -- whether they be on the mountain for a delicious ski-in/ski-out lunch or on Main Street for a classy apres-ski, multi-course extravaganza.

Craving Nobu? You'll find an outpost in both destinations. And Top Chef and Iron Chef vet Kelly Liken runs her self-named restaurant in Vail, which has attracted national attention and garnered numerous awards. But Aspen is Colorado's foodie mecca. Ajax Tavern is not only known for its use of fresh, local ingredients, but also its ability to draw a celeb chef clientele; Mario Batali is often spotted here. Plus, the famed Chefs Club, which features a rotation of renowned chefs, rolled out its (very successful) trial run in Aspen, and an outpost of David Burke Kitchen is opening there this winter. 

And the winner is...Aspen.

The Tie-Breaker: Nightlife

It's neck-and-neck. Each destination has been dubbed champion of three categories, so it's down to the nightlife to determine the victor of our Aspen versus Vail face-off. Both locales have plenty of spots to grab an apres-ski cocktail or dance the night away till the early hours, and this one is more subjective than the others, because it depends on your partying-it-up style. But we prefer the more low-key approach to the nightlife in Vail.

While you can sip a fancy craft cocktail with the best of 'em in Aspen, fellow patrons may turn up their noses if you arrive fresh off the mountain, still in your ski boots. But in Vail, this is de rigueur and many skiers -- tourists and locals alike -- prefer to rock their ski gear all night rather than miss the hour or two at the bars that they'd need to spend changing. 

And the winner — and overall champion — is VAIL! 

SEE ALSO: Why Ski Jumpers Hold Their Skis In A V Shape

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SEE ALSO: 12 Dalai Lama Quotes That Will Change The Way You Think About Happiness

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Winter weather is upon us, which means it's time to get ready to hit the slopes. 

There are tons of new ski gadgets and accessories on the market that would make great holiday gifts.

From Camelbaks and helmets to the latest in footwarming technology, here are 11 gifts for the skiing enthusiasts in your life. 

A new boot bag will make it easier to travel with your gear.

Boot bags take a serious beating during ski season, from inside and out. Upgrade to a lightweight boot bag from High Sierra. It has a ventilation system that will let your boots properly dry after a day on the slopes, backpack-style straps, and zipper pockets for all your gear.

Price:$129.99

Bluetooth-enabled goggles will help you meet up with your friends on the slopes.

These Bluetooth-enabled goggles use a bone conduction microphone so you can communicate clearly on the mountain without the interference of wind. You can chat with up to six friends within 1,600 feet of each other, and a full charge will last you 12 hours. 

Connect wirelessly to your iPhone so you can automatically answer incoming calls or play music while you shred the slopes. 

 Price: $299.95

A high-quality helmet will keep you both comfortable and safe.

A good helmet is a must these days, and the Smith Vantage helmet is a great one. Twenty-one adjustable vents help you change your temperature appropriately for both winter storms and sunny skies, while the constant movement of air keeps your goggles from getting foggy. The helmet comes in a variety of colors, so you'll be looking stylish while keeping your head safe. 

Price: $22o

Ski season has officially arrived in the US, with most mountain resorts officially opening within the next week.

FindTheBest helped us pick the best ski resorts in the US. They generated a Smart Rating to rank ski resorts around the country, based on rankings from SKI Mag and PowderHounds.com, mountain size, terrain, and snowfall. 

In addition to awesome slopes, these mountains offer everything from sleigh rides to heli skiing to bumping apres-ski parties. 

15. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Teton Village, Wyoming

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is designed for the advanced skier with 50% of its 116 trails being black diamonds and expert level trails. The mountain is one of the tallest on our list at 4,139 feet tall. Its longest trail stretches for four and a half miles.

Despite few nightlife options, the resort offers tons of outdoor activities like snowmobiling, sleigh rides, and heli skiing.

Lift Ticket: $109

Source: Facebook/Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

14. Copper Mountain Ski Resort, Copper Mountain, Colorado

Copper Mountain Ski Resort accommodates all ski levels from advanced snowcat skiing to beginners learning to master the snow plow. The resort is family friendly with daycare and ski school as well as a village with shops and restaurants.

Copper Mountain has 2,465 skiable acres, 140 trails, and is a great value. Season passes are $389 which is 21% less than the US average.

Lift Ticket: $75

Source: Facebook/Copper Mountain

13. Squaw Valley Ski Resort, Olympic Valley, California

Squaw Valley has an average annual snowfall of 450 inches and 177 trails. Despite having 29 chairlifts and 4,000 skiable acres, Squaw Valley can get overcrowded.

The resort offers activities from night skiing to dog sledding and has great nightlife options with 21 bars and restaurants to choose from. The bar Le Chamois is known for its incredible apres-ski parties.

The popular ski spot established its reputation as a top ski resort when it was featured in the 1960 Winter Olympics.

Lift Ticket: $99

Source: Facebook/Squaw Valley

Skier Cody Townsend won Powder Magazine's 2014 "Best Ski Line" award for this run down a steep, narrow crevice in Alaska's remote Tordrillos Mountain Range. 

He did it for his film Days Of My Youth, and it's incredible. It's like skiing down a sheer-faced hallway.

Here's the chute:

From above:

From his point of view, you can see how narrow it was:

The full video (via Kottke):

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SEE ALSO: The 15 Best Ski Resorts In America

DON'T FORGET:  Follow Business Insider's Life On Facebook!

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Val-d'Isère (France) (AFP) - Lindsey Vonn notched up her 61st World Cup win with success in the women's downhill at Val d'Isere on Saturday.

The four-time overall World Cup champion claimed her latest race by clocking a time of 1min 44.47 sec to edge Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg and Austria's Elisabeth Goergl, who shared second at 19 hundredths of a second behind the American.

This was 30-year-old Vonn's second downhill win of the season after this month's win in Lake Louise, her first victory since a high speed crash in early 2013.

It put the girlfriend of 14-time golf major champion Tiger Woods just one win behind the all-time World Cup record of 62 held by Austria's Annemarie Moser-Proell.

Slovenia skier Tina Maze, who leads the overall World Cup standings, came in fourth.

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We all have those dreams—skiing forever, down a run that just goes on and on (and on), without having to get on that lift back up.

Thanks to some very high lifts, the ability to hike, and the ability to take a helicopter up, there are a few places in the world where you can achieve this feeling.

Longest Ski Runs: The Small Print

There are ‘issues’ with some of the runs that say they’re amongst the world’s longest. A common one is that, assuming you have the stamina, you can actually go all the way from top to bottom in one go. Most require hike around or a short lift ride back out to complete the full descent.

Another factor can be the weather. To ski the longest verticals, you need to keep going lower and lower towards sea level, in most cases making it less and less likely that you’ll find snow the lower you go. You’ll need to time your visit well with a cold, snowy day.

And of course, you can make a very, very long descent by making wide, near horizontal crossings of any mountain face going hundreds of feet for every few feet of descent, but we’re not counting those in our list.

All that being understood, here they are…

The Main Contenders

1. The Vallee Blanche (Chamonix, France): 22km/14 miles

The World’s Longest Ski Runs: Valle Blanche

Popularly agreed to be the world’s longest route, especially one that is lift served, the Valle Blanche is accessed via a precipitous arette (snowy ridge) from the safety of the Aiguille du Midi lift station.

The full descent is around 20km (13 miles) long and descends some 2700 vertical metres (almost double the lift-served vertical at Whistler Blackcomb). However, it is all off-piste and through potentially dangerous terrain – sometimes avalanches, sometimes crevasses – so it’s unwise to attempt without a guide. If the snow is old and wind blown, it’s quite a long haul too. You need to remove your skis usually towards the bottom to cross the moraine at the base of the glacier.

2. Zermatt to Valtournenche (Switzerland & Italy): 20km/13 miles

The World’s Longest Ski Runs: Zermatt to Valtournenche

The world’s longest on-piste run is (arguably) the descent from Europe’s highest lift. It starts at the top of one (of two) of the world’s year-round snow centres, nearly 3,900m up above Zermatt in Switzerland. You descend mostly moderate-grade pistes over the border into Italy and down to the village of Valtournenche, some 2,300 vertical metres below.

This is a spectacular run but it is one where you normally need to take a short lift half way down to make the full descent. So, like the Vallee Blanche, it’s not totally straightforward.

3. Sarenne (Alpe d’Huez, France): 16km / 10 miles

The World’s Longest Ski Runs: Alpe d'Huez Sarenne

Billed as the world’s longest black run, the Sarenne descent is completely on-piste and descends more than 2,000 vertical metres. It’s especially challenging in parts with glaciated slopes at the top. This winter, there’s new snowmaking and floodlighting atop most of the slope, promising amazing evening descents.

4. The Last Spike (Revelstoke, Canada): 15km / 9.5 miles

The World’s Longest Ski Runs: Revelstoke

The home of North America’s biggest lift-served vertical, it’s no surprise that Revelstoke is home to one of its longest runs. The Last Spike zig zags beautifully down the mountain through the trees for miles (and miles) and can be tackled by skiers of all levels. View Revelstoke lift tickets.

5. Mount Saint Elias (US Alaskan/Canadian border): 5.5km / 3.4 miles

The World’s Longest Ski Runs: Mount Saint Elias

As far as I’m aware, no one has actually measured the length of the descent down Mount Saint Elias, but it does have the greatest potential lift-served vertical at 5,489m from summit to sea level. Assuming you traverse some of the precipitously steep sections, it seems likely that hiking or taking a helicopter up this could offer one of longest run on the planet.

The conditions are so extreme though that the number of people to have tried it so far can be counted with the fingers on two hands. Sadly, some of them are still on the mountain today having not completed their run.

To this day, no one has skied the full 5,489m in one go. Extreme skiers Peter Ressman and Axel Naglich did ski it in 2007, but did so in two stages, several months apart, because of the conditions.

Honorary mentions:

Other areas claiming runs of similar length (15-16km/9-10 miles) include: Bad Gastein and Solden in Austria; La Plagne and Samoens in France; and Laax, Murren and Verbier in Switzerland. Most have around 2,000 (or more) lift-served vertical metres.

Juggernaut, Killington, Vermont: 10km/6.6 miles

Juggernaut is proudly boasted as the longest in Eastern North America. It is a very gentle affair and great for beginners to tackle and enjoy their achievement. View Killington lift tickets.

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Ski season is upon us, and mountain resorts across the country are preparing for an influx of daredevils and thrill-seekers.

The most difficult runs in the U.S. serve up 50-degree pitches, drop-offs upwards of 30 feet, and frozen waterfalls buried under powder. Navigating them requires mental stamina and fast footwork.

Our friends at Liftopia helped us find the trails that have even the most expert skiers shaking in their boots.

Corbet's Couloir – Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Teton Village, WY

The Ride: Corbet's Couloir starts with a massive drop off a snow-covered cleft in the rock face, so you're free-falling two to nine meters, depending on the snow. If you stick the landing on the 50-degree slope, you must immediately throw all your weight forward and make a right-hand swerve to avoid smashing into a Precambrian rock.

The Couloir's upside down funnel shape opens into a super powdery 200-meter run.

Pro Tip: Some skiers panic down the chute and try to stop after landing, which is unwise at 40mph. Jackson Hole's ski coaches say, "Don't stop, stand up and ski!"

The Fingers – Squaw Valley, Olympic Valley, CA

The Ride: Squaw Valley's unofficial morning ritual is the Fingers Race, where skiers show up at the KT 22 lift at an ungodly hour and elbow their way in line to be the first to bomb the 2,000-foot vertical.

They charge from the Nose down the Fingers in mass chaos, one person after the next at 40mph. The two iconic lines on the Fingers — Main Air and Middle Knuckle — offer 40-foot flights and blind 60-degree pitches, respectively. The whole base of the mountain looks at the Fingers, so expect an audience.

Pro Tip: Avoid the center of the run, where transitions get swept away and snow sluffs expose hidden rocks.

Paradise – Mad River Glen, Fayston, VT

The Ride: This steep, sheltered run is a labyrinth of dense glades and open headwalls. It starts with a plunge off an eight-foot cliff, then morphs into a windy, super-steep trough lined with six-foot frozen waterfalls, big soft moguls, and side gullies with monstrous pockets of powder.

There's a 38-degree pitch in there that will keep you on your toes.

Pro Tip: It's easy to lose people in the trees, so try to stay cognizant of your group's whereabouts at all times. Ski blogger Troy Hawks says, "This is a classic line in every sense. If you ski in the West and think the trees there are tight, welcome to Paradise. Here there are two options. Turn now, or bust."

It's the holidays, and now that folks have some downtime they'll want to hit the slopes at ski resorts all around the world.

We've tracked some of the top ski racers who are now working on Wall Street. 

We've found folks who competed in the Olympics and others who were World Cup medalists. We found many skiers who were captains of their college teams. 

We've also found some younger skiers who are heading to Wall Street when they're finished with school.

These skiers have swapped running gates for putting together financial models and analyst reports. They can still hit the slopes on the weekends, though.  One of the skiers on our list happens to own a ski area, too. 

If you know of other skiers who should be included, feel free to send an email to jlaroche@businessinsider.com. Please include a photo and a brief bio of ski highlights. 

RBC Capital Markets director Ed Podivinsky won the bronze medal in Lillehammer in 1994.

Finance Job: Ed Podivinsky is a director in the institutional equity division of RBC Capital Markets.

Ski Highlights: He represented Canada in three Olympic games.  He won the bronze medal medal at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer.

Bank of America senior vice president Stephany Thompson was ranked in the top 10 of the Women's World Pro Tour.

Finance Job: She's a senior vice president at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. 

Education: University of New Mexico

Ski Highlights: Thompson was a member of the Junior National Team and the Senior National Team. She received a full athletic scholarship to ski for the University of New Mexico where she was the team's "Most Valuable Player." She skied on the Women's World Pro Tour where she was ranked in the top 10. She was later the women's head ski coach at the University of Minnesota with an undefeated regular season. She was also a Masters National Champion with an undefeated regular season. 

Stifel Nicolaus managing director Otto Tschudi

Finance Job: He's a managing director at Stifel Nicolaus. 

Education: University of Denver 

Ski Highlights: He's a legendary Norweigan alpine skier. He skied professionally from 1963 until 1980. He has skied in the 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympics. 

Two prospects from the U.S. Ski Team were killed in an avalanche Monday while skiing near their European training base in the Austrian Alps.

The team said Ronnie Berlack, 20, and Bryce Astle, 19, died in the incident near the Rettenbach glacier in the mountains over Soelden, the venue for the annual season-opening World Cup races.

Berlack, from Franconia, New Hampshire, and Astle, from Sandy, Utah, were part of a group of six skiers who were descending from the 3,056-meter Gaislachkogel when they left the prepared slope and apparently set off the avalanche. The other four skied out of the slide and escaped unhurt.

Officials in the Tyrolean region said an avalanche alert had been declared for the area after days of heavy snowfall and mild temperatures.

"Ronnie and Bryce were both outstanding ski racers who were passionate about their sport — both on the race course and skiing the mountain," U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association President and CEO Tiger Shaw said. "Our hearts go out to the Berlack and Astle families, as well as to their extended sport family. Both of them loved what they did and conveyed that to those around them."

The tragedy has left the U.S. Ski Team "in shock," Alpine director Patrick Riml told The Associated Press in Croatia, Zagreb, where the American slalom team was preparing for a World Cup race on Tuesday.

Head coach Sascha Rearick left Zagreb shortly after being informed and traveled back to Austria to be with the so-called development team Berlack and Astle were part of.

Riml said the athletes were free to decide whether they still wanted to compete in Tuesday's night race, adding the team planned to wear mourning bands.

"We are all very close," said Riml, an Austrian who was born and grew up in Soelden. "We train a lot in Park City. We'll see how they handle the whole thing and how they react."

Riml added "it's a shock for everybody. Two great boys, great athletes, good skiers. They were fun to have around. We are all in shock, still. It's very tragic."

Berlack and Astle were part of a group of 10 skiers on the development team who gained experience in the Europa Cup and were preparing to race on the top-level World Cup.

"They all have the potential (to be on the World Cup)," Riml said. "These two boys were among the other eight boys who are our future. We believed in these guys, that's why we selected them."

Berlack was a member of the Franconia Ski Club who recently trained at Vermont's Burke Mountain Academy. He had earned a spot on the development team in 2013 and finished 11th in downhill and 17th in super-G at the National championships that year in Squaw Valley.

Berlack grew up in Franconia, the small town in the White Mountains that also produced U.S., world and Olympic champion Bode Miller. Rich Smith, program director at the Franconia Ski Club, said he had known Berlack since he was 7.

"There's not enough words to say what a great guy Ronnie Berlack was and always will be," Smith said.

In a statement, Burke Mountain Academy said it was devastated by Berlack's death. His father, Steve Berlack, is a coach at the academy. His mother, Cindy, is also a ski coach.

"Only last week Ronnie was here at BMA training with us," the school said. "Ronnie was someone we all loved and deeply respected. He had a huge spirit. There is no one who better represents our core values than Ronnie. Our hearts go out to his parents Steve and Cindy, and his sister Carolyn."

At the Dec. 5 World Cup downhill in Beaver Creek, Berlack was one of the five forerunners, who test a course before the actual race starts. Berlack was also set to be a forerunner during the world championships on the same course next month, U.S ski team spokeswoman Megan Harrod told the AP.

Astle was invited to train with the development team this season after strong early season results, including two top-10 results at NorAm Cup races last month in Canada.

"He was hoping ... to be in the next Olympics, that was his goal," his mother Laura Astle said, "and he was pretty much on his way."

___

Associated Press reporters Lindsay Whitehurst in Salt Lake City and Rik Stevens in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.

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With an office in central Manhattan, it's not every day we get to drive cars in the environment for which they were built. There aren't exactly freeways where we can let the engine loose, or winding turns where we can sample the precise handling.

So I was psyched to be able to drive Infiniti's 2015 QX60 all-wheel drive SUV on the snow-covered roads of the Colorado Rockies during a recent ski trip.

Even better, I was with four friends who were lugging tons of baggage and ski gear, so I got to see how the car would weather our heavy usage.

Bottom line — functionally, the QX60 was a great ride for a ski vacation. It had a ton of space, and was easy to reconfigure to fit skis, suitcases, and people. It also handled well on the snowy, mountainous roads that led to and from the ski resorts, and had several features that made it great for a driver exploring new terrain.

But in the end, the QX60 was just too pretty for this sort of trip. After five days of nonstop use, the sleek exterior was covered in dirt, and the interior didn't look much better. My friends felt guilty for trekking mud onto the carpets and leaving their wet winter gear on the leather seats.

"If I lived out here and were a more serious skier, I'd have to get a more rugged car," said one. "I feel like a soccer mom."

Big car, small feel

With three rows of seats and more than 16 feet in length, the QX60 is a small bus. But we all agreed it felt more like a spacious sedan than a giant SUV. 

That might have been because the back-row passengers actually had some room to move their knees, and didn't feel too cramped during short trips to town (though they would have on a longer journey). Plus, it was easy for them to get in and out, since the second row moved forward and folded up at the push of a button. 

With all three rows up, however, the trunk was barely big enough to fit even a few bags of groceries. So the QX60 worked best as a long-haul vehicle for five passengers, or a short-haul vehicle for seven. And when packed with luggage, it barely held four adults.

One perk that helped the car feel more spacious than it was: the roof was basically one gigantic skylight. In addition to the glass roof over the front row, there was a double skylight over the back two-thirds of the vehicle that let in a ton of light.

Good handling

All-wheel drive is a must in the mountains, where the weather can (and did) change drastically and snow accumulates quickly. And when the vehicle slipped a little on the ice, I was glad the car was equipped with what Infiniti calls "intelligent" all-wheel drive, a system that adapts automatically to send power to the wheels that need the greatest grip in icy conditions. 

I was also a fan of the car's blind-spot warning system, which lit up near the side-view mirrors every time another vehicle entered one of my blind spots. I hadn't seen it before, and it was a neat safety feature to have on curvy roads.

One complaint was that the QX60's headlights were simply too dim, especially on unlit mountain roads after dark. They were barely able to slice through the thick darkness, and even the brights didn't sufficiently improve nighttime visibility. We reached out to Infinti to see if this was perhaps an isolated issue, as we had the lights set on auto most of the time.

Too much infotainment

Living in New York City, it's been years since I time behind the wheel of a car. The last vehicle I owned had a cassette player, and couldn't even play CDs. So I was a little overwhelmed by the giant infotainment system in the QX60.

As a passenger, it was nice to be able to flip through the FM and SiriusXM radio stations, and look up random trivia like our current altitude. But it was also distracting to the driver, who kept looking over at the map and music selections instead of looking straight at the road ahead. 

In the end, the Infiniti QX60, which has a base price of $43,800, was solid for a ski trip. It comfortably held five adults, a pile of suitcases, and tons of ski gear. It was also easy to climb in and out, and most importantly, felt extremely safe on unfamiliar, icy roads. 

But with its sophisticated digital systems, less-than-spacious third row, and curvy design, it felt like a better fit for a parent carting kids around after school than a group of adults on a messy ski trip with long stretches of driving.

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Dear Western Ski Snobs:

Lo and behold it’s winter again, that special time of year when I receive calls from all over the country, the other end of the line sizzling with excitement as you and your skiing buddies joyously exclaim that tattered and old cliché, “Three feet of powder, dude!”

It doesn’t matter whether you just returned from Alta, Aspen or A-Basin, I’ve heard this line more times than I’d like to remember. I respond, “Wow, it sounds like a wonderful trip, (insert name). I actually did some skiing myself this past week, over in Vermont.” I usually hear a chuckle and then: “C’mon, Steve. Small potatoes! You gotta come out here. This is where it’s happenin. Powder up to our knees, powder up to our waist, powder up to our goggles!”

I end up trying to defend Eastern skiing, but that’s futile, since comparing Eastern to Western Skiing is like comparing cats to dogs. They’re two different species. Yet, I’m forced to contrast in order to convince skiers that the slopes in the East are just as thrilling as the slopes in the West.

First, let me come clean. I haven’t always been an Eastern ski lover. I learned to ski at Maple Ski Ridge, a small slope in Upstate New York. My parents clothed me in a bulky combination of long johns, plaid shirts, and thick woolen sweaters. By the time I put on the awkward skies and tight boots, I felt as mobile as a statue. I took the slow T-bar to the top where I was greeted by a group of shivering kids with red chapped faces and blue lips who were also taking lessons.

We then proceeded to follow our instructor down a patch of ice that was better suited for a rink in a figure skating competition. I slid down one run before running into the lodge where I warmed myself by the fire, drank hot chocolate, and sang the chorus to “The Day the Music Died,” the most popular song on the jukebox.

It wasn’t until midway through the season, when my mother skied over to my instructor and questioned my whereabouts that she learned I was hiding in the lodge. To this day, my family teases me every time I bring up skiing, wondering whether I bought hot cocoa or not.

Miraculously, I somehow learned to ski, but when I reached 18, I concentrated my efforts on warm-weather sports like scuba diving, sailing, and biking. My hiatus lasted a decade and when I returned, the sport had dramatically changed. Arguably, technology has had a far greater impact on skiing than any other form of recreation. Synthetic fibers like capilene, polypropylene, and polar fleece keep me as warm outside as I was by the fire at Maple Ski Ridge without thwarting maneuverability.

Snowmaking evenly applies snow over the infamous New England patches of ice. Slow T-bars and J-bars have been replaced by detachable high-speed quads and heated gondolas so you don’t feel like Frosty the Snowman by the time you reach the top. New skis have made turning easy and new boots and bindings help you glide in and out of your skies effortlessly.

Now addicted to the sport, I’ve enjoyed Eastern and Western skiing. Believe it or not, both areas of the country offer challenging terrain. The Western mountains are obviously much bigger with incredibly steep verticals, but they’re also known for their wide straight boulevard cruising. Many Eastern trails are narrow strips around quick bends. And then there are the trees.

Eastern skiing to me is serpentine trails around corners, down quick dips, through tight slots, always in the company of trees. You feel enveloped by the woods as you whiz by a rolling tapestry of maple, oak, birch, spruce, pine, and balsam. Take for example, Paradise, a wonderful series of trails that braid through the forest at Sugarbush.

Here, you’re forever in search of the elusive fall line as you skim across windblown snow, get dumped into a basin of chest-deep snow, and somehow squirt into a glade around the next turn. Choose the wrong direction and you’ll get far too intimate with a chunk of bark. This is the way we ski powder in the East—deep, steep, and filled with great tree skiing.

For the most part, Eastern skiing is on hard-packed powder, the result of excellent snowmaking capabilities. You can carve the turns smoothly without having to find your way through waist-high snow. In the West, snowmaking is far too costly for such immense mountains. Fortunately, you get heaps of snow, but if you’re unlucky like I was one time in Vail, you’ll end up skiing on two week-old mush.

I’d also like to dispel the myth that “Bigger is Better.” Bigger mountains can be overwhelming and somewhat inaccessible. New England’s biggest ski area, Killington, is known as the Beast of the East. It has 190 trails, 29 lifts, on seven mountains across three town lines. After a week’s stay here, the size starts to seem manageable and I leave feeling like Julius Caesar after battle when he stated the famous line, “Veni, vedi, veci” (I came, I saw, I conquered). Why would I venture to the West, where some mountains are three times the size of Killington?

If you haven’t gone Eastern Skiing, what are you waiting for? If you’ve tried to ski the East, but found it lackluster, it’s time to reconsider. Go east, young man! You might even find fresh powder. Three inches, dude!

Happy Holidays!

Steve Jermanok

SEE ALSO: The 15 Best Ski Resorts In America

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When I taught skiing, the most common question I’d hear from clients, no matter what their level of proficiency, was: “So, what am I doing wrong?”

Well, that would be the first thing you’re doing wrong.

1. Worrying about what you’re doing wrong.

The brutally honest answer to that question is: You don’t want to know. It will suck up all the fun, make your head explode, and torpedo your morale.

The brain doesn’t operate constructively by focusing on the negative. If I say to you, “What you’re doing wrong is thinking about pink elephants. When you ski this next run, just don’t think about pink elephants. Think about hugging a bear,” I’ve basically offered you a recipe to have a mind-messed-up run thinking about elephants doing horrible things with pink bears while hating yourself and deciding you can’t do anything right. Fun-O-Meter? Zero.)

It’s better to start with a clear positive foundation… as in: Here’s something you’re doing right. Now here’s something to focus on doing to improve your experience.

But don’t believe me when there are actual experts around.

I reached out again to my on-call brain-trust, the pros who work in Whistler Blackcomb’s Snow School on the MAX4 program, and asked them to share the most common mistakes skiers make.

2. You’re buckling your boots the wrong way.

Last post, Ralph Forsyth dished on how to avoid the crowds. This time, the level 4 CSIA pro behind @SkiTipDuJour, redresses the most common mistake skiers make before they even get on the chairlift.

Friends, you’re buckling your boots the wrong way.

Ralph says that you’ve got to fasten that wide, Velcro power strap that wraps around the top of your boot, first, before you even snap a buckle closed.

“Make sure your long johns or base layer and socks are smooth and wrinkle-free and that the tongue of the boot is snug around your shin and calf. Then, with the buckles still undone, fasten the power strap nice and tight. Next, fasten the buckle that is second from the top. Stand up, flex the boot a few times and fasten the top buckle to ‘lock in’ your heel. Now fasten the third and fourth buckles from the top. Fastening your boots this way will make them feel ‘squishier’, and you’ll ski with more control and confidence.”

SkiTipDuJour shares a video on how to properly put on your ski boots.

3. You’re so afraid to suck that you’re stuck in a rut.

Caroline Perrin is too professional to come out loud and say that you’re boring. Instead, the 16-year veteran pro explains it thus:

“Skiing is an open-skilled sport.”

That means, it’s not like swimming or gymnastics or shooting hoops, where the environment is predictable, and you can do the exact same movement the same way and expect the exact same outcome. Those activities are essentially quests for perfection.

In skiing, there is no perfect move or position.

“There is so much variation from one day to another and one run to another that it is impossible for a recreational skier to do the right thing all the time. Seek ways to make it easier, safer and more fun. Expand your toolbox. Someone invented sliding down a snowy slope on planks of wood for a reason, so give up on perfection and instead find ways to make life on the slopes a constant adventure. That’s the fun of it.”

4. You’re clenching your jaw.

Glen Irvine is a professional musician, teacher, and long time WB ski instructor who spends his off-season cycling around Europe and guiding hunting trips in the Yukon. His advice, passed down to him from his favorite yoga instructor, applies equally to playing jazz, taking down a moose, or skiing: “Tension is easy. Relaxation is hard.”

Glen says that human beings, as a species, tend to have difficulty relaxing. “With skiers, this emotional tension translates into unnecessary muscular tension which makes it very difficult to execute, technically or tactically. It certainly makes it difficult to create fluidity while skiing.

“Certain muscles must fire during the turn, but just as many muscles should be allowed to relax. Next time you’re skiing on an easy run, try scanning the body to determine which muscles are retaining unnecessary tension—You might be surprised. Focus on the muscles that relax in a turn, rather than those that fire.

“Here’s a fun little technique that a past student of mine once suggested. She was an Olympic level equestrian coach who, when confronted with an excessively tense rider, encouraged him to breathe deeply and fluidly and ride with a relaxed face and jaw. Try this when you’re skiing. You’ll be amazed at how much unneeded tension flows out of the body. Your skiing will become more relaxed, more fluid, calmer and you’ll have a greater sense of well being.”

5. You’re looking at the obstacles you’d rather avoid.

Dave Hobson oversees the MAX4 alpine crew and has been teaching skiing since he was in high school. More recently, he trains a crew of top-level instructors, has introduced them to myofascial stretching, and spearheaded a series of ski skill-boosting sessions for ski patrollers.

He says, “Skiers have a tendency to look at the hazard. They focus on the trees, rather than the opening. That is just a recipe for skiing into a tree.

“You’ve got to focus on the spaces between the trees. Look ahead. Look at the line you wish to follow.”

6. You’re not tipping your instructor enough. (If at all.)

The delicate art of tipping is not often spoken of – for some, it’s a little too gauche. But Evan Taylor, nail-banger, Race Director of IRONMAN Canada, and aspiring Level 4 pro, is willing to brave it.

“As an Australian, the whole tipping scene is a foreign concept but having spent the majority of the last 14 years in North America, I’m slowly warming up to it.

“There’s not one ski instructor in the Whistler Alpine Pod who doesn’t give all they have during a lesson, no matter what the climate or snow conditions. For the Alpine crew, giving all we have means not only being a ski instructor but a personal psychologist, restaurant critic, accommodation specialist, tour guide, marriage counselor, child care specialist, boot-fitter and maitre’d at the Roundhouse. (My advice to apprehensive clients when standing on the top of double black diamond runs is simply ‘If you think this is hard, wait until we try and find a table for lunch at Roundhouse’.)

I love the line in The Matrix Reloaded when Seraph tells Neo “You do not truly know someone until you fight them.” The same goes for skiing. You don’t truly know someone until you have them ski a run that’s well out of their comfort zone.

“No matter what their confidence, personality, profession, education or social status, when you take complete strangers to the top of a run that they would not have otherwise gone to, their eyes, movements, speech or lack thereof, give away their true identity.

“Our clients come for ski lessons but if I’ve done all I can, they go away with more than ski tips. They go away learning more about themselves than they would have ever imagined.”

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