Night skiing

The River Run trail at Keystone Resort in Colorado under floodlights for night skiing
A floodlit piste in Semmering, Austria

Night skiing is the sport of skiing or snowboarding after sundown, offered at many ski areas. There are floodlights – with metal halide, LED or magnetic induction lamps – along the piste which allow for better visibility.[1] The night skiing session typically begins around sunset, and ends between 8:00 PM and 10:30 PM.[2]

Night skiing offers reduced price access versus daylight hours. Trails at night are normally not as busy as during the day,[3] but there are usually fewer runs available.[4] The trails also tend to be icier than during the day, due to melting and refreezing.

Starting in 1997 Planai in Austria has held a World Cup slalom competition at night.[5]

A few ski resorts offer opportunities for night skiing wearing personal headlamps,[6] or by the light of the full moon.[7]

History

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Processions of skiers holding torches, lanterns or flares while skiing down a slope at night has been a scheduled event of winter festivals such as the Nordic Games since at least 1903.[8] The dramatic spectacle of torchlight ski descents is a program element at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival,[9] and ski resort holiday celebrations.[10]

A torchlit ski race was held in Switzerland in 1920.[11] In the 1925 Winter Carnival at Rumford, Maine, night ski jumping was included.[12]

Chicopee Ski Club in Ontario Canada had lighted night skiing in 1935, with lights powered by car batteries.[13]

Lighted slope skiing at Bousquet Ski Area in Pittsfield, Massachusetts began in 1936 thanks to a local partnership with General Electric.[14][15] Other early lighted slopes include Fryeburg, Maine (1936),[16] North Creek, New York (1937),[17] Rossland, British Columbia (1937),[18] Jackson, New Hampshire (1937),[19] Hyak, Washington (1938),[20] Juneau, Alaska (1938),[21] Lake Placid, New York (1938)[22] and Brattleboro, Vermont (1938). [23]

References

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  1. ^ Seeing the Light Ski Area Management 2018
  2. ^ Nelson, Janet (1984) Outdoors: Night Skiing an Invigorating Experience NY Times
  3. ^ Fast, Annie (2022) Night Skiing traveloregon.com
  4. ^ Lovitt, Rob (1986) Skiing After Dark Skiing Vol 39 #4:229-234
  5. ^ Nightrace Schladming
  6. ^ Headlamp night skiing at bigskyresort.com
  7. ^ Skiing in the light of the full moon Switzerland Tourism
  8. ^ In the World of Sports NY Daily Tribune 1904-11-14
  9. ^ End of sports N.D. Pioneer Express 1903-03-13
  10. ^ Torchlight Skiing at mabeyski.com
  11. ^ ENGADINE: course de ski nocturne (1920) Gaumont film
  12. ^ Spectacular Ski-Jumping Lewiston Evening Journal Feb 10, 1925 front page
  13. ^ Chicopee Ski Club timeline
  14. ^ Puliafico, Laurie. "Clarence J. "Clare" Bousquet: The founding of Bousquet Ski Area, Pittsfield, MA". teachski.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-10. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
  15. ^ "Bousquet", Destination 360
  16. ^ Jockey Cap New England Lost Ski Areas
  17. ^ Schniebs, Otto (1938) Stars of the Ski D.C. Evening Star p10
  18. ^ "Ski Spills" Rossland Miner January 7, 1938
  19. ^ Spruce Mt. Ski Tow New England Lost Ski Areas
  20. ^ Lundin, John W. (2021) Ski Jumping in Washington: a Nordic Tradition Arcadia Publishing p 109
  21. ^ Evening Skiing Daily Alaska Empire January 14, 1938, Page 2
  22. ^ Snow Sports D.C. Evening Star 1938-12-18
  23. ^ Moonlight Snow Train Waterbury Evening Democrat 1938-01-11
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