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 usually floodlights – including LED lamps –[1] along the piste which allow for better visibility. 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.

A few ski resorts offer opportunities for night skiing wearing personal headlamps.[5]

History

Processions of skiers holding torches, lanterns or flares while skiing down a slope at night has been a scheduled event of winter festivals since at least 1903. The dramatic spectacle of torchlight ski descents is a program element at the Holmenkollen Ski Festival,[6] Nordic Games,[7] and ski resort holiday celebrations. [8]

In the 1925 Winter Carnival at Rumford, Maine night ski jumping was included.[9]

Lighted slope skiing originated with Clare Bousquet at Bousquet Ski Area in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1936 thanks to a local partnership with General Electric.[10][11] Other early lighted slopes include Fryeburg, Maine (1936),[12] North Creek, New York (1937),[13] Rossland, British Columbia (1937),[14] Jackson, New Hampshire (1937),[15] Hyak WA (1938),[16] Juneau AK (1938),[17] Lake Placid, New York (1938)[18] and Brattleboro, Vermont (1938). [19]

References

  1. ^ Purcell, Robert (December 7, 2016). "LED lights and night skiing makes for pure, hypnotic beauty". GrindTV. The Enthusiast Network. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
  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. ^ Headlamp night skiing at bigskyresort.com
  6. ^ End of sports N.D. Pioneer Express 1903-03-13
  7. ^ In the World of Sports NY Daily Tribune 1904-11-14
  8. ^ Torchlight Skiing at mabeyski.com
  9. ^ Spectacular Ski-Jumping Lewiston Evening Journal Feb 10, 1925 front page
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Bousquet", Destination 360
  12. ^ Jockey Cap New England Lost Ski Areas
  13. ^ Schniebs, Otto (1938) Stars of the Ski D.C. Evening Star p10
  14. ^ "Ski Spills" Rossland Miner January 7, 1938
  15. ^ Spruce Mt. Ski Tow New England Lost Ski Areas
  16. ^ Lundin, John W. (2021) Ski Jumping in Washington: a Nordic Tradition Arcadia Publishing p 109
  17. ^ Evening Skiing Daily Alaska Empire January 14, 1938, Page 2
  18. ^ Snow Sports D.C. Evening Star 1938-12-18
  19. ^ Moonlight Snow Train Waterbury Evening Democrat 1938-01-11

External links

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