52 weekend getaways: Ski and winter
Snowshoeing at Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort
Today, the sport of snowshoeing is enjoying a surge of popularity, marked by a 30% spike in snowshoe sales between 2005 and 2008, according to SnowSports Industries America, a nonprofit trade group representing snow sport businesses.
So, in the middle of a late-winter storm, I traveled to this 9,000-acre winter resort near Soda Springs to see why almost 6 million Americans take part in what seems like the most leisurely of snow sports.
-- Hugo Martín
Read more: Snowshoers find their path at Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort
Planning your trip:
Royal Gorge Cross Country Ski Resort is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays, closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays; daily passes $25, snowshoe rentals $21; (800) 500-3871, www.royalgorge.com.
(Hugo Martin / Los Angeles Times )Before the face-lift, Mammoth was known for its rustic charms. It was a hodgepodge of hotels, strip malls and mom-and-pop eateries, but that didn’t bother most of the skiers and snowboarders who came only for the mountain experience. Thanks to an average of 33 feet of snow and 300 days of sunshine each year, the experience was usually good.
The resort took a transformative step in 2008 when Mammoth Mountain teamed with
-- Hugo Martín
Read more: Mammoth Lakes is new and improved, but still affordable
Planning your trip:
(Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)