Can You Ski on the U.S./Canada Border?
Porter Fox, the author of “Northland: A Book About America’s Northern Border,” details his 4,000-mile journey
By John Stifter
Longtime POWDER Features Editor Porter Fox set out on a 4,000-mile journey two years ago to tell the story of the oft-forgotten northern border of the U.S. His travels and findings can be found in his latest book, Northland. In traversing the border lands, he passed through ski country in New England, Michigan, Montana, Idaho, and Washington state. As someone who is also the author of DEEP: The Story of Skiing and The Future of Snow, Fox has seen the transformation of these landscapes through the years and their importance in skiers’ lives, not only as an ecosystem but a culture.
Tonight at Seattle’s iconic Elliot Bay Book Company, Fox will share accounts of his sojourn with a ski-centric twist as moderated by POWDER. Before doing so, we caught up with the 20-year POWDER staffer to hear his thoughts on his book as it relates to skiing.
POWDER: What signs of skiing did you find on your travels through the northland?
Porter Fox: There were plenty. Starting in the East at resorts like Sugarloaf, Sunday River, Jay Peak, and Stowe. The closer you get to the northern border, the colder it gets, so some of our best resorts back East are just a few miles from the northern border. Same goes in the Midwest with all of Michigan and the UP’s small resorts and out West with hills like Turner Mountain, Whitefish, Schweitzer, Stevens Pass, and Mount Baker. Back in the day, this was where folks connected to the 10th Mountain Division and European instructors went to survey possible ski hills. They were then connected to train systems coming out of New York, Boston, Denver, and Seattle, making them some of the most popular early resorts in America.
