Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Regional Expertise:
🇦🇺 Australia (6) • 🇺🇸 USA (15) • 🇯🇵 Japan (5) • 🇪🇺 Europe (10)
Michael Fulton
With 625 metres of vertical and one of eastern North America's longest seasons, Mont Sainte Anne has the raw numbers. But does Quebec's resort-dense market force it to compete on more than just stats?
Michael Fulton
Savognin sits in Switzerland's Surses valley with 1,545 metres of vertical and none of the Engadine's inflated pricing. The terrain split heavily favours intermediates, but the vertical drop and consistent snowfall make it worth consideration if you're shopping the Grisons region.
Michael Fulton
At 1,200 metres, Oberjoch claims the title of Germany's highest mountain village, which matters more for marketing than actual skiing. What does matter: 32 kilometres of well-maintained intermediate terrain, substantial snowmaking, and a notably lower-key atmosphere than the Bavarian circus further east.
Michael Fulton
Okemo bills itself as family-friendly with world-class terrain, but the peak day ticket approaches $240. We look at what 670 vertical metres, 20 lifts, and Vermont's most extensive snowmaking actually deliver for intermediate skiers and families willing to pay Northeast premium rates.
Michael Fulton
Vail's name recognition is global, but the reality on the ground is more nuanced than the marketing suggests. With 195 runs across 5,289 acres, the mountain delivers scale and variety - at a price point that demands scrutiny.
Michael Fulton
With 700 vertical metres and 45% of terrain rated expert or advanced, Treble Cone markets itself as New Zealand's steepest ski field. Four lifts accessing 40 runs seems modest until you realise most of those runs are broad, ungroomed faces where you choose your own line.
Michael Fulton
Spain's highest ski resort sits at 2,035 metres base elevation in the Catalan Pyrenees. Boà Taüll trades extensive terrain for altitude and a longer potential season - a calculated bet on reliable snow when lower resorts struggle.
Michael Fulton
Kreuzberg delivers something increasingly rare in German skiing - uncrowded slopes at sensible prices. This Rhön Mountains resort offers 318 metres of vertical across 13 kilometres of trails, targeting families and intermediates who've had enough of Alpine weekend queues.
Michael Fulton
Windham delivers 488 metres of vertical and genuine intermediate terrain just two hours from Manhattan. The trade-off for convenience is crowds on weekends and lift ticket prices that rival larger Western resorts.
Michael Fulton
A lift ticket at Vail hit $356 US this season. In Austria, a day at Kitzbühel still costs around €76. At Perisher, which Vail bought in 2015, the window rate has roughly doubled against inflation in a decade - while just across the Tasman, where Vail owns nothing, prices stayed put. Same sport, same snow, wildly different outcomes depending on who owns the lift. We went through the SEC filings, the court records and the pass math to work out why. Full breakdown below, video included.
Michael Fulton
Elm im Sernftal offers something increasingly rare in the Swiss Alps: legitimate vertical drop without the crowds or price tag of major resorts. With 40km of trails spread across 1,085 metres of elevation, it's a solid mid-sized option in the Glarus region.
Michael Fulton
After a settled week, New Zealand's ski season is about to get a proper shake-up. A storm rolling in from Friday will bring rain and gale-force winds before a cold southerly change drops fresh snow across the South Island. The Southern Lakes should pick up 10-15cm by Sunday, while Canterbury is in line for the goods - Mt Hutt and the Craigieburns are forecast solid totals, with the north set to cop the heaviest falls of the lot. Ruapehu largely misses out, but Opening Day should be a cracker.
Michael Fulton
Two days ago, webcams across Australia's ski resorts were showing bare, grassy slopes. Now they're buried in white. A cold snap has dumped fresh snow from the Snowies to the Victorian high country overnight, with Thredbo copping 24cm, Perisher 20cm and Hotham reporting a storm total of 30cm. Blizzard conditions, sub-zero temps and howling winds have made for a proper winter morning - and snowmaking crews are making the most of it while the cold sticks around. Here's how each resort fared.
Michael Fulton
Hakuba Cortina sits at the quieter end of the valley with 12 metres of annual snowfall and genuinely excellent tree skiing. The trade-off for fewer crowds is modest vertical and a lift system that feels more 1990s than 2020s.
Michael Fulton
Powderhorn Mountain Resort's long-awaited lift upgrade is no longer just a plan. Crews have finished dismantling the 54-year-old West End double, and work has begun on the high-speed quad set to replace it - a refurbished ex-Elk Camp lift from Aspen Snowmass getting a full rebuild from Leitner-Poma. The new Wild West Express will cut the old lift's notorious 13-minute crawl to just six minutes, arriving for Powderhorn's 60th anniversary season in 2026-27. Here's where construction stands.
Michael Fulton
LAAX built its reputation on terrain parks and freestyle culture, but the resort's 214 kilometres of trails and 1,918-metre vertical drop tell a more complete story. The question is whether the park-forward identity still defines the experience.
Michael Fulton
The last piece of Ischgl's 50 million euro lift overhaul is underway. With the Höllbodenbahn and Sassgalunbahn already running since 2025, attention has turned to the Höllkarbahn C2 - a new 8-person Doppelmayr D-Line chair with heated seats, weather hoods and room for 89 chairs across 14 pylons. Helicopters have been hauling out the old towers since May, with a November 26 opening targeted. Here's where the build stands and what it means for the Silvretta Arena.
Michael Fulton
Australia's 2026 ski season has hit a grim milestone - Spencers Creek read zero centimetres entering July, matching the second-worst start in 72 years of records. A Japanese resort seized the moment, posting webcam shots of brown Aussie slopes to spruik its own snow. El Nino is the likely culprit, but 72 years of data says panic is premature - a storm packing up to 40cm was forecast to hit from Thursday. Here's what's actually going on, and what history says happens next.
Michael Fulton
Hoch-Ybrig sits an hour from Zürich with 50 kilometres of pistes and none of the crowds that plague bigger Swiss resorts. It's a workable option for families and intermediates who prioritise convenience and groomed runs over vertical or challenging terrain.
Michael Fulton
Arapahoe Basin runs when other resorts don't - opening in October and frequently skiing into June. But this high-altitude workhorse trades amenities for snowfall and challenging terrain that skews heavily expert.
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