Visualization and manifestation are powerful tools for achieving your dreams, and I’ve found that these practices certainly apply well to skiing. This spring I’ll be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the first day I ever attempted skiing, and the 4th anniversary of my decision to take the sport seriously. I’m grateful that in a relatively short amount of time, I’ve been able to improve considerably, ski over 40+ stations across 8 countries, visit iconic destinations, and experience dozens of bucket-list activities that each merely started as a dream. Skiing and traveling are two of my greatest passions, and being grateful for past experiences and setting goals for the future are the two practices I find most important for living a fulfilled life– creating this bucket-list allows me to celebrate all four of these elements at once, and I hope it will inspire you to do the same for yourself.

Continue reading to discover all of the bucket-list ski experiences I’ve had thus far, a map of every station and resort I’ve skied, and the destinations and experiences I hope to visit and accomplish someday.

My Bucket-List Ski Experiences

Iconic Ski Destinations

• First time skiing in the Rocky Mountains: Colorado (2015)

• First time skiing in Europe: Baqueira Beret, Spain, the Pyrenees (2020)

• First time skiing the Alps: Valmorel, France (2022)

• Ski above the Arctic Circle: Levi, Finland (2024)

• Lake Tahoe, California (2022)

• St. Moritz, Switzerland (2023)

• Chamonix, France (2023)

• Kitzbuhel, Austria (2023)

• Val d’Isère, France (2024)

• Les 3 Vallées, France (2024)

• Zermatt, Switzerland (2024)

• Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy (2025)

• Lech am Arlberg, Austria (2025)

Memorable Ski Experiences

Activities and Experiences

• First attempt to ski: Loveland, Colorado (2015)

• First official ski lesson: Baqueira Beret, Spain (2020)

• Taught my best friend Chelsea how to ski (though she was already an advanced snowboarder, so I can’t take any credit!) (2022)

• First time getting paid to visit a ski destination (2022)

• Spend at least a month in the mountains: Lake Tahoe, California (2022); Haute-Savoie, France (2023); Savoie, France (2024)

• Avalanche Awareness Training: Chamonix, France (2023)

• Backflipping of the bungee ramp at Tignes, France (2024)

Nature and Natural Phenomena

• Night skiing: Keystone, Colorado (2017)

• Ski with a lake view: Whitefish, Montana (2021); Northstar Lake Tahoe, California (2022)

• Ski with a river view: Charlevoix Quebec, Canada (2023)

• Ski above a cloud inversion: Charlevoix Quebec, Canada (2023); Grand Montets Argentière Chamonix, France (2023); Alpe d’Huez, France (2024)

• Ski with a view of lenticular clouds: Sainte Foy Tarantaise, France (2024)

• Ski with a view of nacreous clouds: Tignes, France (2024); La Rosière, France (2024)

Ski Circuits and Iconic Pistes

• Ski into another country: From La Rosière, France to La Thuile, Italy (2024); and from Zermatt, Switzerland to Cervinia, Italy (2024)

• Sarenne Piste, Alpe d’Huez, France (2024)

• Le Tunnel Piste, Alpe d’Huez, France (2024)

• Ski a piste with my name: Carina Piste, La Plagne, France (2024)

• The Sellaronda Ski Circuit, Dolomites, Italy (2025)

• The White Ring Der Weiße Ring, Arlberg, Austria (2025)

Statistics and Personal Records

• Most days skied in a season: 36 days in Colorado, California, and France (2021-2022)

• Most days skied in a row: 17 days in Haute Savoie, France (2023)

• Ski 3 countries in 3 days: Courmayeur, Italy; Grand Montets Argentière, France; Verbier, Switzerland (2023)

• Ski 2 countries in 1 day: La Rosière, France and La Thuile, Italy (2024); Zermatt, Switzerland and Cervinia, Italy (2024)

• Longest distance skied in a day: 35.7 miles, Zermatt, Switzerland and Cervinia, Italy (2024)

• Longest distance skied in a season: 512.2 miles (2023-2024)

• Most vertical skied in a day: 42,767 feet, Northstar Lake Tahoe, California (2022)

• Most vertical skied in a season: 526,843 feet (2021-2022)

• Top speed: 67.2 mph, Campanules Piste, Alpe d’Huez, France (2024)

• Longest run: 6.2 miles, Cervinia, Italy (2024)

• Most vertical in a single run: 6,580 feet, Aiguille Rouge summit to Villaroger, at Les Arcs, France (2024)

Everywhere I’ve Skied

What’s Next on My Bucket-List

Keeping track of my bucket-list experiences and writing down goals for the future has been a rewarding way for me to combine two of my favorite hobbies: skiing and traveling; and two of my most important practices in mindfulness: being grateful for the past and setting goals for the future. While I’m immensely grateful that my skiing journey has led me thus far and am in awe of myself when I look back at what I’ve accomplished and how far I’ve come, I’m continuing to set my sights on hopefully someday visiting these destinations and experiencing these milestones:

• Vallée Blanche, Chamonix, France

• Study Avalanche Awareness Education in French

• Jackson Hole, Wyoming

• Big Sky, Montana

• Whistler, Canada

• Aspen, Colorado

• Alaska

• Sweden

• Norway

• Iceland

• Greenland

• Japan

• Georgia

• Chile

• New Zealand

• Ski with a sea/ocean view

• Cat skiing

• Heli skiing

• Own a home in the mountains

• Own a hotel or rental property in the mountains

• Teach my sister Vanessa how to ski (Funny story– my oldest sister Vanessa first taught me how to ski, despite never having skied a day in her life. As an advanced snowboarder, she spent countless seasons casually observing skier’s movements. When she invited me to the mountains for my first day, with me on skis and her on a snowboard, she simply explained to me how she thought skiers skied. Her explanation was helpful and I seemed to get the hang of it almost instinctively, and I fell in love with the sport immediately. I hope to return the favor and teach her how to ski one day!)

Are you looking for inspiration for your ski trips, and have any questions about my personal experience? Or, if you’re interested in help with planning your ski travels, Let me know in the comments below!

You may be interested in:

• How to Improve Your Skiing as an Adult: Tips You May Not Have Thought of Yet

• Tips for Choosing a Ski Lease: The Remote Worker's Guide to Relocating to a Ski Town

• Shop My Ski Wear and Gear

• RECCO Rescue Reflector: A Must Have for Any Skier or Outdoor Adventurer

• Ski Road Trip Essentials to Keep in Your Car

About the author

Meet Carina Otero, avid skier and the creator of She is Not Lost, an online community for celebrating female travelers and a blog providing helpful tips, useful information, and inspiration for your future travels. Carina’s passion for skiing and love of writing and photography have inspired a new blog to share her experiences and personal favorites relating to the sport:

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