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Winter Getaways

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi have finished, and March Break has come to an end. Were your kids watching the different winter Olympic activities, such as skiing and snowboarding, and wishing they could do the same winter activities? Have you and your kids already tried these activities, and want to give them another go?

A winter getaway can be the perfect time for the family to take a road trip. Across North America, there are plenty of quality ski resorts available for your family to facilitate. With many award winning resorts to choose from, we have narrowed down your search to a select few, and have created some Road Tripper maps for you to download. Each map is created for a different resort, and will also include some other activities for your family to enjoy while staying at, or near, the resort.

Alta Ski Area – Alta, UT, USA

Alta Ski Area was once a hidden gem for locals because of the great terrain on the cheap lift tickets. It didn’t take long for word to get out, and it’s now become a hot travel destination. But not to worry, there is more than enough powder for everyone.

Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort – Mammoth Lakes, CA, USA

Mammoth Mountain didn’t get its name for nothing, it is indeed, mammoth! Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort is in Eastern California, near the world famous Yosemite National Park. The vertical drop and huge snowfall of Mammoth Mountain and the massive size of Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort add up to make this one of the biggest, and best ski resorts in the USA.

Blue Mountain Ski Resort – Blue Mountain, ON, Canada

Blue Mountain Ski Resort is the largest mountain resort in Ontario, Canada. With 42 trails Blue Mountain Ski Resort is perfect for your snowboarding and skiing holidays perfect for first-timers or seasoned veterans.

Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort – Whistler, BC, Canada

Whistler Blackcomb is one of the hottest ski destinations in North America, and the world! The resort itself is massive and offers a lot of terrain diversity. There is so much more to do in Whistler, though, with an abundance of off-slope activities for the whole family to enjoy.

Download User Submitted Road Tripper Maps

Sochi 2014 – XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games

Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the Black Sea coast near the border between Georgia/Abkhazia and Russia. The Greater Sochi area sprawls for 145 kilometers along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains. According to the 2010 Census, the city had a permanent population of 343,334, which makes it Russia’s largest resort city. It is one of the very few places in Russia with a subtropical climate, with warm to hot summers and mild winters.

The unique beauty of its mountainous terrain, Sochi has mountain villages that will offer places where foreigners will have opportunities to listen to classic music and fairy tales of this region. Sochi is home to many popular Russian folk tales and famous fairy-tale characters (Baba Yaga, Firebird, Ilya Muromets, Sadko, Ivan the Fool and the Gray Wolf). These tales and characters will offer foreigners a chance to understand the personality traits of the Russian people, their humor, morals and values a little more clearly.

Sochi is not only hosting this year’s XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games (Sochi 2014), but also the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2014. It is also one of the host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Sochi 2014 is being promoted as the most compact Olympic Winter Games ever. In total, there have been eleven athletic venues built for Sochi 2014. These venues will be divided into two clusters, both located within 48km of each other. A new railway was built to ensure that it is less than 30 minutes from the Coastal Cluster to the Mountain Cluster. Each cluster will have its own Olympic Village in which the athletes will be housed.

The first of the two clusters is the Coastal Cluster. This cluster will include five ice sport venues as well as the stadium for ceremonies centred in an Olympic Park. Thanks to the design of the park, travel time from the Olympic Village to each competition venue will be no more than five minutes. The International Broadcast Centre and the Main Press Centre are also located in this cluster.

‘Fisht’ Olympic Stadium

One of the most famous mountains in Russia is Fisht. Fisht Olympic Stadium will host the Opening and Closing Ceremonies as well as the Victory Ceremonies. There is a transparent roof which will allow spectators to easily see the entire beautiful mountain from foot to peak.

‘Bol’shoy’ Ice Dome and ‘Shayba’ Arena

Bol’shoy, meaning ‘big’, is fitting as the Ice Dome is the larger of the two hockey venues. It also replicates the image of a frozen drop. The second venue has a truly hockey-appropriate name. It translates to ‘puck’.

‘Ice Cube’ Curling Centre

This is another moveable venue that is home to figure skating and short track speed skating. The name is truly international, sounding the same in a number of languages including English, Russian and German.

Adler Arena

This oval shaped arena will host long track speed skating and will have transparent walls that will allow spectators to see the scenic mountain views to the north and the seascapes to the south.

Mountain Cluster

In Krasnaya Polyana, this is home to five venues for the snow and sliding sports. Between the Olympic Village and the competition venues, the average distance is four kilometres, which puts the travel time at less than 15 minutes.

‘Laura’ Cross-Country Ski and Biathlon Centre

The venue is named after a turbulent mountain river, which has its name based on an old legend. Legend dictates a young girl who ran away from an old prince she did not love, jumped into the river to die. Her true love followed her into the river and both of their bodies were never found. Locals say that the Gods were so moved that they took the two of them to the heavens at the summit of the sacred Mount Elbrus.

‘Rosa Khutor’ Alpine Centre

This is the alpine skiing venue that features slopes which were designed by world-renowned ski architect and 1972 Olympic downhill champion Bernhard Russi. The venue is a part of a resort in the Northern Caucasus region.

‘RusSki Gorki’ Jumping Centre

Playing on the English slang word for a Russian person, this ski jumping venue is the location at a junction of two ridges. This location was chosen to protect the jumpers from side winds and so that the jumps would blend into the landscape.

Sliding Center ‘Sanki’

Sanki, meaning sled in Russian, is an appropriate name for this venue. This venue will be home to the bobsleigh, skeleton and luge events.

‘Rosa Khutor’ Extreme Park

This venue has another fitting name, as it will host freestyle skiing and snowboard events.

Things to do in Sochi Russia

Are you one of the lucky ones who get to attend the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi? If so, you are probably wondering what else is there to do in Sochi?

Well, Sochi is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, located on the Black Sea coast near the border between Georgia/Abkhazia and Russia. The Greater Sochi area sprawls for 145 kilometers along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains. According to the 2010 Census, the city had a permanent population of 343,334, which makes it Russia’s largest resort city. It is one of the very few places in Russia with a subtropical climate, with warm to hot summers and mild winters.

The unique beauty of its mountainous terrain, Sochi has mountain villages that will offer places where foreigners will have opportunities to listen to classic music and fairy tales of this region. Sochi is home to many popular Russian folk tales and famous fairy-tale characters (Baba Yaga, Firebird, Ilya Muromets, Sadko, Ivan the Fool and the Gray Wolf). These tales and characters will offer foreigners a chance to understand the personality traits of the Russian people, their humor, morals and values a little more clearly.

If you are looking for more nature-themed activities during your stay, here is a list of must-see attractions.

  1. Dendrary Botanical Garden (Dendrarium)
    The largest subtropical park in Russia contains more than 30 acres of stunning natural beauty
  1. Krasnaya Polyana Mountain Cluster
    The location of a large ski resort and an area for hiking in the warmer months, Krasnaya Polyana and the other surrounding ski areas are a significant reason as to why Sochi was chosen as the Olympic host for the 2014 Winter Games.
  1. Friendship Park
    As a message of international friendship, this park has “Trees of Friendship” and a museum displaying messages of good will from around the world.

RoadTripperNature

If you would prefer to stay indoors for the majority of your trip here is a list of museums, halls and theatres you can visit.

  1. Winter Theatre
    Legendary Winter Theatre known throughout the South Russian stage area and cultural institutions.
  1. Hall of Organ and Chamber Music
    The only authority on the Black Sea coast of Russia.
  1. Sochi Art Museum
    The Sochi Museum of Art was erected in Sochi in 1936. Soviet architect I.V.Zholtovsky designed this building.

RoadTripperAttractions

Thanks to apps like Road Tripper, you can plan out your day trips with ease. By adding in all of the points of interest, a route will be planned out for you. Heading to Sochi with friends? Share your map with them directly, and they can add in their own points of interest! With Road Tripper you can map out your routes either by driving or walking. Want to track your kilometres (or miles) along the way? Road Tripper can do that too!

The folks at ZurApps have created two Road Tripper Sochi starter maps for you! You can download them (and more) here, and customize by adding more places to visit.