Every summer, forest fires burn wildly across the temperate mountain regions of the world. As destructive as they are, they have a purpose and beauty that often goes unappreciated. As winter arrives in the burned forest, so do the skiers. They have come to celebrate new lines opened up by the previous summer’s fires that have now burned themselves out – or have they?

Nestled in the southern Mediterranean Sea, Sicily is not your typical ski destination. Kim Havell and Elyse Saugstad spend a week there trying to decide which is more alluring and dangerous: the romantically-charged Sicilian males or the lave-spewing volcanic crater of Mt Etna?

Austria is known as the cradle of modern skiing. Chris Rubens and Mike Henitiuk explore this country’s obsession with sliding on snow from the Hahnenkamm to the Arlberg.

Marking America’s only unguarded border, the Portland Canal is the 4th longest fjord in the world. At the head of it, lay the towns of Stewart, BC and Hyder, Alaska - and the base for Last Frontier Heliskiing. Cody Townsend & Chris Rubens use a helicopter and their skis to explore one of the last great wilderness areas left on earth.