Summer’s finally over, and we’ve got one thing to say: hallelujah! As the sandcastles and the cricket retreat into memory, it’s time for us to look forward to the best holiday of the year. The snowy one.
This winter, our skiing and snowboarding coverage will be bigger, better and more thrilling than ever. If you’re already a downhill fanatic, we’ll shower you with fresh ideas; if you’re not, we’ll inspire you to join the ever-growing number who make for the mountains.
And there’s the rub, the only blot on our otherwise pristine white landscape: the crowds, which can turn the average high-season ski holiday into something of a fraught experience. Nearly twice as many Brits go to France as any other destination these days, with a high proportion piling into mega-resorts such as the Trois Vallées, Espace Killy or Paradiski. There, we’re joined by skiers from all over the world, and the result is anything but the back-to-nature experience of our dreams. The approach roads can be jammed, the lifts beset by queues and the pistes ever more busy. And, all the while, there’s a world of quieter resorts, cheaper holidays and more intrepid adventures out there, waiting to be tested.
So, this season, why not give yourself a little room to roam? I’m not suggesting trekking off to Alaska for our winter fix. All we need do is adjust our aim a little, and the experience can improve significantly. Here’s how.
Unless otherwise stated, all packages are for one week, leaving on January 28, and include flights from London, transfers and half-board accommodation. Contact the operator for details of regional or Irish departures
GO TO AMERICA
You want wide open spaces? Make for the Rockies. For Americans, skiing is largely a weekend experience (hardly surprising, given that they have to eke out a fortnight of vacation across a whole year), so, although their resorts are smaller than many in Europe, they’re virtually empty in the middle of the week. They’re much better suited to the average Brit, too, with a greater proportion of wide, confidence-boosting trails and an infectious, can-do attitude.
America doesn’t have to be expensive, either. This season, entry-level holidays across the pond come courtesy of quiet and snowy Winter Park, in Colorado. Not only is it home to lots of easy-going beginner and early-intermediate terrain, it’s near Denver, which will be served, from December, by brand-new charter flights from London. Crystal (0870 405 5047, www.crystalski.co.uk) has a week at Chalet Sundance, in the resort, for £610pp — cheaper than many chalets in the Alps.
For the more confident intermediate, however, the resort of choice is Aspen, Colorado. The skiing is split into four separate mountains, and the two in the middle, Buttermilk and Highlands, are barely touched by most visitors. It’s baffling, really, given that the best trails are found there — but long may the ignorance continue, because if there’s a better place in the world for hell-for-leather, high-speed carving, I’ve yet to find it. Ski Independence (0845 310 3030, www.ski-i.com) has a week at the Sky Hotel, home to Aspen’s most fashionable bar, for £1,312pp, B&B.
If that sounds a bit tame, then head for Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the extreme-skiing capital of America. The pitch of its slopes, and the vertical interval between top and bottom (about 4,000ft), wouldn’t embarrass the likes of Chamonix or St Anton, and the number of hair-raising routes downhill is almost limitless. Better still, the ski and snowboard school there is well practised at pushing its clients to new levels of competence, thanks to its four-day Steep and Deep camps (£450, including lift pass — call 00 1 307 733 2292 or visit www.jacksonhole.com for details). Skiworld (0870 787 9720, www.skiworld.ltd.uk) has a package with chalet-style accommodation at North Colter Lodge for £865pp.
REDISCOVER SWITZERLAND
Switzerland? Switzerland? What’s new and mould-breaking about that? Well, plenty, actually. In our current infatuation with all things French, we seem to have forgotten about this quintessential Alpine country. Many mainstream operators have all but dropped it from their brochures, and prices, thanks to the lack of interest and a strengthening pound, have drifted downhill. Over the past 10 years, they’ve fallen 20%.
That’s not to say it’s dirt cheap — especially in the two resorts that have managed to preserve their celebrity, Zermatt and Verbier. But if you set it against the likes of Val d’Isère and Courchevel, you will find it increasingly good value — and, usually, quieter. St Moritz is a perfect example. Once a favourite of upper-class Brits, it’s been increasingly abandoned by them in recent years, and two of its three mountains — Corvatsch and Diavolezza — are barely used on weekdays. Don’t come here if powder is your thing — the Engadine Valley, in which the resort lies, is famous for its cold, sunny, dry climate. But if you like high-speed cruising on well-maintained pistes, you’re going to have a blast. Inghams (020 8780 4433, www.inghams.co.uk) has a week at the four-star Hotel Monopol for £711pp.
TAKE A ROAD TRIP
