Each winter skiers and snowboarders are faced the options of deciding which ski resort to go, where they will have a good time and guarantee snow. We have found eight destinations in Europe and America that will give you a winter break to remember. The is the slow, busy, traditional, modern and old depending on your taste and how you want to spend your winter break.
BRECKINRIDGE SKI RESORT, UNITED STATES
There is a distinct old-world western charm about Breckenridge, the highest ski area in Colorado, that perhaps explains why it is the number-one US resort for British skiers. The town itself dates back more than a century and a half, having been founded to serve gold miners, and as such offers a character not always present in the ore purpose-built American resorts.
The fat it is so elevated makes Breckenridge an enjoyably snow-sure destination. The resort receives a hefty 300 inches of snow per season, falling across four separate mountain peaks that provide more than 2,300 acres of terrain, with slopes 2,926m to 3,963m.
There is plenty of variety, too – 14 percent of the trails are accurately listed as green and 31 per cent blue, meaning beginners and intermediates are particularly well catered for. And, despite its popularity, the resort is managed in a way that the runs rarely seem too cluttered.
All of this adds up to the relaxed atmosphere for which Breck, as it is affectionately called, has becomeknown. No surprise, then, that is has also become a natural home for snowboarders – the resort is renowned for the quality and variety of its parks and pipes, with a certain Shaun White among the many to have sung its praises. If the Flying Tomato thinks it’s top-rate, then it realy must be.
VAUJANY SKI RESORT, FANCE
It’s debatable as to whether Vaujany can any longer be described as a hidden jewel of the Hautes-Alpes, such as been its development as a ski resort in recent years. The rustic charm remains, all crooked alleys and streets perched high on a sun-kissed hillside, but one of the most sophisticated gondolas in France connects the village to the vast, sweeping ski area, then, that winter sports enthusiasts are flocking here in ever greater numbers.
Vaujany’s own slopes have plenty to recommend them, but reports suggesting they are family-friendly are a little generous – some of the supposedly gently green runs would be better classified as blue, while referring to some of the blue runs as ‘a bit steep’ would be underplaying it somewhat. Higher up and in a good weather, however, the more challenging runs will prove an absolute dream for experienced skiers.
Away from the slopes, the still quaint village should appeal to families. The resort has a ice rink, spa pool complex and bowling alley combine to offer excellent options for those wanting a break from the rigours of skiing, while tow escalators and an elevator link different levels of the precipitous village – ideal for those heading home after a tough day on the slopes, or even tougher evening on the après.
AUSTRIA SOLL RESORT
Lively and picturesque with a huge range of pistes pretty much on its doorstep, Soll is another well-established favourite with winter tourists. As the main resort on the vast SkiWelt circuit – Austria’s largest ski area, boasting impressive 279km of slopes.
It is perhaps surprising that Soll retains a quaint village centre, with traditional Tyrolean buildings flanking its pretty domed church. There is a lively après-ski, though, with welcoming locals joined by loyal groups who return year after year to a resort for which they have developed a fond affection.
The excellent atmosphere helps to make up for what Soll perhaps lacks in terms of genuinely exciting piste. Lying at the foot of the imposing Hohe Salve mountain, whose black runs offer the only serious challenge for advanced skiers. Soll is a gateway to a SkiWelt area that is rich on intermediate blue and red runs; hardly enthralling for skiers on a quest for long, easy cruises under a chilly winter sun.
It’s not all about the skiing, either. The 3.8km Hochsoll moonlight toboggan track is awesome fun for anyone who cares to try it, while adrenaline enthusiasts can have a go at parasailing – a superb way to see the dramatic Wilder Kaiser mountain range.
CHAMONIX SKI RESORT, FRANCE
It is not difficult to find reasons to knock Chamonix. So popular are its slopes that they can oftern feel overcrowded; the buses that link its five separate ski areas are not hugely reliable, and often crammed to the point of bursting, and, situated on the steep side of the Mont Blanc valley, the pistes are generally unsuitable for beginners or inexperience skiers.
Also, there are a multitude of reasons why so many people head for Chamonix when the snow falls, and why it remains one of the destinations for top-class winter sports. Those very same steep slopes make for some of the continent’s most challenging and exhilarating pistes.
The five separate ski areas offer great variety – and importantly, ensure that good conditions can generally be found somewhere in the valley; and of course Chamonix remains king of the hills for those who want backcountry skiing. It is no coincidence that so many freeriders return home reporting the best week of off-pistes skiing they have ever experienced.
Chamonix doesn’t just offer serious snowsports, however. This is an authentic and vibrant year-round town offering some of the most breathtaking alpine scenery you could imagine, together with excellent accommodation, shopping and nightlife options. Its atmosphere can be as electric as its skiing.
SWITZERLAND GRINDELWALD RESORT
Switzerland is far from short on dramatic scenery, but it has little to match the magnificent setting of Grindelwald. The picturesque Swiss village, sprinkled with the kind of chocolate box chalet fit to grace any postcard, is set in the shadow of two of the country’s most imposing peaks – the Eiger and the Wetterhorn – and offers skiers a vista that is largely unrivalled throughout Europe.
Perhaps belying the breathtaking nature of the surrounding mountains, Grindelwald’s slopes are characterised by long gentle runs that don’t offer much of a challenge to anyone beyond intermediate level. The slopes are 940m to 2,971m.
There are pistes that are more difficult for those who want to find them, including the fearsome Lauberhorn World Cup downhill course, over towards nearby Wengen, but that is maybe missing the point of a traditional old village that likes to go at its own pace.
The mountain is accessible by a cog train railway or gondola that can take up to half an hour to get you to where you want to be. When it comes to Grindelwald, time is not, it seems much of the essence.
Away from the slopes, take the train to the UNESCO World Heritage Site just below the peak of yet another stunning peak, the Jungfrau. At 3,454m, that makes it the highest railway station in the whole of Europe.
CANADA KICKING HORSE RESORT
If Grindelwald is a traditional village offering gentle runs and a slow pace life, then the Kicking Horse is pretty much the exact opposite. The Canadian resort is located 14km outside the logging town of Golden (only in North America), only opened under its new name as recently as 2000, but it has swiftly forged a reputation for high-octane thrills on some of the most challenging black runs on the continent.
That means paradise for the experienced skier or snowboarder, with the top of the mountain split into four main bowls and a whole bunch of ridges that provide no fewer than 120 named runs, with slopes of 1,190m to 2,450m.
Of course, a staggering 45 per cent are the most taxing (and dangerous) black runs. There is no point of visiting this particular horse if you don’t want to get a good kicking.
The difficulty of so many of the runs guarantees that they will never be crowded, but a short hike to the aptly named Terminator Peak opens up a whole new world of relatively untouched backcountry that will have the experts salivating.
Once you have feasted on that, a mountain-top return for dinner at the splendid Eagle Eye restaurant is on the cards, a pleasure for which you will need a sightseeing or adventure pass.
FRANCE LES GETS RESORT
Offering access to the sprawling 650km of pistes that make up the giant Portes du Soleil area, Les Gets is at first glance a mere doorway to a world of snowy opportunity. Look a little closer, however, and you will see a delightfully compact and attractive resort with one specific diamond of an area all to itself.
We talk of Mont Chery, which lies away from the main Portes du Soleil circuit and so remains astoundingly quiet – particularly given that it acts as home to some of the most challenging pistes in the entire area, and as such should attract a whole host of advanced skiers, with slopes 950m to 2,275m.
The serenity of Mont Chery is matched by that of the pretty village itself, which remains refreshingly quiet when compared with many resorts in the area; the locals are also far friendlier than our lazy French stereotyping would have it, which adds to the bustling atmosphere of Les Gets’ pedestrian-friendly main street.
For all the village’s unique attractions, it is hard to get away from the expansive local network of pistes Les Gets shares with nearby Morzine, which area easily reached by gondola or chairlift. Morzine, feature a wide range of blue and red runs that will appeal to the advanced beginner or intermediate skiers. Throw in some excellent local dining options, and you find yourself in a resort that ticks a lot of boxes. The odd slow, old chairlift can easily be forgiven.
SLOVENIA VOGEL RESORT
If Andorra doesn’t convince as a value option for your annual ski trip (and it should), then you might like to try one of a number of snow destinations in eastern Europe. The Bulgarian resort of Bansko and Jasna is Slovakia have both established themselves in recent years – as much for the beer as for the slopes, but if you really want to head off the traditional track, then you could do worse than the Slovenian resort of Vogel.
At 1,922m, Mount Vogel is by no means the loftiest peak on the continent, but its positioning as the first mountain barrier above the Adriatic means that more snow falls there than anywhere of similar altitude in the Alps.
The snow is relatively reliable, which is good, because the total length of its available pistes comes to little more than 20km.
Don’t be too put off by that though, the trails are largely well groomed, and the mix of blue and red runs mean that there is generally something there for everyone. The jewel in Vogels crown, is undoubtedly the Zagarjev Garden, which winds its way down from the top lift and just goes on and on for almost 7km, it accounts for around one-third of the resort’s slopes.
A proper value option, then, and the panoramic views across nearby Lake Bohinj are something else, lovely to sit down to with a bit of après.