Love The Mountains (Vol 2) Winter 2015-2016

WINTER 2015-16 | VOL. 02

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1. Art. 170951/ BLACKCOMB EVOLUTION WARM Shirt l /s crew neck /XS– XL 2. Art. 180042/ BLACKCOMB EVOLUTION WARM Shirt l /s with Facemask/S–XL 3. Art. 526371/SKI COCOON Jacket insulated, XS– XL4. Art. 525442/ SPIRIT gore-tex® Jacket hardshell, S– XXL 5. Art. 525451/SPIRIT gore-tex® Pants, XS– XL6. Art. 525452/SPIRIT gore-tex® Pants, S– XXL

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THE ART OF LAYERINGODLO.COM

JON OLSSON‘‘GOOD PREP STARTS WITH THE FIRST LAYER’’

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1. Art. 170951/ BLACKCOMB EVOLUTION WARM Shirt l /s crew neck /XS– XL 2. Art. 180042/ BLACKCOMB EVOLUTION WARM Shirt l /s with Facemask/S–XL 3. Art. 526371/SKI COCOON Jacket insulated, XS– XL4. Art. 525442/ SPIRIT gore-tex® Jacket hardshell, S– XXL 5. Art. 525451/SPIRIT gore-tex® Pants, XS– XL6. Art. 525452/SPIRIT gore-tex® Pants, S– XXL

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THE ART OF LAYERINGODLO.COM

JON OLSSON‘‘GOOD PREP STARTS WITH THE FIRST LAYER’’

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ESCAPETHEOFFICE

WHAT DID YOU DO AT THE SKI WEEKEND

We offer a huge a range of accommodation including our own chalets, simple and comfortable private hotels, 5 star luxury hotels with swimming pools and spa’s

and good value apartments. Much of our accommodation is ski-in, ski-out and all our properties are hand picked by our expert team. As ski short break specialists for over 30

years, we know exactly how to maximise your time on the slopes and minimise your hassle, helping you get the best out of your short break at prices that we guarantee can’t be beaten.

Ski Weekends are the UK’s ski short break specialists off ering trips to over 30 resorts from 17 UK airports.

SkiWeekends.com | 02380 206 971 | [email protected]

reetings! It doesn’t seem long since the

last one ended, but the new ski season,

2015–16 is upon us already – well, almost!

Quite when one season ends and the

next one begins is one of those eternal

"chicken and egg" questions, particularly

at resorts like Zermatt which tries to open

for skiing every day of the year. But as

Love The Mountains is published, most of

the summer ski glaciers in the Alps have

just ended their 2015 run, and later in the

month half a dozen Austrian glaciers will

start operating for 2015–16, so maybe it’s

about now. In any event you’ll find our

regular "off season" update on where you

can ski today within these pages.

With our bi-annual Love The Mountains

magazine, the InTheSnow team like to

showcase all that makes us Britain’s best

snow-sports publication – all the latest

news for the coming season which you

need to know, the best information and

ideas to plan your snowsports holidays,

the best writing, glorious images and all

presented in a superb design, thanks to

the efforts of our designer Tom.

As always, the highlight of Love The

Mountains is our spectacular photo

shoot of all the must-have new season's

fashions and gear, which we shot in the

stunning Norwegian resort of Beitostølen.

But you’ll also find the latest big news

stories for ‘15–’16 (we did some back-of-

a-beermat maths and reckon the largest

resorts in Europe and North America

have spent more than half-a-billion euros

on the biggest projects alone) and lots of

useful features with, for example, advice

on how to make best use of the pound’s

best buying power in most ski nations for

more than five winters.

In fact the ski season never ends for

InTheSnow, as we’re here all year round

tracking snowfall and ski resort openings

on northern glaciers from spring to autumn,

and of course in the southern hemisphere,

as well as breaking the big news stories

and special deals for the coming winter

before anyone else. Just head to

InTheSnow.com – which has a swish new

small-screen-friendly design for 2015–16

by the way – for the latest news and to

sign up for updates, and you can also join

our 40K+ followers on Facebook.

So here’s to a great 2015–16 ski season!

And why wait? Hit the slopes today!

OTM15 // 005

[email protected] // @INTHESNOWMAG // INTHESNOW

CO

NTEN

TS

FEATURES

SLOPESTYLE 2015/16 30-PAGE FASHION SECTION

Our much-anticipated directory of the top fashion and best gear

for the coming season, all shot in the stunning scenery of the

Norwegian mountains.

8 COOL THINGS TO DO BESIDESKI IN A SKI RESORT

Why just ski or board down a slope when you can attach yourself

to a zipwire or bungee rope and go even faster instead?

038

SLOPETACULAR 026AMAZING SLOPE RUNDOWN

We take you on a quick tour of some of the planet’s most

stunning scenery to be enjoyed from the ski slopes, or maybe

the restaurant …

IS THE SKI AT LAST ASCOOL AS THE BOARD?

It’s the age-old battle that has raged since the dawn of time –

which is better, ski or board? Opinion remains divided, but is

skiing now as cool as boarding, maybe?

09

0

FAMILY SKI HOW TO GET IT RIGHT

“The family that skis together stays together” … Well, that’s the

theory! Here are some top tips on how to make sure it’s the

reality for you and yours.

077

@INTHESNOWMAG06 // OTM15 // INTHESNOW.COM

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PUBLISHER

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EDITOR

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GIANCARLO [email protected]

PICTURE EDITOR

POLLY BALDWIN

SUB-EDITORS

NICK JONESMARION ADAMS

CONTRIBUTORS

SAM THORNEOLIVIA PARRY-JONESLUKE REES WILL NICHOLLS

EQUIPMENT EDITOR

SALLY BARTLETTANNA BARTLETT

DESIGN BY

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© 2015PRINTED IN THE UK

No part of this publication may be

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by recording or otherwise, without

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TOP OF THE PARKS FUN PARKS TO TAKE YOU HIGHER

We asked cool people we knew which of the

world’s terrain parks had a bit more va-va-voom

than the rest, and they chose these.

TIME TO VISIT BANFF THIS RESORT IS A MUST-SKI

If you’ve never visited Banff, this is the season to

go. If you’ve already been, you don’t need us to

tell you you need to go back.

04

2DRIVING TO THE ALPS 022

EXPLORE THE TIROL 100

10 MINS: JULIEN NICOLAS 114

BOOTROOM 105

Bigger and better than

ever before, our all-new

Boot Room has had a

fresh lick of paint for

2015–16 and we’ve

fitted in more of

the great ski and

snowboarding gear

we want for the

coming winter.

09

6

OTM15 // 007 FB.COM/INTHESNOW

WHITE WEDDINGS 084GETTING MARRIED ON SNOW

If you’re planning your big day, why not do on

skis, or at least in a spectacular snow resort?

WHISTLER BLACKCOMBTURNS 50

One of the world’s most famous resorts celebrates

it’s big 5-0 this winter. It's still North America's

biggest and it’s still innovating…

036

AMAZING LIFTS GOING UP IN THE WORLD

Why just ride any old ski lift when you can ascend the

slopes in one of these cool machines? OK, they may not

have it in your resort, we know, but still…

014

t may be autumn, but the slopes

are calling!

With anticipation building for the

coming ski season, it’s right to get

excited about the start of winter

2015–16, now only a few short

months away.

But why wait? You can hit the

slopes today if you like, test out

the new season’s gear before

anyone else does and benefit

from low off-season prices.

OK, unless you head to the southern

hemisphere – where winter 2015 is just

winding down – your chance of finding

extensive deep-powder slopes are

probably not good (although you never

know; it can snow on any day of the year

on Alpine glaciers – and often does).

It’s also true that September is one of the

quietest months of the year, with summer

ski resorts in France and Italy having just

ended their 2015 runs too, and not due to

reopen until later in the autumn, but still,

the dedicated skier and boarder can find

slopes open to them on any day of the year,

and that’s without having to venture inside

(although now we mention it, there are six

good indoor snow centres in the UK).

But two resorts do aim to open 365 days

a year, weather permitting, and several

others are also open now. The Hintertux

Glacier, a short hop from Innsbruck in

the Austrian Tirol, along with Zermatt in

Switzerland, operator of Europe’s highest

ski lifts, both have up to 20km of runs open

in September and a fairly healthy 800m or

so of lift-served vertical.

You could also opt for Zermatt’s neighbour,

Saas-Fee, which reopened in July and will

stay open now right through to May 2016.

In Austria, the Molltal Glacier has also

reopened while the Pitztal Glacier, which

operates the country’s highest lifts up to

3440m, is scheduled to start running its lifts

again from 19 September.

Other Austrian glaciers, including the

Kitzsteinhorn, Kaunertal, Sölden and

Stubai, are likely to open on or around

the same date as the Pitztal – subject to

conditions. Indeed early autumn is big

for Austrian skiing – by early October, up

to eight glacier ski areas are operational

there – as much as in the rest of the Alps

put together.

It’s a great time

to be in the

Austrian Alps as

you can expect

low-priced

flights and

accommodation,

free or

discounted

2016 season

gear to test and

– to cap it all

– Oktoberfest-

style beer

festivals. In

some cases new

terrain parks are

unveiled for the

first time for the new season too.

The Kaunertal Glacier, for example, has

already scheduled its 30th “opening”

weekend celebrations from 9 to 11 October

with a promise of big contests, parties, side

events and even a movie premiere.

In Italy, the Passo dello Stelvio is open,

Val Senales should reopen from mid-

September and

Cervinia (open

to 6 September

for summer

skiing) will

reopen from

mid-October

at weekends.

Tignes in France

will also reopen

at the start of

October.

But it’s not

just the Alps;

the glacier

ski area near

Galdhøpiggen

in Norway,

Scandinavia’s

highest mountain at 2469m, is open for

skiing and boarding in the summer only

from May to November, and attracts

several international teams, so you can

always head there and hopefully see stars!

Some Norwegian slopes received 3m of

snow in the first 3 days of summer 2015, so

the signs are good …

OTM15 // 008 @INTHESNOWMAG

AUTUMNSKIING INFO

Cervinia: cervinia.it

Galdhøpiggen: gpss.no

Hintertux Glacier: hintertuxergletscher.at

Kaunertal Glacier: tirolgletscher.com

Kitzsteinhorn Glacier: kitzsteinhorn.at

Molltal Glacier: gletscher.co.at

Passo Stelvio: passostelvio.com

Pitztal Glacier: pitztal.com

Saas Fee: saas-fee.ch

Solden: soelden.com

Stubai Glacier: stubaier-gletscher.com/en

Val Senales: www.valsenales.com

Tignes: Tignes.net

Zermatt: Zermatt.ch

WhereTo Ski

South Tyrol ... Italy with a twist

South Tyrol is Italy at its best – with an added dash of Alpine influence. Discerning skiers enjoy guaranteed snow coverage on 90% of slopes, cosy huts very close by and an awe-inspiring backdrop of the Dolomites. Add to that, 300 days of sunshine a year, delicious food fusing Italian and alpine flavours and quality regional wines and it’s clear to see why South Tyrol really is Italy with a twist.

www.suedtirol.info

HIN

TER

TUX

GLA

CIE

R

South Tyrol ... Italy with a twist

South Tyrol is Italy at its best – with an added dash of Alpine influence. Discerning skiers enjoy guaranteed snow coverage on 90% of slopes, cosy huts very close by and an awe-inspiring backdrop of the Dolomites. Add to that, 300 days of sunshine a year, delicious food fusing Italian and alpine flavours and quality regional wines and it’s clear to see why South Tyrol really is Italy with a twist.

www.suedtirol.info

ZERMATT

GETHIGH

010 // OTM15 // INTHESNOW.COM @INTHESNOWMAG

WORDS: PATRICK THORNE

OTM15 // 011

Ski resorts come in all shapes and sizes,

and there are several contenders for

“world’s best resort” – depending on

what criteria you use or who’s voting –

but one seems to have captured skiers’

imaginations more than any other:

Zermatt.

Why? The famous Swiss resort does

have a great ski area, extending to over

350km with runs down across the border

into Italy. It also has Europe’s highest

ski runs, its top lift touching 3900m,

meaning that in quite severe periods of

limited snowfall in the Alps it tends to

still have plenty of terrain to offer even

when areas of quite high elevation are

struggling. It also means the lift-served

vertical is one of the world’s biggest, and

even the bottom of those 2200 vertical

metres is at an altitude higher than the

top lifts at some low-lying areas. Plus,

thanks to its glacier, it’s one of only two

resorts in the world that tries to open

for snow sports 365 days a year, so it

should be open today. And it is chock-full

of comfortable accommodation, in an

atmospheric car-free village, rich in skiing

and climbing heritage and with a vibrant

nightlife to boot.

All this definitely places Zermatt as a

serious contender for that “best in the

world” title, and it is the most highly

rated ski area in the world if you count

TripAdvisor reviews, up there with some of

the world’s best capital cities for popularity.

But in case the picture is just too rosy,

there is a downside to being very good,

very popular and in Switzerland: high

prices. While holidays to Eurozone ski

areas are cheaper for 2015–16, a 6-day

adult pass for Zermatt and Cervinia is

coming in at CHF435, or £295 as we

went to press, the most expensive in

Europe. There is a flipside for parents –

children are completely free until age 9,

then pay half price to age 16, among the

most generous child pricing in Europe.

Costs in resort aren’t cheap either,

although there is a Co-op.

So what is it that pops Zermatt over the

finish line, to claim that “best in the world”

title? The Matterhorn. Quite simply this

mountain is truly awesome and leaves all

other peaks in its shade (literally in a few

cases). When you’re in Zermatt it is simply

”there”, always, dominating the skyline –

somehow even managing to do so when

it is obscured by cloud.

Your eyes are constantly drawn to it, to

see how the light is playing on it, from

the first time you look out of the window

in the morning, to sunset in the evening.

I first skied in Zermatt in the summer

of 1982 when I was still at school, on

a budget Interrail trip. A friend and I

camped on the edge of the resort and

hit the slopes in T-shirt and jeans at 7am

on a July morning, quickly realising how

cold it was despite the sunshine, as the

overnight freeze still had a hold. We

dived into the mountain restaurant to

warm up, then clattered off on the frozen

corduroy once again and repeated the

process. By 10am the snow had softened

enough for perfect conditions … which

lasted about 90 minutes before the

surface had melted too much and the

snow was a sticky stodge.

I’ve been lucky enough to go back

half a dozen times over the past three

decades, most recently earlier this very

summer. The resort has grown a lot over

the years, and new plush chalets and

apartments had appeared since I was

last in town three years before that, but

as usual, these were all dwarfed, made

to feel insignificant somehow, by that

eternal mountain presence towering

above. No other ski resort can really

compete with that, although some –

Niseko, Lake Louise and Murren for

example – do come close.

Zermatt is just completing a summer of

celebrations of the 150th anniversary of

the first conquering of the Matterhorn,

by Brit Edward Whymper. The mountain

was officially ”closed” on the anniversary

date in July, partly in recognition of his

achievement but also in memory of

those who died on the descent from the

original successful conquering of the

peak, and the hundreds who have died

on the mountain in the 150 years since.

So if you’ve not made it to Zermatt yet,

what should you expect? Well, the first

thing to know is that you’re almost certain

to arrive by rail. THE way to arrive is

by train from Geneva Airport, with one

change and you’re up on resort, but some

package tour operators run a coach to the

neighbouring village of Tasch from where

a very plush shuttle train trundles you the

5 minutes on to Zermatt from a Eurostar-

sized terminal (well, not quite, but it seems

big for a small village).

Zermatt has grown into a big resort

and, attracting more than two million

visitors annually, it’s busy year round.

Electric taxis (built in the resort) and a

ski bus buzz around the streets, and

there are also horse-drawn sleighs, so

peaceful does not really sum it up, but

it is perhaps ”quiet” compared to any

place where vehicles powered by the

internal combustion engine are allowed

on the roads.

There are multiple access lifts from the

valley to the slopes including cable cars,

gondola and funicular railway, so you can

normally walk from any property to a lift,

but it can be quite a walk if you’re at a

more distant outpost. The ski bus can get

crowded, too, so it’s best to check your

accommodation is truly close to the lift or

organises electric transport to and from

the base station.

Once up on the slopes you’ll know

you are indeed on one of the planet’s

best ski regions, modestly but fairly

accurately named ”Matterhorn Paradise”

by the lift company.

There really are endless runs through

all kinds of terrain for all ability levels

here, and one of my favourites is to get

right to the top of the ski area on the

Klein Matterhorn then ski down towards

Cervinia in Italy on a glorious long

descent of more than 11km and nearly

1800m of vertical.

Known as the Pista Ventina, it’s a very long,

winding, rolling piste that just lasts forever,

with southwest exposure at high elevation,

and it’s one of my all-time favourites.

Stopping for a proper espresso as you

cross the border at the first mountain hut

on the Italian side is just a bonus.

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

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The world’s longest black run! It sounds an

intimidating prospect, one that makes you

feel excited if you like a sustained challenge,

and rather alarmed if you prefer to avoid

the steep stuff and just cruise around on the

blues and reds.

The good news, if you’re in the latter camp and

have a basic grasp of maths, is that the world’s

longest black run is not very intimidating at all,

on a good snow day at least, as I found when I

skied it last winter. But that doesn’t stop it from

being one of the world’s most awesome runs,

and happily one that anyone of intermediate

ability or above can enjoy.

At 16km long, the Sarenne black piste at Alpe

d’Huez in the southern French Alps is one

of the most remarkable ski runs in the world.

As well as being one of the planet’s longest,

it also makes full use of Alpe d’Huez’s

remarkable lift-served vertical, descending

2000 vertical metres from its start at the

glaciated top of the 3330m-high Pic Blanc.

Now that’s where the maths comes in. If you

divide a 16,000m-long run by 2000 metres of

vertical you get 800m of piste for every 100m

of vertical – a 12.5% average gradient. That’s

not very black, and taking three successive

lifts from Alpe d’Huez up to the start of the

run on a glorious sunny day last February

with perfect snow conditions, I found Sarenne

wasn’t a very black run.

It’s not 12.5% all the way though – the upper

section is the steepest – perhaps around

red gradient, and it’s this part which gives

the run its black status. It’s reported to be

rarely groomed and where an icy mogul field

can develop. But when I skied it, that upper

section was a perfect smooth-cruising red.

Before I set off, however, I took the advice of

the local tourist office and stopped to look

about. There are views to nearby La Meije,

the Écrins National Park and far off, but clearly

visible on the skyline, Mont Blanc.

So what’s so good about Sarenne? Well, I

do like cruising around on reds and blues,

and quite simply this is just the mother of all

reds and blues. It goes on, and on, and on,

just constant pleasure – often with a new

stunning view around the next corner. It’s also

worth noting that the run is far from the rest of

Alpe d’Huez’s extensive ski area, so you can

feel like you are really skiing away from it all.

The final section of the run is a very gentle

green-grade track meandering through scenic

woodland in the Gorges de Sarenne, the nearly

flat parts balancing out the steeper gradients.

Quite when to ski it is down to you. First thing

in the morning you might beat the crowds

heading up, but if you head up an hour or

so before lunchtime, you’ll be arriving at

the Auberge de la Combe Haute mountain

restaurant at the end of the run, a great

place for a celebratory meal, and you’ll also

find that when you head back out in the

afternoon, you’re conveniently located in one

of the quietest sectors of Alpe d’Huez’s huge

ski domain.

A final option, introduced last season thanks to

a big investment in lighting, is the once-a-week

chance to ski the Sarenne in the evening with

a guide, normally with dinner awaiting you at

the bottom as part of the package.

SKIING THEWORLD’S LONGEST

BLACK WORDS: PATRICK THORNE

@INTHESNOWMAGOTM15 // 012

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The experience is everything.™

Once upon a hell of a time.Our 50 years of experience has helped us perfect what really matters— amplifying the thrill of human experience. Introducing the multi-impactPivot helmet with available MIPS option.

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The experience is everything.™

Once upon a hell of a time.Our 50 years of experience has helped us perfect what really matters— amplifying the thrill of human experience. Introducing the multi-impactPivot helmet with available MIPS option.

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info@ ultrasporteu.com www.ultrasporteu.com

There are ski lifts and

then there are ski lifts.

We take a look at ten

of the world’s most

remarkable lifts up

the mountain ...



TSCHUGGEN EXPRESS AROSA, SWITZERLAND

Sadly (for those not lucky enough to

be staying there) only available for

use by hotel guests, this remarkable

mini funicular railway links the 5★

Tschuggen Hotel to the ski slopes

a kilometre or so away. On a track

something akin to an uphill roller

coaster, the plush cabins, which

resemble an upmarket Bond villain’s

private underground lair access,

open at the bottom station of the lift

by the hotel’s ski room when a hotel

guest waives his personal access

card at it. Whizzing up the slope,

seats tilt to allow for the gradient.

VA ET VIENTPORTILLO, CHILE

Portillo is famed for its expert

terrain, but some of that is prone to

avalanche meaning that any fixed

lift of the conventional sort risks

damage and long periods of repair.

So the great lift-designing mind of

Jean Pomagalski, the original owner

and boss of the famous POMA lift

company, was set the challenge,

and he came up with the “Va et

Vient” (“come and go”) lift.

A kind of half cable car, half drag

lift, it has no towers but three bull

wheels, one at the bottom of the

slope and two at the top. Two tow

bars with up to five platter-style

button seats attached are connected

to this contraption pulling up to five

skiers, side by side, up the slope

quickly, an experienced likened to

uphill water skiing.

THE ROTAIRENGELBERG, SWITZERLAND

The latest revolving cable car opened

on the Italian side of Mont Blanc

earlier this year (see our separate

report), but the original opened at

Engelberg way back in 1992.

In fact the Swiss resort is already on

to its second ‘Rotair’ cable car after

the success of the first, and is due

to unveil the new lift this season.

“The new "Rotair" has more glass,

so our guests can see much better

the beautiful panorama,” said

Engelberg’s Dominik Ettlin. “Also

new is that the whole cabin rotates,

not only the floor as in the old one.”

VANOISE EXPRESSPARADISKI, FRANCE

Built a little over a decade ago at a

reputed cost of around €50 million,

the Vanoise Express is remarkable

for several reasons. First of all, it

has double-decker cabins; second,

they can travel independently of

one another, rather than needing

to counter balance each other as

with most cable cars; third, the

200-person cabin capacity is the

world’s biggest; and fourth, the lift

was built to link the ski areas of

La Plagne and Les Arcs to create

Paradiski, one of the world’s three

largest ski regions.

SAUNA LIFTYLLÄS, FINLAND

The Scandinavian obsession with

saunas has reached new heights in

the Lappish ski resort of Ylläs where

a special gondola cabin, wood clad

inside and out, is available to hire.

The cabin travels up to the lift’s top

station at 718m, where there is a

main sauna at the top of Ylläs Fell,

available for private use. From here

you can leave your belongings and

rent the sauna gondola from 7–9pm

and experience the most unique

sauna ever. The sauna gondola can

take four people at a time, catering

for up to 12 people during a 2-hour

session. The idea is to take it in

turns with two rounds each, while

friends relax in the main sauna at

the top station.

CAR-CARRYING LIFTSOCHI, RUSSIA

Before the 2014 Winter Olympics,

Russian ski areas in Sochi put in

world-record-breaking orders for

more than 50 state-of-the-art lifts –

big fast chairlifts and gondolas on

the whole.

Some of these were the finest

examples of the lift builder’s art

yet seen and included the world’s

longest and fastest tri-cable lift

(ultra-stable, high-speed, high-

capacity gondola) ever built and

another tri-cable lift equipped to

carry motor cars up the mountain if

an oligarch or emergency vehicle

wants to avoid the crowded

mountain roads.

DACHSTEIN CABLE CAR,AUSTRIA

The new cable car that opened a

couple of seasons ago to access

the year-round Dachstein glacier

has a state-of-the-art design, but

also an unusual attraction. Users

can ride on the roof.

There’s no extra fee or special

requirements, apparently, to make

use of this service; you just go to

the special loading point in the

bottom station for roof riders and, if

you’re one of the first there, you’re

on. We’re hoping this one wasn’t

announced on April Fool’s Day.

DAGU GLACIER,CHINA

OK, this is actually just a regular

eight-passenger gondola built by

Doppelmayr, the world’s leading

lift manufacturer. It makes our

list, however, as it’s currently the

world’s highest lift, climbing 1226

vertical metres to its 4843m top

station – which could stretch

those not used to high altitudes –

it’s nearly 1000m higher than the

highest lifts in Europe. There’s

snow but no authorised skiing

at Dagu; however, the highest

ski lift, also in China, is at Jade

Dragon Snow Mountain, a mere

4600m up.

PORSCHE CHAIRLIFTLAAX, SWITZERLAND

When car designer Porsche was

commissioned to design a new

chairlift a few seasons back,

some people wondered what a

car designer could teach a lift

designer. The answer appears to

be both cool style and innovative

design. The lift not only looks good

but its individual chairs can tilt 45

degrees outwards, giving you the

chance to look out at the scenery,

not just watch the people on the

chair in front to see if they drop

their phone or gloves.

SOLAR-POWERED LIFTGERLOS, AUSTRIA

This 180m-long covered carpet lift

may not look anything special, but

its clear gallery cover is. In fact,

covered in photovoltaic cells, it

actually generates more electricity

than it uses to operate – 70%

more in its first year of operation,

to be precise.

The lift generated 27,000kWh of

electricity in its first 12 months but

only used 16,000kWh itself. This

means the lift “overproduced”

power by about 70% with the

“spare” 9000 kWh of clean energy

fed into the power grid.

Emanuel Wohlfarter, CEO of

lift developer Sunkid, now

anticipates worldwide demand

for the new system, due to the

quick return on investment costs

as well as the extremely low

operating costs.

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The Courmayeur Mont Blanc Funivie

S.p.A lift company, which runs the ski lifts

around Courmayeur, has announced that

a remarkable 4-year €110 million project to

rebuild lift access to Pointe Helbronner on

the Italian side of Mont Blanc is complete

and the lifts are operating ready for the

coming winter. The company says that the

installations will open to the public next

month on a date still to be announced.

Work to replace the lifts began in 2011

after more than a decade of planning.

Originally a three-stage cable-car

connection, the new lifts are now in two

stages, which operate much faster and

with a much higher capacity.

There are many remarkable aspects to

the project and the result. These include

the fact that the new cable car’s cabins

revolve through 360 degrees on the

ascent and that the new upper station has

been built to be energy self-sufficient.

In addition, the Torino Hut is no longer

directly accessed by the cable car, but

is instead accessed by a 154m-long

horizontal tunnel and a 70m vertical

elevator, from Pointe Helbronner.

All three cable-car stations have been

completely re-built to designs by award-

winning architects.

Starting from the bottom: the all-new

base station is at an all-new location,

Entrèves (1300m). It is a ribbed stainless

steel structure with wood frames and an

abundance of glass to optimise the use of

natural light. It is located next to the Mont

Blanc Tunnel with direct access to the A5

motorway. There is extensive underground

parking (more than 330 spaces) and a

bus station which will be where a shuttle

service from Courmayeur stops.

From here the lift ascends to the mid-

station in four minutes. The mid-station is

still at Le Pavillon du Mont Fréty, but with

a completely new station, and from there

the second stage of the lift goes direct

to Pointe Helbronner in just 6 minutes,

bypassing the Torino Hut.

The Pointe Helbronner station has four

levels on a small footprint with terraces

cantilevered out. It has been built with

super-tough materials like titanium

panelling, zinc-plated steel and super-

tough tempered glass to withstand the

elements. A large circular terrace on the

roof provides spectacular views of Mont

Blanc and the Vallée Blanche.

Each cable-car cabin is round and can

carry up to 80 people, compared to 20 in

the old lift cabins. The greatly increased

capacity should, the operator hopes,

eliminate queues. The Doppelmayr-built

lift has hi-tech audio-visual facilities, and

the cabins which have floor-to-ceiling

glass windows slowly revolve through 360

degrees on the ascent.


€110M+ COURMAYEUR MONT BLANC LIFTS COMPLETE

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Time was when new ski destinations

from tour operators were the biggest

news of the winter, but with air travel

ever more complex in its pricing, as well

as fragmented for skiers and boarders

trying to get to the slopes but not based

close to a London airport, it is becoming

increasingly interesting to see which new

flight routes have appeared each winter

too, to make reaching the slopes easier

for your holiday.

So here’s a lowdown of some of the new

flight options for 2015–16.

BELFAST

Easyjet (easyjet.com) are launching a new

service to Lyon on 12 December operating

on Saturdays and in winter only. Lyon

provides quick access to the French Alps

and is closer to resorts like Alpe d’Huez

and Les Deux Alpes than any other major

airport. Other more distant resorts can be

faster to reach from Lyon than Geneva, as

the roads may be faster and emptier.

BIRMINGHAM

Germania (flygermania.de/en) have a new

service to Chambery serving Les 3 Vallées

and Tarentaise which tour op Inghams

(inghams.co.uk) are using.

Crystal (crystalski.co.uk) are adding

Birmingham to Verona for their Italian resorts,

and this winter Thomson Airways will offer

customers a self-service online account with

online ticket and online check-in.

BRISTOL

Easyjet have a new service to Kittilä

serving ski resorts in Lapland.

DUBLIN

Swiss (Swiss.com) have launched a new

service to Geneva with four flights weekly.

EAST MIDLANDS

Jet 2 have a new service to Geneva

being used by Inghams to access all of

their Swiss and most French destinations

(except Alpe d’Huez and Les Deux Alpes).

LUTON

Ryanair (Ryanair.com) are launching a new

service to Verona in Italy, great for reaching

ski areas in the Dolomites, and Crystal have

a new Zurich route for their Swiss resorts.

MANCHESTER

There’s a new service to Kuusamo for ski

areas in Lapland, Finland, with Crystal.

SOUTHEND

Easyjet are launching a new Saturday

service to Lyon on 12 December.

GATWICK & HEATHROW

British Airways (ba.com) have a new

service from Heathrow to Salzburg to

reach Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Obertauern

and Filzmoos. For Icelandic skiing at areas

like Bláfjöll, there’s also a new BA service

launching to capital Reykjavik, 25km from

the slopes. Crystal have a new route from

Heathrow to Toulouse for resorts in Andorra.

From Gatwick BA are serving

Friedrichshafen in southern Germany

for quicker access to the Arlberg region

in Austria, and there’s an extra flight to

Innsbruck with Austrian Airlines.

PEAK DATES

Inghams (inghams.co.uk) are adding extra

capacity on 26 December for New Year

week flights to France from Birmingham,

Bournemouth, Glasgow, Luton and Leeds, at

February half-term dates for departures on

6 Feb to France from Stansted, Birmingham,

East Midlands, Manchester, Leeds Bradford,

Newcastle and Edinburgh, and on 13 Feb to

Austria from Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester,

Leeds Bradford and Edinburgh.


NEW ROUTESTO THE SLOPES2015/16

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018 // OTM15 // INTHESNOW.COM @INTHESNOWMAG

The strength of the Swiss franc

has proved a challenge for some

British skiers and boarders in recent

seasons, but the good news is that

the pound is fighting back and the

Swiss ski areas are helping!

In any case there’s something very

special about Switzerland that

makes us keep wanting to return

regardless.

It could be the scenery, with more

stunning mountain panoramas per

ski area than most other resorts

on the planet; it could be the

snow-surety – with lots of high-

altitude terrain available – including

Europe’s highest lift-served runs,

or it might be the seamless, high-

quality service for which the Swiss

are famous, to name just some of

the reasons (cheese and trains

being two more). There’s also the

high standards of national carrier

SWISS, who still carry skis for free

with their 'classic' fare, just like the

good old days!

As mentioned, the good news is

that, for whichever reasons we’re

in love with Switzerland, the pound

is gradually fighting back against

the franc, and Swiss ski resorts are

offering ever more great deals to

keep Swiss ski holidays affordable.

Here are some of the savings it’s

worth being aware of.

Davos KlostersYou might not need to pay for a

lift pass at all if you head to the

snow-sure resort of Davos Klosters

between the start of the season

on 21 November and the start of

Christmas week on 20 December.

The famous ski destination’s “Lift

Pass for Free” offer is back, which

means you get a free lift pass for

every night you stay in a selected

property during those dates.

Throughout the season, you can

also take advantage of the Davos

Klosters "Inside programme", a

selection of free daily experiences

compiled by a resort “Insider

Team”. This includes experiences

such as watching the sun rise

from a mountain peak, a behind-

the-scenes look at an avalanche

detonation session or even a sit

inside a piste-grooming machine.

davos.ch

LaaxLaax has a reputation for being one

of the world’s top freestyle ski and

boarding destinations, although

there’s plenty for all abilities and

tastes besides too. So it is the

perfect destination for a fun-filled,

action-packed break – and sharing

all this with friends makes it twice as

memorable. The resort’s “4 Nights

for Friends” package includes a

4-night stay in an apartment with

4-day ski-lift ticket included for only

£191 per person.

laax.com

Saas-FeeSaas-Fee was where Wham! filmed

their famous Last Christmas video

in the 1980s, and the resort is

understandably so proud of the fact

they are reverting to 1980s pricing

in celebration.

From 5 to 18 December 2015,

special “1980s” packages are

available starting from only

CHF225 (about £145) for 2 nights’

B&B accommodation and a 3-day

lift pass.

saas-fee.ch

EngelbergAfter replacing its rotating cable car,

the Rotair, after 20 years’ service,

with an even better version last

winter, this season Engelberg will

unveil a new connecting gondola

which will dramatically cut journey

times to the top of its huge 2000m

skiable vertical.

Early booking deals are already

available for skiers and boarders

ready to hit the slopes between

14 November and 17 December

2015. Packages at a wide range of

accommodation include lift pass,

local tax and a guest card which

unlocks many more reductions.

engelberg.ch

ArosaSwitzerland offers great lift-pass

value for families, but the resort

of Arosa, which dramatically

expanded its ski area last year with

a lift connection to neighbouring

Lenzerheide, goes further.

This winter Arosa is offering

“Ski School included” group ski/

snowboard classes free of charge

for children born in or after 1998

(so actual children including teens

up to age 18). The offer, which is

part of a swathe of special deals

for families, is valid on bookings

of 2 nights or more in participating

hotels and holiday apartments.

arosa.ch

Jungfrau RegionThe Jungfrau region is often

referred to as one of the most

spectacular in the skiing world,

as well as being home to no less

than three classic ski resorts –

Grindelwald, Mürren and Wengen –

which all share a common lift pass.

Despite having been around much

longer than most ski regions, the

Jungfrau’s ski areas are very up to

date when it comes to offering ski

holiday value. Along with plenty of

special-deal packages (such as 4

nights for the price of 3 at selected

hotels), check out the special

“Lastminute” offers in the region’s

website’s accommodation section.

jungfrauregion.ch

Engadin St. MoritzThe Engadin St. Mortiz is where

winter holidays began over 150

years ago and remains one of the

world’s best to this day.

You can enjoy substantial

savings on lift pass prices here

all season long (and it’s a very

long season, starting with glacier

skiing as soon as 17 October

and continuing right through to

22 May next year). The “Hotel

and Ski Pass” offer is available

on stays of 2 nights or more and

entitles you to buy your Engadin

St. Mortiz lift pass for just CHF35

(£22) per day.

engadin.stmoritz.ch

Family-friendlyFinally, ski resorts around the world

talk about being family-friendly and

increasingly offer family-price deals,

but few offer lift tickets that are

completely free to younger children

and substantially discounted for

older children as Swiss resorts do.

Children can ski free at up to age

9 in more than 50 of the country’s

ski resorts; in Zermatt it’s up to age

10! Then children typically pay half

price until age 15 or 16, and there are

often ongoing young-adult savings

of 20% right up to the early 20s.

So families need to do the lift-

pass maths.

MySwitzerland.com/winter

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www.ultrasporteu.com [email protected]

Heli-skiing, or indeed heli-boarding, is the kind

of winter snow-sports dream that many of us

powder addicts aspire to, but sadly only a small

percentage of us ever do.

The most common reasons for this are: we

shamefully think we do not have the skills to

successfully ski or board that endless pristine

powder like the guys in the movies, or we think it

will be too expensive.

The truth for those who do decide to give it a

try is that you don’t have to be that good and

it doesn’t have to cost that much if you book

with a heli-ski company that encourages first

timers. One such company is rk heliski based in

Panorama BC, Canada, which is a complete ski

resort in its own right.

For almost 50 years rk has been offering affordable

day trips (and multi-day trips). From Panorama

Mountain Resort you can combine a regular on-

piste ski holiday with a dream heli-ski experience!

Or you can also choose to base your ski

holiday from the ski mecca of Banff, a 2-hour

private shuttle ride away, as did first-time British

heliboarder Tony McCann.

“A 5.30am alarm on a Saturday morning is certainly

not my idea of fun. I was standing outside my

hotel with it dumping it down with fresh snow, and

thinking what on earth have I let myself in for?!”

When he booked, rk heliski had told Tony that

so long as he could ski or board a European red

run comfortably and in control then he could

heliboard with them and have an incredible time.

“As my shuttle approached rk, I could see

ground crew getting the helicopters ready for

the day. The friendly rk team welcomed me as I

entered the “heli-plex lodge,” they made sure I

got whatever I wished for breakfast – nothing, it

seemed, was too much trouble.”

Tony says that the tension mounted, but the staff

put you at ease. “After briefings from ACMG Ski

Guides Nate Sereda and Rod Gibbons, it is very

quickly clear that these guys not only have a

passion for what they do but also ensure every

single guest is happy, comfortable and relaxed.

After listening to them I felt much more at ease

and couldn’t wait to get up there !”

And it kept getting better …

“And away we went. The noise of the helicopter

just gets your heart going and the anticipation

is replaced by big smiles and excitement. The

ride up to the first drop-off was spectacular, just

miles and miles of untouched mountains, simply

indescribable beauty.”

“Then time to strap in and go. My first run down

was an amazing tree-lined descent through

champagne powder. I was like a little kid on

Christmas day. I had never ever experienced

anything like this before. With Nate and Rod

giving great tips and assistance, the more

relaxed I got the easier I found it.”

An addiction begins …

“My legs were burning like hell, my helmet and

goggles covered in powder, but it was clear

that I was seriously hooked,” recalls Tony. “The

rest of the day was more of eating powder, a

few falls, and that feeling of joy from flowing

and carving down the mountain creating huge

powder spray turns.”

“It was a day I will never forget with a group of

people with such a passion and love for what

they do. This is a must for any snowboarder/skier

to add to their bucket list. I’m booked back next

season,” concludes Tony.

AN INCREDIBLE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A


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@INTHESNOWMAG

Driving to your ski destination this

winter could be the easy answer to

many a holiday dilemma.

First off, if there’s two or more of

you, it’s likely to be cheaper than

going by air, and if you’re concerned

about the environment, you’ll be

doing less damage there too.

Secondly, you can, within the limits

of space, forget those baggage

restrictions and pile in as much gear

as you need. You won’t have to think

about all the endless loading and

unloading either, and there are no

charges for suitcases or for carrying

skis or boards, of course.

Thirdly, you can travel at your

own pace, maybe see a bit of the

country as you travel, and can time

your trips to arrive just before all

the poor punters on the transfer

coach and leave at your leisure

rather than at some awful 5am

coach pick-up. Time it right and

you can fit in 8 days’ skiing on a

week’s holiday if you like.

Then there are the many smaller

benefits – the chance to stock up

in the hypermarket before you

arrive and avoid the high prices in

the resort’s mini markets, or to stop

off and see a bit of the country en

route, to name but a few.

Depending on where you live in

the UK and where you’re heading,

the driving time can be as little as 7

hours, though for most in southern

Britain it’s likely to be 10 to 12 to the

closest resorts, plus stops.

But there is a swathe of practical,

safety and legal requirements to be

met by the driver, and it’s important

to ensure you’re fully prepared and

protected before you set off.

The good news is that most tour

operators offer very detailed

and comprehensive advice on

self-drive trips, and in the case of

specialists like Erna Low or Peak

Retreats there’s detailed practical

advice on offer online and from

their expert staff.

But here are the

LoveTheMountains top tips on how

to have the most seamless drive to

the Alps.

1. DON’T RELYON SAT NAV

“Once you’re in the mountains

in winter, it’s very important

to take local advice on road

conditions, rather than rely on

sat navs, or even road maps,”

says InTheSnow’s Editor Patrick

Thorne. “Driving in the French

Pyrenees once, a road map and

my sat nav showed me a route

between resorts which, after

209 miles driving on a lovely

empty road, ended in a wall of

snow – how stupid did I feel?

Conversely, driving in California

one season I was tipped off that a

normally closed-in-winter pass had

reopened a month early, saving

hundreds of miles of driving.”

2. AVOID HORRENDOUS TRAFFIC JAMS

The roads leading to the

mountains can get very congested

at the weekends, particular on

Saturday ‘change-over day’ in

France, and in the peak season.

The best time to travel is in the

early hours of the morning or late

INTHESNOW.COM // OTM15 // 023 FB.COM/INTHESNOW

at night if you can plan for that.

3. SNOW TYRES, CHAINS OR SOCKS?

What you need to have with you

legally and for your own safety

depends on where you’re going.

The rules differ from country to

country and region to region.

These days, some countries

expect you to have snow tyres

fitted and others expect you

to carry chains or “socks” –

sometimes both. If you have a

four-wheel-drive vehicle you may,

or may not, be exempt from the

“chains” rule. And when the rules

are enforced it can vary depending

on the particular road you’re on,

and the time of year.

On Saturdays when it is snowing,

the police/gendarmerie will often

stand at the bottom of the roads

where chains are required and will

prevent any vehicle without chains

from going any further.

So before you travel, it’s important

to have the very latest advice on

what setup you need to have, but

some advise just biting the bullet

and getting chains.

“Snow chains are like insurance.

You often don't need them and you

may feel buying them is a waste of

money, but when you do require

them you are glad you have them in

the car,” says Xavier Schouller, boss

of self-drive-to-France specialist

ski tour operator Peak Retreats

(Peakretreats.co.uk). He points out,

“Imagine you were delayed on

the roads well before that and you

arrive in the Alps late at night. If you

get stuck 20 miles from your final

destination, what do you do?”

4. WHAT CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

Ensure that your insurance and

breakdown cover are valid for

driving in all the countries you want

to visit and that you carry with you

what is legally required in each

country. In France, for example,

you need to have a reflective

safety jacket (which you must

have access to in the car – don’t

put it in the boot) and a warning

triangle. You also need “beam

benders” on your headlights to

ensure you don’t dazzle cars when

you switch to the other side of

the road over the Channel. All of

these can be purchased cheaply

at places like Halfords. The rules

keep changing, but last we heard a

working breathalyser is no longer

needed nor a spare set of bulbs –

although if a light goes you can be

immediately fined up to €750 on

the spot, so it seems smart to carry

some regardless.

Once you’ve covered the

problems to avoid, there are ways

to make your travel smoother.

5. GET TAGGED

Sanef, the French motorway

operator, has now extended its

Liber-t automatic toll payment

service to UK motorists. To use

the service, all you need to do is

register online and they will send

you a small electronic transponder

(or tag) that you attach to your

windscreen. As you approach, a

device by the barrier will read your

tag, securely extract your unique

reference and then automatically

open the barrier without you

having to stop.

6. THINK RIGHT

“Our top tip is ‘think right’,” says

Xavier Schouller. “It’s too easy

when leaving a petrol station and

there is no one on the road to

drive on the wrong side. One of

our clients smashed a hire car that

way, and we had to get them a

replacement car, which meant they

missed their flight!”

7. PLAN YOUR STOPS

If you’re going to stop at the

convenient motorway service stops

then just like on the piste it’s best

to aim for an early or late lunch

to avoid the crowds. However,

Francophiles tend to advise taking

the time to exit the motorway

and find a nice little restaurant in

Champagne or Burgundy and enjoy

real French food.

After all, that’s part of what driving

to the Alps is all about!

MORE INFORMATION

ernalow.co.uk/driving-to-the-alps

peakretreats.co.uk/ski/self-drive-

ski.htm

SHU

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STO

CK

t may not be a Banksy, but a

picturesque ski scene entitled

“Up, up and away” has been

created on the wall of Reece

Mews in London’s South Kens-

ington through the summer.

The work by artist Johny Mid-

night has been commissioned

by long-standing ski holiday

and property specialists Erna

Low, who have been based in

the quiet street for around 60

years and have made numer-

ous improvements to their head-

quarters over the decades, including

tunnelling down to create comfortable

underground floors a few years ago.

The idea for the mural started at the

London Ski Show last October.

“I bought some raffle tickets from

the Cancer Caring Trust charity,”

said Joanna Yellowlees-Bound, Erna

Low’s CEO. “As a result of that, I

now own a Johny Midnight picture. I

then decided it would be a fantastic

idea to commission Johny to do a

painting on the Reece Mews wall

outside our office.”

“Our neighbours have been hugely

supportive and we are excited to be

adding to the artistic heritage of the

area, as Francis Bacon used to live

immediately opposite,” added Joanna.

“He was a friend of Miss Low's in the

old days – and I find myself wondering

what he would make of our wall paint-

ing right outside his door like this."

ernalow.co.uk

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026 // OTM15 // INTHESNOW.COM

here was a time when heading off on your

annual ski holiday meant getting away from

it all, but these days some of the big resorts

in the Alps are almost as full of city folk on

vacation as the cities they left behind are. So

for those who really

want to get away from it

all, here are InTheSnow’s top 10

suggestions.

ARGENTINALAS LEÑAS

SPECTACULAR FACTOR:

Stunning scenery and slopes to yourself.

WHEN TO SKI: Now (June to October)

PRICE RANGE: £££

SKIER LEVEL: to

INFO: southamericaski.com

At just over 30 years old, Las Leñas is one

of the newest resorts in Argentina and the

whole of South America. Named after the

“Yellow Wood” shrubs that were discovered

by a botanist visiting the area in the 1860s,

the resort is known for its big lift-served

vertical and huge terrain expanse once you

exit the zone closest to the base where most

beginner and intermediate level ski runs are

located. When the snow is good (which in

recent seasons sadly hasn’t been guaranteed),

highlights for expert skiers include a 24km off-

piste descent via Cenidor, Marte and Mercurio,

one of the world's longest runs.

CANADALAKE LOUISE

SPECTACULAR FACTOR: In most parts of

the West, the Rockies rarely look like they

do in the movies, but here they do, and then

@INTHESNOWMAG

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OTM15 // 027

some – scenic grandeur in super HD.

WHEN TO SKI: November to May

PRICE RANGE:

SKIER LEVEL: to

INFO: skilouise.com

For scenic grandeur, imaginative terrain

design and sheer size, the Lake Louise Ski

Resort ranks alongside the finest ski resorts

in the world. Encompassing 28.4 km2,

spread over four separate mountain faces

interconnected by a lift and trail system that

is comparable to the European ski circuit

concept, this is the largest ski area in Canada.

Visitors from Europe, who may have been

somewhat disappointed by the rather boring

rolling hills on which some of North America's

most famous ski resorts are located, will be

mesmerised by the spectacular beauty of the

place. In addition to over 100 named runs,

some over eight kilometres in length, Lake

Louise offers thousands of acres of open

powder bowls, glades and chutes.

CHILE PORTILLO

SPECTACULAR FACTOR: Amazing slopes

almost to yourself, and VIP lodging in a

historic lodge in the ski tracks of many great

names from the history of skiing.


PRICE RANGE:

SKIER LEVEL: to

INFO: skiportillo.com

Chile's original resort is an important

name in world skiing, hosting numerous

international events including the 1966

World Championships. But people have

been skiing here far longer, starting from

the Argentina-Chile railway line in 1890.

Virtually all of the resort's accommodation

and activities are concentrated in the huge

hotel complex where the staff/guest ratio

is one employee for every guest, resulting

in high service standards. The resort

offers easy and intermediate groomed

slopes plus some of the most adventurous

and spectacular skiing in the southern

hemisphere, with heli-skiing an option,

giving views of the western hemisphere's

highest mountain – Aconcagua.

FRANCEPIC DU MIDI

SPECTACULAR FACTOR: Many people

underestimate just how spectacular the

Pyrenees are in certain areas – none better

than here where hundreds of peaks are

visible as you descend.

WHEN TO SKI: December to May

PRICE RANGE:

SKIER LEVEL:

INFO: www.picdumidi.com

A 100% freeride area accessed from the

top of a cable car in the French Pyrenees,

created to serve the local observatory. As

with other famous off-piste routes, visitors

are strongly recommended to ski with a

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guide and sign a disclaimer before setting

off. There are spectacular views from the

top and exceptional long powder descents,

but no groomed runs. Overnight stays in the

observatory's accommodation and morning

descents afterwards are popular.

GREENLAND

SPECTACULAR FACTOR: Pristine slopes

unseen by other humans, icebergs floating in

the clear blue sea below you, possible polar

bear attacks.

WHEN TO SKI: Spring

PRICE RANGE:

SKIER LEVEL:

INFO: greenlandheliskiing.com

North America’s third-largest country is of

course covered in ice and snow year round,

and with mountains on the country’s East

Coast rising to 3694m, the only real issue for

skiers is getting to this pristine wilderness.

For more than a decade now, Greenland

Heliskiing have been providing that

opportunity, one of just a handful of very

small expert local operators that can offer

heli-skiing here. They’re based on the

West Coast (where attracting polar bear

attention is not a problem) rather than the

East, and offer vertical powder descents of

up to 2000m in an area of 2300km2 with

20 hours of daylight during the spring

ski season.

JAPANNISEKO

SPECTACULAR FACTOR: Skiing on perfect

light, fluffy powder across the valley from a

perfect-scale replica of Mount Fuji.

WHEN TO SKI: November to May

PRICE RANGE:

SKIER LEVEL: to

INFO: niseko.ne.jp

Niseko, on Japan’s northerly island of

Hokkaido, is most famed in the ski world

for its abundant light, fluffy snow, which

for many powder hounds has made it the

most popular destination on the planet.

But for lovers of stunning scenery there’s

something very special about descending

even the groomed easy runs opposite the

beautiful and perfect Mount Yōtei (1898m)

which dominates the view from the slopes, a

perfect (and still active) volcano that appears

to be a scale replica of Mount Fuji. It hasn’t

erupted in 3000 years, but the geo-thermal

activity in the area helps to supply hot water

for the various onsens all around – the

perfect apres-ski natural hot tubs.

NEW ZEALANDTREBLE CONE

SPECTACULAR FACTOR: Think Lord of the

Rings on snow with dramatic vistas out over

the coast.


PRICE RANGE:

SKIER LEVEL: to

INFO: treblecone.com

Several of New Zealand’s ski areas boast

spectacular scenery, but none quite seem

to compete with Treble Cone and its

magnificent, vast vista looking out over

the seas. The southern hemisphere's first

six-seater detachable chair was installed

here nearly 20 years ago – a major coup

and one of numerous improvements through

the years that make the skiing here less

challenging to access than some of our more

distant inclusions in this list. Treble Cone also

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boasts New Zealand's biggest ski area in

terms of skiable terrain (550 hectares).

NORWAYLYNGEN LODGE

SPECTACULAR FACTOR: Amazing coastal

scenery from unspoilt mountain terrain in

Western Norway.


PRICE RANGE:

SKIER LEVEL: to

INFO: lyngenlodge.com

There are no ski lifts, no other people in fact,

and you take a boat across the Lyngen Fjord

to reach the ski slopes from the luxurious

Lyngen Lodge in Northern Norway, a very

different ski experience.

It gets more remarkable still when you

consider that a visit in winter can mean skiing

the virgin powder beneath the northern

lights, or if you arrive in late spring, when

24-hour daylight is the norm, you can do it all

under the midnight sun.

And it all takes place against the backdrop of

some of the most dramatic and spectacular

scenery on earth with the white mountains

towering out of the sea.

UNITED KINGDOMNEVIS RANGE

SPECTACULAR FACTOR: Scotland’s west

coast is a global draw, but from the slopes high

above the view is even more stunning and puts

many resorts in the Alps in the shade.


PRICE RANGE:

SKIER LEVEL: to

INFO: nevisrange.co.uk

Fortunately you don’t have to go far to find

some of the best scenery in world skiing.

Nevis Range, the newest of Scotland’s five ski

areas, just 25 years old, is positioned above

the country’s famously scenic west coast, right

next to Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis.

Nevis Range really is the perfect playground

for intermediates with blue runs making up a

third of the skiing. Novices should progress

quickly around The Fairway with its long,

wide open slopes. The Summit Run, the

highest in Scotland at 1291m, is a very gentle

blue, excellent for perfecting technique and,

as a bonus, on a clear day it has amazing

views of the surrounding area.

USAHEAVENLY

SPECTACULAR FACTOR: You have the West

Coast US vibe and amazing views out across

the crystal-clear blue waters of Lake Tahoe.


PRICE RANGE:

SKIER LEVEL: to

INFO: skiheavenly.com

Heavenly is unique. For those of us who

collect facts and figures about ski resorts it's

unique because it exists in two US States,

with just over half of its lifts in California,

the remainder in Nevada. It can also claim

to have the biggest vertical on the western

coast of the United States, the biggest ski

area in California (and the second biggest

in North America) and the highest skiing in

the famous Tahoe region. More important

than the numbers though is the stunning

scenery as you look down on Lake Tahoe,

North America's largest alpine lake, and

for many visitors the availability of Tahoe's

legendary “24-hour nightlife” once they're off

the slopes.

It was the view, and the “heavenly relief” of

the warm air rising, that led settlers in the

1800s (arriving in the area from the backside

of Heavenly rather than the Tahoe side) to

give the area its name. A century later, the

name “Heavenly” fortunately turned out to

be a marketing man's dream.

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There’s no disputing it: the Italians are

the kings of coffee, and if you’re on a ski

holiday in Italy, you’d be mad to miss the

authentic experience.

There are few better ways to start the

day than with a real Italian coffee enjoyed

after a good breakfast, watching the light

gleam over the mountains.

And that mid-afternoon espresso on a

piste-side sun terrace? It’s perfection.

Unfortunately, there’s a huge pitfall to

navigate first: successfully ordering your

delicious beverage. Get it wrong, and you

risk the scorn of the barista – a plight few

that experience it ever truly recover from.

You’re A Long Way From Starbucks, Dorothy …

That’s right – knowing what coffee to order

(and when) is of critical importance if you

want to avoid an international incident.

Italian coffee is nothing like the coffee

you’ll find in a high-street café back home.

Consider the cautionary tale of the Starbucks

aficionado on holiday in Cervinia. Well

versed as she was in “Italian” coffee lingo

from her daily half-caff venti skinny vanilla

latte, she beamed with pride and excitement

as she ordered a “latte”.

The waiter shot her a quizzical look.

“Latte? Caldo o freddo?”

Hot or cold? Clearly he was having a joke.

“Caldo, of course!” she replied. Sure enough,

he returned a minute later with precisely

what she had ordered – a cup of hot milk.

Here’s what you need to know to avoid a

similar humiliation.

Cappuccino Is A Breakfast Drink

I’m afraid so. Don’t be surprised if you see

the waiter frowning at you if you order a

cappuccino or latte after your delicious

meal. Inwardly he can’t believe you’d pour

hot milk over that wonderful food, as it’s

a common belief that too much milk post

meal unsettles your stomach.

When it’s breakfast time though, go right

ahead. If you’re like me and prefer a stronger

coffee taste, order your cappuccino with

doppio espresso senza cacao. You can also

opt for a cappuccino scuro, which has less

milk than the standard cappuccino.

There’s No Filter Coffee Or Flavours

An Americano is a shot of espresso with

hot water poured on top. Order one and

you could well receive an espresso in

a larger cup with a pot of water on the

side. In fact, pretty much everything is a

variation of espresso. Besides a straight

espresso, the common varieties are:

Doppio: a double espresso.

Ristretto: literally “restricted”, half the

water is used to extract only the first and

most concentrated drips of an espresso.

Lungo: literally “long”, double the water

is let through the coffee, like a watered-

down espresso.

Macchiato: literally “stained”, as in stained

with a drop of warm milk (macchiato caldo)

or cold milk (macchiato freddo).

Corretto: literally “correct ”, this is a classic

espresso with a drop of grappa in it.

You also won’t find anything with vanilla or

hazelnut flavouring, which are so popular

in the international-chain cafés, but you

can often get Nutella® or hazelnut paste in

your espresso (caffè nocciola).

The other beauty of Italy is that coffee

served as you stand at a bar is typically

very cheap, costing an average of €1 for an

espresso and just €1.50 for a cappuccino.

However, sit down and you’ll pay as much

as 50% more for waiter service.

Amin Momen is a man with a passion for good coffee who also happens to run a ski travel company, Momentum Ski (momentumski.com), which offers holidays to lots of resorts, including Italian ones. Here Amin tells

us why coffee lovers should ski in Italy – and crucially how to ensure you get the real coffee experience.


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BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY TO TELLURIDE

TellurideSkiResort.com

(011) 800.778.8581

The readers of Ski Magazine rated

Telluride as the top ski destination

in Colorado. Vintage charm, modern

amenities and breathtaking scenery

have travelers leaving the crowds

behind and choosing Telluride.

THE TOPof

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#1 in Colorado in Overall Satisfaction

–2015 Ski Magazine

TSR_LVM_spd.qxp_TSR_LTM_UKspd 8/14/15 12:19 PM Page 2

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BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY TO TELLURIDE

TellurideSkiResort.com

(011) 800.778.8581

The readers of Ski Magazine rated

Telluride as the top ski destination

in Colorado. Vintage charm, modern

amenities and breathtaking scenery

have travelers leaving the crowds

behind and choosing Telluride.

THE TOPof

COLORADO

#1 in Colorado in Overall Satisfaction

–2015 Ski Magazine

TSR_LVM_spd.qxp_TSR_LTM_UKspd 8/14/15 12:19 PM Page 2


WORDS: WILL NICHOLLS


an an adventure ski holiday ever be

cheap, adventurous and fun?

Sounds perfect doesn't it? But surely

it’s impossible? Cheap destinations

generally crawl with visitors and lack spicy

terrain, which is banal and unmemorable.

Adventure, meanwhile, is at a premium –

and that means £££! Chamonix, Jackson

Hole, Verbier – all resorts renowned and

revered by the advanced skier, but they

are also extortionate.

And fun? Well, it is what you make it, but

if there's no après scene, a hotel room is

a lonely, dull place to be.

The alternative? Motorhomes – also

known as ‘Recreational Vehicles’

or RVs. There, I said it! Vilified by

Clarkson (“Surely that works in their

favour?” Editor), they are, in fact, the

future. The answer to the equation.

Here's why:

First of all, they're absolutely MASSIVE,

and also massively exciting. Anything

which needs tiptoes to see over the

bonnet is a winner, to say nothing of the

throb of a V10. Remember the sheer

joy of the first car you encountered

with drink holders and folding trays?

Come on, it's okay, everyone loves it.

But imagine something resplendent with

9 metres of features to explore! You'll race

from one end to the other, jump on every

bed, stand in the shower, sit on the toilet,

open every cupboard, climb onto the roof,

crawl through the luggage compartment,

and still know there's more to uncover,

giddy as you are, 6 years old once more.

You'll witness your mates transformed:

infantile, goofy, thrashing out rock-paper-

scissors for the best bed!

Aside from the beauty of the RV itself,

there are major practical advantages.

You're free. Free as a bird. Drive where

you want, stop when you want, stop

where you want and, most importantly,

make a pot of finest Yorkshire Tea

whenever you want. Fridges are

cavernous and kitchens are complete

with crockery, utensils, gas hob, and

microwave. You can cook a sumptuous

feast every night. It's rare in our fast-

paced modern life to sit, chat and eat

with mates. For the duration of your trip,

that's all you'll do. No distractions from

the internet or TV, no need to rush to

make that restaurant reservation. It's your

time. You can just enjoy the camaraderie,

banter and most importantly: b*****it.

Conventional resort-based holidays,

or even hut-to-hut ski touring trips, are

restrictive. You've booked accommodation

and bought lift tickets. The snow is better

50 miles away, but you can't justifiably

relinquish the investment you've made

there. No such problem with an RV. You

follow the good weather and snow. You

can buy a day pass. You can book a hut for

a night. You can park the RV somewhere

really cool and access amazing terrain,

using it as your private backcountry hut.

Kipping at the bottom of the hill, you have

a head start on everyone else, who'll need

to drive for an hour just to get there. And,

should the weather be poor in the morning,

you're not stuck on a mountain side, you

can just drive off. If somebody wants a

relaxed day, they can return earlier to the

comfort and warmth of the homestead. No

sitting and waiting in a cold car or paying

exorbitant prices for a hot chocolate in a

café. Flexibility is the key to making the

most of a winter-sports holiday, and this is

the most flexible way we've found.

Rigid itineraries are just that: rigid. And

rigid is often ... boring! Adventure is the

way. Adventure is defined by the Oxford

English Dictionary as “An unusual and

exciting or daring experience” – you can't

get that in a hotel can you? Waking up

and deciding what to do, off the cuff, is

liberating, and rewarding. If you ski and

board you clearly like adventure. The

unknown. The risk. The daring. Have

more of it! Grab your trip by the reins and

go, go, go! Being unconventional with no

fixed agenda enables you to stop and ski

wherever looks good, rather than having

to push on elsewhere. Explore one area

as much as you like, then move on to the

next. On your terms.

Parking up in the mountains is wondrous:

nobody around, serene, special and your

own nature programme. During these

moments we've seen a bear, moose,

incredible sunrises and sunsets, watched

shooting stars charge across the night

sky ... the list goes on. There's a genuine

sense of wilderness but without any of

the suffering of winter camping. Heating

cranked, brew in hand, warm and dry,

scanning the map for the coming day's

adventure ... there's nothing like it.

As ski tourers, we're able to access and

explore remote corners, summit classic

peaks and ski the best snow. As RV users,

we get the odd “Brucey Bonus” too.

Being able to arrive at a destination late

(with no local accommodation) and get an

early start, it's easy to squeeze an activity

in before skiing. From swimming in the

Colorado River, to climbing the celebrated

Ancient Arts Tower, we managed to make

our last trip truly multi-activity.

I've not answered the big question yet –

how much? Well, not much. RVs aren't that

expensive to hire. True, they're thirsty,

but as you'll be sharing the fuel bill, and

as we pay more than just about anyone

in the UK, you'll find it surprisingly

cheap. Then of course you're saving

on hotel rooms or hut fees. And

restaurants. Not to mention cafés and

lunch at a resort. Ski touring is free, and

when you fancy an easy day, you can

buy a lift pass; you’re not obliged to

ski every of the 6 days you've paid for

on a week pass. We managed a 7-day

trip to Norway for roughly £300 each,

plus flights. For 3 weeks in the USA it

cost £180 each for van hire, and maybe

another £100 for fuel. Aside from flights,

I don't think anyone spent over £500, and

we lived like kings!

And where can you do it? Anywhere that

rents RVs. We've done it in Arctic Norway

and the USA. Each had their idiosyncrasies;

Norway was a damper climate, we came

back damp from knee-deep powder most

days. Turning the shower into a drying

room, all our kit was warm and dry for

the next day. The US was cold at night;

we were often sleeping at 3000m. Not a

problem, that's what the heating's for! We

never had any trouble getting water or

emptying the toilet (very easy), driving or

parking. Locals notice you, and as such

they often take the time to tell you why

their town is great and where's best. Such

knowledge is invaluable!

Obviously, skiing, adventuring and

having a ball with mates is fun. You can't

beat it. I truly hope I've sold the future

to you and proved that ski trips can be

cheap, adventurous and fun!

ABOUTWILL NICHOLLS

Will is a keen skier and climber and

is lucky enough to work teaching

both. His company will be running

ski touring courses and trips in

Scotland and Norway this winter:

www.gaiaadventures.co.uk


One of the ski world’s greatest success

stories of the past few decades celebrates a

big birthday this winter. Whistler Blackcomb,

the 2010 Olympic venue and one of the

world’s best-known and best-loved ski

resorts, as well as North America’s biggest,

is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Over the years, Whistler Blackcomb has

grown to offer 8,171 acres of terrain for all

standards of skier and boarder, and all

tastes, served by an efficient network of

comfortable high-speed lifts and spread

across two mountains, crowned by glaciers

that provide snow surety all season long,

and Canada’s only summer glacier skiing.

At the base of the mile-high mountain

vertical, the vibrant slope-side village has

a vast selection of accommodation options

ranging from budget to luxury, award-

winning restaurants, legendary nightlife,

over 200 shops to browse and a huge

collection of activities too.

All this has been achieved with a

dedication to the environment which has

seen Whistler recognised as one of the

greenest employers in Canada for the

past 6 years, and it has created an on-site

hydro-electric plant which allows the resort

to export as much green energy to the grid

as it needs to operate.

New Dining Options For 2015–16

For the coming winter, besides the birthday

celebrations, the big capital expenditure

over the summer has been on multi-million-

dollar improvements to one of the resort’s

key on-mountain dining options.

The biggest spend is on Rendezvous

Lodge on Blackcomb which is getting

a $5.4 million renovation this summer

meaning that the building will have a

brand new look with fresh customisable

menu options in the food court, including

a fresh sushi station, a wok station with

customisable Asian flavours, a fresh

Mexican counter and a burger bar using

only naturally raised, hormone- and

antibiotic-free chicken and beef, as well as

a vegetarian option.

The upgrades include a totally revamped

fine dining experience at Christine’s

Restaurant which will have a fresh new

look, a new menu and a new head chef

when it re-opens this winter.

Still Innovating

Whistler Blackcomb has a history of

being a leader and an innovator in the

ski industry – both locally in Canada and

around the world.

For its 50th season Whistler Blackcomb

will be introducing WB+, a new online

interactive platform connected to the ski

resort’s RFID technology, which is itself

linked to chips contained in your Whistler

Blackcomb lift pass.

WB+ will give guests the option to create a

personal profile in order to collect stats and

data about their days on the mountains. By

taking advantage of the automatic process

of scanning lift passes as you pass through

one of the RFID chairlift access gates

located around Whistler and Blackcomb

Mountains, guests will be able to keep

track of personal stats including their

number of days on the slopes and total

vertical ridden.

Customised privacy settings will allow

users to make their WB+ profiles

accessible to friends, family members

and work colleagues, allowing groups

to create goals and fun challenges

throughout the winter.

Whistler Blackcomb’s 50th ski season kicks

off on 26 November 2015, and celebrations

are planned right through the winter. There

are lots of early-booking deals already

available to book via the resort’s website,

or with British-based travel partners, and

the pound is at its best rate against the

Canadian dollar for 5 years, so this is the

season to go and join the party.

whistlerblackcomb.com

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Ski-lift manufacturer Doppelmayr

and lift-ticket experts Skidata have

been working together on making

the lift-boarding process easier, and

have come up with a new way to

make boarding gondolas a lot less

stressful than the usual scrum to

grab a place.

The new “Easy Boarding Gate”

allows just the right number of

people to fit in the next gondola

cabin through the ticket turnstiles to

lift-side, similar to the system used

for boarding cable cars. However,

clear electronic information screens

explain the boarding process and

count down the number of spaces

left in the cabin before groups pass

through the ticket barrier lighting,

so that groups and families can see

whether they will fit in the cabin or

whether they should wait for the

next one. Once through, a traffic

light system with red, amber and

green lights gives a clear signal to

those preparing to board.

Associated benefits of the new

system include better use of cabin

space, fewer emergency stops to

the lift, and staff having more time

to help people needing help such

as children and seniors.

The system was tested on the

Stubnerkogelbahn lift in Bad

Gastein, Austria, last winter and

proved a huge success, the

companies say.

“Our ski guests took to the new

system right from the word go

and enjoy a significantly easier

and more comfortable boarding

experience. We’re very pleased

with the new access solution. The

regulated access flows mean we

make optimal use of gondola lift

capacity,” said Franz Schafflinger,

CEO of Gasteiner Bergbahnen AG.

Easy Boarding – Coming To A Ski Lift Near You

SKID

ATA

COOL THINGS TO DO BESIDES SKI

. . . IN A SKI RESORT 8

Mountain BikingVal Thorens, France

Downhill mountain biking is one of the commonest summer

activities in ski resorts, but back in Val Thorens, they say

“Why wait until summer?” and offer biking descents on snow

once the lifts close on three evenings each week.

Starting from a point 3000m above sea level at the foot of

the Péclet glacier, bikers hurtle down 700 vertical metres on

the Tête Ronde blue slope accompanied by a qualified biking

instructor. The 6km descent takes about 45 minutes just as

night is falling.

Ice DivingTignes, France

A number of ski schools offer the chance to dive down

through the ice at several resorts in France.

Full instruction and scuba diving equipment are provided.

You just have to be “up for it” (or should that be “down for

it?”). You’ll dive down through a hole in the ice to watery

winter wonderland beneath the frozen lake surface.

BobsleighLa Plagne, France

The 1982 Olympic bobsleigh run at La Plagne is one of fewer than a dozen in

regular use worldwide, and the resort offers a variety of high-speed experiences,

including “taxi bob” – riding behind a professional driver in a proper bobsleigh,

and the resort’s own self-steering “bob raft”, which goes a little slower but also

costs less and which you can ride down in yourself with friends.

“It was a bit like a roller-coaster experience, with quite a lot of build-up

and some instruction on how to ride the sled correctly, which all

made the tension rise a bit,” recalls InTheSnow’s editor

Patrick Thorne. “But once we were off, it was a

great ride down and you quickly get into

it. As soon as I was at the bottom –

in less than a minute, I was

shouting, ‘Again! Again!’”

Bungee CatapultTignes, France

Why just make a boring old bungee jump when you can ski, board or even sledge off a

30m-long ramp into a 40m void attached on each side to bungee cords? Once you’ve

stopped bouncing, the system locks and you travel down a zip wire to the ground.

“It was only a few seconds of flying through the air, but my stomach was literally

pushed to the top of my ribcage as I launched off the end screaming. A must-do!” said

InTheSnow’s own daredevil Debbie Gabriel.

Called Bun J Ride it is located next to the "Lac" blue run and is open to those aged 13

years+ and weighing over 40kg. bun-j-ride.com/en

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COOL THINGS TO DO BESIDES SKI

. . . IN A SKI RESORT

The FlyerSerfaus, Austria

Want to take to the air with three friends but can’t find a big enough paraglider? The

answer is The Flyer – a kind of giant zip wire at Serfaus ski area in Austria where four

people are slung parallel in harnesses beneath a large paraglide-style wing, which

itself is suspended below a zip wire – and away you go, hitting speeds of up to 80kph.

Simple. Children must be at least 1.3m tall to go on The Flyer.

Zip WireVal Thorens, France

The world’s highest zip wire opened above Val Thorens

in France last spring. At 1300m ( just under a mile) long

and starting at more than 3200m above sea level, you

ride through the air reaching speeds from 65 to 105kph.

The 105-second-long ride costs €50, taking you up to

250m above the ground, with the journey designed to

mimic that of a flying eagle, connecting the Maurienne

and Tarentaise regions. The zip wire is reserved for skiers

and boarders only, who must be aged 8 or over and be

wearing a helmet.

Ice DrivingLa Clusaz, France

Driving on ice in a controlled

environment = fun. Doing so in a

conventional car = bad air and noise

pollution in a pristine mountain

environment. The answer = the new

breed of electric cars! Located on the

edge of the village on the Route des

Confins, the La Clusaz ice circuit offers

Renault Twizy cars to drive, specially

equipped for driving on ice.

The cars are available to rent by

groups of friends and, supervised

by driving professionals, everyone

can quickly learn all the intricacies of

driving an electric car on ice.

It used to be that we would roll in to a resort and aim to be on that first lift by 9am then try to stay on the slopes until 5pm for all 6 days

of our ski week, but not anymore. For many years now, destination ski resorts have been reinventing themselves as “mountain resorts”,

with the aim of offering multiple activities and, ideally, things they can offer year round. Here’s our list of eight of the best:

OTM15 // 039

Snow Coach to Dinnertelluride, usa

Telluride Ski Resort’s Alpino Vino is a popular lunch destination on the mountain with

spectacular views, but once the sun sets, having dinner at this acclaimed restaurant

becomes a truly unique experience. Guests aged 21 and over can take an enclosed

snow coach from the top of the gondola straight to the restaurant’s front door, which

sits just under 3650m near the top of See Forever ski run and Gold Hill. Once there,

Chef Nicola Peccedi prepares a five course meal of authentic northern Italian fare that

can be complemented with a specially designed wine pairing by the resort's Wine

Director, Andrew Shaffner. The warm, inviting space is reminiscent of restaurants

found throughout the Dolomites of Northern Italy, letting you escape to another world

for an evening of fine dining that will keep you talking for years to come.

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Whether you are a skier or a snowboarder,

the first run through a snow park is

exciting and daunting. The beginning

of my relationship with snow parks

was on the last day of my first week

snowboarding. Had

I known the tips

I’m generously

providing below

myself back

then, I would have avoided adding an

injury to a quickly acquired insult!

Know Your LimitsAlthough we were still mostly falling our

way down the mountain, my friend and

I decided that after lunch on our last

day we would try the park. The first

feature was a half pipe and we set

off down it, unsurprisingly falling at the first

wall to slam into surprisingly hard ice and

each other.

It was at this point that a decent

snowboarder – who was using the half pipe

properly – had to abort his run because

some idiot beginners were messing around

in there. Or at least that is what I think the

torrent of French insults and gestures meant.

Stop & Look AroundThis brings me nicely onto the next tip. If we

had stopped at the top of the park, we would

have seen a few snowboarders waiting to

drop into the half pipe. In our defence, the

park was almost deserted and they had come

from another lift, so we didn’t see them.

But when you arrive in the park, stop and

have a look around: is anyone waiting to

drop in? Better skiers and snowboarders

will start from higher to carry more pace into

the features, so be sure to look up slope. In

many places, if someone is about to drop-in

they’ll signal by holding their arm up.

Leave A Big GapDo not follow straight after someone into

the park; if they fall, you will crash into them.

Instead, wait for them to clear the landing

area before setting off. If there’s a sequence

of features, wait until they clear the landing

of the last feature, as once you set off you

will not be able to tell if they fell.

Watch OthersRightly insulted but uninjured by the icy

pile-up in the half pipe, we decided to hit a

jump (commonly called a kicker). I went first,

taking far too much pace into it and flying –

as my friend described – like E.T. and Elliott

on his bike past the moon.

I was in the air long enough to shout an

expletive that attracted the attention of

people on the nearby chairlift, and long

enough to rotate so I hit the ground

before my snowboard did. I was lucky

to escape with just a sprained wrist and

laughter from the chairlift.

If I’d waited and watched others first, I would

have been able to judge my speed much

better. So watch people point straight and

how much air they get, adjust your speed

accordingly, and go slow the first time over

any feature.

Protect YourselfWrist guards would have saved me a sprain,

but the most important thing to protect is your

head. If you are going to play in the park,

then you will have some falls, possibly on rails

or boxes, and I believe a helmet is essential.

Don’t be fooled by videos of the pros going

huge in jeans and a beanie; these guys

are pros for a reason. Invest in the right

protective gear, follow the above tips and

you will be better placed than I was to avoid

adding injury to insult.

Our local resort team are Whistler experts

and can arrange every aspect of your stay,

from a private pick up at Vancouver to ski or

snowboard lessons, lift tickets and so much

more including snow-mobiling, dog sledding,

heli-skiing, zip lining, snow shoeing and much

much more. We even give you a free GoPro to

use whilst you are with us and we’ll produce a

video of your amazing trip for you to keep and

share with your friends.

And we don’t just cater for the adrenaline junk-

ies, we can arrange spa sessions, dining tours

and give you the lowdown on the best apres

spots in town. Travelling with kids? Whistler is

hard to beat for families, and our resort team

will collect your little (or slightly bigger) ones

from your accommodation and deliver them

safely to their lessons or other activity, so you

can enjoy your day and meet up to discuss the

days adventures later on.

We off er all our services in both Canadian Dol-

lars and British Pounds so you get the very best

exchange rate on the day you book. And thank

to our partnership with currency experts you’ll

get a much better rate than through the banks.

Our service starts from the moment you contact

us and doesn’t end until we wave you goodbye

at the end of your holiday. We promise when

you leave, you won’t just have visited Whistler,

you’ll have experienced it…

Whistler Experience is a year round experience company based in the very heart of world renowned Olympic resort Whistler Blackcomb. Owner operated, we off er a huge range of

accommodation in Whistler from spacious apartments to luxury hotels.

DON’T JUST VISIT WHISTLER - EXPERIENCE IT

Visit whistlerexperience.comEmail [email protected] 020 3239 6213

fb .com/whistlerexperience@whistlerexp

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Our local resort team are Whistler experts

and can arrange every aspect of your stay,

from a private pick up at Vancouver to ski or

snowboard lessons, lift tickets and so much

more including snow-mobiling, dog sledding,

heli-skiing, zip lining, snow shoeing and much

much more. We even give you a free GoPro to

use whilst you are with us and we’ll produce a

video of your amazing trip for you to keep and

share with your friends.

And we don’t just cater for the adrenaline junk-

ies, we can arrange spa sessions, dining tours

and give you the lowdown on the best apres

spots in town. Travelling with kids? Whistler is

hard to beat for families, and our resort team

will collect your little (or slightly bigger) ones

from your accommodation and deliver them

safely to their lessons or other activity, so you

can enjoy your day and meet up to discuss the

days adventures later on.

We off er all our services in both Canadian Dol-

lars and British Pounds so you get the very best

exchange rate on the day you book. And thank

to our partnership with currency experts you’ll

get a much better rate than through the banks.

Our service starts from the moment you contact

us and doesn’t end until we wave you goodbye

at the end of your holiday. We promise when

you leave, you won’t just have visited Whistler,

you’ll have experienced it…

Whistler Experience is a year round experience company based in the very heart of world renowned Olympic resort Whistler Blackcomb. Owner operated, we off er a huge range of

accommodation in Whistler from spacious apartments to luxury hotels.

DON’T JUST VISIT WHISTLER - EXPERIENCE IT

Visit whistlerexperience.comEmail [email protected] 020 3239 6213

fb .com/whistlerexperience@whistlerexp


It’s 35 years since the first terrain

parks for snowboarders began

to appear in California, modelled

on skateboard parks, and they’ve

developed in leaps and bounds

ever since, with ski areas (almost)

everywhere now offering them

– in fact it’s unusual for a resort

not to have one. But which is the

world’s best terrain park? It’s a big

question and one of the more difficult ones

to answer in the wonderful world of skiing.

For one thing, parks are always changing

– they’re usually redesigned each winter

and are often affected by

snow conditions through

the season – so good snow

and good maintenance are

big factors.

Next is the question of

what really makes a good

park? Some argue that size

isn’t everything and a park

with its own lift wins every

time because you get back

to the top faster than when you have a huge

park but then have to ski/board a mile down

the mountain afterwards and ride a long,

slow lift to get to do it again.

Then you have the question of who votes

on which are best? The most dedicated

park users tend to be younger boarders

and skiers, who haven’t yet had the time to

check out a huge selection of parks and just

want to have fun, so they’re going to vote

for where they have been and where they

had the best time, however good it is really

on the global scale.

So for our LoveTheMountains top ten, we

asked some of the longest-established

names in boarding

(because however

many freeskiers are in there

now, boarders have had decades longer

in the parks), we analysed the various

park-user votes on which are the best you

can find online and we factored in our

own knowledge of parks that consistently

appear year after year, to come up with

our list of the best.

Laax, Switzerland

A possible claimant to the title of top

freestyle resort in Europe, Laax has

promoted itself as the cool young

boarder-culture-friendly

reincarnation of staid

old Flims, its larger,

conservative neighbour

with which it shares a

ski area. Host to the

Burton European Open

for many years, one of

the biggest boarding

events on the

continent each season,

its terrain parks are popularly

regarded as simply the biggest and best.

Breckenridge, Colorado, USA

We found Breckenridge, which was one

of the earliest mainstream adopters of

snowboarding, more than 30 years ago,

on pretty much every “world top ten

snow parks” list, and not just in American

publications (for which all ten would always

be in North America).

In fact Breck these days has four terrain

parks with the aim of comprehensively

catering for every taste and ability.

Avoriaz France

Avoriaz hit the terrain park design headlines

in 2008 when it imported the first “Stash”

terrain park concept from the US resort of

Northstar. The simple “less is more” concept

from one of boarding’s pioneers and most

successful entrepreneurs, Jake Burton,

meant using natural features mixed with

jumps made from natural materials to create

park features. The concept was designed

to hark back to the roots of boarding and

answer criticisms that all the energy used to

create and groom terrain parks was bad for WO

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the environment and in some ways contrary

to the spirit of boarding (although Avoriaz

also has some of the world’s best regular

terrain parks too!)

Whatever the ethics, the Stash was a huge

success with riders and continues to be so.

Tignes, France

Former host to the European Winter X Games

and current host of contests such as The Brits

– the annual British freestyle ski and board

competition – Tignes has several beginner

parks where you can learn your craft before

moving up

to the main park

where the international

pros train and compete.

Tignes has a big

airbag for safe landings

when you’re trying big

jumps and also has a

summer park open on its

glacier in July and August

if you need to get a fix

outside of the main season.

Livigno, Italy

A good snow record, a laid-back

atmosphere and a lot of effort put into

creating its state-of-the-art terrain parks

all work in favour of Livigno, which also

organises and hosts some of the biggest

events in the European boarding calendar.

Niseko, Japan

Niseko is of course most famous for its

snorkel-deep, feather-light powder for

freeriders, not freestylers, but it’s less well

known internationally that all the snow can

be compacted and shaped into some great

park terrain, and indeed it is.

There are four terrain parks to choose from,

suited for all ability levels, and this being

Japan, all meticulously maintained.

Kaunertal, Austria

There’s intense competition between the

top 20 or 30 Austrian ski areas to create the

best park, and it’s difficult (OK, impossible)

to call the best. The country has eight

glacier ski areas open in October each

year (that’s as much as the rest of Europe

combined

in early

autumn), and

they all stage “park

opening” celebrations. Several

keep their parks open for eight

or more months each year.

WorldSnowboardGuide.com rates

the Kaunertal Glacier’s park as one of the

two best in Austria (along with Mayrhofen’s),

and who are we to argue?

Mammoth, California, USA

Snowboarding and California surf culture are

natural partners, and nowhere more so than

at the huge southern ski area of Mammoth,

which is also famed for its big snow that

often stretches the season to late spring

(although not last winter), leading to sunny

days in the park in May and June.

Few areas can compete

with “Mammoth Unbound”,

which offers an incredible

nine parks, the biggest

with ten huge jumps, up to

15 massive jibs and 30 or

so rails.

Ruka, Finland

A bit off the beaten track for most boarders,

Scandinavian ski areas have actually created

some of the biggest and best parks. Their

smaller verts and many lifts mean that it’s

easy

to build a

top-to-bottom

park with all the

bells and whistles where

it is more difficult for them to

compete against the Alps for long,

steep runs. Ruka, arguably Finland’s most

cutting-edge resort, has done just that,

and with a season running from October to

May, low temperatures for consistent snow

quality and the surreal half-light caused by its

northerly latitude mid-winter, it’s a different

and special park experience.

Whistler Blackcomb, BC, Canada

Another of the big players in

terrain parks that tends to get

mentioned again and again by

fans, Whistler Blackcomb is in

fact home to five terrain parks

and has a summer park on its

Blackcomb Glacier each July. Its

highest-level terrain park offers lines used

in World Championship competitions and is

universally acknowledged as being among

the planet’s best.


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Mountain Heaven, the family-run business

that has built its reputation on going that

extra mile for its customers, is expanding

the range of properties it offers its

customers once again this winter.

The company was conceived 11 years ago

when founders and still company directors

Nick and Vicki Williams realised that

property owners in the Alps often wanted

to rent out their chalets and apartments

when they weren’t using them but lacked

reliable people in resort to manage the

properties for them. At the same time,

people looking for accommodation

were only being offered a substandard,

impersonal service by existing providers.

The Difference Is Clear.

This different attitude to both property

owners and visiting skiers proved to be a

hit, and Mountain Heaven’s services were

immediately in strong demand. However,

Nick and Vicki were concerned that to

ensure their personal touch could be

maintained, the company grew organically

rather than try to do too much too soon.

But grown it has, and from its first season

in Plagne Montalbert the company has

expanded and now offers both apartment

and catered chalet holidays in seven

resorts – Courchevel, Plagne 1800, La

Rosiere, La Tania, Morzine, Meribel and

in Switzerland the picturesque unspoilt

village of Grimentz, one of Nick’s personal

favourites for its spectacular scenery and

great powder skiing.

Meribel is a new Mountain Heaven

resort for next season with the company

offering Chalet la Cote. The five-bedroom

chalet is in a great location in the resort’s

Mussillon area of Meribel, a short hop

from the slopes and the resort centre. It

has been fully refurbished and has a hot

tub on the balcony.

There’s a lot of company focus on the well

placed, snow-sure resort of Plagne 1800

ahead of the coming season too. The

new Chalet Perle complements the brand

new property Mountain Heaven added

last season, Chalet Boule de Neige. In

addition Mountain Heaven’s five bedroom

Chalet Soleil is having a full refurbishment

ahead of the coming winter.

The seven-bedroom Chalet Perle is being

completely renovated to create a stunning

chalet with features including a magnificent

lounge with open fireplace from which to

savour the views over La Plagne.

You will also be able to soak away your

aches and pains after a hard day's skiing in

a Scandinavian hot tub and Chalet Perle,

which sleeps up to 14, will also have a

sauna and sun terrace. The chalet is one of

the closest in La Plagne 1800 to the piste

and it’s usually ‘ski in’ with access to the

slopes being less than a 40m walk.

And Mountain Heaven’s growth shows no

signs of abating with some exciting new

developments on the horizon. We are sure

to see a lot more of Mountain Heaven.

mountainheaven.co.uk



Choosing just where we take

our Love The Mountains photo

shoot for each edition is always

a challenge. Quite simply, there

are so many stunning mountain

locations around the world to

choose from.

There are practical considerations

for our spring shoot we have

to keep in mind though. We’re

photographing the next season’s

gear at the end of April, and we

ideally want a snowsure resort

that’s operating right in to May

and we also have a lot of gear to

transport there to photograph, so

a resort that’s quite easy to get to

from Blighty is another big plus.

Thankfully our choice for this

shoot was something of a no

brainer. Whilst much of Europe

had a challenging winter for snow

for sizable chunks of last season,

Norwegian resorts were regularly

dumped on from November to, as

it turned out, a month after we’d left

when one of the country’s summer

glacier ski areas got 2m of snow

burying its lifts at the start of June.

Being further north the snow in

Norway remains good for longer,

but also from the start of spring

the daylight hours extend more

quickly than in the south, meaning

more daytime for shooting images

incorporating the wonderful

natural colours of the Scandinavian

springtime, as well as the fresh

snow, and indeed to get a final bit of

skiing in for the season ourselves.

Our resort of choice was

Beitostølen, a village located in the

Jotunheim Region in the centre of

Norway, which offers a cosy and

intimate atmosphere, along with

free thinking skiing, as you can see

from the pictures! Located only 45

minutes from the airport it’s also a

very quick hop from the UK.

There are in fact two ski area

here - the Beitostölen Ski Center

in the village which offers the best

slopes for children and beginners,

and there’s also the Beitostölen

Alpine Centre in

Raudalen for more

challenging slopes. A

ski shuttle bus runs

several times a day so

getting about is easy

and both resorts share

the same lift pass. You

can book ski holidays

here yourself with

Crystal, Inntravel, Ski

Safari, or direct.

Our team stayed in the

excellent Radisson Blu

Resort, one of the best

hotels in town, a central four star

located next to all facilities and only

50 metres from the ski lifts.

The hotel offers panoramic

views of the surrounding slopes,

can organise activities like dog

sledding and has its own wellness

centre including a gym with

cardio equipment, a sauna, a

solarium, a 25-meter pool and a

spa. The hotel also features free

high-speed, wireless Internet and

satellite television and there’s an

on-site restaurant which serves

its famous Super Breakfast Buffet

each morning – a great hit with us

all - and international cuisine for

lunch and dinner.

As you can see from the pictures,

our choice of Norway’s Beitostölen

and staying at the Radisson Blu

Resort really paid off.

INFO:

beitostolen.com

radissonblu.com/resort-beitostolen

facebook.com/homeofskiing

crystalski.co.uk

inntravel.co.uk

skisafari.com

WHYWE CHOSE NORWAY

047 // OTM15 FB.COM/INTHESNOW

(Far Left)

FREJAWoman’s Parka£280

MISSIONWomens Pant£90

(Centre Left)

COVERTWomans Jacket£160

VENTUREWomans Pants£90

(Centre Right)

SHELTERMen’s Parker£190

VENTUREPants£110

Far Right

SIGVARDMen’s Jacket£280

MISSIONPants£90

(Woman Left)

JAGER JACKETBack Country Ski Jacket£330

ST ANTON PANTTechnical Ski Pants£200

RIDGE BEANIESki Beanie£10

ROSSIGNOL WOMENS UNIQUE 4Skis£355

LEKI POLES LIVASSki Poles£39.95

(Man Right)

SOLDEN JACKETTechnical Ski Jacket£320

BORMIO PANTTechnical Ski Pants£180

CYPRESS BEANIEReversible Ski Beanie.£25

ROSSIGNOL EXPERIENCE 84Skis£455

OTM15 // 048

OTM15 // 049

(Woman Above)

MANHATTAN JACKETUrban Ski Jacket£250

(Woman Far Left)

SUN PEAK JACKETTechnical Ski Jacket£280

BAQUEIRA PANTFitted Ski Pant£170

LEKI LIVAS POLESSki Poles£39.99

ROSSIGNOL WOMENS UNIQUE 4Skis£355

BRAND NAMEPRODUCT NAME

Description of Item£999











(Man Left)

REVELSTOKE JACKETBack Country Ski Jacket£380

SPENCER GTX C-KNITFreeride Ski Pants£370

RIDGE BEANIEReversible Slouchy Beanie£10

ROSSIGNOL ALLTRACKPRO 130Ski Boot£385

(Man Right) SOLDEN JACKETTechnical Ski Jacket£320

BORMIO PANTTechnical Ski Pants£180

KILLINGTON GLOVESLeather Glove£60

LEKI POLES MUSTANG SSki Poles£59.95

OTM15 // 050

(Man Left)

AD 1Mens Technical Ski Jacket£400

CLASSIC PANTSMens Technical Pant£200

HAMMER 130Ski Boot£375

AGENTHelmet£85

HORIZON FMRGoggle£85.00 (£100 w/ Spare Lens)

MONSTER 88Ski & Attack 13 Binding£520

(Woman Right)

MYSTIC JACKETWomens Technical Jacket£325

MYSTIC PANTSWomens Softshell Pant£145

VECTOR EVO 110WSki Boot£330

AROSAHelmet£65

INFINITY FMR Goggle£70

ABSOLUT JOYSki & Joy 9 Binding£390

OTM15 // 051

(Image Far Left)

MAMALadies Hoodie£99.99

PARISIOLadies Joggers£64.99

SYMBOLLadies Jacket£149.99

RACOONBeanie£29.99

(Outside Left)

PARTNER PANTMen’s Ski Pant£189.99

YEAR JACKETMen's Jacket£199.99

DAMAGE Beanie£29.99

BEHIND Gloves£69.99

053 // OTM15

(Outside Left)

PARTNER PANTMen’s Ski Pant£189.99

YEAR JACKETMen's Jacket£199.99

DAMAGE Beanie£29.99

BEHIND Gloves£69.99

WIND JACKETShell Jacket£189.99

SINNER THUNDERSunglasses£30

(Centre Left)

RACOONBeanie£29.99

FLYJacket£289.99

FLYPant£189.99

PRETTYGloves£59.99


(Centre Right)

PLOWBeanie£31.99

KELOWNALadies Jacket£219.99

PALACELadies Ski Pants £189.99

ESQUIMOGloves£69.99

SPINEBackpack£89.99

SINNER JACKIESunglasses £35

(Outside Right)

THINKMens Jacket£299.99

DOOR PANTMens Ski Pant£209.99

RESORTGloves£69.99


x

(Woman Left)

WOMENS 3L GUARDIANShell Jacket

£503

WOMEN’S 3L GUARDIAN

Shell Pant£386

MELANGEBeanie

£33

(Man Right)

MEN’S 3L GUARDIAN

Shell Pant£386

FREEBeanie

£33

PIZ BIANCOJacket

£179

OTM15 // 054

x

(Man)

MENS ENTHUSE JACKETMens Technical Ski Jacket£140

MENS STAND IN AWE PANTMens Ski Pants£110

SINNER THUNDERGlasses£30

SINNER - EVEREST GLOVEGloves£30

ROSSIGNOL - ALL SPEED 130Skis£385

ROSSIGNOL - ALL TRACK 130Ski Boots£385

LEKI - THUNDERBOLTSki Poles£29.95

(Woman)

WOMENS REFINED JACKET Womens Technical Ski Jacket£170

WOMENS STAND FOR PANTWomens Ski Pants£100

SINNER THUNDERGlasses£30

SINNER WINTERBREEZEGloves£25

DARE2B FORESIGHT BEANIEHeadwear£12

ROSSIGNOL - TEMPTATION 75Skis£275

ROSSIGNOL PURE ELITE 110Ski Boots£350

LEKI - LIVASSki Poles£39.95 OTM15 // 055

(Outside Left)

AMADEUS BLUE/REDMens Technical Ski Jacket£390

IRVING DYNAMIC REDMens Technical Ski Pant£200

ROSSIGNOL - PURSUIT 500Skis£415

LEKI - MUSTANG SPoles£59.95

SINNER - TITANHelmet£80

SINNER - VERTANAGloves£26

SINNER - EAGLEROCKGoggles£55

ROSSIGNOL ALL SPEED 130Ski Boots£385

(Centre Left)SIMIE BLACKWomens Technical Ski Jacket£490

FERGIE DYNAMIC BLACKWomens Technical Ski Pant£200


ROSSIGNOL UNIQUE 4 Skis £355

SINNER - WINTERBREEZEWomen Gloves£50

SINNER - FERNANDOSunglass with a polarized SINTEC® £40

LEKI - LIVASPoles£39.95

(Centre Right)

GLENORA PURPLEWomens Technical Ski Jacket£290

FERGIE DYNAMIC HIBICUSWomens Technical Ski Pant£200

ROSSIGNOL - PURE ELITE 110Ski Boots£350

ROSSIGNOL - TEMPTATION 75All Mountain SKi£275

LEKI - MUSTANG S Ski Poles£59.95


SINNER - THUNDERSun Glasses£30

SINNER - WILDCATMittens£20

(Outside Right)

AMADEUS BLACKMens Technical Ski Jacket£390

IRVING DYNAMIC PEPPER GREENMens Technical Ski Pant£200

ROSSIGNOL - EXPERIENCE 84Ski£455

ROSSIGNOL ALL TRACK PRO 130Ski Boots£385

LEKI - THUNDERBOLTPoles£39.95

SINNER- EVERESTGloves£30

SINNER - CRYSTALHelmet with Visor£130


(Man Right)

NATEMens Technical Ski Jacket£590

IRVING DYNAMICMens Technical Ski Pant£200

ROSSIGNOL - PURSUIT 500Skis£415

LEKI - THUNDERBOLTPoles£39.95


SINNER- EVERESTGloves£30

SINNER - CRYSTALHelmet with Visor£130

(Woman Left)

SIMIE BLACKWomens Technical Ski Jacket£490

FERGIE DYNAMIC HIBISCUSWomens Technical Ski Pant£200

ROSSIGNOL - PURE ELITESki Boots£350

ROSSIGNOL - UNIQUE 4Piste SKi£355

SINNER -NORDICHat£15

LEKI - LIVASPoles£39.95

SINNER - THUNDER WHITESun Glasses£30


OTM15 // 058

SINNER FERNANDOSun Glasses£40

@INTHESNOWMAG

(Woman Image Above Left)

BELEVEDERE II Ski Jacket£390

ROSSIGNOL TEMPTATION 75Skis £275

SINNER - WILDCATMittens£20

SINNER JACKIESunglasses£35

LEKI POLESMustang S£59.99

(Man Image Above Right)

JOSHMen’s Technical Ski Jacket£490

IRVING DYNAMIC BLACKMens Technical Ski Pant£200


SINNER - THUNDERSunglasses£30

LEXI POLESMustang S£59.95

OTM15 // 059

ROSSIGNOL SKI BOOTSAll Speed 130 £385

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

x

(Man Left)

GOOD TIMES JACKETMens 2L Ski Jacket

£199.95

GOOD TIMES CARGO PANTMens 2L Ski Pants

£159.95

EYE FORCE ONEPolarized Goggle

£89.95

DROP CLIFFS MK4Beanie£19.95

(Man Right)

BOMB SHELTER JACKET3L Softshell Jacket

£114.95

GOOD TIMES CARGO PANTMens 2L Ski Pants

£159.95

BANKJOB BALACLAVABalaclava

£18.95

x

(Man)

MEN'S CORBET 120Jacket

£ 144.99

MEN'S NTS MID 250 COLOUR BLOCK BOOT TOP

Bottom £ 69.99

MEN'S NTS MID 250Asymmetrical Crew

£84.99

REVERSIBLE SLOUCHBeanie£19.99

PHD SLOPESTYLE MEDIUMLincoln Loop Socks

£22.99

(Woman)

WOMEN'S CORBET 120Jacket

£144.99

WOMEN'S NTS MID 250Pattern Crew

£79.99

WOMEN'S NTS MID 250Bottom£69.99

SKI TOWNHat

£29.99

WOMAN'S PHDSKIMLIGHT

Pattern Socks£20.99

OTM15 // 061

OTM15 // 062

(Inset Below Left)

WOMENS BEANIEBeanie£20

WOMENS GOGGLESki Goggles£85

(Inset Below Right)

RIDGELINEMen's Technical Ski Jacket£300

MENS BEANIEBeanie£20

MENS GOGGLESki Goggles£100

(Main Image)

WOMEN'S TECHNICAL SKI JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£300

WOMEN'S TECHNICAL SKI PANTInsulated Ski Pants £250

VANTAGE 85Women's Vantage 85 Skis£390 W/O BINDINGS

CLOUD 8Women's Skis£315 With Bindings

@INTHESNOWMAG

(Woman Left)

ICETOWN Down Ski Jacket£300

ICEGLORYStretch Ski Pant£170

DISCOVERY MIDHalf Zip Midlayer£50

SHIVA CUSTOM AIRHelmet£110

X-VIEWGoggles£65

NATIVEGloves£85

ASTRAAll Mountain Skis£420

X PRO 80 WSki Boots£230

SHIVAPoles£35

(Man Right)

BRILLIANTSki Jacket£300

CHILL OUTSki PantWith Removable Bib£200

DISCOVERY MIDHalf Zip Midlayer£50

HACKERHelmet£85

X-TENDGoggles£130

ICON GTXGloves£70

X-DRIVE 8.0 TIAll Mountain Skis£460

X PRO 130Ski Boots£360

X 10Poles£45

OTM15 // 063

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

(Man Left)

HELI 2L GRAVITY PANTInsulated Ski Jacket£460

HELI 2L GRAVITY JACKETInsulated Ski Pant£370

M HELI LINER HOOD JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£200

M HELI MID HOOD FLEECE JACKETSki Fleece£160

PURDEN MITTENMittens£80

PP HAT 2Hat£27.50

LEM MID STRAPWaterproof Boot£115

(Woman Left)

W HELI ALPINE JACKETShell Ski Jacket£550

W HELI ALPINE PANTShell Ski Pant£450

W HELI VERTICAL MID HOOD FLEECE JACKETSki Fleece£140

OTM15 // 064

@INTHESNOWMAG

OTM15 // 065

(Man Right)

M HELI ALPINE JACKETShell Ski Jacket£550

M HELI ALPINE JACKETShell Ski Pant£450

M HELI LINER JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£200

M HELI MID FLEECE JACKETSki Fleece£140

PP HAT Hat£27.50

(Woman Right)

W HELI 2L GRAVITY JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£460

W HELI 2L GRAVITY PANTInsulated Ski Pant£370

W HELI VERTICLE MID HOOD FLEECE JACKETSki Fleece£160

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

OTM15 // 066

(Man Left)

M SUPREME MEGEVECAMO JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£460

M SUPREME COURCHEVEL CAMO PANTInsulated Ski Pant£415

M SUPREME GLOVESGloves£130

(Woman Left)

W SUPREME ATTELAS JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£925

W SUPREME FLEX PANTInsulated Ski Pant£275

MOONBOOT MONACO FURApres Boot£130

(Man Right)

M SUPREME ATTELASCAMO JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£925

M SUPREME FLEX PANTInsulated Ski Pant£370

M SUPREME CASSIANO HATHat£65

(Woman Right)

W SUPREME MEGEVE JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£460

W SUPREME ATTELAS PANTInsulated Ski Pant£415

MOONBOOT MONACO FELTApres Boot£115

(Woman Left)

W ZEPHRYR JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£295

W SNOWBIRD PANTInsulated Ski Pant£275

PP HATSki Hat£27.50

MOONBOOT KAUAIApres Ski Boot£95

(Woman Centre)

W FREEBIRD JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£350

W PIPELINE PANTInsulated Ski Pant£200

W CHUTE SLIM GLOVESki Glove£45

PITCH HATSki Hat£37.50

MOONBOOT VINILApres Ski Boot£80

(Man Right)

M MAROON JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£275

M MAROON PANTInsulated Ski Pant£225

MOONBOOT LEM MID STRAPWaterproof Boot£115

OTM15 // 067

(Left)

W ZEPHRYR JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£295


(Middle Right)

W FREEBIRD JACKETInsulated Ski Jacket£350


(Bottom Right)

MOONBOOT LEM MID STRAPWaterproof Boot£115

(Far Left)

SHARP X LOGIC JACKET Technical Ski Jacket£300

SHARP LOGIC PANTSTechnical 3L Shell Ski Pants£270 (Centre)

SHARP LOGIC PANTS Technical 3L Shell Ski Pants£270

AIR COCOON HOODIE DOWN JACKETMid Weight Down Insulator Jacket£200LES ARCS FULL ZIP MIDLAYER Fleece Midlayer£110

BLACKCOMB EVOLUTION WARM FACEMASKSki Baselayer£80 (Right)

SKI COCOON INSULATED JACKETTechnical Ski Jacket £380

SPIRIT GORE TEX PANTSWomen’s Technical 3L Shell Ski Pants£330

REVOLUTION WARMTURTLE NECKSki Baselayer£75

(Top)

COCOON X JACKETPremium Down Insulation Jacket£270

FAHRENHEIT PRIMALOFT VESTPrimaloft Insulation Vest£130

AIR COCOON VESTMid Weight Down Insulation Vest£135

BLACKCOMB EVOLUTION WARM FACEMASKSki Baselayer£80 (Middle)

AIR COCOON HOODIEDOWN JACKETMid Weight Down Insulator£200

OTM15 // 068

AIR COCOON VESTMid Weight Down Insulation Vest£135

BLACKCOMB EVOLUTION WARM FACEMASKSki Baselayer£80 (Bottom Left)

AIR COCOON HOODIE DOWN JACKETMid Weight Down Insulator Jacket£200

BLACKCOMB EVOLUTION WARM FACEMASKSki Baselayer£80

HELIUM COCOON JACKETLightweight Down Insulator Jacket£140 (Bottom Right)

AIR COCOON HOODIE DOWN JACKETMid Weight Down Insulator JackeT£200

LES ARCS FULL ZIP MIDLAYERFleece MidlayeR£110

BLACKCOMB EVOLUTION WARM Ski Baselayer£80

OTM15 // 069

(Woman Main Image) YSSIK STAR WHITEWhite Colour Slouchy Beanie£27.75

(Man Left)

LAKI BLACK Black Mountain Design£22.75

(Inset Right Top)

BUFF WINDPROOF BALACLAVABlack Balaclava£40

(Inset Right Bottom)

IMANDRA White Headband£40

070

(Woman Left)

VERTEX LS HALF ZIP ICON FAIRISLENight/Grapefruit£110

VERTEX LEGGINGS ICON FAIRISLENight/Grapefruit£75

ZONE LS CREWEGrapefruit/Night£70

HELIX VESTGrapefruit/Cameo£130

WOMENS SKI+ LIGHT OTCLargo/Admiral/Azalea£23

ATOM HATNight/Metro Hthr/Grapefruit£40

(Man Right)

ANATOMICA BOXERS STRIPEBalsam/Metro Hthr/White£35

ZONE LS CREWEBalsam/Night£70

ZONE ONE SHEEP SUITNight/Balsam£150

MENS SKI+ LIGHT OTCIvy Hthr/Largo/Turf£23

ATOM HATNight/Metro/Balsam£40

(Woman Inset Above)

OASIS LS HALF ZIP HOODShore/Night/Grapefruit£80

OTM15 // 071



eider.com01637 870640

01572 772437icebreaker.com01572 770900

Snow And RockHarrodsNet a Porter Mr Porter

sinner.eusinner.eu/store-locator

dare2b.comhead.comhead.com/ski/store-finder

snowandrock.co.uk0845 100 1000

smartwool.com +41 916491000

salomon.complanksclothing.comardblairsports.com

ortovox.com

atomic.com

didriksons.com01275 390451

storefinder.rossignol.com

buffwear.co.uk

SLOPESTYE 2016 BRANDS


24–25 OCTOBER WORLD CUP SEASON OPENSThe 2015–16 Alpine ski season gets

underway on the glacier above Sölden

in the Austrian Tirol with Giant Slalom

races for the world’s best ladies and

men on successive days.

5–8 NOVEMBERSKI SHOWSThere’s a new location for and new

format to The Telegraph Ski and

Snowboard Show London, which

moves to Battersea Park, south of

the river. This year’s 4-day show

will feature a tented Alpine-themed

village, performances by comedy

stars from the Altitude Festival and

high-level freestyle snow sports on

real snow. The northern show in

Manchester is the week before.

21 NOVEMBERNEW BIGGEST SKI AREA IN US OPENINGThe new largest ski area in North

America is scheduled to open after

a $50m (£32.09m) summer spend.

Park City Mountain in Utah has

merged with neighbour, Canyons,

to create an area of 7300 acres, the

largest in the US and second only

to Whistler Blackcomb in Canada in

North America.

13–20 DECEMBERSKI AND BOARDERWEEKHopefully Val Thorens, Europe’s

highest resort, is a safe bet for early-

season events, and this pre-

Christmas celebration of all things

snow sports is billed as a pan-

European ride festival where all

nationalities and disciplines get

together for the love of it.

22–24 JANUARYTHE HAHNENKAMMThe biggest event in the

World Cup racing calendar, the

Hahnenkamm races, is staged

at Kitzbühel in Austria. The blue

ribbon Men’s Downhill race, which

every racer wants to win, is on

Saturday 23 January. The other

great classic, the Lauberhorn from

Wengen, takes place the weekend

before.

6–7 FEBRUARY2018 WINTER OLYMPIC TEST EVENTSThe first official test races for the

2018 Winter Olympics in South

Korea will take place at the all-new

Jeongseon Alpine Centre. The

centre has been created from

scratch to host Alpine events at the

Olympics as existing ski centres

in the country did not offer the

required minimum 800m downhill

course. The created course has

an 880m vertical, and a separate

women’s downhill run with a 790m

vertical has also been created.

20 FEBRUARYRIKSGRÄNSEN OPENS FOR 2016 SEASONEurope’s most northerly resort and

“spring skiing capital” Riksgränsen,

200km within the Swedish Arctic

Circle, opens for its four-month ski

season this weekend. By early May

the centre will be enjoying 24 hours

of daylight with skiing and boarding

under the midnight sun.

13–19 MARCHROCK THE PISTESMid-March to mid-April is the festival

month in the Alps with events including

The Brits and Snowbombing taking

place. As we went to press, most of

these had not yet confirmed their

dates for 2016, but the sixth edition

of Rock The Pistes, which sees acts

providing free concerts around the

huge Portes du Soleil region, is go.

14–20 MARCHWORLD CUP FINALSWorld Cup Finals Week in St Moritz,

Switzerland will see the final battle for

this season’s crystal globes as men’s

and women’s tours come together for a

week of competitions in all disciplines.

8–17 APRILWORLD SKI & SNOWBOARD FESTIVALBilled as the biggest participation event

in the ski world calendar, Whistler’s

annual festival of all things snow sports

includes music, art and sport.

SkiCALENDAR

2015/16

FB.COM/INTHESNOW OTM15 // 075

The no-frills family ski holiday that offers the easiest and cheapest option for parents wishing to treat their little ones to a winter holiday in the Alps. Both adults and children have a few hours instruction included each day allowing everyone the opportunity to improve at their own pace whilst ensuring plenty of quality time to ski together as a family.

For more information and to book:

www.action-outdoors.co.uk

7 nights accommodation

All meals

Lift pass

Equipment hire

12 hours instruction

All included

in the price:

£414

THE UK PARTNER FOR

CHRISTMAS, HALF TERM & EASTERPrices from

NEWCHOICES2015/16

The brochures are out – although

these days “are online” is more

accurate, so they can’t really be called

brochures anymore. But anyway, we

know the new ski resort destination

options that our tour operators have

laid on for us. Here are the most

interesting of the new crop …

GERMANYCrystal (crystalski.co.uk), the UK’s

biggest operator with 135 resort

destination choices, has also tended

to be the company that adds a whole

new skiing nation to its destinations

list each winter.

In the past, it has been among the first

to offer us Japan and Russia, and next

winter sees the return of Germany and

the rest of Ruhpolding to the list. It’s

one of the country’s top resorts, locat-

ed in the Bavarian Alps in the south

of the country and busy year round.

Along with some 44km of downhill

piste there’s a strong reputation for

cross-country, and also biathlon – for

which it’s one of the main stops on the

annual World Cup tour (next season

the tour is in town from 12–17 January).

German ski areas were last in the bro-

chures back in the 1990s but tended

to have a perception as too expensive

when the Deutschmark was seen to

be as strong as the Swiss franc. In the

intervening two decades, however,

German prices have been pinned to

the euro, and its ski costs have tend-

ed to stay pretty much unchanged

while they’ve risen everywhere else –

the result being that many German ski

costs are now lower than much of the

rest of the Alps.

FRANCEStill by far the most popular destination

nation for British skiers, you’d think

there were so many tour ops offering

holidays there that the list of ski areas

that could be offered was exhausted.

But not so. Peak Retreats (peakretreats.

co.uk), who have French members of

their team and are the award-winning

specialists in finding unspoilt French ski

villages, normally linked to big ski are-

as, have managed to find half a dozen

new options for next winter.

IN BRIEF…

Two new options on the underrated

Sybelles regional pass (310km of

piste), under-explored so far by Brits,

are Albiez and La Toussuire.

Peak Retreats also have the Nordic

ski area of Bessans, close to Val

Cenis; Chamrousse, a relatively large

ski area of its own, with 90km of

runs and close to Grenoble; Auris,

which is linked to the superb Alpe

d’Huez ski region, and Doucy-

Combelouvière, which is part of

Valmorel’s giant ski region.

Elsewhere in France, the Pyrenees

seem to be getting more popular

again. After the launch of Pyrenees

Collection (pyreneescollection.co.uk)

last winter, the long-established

operator Erna Low is venturing down

south too, offering the resorts of St

Lary, Peyragudes, La Mongie and ski

and spa resort Cauterets.

In the French Alps, Ski Total (skitotal.

com) has added two catered chalets

in La Tania, between Méribel and

Courchevel in Les 3 Vallées.

OTHER COUNTRIESAmong the more interesting new

options, the magical Finnish resort of

Pyhä is back in the brochures thanks

to Crystal, who are also bringing back

Engelberg in Switzerland, known for

its big vertical down from the Titlis

glacier, and also Arabba in the Italian

Dolomites, part of the famed Sell-

aronda network and with a reputation

as being home to some of the most

challenging terrain in the region.


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In this special 4-page section

SALLY BROOKES looks at the

pros and cons of travelling on

your family ski holiday w ith

a specialist tour operator or

going independently, faces up to

the conundrum of being forced

to travel during school holiday

periods, suggests some of the

best ski resorts for families and

looks at new deals, destinations

and ideas from family ski

travel specialists for the coming

w inter 2015-16.

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

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How to get it right

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The Independent Vs Specialist Tour Operator

“I was always an independent traveller,

until I reached a stage where I also wanted

relaxation from my holiday,” says Richard

Sinclair of ski-specialist travel agency Sno®

(sno.co.uk), highlighting a key issue for

many parents who first look at the myriad

of different ways to book a family ski holiday.

“It’s truly amazing how much more fun you

are to be with, for your partner and your

children, if you’re carrying none of the

weight of organising and can simply enjoy

the moment with them,” adds Richard. “True,

you can probably save a bit of cash by

doing it all yourself and even self-catering

your ski trip … but if you truly want it to be a

‘holiday’ for the parents and not just for the

children, there’s no way that comes close to

a fully organised (even better, an ‘inclusive’)

family ski package. Our clients who’ve done

it never go back, so we took their advice

and tried it ourselves this year. Now there’s

simply no other way.”

So how has skiing with family changed over

the years? Well for one thing, 20 to 30 years

ago, far more children started skiing on

school trips. These days it’s more likely to be

in an indoor snow centre.

For another, tour operators have done battle

for the family market, endeavouring to ensure

a seamless service. Having first focused on

making everything run smoothly for children

in resort – thus cutting out potential parental

stress – they’ve then focused on making

family holidays good for parents too. So the

holiday with a specialist really is for the whole

family and not just certain members.

“I think one of the biggest changes is that

in the old days the mantra used to be ‘if

children are happy, then the parents are too’,

and that is no longer applicable. Parents

deserve a fabulous holiday as well as their

children, so much more attention now goes

into ensuring the food, level of service and

quality of accommodation is also top-notch

and not just relying on great childcare to

keep parents happy,” says Moira Clarke of

family ski holiday tour operator Esprit.

Things have improved dramatically from the

days when parents had little option but try

to teach their children themselves – more

often than not a recipe for family strife and

disaster – or book them into a foreign-

language crèche or ski school with the

vague hope that the language immersion

will be beneficial and that all would be well.

“The variety of childcare options are much

greater these days with classes for all

levels of children’s ski ability, so children

are really learning to ski and improve and

not joining a more general crèche to keep

them occupied while parents ski as in the

past,” confirms Moira.

And “wrap-around care” with evening care

for those families that want it is more often

the norm too, particularly from the family

holiday specialist tour operators. It’s less

likely to be only offered for babies and

toddlers too these days but may cover older

children as well.

“The evening clubs and baby-listening

service are more inclusive of all-age children

so parents can relax over their dinner and

not be constantly on alert for their children

during the evenings,” Moira adds.

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Independent Family Ski Holidays

Of course, the more confident family can

travel independently on a ski holiday and

arrange all the elements themselves.

The key issue to be aware of is that problems

and costs tend to multiply according to the

number of people in your party and their ages.

If your travel plans are not bulletproof, things

can get very bad, very quickly, if you have no

tour operator support. Arriving at the airport to

find the transfers you’d hoped for aren’t there

and it’s an expensive taxi or you need to look

for an affordable hotel with adequate space

for you all, for example, or discovering that

the accommodation you booked online isn’t

owned by the people who “rented” it to you

are family ski holiday disasters not unheard of.

But get things right and, if the kind of

support, wrap-around services and care a

family tour operator offers are not a priority

for you, you can take advantage of one of

the packages you can find by booking direct

via a ski resort’s accommodation service.

Many of the best deals are offered during

the Easter holidays, but there’s also some

competition to win family business over

Christmas week. Val d’Isère is offering a

special deal for families with children aged

11 or under who stay in the famous French

resort this Christmas for example.

It is offering free accommodation for children

under 12 over the festive period when staying

in the same room as their parents in a choice

of several hotels catering, the resort says, for

all budgets and can be booked through the

Val Hotel Booking Office.

To sweeten the deal even further, for every

adult hiring ski equipment and buying a lift

pass, one child aged under 12 receives both

hire and their lift pass free.

Another example is Austria’s Alpbachtal ski

region, which will offer free skiing to children

aged up to 15 during special “Family weeks”

next spring.

The offer from the resort, which shares the

Ski Jewel region, one of the ten largest in

the Tirol, is available to families skiing in the

area between 19 March and 10 April 2016

next season.

The free ski pass offer, for any child born on

1 January 2000 or later, is available when an

accompanying parent purchases a lift pass

valid for 3, 4, 5 or 6 days.

Special family packages including

accommodation and lift passes are also

available at low price during the “Family

weeks” period. Many other resorts have Easter

family specialist packages over the Easter

period, although be careful as some exclude

Easter week – when the school holidays are!

School Holiday Planning

One of the biggest issues of a family ski

holiday is controlling costs, and with ski

holiday options concentrated into just a few

weeks, rather than the 6 weeks of summer,

it’s particularly tough on parents trying

to introduce their children to the healthy,

educational and life-affirming experience of

a ski holiday.

In fact a new study by travel deals company

Travelzoo has revealed the lengths UK

parents are now prepared to go to in order

to avoid the government’s controversial

fines for term-time holidays.

Travelzoo’s “Parent Trap 2015 Study” polled

over 2000 parents of state-school children

and found that one in five parents had

already lied to their children’s school in

order to avoid fines for taking them out of

school for a cheaper holiday. Over half of UK

parents said they were prepared to lie in the

coming months.

Two-thirds of parents are also willing to ask

their children to continue the deceit and

pretend to their teacher that the reason for

absence was not a family holiday. Just 13%

of parents polled believe families should not

go on holiday if they cannot afford it during

school holiday dates.

According to the survey, three-quarters of

the teachers who were questioned said

they’d experienced parents lying to them

since the penalties came into force; 49%

said they felt the fines were affecting their

relationship with pupils’ families.

“With more than half of UK parents prepared

to lie in order to avoid the fines and over

64,000 fines issued from September 2013 to

How to get it right

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How to get it right

2014, it’s clear that the current system isn’t

working,” said Louise Hodges of Travelzoo,

who added, “The fining system is messy,

confusing and makes law-abiding families

feel like criminals.”

New SeasonOffers & Ideas

Britain’s skiing families have been blessed

for more than two decades now by a

number of specialist tour operators who

make an extra effort to offer family-friendly

ski holidays. Here are some of the special

deals and new ideas for winter 2015–16

offered by some of them:

Free L ift P ass For Christmas From The Family Ski Company

The Family Ski Company (familyski.co.uk),

which has been an expert in providing fun

and stress-free family ski holidays for more

than 20 years, is offering a free lift pass

on bookings made by 1 October 2015 for

Christmas week (departures on Sunday 20

December) in one of its three destinations

in the French Alps – which are each located

in smaller resorts but within some of the

world’s biggest ski regions, namely Portes

du Soleil (Ardent), Paradiski (Les Coches) or

Les 3 Vallées (Reberty).

Low Prices For Grandparents w ith Ski Famille

Next winter is family skiing specialist Ski

Famille’s 25th season in the French Alps,

but they’re still coming up with new ideas

(skifamille.co.uk).

This season will see the launch of new

flexible travel options allowing families to

combine nationwide scheduled flights or

the direct Eurostar from London St Pancras

to the Alps with inclusive transfers to the

company’s properties in La Plagne, Les Gets

and Reberty 2000 in the French Alps. In

addition, Christmas and New Year packages

offer savings of up to £200 for grandparents

joining their families in a chalet.

Fun and friendly Monty the Marmot will also

be joining the Ski Famille childcare team,

tasked with ensuring children of all ages

enjoy the mountain environment and take

part in lots of fun-packed activities.

Q&A Sessions On Facebook W ith Esprit Ski

Family holiday specialists Esprit Ski

holidays (espritski.com) have stepped up

their customer (and non-customer) service

by offering a series of Q&A sessions on

Facebook so that anyone with any queries

or concerns about any aspects of a family ski

holiday can get free advice from an expert.

#AskEsprit involves key members of

company staff, such as Emma Kay, Head of

Child Care, providing answers on anything,

in real time, from childcare to what to bring

with you on a family holiday.

Online Guide To Family Ski Holidays From The UK’s Biggest Operator

Crystal are not a family ski holiday specialist

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families to the slopes than any other.

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46550_Love_The_Mountains_Ad.indd 1 20/08/2015 17:22

The company have created a new

online guide for families taking ski

holidays, particularly aimed at first

timers – the Family Guide to the

Mountain – which seeks to answer

many of the questions and unknowns

for parents taking their children to

the slopes for the first time.

The easiest way to find it is

probably to Google “Crystal

Family Guide to the Mountain”.

There’s a lot of practical

advice in the new guide,

including exactly what

happens on a typical day

for children in nursery

and ski school. There are

also reassuring first-hand

comments from people

working as ski teachers and

nursery staff, as well as from

happy customers.

Family-friendliest Ski Destinations

Almost all ski resorts say

they’re family-friendly, but

some are family-friendlier

than others.

Our shortlist below is

certainly not an exclusive

selection – there are plenty

of other good resorts – but

we’ve chosen resorts we’ve

tried with our own families

and enjoyed happy holidays.

Of course, even at family-

friendly destinations, you

need to be careful about your

accommodation choices and about

other aspects of your ski holiday that

can scupper well-made plans.

Mont-Tremblant,

Quebec, Canada

Why? Transatlantic flight but one

of the shorter hops, and once you

arrive at Montreal airport, it’s a quick

hop to the resort. Mont-Tremblant is

perfectly purpose-built with panache

– spacious accommodation is

located steps away from all facilities

and the ski slopes in its car-free

village, and there are excellent off-

slope attractions including an indoor

water park.

Levi, Finland

Stay in the compact centre of Levi

and you’ll find everything your family

needs close to your accommodation.

The huge slopeside Spa Hotel

Levitunturi has a remarkable complex

of more than a dozen themed

swimming pools, and there are some

great play areas for children on the

slopes and, of course, Santa to visit.

It can be VERY cold though, so if

that’s an issue, best avoid.

Arinsal, Andorra

As well as being one of the more

affordable ski regions, Andorra

also has great family-

friendly ski areas, good

accommodation and dining

options, and excellent

on-slope childcare and

ski school facilities, often

staffed by Brits, Aussies

and Kiwis who make your

children feel right at home.

Avoriaz, France

One of the most family-

friendly of the big resorts

in the Alps, there’s a huge

choice of accommodation

in this car-free, all-

slopeside, purpose-built

resort. It’s part of the

same group that owns

Center Parcs, and the

recently added Aquariaz

is a remarkable tropical

swimming dome complex

1800m up a mountain.

Klosters, Switzerland

If you’re looking for a

traditional resort, you can’t

go far wrong if you follow in

the ski tracks of the British

Royal family. What’s more,

a unique adventure park

has been created at the

top station of the Madrisa

aerial cableway in Klosters,

Madrisa Land.

Aimed at families, it is also the first

adventure park in the Alps to be

accessible to physically and visually

handicapped people.

“The park presents physical and

mental challenges at experience-

oriented task points. Mystery or

reality? Fairy tale or fact?” said a

resort spokesperson.

School Holidays 2015-16

What are the school holiday dates to be aware

of for winter 2015–16? We asked expert Xavier

Schouller, who runs travel company Peak

Retreats (peakretreats.co.uk).

“Christmas and New Year are the same school

holiday dates across Europe, which means

they’ll be busy,” says Xavier. “February half-

term for French schools runs from 6 February

to 5 March with most areas (the whole of

France except Paris) from 13 February (the

main UK holiday week). A few other smaller

European countries like the Danes will be off

then too, so it will be a mega-busy week.

“At Easter, Belgium (and despite being a small

country they usually send more people than

the UK at that time of year) join Germany and

the UK for holidays from 26 March. This will

be the best week for anyone in the UK with

children: about 50% of the price of half-term,

still-decent snow conditions in most resorts,

normally sunny and longer days, and it won’t

be busy on the slopes or in the resort. For

departures on 2 April (UK second week), only

one area of France (Marseille and the north)

and Belgium will be on holiday, so it shouldn’t

be mega busy either.”


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A winter-sports equipment rental com-

pany that has been a huge hit over

the last 5 years on the continent is

expanding its service again this win-

ter so that British skiers and boarders

can take advantage too.

Ski Discount have proved popular

because of their quick and simple-to-

use booking service through which

they deliver discounts of up to 60%

on regular retail rates. They also offer

a standard deal when you book for a

week – your 7th day is free.

The company also operates with a

huge network of in-resort ski shops –

more than 450 so far in fact, located in

340 different ski resorts, so the chanc-

es are they’ll have one or more shops

available in the resort you plan to visit.

Ski Discount launched in France

in 2010 and has expanded rapidly,

serving more than 20,000 custom-

ers worldwide so far. Most resorts

in France and Andorra are covered

as well as leading resorts in Austria,

Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the

Czech Republic.

A newly launched British website

makes it easy to reserve your gear.

Booking is quick and simple; just

select the resort you’re staying at,

choose your dates, select your shop

and equipment, and then book.

You then simply print your voucher,

bring it to the ski shop when you get

there and pick up your professionally

selected products.

Along with the best possible price

you have the added reassurance that

you will avoid being disappointed

by out of stock items if you arrive in

resort without having pre-booked

and ensure your gear is reserved

ready for you.

Ski Discount say they achieve their

low prices because retailers respond

to their buying power, and their sole

motivation is to achieve the lowest

possible price for their customers,

rather than being a retail chain want-

ing to give the best impression of

lowest prices but still of course trying

to maximise profits.

OTM14 // 082

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The era of traveller’s cheques and

Eurocheques (remember them?) is

behind us, and a plethora of payment

possibilities await us as we head to

the Alps (or any other ski destination)

this winter.

But in 2016, what’s the best way to

pay for your lunchtime lasagne or your

après-ski aperitif? And by “best” we of

course mean spending as much of your

money as possible on whatever it is

you’re buying, and as little as possible

on commissions to banks; most of all,

avoiding the double or triple whammy of

paying multiple banks and agencies on

each side of the channel their own cut.

Having scratched our heads over

a dozen different press releases

from different banks and credit card

companies, each telling us they

were best, we decided to ask an

independent expert.

“The cheapest way to spend abroad is

to get a specialist overseas credit card.

These cards smash all other ways to

get your currency because they don’t

add any charges, so the rate you get

when you use the card is the rate the

bank gets when it changes money. For

example, spending on a specialist travel

credit card or getting your travel money

from the airport are poles apart – and

the saving can be as big as £80 per

€1000 spending,” Jo Gornitzki, Money

and Insurance Editor at the independent

website MoneySavingExpert.com told us,

with the added warning:

“Just remember to pay it off in full after

the holiday so you don’t lose everything

you’ve gained paying interest.”

The next best option if you don’t want

to apply for a special credit card is a

prepaid card which anyone can get and

load with cash before they travel and

then use like a debit card. If you lose

it, your cash is protected. You get the

rate on the day you load the card with

money, not when you spend, so currency

fluctuations may mean you get a worse

deal – or a better one.

“However,” Jo warns again, “the rate

isn’t as good as that of a specialist travel

credit card, and there are a few places

that don’t accept them, including car-hire

firms and pay-at-pump petrol stations.”

Canton FX market just such a card and

Managing Director James Hickman is

an enthusiast:

“You can use the card abroad just as

you would a debit card; pay for goods

and services, withdraw cash from ATMs

and reload your card online or on your

phone. Our smartphone app allows you

to load your currency card at any point

before or during your trip, check your

balance and transactions and switch

currencies, all with zero fees. You are

also able to gain access to real-time,

competitive exchange rates.”

So what about old-fashioned cash, or

just your regular credit and debit card …

these days accepted almost everywhere

and usable in most foreign ATMS too?

“Cash is always king, and keep in mind

there are still a few mountain restaurants

that don’t take plastic,” points out Ed

Mannix, Owner/Director of Matterhorn

Chalets in Zermatt (matterhornchalets.

com). Anyone heading to Eastern

European resorts will also find they’re

largely cash driven.

“Nearly all UK credit cards levy

significant charges for foreign currency

transactions, and cash withdrawals

don’t come cheap, but exercising your

flexible friend is convenient and has the

added benefits of insurance cover and

free credit till the end of the month,”

added Ed.

And finally back to Jo at

MoneySavingExpert.com to answer that

great conundrum of the modern era:

what do you say when asked if you want

to pay in pounds or local currency when

you hand over your credit or debit card?

“Always pick local currency, as if you pay

in pounds it means the overseas store/

bank is doing the conversion, and rates

are awful.”

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The song lyric “it’s a nice day for a

white wedding” takes on a whole

new meaning with the backdrop

of spectacular snowy mountain

scenery, and it should be no surprise

that most well-known ski resorts are

big on weddings.

In fact there are so many options

these days, from a quick, legally

binding “Vegas style” ceremony you

can slot into your ski day (with the

possibility of getting a free lift pass

and slice of cake if you take part

in a mass mountain-top wedding

ceremony), to a full-scale, budget-

busting bash in your personally

constructed snow cathedral under

the Matterhorn, there have never

been more options for getting

married in the mountains …

On A Budget Or Blow The Budget?

The cost of marrying in the

mountains can, of course, range

from little more than the cost of your

ski holiday to the cost of a small

house if you want to organise a full-

scale ceremony and fly in guests to a

spectacular location.

Nearly 22 years ago, young lovers

Steve Cross and Jane “Bertie”

Birtles decided to go for the more

affordable option.

The couple were married in the

Hearthside Hotel Restaurant in

Breckenridge, Colorado, by Judge

Stanley at lunchtime and were out

on their skis by the afternoon.

“We needed to register the

marriage with the Judge’s Clerk

upon arrival in the USA then we

were married a few days later,”

recalls Bertie. “The licence cost $60

(£49) , my flowers cost $36.93 (£24)

from the city market floral boutique

and I chose and designed my floral

bouquet. So it came in at under

$100 (£65).”

It was a quiet affair. “We had one

guest by default, our friend Fraser,

who drove from Las Vegas to meet



@INTHESNOWMAG

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up to ski with us. Fraser arrived at

10am in checked shirt and cowboy

boots, we were married at midday

and skied in the afternoon,” adds

Bertie, recalling that the wedding

photographer snapped her in lace

wedding dress on her K2 skis.

What funds the young couple had

saved up for their wedding were

wisely invested in a 3-week all-

inclusive stay in a

Breckenridge chalet.

“Tuesday was the chef’s night off

so we were married on a Tuesday,”

continued Bertie. “After skiing, the

chalet company’s director took us

to the other house the company

owned to have a three-course meal

and homemade wedding cake!

The wedding cake was baked last

minute on our wedding day by Lucy

the chalet maid. She put Dopey

from the seven dwarfs as the groom

and Tinker Bell as the bride on the

top of the cake! It was one of the

best days of my life!”

Saying “I Do” In An Igloo

If you decide to wed closer to home

than North America, one option in

the Alps is to marry in one of the

growing number of sophisticated

igloo villages that have sprung up

over the past decade on the slopes

above an ever-growing number

of ski resorts (or should that be

sprung up, thawed and then sprung

up again the next winter?). One

of the leading players, the Swiss

company Iglu-Dorf, operates in

half a dozen top resorts including

Davos, Engelberg, Gstaad and in

Grandvalira, Andorra. They also have

a spectacular location in Zermatt

with amazing Matterhorn views.

The company is already master

at providing remarkable romantic

suites, complete with spectacular

snow carvings and some facilities

you might not expect in an igloo

– champagne (on ice not an

issue) and a hot tub, for example.

They’re also used to organising all

scales of event.

“Marrying in one of our igloo

villages is a great way to do it,”

says the company’s Géraldine

Pucken, who adds, “As snow is our

building material, we can basically

create anything, depending on the

budget.”

The igloo village can be booked for

everything from just the ceremony

or ceremony and reception to also

including an overnight stay with

romantic bridal suite.

“To put it another way, there are

no limits on what we can create to

offer a once-in-a-lifetime, super-

unique winter wedding. Any dream

cathedral or church can be built out

of snow,” says Géraldine.

360° Mountain Views At 2350m Up

At Kicking Horse resort

(kickinghorseresort.com) in the

Canadian Rockies, which makes

a special effort for weddings, it’s

not unusual to see a bride in full

gown tiptoeing to the gondola base

station in the resort village with her

bridesmaids lifting her train up over

the snow.

They’re heading up to the resort’s

spectacular Eagle’s Eye Restaurant,

which is perched on a prominent

peak 2350m above sea level and

offers stunning 360° views of the

surrounding Rocky Mountains and

six national parks.

“The trend towards mountain

weddings, like their popular cousin,

beach weddings, is growing

dramatically,” says Matt Mosteller

of Resorts of the Canadian Rockies,

which operates Kicking Horse.

“I think it’s because so many

couples are looking for that one-of-

a-kind location and metaphorically

reaching new heights together.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

has to be one of the most magical

and spectacular settings in North

America to tie the knot! At the

practical level you also have a large

capacity of accommodation on site

which makes planning easier.”

The Eagle’s Eye Restaurant,

regarded as “the most romantic in

Canada” by some reviewers, can

cater for up to 110 people, or for an

open-air wedding on the terrace,

the number can be as many as 200.

There are conveniently two luxury

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accommodation suites above the

restaurant if the bride and groom

don’t wish to descend with the rest

of the guests after the wedding.

Ascending To A Higher Plain

For many mountain weddings, a

part of what makes it special can

be the unusual forms of going

up the mountain that ski area

operations offer.

Brides have arrived on the back of

snowmobiles and in piste groomers

in the past, as well as by ski or

snowboard of course, but it’s the ski

lift that comes into its own for many

a matrimonial ceremony.

Some resorts go further than

others – at southern Germany’s

Arber ski area, for example, they

skilfully converted a gondola cabin

into a fairy-tale princess’s carriage

complete with white horses.

Gstaad in Switzerland is another

cable-car conversion specialist,

although opting for something a

little more traditional Swiss Alpine in

their approach with the gondola up

to the Rellerli Mountain Inn, which

is conveniently also one of the few

branches of registry office in the

region. The bridal couple travel free

in the special cabin, and normal

rates apply to remaining guests –

up to 300 of whom can be catered

for at the Inn.

Getting Married On A Ski Lift

Closer to home it’s actually

possible not only to ride up to

your wedding venue in a ski lift

but also to actually get married

in a ski lift – or the funicular

railway at CairnGorm ski area

(cairngormmountain.org) above

Aviemore in the Scottish Highlands

to be precise. The only issue is

you can’t currently get married in

the ski season per se; the service

is normally offered from May to

October. That said, CairnGorm’s

ski season often extends into May,

and there’s normally snow up top

then anyway, so perhaps you could

have the lift turned on just for you?

The funicular can be hired out

for weddings and receptions and

can then follow on to a choice

of venues including the modern

Ptarmigan complex at the top of

the lift, at 1097m above sea level,

the highest venue in Scotland (you

can also have the wedding here if

you don’t want to marry on the lift).

The Ptarmigan also has an outdoor

terrace where the wedding

ceremony can be performed

against a stunning backdrop of

lochs and mountains.

CairnGorm Mountain’s professional

staff can provide all catering and,

if you want a one-stop shop, also

organise lighting, floristry, dancing

and entertainment.


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Nevada-style Nuptials

If you’ve always liked the idea of

saying your vows in Vegas, but also

yearn for a snowy rather than desert

destination, your answer could be

Heavenly ski resort which straddles

the California/Nevada border.

Nevada is the state Las Vegas

is in, and there are big casinos

and relaxed marriage regulations

on Heavenly’s Nevada side. But

whichever side of the border you

choose, there are also spectacular

views of stunning Lake Tahoe for

your wedding backdrop.

Ski resort business Vail Resorts

own three resorts in the area

and actually run their own

weddings business in the area

– the Tahoe Wedding Collection

(tahoeweddingcollection.com),

who will be happy to mastermind

everything for you with the options

again ranging from sweet and

simple to full-scale spectacular with

hundreds of guests catered for.

In Oregon, the year-round ski

destination of Timberline Lodge

(timberlinelodge.com/weddings)

are another wedding specialist.

They have a vast choice of flexible

wedding packages, but if simple is

best you can opt for the “Fireside

Elopement Package” from $1390

(about £880) excluding travel, which

ensures you get hitched and throws

in a few nice extras on top.

There’s Still The Paperwork

Many ski travel agencies and

tour operators will be able to

provide practical advice on getting

married in the mountains. Ski

Independence (ski-i.com) is one

that reports experience in helping

to organise the big day on the

slopes for skiing couples.

Another source is independent

destination wedding advice

website MarryAbroad.co.uk which

recently produced a “Top nine

things UK couples typically forget

when planning to get hitched

overseas” list.

Top point is to ensure you leave

enough time for the paperwork in

the country you’re going to and to

send out “save the date” notes to

any guests expected to fly out as far

in advance as possible.

Checking you have every official

document you’re likely to need

with you is another big one –

this can include birth certificate

and previous divorce or widow/

widower status confirmation

among others, and some countries

may ask these have been

translated into the local language.

Brides are advised to book flights in

their maiden name and to talk to the

airline about taking their wedding

dress in hand luggage – normally

allowed but best check first.

“Many couples just aren’t aware

of these ‘need to knows’ about

getting married abroad – essential

tips, which are often overlooked in

the planning process,” said site Co-

Founder Steph Bishop.

Mass Marriage

Of course, no one is pretending that

it’s going to be cheap to get hitched

on a mountain top, but there is one

way to tie the knot affordably on

the ski slopes (well, affordably once

you’ve paid to get there).

The perfectly named Loveland ski

area in Colorado organises a mass

wedding on Valentine’s Day each

winter on their slopes high in the

Rockies (skiloveland.com/events/

wedding.aspx).

On “Marry me and ski for free” day,

couples arriving in wedding attire

get a buy-one-get-one-free lift ticket

deal and (if previously registered

with the paperwork complete) can

be legally married in the ceremony.

Even those already married aren’t

discriminated against and can

renew their vows, and there’s a big

party when the skiing is done with

wedding cake for all!

So there you have it. If you’re not

married yet, your only decision

remaining is how and where to say

your vows in the mountains. The

good news is that, as evidenced by

Steve and Jane, still happily married

more than 21 years after tying the

knot in Breckenridge, you’re getting

your married life off to a good start

as the old saying normally holds

true, “the family that skis together,

stays together.”

INTHESNOW.COM // OTM15 // 087 FB.COM/INTHESNOW GST

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The impressive and charming

boutique hotel Carlton St.

Moritz was originally built in

1913, located in a splendid

position above the Lake

St. Moritz with stunningly

beautiful views.

Then in 2007 the hotel was

completely renovated by the

acclaimed interior designer

Carlo Rampazzi, whose

ability to combine nostalgic

rarities, colourful freshness

and elegant exclusivity has

led to what is today a unique,

refined character. Where

once there were two hotel

rooms, now there are single,

luxurious and spacious suites,

every one of which faces out

over the lake.

The Carlton proudly boasts

the village’s most beautiful

sun terrace with a gorgeous

view, the typical champagne

climate and the best box seat

to enjoy the top events taking

place on the Lake St. Moritz.

The Carlton bar captivates

its guests with the two

open and historic fireplaces

representing the cosiness of

the whole Bel Étage.

Bright colours, incredibly

comfortable beds and

bathrooms big enough to

fit an elephant, all junior

suites and suites have

been designed with an

extraordinary focus on

details, each equipped with

a complimentary minibar and

Nespresso machine as well

as slippers and bathrobes for

your spa experience.

The most luxurious of them

all is the Carlton Penthouse:

386m2 with an overwhelming

360° view of the Engadine

mountain scenery. The living

room with its fireplace is the

perfect place to relax after

a day on the slopes. The

Penthouse includes three

bedrooms, each with an

en-suite bathroom, a library,

an office area and a fully

equipped kitchen.

Awarded with a Michelin

star and 18 Gault&Millau

gourmet guide points, the

Restaurant Da Vittorio –

St. Moritz offers culinary

dreams. The master chefs

Enrico and Roberto Cerea,

who also own the Michelin

3★ restaurant “Da Vittorio”

in Brusaporto, enthuse their

guests with dishes from the

Italian Lombardy region in

the most exclusive location

in St. Moritz.

Meanwhile the head chef

Gero Porstein and his team

in the second restaurant

Romanoff serve fine authentic

Swiss cuisine where the

emphasis is placed on

regional specialities and

seasonal products.

Over three floors and

1200m2 the Leading Spa

provides its guests with a

cosy feeling of well-being.

There are various saunas

and steam baths including

an area for women only, a

hydro-massage shower, an

ice fountain, a snow Kneipp

trail and a sports pool as

well as a heated indoor and

outdoor pool. And there

is more: in six individually

created treatment rooms

the professionally trained

massage therapists help to

relax every single muscle.

“It is our privilege to deliver

highest privacy, ultimate

luxury and supreme quality,”

says Dominic Bachofen,

General Manager of the

Carlton Hotel St. Moritz.


THE CARLTON ST. MORITZ

INFO

Carlton Hotel St. Moritz

T +41 81 836 7000

[email protected]

www.carlton-stmoritz.ch

St. Moritz is full of impressive places to stay, but one outshines them all

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he battle has raged for more than 30

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swept the world in the 1980s (quickly

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surfer, and definitely not a boring old

“two planker”.

Two long, skinny planks that were not

for turning easily at that. The average

age of skiers touched the 40-years-old

mark, and predictions that snowboard-

ing would sweep away skiers by the end

of the 20th century were rife.

But skiing wasn’t going to go down

without a fight. Instead ski design

copied snowboard design and the

tables were turned. Freestyle skiers

followed boarders into the terrain park,

and barely competent skiers on fat skis

followed barely competent boarders

into the off-piste powder – now known

as “freeride terrain”.

The inexorable rise of the snowboard

against the skier slowed and in recent

years seems to have been reversed with

cool young freestyle skiers following

cool young boarders into the Olympics,

once again copying events created by

boarders and making the ski equivalent.

So in terms of market share, the battle

seems to be won: skiers have seen off

the boarding hordes. But what of the

image of skiing – can it ever be as cool

as boarding? Does anyone care? Is cool

even an acceptable word to describe

something that’s cool anymore? Should

it be rad? Or sick?

I don’t know; I’m too old, so I asked

some whippersnappers on snow what

they thought.

First up was famous British boarder

Jamie Nicholls ( jamienichollsuk.com),

whose many achievements include his

memorable outdoor-indoor-outdoor

descent through The Snow Centre in

Hemel Hempstead last year (and a

new improved version is promised this

autumn) which earned him more than

six million Youtube views, of which I’m

guessing the vast majority said, “Wow!

That’s cool!”

“I have a lot of friends who are skiers and

I definitely feel like freestyle skiers are

very different to the average skier on the

mountain. I think skiing is tech and the

guys at the top level are amazing. But ski-

ing is not for me; freestyle skiers are cool,

but for sure not as cool as snowboarders

...” says Jamie, 22, adding, “Obviously I'm

going to say that though!”

Katie Summerhayes (katiesummerhayes.

co.uk), the 19-year-old freestyle skier

and Sochi Olympian who also carried

the flag at the 2012 Winter Youth Olym-

pics, disagrees.

“I think snowboarders are cool, but

skiers are cooler,” she confirmed.

British snowboard cross athlete and

Scottish champion Kyle Wise (kylewise.

co.uk), 26, gets philosophical and

questions who came first, the skier or

the boarder?

“I will always be a snowboarder but

have always respected skiers, cool or

otherwise. I’ll poke fun at the supposed

rivalry sometimes, but deep down I’m

fine with skiers. Neither is about how

cool you look; it’s about the enjoyment

the individual gets out of it,” says Kyle,

but there’s a but:

“However, trying to see it from an outsid-

er’s point of view, skiers are doing better

than before, but it looks a bit put on and

a bit artificial. Snowboarding derives from

and is influenced by board sports, and

skiing seems to take the same influences

from these sports rather than doing its

own thing. But who cares anyway, a lot

of snowboarders think boardercross is

uncool and that racing is for skiers, but

when they give it a go they love it – it’s a

crazy winter wonderland!”

But 23-year-old Lucy Dore, who works

for ski holiday specialist travel agency

Ski Solutions (skisolutions.com), reck-

ons skiing has definitely caught up with

boarding.

“I would agree that boarding was defi-

nitely the ‘cool’ snow sport during the

nineties and noughties; however, it is

not so much the case now. For me there

is no competition; I would always prefer

to go down the slopes forwards rather

than sideways!” says Lucy.

Norwegian freestyle skier Bastian Juell

(facebook.com/didrikbastianjuell), 25,

who seems to be the epitome of cool

himself, is the only skier we found who,

with superb Scandinavian magnanim-

ity, comes down in favour of boarders

being cooler than skiers … in certain

circumstances.

“It depends on what you mean with cool,"

explains Bastian. “If it's about having pas-

sion about what you do I would say that

it's more common among the boarders.

Boarding is more of a lifestyle than skiing

is. It probably has something to do with

learning to ski or board, as it’s easier

to ski than board. But, there are a lot of

passionate skiers as well – like me!”

So there we have it, incontrovertible

proof that if you’re a skier, skiing IS

finally as cool as boarding, as far as

the skiers are concerned at least, but if

you’re a boarder, then it’s still a “Nah,

sorry guys.” Peace and love to all.

BOARDINGNOT COOLAT ALTAThe Battle Goes On

Although most of the snow-sports world has moved

on over the past three decades or so, three ski areas

in the US remain stuck in a mindset that was prevalent

in the 1980s – that snowboarders need to be kept off

ski slopes. Why? Well, that’s always been a bit vague …

they’re reckless young scallywags? It’s too dangerous?

They cause too much damage to the piste with their

boards sliding down, ploughing the powder off? Who

knows?

Anyway, thankfully, snow-slope equality now exists at

99.99999% of the world’s ski areas, but three US areas

– Alta and Deer Valley in Utah and Mad River Glen in

Vermont – still ban boarders.

For the past year or so, a group of four boarders have

been engaged in legal action against Alta, essentially

arguing that it’s their constitutional right to be allowed

on the resort’s slopes.

The group targeted Alta because, unlike the other two,

it operates in open US National Forest – or public land,

where the US constitution appears to grant access for

all. However, the boarders were dealt an early blow

when the US government’s National Forest Service

backed Alta’s position.

A year ago, a district judge in Utah found in favour of Al-

ta’s ban, but the boarders have now moved on to a higher

federal appeal court in the next stage of the legal battle.

Alta argues its ban is about a business model, offer-

ing skiers a boarder-free environment, but the lawyer

representing the boarders says it’s about an outdated

stereotype.

"Defendants have transformed public land into a private

country club controlled by those exclusive, elitist, and

discriminatory views," the attorneys for the boarders put

in their initial written submission.


Alcohol

OK, drinking alcohol is of course legal

almost everywhere, although being

drunk on the slopes is also not allowed

almost everywhere, which sometimes

causes confusion at the après-ski bar.

Drinking affordably can be the

“prohibition factor” at many ski resorts,

but if you have an alcohol problem, you

can buy drink more cheaply than in the

UK in Andorra or Bulgaria (or should

that be “the countries to avoid are …”).

Oddly a couple of resorts in the big four

Alpine nations also historically have low

prices for booze (along with perfume,

cigarettes, etc.) – Livigno in Italy or

Samnaun in Switzerland (which you can

ski across to from Austria’s Ischgl, but

beware the border excise men on patrol)

are both duty free.

Illegal Drugs*1

“Personal use” of marijuana was

legalised in two US states a few years

ago – Colorado, home to many of

America’s best-known ski resorts, and

Washington state, home to the ski area

famous for getting the most snow, on

average (not last winter), of any resort in

the world, Mt Baker.

But you need to be careful if you do

intend to light up a joint. Firstly you’re

only allowed to possess a small amount

for personal use, you normally have to

be aged over 21, typically have less than

an ounce in your possession and keep in

mind that ski resorts have the right to ban

dope-smoking folk from their slopes and

confiscate lift passes, and most have been

vocal in saying that’s exactly what they will

do – just as they would for drunk skiers.

There’s also some uncertainty over

what happens if you smoke dope on

National Forest land, where many of the

ski slopes are located, as they come

under federal (national US) government

control, and at that level, using marijuana

remains illegal.

Gambling

Gambling is possible in lots of ski regions

around the world, and many famous

names have their own casinos. In Austria,

Kitzbühel and Seefeld both have classy-

looking establishments, while the swish

Swiss like to play with their francs in

Crans Montana or Davos, and the French

have Chamonix and Megève to name

but a few. Basically if you think of any

historic Alpine ski town, it most likely has

a casino.

But they’re not all old. Tremblant in

Quebec, Canada, developed a whole

new resort sector around its new casino

over the last few years; of course

Nevada, home of Las Vegas, is famous

for its gambling and Heavenly, the Lake

Tahoe resort which straddles the border

with California, has vast casinos towering

up in the middle of the resort a few

inches after you cross the border.

Ladies*2 Of The Night

Nevada again. We won’t delve too far

into this one but suffice to say that

despite various moves to stop it over the

decades, prostitution has been legal in

Nevada pretty well since the state was

created, and probably long before that.

But prostitution isn’t legal in many parts of

the state, including along the Californian

border nor in most other areas where the

desert state’s few ski areas are located.

SmokingWith even ski countries famed for their

party culture and low-priced alcohol and

cigarettes like Andorra and Bulgaria

bringing in comprehensive indoor

smoking bans (some have gone for

outdoor too – Whistler has introduced

a ban on its entire 8000+ acres), it can

come as surprise to enter an Austrian

café and flash back to the 1980s with

fag smoke filling the air. Austrian laws

are flexible with larger restaurants able

to allow smoking in a separate area but

smaller establishments able to continue

to allow smoking.

OTM15 // 092

WARNING!Far be it from us to condone bad habits, but travelling the ski world, it’s fascinating to see which of life’s vices are permitted at some resorts, and which are banned, according to national and regional laws.

@INTHESNOWMAG

* 1 In The UK; * 2 A

nd Probably Gentlem

en.

A spectacular new gondola lift

being built at Obergurgl over

the summer will feature an

interesting attraction in its base

buildings when it opens for next

winter – a motorbike museum.

The new lift at the Top

Mountain Crosspoint is

located on the Timmelsjoch

High Alpine Road over to

Italy, 2175m above sea level,

and is a major attraction for

motorcyclists – hence the idea

for the museum.

Along with the museum, and

the new Kirchenkar mountain

gondola base station, the

€15million lift’s base building

will house an upmarket table-

service restaurant and the toll

station for the road.

The official groundbreaking

ceremony for the project took

place in the presence of Italian

legend Giacomo Agostini, the

most successful motorbike

racer of all time.

“As one of the Alps' top ski

areas we always continue

developing new attractions.

This project is another great

chance to draw even more

attention to Hochgurgl,”

said Managing Director of

Hochgurgl’s Lift Company,

Alban Scheiber, a motorcycling

fan who has been collecting

bikes with his brother Attila for

some years.

“Our future guests can take

full advantage of an additional

highlight, as a single building

represents four different

purposes … The museum

is dedicated to all biking

aficionados. It is open all year

and also makes a great bad-

weather alternative,” he added.

The new gondola lift will feature

10-person cabins and gives

quick and easy access to the

Kirchenkar ski slopes. It has

a capacity of 2400 mountain

lovers per hour.

MOTORBIKE MUSEUM HIGHLIGHT OF NEW €15M OBERGURGL LIFT

HIGH PASS RATESGUARANTEED JOBS

COOL UNIFORMS

SPECIAL PROMOTION > CHANCE TO WIN YOUR MONEY BACK.CHECK IT OUT AT ALTITUDE-FUTURES.COM

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/INTHESNOW @INTHESNOWMAG /INTHESNOWMAG

It’s the age-old conundrum:

when is it best to hit the slopes

this winter – assuming you’re

in the happy position of being

able to choose your dates?

Guessing when the snow

will be best remains as

impossible to predict as

it always has been. Last

season was one of the worst

Decembers for snow cover in

the Alps on record, with even

the usual advice of booking

a resort with high-altitude

slopes not as reliable, as

even at snow-sure altitudes,

the cover was thin. But is that

the start of a trend, or does

it mean that Mother Nature

will balance things out this

year and give us a very white

Christmas? Who knows, but

let’s be optimistic and expect

the latter!

The good news is that two

of the big variables in the ski

season are pretty favourable

this winter.

The first of those is the day

of the week of Christmas and

New Year. If these fall on a

Saturday in particular, it’s not

good for flights and transfers,

and Sunday isn’t fabulous

either, but we have a Friday

Christmas this year, which is

OK, pretty much.

Nick Edwards, who works for

ski specialist travel agency

Snow Finders, has noticed

one issue, however – the

Christmas Day effect on

Boxing Day flights.

“A 7am flight from the UK on

Boxing Day morning means a

5am check-in and therefore

leaving the house at potentially

2 or 3am, which equates to a

rather wasted Christmas Day.

Those returning on this date

may also feel Christmas Day

isn’t quite the same, being the

last of the holiday and with an

early start on Boxing Day.”

Some tour operators fly on

Sundays (27 December)

anyway, and others are

banking on people caring

more about their ski holiday

than Christmas Day evening.

“We will fly on Boxing Day.

We hope that the desire

of skiers to go to the

slopes is stronger than the

desire to sleep in,” said a

spokesperson for one of the

big three tour operators.

Many school Christmas

holidays are starting late,

meaning bookings for

the weeks commencing

12 December and even

Christmas-week departures

on the 19 December (with

some schools not breaking

up until midweek on the 22 or

23 December) are lower than

usual but that at the other

end of the holiday period into

early January, they’re up.

With the UK government still

threatening parents who take

their children out of school to

go skiing outside of holiday

periods in England with

fines (in Scotland it’s more

likely to be an “unauthorised

absence” but no fine), the

pressure is on February half-

term once again.

“February half-term will be a

sell-out very soon; the uptake

has been phenomenal this

year. The government’s

stance has just exacerbated

availability and caused prices

to increase,” says Nick.

“From what we are seeing,

there are some unusual

school holidays, so there are

some half-termers from 7/8

February, including Bristol,

who can bag a bargain.”

Finally Easter – it’s not too bad

this season, in March at least,

albeit the last Sunday of the

month is on the 27 March. The

advice is that, because Easter

is not too late and demand

on school holiday periods

continues to rise, bookings are

high here too, although prices

significantly lower than in the

February holidays.

Footnote:On Christmas, New Year and

Easter, by the way, be aware

that things won’t be so rosy

in the winter after next, 2016–

17. Marion Telsnig, who works

for the UK’s largest operator,

Crystal, (who’ll be booking

2016–17 ski holidays before

the end of 2015) warns,

“The season after this next

one, THAT’s going to be the

perfect storm ... Christmas

Eve and New Year’s Eve are

both on a Saturday and Easter

Sunday is late again, 16 April

... Brace yourself, ski industry.”


WHENTHIS

TO SKIWINTER?

P R

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A P

LAG

NE

Banff is a bucket-list “must ski” for snow-

sports fans from Britain and around the

world, and once tried, many people just

keep going back.

The historic resort is one of the world’s

classic ski towns, but not everyone realises

that skiers staying in the area have a choice

of not one but three separate ski areas,

each with a unique character of its own but

all included on a single lift ticket, accessing

almost 8000 acres of skiable terrain.

Banff’s ski areas – Mt Norquay (which

will celebrate 90 years of operations this

winter), Sunshine Village (opening a new

chairlift with heated seats this autumn and

gearing up to host the Pond Skimming World

Championships next spring), and magnificent

Lake Louise – are all famous for their

feather-light, dry powder snow, uncrowded

slopes and varied, extensive terrain. Thanks

to very reliable snow cover, they also boast

some of the longest ski seasons in the world

– running for 7 months from early November

to late May each winter.

But while the skiing is “awesome” in the

modern sense of the word, the scenery

of the surrounding 1.6 million acres of

unspoiled wilderness that is Banff National

Park is truly awesome in the original

sense of the word. This unique, protected

winter playground in Canada’s original

National Park and one of the world’s three

oldest, is one of the most spectacular ski

destinations on the planet.

It’s that sense of indelible awe that the

Canadian Rockies inspire, and the chance

to stay in an authentic mountain town,

where nature rules and wildlife roams

free, that really make Banff truly special.

The town of Banff itself and its surrounding

area is one of the best ski towns anywhere.

Banff offers a huge range of high-quality

lodging options from simple B&Bs for

the budget conscious to some of the

world’s most iconic grand hotels such as

The Fairmont Banff Springs. There are

hundreds of dining options for all pockets

and tastes too, and a long list of winter

activities to enjoy off the slopes if you can

face taking a day off, or perhaps have

non-skiers in your party. Options include

dog sledding, skating on frozen lakes,

hot springs and spas, ice walking and

snowshoeing to name but a few. Banff is

also home to a much bigger selection of

shops than the ski resort norm, with a large

and eclectic range of establishments to

browse to your heart’s content.

The extra good news for winter 2015–16

is that the pound is riding high against

the Canadian dollar, meaning the best

value for more than 5 years, and there’s a

convenient daily non-stop BA flight from

Heathrow to Calgary meaning getting to

Banff’s slopes has never been easier or

more affordable. Last year’s double-digit

growth in travel from the UK to Banff looks

set to continue this winter.

INFO:

BA: ba.com

Banff: banfflakelouise.com

Big 3: skibig3.com

Ski areas:

Mt Norquay, Sunshine Village skibanff.com

The Lake Louise Ski Resort skilouise.com

Tour operators include: British Airways,

Canadian Affair, Crystal, Frontier Ski,

Inghams, Ski Independence, Ski Safari,

SkiWorld, Virgin.

OTM15 // 096

PAU

L ZI

ZKA

PH

OTO

GR

APH

Y

ourteen year old Brad

Rowell is an up-and-coming

freestyle snowboarder from

Dorset who trains on the

local Snowtrax dry slope and

is also part of the GB Park

and Pipe Academy. LTM

asked Brad about his career

to date and future plans.

You’re a member of the GB

Park and Pipe Academy;

how did that came about?

BR:After competing on the

UK circuit and gaining top

podiums for a few years I

needed to progress further

and wanted the chance to

train with some of the best

coaches in the UK and I was

invited into the GB Park and

Pipe Academy to train. I sent

in an application and was

chosen, and then I had to

attend a fitness evaluation.

What’s your favourite gear?

BR: I love my Buff gear. Buff

were my very first sponsor

and they are great designs,

really practical, so comfy to

wear, keep me warm and they

provide great protection!

Favourite tricks?

BR: Double Front Flip, Melon

900 and Cork.

You started as a skier but

switched to boarding...

how old were you when you

started skiing and why do

you like boarding more?

BR: I started skiing when

I was four and a moody

French ski instructor put

me off; then years later I

was bought snowboarding

lessons for my 11th birthday

and I got on so much better

and found it so much

more fun!

Finally, what are your

ambitions and targets for

the coming years?

BR: I would love to live in

Canada and snowboard

there and I aim to represent

GB at the Olympics one day

and to hopefully compete in

the X Games.

FB.COM/INTHESNOW bradrowellsnowboarder.com | buffwear.co.uk

Only a few years ago, websites that allowed you to

put together a ski holiday package quickly online

and compare it with competing offers were a nov-

elty, but in our fast-moving world of ever-evolving

websites and apps, those original sites already

seem badly dated.

But however high-tech the site, skiers need to know

that they are dealing with an established, reputable

company when parting with their cash, so it’s good to

hear that ski holiday specialists Skiline have invested

in a smooth new site ahead of the coming season.

In fact the ABTA travel agent’s site reported a

222% increase in onsite sales enquiries in the

fortnight after their brand new ski holiday website

was launched. Results show that enquiries from

organic search have more than doubled following

the launch in July.

Like many other ski holiday companies, Skiline

had previously relied on outdated technolo-

gy for their website which, having once been

cutting-edge itself just a few years ago, was now

stifling their ability to evolve.

The new site is far more user-friendly and generates

instant holiday prices from nine third-party travel

feeds, helping them to provide a much better in-

stant service and move ahead of their competition.

Focused on providing the best customer ex-

perience possible, the website was launched

fully optimised for search engines, with the key

focus now on increasing functionality through

non-desktop devices.

Ron Nayee, Director of POLARIS, the company

which built Skiline’s new site, said, “Skiline asked

us to design and develop a website that converts

the traffic we drive at a higher rate through im-

proved user experience and journeys.”

The upgraded Skiline.co.uk also offers dynamic

search functionality on travel dates, chalets and

destinations, making it very easy to locate a

desired ski holiday, regardless of booking criteria

such as size of group or time of year.

OTM15 // 098

NEXT GENERATION SKI HOLIDAY SITE GOES LIVE

@INTHESNOWMAG

P

RO

MO

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Book your equipment online, collect it from the ski store

www.skidiscount.co.uk

Pay up to 60% less than you would for the

same equipment in the shops

500 ski shops in over 300 European resorts

Over 20,000 satisfied customers since 2010

Skis and snowboards from trusted brands, chosen by respected

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Roofbox and Snowchain hire in the NW of England

nwroofboxhire.co.uk

Book your equipment online, collect it from the ski store

www.skidiscount.co.uk

Pay up to 60% less than you would for the

same equipment in the shops

500 ski shops in over 300 European resorts

Over 20,000 satisfied customers since 2010

Skis and snowboards from trusted brands, chosen by respected

mountain professionals

FRANCE | AUSTRIA | SWITZERLAND | ANDORRA | GERMANY | CZECH REPUBLIC

P

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Always Cosy Indoors But Can Also BeBig Outdoors ...

@INTHESNOWMAG

We all love ski resorts in the Austrian Tirol.

They’re famous for their cosy chalets,

friendly locals, substantial meals and always

being only a short transfer from the airport.

But these days, just having an unspoilt

village, family-friendly attitude and high-

value ski holiday may not be enough. You

may want one of those XL-sized ski areas

too, where you can ski for miles every

day and never take the same piste twice

(unless you liked it and want to) during your

whole week on the slopes.

For that you need to sacrifice all those

good things, pay a lot more and go

elsewhere right? Well, thankfully, no.

Investment in some very swish new

gondolas and comfy chairlifts (those giant

six- or eight-seat comfy-armchair-style ones

with heated leather seats and pull-down

windscreen covers) has led to ski areas

in the Tirol merging and expanding so

that today they have not only the biggest

ski areas in Austria, but also some of the

largest in the world.

The great thing is, though, you can still stay

in one of those friendly, cosy villages at the

base and access the huge ski areas above.

And making the most of technology does

not just mean installing the fastest, most

comfortable queue-gobbling lifts, but also

creating lift-pass networks that include

many neighbouring ski areas on one pass.

This means you can often use your ticket at

other areas a short bus ride away without

needing to pay out for a new pass.

The biggest of these, the Kitzbüheler

Alpen AllStarCard, covers more than

1000km of piste above dozens of ski areas

surrounding the famous resort of Kitzbühel.

Here are five of our favourite big ski areas

in the Tirol:

SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental

The name may be a bit of a mouthful, but

the long title underlines the fact that “the

SkiWelt”, as you are allowed to call it for

short, is the biggest ski area in the Tirol, in

Austria and indeed one of the biggest in

the world with 280km of runs.

Linking together the skiing above nine

villages – some of the best known including

Ellmau and Söll – with state-of-the-art lifts

and wide sunny pistes, the SkiWelt also has

Austria’s biggest snowmaking operation,

covering 85% of the slopes, so it can cover its

vast expanse very quickly when temperatures

drop, even when Mother Nature is playing

hard to get with the white stuff.

Although perhaps best known for being

big and with lots of snowmaking capability,

the SkiWelt also has a strong reputation for

being plain, simple fun with loads of terrain

parks and more than 70 jolly mountain huts

in which to make new friends when you

take a breather from all that piste.

Ski Juwel Alpbachtal Wildschönau

One of the newest big ski areas in Tirol

was created when two picturesque valleys

– Alpbachtal and Wildschönau – decided

that after 50 years of carving out their own

unique identities, the future lay in getting it

together and creating Ski Juwel. By joining

their ski areas together, they created a ski

domain with 109km of runs and moved

into the Tirolean top ten for size in the

process. The Ski Juwel’s longest top-to-

bottom run is the 7km-long Schatzberg–

Auffach piste.

Thankfully, even though they can together

now offer skiing for every taste, there’s

been no compromise on those individual

identities, and off the slopes the Alpbach

Valley and the Wildschönau will welcome

you with friendly local hospitality.

Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis Ski Resort

One of the least well known in the UK is

the big Tirolean ski area, Serfaus-Fiss-

Ladis, which has 160km of linked runs and

keeps winning awards for the quality of its

slopes and its services in public votes of

“Favourite ski areas”, so perhaps we ought

to get to know it better.

Its success as a family-friendly destination

is in part due to it investing in some

almost theme-park-like on-snow rides that

teenagers and young adults love, rather

than just focusing on younger children

as so many ‘family resorts’ do (although

they are top rated for youngsters too

with Berta’s Kids Land in Fiss, and

Children’s Snow Pasture and Murmli Park

in Serfaus).

Adrenaline-packed attractions include the

“Skyswing” – a giant swing – and the “Fisser

Flieger”, a kind of hang glider suspended

below a zip wire which you “fly” down

strapped beneath with up to three friends.

Zillertal Arena

The Zillertal Arena interconnect offers

skiers more than 140km of diverse terrain

to explore above the villages of Zell,

Gerlos, Königsleiten, Wald and Krimml on

one lift ticket.

What’s more, the area is located in one

of the Tirol’s most stunningly beautiful

locations, the Ziller Valley, and if you’re

staying for 4 days or more your lift pass

automatically upgrades to cover all the lifts

in the valley – the

other areas a short

drive away – tripling

your piste count on

the pass.

But you may never

feel the need to move

on, as the Zillertal

Arena provides skiers

and riders of all ability

levels a choice of

wide-open groomed

cruisers, narrow

classic runs, moguls,

steeps and trees,

all serviced by an

expansive state-of-

the-art lift network,

consistently earning

awards and praise in

international reviews.

TirolS

And a final mention

must be made to what will become one of

Austria’s three biggest ski areas this coming

season – the all-new TirolS area, which will

be the first cross-provincial-border ski area

linking the ski area above Tirol’s Fieberbrunn

with that of Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang

in neighbouring Salzburgerland to create an

area of 240km of piste. This is such big news

you’ll find a separate news story about it in

this magazine, and we’re sure it’s going to

be great.


TIROL INFO

visittirol.co.uk

Tirol’s Ten Biggest Areas:

tyrol.com/the-10-largest-ski-resorts

Kitzbüheler Alpen AllStarCard:

allstarcard.at

Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis:

serfaus-fiss-ladis.at/en

SkiJuwel:

skijuwel.com

SkiWelt:

wilderkaiser.info or skiwelt.at/en

Zillertal Arena:

zillertalarena.com

TirolS:

kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/fieberbrunn

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All Ambit3 watches come with full route navigation off ering the freedom to explore. Plan your own routes or download one from Movescount.

The wide variety of maps off ers you the tools to plan the best journeys: you decide if you want to follow the roads, or take the shortest route to the destination.

With the route and waypoints downloaded on the watch, follow the plan or just explore.

PLAN YOUR ROUTES

Did you know that Suunto Ambit3 Peak is the ultimate watch for mountain adventures? Track your ascent and descent, log your top speed and relive your adventures by making a Suunto Movie powered by Movescount.

For guided training, Movescount off ers training programs and a platform to build and follow your own schedules.

Use the Workout Planner* to create detailed interval workouts. Transfer up to fi ve interval workouts to your watch. Activate the workout at any time during an exercise and get voice guidance when you use your watch with Suunto Movescount App.

PLAN YOUR WORKOUTS

The Ambit3 GPS watches provide accurate speed, pace and distance and, with the Suunto Smart Sensor, let you train within your ideal heart rate zones. The Suunto Ambit3 Sport off ers specialised features for running, cycling and swimming.

While running, for instance, you can follow your real time running performance level versus your the 30-day average (powered by Firstbeat).

The Suunto Movescount App is like having Movescount in your pocket. Edityour watch settings, create interval workouts and sync them to your watch on the go. Your Moves made with Suunto Ambit3 are synced to your smartphone and transferred to Movescount.com

OPTIMIZE YOUR PERFORMANCE

SYNCYOURMOVES

SUUNTO.COM

IT’S SKI TIME!THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING

QUITE SIMPLYVAL D’ISÈRE

Val d’Isère is undisputedly one of the

world’s greatest ski resorts, and for

a sizeable proportion of skiers and

boarders it’s THE best. But how does

a first-time visitor to this French clas-

sic and its huge Espace Killy ski area

make the most of their holiday there?

The answer is to plan your trip with

the company that have built a reputa-

tion as THE Val d’Isère experts over

almost two decades, and are currently

a finalist in the Best Ski Travel Agent

category of the 2015 World Ski

Awards – Simply Val d’Isère.

The company were also shortlisted

for Best UK Specialist Travel Agent at

the World Ski and Snowboard Awards

in 2 successive years and offer the

widest selection of accommodation in

the resort that you will find anywhere,

and for all budgets. They are run by

a dedicated team of Val d’Isère afi-

cionados who have lived and worked

in the resort, winter and summer, for

more than 17 years and have actively

enjoyed everything it has to offer – so

they know what they’re talking about!

“I feel I know this beautiful resort

incredibly well and I set up Simply Val

d’Isère when I realised that there was

no specialist, experienced agency

available, dedicated to assisting

people in Val d'Isère to make the right

choices and get the best value for

money,” says Company Founder Kim

Rippin. “Over the years I have seen

time and time again skiers arriving

here but having their expectations

quashed due to the lack of knowl-

edge of their travel agent or lack of

experience themselves.”

Finding the right holiday can be an

expensive and often stressful choice,

but along with their local expertise,

Simply Val d’Isère allow you to book

with confidence, as all bookings are

fully financially bonded.

Uniquely, Simply Val d'Isère work with

all operators, hoteliers, ski schools

and in-resort suppliers and have

personally visited the majority of

accommodation available on the site.

If you wish, they can book the right

ski school for you from their personal

experience of all the options, have

lift passes waiting for you on arrival

and work with the only ski shop in the

resort offering overnight ski storage.

“The worry of having made the right

choice is now relieved. This is how

travel should be!” says Kim.

OTM14 // 0102 0345 021 0222 | simplyvaldisere.com

LIVE TO

SKICOURSES• All Terrain• Off Piste• Adventure• Backcountry

• Race • Backcountry Access• Pro Training• Junior Race

0844 543 0503 +44 870 122 5549

[email protected]

PAR TNERS

OVER 50 SKI COURSES ACROSS 12 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE

All Ambit3 watches come with full route navigation off ering the freedom to explore. Plan your own routes or download one from Movescount.

The wide variety of maps off ers you the tools to plan the best journeys: you decide if you want to follow the roads, or take the shortest route to the destination.

With the route and waypoints downloaded on the watch, follow the plan or just explore.

PLAN YOUR ROUTES

Did you know that Suunto Ambit3 Peak is the ultimate watch for mountain adventures? Track your ascent and descent, log your top speed and relive your adventures by making a Suunto Movie powered by Movescount.

For guided training, Movescount off ers training programs and a platform to build and follow your own schedules.

Use the Workout Planner* to create detailed interval workouts. Transfer up to fi ve interval workouts to your watch. Activate the workout at any time during an exercise and get voice guidance when you use your watch with Suunto Movescount App.

PLAN YOUR WORKOUTS

The Ambit3 GPS watches provide accurate speed, pace and distance and, with the Suunto Smart Sensor, let you train within your ideal heart rate zones. The Suunto Ambit3 Sport off ers specialised features for running, cycling and swimming.

While running, for instance, you can follow your real time running performance level versus your the 30-day average (powered by Firstbeat).

The Suunto Movescount App is like having Movescount in your pocket. Edityour watch settings, create interval workouts and sync them to your watch on the go. Your Moves made with Suunto Ambit3 are synced to your smartphone and transferred to Movescount.com

OPTIMIZE YOUR PERFORMANCE

SYNCYOURMOVES

SUUNTO.COM

IT’S SKI TIME!THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING

The ski areas of Fieberbrunn and

Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang

will be connected by a new

gondola this summer to create

one of Austria’s and the world’s

largest ski areas, due to open this

December 2015.

The plan, reported to be

a “dream of Fieberbrunn

for decades” and involving

the construction of a single

Doppelmayr 10-seat gondola lift

to link the two areas, was made

possible after the successful

conclusion of negotiations over

land rights.

Along with creating a 240km

ski area served by 68 lifts, the

connection, dubbed ‘TirolS’,

is significant as it marks a

ski-lift connection between

the two Austrian provinces of

Salzburgerland and the Tirol.

The €20-million project will

be 40% financed by the lift

companies involved and 60% by

bank loans.

With a capacity of 2600

guests per hour the new lift

will start from a bottom station

at Reckmoos Süd, have a

middle station at the base of

the Hörndlinger Graben near

the Pulvermacheralm, and then

continue up to the Reiterkogel in

the centre of the Skicircus.

A new 3.5km piste will run from

the Reiterkogel in the area

around the Vierstadlalm, with

a vertical height difference of

780m, and will be equipped with

powerful snowmaking facilities.

Austrian Ski Areas MergeTo Create New Super Region

Heavenly Skiing At Down To Earth Prices

M O U N T A I N H E A V E N

High Quality Catered + Self Catered Accommodation

French and Swiss AlpsSnow Sure Resorts

On / Near Piste locationsNo Hidden Extras

Financially Bonded

0151 625 1921mountainheaven.co.uk

MIC

HA

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ÖB

STL

Sponsors of Boot Room Sponsors of Boot Room

ATOMIC HAWX MAGNA 130 £320

Need a wide-fitting ski boot, but

still looking for performance and

comfort? The new wider-fitting

Hawx Magna is the answer, based

on one of the best-fitting boots

on the market, giving you

great hold for a sporty

fit combined with

enough width for

all-day comfort.

LINE SKIS MORDECAI £540

Achieving perfection means Eric constantly

feels his best skis can always be even better.

Eric’s new powder plaything is the lightest

ski for its width on the market making these

floaty, quick and manoeuvrable. You will be

amazed at how a ski this wide can be so

playful in so many conditions.

OTM15 // 0106

CAMPAGNOLO LINED KNITTED JUMPER £95

Traditionally designed

knitted jumpers with a

twist ... Not only will this

make you look good,

but lined with a special

windstopper fabric

it’ll keep you warm all

winter long. Now you

can wear this jumper

for life, not just for

Christmas!

BLACK CROWS CAMOX £550

The new all-mountain Camox now gives you the versatility

of an all-mountain ski and a powder ski in one. Whether

you’re skiing them aggressively all over the mountain or

cruising effortlessly through off-piste powder, these skis will

have you mastering lots of different conditions in no time!

SLYTECH BACK PROTECTOR NOSHOK XT NKD £130

SLYTECH NOSHOCK™ Honeycomb spreads impact

forces multi-directionally dissipating force from an

impact. Flexible memory foam softens from the

warmth of your back and hardens on impact, making

this one of the most unrestrictive backprotectors you

could wear.

PATAGONIA

REFUGITIVE MEN’S JACKET £360

Cleverly designed panels

of fabric combine mobility,

breathability and weather

protection. Stretchy

back panels give you

uninhibited movement,

lightweight fabrics give

you packable size and

GORE-TEX® C-Knit™ gives

you hybrid warmth and

weather protection for the

escape artist among us.

SHRED HELMET SLAM CAP FADER RUST £140

A lightweight revolutionary

helmet with SLYTECH

NOSHOCK™ Honeycomb material

embedded in its core. NOSHOCK

dissipates impact forces

multidirectionally, to minimise

forces transferred through the

helmet to your head. Its no

wonder riders like Tom Wallisch

are now choosing SHRED. ..!

MARKER KINGPIN BINDING FROM £375

The biggest game changer in

binding technology, a releasable

tech pin binding! Smooth,

flowing movement on the up,

with unrivalled alpine style

response and performance

on the down. Combine this

with its safety aspects and

ease of use and you won’t

want anything else!

@INTHESNOWMAG

SCOTT SCOTT AIR FREE AP 12L AVALANCHE BACKPACK £499

SCOTT’s removable airbag

system gives you the versatility

of moving the airbag to different

size backpacks. A combination

of tech design and airline-friendly

canisters and its low cost, ample

space and super-light weight (at

only 2.3kg total pack) make it one

of the best avalanche backpacks

ever produced.

MORE ATSKIBARTLETT.COM

With their renowned reputation for

specialist expert advice, combined

with their carefully selected and

tested range of products, it’s no

surprise that Ski Bartlett’s word of

mouth reputation over the last 50

years has made them the UK’s most

popular independent ski shop!

ROSSIGNOL MINIONS SKI AND HELMET £154 SKI + £55 HELMET

Based on the box office hit film Minions

these surely have to be the most popular

kids skiing graphics available this year! Your

kids are not going to want to stop skiing after

falling in love with these! … unfortunately

they’re not available in adult sizes!

VÖLKL 90EIGHT £424

The use of the same clever construction as the

V-werks skis makes these light, easy turning and very

manoeuvrable, a perfect-width ski for impressive

versatility between on- and off-piste. Darting around

the trees or cruising through powder, you won’t need

a quiver of skis when you’ve got a pair of these.

DALBELLO PANTERRA 120 £349

Dalbello’s renowned three-piece shell

gives you fluid flex and edge-to-edge

performance. Add on the advantage of

a ski/hike cuff lock and high-grip sole

for your hiking adventures. Integrate

this with an ID custom liner giving you

warmth, superb fit and comfort around

your foot and you have one boot for every

eventuality.

DOUCHEBAG WHEELIE SKI BAG &BIG BASTARD LUGGAGE BAG £199

Fed up hauling awkward, unwieldy luggage? Wish

you had another pair of hands? Designed by pro

riders, airline baggage handlers and engineers, the

Douchebags team have put together a clever award-

winning package – ease of use, tough fabrics and

modular design make this the

ultimate in luggage for all seasons.

ATOMIC JACKET RIDGELINE FLEX WOMEN’S £299

Freedom of movement with less bulk

makes the Ridgeline a comfortable

option if you’re an active skier. A fully

waterproof shell jacket that can be

combined with midlayers for cold

days, or utilised on its own on milder

days or rainy days back home!

ATOMIC VANTAGE 95 £475

Looking for a one-ski quiver? Wanting to

charge and grip on-piste but still need float

for powder? New Tank Mesh construction

makes these lighter, stronger and higher

piste performing than previous all-

mountain skis. These really are agile and

manoeuvrable in whatever conditions you

take them through.

ATOMIC BACKLAND CARBON BOOT £525

A lighter-weight boot with

increased range of ankle movement

making your uphills more

effortless. Heat-mouldable shell

and waterproof liner means you’ll

also be more comfortable. After

extensive research and analysis

of ski touring requirements,

Atomic have designed

arguably the best

touring boots on the

market!

OTM15 // 0108

BLACK CROWS CORPUS GTX MEN’S JACKET + PANT £550 + £450

Closely collaborating with

GORE-TEX® has allowed Black

Crows to push the design

barriers of high spec men’s

and women’s GORE-TEX®

clothing. With its mod-inspired

drop-tail styling and attention

to detail, this jacket will look

at home on the slopes or the

high street.

DIDRICKSONS IZUSA KID’S JACKET + AIANA PANT £65 + £65

A warm waterproof multi-use

jacket and trouser combo.

A hidden zip in the snuggly

high-chested trousers zips to

the jacket’s snow skirt making

a one-piece suit to stop the

weather getting in. Warm and

waterproof, you can wear these

separately or together whether

you’re skiing or walking the dog!

LANGE RX 110 WOMEN’S LV £349

Whether you’re skiing on- or off-piste

the snug-fitting RX range will move

with you, giving you the performance

you’ve been looking for for years in a

comfortable package. For the lady who

needs performance and

knows a good fit when

she feels it!

SCOTT SUPERGUIDE 95 £375

An evolution in SCOTT’s

high-performance

backcountry skis. The

materials and shape

have been carefully

designed to give you a

lightweight ski for touring

up, with no-compromise

grip, performance and

power for the downhill. A

touring ski that you’d be

happy to ski all over the

mountain.

FREERIDE | FREESTYLE | TOURING | TELEMARK | RACE | RECREATIONAL

Ski Bartlett, Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon, West London, UB10 0NP T:020 8848 0040 | E:[email protected] | www.SkiBartlett.com

Have you improved since you bought your current boots? Are they still comfortable? Did you know - ski boot plastic shells can now be heat moulded to the individual shape of your feet!

A pair of custom moulded boots are more comfortable than you can possibly imagine andgives better performance than your old ski boots ever could - you’ll be impressed when you try them!

Can you ski everything you want to? Or are you still having the hassle of renting equipment?Skis have become much more versatile and user friendly

helping you ski with less effort in lots more varied snow conditions!When you choose the correct ski for your ability level and preferred terrrain,

you will feel huge changes in the ease of use and your progression and enjoyment.Safety has also improved, helmets are sleeker but offer better protection,

avalanche transceivers are easier to use and airbag backpacks are becoming essential.The fabric in clothing is more waterproof and breathable and fillings are lighter but warmer.

Combined with the addition of anatomical shaping giving you amazing freedom of movement.More comfort in all conditions means you can spend more time enjoying your skiing!

Recent technology and innovation means ski equipment is better than it’s ever been before......isn’t it time you upgraded your equipment and made the most of your experience in the mountains?

Before you invest in your next trip...come and visit us today to ensure you have the correct advice from experienced equipment specialists.Bringing you the largest specialist range of skis & boots in the UK and advice and expertise since 1965.

We’ll always be here to help and advise you on the correct equipmentfor wherever your passions and dreams take you.

Custom boot fitting specialists. Ski Industries Of Great Britain official ski testers. Winner of the World Snow Awards - Best UK Speciailst Retailer

DOES YOUR EQUIPMENT PERFORM AS WELL AS IT SHOULD...?

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FP_240w_324h_LTM_wkg_Aug2.pdf 1 25/08/2015 15:34

FALKEENERGIZER SKI SOCK £40

Compressing the muscles around your feet and

calves eases lactic acid build up in your legs.

Combine this with the improved boot fit from the

anatomical shaping around your foot, warmth

from merino wool and quicker muscle recovery

and you’ve got a recipe for all day comfort.

FREERIDE | FREESTYLE | TOURING | TELEMARK | RACE | RECREATIONAL

Ski Bartlett, Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon, West London, UB10 0NP T:020 8848 0040 | E:[email protected] | www.SkiBartlett.com

Have you improved since you bought your current boots? Are they still comfortable? Did you know - ski boot plastic shells can now be heat moulded to the individual shape of your feet!

A pair of custom moulded boots are more comfortable than you can possibly imagine andgives better performance than your old ski boots ever could - you’ll be impressed when you try them!

Can you ski everything you want to? Or are you still having the hassle of renting equipment?Skis have become much more versatile and user friendly

helping you ski with less effort in lots more varied snow conditions!When you choose the correct ski for your ability level and preferred terrrain,

you will feel huge changes in the ease of use and your progression and enjoyment.Safety has also improved, helmets are sleeker but offer better protection,

avalanche transceivers are easier to use and airbag backpacks are becoming essential.The fabric in clothing is more waterproof and breathable and fillings are lighter but warmer.

Combined with the addition of anatomical shaping giving you amazing freedom of movement.More comfort in all conditions means you can spend more time enjoying your skiing!

Recent technology and innovation means ski equipment is better than it’s ever been before......isn’t it time you upgraded your equipment and made the most of your experience in the mountains?

Before you invest in your next trip...come and visit us today to ensure you have the correct advice from experienced equipment specialists.Bringing you the largest specialist range of skis & boots in the UK and advice and expertise since 1965.

We’ll always be here to help and advise you on the correct equipmentfor wherever your passions and dreams take you.

Custom boot fitting specialists. Ski Industries Of Great Britain official ski testers. Winner of the World Snow Awards - Best UK Speciailst Retailer

DOES YOUR EQUIPMENT PERFORM AS WELL AS IT SHOULD...?

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

FP_240w_324h_LTM_wkg_Aug2.pdf 1 25/08/2015 15:34

THIRTY TWOLASHED£209.95

Thirty Two’s Lashed boot is

definitely a top contender for

best all-round boot. Whether

you’re smashing the park or

surfing the powder this boot

will look after you. Its medium

flex throws up a responsive yet

easy-to-ride experience and this

season’s awesome colourway is

definitely a head-turner!

CAPiTA

DEFENDERS OF AWESOME£329.95

The CAPiTA Defenders of

Awesome is so much fun!

Amazing on side hits and

super playful while looking

good at the same time.

Even though it’s playful it

still feels stable enough to

charge around fast. All-round

awesome board!

ANON AERA HELMET £69.95

Black, Tartan and Leopard print all incorporated

into a peaked helmet; L.A.M.B really have pulled

out all the stops for this one. Warm fleece liner and

ear pads offer great warmth for those

cold days up the mountain, but the

active ventilation system allows

air flow to prevent overheating.

AIRHOLE SMILEY STANDARD FACEMASK£31.95

The Smiley Standard Facemask from the guys at Airhole will keep

you warm and dry while spreading positivity wherever you’re

shredding. Its ergonomic fit means practicality meets comfort

while featuring the classic Airhole breath hole. This is for

the riders who don’t take life too seriously.

VOLCOM ROLL BEANIE

£29.95

Volcom’s Roll-Up Beanie is the perfect

headwear to keep your noggin warm. Its

roll-over long fit means you can wear it either

baggy or regular fit.


VOLCOML INSULATEDGORE-TEX® JACKET£259.95

All Volcom outerwear comes

with ZipTech®, this allows you

to zip your jacket and pants

together so no snow can get

in when you bail. This jacket is

made of 2-layer GORE-TEX®.

DRAGON X2 GOGGLES

£224.95

The X2 Goggles from Dragon are awesome!

These frameless goggles offer one of the

quickest and easiest ways to change a

lens with their Swiftlock Lens Technology

just adding to Dragon’s catalogue of cool

features.

BURTON LEXA BINDING £189.95

This is a true womens-specific binding. It has an

asymmetrical highback and heel hammock, which

really locks you in place increasing response through

to your board. Smooth glide buckles make getting in

and out of the binding super easy, and the padded

ankle strap keeps you comfy all day.

MORE ATSPUTNIKSNOWBOARDSHOP.COM

Sputnik is one of the UK’s largest

independent snowboard shops. We

offer great choice and service to

all our customers. Whether you are

beginner or expert, we can kit you

out to ensure you have a great day

on the mountains.

SALOMON VILLAIN£349.95

The Villain from Salomon is the perfect

jib board with its Hybrid profile offering

up the best of both worlds allowing

for a playful ride with great control. Its

Popster Booster construction and NEW

Triax Fibre core gives greater pop and

response and the artwork looks rad too.

BURTONWANTED PARTY SOCK £17.95

Socks don’t have to be boring; let your personality shine

through! The Burton Party socks come in a range of colours

and graphics, and they’re technical too. They are made with

a merino wool blend which will keep you warm all day, and

elastic arch and ankle support.

BURTONL.A.M.B RIFF PARKA JACKET £259.95

When Burton and L.A.M.B come together to do a

collaboration you know you are going to get something

pretty special. The Riff Parka is certainly that. This punk-

rock-inspired jacket lets you rock both on and off the

mountain. Its dramatic hemline and floating back makes

sure you look good all the way through that 360º.

BURTON WALL MOUNTS£9.95

A must-have for any snowboarder. The wall

mount allows you to put your board on the

wall or celling, with or without bindings

attached. This allows you to keep the board

out the way or lets you display your pride and

joy for all your friends to see.

BURTON CARTEL BINDING £199.95

The Cartel offers riders great response and comfort at

a great price. The B3 gel in the baseplate gives added

dampening which keeps your legs feeling fresher

for longer. The lightweight ankle strap has

reduced padding allowing the strap to wrap

closer around your boot and increasing

response through to your board.

ANON RAIDER HELMET £54.95

The Anon Raider is a skate-inspired helmet designed for the

mountain. It has been stripped down to offer great protection at a great

price, without lots of features you are never going to use. It is fleece

lined and has removable ear pads and goggle clip, allowing you to

use it off the mountain too.

ANONM3 MFI GOGGLES MERRILL PRO£194.95

The Anon M3 goggle has magnets in the lens and

frame so you can change your lenses in a matter

of seconds to suit varying conditions. It also has a

magnetic strip under the frame allowing for the MFI

facemask attachment.


With the pound riding high against

a basket of ski currencies, and the

number of parts of your ski holiday you

can purchase in advance, the question

facing many budget-conscious skiers

and boarders these days is should you

wait for winter, to see if the pound gets

stronger still and buys you even more,

or cash in now?

Of course if you are booking with a tour

operator, you may just tick the boxes

to add your lift pass, rentals and tuition

to your package where offered, but if

travelling independently, or even if on a

package but wanting to buy the extras

separately, you have the choice of just

when to tap in your card details and

click “Buy”.

In many cases your tour operator will

have negotiated preferential rates

months ago, but as currency rates

fluctuate and resorts

and in-resort

retailers post

deals and

special

offers for those who buy direct on their

websites and social media channels, it

can be worth shopping around for deals

on lift passes, rentals and sometimes

even ski school if you have the time,

patience and nerve.

At the time of writing, the pound was

up more than 5% against the Canadian

dollar and a whopping 14% against the

euro as well as being up against the

Norwegian krone and many other ski

nation currencies. Only the Swiss franc

and the US dollar were outperforming

us, with the pound worth 8.5% less

than it was in summer 2014 against the

American currency.

The truth is, though, that no one really

knows if the pound will be stronger or

weaker than it is now, come Christmas.

Even though indicators may suggest it

getting better, or worse, the truth is that

chaos theory overrides all, so who

knows?

But the consensus from

the travel agency

seems to

be

“buy now”. You may think, “they would

say that!” … but there’s some reasonable

reasoning besides the desire for sales.

“I would say that the most important

aspect of booking your ski holiday is

knowing what your cost is going to

be, so we always recommend booking

in advance so that you are able to

budget,” said Jane Bolton, MD of tour

operator Erna Low. “We are looking to

introduce early-booking discounts for

ski hire, making it even more inviting

to book early, and some of the resorts

we work with also have good early-

booking discounts for ski passes

(La Rosière

and

Chamonix for example), so we are all

for booking early.”

“I’d suggest skiers and boarders look

out for some of the early-book offers

available through specialist ski tour

operators, as more often than not these

will surpass any benefit one might get

by waiting and booking direct,” agrees

Craig Burton, MD of specialist ski travel

agency Ski Solutions (skisolutions.com).

“For example, we had buy-one-get-

one-free lift passes in many European

resorts if you’d booked back before

31 July, and you will only get these by

booking in advance (usually just with a

low deposit upfront), and savings are

far more significant than anything you

would find nearer the time.

“No one really knows where the euro is

going. It could be weaker or it could

be stronger by the time winter

comes around. So I’d let the

tour operators worry about

currency movements

and bag a deal now!”

concludes Craig.

PAY NOWOR STICK?

YOUR 2015–16 SKI HOLIDAY COSTS


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S N O W S P O R T S R E T A I L E R

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4332 Love the Mountain Ad_240 x 324 + bleed.indd 1 12/08/2015 09:38

Julien Nicolas, the Managing

Director of SNCF’s official train ticket

distributor, Voyages-sncf.com, is

passionate about promoting the use

of rail services to reach ski resorts in

the Alps, but he is also enthusiastic

about winter sports himself.

British skiers can take a direct

Eurostar service from London to

Bourg St Maurice overnight or

during the day, for resorts such as

Les Arcs and Val d’Isère, or they can

travel on the new direct service from

London to Lyon, where there are easy

connections to Cluses, Grenoble,

Chambéry and Annecy, from where

it’s only a short transfer to resorts

including Morzine and Les Deux

Alpes. When you include the indirect

options via Paris or Lille, there is even

more options.

TGV Lyria services run direct from Lille

to Geneva, opening up a host of Swiss

resorts; TGV France Italy services from

Paris call at Bardonecchia and Oulx;

and overnight services from Paris

serve not only the popular Tarentaise

resorts but also those further south

such as Montgenèvre and Andorra.

How long have you been boarding?

JN> I’m originally from Lyon, very

close to the mountains, so I started

skiing when I was 4 years old. I started

snowboarding at 14 and have done

that ever since. I’ve always loved snow

sports and was President of the Ski

Association in my Business School.

One of my favourite resorts is l’Alpe

d’Huez; I always seem to have fantastic

weather when I go there. And I really

like La Plagne for the variety and sheer

number of pistes. But each resort has

its own character.

What do you especially like about

reaching a ski resort by rail?

JN> Rail travel in general is a more

relaxing way to travel, particularly

now we have more direct services

operating which take you to the

heart of the action. One of the major

benefits for skiers is that there are

no additional fees or charges for

carrying skis or snowboards on trains.

Overnight trains give you all-important

extra time on the slopes.

Do you have any top tips for people

to get the best prices when making a

Voyages-sncf.com booking?

JN> The golden rule of booking

rail tickets is always book as early as

you can. Tickets for Eurostar’s direct

services are already on sale and French

domestic services open for sale on 15

October for travel to 4 February. Sign

up for our email alerts via our website

at uk.voyages-sncf.com/eNewsletter to

be among the first to know the dates!

Have you got your ski holiday

organised for next winter?

JN> I haven’t, but I’ve already started

thinking about it! This year is all about

teaching my 5-year-old daughter to

ski. It’s her first time, so we need a

resort which is geared up for families

and young skiers. At the moment

we’re thinking about La Clusaz which

is part of the Famille Plus scheme

and so has a strong commitment to

providing families with the best holiday

experience possible.

Julien nicolas


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a skier knows.henrik windstedt in heli vertical. haines, alaska

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Love The Mountains (Vol 2) Winter 2015-2016

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