There 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.
Argentina – Las Lenas
Credit – Mark Lasseter of Southamericaski
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.
Canada – Lake 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 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
Credit – Portillo and Adam Clark
Spectacular factor: Amazing slopes almost to yourself, VIP lodging in a historic lodge in the ski tracks of many great names from the history of skiing.
When to ski: Now (June to October)
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.
France – Pic du Midi
Credit – C. Etchelecou
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 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
Credit – Hans Solmssen
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 2400 square kilometres with 20 hours of daylight during the spring ski season.
Japan – Niseko
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 Zealand – Treble Cone
Spectacular factor: Think Lord of the Rings on snow with dramatic vistas out over the coast.
When to ski: Now (June to October)
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 boasts New Zealand’s biggest ski area in terms of skiable terrain (550 hectares).
Norway – Lyngen Lodge
Credit – G Austick
Spectacular factor: Amazing coastal scenery from unspoilt mountain terrain in Western Norway.
When to ski: December to May
Price range: £££
Skier level: *** to *****
Info: yngenlodge.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.
UK – Nevis 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.
When to ski: December to May
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 1,291 meters, 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.
USA – Heavenly
Credit – Vail Resorts
Spectacular factor: You have the West Coast US vibe and amazing views out across the crystal-clear blue waters of Lake Tahoe.
When to ski: December to May
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.
