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With a recent investment of nearly €80 million, Slovenia’s ski resorts have undergone a spectacular makeover, beckoning snow enthusiasts with a compelling blend of transformative resort experiences, top-notch infrastructure, and an array of affordable offerings.
As the majority of skiers and snowboarders wind down for the day or seek respite in the resort’s centre to explore the shops, a select few embark on a different journey back up the mountain, ready for a unique adventure on Pic Blanc in Alpe d’Huez.
The 23/24 winter season in Aspen Snowmass is well underway with the successful opening of all four mountains and an abundance of fresh snowfall in December. As well as new skiable terrain opening on Aspen Mountain, the resort’s calendar is jam-packed with a host of exciting events taking place across the mountains and the towns of Aspen and Snowmass, from the iconic Aspen Gay Ski Week to the exhilarating X Games. Here’s a round-up of what’s going on…
PHOTO: © Pyrène Duffau
With four mountain ranges and 21 mountain resorts, France’s third biggest mountain destination, Isère, is a winter playground for all abilities. With unrivalled diversity of resorts and a wide range of activities to suit all, Isère definitely has a resort for everyone, from pretty, traditional villages to world-renowned ski destinations.
PHOTO: © Paul Villecourt / outdoor-reporter.com
Action Outdoors, the UK arm of the not for profit UCPA organisation, with all-inclusive holidays centres across the French Alps, is offering more ski touring courses this winter than ever before, with over 90 weeks and short breaks available to book across the winter season.
For ski and snowboarding enthusiasts, there is no better way to maximise time spent on the slopes than opting for ski-in/ski-out accommodation. From Aspen’s five-star, five diamond hotel, The Little Nell, to sleek family-friendly property in Niseko, here’s seven great ski-in/ski-out accommodations around the world to get your powder fix.
Vaujany’s link with the Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine means skiers and snowboarders have plenty of terrain to choose from. PHOTO: © Julia Guerre
There is so much more to Vaujany than skiing and snowboarding, as Ashley Green discovered when he visited the area in the Oisans canton to find out what it is like to ‘ski like a local’.
It may seem unusual to start a feature about skiing in Vaujany with details about its museum but skiers and snowboarders visiting the resort in the Isere region of France should make sure they find time to pay it a visit.
© Innsbruck Tourismus – Markus Mair
With an international train station in the heart of the stunning alpine city, Innsbruck provides a unique opportunity for winter sports enthusiasts to travel by rail. Innsbruck Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) is a hub for major European rail routes, enabling visitors from London St Pancras to be in the Capital of the Alps in approximately 12 hours, depending on the route.
Hilary Everitt with Club Med ambassador Billy Morgan in Tignes
Dancing around with a trio of eight-foot-high robots adorned in flashing LEDs is not what Hilary Everitt expected from her trip to the traditionally tranquil resort of Val Claret in Tignes.
My companions and I were still digesting our supper when a siren summoned us to get up and dance with a group of gyrating robots who had entered the buffet restaurant where we were eating. From here the robots led us down to a theatre where a spectacular light and music show got the evening’s activities underway.
PHOTO: © Luciano Miglionico
Vail Resorts, Inc. has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland from CPI Property Group (“CPIPG”). Crans-Montana Mountain Resort spans over 1,400 metres (approximately 4,593ft) of skiable vertical terrain, and 140 kilometres of trails.
Flexiski, the specialist tailor made ski holiday company that hand picks unique and special places to stay, has launched its new winter programme for the 2023-24 season, with a number of new properties and a selection of new destinations.
PHOTO: racer-ready.co.uk
Netski, the newest brand in the family that includes the world’s largest ski rental chain SKISET, has announced a new partnership with a rising star of British skiing, Luca Carrick-Smith. The partnership deal includes support for the young ski racer that will help cover some costs as he goes into his first season targeting the Europa Cup races across Europe.
Switzerland’s Best Ski Resort 2023
Continuing with the success of winning awards in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, Verbier has been voted Switzerland’s Best Ski Resort 2023 for the fifth time in six years during the World Ski Awards 2023.
Building on the successful innovation of the launch of a “ski train” service, with the chartering of trains from London and Paris to the French Alps, Travelski – a subsidiary of Compagnie des Alpes – has launched a European request for bids to offer its customers a recurring low-carbon transport service by train from France, the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium (from Paris, London, Amsterdam and Brussels) to the French Alps over the three-year period from 2024 to 2027. Other routes from Spain are also envisaged.
PHOTO: TVB Stubai/SEBASTIAN MARKO
The Stubai Glacier will be the stage for Olympic medallists, World Cup overall winners and X-Games heroes this month when the first slopestyle World Cup points of the new winter season will be up for grabs.
PHOTO: © Oesterreich Werbung, Christoph Oberschneider
As we move towards winter, now’s the time to plan some quality time with family and friends – so take the opportunity to create some unique memories that will last a lifetime by experiencing a winter holiday the Austrian way.
This winter Switzerland’s beautiful car-free village of Mürren will host the 100th anniversary celebrations for the world’s oldest alpine ski racing club, the Kandahar, which was founded by the British in Mürren on 30 January 1924 and still has its HQ there.
PHOTO © Alex Moling
This year’s ski season in Alta Badia gets underway on 5 December and its annual culinary event – The Gourmet Skisafari – is celebrating its 10th edition on Saturday, 9 December. It will feature no fewer than four Michelin starred chefs – Massimiliano Alajmo, Andrea Berton, Simone Cantafio and Tomaž Kavčič.
Picking the right ski resort can often be tedious and difficult but that doesn’t make it any less important – especially for beginners new to the realm of snow sports. One of Europe’s leading holiday operators, Sunweb, has analysed the number of green and blue runs in 16 of Europe’s top ski destinations revealing the best location for fledgling skiers, with La Plagne emerging as the most beginner-friendly resort, with a total of 79 green and blue runs, allowing new winter sports enthusiasts to make the most out of the trip.
Pierre & Vacances has introduced a new range of Sunday-to-Sunday options for the upcoming ski season. Recognising the additional stresses often associated with changeover day, the leading provider of self-catered accommodation across Europe hopes that bringing greater flexibility to everyone’s favourite alpine fix will bring a host of additional benefits.