France
Frank stops to admire the view of Mont Blanc before making another run
A chance encounter during a visit to Les Arcs helped conjure up a whole series of reminiscences for former Skier & Snowboarder magazine editor Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin.
I am standing in the middle of Arc 1950 village and before I tell you more about my visit I have to admit to a special interest.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Peak Retreats, the French Alps ski specialist, is offering a new concept to help its clients break up their self-drive journeys to and from the French Alps. Adding to their range of en-route hotels, the ‘en-route escapes’ concept allows skiers to explore more of France on their way to or from their ski holiday.
As well as offering favourites such as Avoriaz, Tignes, Val Thorens and St. Anton, flexiski have added some fabulous new resorts such as Andermatt and Crans Montana in Switzerland and Alpe d’Huez in France with three-night breaks available from £320pp.
PHOTO © Andy Parant
Some 20 years ago a new mountain village concept was born, pioneering and innovative. An entirely pedestrian resort, ski-in-ski-out, with only the swish of skis on snow to break the silence. This was the visionary gamble of Canadian promoter “Intrawest” renowned for its Whistler and Mont Tremblant projects.
©Sylvain Aymoz14122141
Méribel ESF has announced a series of exclusive ESF Masterclasses to help take your skiing to new heights. ESF Masterclasses are designed to cater to all skill levels from a basic skier eager to improve to an expert skier intent on reaching new objectives. Masterclasses will run weekly for four weeks from Sunday, 7 January 2024.
Once the final skiers left the mountain last April, the famous Bellecôte Gondola was dismantled, and the 102 cabins went up for auction. These vintage bubbles, dating from 1973, had a starting price of €500 / £430 each and sold in just one-and-a-half-hours.
A new survey by ski chalet specialist Le Ski predicts that the UK snowsports market will grow by 14% in winter 2023/24. The survey was conducted by YouGov for Le Ski during August 2023 and showed that 1.12 million British skiers and snowboarders took to the slopes last winter.
As the 23/24 ski season approaches, winter sports enthusiasts can look forward to an array of exciting new offerings and innovative enhancements at top resorts around the world.
From expanded skiable acreage and state-of-the-art technology to luxurious accommodations and breathtaking amenities, these resorts are raising the bar to provide unforgettable experiences for guests. Here are plenty of reasons to book a snow trip this winter.
Travellers looking for luxurious accommodation options in Val d’Isère need look no further, as the mesmerising alpine destination has announced an array of exciting new accommodation offerings for the second half of 2023.
Ben Ross, Head of Travel @ Telegraph with Alison Willis from Peak Retreats. ©BenLis
Peak Retreats was named Best Ski Operator at the Telegraph Travel Awards on 11 July 2023. The Telegraph Travel Awards have been running since 1998, with the last taking place in 2019, when Peak Retreats also triumphed. The annual awards are decided by votes from Telegraph readers, with over 27,000 readers voting this year for their favourite destinations, airlines and travel companies.
The French resort of Tignes has announced that it plans to open for summer skiing and boarding from 17 June to 23 July, 2023.
The Les 2 Alpes glacier. PHOTO: Luka Leroy
The five-week season target is a far cry from the past when the French resort was able to open for snow sports 365 days a year.