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.
Crystal Ski Holidays has unveiled two new destinations for Winter 2023/24, including the exciting and rather unique destination of Spain, as well as the budget-friendly Slovenia.
Swap sun and sangria for après-ski and snow-covered mountains in one of Spain’s largest ski area at the Baqueira-Beret resort, which lies at the head of the stunning Val d’Aran, tucked away in the Spanish Pyrenees.
Croatia’s leading hospitality company, Valamar, is set to bring its high-energy [PLACES] offerings to the slopes of Austria this winter with the opening of Obertauern [PLACESHOTEL] by Valamar.
© SGFd.o.o
This marks the first expansion of the [PLACESHOTEL] series outside of Croatia and follows the success of two Valamar properties in Obertauern opening last winter – Kesselspitze Valamar Collection Hotel and Valamar Obertauern Hotel.
The pandemic may have prevented British skiers and snowboarders travelling to America over the last couple of seasons, but Colorado is making quite a comeback according to recent reports.
Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) announced at its 60th Annual Meeting that skier visits to its 21 member ski resorts increased nearly 8% over last year’s total. Using publicly available information, CSCUSA has estimated a new statewide record of 14.8 million visits. The previous record for visits was set last year when the total was 13.8 million.
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.
Nick Dalton has a laugh at this season’s Altitude comedy festival in Mayrhofen
“I snowboard so slow it’s impossible to injure myself – I got passed by a glacier,” chortles Andrew Maxwell, Irish, big bearded and wearing lederhosen.
North American specialist Frontier Ski is offering a 50% discount on stays at British Columbia’s Panorama Mountain Resort for 2023/24.
The offer includes a further 40% off transfers (a total saving of £1,200pp), and applies to accommodation at Peaks Lodge, Taynton Lodge, Panorama Springs and Summit Lodge.
Telluride in Colorado celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the resort’s opening on 15 March with a day of special events which included a free on-mountain event at Gorrono Ranch for anyone with a lift pass.
Near record-setting snowfall in Northstar California, Heavenly Mountain Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort in the Lake Tahoe region has added additional days to the ski and snowboard season in America.
Courmayeur in the Italian Alps is hosting a Family Easter Ski Week from 26 March to 2 April 2023 for children aged four to 13 years old.
The resort has partnered with Momentum Ski and UK-based children’s events company Archy Events to create a week-long programme based at the Hotel Pavillon, a family-run hotel situated in the village. The programme includes ski school and kids’ club and there is a large swimming pool and spa. Courmayeur is ideal for skiers and non-skiers with a wide range of activities, such as snowshoeing and fat biking.
British Racer Robert Holmes rounds-up the action from the English Alpine Championships held in Bormio recently
The English Alpine Championships is Snowsport England’s premier Alpine event when hundreds of the UK’s ski racers, along with their families, head to Bormio in Italy every year to compete – from children as young as eight right through to senior athletes.
Some of the Ladies Ski Club members after the Super G race
Members of The Ladies Ski club travelled to Cortina d’Ampezzo recently to compete in the 15th Amateur Inter-Club Championships (AICC).
The competition was hosted by the ski club SC18 and the event got off to a resounding start with a Super G race on a stunning piste below the Cinque Torri.
Ongoing snowfall in the French Alps is leading to a late surge in bookings for the rest of the season, according to UK tour operators.
After a spell of dry weather, there have been recent heavy snowfalls across many resorts in the western Alps, especially France, providing a good base for the next few weeks and going into Easter. The snow has followed by blue skies and spring-like temperatures, creating ideal conditions for many French resorts.
Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia is celebrating the end of the winter season by hosting the Revy Beer Festival. Skiers and snowboarders are often rewarded with great conditions at this time of year as Revelstoke is famous for its overnight snowstorms that occur well into April, making the area ideal for spring skiing.
Aspen Snowmass in Colorado, USA, is offering a host of activities for skiers and snowboarders after a day on the slopes. These range from adventure to cultural experiences and traditional après ski.
Ice skating in front of Limelight Hotel.
Snowmass has a 54-feet rock climbing wall at Limelight Hotel. This is the tallest indoor climbing wall in Colorado and includes three lanes for simultaneous climbing. For each 30-minute session, climbing shoes and harness, as well as guided supervision, are included.
A new 10-seat cable car in the Austrian resort of Axamer Lizum is now transporting skiers and snowboarders to the top of the mountain in just six minutes. Also new for this season are the kickers and rails installed at the newly designed Golden Roof Park near the Karleitenlift for experienced boarders and freestylers.
There’s a chance to combine some end of season skiing and snowboarding with great entertainment during the Altitude Comedy Festival when it returns to the Austrian resort of Mayrhofen from 3 to 7 April 2023.
Skier & Snowboarder magazine Swiss editor Mark Nicholls takes a Peak Walk.
Mark Nicholls hits the heights of Glacier 3000 for stupendous views and equally fabulous skiing in Switzerland
The view from the steel bridge, suspended between two peaks, is stunning.
Within the 360-degree panorama is the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Eiger and Jungfrau…and a flavour of the fabulous skiing below.
Val d’Isère in France is hosting some cultural events on the slopes this spring.
Running from the 6 – 9 March is ‘Classicaval’ which returns for the second time this season. The music ‘tells a story of passion in an exceptional mountain setting’.
Val Gardena, part of Italy’s famous Sellaronda ski circuit in The Dolomites, has a selection of events, parties and special offers to close out the 2022/23 season.
The ‘Rock the Dolomites’ music festival runs from 18-26 March 2023. The programme includes blues, rock ‘n’ roll, rock, pop, reggae, indie and funk.