InTheSnow | Issue 66 | January 2020

INTHE

ISSUE 66 | JAN 2020

LOCATION: STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, COLORADO | SKIER: BILLY GRIMES | PHOTO: NOAH WETZEL

SKI NEWS

SNAPSHOT In A Hurry? Here Are Some Of Ski’s Current Top Stories ...

LAST CONTINENT TO GET INDOOR SNOW SLOPE Big SNOW, North America’s first indoor snow centre for skiing and boarding, has opened around 11 years after it was built. It had been mothballed since 2008 following the economic crash.

STRANGLERS TO PLAY FREE ALPINE CONCERT

SNOW & BEACH FESTIVAL ANNOUNCED

A new ski resort has just opened 65km east of

British rock band The Stranglers will play a free concert

The new Outpost Festival launching from 2 to 5 April

capital Tashkent that’s been built at a cost of €100

in the Swiss Alps in March at the 10th edition of the

will be staged on the ski slopes of southern Spanish ski

million, offers 5★ accommodation and has lift passes

Rock the Pistes music festival in the Portes du Soleil ski

resort Sierra Nevada before continuing down on the

costing less than £15 a day.

region. Music fans need a lift pass to get up to the gig.

beach by the Mediterranean Sea.

92-YEAR-OLD HITS SLOPE FOR THE FIRST TIME

WORLD’S LONGEST ARTIFICIAL SKI SURFACE

SKI RESORT DECLARED “CLIMATE NEUTRAL”

A care home resident has fulfilled his wish to go skiing

What is claimed to be the new longest artificial ski run

The Austrian Tirol ski resort of Ischgl has been

for the first time, just a couple of months before his

yet built has opened in Chechnya, Russia. A precise

declared climate-neutral by the German company

93rd birthday. Robert Trulocke said it was a “boyhood

length of the slope has not yet been published, only

ClimatePartner. From this season all ski lifts are

ambition” that had finally come true. Full story inside.

that it is the “longest in the world”.

powered almost entirely by renewable energy.

CAREUK MILLERS GRANGE

© SILVRETTASEILBAHN AG

SKIING IN UZBEKISTAN?

COURCHEVEL TOURISM

BUMPER START TO THE SEASON IN FRANCE

One of Australia’s leading ski areas suffered extensive

Ski resorts in France reported a bumper start to the

damage from this year’s bush fires. Selwyn Snow’s base

season, with sales up 3% to 70% for December and

buildings and lifts were destroyed. The resort’s owners

January, despite national rail strikes. The northern Alps

are now focused on building an even better resort.

and the Pyrenees saw the biggest growth.

JAAP ARRIENS/NURPHOTO

AUSTRALIAN SKI AREA DEVASTATED BY FIRE

30-YEAR, CHF100 MILLION PLAN TO SAVE GLACIER

SKI RESORT SELLS LIFT TICKETS ON AMAZON

A Swiss glaciologist aims to make 27K tonnes of snow

US Resort Crystal Mountain has made history by

every day in an eco-friendly way and deposit this on top

becoming, it believes, the first resort to sell lift tickets

of the largest glacier in the Eastern Alps. He believes

through Amazon. Amazon Prime members will have

this will lead to the glacier starting to grow again.

the tickets delivered within 24 to 48 hours.

XINHUA

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CONTRIBUTORS

Dominic Killinger

Megan Hughes Sega Fairweather Debbie Gabriel

dom@inthesnow.com

HIGH-SPEED LINKS FOR 2022 WINTER OLYMPICS

EDITOR

Patrick Thorne

Tom Showler Rocket Base

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

tom@rocketbase.co.uk

Debbie Gabriel debbie@inthesnow.com

Services have begun on the world’s most advanced high-speed train connecting Beijing with its 2022

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SOCIAL DIGITAL & CONTENT EDITOR

Megan Hughes

Winter-Olympic co-host city Zhangjiakou. The service

SUB EDITORS

travels at up to 350kph, cutting journey times by 75%.

Nick Jones Marion Adams

WEB & DIGITAL DESIGNER

Max Spooner-Blind EQUIPMENT BY

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The ski season is now in full swing, and thankfully, after the usual autumnal “will it, won’t it?” snow nerves, it has started out being one of the best this century in terms of the number of ski areas that were fully open

by Christmas. Let us hope that it continues in that vein and the snow keeps falling and the temperatures stay low.

Following the December election we do now have some sort of clarity about the future for our travel to ski resorts in Europe and for British companies who organise our holidays there. Exactly what will change, if anything, still depends on haggling between governments, and we live in hope that we’ll be able to travel to the mountains as easily as we can now, and that Brits will still be able to work seasons in the Alps as they can now.

That will all play out through 2020 ahead of next season. Well, unless it comes down to the wire at the end of December when winter 2020/21 is underway, that is.

In any case, you can already make a firm decision about where you’ll be at the start of 2021 if you like. Larger tour operators are already selling holidays through to Easter 2021.

But I am wishing away our current 2020 ski season too soon; it’s not even halfway through yet! There are still plenty of holidays to book and some good deals coming through (check out the Deals section on the InTheSnow.com website), so if you’ve not planned a trip yet, there’s still plenty of time. As the days get longer while the snow keeps falling, and as the atmosphere is more relaxed on the slopes, the latter half of the season is usually a great time to hit the slopes. Enjoy.

patrick@inthesnow.com

ALL DAY, EVERYDAY COLIN WILI

P O W G L O V E S . C O M

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@ P O W G L O V E S

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P :

M A R C O

C A M O Z Z I

FROM STRICTLY TO SNOW Actress turned Strictly star Catherine Tyldesley took to the longest indoor real-snow slope in the UK to add another skill to her extensive repertoire – skiing.

After taking part in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing last year, Catherine decided she wanted to push herself even further and learn a new skill in just one day.

Swapping her dancing shoes for skis and her ballgown for thermals, Catherine (whose television credits include Coronation Street, Holby City, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, Sorted, Florence Nightingale, Red Riding, Shameless and Trollied), took to the sub-zero temperatures of the Chill Factore indoor snow centre near Manchester for its popular

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Guarantee to Ski course. Involving six hours of tuition – which can be taken in one day, a few days or even over several weeks – the course promises to get absolutely anyone skiing, even if they’ve never even put on a pair of skis before.

Catherine learnt ski basics from how to put on skis to sidestepping, from body posture to snow plough, until she progressed to the dizzying heights of Chill Factore’s 180m main slope, learning to turn.

“I’ve had the best day learning to ski at Chill Factore! My husband, Tom, is a really good snowboarder, so I’ve always wanted to learn so that we can go on holiday as a family,” said Catherine.

She added: “I was really apprehensive about going onto the slope before today, but the course has built up my

confidence. My instructor was fab, and even though he had to coax me down the beginner slope to start with, I learnt the basics really quickly. I can now say I’ve skied on the longest indoor slope in the UK, and I can’t wait to hit the mountains next!”

Speaking about Catherine’s progress, Chill Factore CEO Morwenna Angove said: “Catherine completely threw herself into her lesson and quickly picked up the necessary skills for skiing.

“The course is perfect for anyone who’s considering a holiday on the slopes and wants to learn before they go away. It will give you the confidence to go straight onto the mountain when you’re on holiday, meaning you can spend more time with your friends and family rather than taking your lessons in the mountains. With such amazing

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snow in the Alps this year, everyone will want to maximise their time skiing or snowboarding while they’re away!”

The Guarantee to Ski Chill Factore’s Guarantee to Ski course is available from just £125 and can be taken over three weeks, two days or in a full day so you can learn in a timescale that suits you. What’s more, Chill Factore will offer extra lessons free of charge if you’re not slope-ready by the end of your course. It’s also available for snowboarding, but courses must be booked and taken by 1 March 2020.

JAN20 // 005

SKI AFGHANISTAN IN 2020 ISHKAR Explore, a social enterprise that runs trips to places including Afghanistan and Iraqi Kurdistan, are launching a completely unique backcountry skiing experience to the historic Bamiyan valley, a stable region of Afghanistan, in February and March. “This is a chance to see the country that exists beyond the headlines and ski undiscovered mountains,” an ISHKAR spokesman said. ishkar.com

SKI UNTIL 9PM AT AUSTRIAN RESORT When the sun sets behind the mountains overlooking the Austrian ski area of Nassfeld, floodlights are switched on and

NEW HI-TECH SKI RENTAL CHAIN OPENS IN OVER 80 RESORTS

the ski day continues. Every Saturday until the first week in

A new way of booking ski rentals

code with geolocation of your nearest in-

online chat service available with your local

March, the lights are on from

online is aiming to streamline

resort shop. You then get Fastpass pick-up,

shop for any personal assistance as required.

6.30pm until 9.00pm on the

the process considerably. Netski

avoiding queues with priority assistance

The web app also includes a wealth of

2,200m specially dedicated piste.

aims to seamlessly link online

when picking up your ski hire, or direct

practical information on all aspects of your

“Skiing under the stars is a unique

selection and reservation of your

delivery of ski gear to your accommodation

ski holiday destination besides rentals.

experience that every winter sport

rental gear with fast delivery once

upon arrival. The package also includes safe

Netski has launched with nearly 100 shops

enthusiast should try,” said a resort

you’re actually in resort.

storage of your equipment with ski lockers

in France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and

The system works by generating a QR

complete with boot dryers, and there’s an

Spain. netski.com

spokesperson.

FANCY A FLUTTER? After a full renovation programme, Megève’s casino has reopened under new management with stylish and welcoming decor throughout. The Casino Le Stelsia also features the chic RendezVous nightclub and is open late each evening.

SUNLIGHT EXPANDING Sunlight ski area in Colorado has

NEW DIRECT FLIGHTS OPEN UP BOSNIAN SKIING

started work on a 40.4-hectare expansion of its skiable terrain.

New direct flights from Luton Airport to

Balkan Wars, in the decades since then the

has opened. The Olympic rings are back on

The $4 million (around £3 million)

Sarajevo this winter from FlyBosnia are

ski slopes have been restored and indeed

display at the base of the slopes too.

project over three years will create

making it much easier to reach the ski

now boast some cutting-edge lifts.

With equipment hire €12 (around £10)

two new ski runs with a combined

slopes of Bosnia, where ski competitions

The two main mountains, Jahorina and

per day and food and drinks payable

total of about 40.4 hectares of

were staged at the 1984 Winter Olympics,

Bjelašnica, are less than an hour’s drive

in the local “Bosnian marks”, prices are

mostly expert-grade ski terrain

where Torvill and Dean won Gold.

from the airport. Jahorina’s lifts include

very low. Bristol-based travel company

Although in more recent history Bosnia and

three high-speed six-seat chairlifts, and this

Ski Sarajevo has been operating to the

Sarajevo were at the centre of the horrific

winter a new state-of the-art gondola lift

resorts for six years.

and will eventually see a new chair lift to its East Ridge.

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NEW BEACH & SNOW FESTIVAL

FREE TRANSFERS TO AUSTRIAN RESORTS

A new “boutique adventure festival” has been

Klagenfurt Airport in Austria have teamed up

announced that will combine days on the ski slopes

with easyJet and two of the leading ski resorts in

with partying on the beach.

the region to offer skiers a free transfer from the

Taking place from 2 to 5 April 2020, the Outpost Festival

airport to their resort hotel which they say could

is promising “3 sunrises, 3 sunsets, 2 days skiing and

save up to €200 (around £170). Well-known ski

1 day by the beach”, with organisers claiming it is “…

resorts close to the airport include Schladming

the first of its kind in Europe, a unique and unrivalled

(120 minutes’ drive), Nassfeld (60 minutes) and

weekend adventure to share with like-minded souls.”

Bad Kleinkirchheim (aka BKK; 50 minutes).

The festival kicks off with a weekend in Sierra Nevada,

“The airport prides itself for speed and getting

Spain, where treats awaiting festival-goers include “…

people through it fast, and with easyJet flights

breakfast feasts, a tapas village, healthy high primal and

from Gatwick to Klagenfurt skiers can be on the

flow experiences, bubbly hot tubs, snow fun, sunset

slopes within two hours of landing at the airport,”

summit climbs, snow circle picnics, boozy book clubs,

said a spokesperson for Klagenfurt Airport.

trail running, climbing, altitude bonfires and a private

The free transfers offer, available to participating

beach,” the organisers say.

hotels in Schladming-Dachstein and Nassfeld, means

Ticket priced from £649 include a three-day escape (and

that parties can choose between stays of three nights

only requiring one day off work) plus two days’ skiing,

(Saturday to Wednesday), four nights (Wednesday to

three nights in 4★ accommodation, three breakfast

Saturday) or a week. Currently, you can book a four-

feasts, a spa retreat, wellness programme and all

nights’ stay with half board from £348pp.

Outpost terrace experiences. ouroutpost.io

airport-klagenfurt.at/destinations

Heavenly Skiing At Down To Earth Prices

5% DISCOUNT

QUOTE CODE ‘ITS’

High Quality Catered + Self Catered Accommodation French and Swiss Alps

STAR WARS™ JACKETS GO ON SALE Columbia Sportswear have

either a black “dark side” jacket with

and “You underestimate the power

unveiled their new “Challenger™

Imperial details or the grey “light side”

of the dark side,” in the dark Imperial

Jacket Star Wars™ Force

jacket with features honouring the

version. The lining of each jacket

Edition”, the design of which

Rebel Alliance. The design of the Star

matches Luke Skywalker and Darth

the company say is inspired by

Wars™ Force themed jackets includes

Vader’s lightsabers, which appear in

“the ultimate battle between

nods to Aurebesh, the primary

the graphics, and there are many other

the light side and the dark side

language in the Star Wars™ galaxy.

Star Wars™ references in the design.

of the Force.”

The coded messages in the jackets

The jackets are unisex, priced at £190

Fans of the long-running franchise, can

translate to “May the Force be with

and available while stock lasts.

“choose their allegiance” by buying

you” in the light Rebel Alliance style,

columbiasportswear.co.uk/c/starwars

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JAN20 // 007

Snow Sure Resorts On / Near Piste locations No Hidden Extras Financially Bonded

0151 625 1921 mountainheaven.co.uk

29 FEB-7 MAR

I-4 MAR 20

AJ Bell Courmayeur Classic

Everest in the Alps Challenge

NSPCCSki

Italy After 10 years of the annual Alpine Challenge event in Morzine, the first ever “AJ Bell Courmayeur Classic in association with the City Ski Championships” will take place this winter, retaining the fun, camaraderie and healthy competition of the Challenge and raising funds for Snow-Camp. snow-camp.org.uk

Verbier | Switzerland A gruelling four-day ski touring event which will see participants climb 8,848m – the height of Everest.

Each day participants ascend between 2,000 and 2,500 vertical metres, spend around 11 hours out on the snow and burn up to 4,000 calories, raising money for a brain tumour charity. everestinthealps.com

Chamonix | France For the past three years, NSPCCSki has been raising funds for the NSPCC with help from the organisers at Infinitum Group and Ten80 Events. Approximately a third of the trip cost is donated to the charity, and participants enjoy three days of fun with a great bunch of people. nspccski.com

CHARLIE DAVIES PHOTOGRAPHY

30 JAN-2 FEB

4 APR 20

8 APR 20

Supporting Wounded Veterans Ski Challenge Klosters | Switzerland

Breck Pride Charity Ski Race

Les 3 Vallées Charity Day

Breckenridge | Colorado | USA First staged at last year’s Pride, the new Charity Ski Race benefits the One Colorado Education Fund, an organisation working to help make a brighter future for our LGBTQ community. Participants must make a credit-card donation to the group before the race. gobreck.com/event/breck-pride

France What started as La Tania Charity Day years ago has now moved to Méribel Village and is a full-on endof-season party all for a good cause. All proceeds go to the Sebastian’s Action Trust and Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer. Last year’s event raised €33,000 (around £28,000). latania.co.uk

LOUIE TRAUB

OFFICE DU TOURISME LA TANIA

5-8 MAR 20

During the Ski Challenge, participants compete with and against other veterans in challenges designed to ensure that able-bodied and disabled skiers compete on equal terms. The event has raised around half a million pounds for wounded veterans. supportingwoundedveterans.com/ski-challenge

CALENDAR CHARITY SKI EVENTS 2020 I7-21 APR 20

25 APR 20

2-I3 MAY 20

Patrouille des Glaciers

Bikinis for Breast Cancer

Arctic Charity Challenge

Switzerland Not a charity event but Ski 4 Cancer, the specialist cancer respite charity, is looking for participants in the legendary ski event which crosses the mountains of Switzerland to fundraise for them by taking sponsorship to participate. ski4cancer.org/Ski4Cancer_Events

Lake Louise | Alberta | Canada There are a number of charities raising funds to help fight breast cancer in North America with Boarding for Breast Cancer running events at US resorts. Bikinis for Breast Cancer is a long-running “ski or board in your bikini” event in Canada for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. skilouise.com

Norway A 12-day Arctic Charity Challenge incorporating seven days on a remote Arctic wilderness expedition crosscountry skiing (no previous experience necessary) on the island of Spitsbergen (Svalbard). Participants are expected to raise funds for charity to cover the £4,250 trip costs plus a donation. charitytravelandtrek.com

08 // JAN20

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TEENS CAUGHT BOARDING ON ROAD Two teenagers, aged 18 and 19, have received summons to appear in court on 10 February after police caught them snowboarding on a public road during a snowstorm in Vermont. A police statement said that the pair "recklessly created a risk of obstruction of vehicular traffic PLAY AROUND AGENCY

"IBIZA STYLE" PARTY IN THE FRENCH ALPS

in an area known for an already high incidence of winter weather-related motor vehicle crashes.”

DRONES REPLACE FIREWORKS Switzerland’s famous St Moritz ski resort decided not to stage their traditional New Year’s Day firework display over the lake, but instead staged a 10-minute-long drone

PLAY Megève, described by its

dancing, dining and VIP treatment.

yoga sessions and helicopter flights over

show. A fleet of 100 drones worked

promoters as “the ultimate party

Taking place in Megève, the event will

the Mont Blanc glacier.

in formation 100m above the frozen

on the slopes”, is returning to the

bring Ibiza-style DJ sets to the mountains

Packages start from €399pp (around £340

lake to create a multi-coloured

French Alps from 27 to 29 March 2020.

alongside pop-up bars and food trucks

pp) and include two nights’ accommodation

display and three-dimensional

After a successful inaugural event last

serving local cuisine.

in a shared chalet, inclusive food and

winter, the exclusive three-day festival

Guests will stay in the “Play Around Village”

beverages at selected times, access to all

will see 200 guests from all over the

of chalets, and additional activities on offer

the PLAY Megève events and a yoga class.

world combine a long weekend of skiing,

to attendees will include sauna, hammam,

Flights and transfers extra. megeve.com

images in the sky.

30-YEAR PLAN TO SAVE GLACIER A Swiss glaciologist is aiming to create a system that will make 27,000 tonnes of snow every day in an eco-friendly way and deposit this on top of the largest glacier in the Eastern Alps. He believes the CHF100 million (around £79.4 million) 30-year project will lead to the glacier starting to grow again.

BALKAN HOLIDAYS EXPAND PROGRAMME

WORLD CUP FINALS IN ITALY The Finals, set to take place 18 to 22 March 2020, will mark the

Balkan Holidays, which specialise in

longer than via Slovenia’s main gateway

for Slovenia,” said the company’s Head of

holidays to well-known Eastern European

of Ljubljana, they will be only 2.5 hours to

Marketing, Louise Newton.

ski destinations, have dramatically

the leading Slovenian ski area of Kranjska

New airports served from the UK for

increased their flight route options to

Gora via Salzburg.

this winter are Belfast, Birmingham,

in Cortina and won by local athlete

Slovenia this winter.

“We have wanted to expand our Slovenia

Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Leeds

Kristian Ghedina. There will be nine

Flying in via Salzburg in Austria, Balkan

programme for a long time, and adding

Bradford, Liverpool and Manchester.

races featuring around 150 athletes

Holidays now provide flights from

Salzburg flights from the regional airport

Existing airports continuing to be served

from 20 nations and drawing an

11 airports for winter, up from three

hubs makes sense. These new flights and

are London Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.

anticipated 28,000 fans.

previously. Although transfers will be

hotels make us the number-one choice

balkanholidays.co.uk

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return of men’s ski races to Cortina.

It will be 30 years after the last men’s World Cup stage was held

JAN20 // 009

WORDS: MEGAN HUGHES

THE ATHLETES TO WATCH THIS WINTER

Dave Ryding Alpine Skiing

Alpine ski racer Dave Ryding is perhaps one of GB Snowsports’ most familiar faces, having put in some epic performances on the slalom circuit over the past few years.

Last season, he became GB’s mostdecorated alpine skier ever at World Cup level, defeating world champion Marcel Hirscher to place second in the World Cup parallel slalom in Oslo. This was a career-equalling best that joins his silver from Kitzbühel in 2017 and makes him one of Britain’s brightest snowsports hopes for the coming years.

With Hirscher (arguably the greatest slalom racer of all time) having retired over the summer, and a number of exciting races coming up this January, this may just be Ryding’s best chance to finally achieve that long-soughtafter top spot on the podium. @daveryding

010 // JAN20

Jasmin Taylor

James Woods

Telemark

Freestyle Skiing

The first Briton to win a World Championship medal in telemark skiing, and with an amazing 29 podiums to her name, Jasmin “Jaz” Taylor is one of Britain’s top wintersport athletes of all time. After finishing third in the overall World Cup standings last season, she is aiming to build on her technique and improve on these results this season.

Jaz is also a key voice in the campaign for telemark to be included as an Olympic sport, an appeal which was ultimately declined at the final stage last year, but which marks a serious step in raising the profile of the sport. @jaztelemark

Growing up learning to ski at the Sheffield Ski Village, James “Woodsy” Woods has gone on to hit great heights on the global freestyle scene, with six Winter X Games medals across the Big Air and Slopestyle events, as well as two top-five Olympic finishes.

Woods reached a career high last winter, winning Slopestyle gold at the World Championships in Utah, in particularly tricky weather conditions.

This was Great Britain’s third medal of the 2019 Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding World Championships, and the first gold World Championship medal from a Brit since 1936!

Unfortunately Woods has recently suffered an MCL injury that may see him miss a significant portion of this season, but we’re hoping he has a speedy recovery as he remains one of GB’s most entertaining athletes in the build-up to the 2022 Winter Olympics. @jameswoodsy

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IZZY & ZOE ATKIN

Fiona Jamison

The Atkin sisters have had a fantastic season so far, both already claiming medals at World Cup events. Olympic slopestyle bronze medallist Izzy took her first Big Air World Cup medal of the season just before Christmas, placing third against tough competition in Atlanta. Then, younger sister Zoe put in a storming performance at the Halfpipe World Cup in Copper Mountain last month to top the podium with a gold medal.

These two are certainly exciting prospects for GB Snowsport’s future. @izzyatkin @zoeaatkin

Fiona Jamison is the top female freeride athlete in the UK, having achieved her best results to date last season, coming third, second and first in Freeride World Qualifier (FWQ) events. The little brother to the Freeride World Tour, the Freeride World Qualifiers offer athletes a route to a spot in the big leagues.

Jamison’s consistent performance has driven her to aim even higher this winter, competing in even more 4★ Freeride World Qualifiers. As well as competing, Fiona is also highly passionate about promoting women’s freeriding and engaging more women in this sport, and that’s one resolution we can definitely get behind this January! @fsjverbier

Freestyle Skiing

Katie Ormerod Snowboarding

One of Britain’s top medal hopes for an Olympic medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang before she was ruled out due to injury, Katie Ormerod is back and looks in great form for the winter ahead.

Despite being away from World Cup competition for almost two years, Ormerod has already returned to the top of the sport with a podium place in the first Big Air competition of the season in August in Cardrona, New Zealand. Ending 2019 fourth in the World Cup Big Air overall standings, we’re pretty excited to see how 2020 shapes up for Ormerod. @ormerodkatie

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Freeride Skiing

JAN20 // 011

TIROL WERBUNG / MALLAUN JOSEF

Kappl, See & Galtür These connecting villages next to Ischgl in Paznaun are particularly suitable for those seeking peace and quiet, especially as the through road is closed over winter. Together the three areas offer more than 100km of slopes, speedy lifts, funparks and night skiing. Every Tuesday, See puts on an entertainment programme comprising torchlit descents, firework displays and a DJ set. Plus, Silvapark Galtür offers the chance of a ski safari in a piste-grooming machine. galtuer.com/en

St Christoph

When we think of ski destinations, we often think first of countries and then narrow the choices down. But in a very few cases there are also regions which are home to so many great ski areas they actually offer more than many entire countries do!

The most famous of these is the Tirol region, home to most of the best-known resorts in Austria (and the world) as well as many of the most snow-sure in the Alps – in early autumn half of the ski areas already

012 // JAN20  PROMO

open in Europe are in Tirol.

But with 80 ski resorts to choose from in Tirol, together offering more than 3,000km of piste, it can be hard for some of the province’s smaller areas to get a look in when everyone knows Ischgl, St Anton am Arlberg and Mayrhofen.

Not so well known are their neighbours Kappl, St Christoph and Eggalm, and yet these small-butmighty destinations tick plenty of boxes, offer great value and in many cases link to their bigger siblings; there is never a shortage of slopes!

So, here’s a bit of background:

Located at 1,800m above sea level, St Christoph is one of the highest ski resorts in the Alps. Although it is smaller than lift-linked St Anton am Arlberg, it has a cosy, welcoming atmosphere with rustic lounges serving traditional cuisine, while providing the same access to the 305km of marked runs and 200km of off-piste. Tuck into a hearty meal at Hospiz Alm in St Christoph; not only is the food delicious but there’s also a slide to the bathroom … stantonamarlberg.com

Eggalm Situated halfway up the mountain, between Mayrhofen and Hintertux, Eggalm offers skiers and

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snowboarders perfectly groomed slopes and skiing to the front door.

During winter, Eggalm becomes part of the Ski & Glacier World Zillertal 3000, which, along with Hintertux Glacier, Rastkogel, Finkenberg, Penken and Mayrhofen, offers 202 km of pistes. eggalm.at/de/

Axamer Lizum Only 19km from Innsbruck, Axamer Lizum has 10 cable cars and 40km of pistes and ski routes. Thanks to its high-altitude location (reaching 2,340m), it is referred to as the “white roof” of the Innsbruck Olympic region. It might not be the biggest resort, but there is something for everything, and freeride skiers can enjoy the Golden Roofpark. axamer-lizum.at/en/

Niederau Immediately recognisable by its pointed church steeple, Niederau is the first village guests reach in Wildschönau. Its easy-beginner slopes and demanding valley runs mean the resort attracts a wide variety of skiers and snowboarders.

Take a break from the pistes, clip on a pair of snowshoes and trek across the fields, or jump on a toboggan from the top of Lanerköpfl and whizz down the 6km track to the village. wildschoenau.com/en/

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TOMORROWLAND BACK IN ALPE D’HUEZ The huge Belgian electro music festival “Tomorrowland Winter” returns for its second winter edition from 14 to 21 March 2020 in the French resort. Some 25,000 festivalgoers from 113 countries will be in resort to see an impressive line-up performing on over eight stages, including the largest stage ever erected above 2,000m.

BRITISH-BORN AMERICAN OLYMPIC MEDALLIST JOINS BRITISH SKI TEAM

ALTA BADIA INVEST IN COLFOSCO Italy’s Alta Badia region have invested in their Colfosco sector and particularly the Stella Alpina run.

A new Leitner six-seater detachable grip chairlift replaces the old drag lift

to the GB set-up while targeting success at

“This is a great opportunity for me to start

on the slope, which itself has been

(FIS) has approved an application

the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing,

again and compete in three events in 2022.

widened, and the snowmaking on

submitted by British-born Gus

China, GB Snowsport say.

I have strong roots in the UK and have

Kenworthy to compete for GB

Kenworthy, who won silver in Sochi,

been close with many of the athletes,” said

with a 5,000m3 underground water

Snowsport.

already holds a UK passport and qualifies

Kenworthy, adding, “I am also doing this for

supply tank.

Having previously competed at two Olympic

to compete for GB Snowsport having been

my mother, who was born and lived in the UK

Games (Sochi 2014 and PyeongChang 2018)

born in Chelmsford, Essex, and he also has

for much of her life; she has always been my

for the USA, Kenworthy will add experience

a British-born mother.

greatest supporter throughout my career.”

CHRIS KAMMAN

The International Ski Federation

the run has also been upgraded

POLE DANCER SUES SKI RESORT A pole dancer who was crushed by a falling tree at Russia’s Roza Khutor ski area, one of the Sochi 2014 Olympic venues, has sued the resort. Maria Sirotenko, 29, suffered 17 fractures when she was hit and has required three major surgical operations since the 2017 accident, which now allows her to walk again – but she is permanently registered as disabled.

SLOPE BECOMES “NOSTALGIA RUN”

MONTANA RESORT TO INSTALL FASTEST SIX-PERSON CHAIRLIFT IN NORTH AMERICA

Parsenn ski area in Davos down to

Big Sky Resort in Montana has announced

In a resort statement, Big Sky, which has

Swift Current 6 marks the fifth major

first recorded downhill ski descents

it will install a major new chairlift, the Swift

one of the continent’s five biggest ski

Doppelmayr lift infrastructure project at Big

Current 6, for the 2020/21 season.

areas with almost 2,428 hectares of skiing,

Sky in the past four years, including the

This new six-person, high-speed chair

said the new lift is the next step in their

continent’s first eight-seat chairlift.

run” with information boards and

with a signature Big Sky Blue Bubble and

strategy to create the most technologically

Construction will commence as soon

pictures showing the run’s history

ultrawide heated seats will also become the

advanced lift network in North America, a

as possible following closing day of the

fastest six-person chairlift in North America.

key pillar of the Big Sky 2025 vision.

current season on 19 April.

A 12km-long descent from the the village of Küblis was one of the

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made in 1895. Now, 125 winters later, it has been made a “nostalgia

and the development of the Parsenn ski area.

JAN20 // 013

With most of the media coverage of Iraq over the past 30 years focused on dictators, death, deserts, death and religious zealots and more death, the thought of actually going skiing there might not have entered your head. Unsurprising really. You may not even have realised there were mountains, with snow, there.

However, the country’s Zagros Mountains climb above 3,600m and there is now a ski resort in Iraq, as well as a UK-based tour operator organising ski trips there, even if they cannot be

014 // JAN20

IRAQ

considered your “usual” ski holiday.

Korek Mountain resort is located in the semi-autonomous and normally most stable (Turkish invasions permitting) Kurdistan area in the north of the country. A total of $95 million (around £72.2 million) was made available for the resort’s construction a few years ago, with access provided by a Doppelmayr-built gondola which rises to approximately 1,700m above sea level.

There is not a lot of skiing going on at Korek, it seems. Most of the people who visit have no idea how to ski and are there for sledging and other mountain-fun activities. Snow cover can also be “problematic” – but

nonetheless you can ski here.

Korek is part of an Iraq ski trip which will be organised for the fourth successive winter this year by tour operator Untamed Borders.

The 10-day trip predominantly involves ski touring in the mountains, including the slopes of Halgurd – Iraq’s highest peak – and other areas, many of which have never been skied before. However, the trip dates also coincide with the Choman Winter Festival and the Iraq Ski Rally. The Winter Festival started in 1952 but was stopped under Saddam; however, it has been revived and now includes a fun ski touring race designed for

people of mixed abilities.

“For a country more associated with deserts, Iraq has some great mountainous terrain in the northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region which we will explore with a qualified international ski guide,” said an Untamed Borders spokesperson.

Guests should have some prior experience of ski touring and be able to make their turns in all conditions. This year the company is running an optional 10-day add-on crossing the border over into Iran to continue skiing.

The trip costs to $2,400pp (around £1,825pp) excluding travel, for which possible routes into Kurdistan can be advised on request.

UNTAMEDBORDERS.COM/SKI-IRAQ

TH IS YEAR IN SKI ING

VAIL RESORTS && TOMASCOHEN

BY PATRICK THORNE

100 YEARS AGO 1920: The 1920s were a big decade in the development of modern skiing and ski racing. In 1920 the great skiing pioneer Hannes Schneider formalised

VAIL RESORTS ANNOUNCE $200M PLUS UPGRADES SPEND IN 2020

his ski teaching technique, the basis of how we ski today, into an instructional system which became known as the Arlberg Technique.

50 YEARS AGO

Vail Resorts have announced they

resorts operated by the company has

will also be a high-speed quad chairlift to

1970: Most of the ski areas that are now

expect to spend $210 million to

almost doubled to 38 with 19 ski areas

Peak 7 in Breckenridge and a high-speed

counted among the world’s leading

$215 million (around £154 million

added to the 19 they already owned at the

six-seater chairlift from Keystone Base Area,

to £165 million) on upgrades in

start of this year, so the spend appears to

upgrading a quad.

2020, about 10% more than the $190

be being spread further.

“As our company grows, we are determined

million to $195 million (around

The headline project for next winter 2020/21

to grow thoughtfully and with our mission

£145 million to £150 million) they

include the McCoy Park terrain expansion

always in mind: to create an Experience of

spent in 2019.

at Beaver Creek, one of Vail’s two original

a Lifetime for our guests,” said Rob Katz,

Risoul, which shares the “White Forest”

That said, during 2019 the number of

resorts. Continuing the Colorado focus there

Vail Resorts Chairman and CEO.

region with neighbouring Vars, and Piau

ski areas opened in or before the 1960s, but some are more recent and celebrate their 50th seasons this winter or next. Among them are California’s Homewood ski area, family-friendly

Engaly in the French Pyrenees.

25 YEARS AGO 1995: England’s longest dry ski slope opened in December 1995 on a natural slope in the Chiltern Hills. It incorporated a 300m cross-country ski trail in a 30.35-hectare woodland setting by Wycombe Summit and was closed again a decade later after a fire destroyed base buildings. Plans for a snowdome on the site never happened, and now the future is housing.

SWISS RESORT ADVISES SKIERS TO TAKE THE BUS

10 YEARS AGO 2010: An Olympic year: the 21st Winter

Ski resorts across the Alps reported

car that they would be turned away.

mountain than usual.

bumper visitor numbers over Christmas

New Year week is usually one of the

“There are no more parking spaces

and New Year, but that caused issues

busiest, if not the busiest, of the season,

available in Saas-Fee!” a spokesperson for

for some in managing the influx of skiers

but this year the good snowfalls in

the resort said, advising, “All 2,800 parking

successive Games in Asia or Europe’s

and boarders.

November and December, building

spaces are occupied; further arrivals

most distant eastern fringe. The games

Saas-Fee in Switzerland, famously a car-free

bases at many resorts, then followed

will not be admitted to the car park. We

were marked with a shortage of snow

resort, was among areas reporting its car

by great sunny weather conditions over

therefore ask you kindly to arrive only

at some venues with helicopters and

parks were completely full on several peak

the fortnight from Christmas, appear to

by bus. Which is more fun and also more

dates and advised anyone else arriving by

have drawn even more people to the

environmentally friendly.”

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Games were held in Vancouver, the second time Canada staged the event and the last Games before four

trucks bringing it in before things turned colder.

JAN20 // 015

DAVID ANDRE

Life used to be a lot easier. We used to see the stats published by the world’s ski regions, and it was pretty clear that with 600km of slopes, Les 3 Vallées in France was the world’s biggest area, and it was fairly easy to put together a top 10 of next biggest beneath it.

than those Mr Schrahe has measured (you can download his official list free of charge at pistelength.com if you’re interested), here is the list of the biggest areas for 2020.

For some reason, despite all of the above, we’re still fascinated:

True North American ski areas measured their dimensions by slope area, not length, which made comparison a bit difficult across the Atlantic. Plus the boundaries of ski areas have different meanings in the Alps to the Rockies.

And there was the question of whether an area where you needed to jump on a bus for five minutes to make a key connection between one part and the other was really a complete area or not. If you did include them, Italy’s Dolomiti Superski with 1,200km of slopes was usually counted as the biggest on one ticket. But still it was fairly straightforward to make a list.

However, over the past decade or so things have become more complicated. Tech advances and business partnerships mean there are now ways of buying passes that are valid at dozens of ski areas, together covering thousands of kilometres of piste. Do you count them?

And a German ski area designer, writer and cartographer, Chris Schrahe, decided to make accurate independent measurements of ski areas for the first time and found the numbers claimed by ski areas was generally exaggerated, sometimes wildly exaggerated.

And someone pointed out that it was a little odd that a ski area that had said it had 600km of slopes 40 years ago, and over the decades since had each winter said it was adding new runs, a few kilometres more each season, was still saying they all still added up to 600km four decades later (the unofficial answer to that by the way was that the number had become a kind of trademark and was no longer intended to be a precise measurement).

And someone else said, “Well, they might potentially have 500km of slopes but they don’t often have everything open,” and indeed in December the Zermatt-Cervinia area was claiming to have the biggest area open in Europe, although in stats terms it’s not quite in the top five, and in the USA it was a similar story for Mammoth Mountain, which has less terrain than Whistler or Park City but had better early-season snow this season so could actually open more than them through Christmas.

And finally somebody questioned whether it really mattered how big a ski area was if you were quite happy with a few dozen runs or couldn’t actually ski the whole area in your week’s holiday anyway.

So with that rather long preamble, and the proviso that these are the official stats rather

Including Courmayeur, Méribel, Les Menuires and Val Thorens … pretty much the undisputed number one by all measures, even Mr Schrahe’s (though he has a different kilometres total).

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I. LES 3 VALLÉES France | 600km

2. SELLARONDA Italy | 500km

Including Val Gardena, Arabba, Val di Fassa and Alta Badia. An unofficial measure based on valleys linked up around the Sellaronda, all part of the Dolomiti Superski pass.

3. PARADISKI France | 425km

Including the already huge individual ski areas of La Plagne and Les Arcs which have been linked for more than a decade by the impressive Vanoise express double-decker cable car crossing the valley between them.

4. LES 4 VALLÉES Switzerland | 412km

Including Verbier and Nendaz – one of the world’s cult favourites; it announces it will “split up” (with the different lift companies offering separate passes) every few years but so far has stayed intact.

5. MILKY WAY

France & Italy | 400km Linking 2006 Winter Olympic venues like Sauze d’Oulx and Sestriere with Montgenèvre over the French border.

6. MATTERHORN SKI PARADISE

Switzerland & Italy | 360km Linking Zermatt and Cervinia and as mentioned above, claiming to have the biggest area open in Europe (and probably that means the world) at the start and end of the season.

Also getting bigger (see below).

7. SAALBACH– ZELL AM SEE Austria | 345km

New in for winter 2019/20 and not officially counted by the resorts concerned, a piste from Saalbach down to the base of a new gondola that lifts you up to Zell am See’s ski area creates the new biggest ski area in Austria, overtaking the current largest area, which is the Arlberg around St Anton and Lech Zürs, with 305km of runs. Mr Schrahe says this is

a connected area and has put the combined piste length at 345km, making it the fourth biggest in the world by his accurate measuring system, behind Les 3 Vallées, Paradiski and Sellaronda/Marmolada. However, skiers do need to take a short bus ride travelling in the other direction from Zell back to the Saalbach, and this is one reason the region is not yet claiming an official combined area stat and the biggest-in-Austria title.

8. LES SYBELLES France | 310km

Least well known of the big areas resorts here include La Toussuire and Le Corbier.

9: ARLBERG

Austria | 305km As mentioned under Saalbach, above, the former largest or still the largest ski area in Austria, depending on your point of view. St Anton and Lech are its best-known resorts.

10: VAL D’ISÈRE & TIGNES France | 300km

Formerly called Espace Killy, but the Killy name is no longer well enough known apparently.

ALSO NOTED: The Portes du Soleil currently claims 600km of runs (it formerly claimed 650km) spread across the French–Swiss border, but some sectors require a bus connection.

Kitzbühel and the Austrian SkiWelt’s ski areas are also included on one pass and separated by a short bus ride; together they add up to more than 400km of piste. Some argue that if you are going to include the new Zell am See–Saalbach connection with its one-way bus trip needed in one direction, you ought to include this too.

Mr Schrahe has Whistler Blackcomb in Canada and Park City in the USA in the world top 10 by measuring their trail lengths (for which there are no official stats).

There are others that might be included if you are happy to allow for short bus links.

BUBBLING UNDER: There are a number of projects that may create new top 10 entries during the 2020s. They include plans to lift-link the ski areas of Alpe d’Huez and Les 2 Alpes in the southern French Alps, which have been mooted for years but seem to be finally happening and have the potential to create a world top-five ski area.

There are also plans to expand the Zermatt– Cervinia ski area further into Italy’s Aosta Valley to potentially create the biggest ski area in the world, as well as one of the most snowsure. These appear to be progressing although another proposed link to Swiss neighbour Saas-Fee seems to have stalled.

JAN20 // 017

LAKE LOUISE

We all have different reasons for choosing where to go on our ski holiday. Price and value are a big factor of course; sometimes we want a huge ski area or a big vert or perhaps just to tick one off the bucket list.

But how about the magnificence of the scenery? Places that make you glad to be alive just being there, even before you push off on that first run of the first day of your holiday?

Rockies have that real Rockies wilderness wow factor, truly spectacular peaks providing a fantastic backdrop to the world-class ski slopes here too.

Crans Montana:

Here are some of the most stunning:

It’s a little unusual as Crans Montana isn’t so much fantastic to look at as fantastic to look from. The resort sits on a snowy “balcony” above the Rhône valley, across which skiers look out to a magnificent vista of many of the great peaks of the Alps. The sun rises behind them though, which makes resort and slopes nice and sunny but isn’t great for taking pics of the mountainscape.

Grindelwald, Mürren, Wengen:

Mayrhofen:

Known collectively as the Jungfrau region, these classic resorts share what is commonly agreed to be one of the most spectacular mountainscapes on earth dominated by the Monch, Jungfrau and Eiger peaks.

The stunning Ziller Valley is a pristine as well as beautiful area close to Innsbruck, which not only is one of the easiest areas to reach from the UK but also offers hundreds of kilometres of great skiing on one regional pass, all in a very beautiful area.

Banff, Lake Louise: A lot of people are a little underwhelmed by the rather flat and over-developed mountains that many famous North American ski resorts inhabit. But the Canadian

018 // JAN20  PROMO

Chamonix: Located in the valley below Western Europe’s highest peak, Chamonix is chock-full of fantastic

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vistas around every corner and off every lift. They even helpfully provide a glass cube, “Step into the Void”, 3,842m up, where you can look straight down 1,000 vertical metres below your feet.

Zermatt: A truly special place, some visit and never see the Matterhorn (a mountain so good it’s made it onto an equally world-famous chocolate bar), but when the clouds clear it is just an awe-inspiring sight, dominating the resort.

Fortunately, you can still enjoy a very well-priced holiday and top value at any of these stunning ski areas (which also include some of those with the biggest verticals and biggest ski areas – the spectacular scenery is just a bonus) by booking ski holidays with specialists Destination Ski. Destination Ski offer a huge range of holidays to many top ski resorts across Europe and North America with a focus on flexibility, service and price; they can tailor-make bespoke packages to meet your exact needs, and as a specialist independent agent, offer impartial advice on the best destinations and deals.

DESTINATIONSKI.COM

HERBERT RAFFALT

CAREUK MILLERS GRANGE

FIRST TIME ON THE SLOPES AGED 92

WORLD’S LONGEST ARTIFICIAL SKI SURFACE

SCHLADMING UNVEILS 10-SEATER GONDOLA

A 92-year-old care home resident has fulfilled his wish

What is claimed to be the longest artificial ski

Schladming-Dachstein in Austria’s Styria is replacing

to go skiing for the first time.

run yet built has opened in Chechnya, a federal

the old six-seater lift on the Planai ski area with a new

Robert “Bob” Trulocke, a resident at Care UK’s Millers

republic of Russia.

10-seater gondola.

Grange in Witney, has always wanted to go skiing but

The new slope has been built by Italian

The new 3.6km-long Doppelmayr D-Line lift can

thought he’d missed his chance. He was inspired to

manufacturer Neveplast and is 1,130m long, just

transport up to 3,800 people per hour – an increase of

consider it again when Millers Grange team members

overtaking the previous claimant of the “longest in

over 70% on the previous gondola – and is equipped

encouraged him to pursue it as part of their “Wishing

the world” title, which opened in 2016 at Kagura in

with ergonomically shaped individual wood and leather

Tree” initiative through which residents are empowered

Japan, with a run claimed to be 1.1km in length.

seats. The cabins consist mainly of glass offering a

to take up any activity they choose – from flying on a

The slope has been built as part of the “all-

unique panoramic view of the surrounding mountains.

plane to enjoying a fish and chip supper.

season tourist cluster Veduchi”, a group of ski

The new lift takes 12 minutes to make its ascent,

The closest Bob had previously come to skiing was

resorts developed in the Caucasus region with

travelling at 6m per second, with both the middle and

when he and wife Renee decided to go up in a ski lift

support from the Russian government in an effort

top stations of the lift completely rebuilt to give easier

when camping in Switzerland years before, but that was

to diversify the local economy in this “politically

entry and exit to skiers and boarders thanks to the

summertime.

troubled” region. The ski centre opened last year.

adapted driving speed in the stations.

At Snozone Milton Keynes, Bob used an accessible ski

“Our task is to make Veduchi a place where you

The “old” six-seater bubble lift was dismantled and has

to try doing the Slalom helped by Snozone staff.

want to not only come but also come back again

been shipped to Argentina where it’s being rebuilt at the

“It was fantastic to finally get to ski, and I want to thank

with family and friends,” Chechnya’s Minister for

Las Leñas ski area.

everyone who made it possible, particularly the team at

Tourism, Muslim Baitaziev, said, adding, “In the

Schladming, which is within easy reach of Klagenfurt

Snozone and my friends at Millers Grange who arranged

future, the Veduchi resort will also have a unique

Airport (120 minutes’ drive), has joined the airport and

everything. It made me feel alive. Age doesn’t have to

giant cable car, one of the few in the world, as well

easyJet in giving skiers a special offer in providing free

hold you back from your dreams.”

as the only year-round ski run in the country.”

transport directly to selected hotels worth over €200 return (or approximately £170).

5 star Aparthotel

Chamonix Mont-Blanc - France

RÉSIDENCE & SPA VALLORCINE MONT-BLANC 5 minutes from your breakfast to the ski slopes !

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RESORT:INSIDER

MAYRHOFEN

ZILLERTAL TOURISMUS GMBH

One of Austria’s top resorts, the third largest community in Tirol, close to Innsbruck, home to the Altitude Comedy Festival and a perennial favourite with British skiers, Mayrhofen offers skiing on two separate mountains, the larger of which is reached by the impressive Penken cable car.

The local ski area is extensive, but the regional Zillertal pass, provided automatically when you buy a lift pass valid more than one day, increases the area covered further to more than 500 runs served by 180

020 // JAN20

lifts across the wider Ziller Valley.

It’s not high is it?

At 630m above sea level, Mayrhofen is indeed one of the lowest-altitude major ski resorts in the Alps, but fear not, you can hop on the bus and pop up to the Hintertux glacier, less than 30 mins away with nice big wide pistes and not usually busy. Its lifts climb up above 3,200m, and it’s one of only two ski areas on the planet open 365 days a year.

Worth a reservation?

Goldkind tops the TripAdvisor reviews table for the 100 or so cafés, bars and restaurants you have to choose from in Mayrhofen. Serving international

cuisine from breakfast through to dinner, it’s praised for quality, service, imagination, friendliness and value – but you do normally need to book because it is so good.

Must ski?

Is it a cliff?

Is it a ski jump?

No, it’s the much-hyped Harakiri piste, dubbed the steepest in Austria. With a vertical drop of 375m and over a kilometre and a half in length, the Harakiri reaches an inclination of up to 78%. There’s some debate among those who have skied it as to how scary it really is, with the cool ones saying it’s nothing special, but the rest of us are suitably alarmed.

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Famous places to pop by?

The Happy End, located opposite the entrance to the Penkenbahn, run by former Austrian ski racer Ulli Spiess, is a popular, friendly bar. One of many here.

Nervous beginner?

With lots of long, wide and gentle blue pistes served by easy-toboard chairlifts, Mayrhofen is an ideal choice. The best blue piste on Penken is run 14, which runs parallel to the Tappenalm chairlift. Other fine runs include blues 28 and 29, but they are not as wide so good to progress on to when turning skills are tightened up.

@INTHESNOWMAG

BY PATRICK THORNE MALCOLM MCCURRACH/HIE /CAIRNGORM MOUNTAIN (SCOTLAND)

COURCHEVEL TOURISME/ALEXIS CORNU PHOTOGRAPHY

CAIRNGORM MOUNTAIN SWITCHING TO BIOFUEL Snowmaking, road-clearing and other diesel-fuelled machinery at Cairngorm Mountain above Aviemore

STAY FREE IN LES 3 VALLÉES WHEN YOU BUY A LIFT PASS

in Scotland is set to be powered

by HVO biofuel in a move which is expected to cut carbon emissions from the equipment by up to 90%.

HVO is described as “a second-generation biofuel made

There’s an unusual low-season

accommodation – in a self-catered

one of Europe’s longest gondola lifts.

March deal for skiers and boarders

apartment – to skiers buying a six-

Every Monday morning in Orelle, skiers

who base themselves in the resort

day Les 3 Vallées Pass Tribu, which

can meet at the Place du Télécabine

of Orelle in the world’s biggest

costs €297 (around £255). The offer is

and discover the local ski area between

ski area with some 600km of piste,

available from 28 March to 3 April.

Orelle and Val Thorens accompanied by

Les 3 Vallées, this winter.

Orelle is located in Val Thorens’ unofficial

a guide. This is free for people holding a

The resort is offering free

“fourth valley” – linked to Val Thorens by

valid lift pass. orelle.net

from renewable, sustainable raw materials”.

It’s the latest Scottish ski area to increase its use of renewable energy. Nevis Range introduced its own hydro-electric plant to cover its energy needs several years ago, and The Lecht uses a wind turbine to power its all-weather snowmaking system.

Last year, Cairngorm introduced a TechnoAlpin Snowfactory allweather snowmaking system and added eight new snow cannons, but these have been running off diesel-powered generators as an

©HECKMAIR

GET AVALANCHE AWARE Henry’s Avalanche Talk have launched a

if the worst-case scenario happens.

Schniewind, who continued, “Having a risk

new season of on-snow training courses,

Courses take place between Tuesday

reduction framework and check list and

complete with avalanche safety modules

and Thursday throughout the winter

more importantly, applying what’s on it,

for off-piste riders, running over one or

season and are led by HAT founder Henry

will mean that skiing off-piste doesn’t have

three days.

Schniewind, otherwise known as “Mr

to be any more dangerous than driving a

For recreational skiers or instructors

Avalanche”.

vehicle on the road. If you don’t apply your

looking to improve their skills and train

“Our big focus is on applying the

knowledge, then off-piste skiing can be

for their mountain safety examinations,

knowledge we have learned because

extremely dangerous. We teach people

the courses, based in Val d’Isère, provide

evidence suggests that complacency is

to avoid unnecessary errors in the same

training in terrain management, risk

one of the biggest factors when it comes

way a surgeon or soldier might use in their

reduction methods and rescue techniques

to getting caught in avalanches,” said

everyday work.” henrysavalanchetalk.com

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interim measure until the mains electricity supply can be upgraded.

“Ultimately, we want to have all the snowmaking equipment at Cairngorm running off electricity, which will require an upgrade of the mains supply network. The local electricity company is carrying out a feasibility study into different needs in the area. Once this is complete we will be clearer about the options for Cairngorm,” added Dave MacLeod, Head of Property and Infrastructure at HIE. Mr MacLeod said Cairngorm are also reviewing the potential to generate energy at Cairngorm from renewable sources such as hydro, wind and solar.

JAN20 // 021

A HUGE NEW INDOOR SNO CENTRE OPENS IN OSLO

022 // JAN20

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01

@INTHESNOWMAG

02

Indoor snow centres have been with us for more than three decades now, helping to transform winter sports by enabling tens of millions of people who might never have tried snowsports to give it a go and in many cases progress on to ski in the mountains too.

More than 100 have been built, and you can now ski indoors on every continent on earth apart from Antarctica, with the last continent to get one (unusually, North America after Africa and South America got their first centres some years ago) opening theirs last month in New Jersey.

Europe pioneered indoor snow, actually building pioneering fake-snow indoor centres in Berlin and Vienna back in the 1930s (with a British patented fake snow involving sawdust and soda crystals!), and through the first decades of modern indoor snow centre development constructing the biggest centres. We still have some of the longest slopes at around 600m at centres in France and Germany.

But since the crash a dozen years ago now, there’s been a change of focus. The new indoor snow giants have been built in Asia, particularly China, while Europe has seen just a handful of new centres open, although those do include our own excellent Snow Centre at Hemel Hempstead, one of six in the UK, with a seventh and eighth making progress in Swindon and Middlesbrough.

So it’s exciting to see a huge new centre open this month near Oslo, after five years of planning and construction, which really raises the bar in terms of year-round snowsports in Europe – and also easy to reach from the UK. Christened simple SNØ (which probably doesn’t need translating …), it is being simply promoted as “the world’s most spectacular indoor arena for snow experiences”, and for once the marketing hype may not be exaggerated.

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Although not quite the biggest indoor snow centre in the world, or even Europe, it is certainly up there among the world’s five longest and widest at 505m long and 100m wide at its widest point. The height difference of 90m will also be one of the biggest indoors yet.

The new centre has been built onto a hillside at Lørenskog 20km to the east of the centre of Oslo.

It rises over six storeys and houses a snow-covered area of 36,000m2.

But it is not so much the dimension of SNØ’s ski area as what’s different about it compared to the hundred or so that have gone before. There are the things that visitors see – a spectacular building clinging to the hillside and within it more than a kilometre of 5m-wide cross-country ski tracks raised above the downhill slope – and what they don’t see, including the low-energy operating system.

Building the cross-country track has been quite some feat with its 120 components and combined

400-tonne weight. The track is suspended from roof structures at the lower end of the downhill slope.

Downhill skiers and boarders certainly won’t miss out though. The slope is equipped with three ski lifts with a combined capacity of 5,000 skiers an hour.

There is also an indoor terrain park as part of the massive indoor snow space. The park features rails, hops and, as the building design took into account the fact that some skiers and boarders like to get airborne, there’s even a big jump.

The centre is of course the second iconic snowsports centre to open in Scandinavia in the past few months following the appearance of Copenhill, the year-round dry-slope down a waste-to-heat renewable energy power plant that finally opened in the autumn in Copenhagen.

The entrepreneurs and visionaries behind SNØ don’t see the centre as just a leisure and training place.

They envisage the surrounding community becoming a world-leading centre for snowsports innovation.

“Snøporten” or Snow Gate is a new district being built outside the snowdome next to the rail station at Lørenskog. The area is described as a unique and innovative neighbourhood with knowledge clusters within sports-related business activities. In addition, the district gets hotels, restaurants, shops and housing.

“The Snow Gate has enormous potential both for innovation and business development as well as for Norwegian winter sports in the future,” said Jarle Aambø, who heads the Olympic climbing performance cluster. “Many leading companies want to be part of the new, ambitious business cluster in Snøporten, including the Norwegian Ski Federation and the Norwegian Sports Academy, as well as a number of external companies.”

Just how successful SNØ ultimately is will be determined through the coming 2020s, but, given a fair wind, the foundations for something very special look strong enough for those dreams of its creators to come true.

SNØ is located in Lørenskog, about 15 minutes by train from Oslo centre.

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SNOOSLO.NO

We all need technically sound gear on the slopes. It’s a must.

After all, you have to stay warm, dry and comfortable otherwise you’ll be back at your chalet within an hour fed up and searching for dry base layers.

But nowadays there’s no excuse not to be stylish at the same time as staying practical – and dry! One brand to look out for this season is French skiwear specialists Eider.

Named after the European Eider duck known for its soft down feathers, Eider apparel is

For the resort skier

For the athletic skier

For the classy skier

The Camber 3.0

The M Jacket

The Danaide Jacket

This is the third evolution of Eider’s incredibly popular Camber Jacket. The Camber 3.0 features Eider’s new Motion inserts. These strategically placed fabric panels allow freedom of movement while at the same time increasing breathability. That means that when you move more, and therefore sweat more, you also cool down more quickly – without a flash freeze. They’re combined with Eider’s four-way stretch fabric to really get you carving down the slopes.

The M Jacket has been specifically designed for athletic skiers and is part of Eider’s Altitude Series. It features the Motion inserts and four-way stretch fabric but also has an “active fit” racing style – including pre-shaped elbows.

Made with Eider’s Defender waterproof membrane coupled with Primaloft Silver insulation, this is a protective, warm jacket that won’t slow you down.

For an incredibly chic look, you could do no better than the Danaide Jacket with faux fur trim. This is the jacket that will get you spotted on the slopes and onto every Instagram feed. Look out for the fashionable monochrome version in black and white. Eider has paid particular attention to the fit and detailing of this jacket with a premium blend of ski function and feminine style.

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with Faux Fur

synonymous with technical, feature-filled clothing that’ll be noticed whether you’re on a blue or black run. To be honest, none of their jackets will look out of place chilling out in comfort on the terrace of a mountain restaurant with a hot chocolate or walking around town looking for souvenirs to take home.

Eider’s design style focuses on high-end performance skiwear that crosses over into urban wear. It’s a refreshing and coveted mix that works and means you’re getting that successful combo between functional and fashionable. Technical and trendy.

New for 2020 comes a range of men and women’s jackets that have quickly become this season’s must-buys.

A BRAND NEW SKI SHOW WATCH NOW

For the urban skier

The Rocks Jacket A firm favourite among Eider fans, the Rocks Jacket is cosy and warm with a slender, feminine design. This jacket is also brilliant for après-ski and wearing around town as its style looks more urban than a traditional ski jacket, despite it still functioning incredibly well on the snow. This is a cosy, warm jacket – you’ll only need a base layer underneath for spring skiing and maybe an added fleece layer on cold winter days.

SKI NEWS GEAR REVIEWS WORLD SNOW REPORTS & EVERYTHING YOU LOVE ABOUT SKIING

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Ski Safari, which specialises in introducing less well-known ski destinations around the world as well as creating exciting itineraries for experienced skiers at some of the world’s most iconic resorts, has added one of the world’s most northerly resorts, Narvik, to its choice of destinations this season.

PETE OSWALD – VISITNORWAY.COM

N a r v i k

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“Rich in beauty, nature and history – and a great place to spot the Northern Lights – Narvik is a once-in-a-lifetime destination you must visit,” commented Andy Hemingway, Ski Safari’s Scandinavia Sales & Product Manager.

Located up in the Arctic Circle, Narvik is a coastal resort with a small lift-served ski area as well as loads of off-piste freeriding terrain. Ski slopes are located above the coastal fjord giving the impression of skiing down towards the sea, and if you are lucky you may also find the Northern Lights dancing overhead, thanks to the usually exceptionally clear skies at this northerly latitude.

Narvikfjellet is the mountain overlooking the town and offers staggering views of the Ofotfjord.

Skiing from its peak with views of the surrounding mountains and fjords is simply mesmerising.

On the 20km groomed slopes you can choose from more than a dozen easy and intermediate runs served by six lifts and covering an 800m+ vertical drop; plus there’s easy access to ample backcountry skiing from the recently upgraded main lift.

Thanks to the Gulf Stream, the Arctic town of Narvik has a mild climate. The fjord never freezes over in the winter. It does, however, get plenty of snowfall, averaging 515cm a year, and thanks to the cold temperatures at these latitudes, it stays cool and fresh all winter and well into spring, with a season lasting to May. The nearby Polar Park – the world’s northernmost animal park – is well worth a visit too and is home to bears, lynx, deer, moose, muskox, wolverines, reindeer and two wolf packs. It’s even possible to join the guides inside the enclosure to meet the wolves.

The Ofotbanen railway line, one of the world’s most spectacular, connects Narvik to the rich ironore deposits in neighbouring Kiruna.

The line passes through the world-famous “Capital of Spring Skiing” Riksgränsen, where the ski season does not begin until late February and lasts into mid-May, by which time there’s 24 hour daylight in the region and skiing and boarding famously takes place under the midnight sun.

Ski Safari can custom-create multi-resort itineraries to include Riksgränsen and if wished another ski area on the line, Björkliden.

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© SALZBURGERLAND TOURISMUS

The Numbers Don’t Lie!

Austria is known across the globe for its skiing and snowboarding pedigree, and nowhere is this more obvious than in the state of SalzburgerLand.

Plentiful, diverse ski areas, high-quality lift systems, perfectly prepared pistes, deliciously varied culinary options and direct flights from the UK to Salzburg Airport make this an unmissable winter destination. However, don’t just take our word for it! Believe the numbers …

All sounds a bit exaggerated? We don’t blame you, it does all sound almost too good to be true, but really, that’s SalzburgerLand …

22 Ski Regions – 2,000km of ski runs In SalzburgerLand, one card gives skiers and snowboarders

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access to 22 skiing regions (in the SalzburgerLand and adjoining large ski areas), and the 2,750km of ski runs that they hold. This means you can go wherever the feeling takes you – whether you fancy knee-deep powder runs or long, impeccably groomed pistes. It’s simply perfect for those who can’t get enough of the mountains and love to explore new areas.

The Super Ski Card provides the opportunity for skiers of all ages and abilities to find the perfect mountain, slope, ski area for them and how they’re feeling each day. For families, entire ski areas can be found dedicated just to those travelling with children.

Plus, with the option of getting from one-day up to 14-day passes, you can tailor your experience perfectly to the length of your skiing getaway.

110 ski schools – 6,000 instructors In SalzburgerLand, expert ski and snowboard knowledge is never far away. There are 6,000 skilled instructors in the area who can offer not only a range of tuition for all abilities but also unrivalled local knowledge of the area. They can share which piste is the best at certain times of the day, which runs are less crowded, which of the many huts serve the best food and even where to find the best aprèsski vibe!

Countless Mountain Huts and Gourmet Restaurants One number that would just be too difficult to quantify is that of the plethora of cosy mountain huts that dot the slopes of SalzburgerLand.

Whatever your fancy after a morning’s

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skiing, SalzburgerLand will serve up delicious cheese dumplings, soups, sausages, pastries and hearty desserts, all sure to leave you refuelled and raring to take on the slopes again!

1 Epic Glacier Resort For some of the best glacier skiing in Europe, you can’t miss the Kitzsteinhorn, towering high above Zell am See. With low temperatures all year long and perfectly groomed runs for all-round skiing, even in the summer you can feel the snow under your skis, before jumping in the stunning waters of Lake Zell to spend a warm summers’ afternoon.

This is an area that truly cements SalzburgerLand’s position as an allseason mountain destination.

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Skiing in the morning then hitting the beach in the afternoon is a dream holiday that seems hard to think could be reality. For skiing you need snow of course, and while there are some great ski slopes next to beautiful big beaches in places like Norway, Canada and even on Scotland’s west coast, these are not the kind of beaches where you want to strip down to a swimming costume, lather yourself in factor 30 and lie down during the ski season.

But there are ski areas in warmer spots around the planet where the concept is not as far-fetched as you might expect, especially from around March onwards as spring starts to take hold.

Spain Spain’s Sierra Nevada has long had a reputation as the ultimate ski and beach destination. Europe’s most southerly major ski area with over 100km of slopes right next to the Mediterranean above the historic city of Granada, it’s also Spain’s highest ski area and has a great snowfall record, usually staying open until May. It’s so high that from the top of the slopes you can see over the sea to Morocco in Africa on a clear day.

This year the ski/board and beach options have a new dimension with the new Outpost Festival launching from 2 to 5 April (see separate news story), which will be staged on the ski slopes for two days then down on the beach for a day.

Lebanon The Lebanon is not well known for its skiing but is home to half a dozen centres, each 90 minutes to two hours from the warm waters of the Med. Faraya (which frequently has a rebranding and is currently named “Mzaar Ski Resort”) is the country’s largest resort by some distance with 80km of runs divided into 42 separate trails and served by 16 lifts. It has by far the best base facilities too, including the 5★ InterContinental Mzaar Mountain Resort and Spa Hotel, which is one of the few luxury ski hotels outside of the world’s best-known ski resorts in Western Europe, Japan or North America.

Italy There are a dozen or so ski areas in the southern Alps of France and Italy which are less than an hour, as the crow flies, from the Mediterranean coast. Unfortunately though for most of them they’re located on the northfacing side of the first ridge of high Alps from the coast, which means that, unlike high-flying crows, you normally need to drive an hour or so sideways parallel to the coast before you reach a pass to get through to the south and the beach, making it a two-hour trip or more. One of the closest though is Prato Nevoso, less than 80km from the Italian Mediterranean coast if you have a helicopter, about 90 minutes by road.

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Croatia Croatia is of course famous for its beautiful coastline along the Adriatic, which the vast majority of its 20 million visitors each year are heading for. But the country does have mountains in the form of the Dinaric Alps. Skiing takes place at Croatia’s mountain sports centre on the northern slopes of Medvednica and the Sljeme ski area, located only about 19km from capital Zagreb and very close to the sea and sandy beaches.

The trick here though is finding enough snow to ski on

by March as it’s a short season here.

Dubai OK, this is cheating a little bit, but of course there are quite a few indoor snow centres in warm countries like Brazil, Egypt and, most famously, Dubai. Ski Dubai boasts five runs, including an indoor black, an indoor terrain park and a snow play area with ice slide and penguins to visit. But the warm waters and sandy beaches of the Gulf are just minutes away, making this one of the easiest places in the world to swim in warm waters then hit the slopes with temperatures 40° lower all in one day, perhaps even all in one morning or afternoon.

USA In America, in southern California, it’s not so much lounging on the beach that’s the Holy Grail of springtime but achieving the “California Double”, which involves snowboarding in the morning and surfing the Pacific rollers in the afternoon. There are a number of ski resort and beach combinations where this is a possibility, but beach options include Zuma and County Line beaches in Malibu (there are many others) and southern Californian ski areas like Mountain High (90 minutes from the beach) or Big Bear Lake (about two hours inland).

SKI BEACH RESORTS Big Bear: bigbearmountainresort.com Faraya: mzaarskiresort.com Mountain High: mthigh.com Outpost Festival: ouroutpost.io Prato Nevoso: pratonevoso.com Sierra Nevada: sierranevada.es Ski Dubai: skidxb.com Sljeme: sljeme.hr

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JUSTIN HOFMAN

What is being billed as “the ultimate experience for any serious skiing enthusiast” has been put on sale.

The £1m Superyacht Antarctic Ski Trip With Bode Miller

T WILKINSON RAY

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The week-long, superyacht-based skiing adventure will take place first in Greenland this April and then in Antarctica in December 2020, with participants guided by six-time Olympic medallist Bode Miller and polar explorer Doug Stoup on both trips.

The trips are timed for ideal skiing conditions, combining first tracks with many other wonders of the polar regions while enjoying the comfort of a 77m ultraluxury superyacht and the use of skis from luxury brand Bomber.

There is no “package price” for the holidays, as they are tailored to each individual skier’s needs, but a spokesperson for travel company EYOS which is organising the trips said the ballpark figure would be €1.2m per person.

Guests will sail on the 22-guest expedition yacht Legend, which boasts an icestrengthened hull specifically designed for polar waters. An onboard helicopter will whisk guests directly from the yacht to the slopes in a matter of minutes.

Legend boasts a large Jacuzzi, onboard cinema and a five-person submersible that can dive 300m below the surface to enable underwater tours of the Arctic region.

“These are the signature events of Bomber Experiences – tailored events designed for the passionate skier looking for the best experience, anywhere, creating memories for a lifetime. We’ll be in both Antarctica and Greenland in the early season, when the snow is still fresh and pristine, and enjoy stunning runs from peak to coast, enjoyable for skiers of every level,” said Bob Cooper, CEO of Bomber Skis, who added, “Bode, a material owner and global brand ambassador of Bomber, is intricately involved in the development of every ski that leaves our factory. His love for alpine culture and relentless quest for ski perfection drives Bomber to be more than just a manufacturer of the best skis in the world. This will be his first time in Antarctica, and he couldn’t be more excited to ski the seventh continent!”

For the Antarctica departure, guests will depart from Chile and fly over the Drake Passage, landing in Antarctica to board Legend for a week exploring the Antarctic Peninsula. In Greenland, guests will spend their week along the country’s west coast.

Besides skiing, guests can enjoy humpback whale watching, visit colonies of penguins and enjoy activities including ice climbing, dog-sledding, snowmobiling or fat biking.

Guests interested in joining these expeditions should contact EYOS for pricing and dates at info@eyos.com

INFO@EYOS.COM

PAKISTANI INDOOR SNOW CENTRE OPENS An indoor snow-experience centre has opened in Karachi, the most populous city in Pakistan and fifth-most-populous city proper in the world. Winterland has a climate-controlled, sub-zero environment with real snow and temperatures as low as -10°C for the JEFF ENGERBRETSON

city, which averages 35°C summer

SQUAW VALLEY–ALPINE MEADOWS GONDOLA CONNECTION MOVES CLOSER

temperatures and occasional highs touching 48°C.

MUSILAC TAKES A BREAK It has been announced that the huge end-of-season Musilac Festival Mont-Blanc staged at Chamonix for the past two seasons will take a break in 2020. The festival, which

Long-standing plans to create a

However, they still need to win full approval

area of around 2,430 hectares, putting

attracted up to 45,000 music fans,

3.2km-long gondola link between

from the Forest Service. Alpine Meadows

them in the North American top five for size

will be back in spring 2021 though,

two Californian ski areas have

and Squaw Valley ski areas have been under

when treated as one resort.

the organisers promise, saying the

moved a step closer.

joint ownership and had a single lift ticket for

No timescale has been announced for the

The plans, first formally announced several

several years now, and their owners have

gondola’s installation, but it is known that the

years ago, had received provisional approval

given them the rather long-winded “single

model being considered would have cabins

from the US Forest Service and have now

resort” title Squaw Valley–Alpine Meadows.

for eight passengers, a capacity of 1,400

received approval from state planners.

The two areas claim a combined skiable

people per hour and a 16-minute journey time.

third Musillac next year will be “a new colourful edition.”

KYRGYZSTAN UNVEILS STATUE Kyrgyz, a ski resort in Kyrgyzstan, has unveiled a 2.7m-high statue of Russian President Vladimir Putin after the resort’s founder received a $1.2 million (around £.9 million) loan from a Russian-sponsored development fund. Resort Director Akbar Roziev said he couldn’t get credit from Kyrgyz banks to invest in the centre but got money instead from the Russian-Kyrgyz

NASA

Development Fund.

£1BN LINE BETWEEN GENEVA AIRPORT AND FRANCE

VAL THORENS TO STAGE ASTRONOMY WEEK

2theAlps have reported a new train

Europe’s highest major ski resort, Val

for naked-eye stargazing makes the

to see moon craters, stars and nebulae

board for about 150 years, opened

Thorens in the French Alps, has announced

resort a very special place for budding

with the help of a telescope connected to

plans for an astronomy-themed week from

cosmonauts,” a resort spokesperson said.

a giant screen. The Ultra Planetary Show

to travel by train from Geneva

24 to 27 February 2020.

Described as a chance for all the family

will see astronomers providing a whistle-

Airport to the Chamonix Valley. The

“There’s a clear link between Val Thorens,

to have fun learning about the universe

stop tour of everything we know about

the highest resort in Europe, and the stars.

around us, a range of lectures and events

the planets, and finally the Aliens Show

The lunar aspect of a resort perched up at

are planned during the special week.

will focus on the eternal question: are we

is estimated to have cost CHF1.5

2,300m and the year-round opportunities

Assisted Sky-Watching will allow guests

alone in the universe?

billion (approximately £1.15 billion).

line, apparently on the drawing

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in December making it possible

new line is 16km long (with 14km in Switzerland), and the project

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THE

It’s one of Europe’s most popular resorts, but there’s so much to do in St Anton that it can be hard to know where to start! We’ve put together the ultimate St Anton bucket list so that you don’t miss out on any of the best experiences on your next trip out to the Arlberg.

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TVB ST. ANTON AM ARLBERG/JOSEF MALLAUN

with downhills and uphills providing great entertainment for the crowds gathered at the finish line in resort, where live presenting, music and a huge screen add to the experience.

Take A Trip To Sonnenkopf

Challenge Yourself To The Run Of Fame With the addition of the Flexenbahn gondola connecting St Anton and Stuben to Lech and Zürs in 2016 came an all-new 85km skiing challenge, the “Run of Fame”. This epic ski circuit covers a whopping altitude difference of 18,000m and takes you through the entire Arlberg ski area.

It’s a circular route, meaning you can challenge yourself to complete the route in one day, or you can take it easy and enjoy the trail over a few days, tracking yourself on the Ski Arlberg app.

Sonnenkopf is a real hidden treasure when it comes to skiing in St Anton, accessed by a short bus ride from Stuben. With wide, empty, sunny slopes, a vast amount of off-piste potential, a highly reliable snow record and an unbeatably picturesque run back down through the trees, Sonnenkopf really is postcard stuff.

Eat Your Way Around The World There’s no better place to experience a proper hearty Tirolean meal than St Anton, but the cuisine here is not limited to these delicious Austrian specialities. From Thai hot spot Skiing Buddha and lively tapas joint Bodega to Asian–Mediterranean fusion joint Hazienda, St Anton has a large variety of global restaurants we would highly recommend sampling.

Enjoy The Views From Valluga With 360° breathtaking views at 2,811m altitude, you truly do feel on top of the world at the Valluga viewpoint. To get here from the resort is simple. The lifts are all connected, so any non-skiers are able to join you. Just remember: you can’t take skis right to the top unless you are with a guide, as the descent down from the top of Valluga II is pretty treacherous.

TVB ST. ANTON AM ARLBERG/JOSEF MALLAUN

TVB ST. ANTON AM ARLBERG/FOTOGRAF JOSEF MALLAUN

Just a quick ski away in St Christoph there are two real draws to the Hospiz Alm, on top of its excellent food, cosy atmosphere and large sun terrace. Firstly, the absolutely enormous wine cellar. It’s one of the world’s biggest largebottle wine collections, with bottles up to 18 litres in size.

Secondly, should you need the bathroom after all this wine, the Hospiz Alm has a slide down to the restrooms, so that those in ski boots need not struggle with the stairs!

Hit The Snow Without Your Skis St Anton’s thrilling 4.3km toboggan run covers a 500m vertical descent from the top of the Nassereinbahn gondola down into the Nasserein end of the valley. Lying in the woods around halfway down the run is the cosy RodelAlm Alpine hut, which is definitely worth stopping at for a warming traditional Tirolean meal or a glühwein!

Dance The Afternoon Away A visit to St Anton simply would not be complete without experiencing the world-famous Austrian après-ski. On-slope, you’ve got a number of bars to choose from on the run back down to the resort, from the tried-and-tested St Anton institution of Krazy Kanguruh to the iconic MooserWirt. Back in resort, many further offerings range from energetic DJs to live bands, or acoustic music on chilled-out sun terraces.

Watch “The White Thrill” Race If you’re around in St Anton at the end of the season, this is one event you can’t miss. Hundreds of contestants begin at the top of the Valluga cable car and race right down to the bottom of the Galzig gondola. Anyone can enter, so it’s truly carnage as skiers and snowboarders alike take off,

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ARLBERGER BERGBAHNEN

Visit The Hospiz Alm Restaurant – A Hit For All Ages

Head Off-Piste St Anton is one of the best ski areas in the world for offpiste skiing, with around 200km of marked off-piste runs and limitless freeride potential. Easily accessible areas off the edge and between pistes provide safe opportunities for less-experienced skiers to experiment off-piste, and a number of ski schools in the area offer expert guiding.

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Bobby’s Snow Adventure For the ultimate learning adventure, youngsters can join Bobby, the white snow hare, for a week they’re sure never to forget.

Obertauern offers special “Bobby’s Snow Adventure” deals at very family-friendly prices, so you can book all your child’s ski time in one place!

The full package, Bobby’s Snow Adventure, is the perfect choice for children on their first winter holiday. For just €225 (around £190) per child, the package includes a skiing course for five full days or a snowboarding course for five half days, a ski pass for the duration of the course, rental equipment for six days, free accommodation (in the parents’ room) AND transfer to and from Salzburg Airport! There’s even a free kids’ entertainment programme and the option of booking lunch supervision, so ski-loving parents can spend the day exploring all 100km of the Obertauern ski area, without having to rush back for lunch.

For children aged six to 14, the more advanced Snow Adventure deal includes the above skiing and snowboarding lessons, rental equipment and a 15% discount on airport transfer, for just €305 (around £260).

Accommodation is booked separately, and establishments participating in Bobby’s Snow Adventure offer very attractive package deals for guests of that particular age group.

Bobby’s Snow Adventure partner hotels can be found at obertauern.com.

For non-skiing children (we know it’s not always possible to get them on the slopes as early as you might like!) the area has a fantastic kindergarten – the Kinderland Obertauern – where well-trained personnel are on hand to ensure your little one enjoys their time in the mountains!

This means that parents can have a fun-filled, stress-free holiday, whether enjoying the adrenaline rush of winter sports or simply relaxing in the area’s many wellness facilities.

Anyone who said a first family ski holiday has to be stressful obviously hasn’t been to Obertauern yet!

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When you’re young, learning is particularly fun (and often substantially easier – according to who you ask!). But only if you have the right instruction.

There’s nothing worse than trying to share your passion for the mountains with your youngsters only for them to return cold, tired and frustrated after a sub-standard day of lessons. Finding a good ski school is essential, as is choosing a resort with optimal conditions for learning to ski or snowboard.

In Obertauern, one of Austria’s most snowsure resorts, you can be sure you’ll be in the prime place for your first foray down the slopes. With an expansive children’s winter-sports programme named after the official mascot, Bobby, the white snow hare, Obertauern is one of our favourite spots for a first family ski holiday.

Obertauern is a fantastic spot to learn winter sports, thanks to its plentiful and easily accessible beginner slopes. Fanning out from the centre of the resort, these slopes provide a safe, enjoyable spot for first-time skiers of all ages and abilities.

The area’s several ski schools are top notch, with their own training areas for introducing children to the magic of skiing and snowboarding. Think dedicated instructors, magic carpets and even a mini skidoo course at one ski school! Kids are sure to enjoy themselves here and will have the perfect opportunity to show off what they have learnt with a race at the end of the week.

To really give kids a treat, head to the foot of the Schaidbergbahn, where an amazing Fairytale Park contains a kids’ igloo and a spooky haunted ski house! It’s not often you find things like this on the slopes, which children are sure to love.

Once kids are confident on their skis, be sure to take on the two junior “Tauern rounds” (linked circuits of groomed runs), which are specially tailored to the needs of children and beginners. Counterparts to the hugely popular “grown-up” “Tauern rounds”, smaller children can enjoy the “Bobby round”, while more advanced skiers and teenagers will head to “My Track”.

The routes are designed so that youngsters can work on their skiing without the need for parents or ski instructors. It’s the perfect spot for any youngsters that might be wanting to

take their first few runs without Mum or Dad, as you know they are on safe, child-friendly slopes.

On both rounds, a fun park, a timed track, a ghost train, a kids’ igloo and a wave track are sure to keep energy levels up and smiles plastered on faces. Be prepared for children to take on these runs again and again – each time there will be something new to discover!

For more advanced youngsters who are already comfortable on their skis, Obertauern has an additional 60km of easy progressive slopes, perfect for developing those budding skills!

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There’s nothing like your first time on the slopes. The amazing sensation of gliding across the snow, the sense of achievement when you link your first turns, the incredible mountain views that you look on while you enjoy the fresh mountain air – there’s truly nothing like it.

OBERTAUERN.COM

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Top Family Experiences in Valais

Meet the Mountain Wildlife

Home to eight resorts with the highly sought-after “Family Destination” label, the Swiss region of Valais is a true family paradise.

So what are the family activities you simply cannot miss in this stunning area?

friendly sledges will have adults and kids carving like pros in minutes!

In Région Dents du Midi, when the slopes are open for night skiing, families can enjoy an hour and a half of Yooner sledging fun with an instructor, then sit down for a delicious cheese fondue.

Enjoy Incredible Family Deals

Take on a Treasure Hunt

Explore the Snow Gardens

In the resort of Nendaz, families can take on a number of treasure hunts, all year round. Experience the joy of walking in this epic mountain scenery, with the added fun of a game! Collect log books from the tourist office and set off on your adventure, then return to the tourist office to collect your treasure!

Beginners to the slopes will be in for a treat with the “snow gardens” of Valais, snow-covered playgrounds which give new skiers the best possible conditions for which to enjoy their first foray onto the slopes. Exciting snowtubing runs and snowtube carousels join experienced instructors, secure beginner lifts and gentle slopes, perfect for children.

Try out a Yooner Sledge

Les Marécottes Wildlife Park is a fantastic place to spend an afternoon off the slopes, learning more about those who share this mountain paradise with us. You can observe beautiful Alpine wildlife in their natural settings, with no need to worry about animals being absent due to hibernation – only two of the park’s 20 residents sleep through the winter!

There’s no such thing as a free ski day, right? Wrong! In Valais’ Aletsch Arena, children and teenagers can ski for free each Saturday! Youngsters up to the age of 20 can enjoy a free one-day ski pass, with this offer available every Saturday throughout the entire winter, as well as a 30% discount on public transport (T&Cs available online).

In Champoussin, Région Dents du Midi, the “Offre Poussin” gives all your baby chicks (under five) free ski rentals, free lunches and special offers in hotels with a paying adult.

Across Valais, families can also enjoy a range of free activities, from snow tubing to avalanche safety sessions.

These light and incredibly user-

036 // JAN20  PROMO

VISITVALAIS.CH/FAMILIES

LA CLUSAZ UNVEILS VIEWING PLATFORM French ski resort La Clusaz has unveiled a new viewing platform on their Balme mountain. “La Passerelle de Balme” is a suspended glass viewing platform providing incredible views of the Mont Blanc massif for those with a good head for heights.

NEW BLUE IN FRENCH PYRENEES A new 1,300m-long blue slope, with a 360m drop, offering a beautiful view of the summits, has been created at

LATEST SKI-DOWN-THE-ROOF BUILDING PLANNED FOR GEORGIA

Piau Engaly in the French Pyrenees.

It is reached via the Engaly chairlift. A permanent slalom arena, approved by the French Ski Federation, has been created on the Sarrous blue slope.

A 1.4KM ZIP LINE FOR LES 4 VALLÉES

A new apartment complex will

Denmark and ski accommodation at the

storey development. A climbing wall is also

feature year-round skiing on its

Finnish resort of Levi. Of these, the power

planned for the side of the building.

sloping roof as well as two ski

plant ski slope near Copenhagen was the

Property in the development will include

A new 1,400m-long zip wire has

machines indoors.

first to open last autumn.

“hotel-type” apartments with a yet-to-be-

been announced for Les 4 Vallées,

The new Dux Development at the leading

The Dux Development’s roof will offer year-

announced international management

Georgian ski resort of Bakuriani is the latest

round skiing on a 102m-long slope that

company taking responsibility for the

of at least five similar projects that include

continues down the upper six floors to end

running of the facility. A completion date of

a ski hotel in Switzerland, a power plant in

two floors above ground level in the eight-

December 2020 has been announced.

costing around CHF750,000 (around £596,000) and is due to open by the autumn. The cable will run from Mont-Fort at 3,332m above sea level down to the Col des Gentianes 2,900m above sea level.

SNOW CENTRE PLANS SUBMITTED Detailed plans to build what would be the UK’s seventh or eighth indoor snow centre have been submitted to Middlesbrough Council. The planned opening date keeps sliding and is now “during 2022”. Works are also due to (finally) start this spring on another new centre in Swindon.

THE STRANGLERS TO PLAY THE PORTES DU SOLEIL

PEAK SEASON PASS UP TO $219 AT VAIL The cost of a single day pass at Vail

Veteran British rock band The Stranglers

More than 28,000 music fans are expected

and more than 30 après-ski concerts across

have been confirmed as one of the acts

to descend on the region, which straddles

multiple resorts, with festival goers able to

playing at the 10th edition of the Rock the

the French–Swiss border with 600km of

ski from one performance to the next.

ticket window in resort. Last winter, the

Pistes music festival, which sees bands

slopes shared by a dozen resorts including

The Stranglers have been gigging for

resort, which has long had the most

performing afternoon concerts at locations

Avoriaz, Châtel, Morzine, Les Gets and

more than 40 years and have a vast

around the vast Portes du Soleil ski region

Champéry. The Stranglers will play the Swiss

back catalogue of hits including Golden

which skiers and boarders can see for free,

resort of Morgins on 21 March at 1.30pm.

Brown, No More Heroes, Always The Sun,

so long as they have a lift pass to get there.

The festival will comprise five live concerts

Hanging Around and Peaches.

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ski resort will reach $219 (around £168) for those who buy one from a

expensive peak-season day-pass price of any major ski area in the world, became the first to charge more than $200 (around £154) for a ticket.

JAN20 // 037

1

Take On One Of The Valais Longest Ski Runs

038 // JAN20  PROMO

©VALAIS/WALLIS PROMOTION - DAVID CARLIER

In Valais, you can take on a number of highly enjoyable ski runs up to a staggering 25km in length. These runs are sure to provide an entertaining and challenging experience for skiers of varying abilities, whether you like to take it slow and steady or like to ski with speed!

Our personal favourite? The route from Ripaille down to Grand-Paradis. Covering a distance of 10km, this is an incredibly scenic red run, which allows skiers to enjoy a variety of terrain and landscapes. Starting at 1,820m and descending to 1,055m, the twisting trails, enchanting pine forests and dramatic mountainscapes of the Dents du Midi and the Dents Blanches make this one of the most enjoyable runs in the area.

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There’s nowhere you can find a more picturesque, relaxing spa experience than right here in the mountains of Valais. In five thermal destinations across the region, hot water bubbles up from the mountains themselves, allowing you to soak off a hard day’s skiing in thermal Alpine waters.

The thermal baths here are renowned for their rejuvenating and healing properties, stimulating circulation, relaxing aching muscles and, thanks to the water’s mineral content, alleviating chronic joint pain. With incredible mountain views from these gorgeous outdoor bathing facilities, you will be able to enjoy the unique beauty and calm of the mountains even after the sun has gone down.

3

Enjoy the Thrills of Tobogganing

Tobogganing is the ultimate winter activity for all mountain lovers and is a great way for families or larger groups to enjoy the beautiful mountain landscapes (and a little healthy competition!) all together.

Why not take on western Switzerland’s longest toboggan run? This route, from Savoleyres to La Tzoumaz, is 10km long, with an altitude drop of 834m. Thrilling hairpin bends and spectacular views of the Rhône Valley mean the adults often enjoy this one more than the kids!

©VALAIS/WALLIS PROMOTION - GIOVANNI CASTELL

5

©VALAIS/WALLIS PROMOTION - DAVID CARLIER

©VALAIS/WALLIS PROMOTION - PASCAL GERTSCHEN

©VALAIS/WALLIS PROMOTION - PASCAL GERTSCHEN

2

Experience The Ultimate In Relaxation

4

Soak up the Sunshine on a Scenic Terrace

Spend some time on one of the area’s many restaurant terraces, the best way to rest your legs, catch a few rays and sample the best of the local food and wine. Valais is the ideal destination for anyone who enjoys this element of a ski holiday.

Thanks to its fantastic weather record (300 sunny days per year), you won’t find anywhere better to relax and drink in the incredible mountain views.

Savour a Delicious Raclette

Indeed, this might be just the place to try one of Valais’ most delicious local delicacies, the Raclette du Valais AOP. This is the dish everyone looks forward to as soon as the temperatures begin to fall, whether you’re a local in the area or a visitor from abroad.

You may have tried Raclette before, but never like this. The original Raclette du Valais AOP is a Valais speciality, made from raw milk in a centuries-old tradition. In one of the many traditional restaurants of Valais, you can enjoy this exquisite delicacy with potatoes, pearl onions and pickles.

6

Why Not Try Something New?

Want to give yourself a bit of a challenge this year?

Whether it’s learning a new skill or getting yourself back on your skis after some time away from the slopes, Valais will deliver.

In Nendaz, the Dare to Ski initiative allows adult skiers and snowboarders a day’s all-inclusive package to encourage you back on your skis.

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Equipment rental, ski pass and a two-hour lesson are all included, as well as a discount on lunch and spa! Available in January and March, it’s a fantastic way for anyone who’s been away from their skis to get their mojo back!

The epic terrain of Valais is also the ideal playground for learning new skills, like ski touring!

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A number of rando-parcs throughout the region offer parks with a network of secured touring tracks. First-time ski tourers might like to try a touring initiation with a qualified guide while more experienced “randonneurs” can safely push their limits on a more challenging trail.

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NEW CLUB MED SKI RESORT FOR BEIJING The giant Fosun corporation, which owns a number of formerly European companies including Club Med, have announced they will open a new ski resort near Beijing ahead of the city hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics. Club Med STEVIE MCKENNA / SKI SCOTLAND

already operates two ski resorts in northeastern China in Heilongjiang’s Yabuli and Jilin’s Beidahu.

NEW CHAIRLIFT AT WINTER PARK Winter Park Resort in Colorado has replaced its Sunnyside lift at Mary Jane, currently a fixed triple lift, with a new Leitner-Poma detachable high-speed six-pack this season. The new lift increases

RENEWABLE POWER OPTIONS SOUGHT FOR SCOTTISH SKI CENTRE

uphill capacity on the route by 800 people per hour and reduces the

Public body Highlands and Islands

generation and storage on the mountain.

that run the Snowfactory all-weather

ride time by more than half from

Enterprise (HIE), which owns and

Then a second stage will involve more

snowmaking machine.

eight minutes to 3.8.

currently operates the Cairngorm

detailed analysis of the particular

“We are constantly looking at ways to

Ski Centre above Aviemore in

technologies that have been deemed

cut emissions and reduce environmental

Scotland, has announced that it is

likely to be the best fit for the centre in

impacts. We believe there are potential

commissioning a study of renewable

the first stage.

opportunities at Cairngorm to reduce

energy options for the centre.

The operators already plan to source

dependence on fossil fuels through

A planned new indoor ski run at

The planned two-stage investigation

sustainably produced HVO (hydrotreated

renewable energy sources,” said Elaine

the massive Meydan One mega

will first examine the appropriateness

vegetable oil) to reduce reliance on diesel

Hanton, HIE’s Head of Energy Technologies

mall complex under construction

of different forms of renewable energy

for machinery, including the generators

and Regulation.

LONGEST INDOOR RUN SHORTENING

in Dubai is reported to be getting shorter in the plans but should still be the longest if it stops shrinking now. When it was announced in August 2015, it was said the slope would be 1.2km; more recent reports suggest 1km or 750m. The current longest indoor slope is 640m long.

ZERMATT CREATING WORLD CUP DOWNHILL RUN Zermatt is reported to be building an International Ski Federation (FIS) approved World Cup standard downhill ski racing

NEW PRICING ON DEMAND TOLL LANES FOR COLORADO

slope. The CEO of the resort’s lift company Zermatt Bergbahnen

A new express lane is under construction

through the next two winters into 2021.

deemed the most viable.

AG said the company was

on the I-70 Interstate from Denver, which

The road is famously increasingly

The cost to use the lanes will increase the

covering the costs of creating

leads to many of the state’s world-famous

congested, particularly at peak periods,

more congested the road becomes. Mostly

ski resorts.

as the popularity of the ski areas

the fee will be $5 to $7 (around £3.85 to

area themselves to offer more

The toll lane will run for 19km westbound

continues to grow.

£5.40) per car but could rise as high as

for guests and maybe “… in the

on one of the road’s busiest stretches,

Suggestions to alleviate the issue over

$30 (around £23) at the busiest time.

eventual future organisation of

with the $70 million (around £54 million)

the years have included a light rail

There are already toll lanes on the

construction project expected to continue

alternative, but toll lanes have been

eastbound I-70 going back to Denver.

the new run in the Gornergrat ski

World Cup races.”

040 // JAN20

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WATCH HUNDREDS OF VIDEO REVIEWS YOUTUBE.COM/INTHESNOWMAG

The original neckwarmer base layer brand™

Never ending adventures through multiFUNctional clothing New 4-way stretch non see-through Oeko-Tex™ certified UPF50 fabric eivyclothing.com | instagram.com/eivy #eivy #unboredonboard Get the goods at Ultra Sport Europe | ultrasporteu.com | info@ultrasporteu.com

 Lowa Barina II GORE-TEX Women’s Walking Boot

The kind of warm-weather boots that you’ll want to live in all winter long. Great classy looks stand out in the crowd and their fully featured GORE-TEX waterproof outer, non-slip sole and warm teddy-bear lining will make you fall in love with them.

Looking as much at home on the slopes as they will with a pair of jeans. £164.95 | skibartlett.com

 Mons Royale

 FISCHER

 Rossignol

Traverse Midi Half Zip

Ranger One 82 GT

Alltrack Pro 130 GW

Thermal Base Layer

Twin Multiflex set

Touring Ski Boot

More than just a base layer, this is lightweight with a small pack size that can be worn against the skin or over a base layer.

Its long neck zip allows you to quickly let heat escape and being made with “smell proof” merino wool means you can wear this every day of your trip and not offend anyone in your company! A great multisport top for lightweight layering. £134.95 | skibartlett.com

The great all-rounder! The 82 GT gives that sought-after oneski-for-all-mountains appeal.

Packed with new technology, smooth and incredibly stable.

Capable of handling the odd diversion into the rough or crud, but just as at home on the smooth piste. For intermediate skiers to experts, the 82 GT is truly a great all-mountains choice. £560 inc binding Ellis Brigham | skibartlett.com

A freeride touring boot for those of you that want one boot that can do everything.

Gripwalk soles give you grip for easier walking, tech inserts give you the ability to use these with touring pin bindings and the grid-style shell reduces weight and adds power onto the edge. Available in mediumand low-volume fits for feet of different widths. £449.95 | skibartlett.com

 Blizzard Zero G 95

Improving on a ski that’s become a market leader in ski touring is very hard, but the new Zero G range will not disappoint. Their new carbonreinforced lighter construction makes your uphill effortless, but also increases stability, edge grip and control on the way down. Focusing on allowing you to ski as fast as you want, up or down, is exactly what the new Zero G range has been able to achieve. £TBC | skibartlett.com

 Ortovox Tour Light Glove

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

A merino-wool-lined soft-shell touring glove giving you warmth when you’re skiing down, but very breathable to stop you overheating when you’re exerting effort on the way up. Light enough to give you plenty of dexterity with a windproof and waterproof outer shell to protect against wind and snow. A really comfortable, lightweight glove suitable for all kinds of adventures. £60 | skibartlett.com

 Bollé BACKLINE VISOR PREMIUM

 Smith 4D Mag ™

You can now see more than ever before.

The new 4D Mag™ raises the bar for lens innovation with the introduction of the BirdsEye Vision™. This state-of-the-art lens technology has a 25% increase of overall field of view compared to the I/O Mag™. £259.99 | snowandrock.com

Featuring a photochromic visor that adapts to light conditions, an ABS shell construction, adjustable ventilation and a Clickto-Fit™ System for precise adjustment, the Backline Visor Premium helmet is a real 2-in-1 that offers a panoramic field of vision. It’s also a great option if you wear prescription glasses. £249 | snowandrock.com

 G3 Minimist Glide Ski Touring Skins

More at skibartlett.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!

Up to 30% lighter and smaller than standard skins, these are a better option when you’re carrying them in your pack. Not only are they better to carry; they are also better for skinning – a very thin carbon inlay in the front of the skin keeps it rigid and stops the proverbial snow creep, preventing the skin from failing and falling off! £209-£225 | skibartlett.com

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JAN20 // 043

 Black Crows Corpus 3 Layer GORE-TEX Jacket

A standout statement jacket with its classic design and slightly longer parka styling. Wait till you unzip it and look inside; the attention to detail and striking lining will definitely be noticed.

Fully loaded with all the features you could want, giving you protection from the bad weather without compromising on your freedom of movement. £609.95 | skibartlett.com

 MONS ROYALE STORM HOOD BLACK

 Patagonia

 KILLTEC

Departer Jacket Women’s

NAHNE WHITE

A stylish longer line jacket designed to be worn at home or on the slopes. A lined GORE-TEX shell gives you a waterproof jacket that feels very comfortable and easy to wear. Available for men and women in various colours that will be classics for multiple years of use. £284.95 | skibartlett.com

Functional shirt with standup collar and zipper. The microfleece shirt with stand-up collar offers a pleasantly warm wearing comfort. The zipper with chin protection makes it easy to put on and take off. £24.99 | Killtec.com

Oversized warm merino wool hood. Wear solo or over a beanie or helmet. Draw-cord opening ensures it’s warm and comfortable in all conditions. Perfect for crisp hardpack blasting in the morning and warm park laps in the afternoon. £39.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Rossignol Nova 6 Women’s Ski

A super-smooth ski that will help you carve from edge to edge, giving you more control on every slope. A light, easy ski to start turning at slow or fast speeds that when pushed will give you a lovely responsive feel to help you on every turn. £434.95 Incl Bindings | skibartlett.com

 Sweet Protection Ascender MIPS Ski Helmet

Sweet’s lightest and most packable low-volume ski mountaineering helmet for those of you whose skiing takes you much further off the beaten track. Not compromising on safety with its MIPS protection, penetration-proof vents and reinforced shell that ensures conformity for ski and mountaineering certification. £184.95 | skibartlett.com

 Head Kore 2 Ski Boot

 Salomon

Don’t compromise on your desire for a lightweight boot over hard-charging performance; with the Kore you can have both. A lightweight touring-friendly graphene-infused shell is combined with all the fully customisable fit options you can think of, including “Liquid Fit” injectable liners. The result: solid, lockeddown power and performance. £459.95 | skibartlett.com

A freeride ski that combines versatile performance with the ability to blast and play on any terrain you seek out. Surf through powder, charge the crud and arc some tracks on the piste, the 106 will allow you to do all this and more. £549.95 | skibartlett.com

044 // JAN20

 DaKine Spine Back Protector

A thin back protector that easily slides into the hydration bladder pocket of any DaKine backpack and also many other brands. An invaluable addition to protect your spine from impact against the ground or any hard objects in your bag. £24.95 | skibartlett.com

QST 106 Skis

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 Atomic Bent Chetler 120 Skis

WORK IS OVERRATED

An out-and-out powder ski for those of you who want uncompromised fun – hard charging, playful jibbing, arcing impressive plume turns. HRZN tech tip and tail gives you more float and better control in the rough stuff. With its lighter-weight construction it’s the kind of ski you can now take anywhere, and you will not be able to out-ski it! £559.95 | skibartlett.com

 Sidas Shin Protector

SKI

Do you suffer from shin pain? These reusable, self-adhesive gel pads help cushion your shin against the ski boot.

Just slide them into your sock and use them time and time again. £20 | skibartlett.com

 Patagonia R1 Full Zip Hoody

ONE

TWO

Clever Polartec grid fleece allows this technical fleece to function in all activities. When you’re undertaking active pursuits, it will breathe really well so you don’t overheat, and it moves sweat away quickly, but when you’re static, air can be trapped to give you a warm, insulating feel.

Extremely lightweight, soft to wear, with a small pack size and classic look, this can be a go-to fleece for sport and leisure. £139.95 | skibartlett.com

 LEVEL FLY PROTECTION GLOVE

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KORE K1 + KORE 93

The Fly Glove has a Biomex protection system built in giving optimum protection with the lowest bulk possible.

It is made with water-resistant fabric and has a removable fleece liner keeping you warm and dry all day on the mountain. £96.99 sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Black Crows

 Black Crows

Corpus 3 Layer

Corpus Insulated Stretch

GORE-TEX Bib Pant

Women’s Jacket

The high bib is back on trend for a reason: warmth, weather protection, comfort. The upper is detachable and made from breathable stretch fabric for comfort and breathability. Cut for freedom of movement with all the pockets and vents you need for your off-piste adventures. £519.95 | skibartlett.com

Comfortable stretch fabric, Primaloft warm insulation and an elegant silhouette all pair together to give you freedom of movement and the feeling of being wrapped up from the weather. All the usual attention to detail that goes into every Black Crows jacket is still apparent in this slightly more piste-inspired allmountain jacket. £399.95 | skibartlett.com

JAN20 // 045

FRESH POWDER, CREW. A solid but lightweight ski teamed with an equally light, high-performance boot. Putting the free in freeride.

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 THIRTYTWO LASHED DOUBLE BOA SNOWBOARD BOOT 2020 BLACK

One of the most recognised boots in the world, the Lashed lives up to expectations. Make adjustments on the fly and find your perfect fit with the dual Boa system. Known for ultimate fit with the Independent Eyestay, medium flex and support, this boot will take you anywhere.

Heat-mould your liners and hit the backcountry, boxes, booters or groomers. £289.95 sputniksnowboardshop.com

 SCHOFFEL ZURS MEN’S SKI JACKET

For the past decade, Schöffel has been the official supplier of kit to the Austrian ski team. This classic alpine jacket combines Schöffel’s iconic tailored fit with great stretch fabric and tons of skier-centric features.

Features: engineered 3D construction, removable hood, water-resistant zips, hand and chest pockets, pass pocket, mesh-backed underarm venting zips, Lycra inner cuffs, zip-out snowskirt, internal goggle and security pockets. £479.99 | ellis-brigham.com

 KILLTEC NAVEON LIME

Functional shirt with collar and zipper.

The microfleece shirt with stand-up collar offers a pleasantly warm-wearing comfort. The zipper with chin protection makes it easy to put on and take off. £24.99 | Killtec.com

 MONS ROYALE CABRIO BALACLAVA PINE CAMO

With the benefits of a neck tube with a balaclava, the Cabrio is the ultimate combination. Lift up the neck tube for the storm, pull down for increased breathability through the front mesh panel. Ideal for use under a helmet for added warmth without the bulk. £29.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 CRAB GRAB CINCH

 PICTURE HAAKON

WOMEN’S MITTEN CRAB ROSE

WOMEN’S JACKET ALMOND GREEN

SEATTLE WOMEN’S BIB CAMEL

Tailored to better fit a woman’s slender hand. With an easily adjustable wristguard-compatible cuff, waterproof and breathable, rugged ripstop shell and PrimaLoft insulation, this glove offers it all. £57.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

Featuring hybrid body-mapping construction and strategically placed performance materials where you need them most, this jacket is designed with dual-density fabrics: a patented knit construction under the arms and along the body for maximum breathability and stretch, and woven fabrics on the shoulders, back and front torso for high abrasion resistance. Features our DRYPLAY 20K/20K PFC-free waterproof-breathable membrane for maximum temperature regulation and fully taped seams. £299.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

The removable bib and adjustable suspenders make it ideal for any terrain and riding style. It features a DRYPLAY 10K/10K PFC-free waterproof membrane that breathes well and keeps you dry in the nastiest conditions, a Teflon Ecoelite™ durable water-repellent treatment, 40g insulation and inner-leg vents to provide targeted and efficient temperature regulation. Critically taped seams keep moisture out. £199.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 BURTON LEXA WOMEN’S SNOWBOARD BINDINGS 2020 LILAC GREY

Boasting legendary all-terrain performance.

Double Take buckles with Insta-Click get you strapped in fast and dropping first. £229.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 PICTURE

 CRAB GRAB THE FIVE GLOVE BONES

If you like a glove that isn’t too bulky but is still going to keep you warm and dry, then look no further than the Crab Grab Five. It has PrimaLoft insulation giving added warmth and a 15K Hipora membrane making sure it is breathable and waterproof. Soft flocked suede thumb-back can be used as a nose wipe and stretchy wrist leashes make sure you never drop your gloves off the chair lift. £54.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

046 // JAN20

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BUILT FOR ANY CHALLENGE 10.000N WATER COLUM

ZIP-OFF HOOD

WATERPROOF ZIPPERS

DETACHABLE STRAPS ASYMMETRICAL SEAMS

WAIST ADJUSTMENT

TAPED SEAMS

SKI PASS POCKET

ADJUSTABLE SLEEVE CUFFS

TAPED SEAMS

LYCRA CUFFS

RALDO FUNCTIONAL JACKET with zip-off hood and snowcatcher

water column 10.000 mm, moisture vapour permeability 3.000 g/m²/24 h, all seams taped, 100% waterproof

EDGE PROTECTION

ENOSH FUNCTIONAL PANTS

with detachable straps, edge protection and snowcatcher

SNOWCATCHER

Shopfinder: www. killtec.com

water column 10.000 mm, moisture vapour permeability 3.000 g/m²/24 h, all seams taped, 100% waterproof

 UNION SCOTT STEVENS

 PICTURE ANTON

 PICTURE KATE WOMEN’S JACKET

SNOWBOARD BINDING

JACKET LOFOTEN

The Scott Stevens Pro Model maintains the Union philosophy of minimal binding-to-board contact for less interference with your board’s natural flex pattern.

Sold in limited quantities, the sturdy asymmetrical highbacks, combined with a mid-soft “loose trucks” feeling base, make it an excellent choice for park laps and street features. £194.95 sputniksnowboardshop.com

The Anton Jacket is the perfect ecofriendly jacket for your winter expeditions.

It features a Dryplay 20K/15K membrane and a Teflon Ecoelite™ PFC-free durable water-repellent treatment for maximum waterproofness and breathability.

The body-mapping construction incorporates a Thermal Dry System that wicks away sweat where you need it most, and a Coremax lining that eliminates cold spots. £259.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

Ready for any adventure in the mountains and around town. Inspired by that classic outdoorsy style, with contrast shoulders and bellows pockets. A technical shell at heart, it features a DRYPLAY 10K/10K PFC-free waterproof membrane, a Teflon Ecoelite™ PFC-free waterrepellent treatment, critically taped seams, a powder skirt that attaches to your pants and the 80g insulation and flannel lining. £164.95 sputniksnowboardshop.com

 LIBTECH DYNAMO C3 SNOWBOARD 2020

LibTech’s Dynamo C3 is an aggressive direction board meant for intermediateto advanced-level riders to charge the whole mountain. LibTech’s C3 Camber Control profile maintains the control, aggressiveness and power of a camber board, while still having some of the powder float and playfulness of a rockerprofiled board. When combined with LibTech’s magne-traction, the Dynamo C3 is meant for charging the whole mountain regardless of the terrain and conditions. £429.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 THIRTYTWO MULLAIR SNOWBOARD BOOT 2020 TIE-DYE

Built for the Swiss master of style, Nicolas Müller, the all-new Müllair boot is perfectly designed for his smooth riding with a responsive and buttery flex. Fitted with an ultra-light and grippy Michelin Fiberlite outsole fused with cushy Energy Foam, hike the backcountry to find the ultimate line.

Tune your boot with Tailored Lacing Technology to find the perfect fit and support for your riding style. £409.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

 GNU MULLAIR C3 SNOWBOARD 2020

 LIBTECH TRAVIS RICE ORCA SNOWBOARD

The core lay-up and C3 camber can really be felt when charging the piste and makes it hold an edge like no other. Its eco-sublimated Bio Sintered base is fast, tough and really holds wax well, making you just want to go! By far the best board I have ridden for 2020. £534.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

This medium-to-stiffer flexing directional, freeride board has been fully loaded with the best materials, giving you heaps of response, while feeling nimble from edge to edge. Aimed at the more intermediate to advanced rider, the board really does pack a punch! £534.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

More at sputniksnowboardshop.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.

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 PICTURE STYLER JACKET CAMEL

The Styler Jacket features a DRYPLAY 10K/10K membrane for functional waterproofbreathability, a Teflon Ecoelite™ PFC-free durable water-repellent treatment, a Thermal Dry System liner to wick away sweat where you need it most, and 80g insulation to stay warm. For ventilation when the sun is blazing, just open the pit zips for ventilation. Critically taped seams keep moisture out. £199.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD-FITTING

SKI BOOTS

 THIRTYTWO JP LIGHT SNOWBOARD BOOT 2020

Boot of choice for the legend J.P. Walker, the Light is packed full of features in one feather-light package. STI Evolution Foam™ Outsole for soft landing, Articulated Cuff for a smooth easy flex, Snow Guard protects against unwanted moisture when hiking the backcountry and Tailored Lacing Technology to tune your fit. Best of all the Comfort Fit liner will have you riding all day. £199.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 GNU GLOSS C2 WOMEN’S SNOWBOARD 2020

The GNU Gloss C2 is a lovely women’s freestyle board that offers amazing pop. Its soft flex makes it easy to butter and its twin shape makes it easy to ride switch.

Ideal as a dome board or for someone just starting out looking for an easy, forgiving ride. £329.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 PICTURE UNDER PANT PETROL BLUE

 Eider Camber Jacket

The Camber Jacket has been designed for the modern resort skier.

This impressive ski jacket combines 3D engineered fit with stretch fabric, waterproof Defender membrane and Eider’s low-bulk, quick-drying E-Loft insulation to deliver superb performance and all-day comfort. £349.99 | ellis-brigham.com

The Under Pant offers a jean-look technical pant with its adjusted contours, denim-style pockets and a shoelace belt. But don’t lose sight of all of the technical features in this pant’s design: a DRYPLAY 10K/10K PFC-free membrane for functional waterproof-breathability, a Teflon Ecoelite™ PFC-free durable water-repellent treatment, lined pockets, inner leg vents and critically taped seams. £179.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 BURTON SUPPORT GLOVE  PICTURE HAAKON WOMEN’S BIB PANT PINK

The ultimate freeride bib. The Haakon Bib is a two-layer, lightweight and functional bib pant that provides full protection on any line you choose to ride. The removable bib and adjustable suspenders make it extremely versatile whatever the terrain and however hard you choose to play. £209.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

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Whether you’re learning to turn or landing your first triple backflip, you’re bound to get broken off. Give yourself an extra measure of protection.

Combining everything you could ever want in a normal waterproof glove, it also secretly protects thanks to a lowprofile, ergonomic internal support system. Screen Grab® gives you touchscreen control on all fingers. £79.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

Your ski boots are the most important aspect to enjoying your skiing. Being the closest link to the snow means your feet are where all your skiing movements begin. A good-fitting ski boot should give you more control on your skis and despite popular belief they “should” be comfortable.

All of this is achieved from three key elements: the fit around your foot; the correct flex for your ability level and the functionality of the boot for where you want to ski.

A properly fitted ski boot, moulded footbed and thin technical sock will give you the advantage of no rubbing or pressure points, no aching feet, and much more control over your skis.

When buying new boots properly in a specialist ski shop, a boot fitter will measure and assess your foot, looking carefully at the shape of your foot and calf and your overall posture and flow of movement. The flex of the boot is important – too soft and all the energy and movements you make are dissipated away from the ski, too stiff and you can’t push onto the ski and are thrown into the back seat.

A boot should flex fluidly with your body movements and allow you to stay in balance.

A lot will depend on your weight, leg length, strength and skiing experience.

In summary, never compromise on the fit, flex or functionality of your ski boots – a good-fitting ski boot means increased comfort, better edge grip, smoother turns, better posture on your skis, increased balance, more performance and less aching legs!

JAN20 // 049

 Planks Women’s Overstoke Anorak

Bright colours, fresh styling, fully waterproof and super lightweight. Whether you’re looking for a weatherproof jacket to easily throw on over another layer, want a waterproof jacket for back home or anything else in between, the Overstoke is comfortable, packable, a great price – and being made from recycled plastic bottles you’ll also be helping the environment! £179.95 | skibartlett.com

 Smith I/O Mag XL ™

We took the Smith MAG™ interchangeable system and integrated it with a more expansive window to the mountains. The I/O MAG™ XL's extra-large spherical ChromaPop™ lens enhances clarity and amplifies your experience. £219.99 | ellisbrigham.com

 Dalbello Panterra 85 Gripwalk Women’s Boot

 HEAD R-SERIES HELMETS

 Lowa

The “visor” helmet that doesn’t look like you’ve just walked off the set of Top Gun. R-Series helmets come with a lens rather than a visor, giving you an unrestricted field of vision with the comfort of a goggle. The patent-pending SphereFit system wraps around the head like a beanie and is adjusted with the Boa® system. Different category lenses (available separately) can be quickly swapped with the “Rapid Lens Exchange System”. Radar = Male, Rachel = Female.

The perfect helmet/goggle solution for prescription glasses wearers. £180 (Polarised version: £220) Absolute Snow & Ski Bartlett

Montreal GORE-TEX Walking Boot

 Rossignol React R6 Ski & Binding

If you love the feeling of carving smooth turns down every piste but struggle to get that feeling on every turn then this could be the ski to help you. The new Flex Tip allows you to easily and smoothly roll into and out of the turn, creating a smooth rhythm down the piste, progressing your technique whether you’re an intermediate or advanced skier. £424.95 | skibartlett.com

Completely redesigned for this year, giving you reduced weight, a snugger heel for better retention, a fully mouldable liner with better calf shaping for women, and still with a wider foot shape. They’ve even been able to increase the range of motion and added a Gripwalk sole for more comfortable touring and walking. £299.95 | skibartlett.com

A discrete-looking lightweight snow boot for those of you who want to get more use from your winter boots. Their GORE-TEX outer and warm fleece lining will keep you warm and dry. Their webbing “Monowrap” on the outside holds your foot firmly in place without adding extra bulk. £164.95 | skibartlett.com

 Scott Vapor Goggle (light-sensitive)

The new addition to Scott’s already successful goggle range, the Vapor now adds a bigger field of vision and unique side venting to increase airflow when wearing helmets, to prevent fogging.

They also include a light-sensitive amplifier lens that will give you impressive contrast in all weather conditions. £149.95 | skibartlett.com

Wherever Your Passions & Dreams Take You...

Wherever Your Passions & Dreams Take You...

NEW AIRPORT OPENS IN SWEDEN The new Scandinavian Mountains Airport has welcomed its first flights. The new airport is situated by the Norwegian border in Sweden between SkiStar’s twin resorts of Sälen in Sweden and Trysil, Norway. The closest skiing area in Sälen, which was recently named Sweden’s Best Ski Resort at the prestigious World Ski Awards, is a 10-minute transfer. Trysil, Norway’s biggest ski resort, is only 40 minutes away.

Coincidentally, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg posted on social media that domestic air travel in Sweden was down 11%, but the new airport targets the international market.

The first flight from London brought VIPs and celebrities including Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw and British Winter Olympian Chemmy Alcott to Sälen. Adult return tickets from Heathrow

VERBIER

start from £155.

RECORD 5K “SANTAS” HIT VERBIER SLOPES More than 5,000 people dressed as Santa Claus took to the slopes of Verbier in Les 4 Vallées before Christmas to celebrate the opening of the season.

The number was about double what it was only two years ago in 2017, when nearly 2,700 people took to the slopes dressed in Santa outfits for what was the

We’ve Got The Equipment & We’ve Got The Equipment & Expertise YouThere!

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Expertise To To Get Get You Bringing you UK’s the UK’s largest rangeofofspecialist specialist skis skis &&boots advice andand expertise sincesince 1965.1965.

Bringing you the largest range bootsand and advice expertise always here helpand and advise advise you correct equipment We’llWe’ll always bebe here totohelp youon onthe the correct equipment for wherever your passions and dreams take you. for wherever your passions and dreams take you.

Custom Ski Boot Fitting Specialists

Custom Ski Boot Fitting Specialists Ski Industries Of Great Britain Official Ski Testers Ski Industries Of Snow GreatAwards Britain- Official Ski Testers Winner of the World Best Speciailst Retailer Winner of the World Snow Awards - Best Speciailst Retailer

ski resort’s opening session that year. That number was already double the 2016 total of 1,200 Santas and was even then a record for the most people in Santa costumes gathered in one place.

This season was the sixth that Verbier has run the event, and this winter there’s improved rail access to the resort. The promotion gives a free day’s lift pass and a free train ticket from Geneva for those who sign up in advance and arrive in Santa costume.

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JAN20 // 051

FREERIDE | FREESTYLE | TOURING | TELEMARK | RACE | RECREATIONAL

FREERIDE | FREESTYLE | TOURING | TELEMARK | RACE | RECREATIONAL Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon, West London, UB10 0NP 020 8848 0040 www.SkiBartlett.com Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon, West London, UB10 0NP

020 8848 0040 www.SkiBartlett.com

WORDS: SEGA FAIRWEATHER

With the accumulation of snow...

the 4Ss to make the most of the fluffy stuff!

... that has fallen over the Alps, my schedule leading up to New Year was filled with clients wanting to explore the off-piste. A lot of them are extremely accomplished skiers, including one family who have been coming to Switzerland for years, favouring the itinerary runs that make Les 4 Vallées famous. Despite their extensive knowledge of the area, and their ability, they all had a lot to learn when it came to powder skiing.

Be Sensible: Make sure that you have all of the gear, and that you know how to use it. At minimum each person in your group needs a transceiver, probe and shovel, and to know how to use each piece of equipment. It is a necessity that each member of the group is comfortable using the transceiver, especially in search mode, as they could be relied upon in an emergency.

Unfortunately most people aren’t lucky enough on their week on holiday to have enough practice skiing in deep snow, so here are

Be Safe: Make sure your group size is no more than six when skiing off piste, and never ski open faces together at the same time.

052 // JAN20

Take it in turns to ski the section, watch each other and stop in a sensible place such as a ridgeline, or underneath a cliff or large rock.

Basically anywhere that it is unlikely an avalanche will reach to if one is set off above you. Keep an eye out for other groups too – you may be skiing safely, but they could start an avalanche above you!

Check the avalanche warning before you head out at the lift station. The risk is graded out of 5 – Low, Moderate, Considerable, High and Very High. A more indepth avalanche report in particular danger spots, can be sought out.

In Switzerland you can get the app “White Risk”, which is full of useful information on decision-making as well as the current conditions.

If in doubt take a guide, or an experienced off-piste instructor who knows the area.

Make Shapes: You should change the shape of the turns that you make in deeper snow because too much across the hill makes your legs tired and increases the chances of you falling over. If you imagine a clock where 12 is straight down the hill in the fall line, you should only point your skis at 11 and 1 o’clock, so a really elongated turn shape, with patience at the top of the turn. With a narrower corridor, you can then

increase the frequency of the turns, using movement up and down in the snow each turn to help slow your speed and keep in control.

Stay Centred: It is a common misconception that you should lean back in powder. Although it does help to lift the tips of the skis up, with today’s wider skis underfoot (even piste skis), it is not necessary.

If you lean back, then you are mainly using muscles, and this will make you tired; it is also not as effective to turn as being centred on the skis (not as far forward as on piste).

Feet should be almost glued together so that both legs work as one unit. This gives more float to your skis, saves energy as you can be stacked skeletally and also stops one leg being pulled in a different direction from anything below the snow. We are taught to have more weight over the outside ski when skiing on piste, but if you emulate this off piste you will find the outside ski sinks, making it not much fun at all. The ideal position is with your weight centred forward and back on the skis as well as centred left to right.

Keeping the feet together and weight centred will ensure you have heaps of fun through the heaps of snow!

LONG-TERM PLAN FOR SNOWBOWL The Arizona Snowbowl ski area have announced a $60 million (around £46 million), 10-year expansion plan. The plan calls for new lifts, runs, lighting for night skiing and boarding and year-round facilities such as a mountain coaster, zip lines and mountain biking. They also aim to ease current congestion at weekends at the centre where there are long queues at peak times for facilities like ski rentals.

MERTHYR TYDFIL INDOOR SKI SLOPE

SKIING IN UZBEKISTAN?

A £150 million development in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales which

Skiing in Uzbekistan may not have

Doppelmayr-built gondola and chairlift,

£14.75) per day, and there is a 50% discount

crossed your mind before, but a new

Italian TechnoAlpin snowmaking and is

for children and senior citizens. Further

slope and water park could be as

ski resort has just opened 65km

run by an Andorra-based management

discounts are offered for those skiing on

“transformational” for the area as

east of capital Tashkent that’s

company. There are seven groomed runs,

two or more consecutive days.

a similar project, SnowWorld, has

been built at a cost of €100 million

the longest of which is Bravo (2,383m), plus

Uzbekistan is visa-free for 65

(around £85,760 million) offers 5

opportunities for off-piste and heli-skiing,

nationalities (including EU passport

accommodation and has lift passes

and accommodation is provided by a

holders) and has direct flights twice a

costing less than £15 a day.

brand-new luxury hotel.

week from London Heathrow to Tashkent

The Amirsoy Mountain Resort features a

Lift passes start from UZS185,000 (around

with Uzbekistan Airways.

will include a 500m indoor ski

been for a former Dutch mining town, according to Lyn Williams, the man behind the famous Merthyr Rising festival, who is the marketing consultant for the project.

LE SKI ADD THREE Le Ski have added three new chalets to their programme in CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

WORLD’S MOST ADVANCED HIGH-SPEED LINKS CHINESE 2022 WINTER OLYMPIC VENUES

Courchevel Moriond (1650) this winter. Le Ski are by far the largest operator in the valley with 19 chalets differing in style, size and price bracket with chalets sleeping two to 23 guests.

SKI TOURERS ONLY EVENING AT ELLMAU Ellmau in the SkiWelt region of the Austrian Tirol has a special offer for ski tourers every Thursday evening

China has unveiled the world’s most

travelling at up to 350km per hour.

robots” helping with baggage at stations on

until 5 March 2020. The downhill

advanced high-speed train to connect

Passengers on the newly launched service

the new line. The first passengers to ride

run is open to tourers until 10pm

capital city Beijing with its 2022 Winter-

are able to enjoy 5G data signals and

on the new train included Yang Yang, who

that evening, and as an added

Olympic and Paralympics co-host city

wireless charging onboard. The trains have

won two gold medals at the 2002 Winter

treat the Kaiserlounge at the top

Zhangjiakou. The €7 billion (around £6

special ski and snowboard storage facilities

Olympics in Salt Lake City.

station of the Hartkaiserbahn will

billion), 174km-long railway line cuts travel

and during the Olympics will broadcast

The first Alpine World Cup ski racing takes

be open until 10pm so ski tourers

time between the two cities from three

live TV links to events taking place for

place at Olympic venues next month, two

can rest and get refreshments

hours to 47 minutes with driverless trains

passengers. There are also “AI controlled

months before the Games are due to begin.

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following their exertions.

JAN20 // 053

M

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DOMINIK PARIS

Paris reached new heights in Bormio at the end of December, winning a record fifth downhill on the Stelvio piste, the fourth in succession, to confirm his status as the most successful Italian downhill specialist in World Cup history. A year ago, Paris also became one of only seven skiers to win the classic Hahnenkamm downhill at Kitzbühel three times or more after Karl Schranz, Franz Klammer, Pirmin Zurbriggen, Franz Heinzer, Didier Cuche and Luc Alphand. At the time of writing, in the all-time list of downhill World Cup winners, Paris, who is sponsored by Nordica and Red Bull, is now joint sixth with Austria’s Michael Walchhofer and Norway’s Aksel Lund Svindal.

Your career seems to be getting better and better.

“I have great confidence in my skis, in my boots, and with everything. With this confidence, with every race I saw I was fast and not making any mistakes,

054 // JAN20

which just gave me more and more confidence.”

Last season you took the Super-G crystal globe and were second in downhill.

“I was in very good shape after Bormio last year and won the Super-G in Kitzbühel, so with all this confidence it makes you a little bit stronger, and I found we had the right conditions for me and I could push really, really hard.”

How did it feel to win your first crystal globe at the World Cup Finals in Soldeu last season?

“I have never pushed so hard in my life. It was a technical course, on which I usually struggle. In the first part I tried to put as much speed in as possible, then I went quite long on the jump, but I had good trajectories. I managed to loosen up and that made the difference.”

Five victories in Bormio, four of them in succession, is quite something.

“Bormio was amazing ... two downhill victories and a great Super-G in the Alpine Combined.

Only with the slalom I had some problems, so I ended 26th in the Alpine Combined. Nevertheless I was very happy about this great weekend.”

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ERICH SPIESS/ASP/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Italy’s Dominik Paris from the country’s South Tyrol region rose to the top of the pack in his 30th year, 2019, and began 2020 heading both the World Cup Downhill and World Cup overall leader boards.