InTheSnow | Issue 75 | February 2024 by InTheSnow

ISSUE 75 | FEB 2024

Whether you’re scaling the peaks, hitting the slopes or racing the road Dare 2b is your partner in adventure. From technical ski jackets to sweat-wicking cycling jerseys, we’ve got you the kit to go the distance. Do you dare 2b thrilled, pushed and freed...? Because life is so much better when you Dare 2b alive

DARE 2B

THRILLED? PUSHED?

FREED?

PERFORMANCE SPORTSWEAR www.dare2b.com

CHASE YOUR DREAMS. AND YOUR FRIENDS.

Plan your perfect winter getaway at Canada’s 2nd largest ski area:

SunPeaksResort.com/Winter Photographer: Reuben Krabbe Athletes: Mie Bartholdy & Elli Terwiel

Secwépemc Territory

ANDY PARANT

16 AOSTA

DARIO MAZZOLI

50 SPRING SKIING

46 WOMEN'S CAMP

MICHAEL OVERBECK

@INTHESNOWMAG

70 ARC 1950

05 // FEB24

26 HUSH SKI TRIP

28 SKI THE ECLIPSE 30 BLOW THE BONUS 34 VALLÉE BLANCHE 37 BUYERS GUIDE 60 SUNNIES FOR SPRING 74 10 MINS

ANDY PARANT

06 EDITOR 08 NEWS 12 SAAS FEE / SAASTAL 18 SKI PATROL 20 75 ISSUES

ANDY PARANT RYAN FLETT / RED MOUNTAIN

SPRING’S HERE, SNOW’S DEEP!

t’s hard to remember a year that has started better for skiers. The snow is lying deep across the Alps – already reaching 5m thick up high in the French Alps in mid-January, several months earlier than that stat is normally reached somewhere each season. On top of that, almost every ski run is open across Europe’s main ski regions. The snow hadn’t been so good in North America up to New Year, but here 2024 is dawning with massive accumulations, with up to 2.5m snowfalls reported in seven days in the northwest of the continent, so things are back on track there too. Then in terms of ski racing achievements, just days before we hit the 100-year anniversary of the opening of the very

first Winter Olympics, staged in Chamonix in 1924, young Zak Carrick-Smith won our first-ever Olympic medal in Alpine ski racing – and it was a gold! This brought back memories of Dave Ryding taking Britain’s first-ever World Cup Alpine ski racing win at the Kitzbuhel Hahnenkamm Slalom a few years ago pretty much on the centenary of the first ever “modern” slalom being run at Murren in the early 1920s. Dave didn’t quite make the podium in this year’s Hahnenkamm, but the day before Zak’s gold, Team GB had three racers finish in the top 20 of the 2024 Hahnenkamm slalom – another “best ever” for Blighty. All this good news happened in the first three weeks of 2024, so let’s hope the season just keeps getting better!

PUBLISHER

Dominic Killinger dom@inthesnow.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Patrick Thorne patrick@inthesnow.com DEPUTY EDITOR

Debbie Gabriel debbie@inthesnow.com SUB EDITORS

Nick Jones & Marion Adams GEAR EDITORS

Rob Stewart & Sally Bartlett CONTRIBUTORS

Robert Thorne Pete Thompson MAGAZINE + BRAND DESIGN BY

Tom Showler | Rocket Base tom@rocketbase.co.uk WEB + DIGITAL DESIGNER

SpikyDesign

06 // FEB24

No part of this publication may be copied, photocopied or reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any way or means, either by recording or otherwise, without permission of the publishers in writing.

Create Your Perfect Holiday in Italy’s Best Ski Resort Choose the options that suit you best and nothing else. Choose where to stay in Livigno, whether you’d like an apartment or chalet holiday, add your lift pass and if you need them the best equipment rentals or ski school instruction. Book a complete holiday or just your accommodation, either way we can provide all the help and advice you need with in-resort support and a 24-hour telephone number. Free ski guiding for our clients and free apres ski events are all part of the service.

LivignoSkiHolidays.com

Call 0808 1782 628 info@livignoskiholidays.com livignoskiholidays.com

ON SALE FOR 2024/2025 SKI SEASON

Put Together the Perfect Ski Holiday in Andorra

SkiAndorraHolidays.com

Our site offers a comprehensive overview of absolutely everything Andorra. You can use it to book individual service or your entire ski holiday at any of the principality’s resort villages. Our expert team have decades of experience in Andorra and know exactly how to help you get the most from your holiday. Not restricted to a limited number of suppliers like many big tour ops, we can offer a huge range of accommodation and services including ski passes, gear rentals, ski school lessons and airport transfers.

Call 0808 238 7542 info@skiandorraholidays.com skiandorraholidays.com

JOEL MARKLUND FOR OIS/IOC

GB’S FIRST OLYMPIC MEDALS full 2018 Winter Olympics. Zak won his and Britain’s first gold in the Combined event, racing Super-G and Slalom. Lying in 26th place after the Super-G, Zak climbed up an incredible 26 places with a sensational slalom run. Zak, who has two racing brothers, is the son of four-time Olympian

Emma Carrick-Anderson and former English ski champion Phil Smith, who, among other things, run Snoworks ski training courses. Zak went on to take silver in the GS and a second gold, in slalom, and that was actually on the centenary of the Chamonix Olympics opening ceremony.

BOGNER’S LONDON STORE

COPPER’S BIG SPEND

3 BRITS IN TOP 20

08 // FEB24

RED BULL

Almost a century to the day from the start of the first winter Olympics in Chamonix, Britain's 16-year-old Zak Carrick-Smith has won our first ever Olympic Alpine Skiing Golds. Zak was competing at the fourth Youth Olympic Games taking place at Gangwon in South Korea, location of the

Luxury skiwear fashion house Bogner have opened their first London store. The famous German brand’s first standalone concept store in the UK occupies five storeys at 14 Dover Street in the heart of Mayfair. Established in 1932 by Willy Bogner in Munich, Bogner sportswear and designer fashion offers a fusion of fashion and functionality and has been worn by icons such as the late Diana Princess of Wales, actors playing James Bond, and Taylor Swift.

Copper Mountain has announced it will be upgrading two of its key lifts, Timberline and Lumberjack, for next winter in what it says will be its biggest investment for a decade. The biggest chunk of the money is going on a new mid-mountain restaurant, though, the Aerie, being built at the top of the American Eagle lift. It will be a 25,000ft2, two-storey building, with the gondola accessing the second-floor deck directly.

Three British ski racers placed in the top 20 of the Hahnenkamm Slalom races in Kitzbühel in January. Competing at the biggest race weekend in the World Cup calendar, the race saw Britain’s Dave Ryding, who won the race in 2021, finish in fifth. Billy Major, who had started 33rd, finished 13th, and Laurie Taylor, who’d started 46th, finished 19th, with both scoring personal bests. Only Austria had more racers in the top 20, and Great Britain moved up to 10th in the Nations cup.

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

BRECKENRIDGE COLORADO High altitude, allabilities terrain, authentic American atmosphere, sunny weather and snowsure well into April, Breckenridge is a must-visit resort for UK skiers. LEGO SNOW Ischgl is putting Lego centre stage this winter with a host of events focused on the famous Danish colourful plastic bricks. First up has been the creation of giant Lego sculptures in the Austrian resort’s annual “Shapes in White” snow sculpture competition. In addition,

until 25 February 2024, the village is staging the world’s highest-altitude Lego fan exhibition at their Pardorama mountain restaurant (2,624m asl). The exhibition includes impressive replicas of world-famous buildings and numerous other Lego creations.

ARCHIVE FISCHER

SKI MAKER IS 100

A famous and still privately owned ski company has turned 100. Austria’s Fischer skis are the ones of choice for GB skiers, including Dave Ryding, Billy Major, Charlie Guest and freestyler Tyler Harding. Since its inception in 1924, Fischer has been at the forefront of innovation and quality. "We are immensely proud to reach this momentous milestone in our company's history," said Franz Föttinger, CEO of Fischer.

@INTHESNOWMAG

110M ANDERMATT SPEND

Vail Resorts have begun “…a multi-year investment in the guest experience, funded by the CHF 110m (£98m) capital that was invested as a part of the purchase of the company’s majority stake of Switzerland’s Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis ski area.” This season, there’s a new (secured, not groomed) "yellow" slope on Schneehüenerstock. Plans for the future include new lifts and the further expansion of artificial snowmaking.

Personal Advice Tailor-made Price skisafari.com 01273 224060

SAYPE PARADIOSKI

010 // FEB24

MASSIVE MOUNTAIN ART The French artist Saype, who creates massive artworks using biodegradable materials, unveiled his latest work “Encordés”, painted on the snow-covered slopes of the French Alps for the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Paradiski ski area. The artist, known for his monumental frescoes

found around the world, unveiled this new ephemeral piece painted directly on the snow at over 2,000m altitude in the mountains of the Paradiski ski area, which includes the linked slopes of Les Arcs, La Plagne and Peisey-Vallandry. The shortlived work consisted of two creations,

made with 100% natural and eco-friendly charcoal paint. Each covered an area of 1,000m². Saype commented: “The mountain inspires me; it is both a beautiful postcard and a potentially hostile high-altitude environment, especially for creating my ephemeral artwork,” said Saype.

CHINA’S 50 INDOOR CENTRES

BEST AURORA YEAR

WORLD’S LONGEST 8 SEATER

China has passed the milestone of having 50 indoor snow centres operational, by far the most in the world. Taihu Longemont Snow World in Huzhou City is one of the latest to open in late 2023. lt has an area of 78,000m2 divided between an ice area and the snow area. The centre has a “polar atmosphere” and “Danish-style architecture” according to reports, as well as 16 ski trails in total.

2024 will be the peak year for seeing the aurora (northern lights) from the world’s more northerly ski slopes. The Riksgränsen ski area in the Swedish Arctic Circle, which opens for its 2024 ski season this month, is highlighting the fact that the sun is predicted to reach the peak of its 11-year activity cycle between now and October 2024, meaning a phase of increasing solar winds and a greater likelihood of seeing the aurora (northern lights).

Hot on the heels of unveiling their new Lone Peak Tram during the 50th anniversary week of the creation of Big Sky Resort, the Montana ski area has announced they’ll be installing their second eight-seater chairlift. Big Sky will be the world’s first resort to operate two eight-seat chairlifts, and the new Six Shooter lift will be its third to feature a state-of-the-art D-line chairlift, replacing the existing Six Shooter lift.

@INTHESNOWMAG

THE ADVENTURE BAKERY

BACKPACK DELIVERS AIR

Backpacks designed to help skiers and boarders caught in avalanches by deploying airbags have been with us for some time now. However, a new product on the market this winter takes a different approach. The Safeback SBX avalanche survival system is designed to deliver an air supply to avalanche burial victims under the snow, extending their likely survival time. Three out of four avalanche fatalities are due to suffocation beneath the snowpack, but using groundbreaking technology and a design with only three moving parts, the system is designed to extend the window of rescue from 15 minutes to over 90. Once activated, the system uses a fan-based air pump stowed in a Safeback-compatible backpack and retrieves fresh air from the snow (which contains at least 50% air, even when densely packed) around riders.

NEW VERTICAL RECORD

A new world record has been set for the most vertical metres climbed while ski touring in 24 hours. Jakob Herrmann took to the slopes of his home mountain of Radstadt in Austria and completed 34 x 710m vertical ascents, a total of 24,242m climbed. With an ascent length of 2.5km per run, he also climbed 85km in the same period. This broke the previous record of 23,486 vertical metres set by Kilian Jornet in 2019. Herrmann took only short breaks to eat rice, potatoes, and homemade banana bread as well as isotonic drinks and energy bars. "It has always been a dream of mine to be on touring skis for 24 hours straight," said Jakob. "I just wanted to know what limits one can reach and how far beyond you can go."

SHIFFRIN’S 95TH WIN

American ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin has moved further into uncharted territory by taking her 95th World Cup win in the slalom at Jasna, Slovakia, last month. Shiffrin became the most successful ski racer of all time last season when she overtook the previous record 86 wins that had been held by Sweden’s Ingemar Stenmark for almost three decades. As well as getting closer to a position of being the first alpine ski racer to score 100 wins at World Cup level, Shiffrin, who turns 29 in March, has the possibility of joining a group of elite athletes who have scored 100 or more world-level wins in any and all sports. Mikaela’s 95th win was also her 150th visit to the winner’s podium, and she was also given a traditional Slovakian crown.

A high-alpine winter wonderland for thrillseekers, with skiing until the end of April.

It’s not just skiing the pistes either. There's a diverse range of exciting activities on offer, including glacier expeditions, alpine canyoning, ice climbing and ski touring. The Saas Valley is the go-to place for adventurous souls seeking personal challenges and unforgettable experiences amidst the splendour of the Alps. Après-ski lovers will be very happy in the Saas Valley too with a vibrant après-ski scene to sink into, be it in the cosy mountain huts or enjoying one of the many organised après-ski events that can make the evenings as memorable as the days spent on the slopes. Discover the Aventure Destination.

012 // FEB24

SAASTAL TOURISMUS AG/FILME VON DRAUSSEN

aas-Fee/Saastal is a breathtaking destination of stunning natural beauty, with its glacier-carved landscapes and charming Saas villages. Surrounded by 18 majestic peaks over 4,000m, the Saas Valley offers a unique winter experience with a staggering mountain and glacier landscape full of exciting adventure opportunities. The Saas Valley’s high-altitude, glacier-topped ski slopes guarantee excellent snow and skiing conditions until 21 April, along with plenty of sunshine. With nonstop descents of up to 1,800 vertical metres, this is the perfect destination for winter sports enthusiasts.

SAAS-FEE.CH

SAMO VIDIC / RED BULL CONTENT POOL

BUS IS BACK

The option to take a dedicated coach service from London to the Alps with Snow Express is fully back for the first time since the pandemic. With fares from £179 return from London Victoria or Folkestone to over 25 ski resorts in the French Alps, including the Channel crossing, luggage and ski carriage, it’s usually the most economical way to reach ski resorts. It’s also a far more sustainable way to travel with individual carbon emissions seven times lower than travelling by air. Snow Express has partnered with POW (Protect Our Winters) whose calculations indicate a return trip from London to Tignes with Snow Express and ferry uses 24.1kg CO2 per passenger compared to 189.2kg CO2 flying. The service departs the UK every Friday evening until Friday 5 April, returning Saturdays until 13 April. snowexpress.co.uk

“SKI AS LONG AS YOU CAN”

A 99-year-old woman has taken to the slopes of St Anton am Arlberg more than 90 years after she first skied there on wooden skis. Lotte Hosp’s motto is "Ski for as long as you can" and her early memories of first getting on the snow in the early 1930s go back to the great pioneer of alpine skiing, Hannes Schneider. She remembers attending his lectures on the "Arlberg technique" but being unable to afford ski lessons herself. Lotte notes that things have changed a lot from the early days when you needed to walk up to ski down. Her mother worked as a housekeeper in the Fischer household, still famous today for their skis and celebrating their centenary this year (see separate story). Lotte’s mum asked for skis for her daughter, and that’s how she got started. Lotte says she has no intention of stopping skiing anytime soon.

BODE AT SHOW

It’s eight months away, but the first speakers at the London Snow Show 2024 taking place at London’s ExCeL centre on 19-20 October have already been announced. Alongside Britain’s only World Cup race winner Dave Ryding and British boarder and presenter Aimee Fuller, one of the more interesting speakers will be the first alpine skier to represent Jamaica in the Olympics, Benji Alexander. The show also has a big name signing: the American Olympic and World Champion ski racing legend Bode Miller. Considered one of the greatest World Cup racers of all time with 33 race victories and being one of five men to win World Cup events in all five disciplines. He is also the only skier with five or more victories in each discipline.

ANDREAS SENONER PHOTOGRAPHY

014 // FEB24

DOLOMITES DIRNDL DAY The classic resort of Val Gardena in the stunning Italian Dolomites has decided to celebrate Women’s Day on 8 March by hosting an exciting and colourful ski race for women only. The parallel slalom will see all participants compete wearing a traditional South Tyrolean ‘dirndl’

dress. Women can only compete as pairs (friends, sisters, mother/daughter, etc.) with everyone welcome to take part from the age of 18 to 99. Racers will meet at the Baita Sanon on the Alpe di Siusi at 9:30am where the relaxed fun day will start off with an aperitif with DJ Simon.

At the finishing line at the end of the racecourse, there’ll be a fun atmosphere including a dice game to play. The event will conclude with more celebrations and a prize-giving ceremony at 2:30pm. The event is part of Val Gardena’s extensive spring programme of events.

CASHLESS SKI SHOP

ALTERRA RAISE $3 BILLION

“OPEN WHEN WE CAN”

A second-hand shop in the French Pyrenees resort of Les Angles is operating entirely free of charge. Known as the “Shop For Nothing”, the volunteer-run store was initially set up to promote recycling and exchange, but has grown into something more. The store offers everything, but childcare equipment, kitchen utensils, household appliances and books are particularly popular. Everyone can bring what they no longer want or take what they need.

The Alterra Mountain Company, which was established in 2017 and runs 17 of North America’s leading ski areas, including Mammoth, Deer Valley, Palisades, Steamboat and Tremblant, are reported to have raised a further $3 billion to invest in improvements at their resorts. The investment comes from KSL Partners, a $21 billion private equity firm, and will be used to complete building projects and possibly buy more resorts.

Scotland’s Nevis Range, which opened specifically for skiing near Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, 30 years ago, says it has lost millions of pounds trying to offer snowsports with marginal weather conditions over the last five years and will henceforth only try to open when there’s enough natural snow cover. “We haven’t made profit on the ski season for over 15 years – we do this because we love it,” a spokesperson said.

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

Flexible catered chalet holidays that allow you to maximise your time on the slopes. Prices from £416pp in February, including shared, return Geneva airport transfers 10 catered chalets with 3, 4 or 7 night stays

GET A QUOTE FOR YOUR NEXT SKI BREAK 02380 206 971 sales@skiweekends.com skiweekends.com

AOSTA-VALLEY.CO.UK

DARIO MAZZOLI

taly’s smallest region has been making history at least as far back as the Romans, but in more recent times it has been drawing in skiers, attracted by its world-class facilities, fabulous food, authentic atmosphere and the spectacular scenery, all around. Located in the northwest of the country, the Aosta Valley is home to no less than 19 ski resorts and 25 winter playgrounds, including both world-famous destinations and equally enticing, unknown villages where skiers can have the slopes almost to themselves. Altogether, there are over 800km of ski runs along with eight snow parks. All are included on a single international electronic ski pass for direct access to all runs. Positioned at the heart of the Alps and bordered by France and Switzerland, Aosta Valley is surrounded by some of the highest peaks in Europe: the Matterhorn (or ‘Cervino’ to Italians), Monte Rosa, Gran Paradiso and the biggest of them all, Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Western Europe. Along with stays in world-famous resorts, the Aosta Valley is also home to a host of traditional villages with access to the same large ski areas as those wellknown destinations. Either way, you’ll find plenty of space on the ski runs with everything from gentle and gradual slopes to some of the most challenging slopes in the Alps.

NOT JUST SKIING Although there are world-famous resorts here like La Thuile, Courmayeur, Pila, Cervinia, Champoluc and Gressoney, at several of which you can even ski over the border into France or Italy, the Aosta Valley is also home to many smaller, less wellknown destinations, and also offers lots of winter activities besides skiing. Family-friendly activities like sledging and dog sledding are available here and villages like Torgnon have a particularly strong family focus. It’s known as a land of children and toys and home to the famous Winter Park play land. Or Crévacol has a reputation as the sunniest resort in the entire region where kids can have fun with sleds and bobs in the Flassin playground. On the other hand, Chamois is famously the only Italian municipality without cars and the ideal place for long walks on snowshoes or for those who want to try skis for the first time in a beautiful, peaceful environment. Although there is a full Aosta Valley ski pass, the separate and more economically priced Magic Skipass is designed to allow holders to discover the many out-of-theordinary itineraries at quieter/smaller resorts at great value for money. Turin, Milan and Geneva airports are all within easy reach, so the Aosta Valley resorts are among the easiest to get to from the UK, making it an ideal destination for a weekend or short break.

017 // DEC22

ENRICO ROMANZI

MARCO GABBIN

Helly Hansen partner with 55K professionals worldwide, Whistler ski patrol being one of them ALL IMAGES: MICHAEL OVERBECK

aid or rescue if we’re unlucky enough to run into difficulties on the slopes, they’re always there in the background assessing slope conditions and keeping us safe. For many, their day begins in the small hours, long before the lifts open, assessing snow conditions and working to minimise avalanche danger, deciding which terrain is safe to open and which needs to be off limits until conditions improve.

It’s only right, then, that there’s an International Ski Patrol Day in February each year when we can celebrate the hard work of these often-unsung heroes in ski resorts all over the world. The day’s sponsors, Helly Hansen, donate 5% of revenue from their online sales on International Ski Patrol Day (this year 10 February 2024) to various organisations that support patrollers and safety groups.

018 // FEB24

here are many things we tend to take for granted when we hit the slopes each morning. There’s the efforts the grooming crew have put into making the slopes perfectly smooth, the work lift teams complete to keep lifts running smoothly and of course there’s the incredible work that ski patrol complete day in, day out throughout the ski season. As well as being there to provide first

HELLYHANSEN.COM/SKI-PATROL

FABIO PIVA / RED BULL CONTENT POOL

RETIRING AT 23 Norwegian World Cup Slalom Champion Lucas Braathen has retired at the age of 23. Braathen burst onto the World Cup scene five years ago, aged just 18, and took the World Cup Crystal Globe in slalom last winter.

However, he had talked about being unhappy at times as a result of his fame. "For the first time I feel happy. I'm proud of the show that I've been able to put on. But unfortunately, for my own sake, I've done my fair share now."

FASCHING RAUM FÜR FOTOGRAFIE

800 HELPED INTO SNOWSPORTS

Snow Camp, a charity that enables young people to gain confidence, develop resilience and acquire life skills through snowsports, has helped 800 children and young adults from deprived areas across the UK over the past year. The charity offers a structured programme that combines snowsports training, mentoring and vocational qualifications with the aim of providing participants with a solid foundation for future success.

@INTHESNOWMAG

AI CHAIRLIFTS

Following the introduction of socalled autonomous gondolas, which can operate without staff at both the upper and lower station, Austrian and Swiss government authorities have granted permission for certain chairlifts equipped with the same remote operating facilities to begin operating. “As well as ensuring a high level of safety, this innovative system saves lift operators up to 35% in personnel costs,” a Doppelmayr spokesperson enthused.

A toffee vodka that’s made for the

MOUNTAINS Available online and in select stores nationwide. Scan the QR to find your nearest store.

75 ISSUES I

t’s not like us to blow our own trumpet (and if we did it would have to be one of those great long Alpenhorns), but in this day and age, reaching your 75th edition of a printed magazine deserves some celebration. We started as a young upstart ski publication 15 years ago. If we were launching today, we’d say we were there to “disrupt” the status quo, but really we’ve always just loved snow (hence the name) and snowsports, and we wanted to be a part of that and have fun. It doesn’t seem that long ago that we started, but it’s amazing how quickly things have changed. Back in our first season, print magazines were the main method of getting information out there. Websites existed, of course, and we had one from the start, but they were more for directories of information, less for news, and social media hadn’t really taken off at all. Along with six issues of InTheSnow, each season we were publishing printed guidebooks to accommodation and our luxury Powder Retreats book. But it was only a few years after we burst onto the scene that iPhones and Facebook really changed everything. Skiers expected information instantly in their hands, and we reacted quickly, revamping our website to keep up and feed ski news and information daily, yearround, and quickly building more than 100,000 followers. Some publications didn’t adapt so fast and are no longer with us, or just managing one issue a year. We’ve also developed a large presence on YouTube, launching our own video

reviews and shows. We have our summer publication LoveTheMountains.co.uk, and we’re also dedicated podcasters, listened to in over 70 countries and ranked in the top 20% of podcasts worldwide! Check out The White Out podcast. Online is now a huge part of our operation, attracting up to 20k unique visitors each day in peak season. We’re one of the few publishing year-round ski content, and for several years now we’ve been rated the world’s no. 1 ski bloggers. Indeed, at one point we did wonder if we would join others and switch to onlineonly, but the love of print we’ve always had seems to be paying dividends, with subscription rates at an all-time high, a bit like those who stuck with vinyl alongside their Spotify downloads. We’ve redesigned the magazine several times so that it now delivers information concisely and beautifully, in a publication that’s great to look at and which we think you’re going to want to keep on the coffee table for a good long while then store on your shelf thereafter. InTheSnow is now the longestestablished magazine in the UK under one continuous ownership. Over the years, we’ve always tried to convey the love of skiing and snow, bringing fun news stories from around the wide world of winter sports, reporting on everything from a 2m snowfall or the latest hi-tec ski lift, to a former pope’s ski jacket being deemed a holy relic. We’ve tried to champion inclusivity, equality and sustainability in snowsports – we want everyone to get the chance to enjoy it for as long as possible. So, here’s to the next 75 issues…

INTHESNOW.COM

021 // FEB24

& COUNTING!

SAMUEL GIUDICE - STOPDOWN STUDIO

EX-RUINED CHALET €24M region in 2015. After purchasing the “ruin”, Mr Harrison spent five years having it renovated. The property, just over the border from Zermatt and connected to the famous Swiss resorts by ski slopes and lifts providing access to year-round skiing, offers accommodation over six

3 VALLÉES MICROBREWERY

CIRCUS FESTIVAL

floors with lift access and includes seven en-suite bedrooms, some with private balconies. The building has its own spa with an indoor pool, Hammam and treatment rooms, an outdoor Jacuzzi with Matterhorn views, a gym and multimedia room, ski room, wine cellar and helipad.

022 // FEB24

SCORDIA NICOLAS

A ski chalet above Cervinia with views from the Italian side of the Matterhorn has gone on sale priced at €24m with luxury-property dealers Savills. La Fenice was originally stone-built in 1936 but was “discovered” by a London-based financier as a derelict building when skiing in the

The first microbrewery in the Belleville Valley has been established at Le Chatelard. Housed within a former goat farm, owners Julien and Sophie’s “Brava Vela” brewery has created a range of beers from “La Masse” (brown beer), “La Belleville” (a golden, light blonde version) to Le Thorens (pale ale with citrus notes). Part of the Brava Vela’s plan is for 97% of all ingredients continue to be locally sourced.

A major music festival hits the Alps this spring with the French resort of La Clusaz in the Aravis region seeing DJ decks and other acts take over the slopes to deliver free gigs throughout the scenic village. From 4–7 April, the 12th edition of the Radio Meuh Circus Festival will see visitors to the traditional mountain village able to ski or snowboard by day, and dance by night.

DON’T EAT THE SNOW

A private US ski resort which requires all residents to be at least multi-millionaires and has listed several famous billionaires among them (members are reputed to include Bill Gates and Justin Timberlake) has begun using purified wastewater, cleaner than stuff that comes out of lakes, into snow. However, to comply with its permit, the Yellowstone Club has had to put up signs warning skiers not to eat the snow.

@INTHESNOWMAG

024 // FEB24

charity that works to support snowsports athletes is urging all skiers and boarders to take a quick online test now! This records your brain’s healthy cognitive function. In the unfortunate event you suffer a concussion or suspect one, on the slopes or anywhere else in the future, you can take a similar post-traumatic test, and medics will be able to see what has changed and tailor your recovery programme. The initiative is being driven by the Ellie Soutter Foundation, who have made these tests available at what they believe is the lowest cost anywhere, just €12. Your results are stored on a free app and can be

accessed at any point in the future for comparison. Ellie tragically took her own life on her 18th birthday in 2018, and one theory is that she may have been suffering from a condition known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which can be caused by suffering multiple concussions. They’re something Ellie inevitably suffered as she trained and competed in snowsports, and although it was not recognised while she was alive, she displayed many of the known symptoms. We may not all strive to be elite snowsports athletes as Ellie did, but we can all suffer concussions, and wearing a helmet doesn’t change that, so we should all take and carry a baseline test.

RIDING2WIN.COM

DISCLAIMER: Any hush ski trips you may make are your responsibility. InTheSnow and other businesses featured in this piece do not recommend you take hush trips!

HUSH

SKI TRIPS When is a ski holiday not a holiday? When you’re working but also away from home skiing! How is that possible?

026 // FEB24

hanks to new technology and home working, you can do some jobs from anywhere, pretty much. So long as there’s good wi-fi … which most ski resorts have. The concept is called: ‘bleisure’. Ski resorts have been cottoning on to this trend big time and are increasingly offering remote working bases. But what if your boss doesn’t want you working from 1,000 miles away? Well, if you are someone who’ll take that risk of being found out but think you should be able to get away with it, then you’d be taking a “hush trip”. One big advantage is that you take a holiday – kind of – without using up any of your annual leave. Because hush trips are secret, no one really knows how many people are taking them, but some pundits have theorised there may be a mass of workers booking holidays at the end of the working year because they’ve taken hush trips so

still have their official four weeks to claim. One idea is to merge actual holiday with a hush trip so you start and/or end your holiday pretending to be at home working while actually already on your holiday. That can give an excuse for giveaways like goggle tans. A top tip for your sneaky ski trip, besides ensuring there’s very good wi-fi wherever you pick, is to opt for somewhere you can return from pretty quickly should your cover be in danger of being blown. Fortunately, there are lots of flights from Geneva, and plenty of ski areas quite close by. Louis Andrews, director of OVO Network France, is a fan of close-to-Geneva La Clusaz, in the Annecy Mountains, and also recommends Morzine. “We’ve seen growing interest from home workers looking for a peaceful ‘home from home’ in the Alps. But it’s

the lifestyle on offer here that is the main attraction. Many of our chalet owners have been quick to recognise the appeal of the Alps for home workers.” If you’re feeling brave enough to risk it, however, or (probably simpler/safer) have just agreed it with your boss, you could aim to travel long haul to your ski workstation. Then working hours don’t clash with ski lift opening hours. Travel east and you can get a half to full day of skiing in before you start your working day, or go west and you can work first, ski later. That does equate to getting up around midnight, UK time, to ski all day in Niseko, say, then you start your online work at 6pm and work through to 2am the next day, Japanese time. If you prefer North America, you could work through the North American night then hit the slopes in the US or Canada as the UK working day ends.

INTHESNOW.COM/HUSH-SKI-TRIPS

KLAMMER SKIS ON 70TH

Franz Klammer, also known as the “Ski Kaiser” and arguably the most famous ski racer of all time, celebrated his 70th birthday with a race of ski legends in his home resort of Bad Kleinkirchheim in the Austrian province of Carinthia. More than 50 former ski stars took part. The run by Bernhard Russi, Franz Klammer’s biggest competitor in the Olympic downhill race at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics, was especially eagerly awaited. “Back then, I won gold. Today, it’s no longer about who gets the best time, but about fun and friendship that have lasted for decades,” said Klammer. Winter sports fans wanting to ski alongside the “Ski Kaiser” have a chance to do so at Early Morning Skiing events (13 and 20 February 2024) in Bad Kleinkirchheim.

XXXS TO 4XL KIT

EcoSki.co.uk, the platform for high-quality technical ski apparel from the most sustainable brands, is offering plus-size kit for skiers and snowboarders to rent or buy this winter. Along with skiwear sized from XXXS to 4XL for women and from XS to 4XL for men, the platform is also stocking a range of kit for skiers and snowboarders who prefer a longer or shorter cut in the leg or arm. “By stocking these much-needed, inclusive sizes in skiwear, we are cementing our position as a platform that wants to encourage change across the industry,” says Rachael Westbrook who founded EcoSki in 2020. “Two in three adults in Britain are larger than the sizes we see on all ski brand models, yet there are limited options available to everyone who isn’t model sized.”

SKI AFGHANISTAN AGAIN

A company that ran annual ski touring trips to Afghanistan for more than a decade before the Taliban took control of the country successfully resumed their Afghan ski trips earlier this year, and will run their next trip from 22 February to 3 March 2024, open to book now. Untamed Borders were the first company to lead ski excursions to Afghanistan in 2011, with visits to Bamyan Province traditionally coinciding with the annual Afghan Peaks Ski Race each spring. “We have a long history of operating ski tours to Afghanistan, and the event means such a lot to the local people. However, this year we felt mixed emotions, because unfortunately women couldn’t take part, now that the country is run by the Taliban,” said Co-founder of Untamed Borders, James Willcox.

LAPLAGNERESORT.COM

THE SMALL PRINT As the next total eclipse in the UK is not until 23 September 2090, it could be a good opportunity for Brits to experience a ski trip, but it’s worth keeping a few things in mind if you plan a trip. First, if you’re hoping to be actually on the slopes during the eclipse, it’s important to check that the ski area you choose will still be open a week after Easter Monday. Many ski areas in eastern North America close at the end of March or on Sunday the 7th at the end of Easter Week, though some may go for that extra day this year, in the circumstances. Secondly, be aware that northeastern North America is at the northern end of the total eclipse’s path, so this has two consequences. First, there is a higher chance of cloud than if you go to see it in Texas or Mexico, and second, it’s getting shorter than it will be further south. Its longest duration will be 4 minutes, 28.2 seconds, in north central Mexico. It’ll be about a minute shorter in northeastern ski areas. Some ski areas will already have closed for the season by the 8th, but others will stay open later into spring.

WHERE’S OPEN & GETTING TOTALITY? In Quebec, the province’s largest ski area, Mont Tremblant, is in the path of totality with the eclipse beginning at 2:14pm and hitting maximum at 3:27pm, ending at 4:36pm. It should be open to 21 April. Further south in the eastern townships, Mont Orford (open to the 14th) and Mont Sutton (open to the 21st) are also in the path of totality. South of the border in the US, Sugarloaf in Maine should see totality as should Stowe in Vermont. Many smaller ski areas will see totality, including Brantling and Bristol Mountain near Rochester and Kissing Bridge near Buffalo in New York State. Some smaller ski areas in the Midwest are also smack in the path of the eclipse, including Ohio’s Mad River Mountain, which is believed to be the first ski area it’ll reach, and those have the longest duration and one of the best hopes of clear skies. However, most seasons close in late March as most Midwest ski areas do. Of the other biggest US ski resorts in the region, most should see a “deep partial” eclipse, including Killington in Vermont, with a magnitude of 98.7%, and Sunday River in Maine will see a magnitude of 99.1%. You will get to experience the eclipse from other US ski states. Resorts in Colorado will see about 65%, Utah about 50%, California about 35% and even BC about 20%.

SPECIAL EVENTS It’s likely that ski areas will plan festivities around the eclipse, although many haven’t published them yet. However, Jay Peak in New York State hasn’t let the grass grow and has booked Pink Floyd cover band The White Out to play Dark Side of the Moon live as the eclipse grows, with the performance reaching its climax at totality.

029 // FEB24

here’s an almost unique ski holiday experience coming up in Eastern North America this spring, as a rare total solar eclipse will cross the region, plunging a 124-mile-wide path stretching from Mexico to Canada into night-like darkness. The eclipse will pass, moving southwest to northeast, ski resorts in states and provinces including Quebec, Vermont, New York, New Hampshire and Maine and less well-known ski spots like Ohio. Altogether, the path will cross over dozens of ski areas, and hundreds more will see close to totality, mostly 98-99%. ‘E-Day’ is Monday 8 April 2024, and with true cosmic skills, the eclipse will be nicely timed to begin from mid-afternoon, with totality for around 2.5 to 3 minutes between 3:25pm and 3:30pm at the end of the ski day!

SKI & SLEEP

030 // FEB24

ealthy and consistent sleep habits have been proven to boost your immune system and help you live longer. However, this doesn’t always come easy and since the pandemic, we have seen a steady rise in the idea of sleep tourism – or going on holiday to get a good night’s sleep. Cortina d’Ampezzo’s Hotel de Len, one of the newest properties in the glamourous Italian resort, is offering guests the chance to enjoy what a spokesperson described

as “a contemporary and regenerative sleep experience, deeply rooted in the nature surrounding the property.” The foundations to that good night’s sleep begin with the hotel’s 22 rooms being mainly decorated with wood, specifically pine, known for improving the quality of sleep, and old fir first patina, whose natural properties contribute to enhancing the balance of body and mind. In addition, the hotel is a SOLS (Swiss Optimal Living Society) certified

environment: each bedroom is designed to create “an optimal and entirely biocompatible sleep experience.” Technologies such as Magma13, a sleep radiance panel which reorganises energy, Orpheus, a radiation filter and Astreo, a tool used to reduce high-frequency disturbances, ensure a high quality of sleep in each room and create harmonious energy environments. De Len's new sleep programme also includes outdoor fitness activities and targeted spa treatments.

HOTELDELEN.IT

JOSHUA DUPLECHIAN/X GAMES

MIA’S X GAMES GOLD

A few days after celebrating her 17th birthday, Brit Mia Brookes dropped neverbeen-done tricks en route to taking gold at the famous X Games in Aspen, Colorado. Though all competitors upped the ante with every run in the slopestyle, Mia made her presence known in her second X Games appearance and earned the three highest scores, leading from her very first run and becoming the first woman to stomp a 1440 in Run 3. “Oh my God, that was the craziest thing I’ve ever done! I’ve been dreaming about this for a long time, so I’m super happy. Speed was a bit of a challenge, so I just kept my head down. For my last run, it was not the best 1440, but I’m so stoked to put it down,” said Mia. Fellow Brit Zoe Atkin followed Mia’s success with her own, taking silver to heavy favourite Eileen Gu in the Ski Superpipe on day 2 of the famous competition.

SINGLES SKI TRIP

Dating app Thursday is breaking new ground by bringing singles together, not only virtually but also in the real world and, even better, on the ski slopes! Last year, Thursday posted a challenge on their Instagram account (@thursdaydating) stating: "If this post gets 1000 likes, we'll organize a singles only ski trip." The response was overwhelming, with the post quickly amassing a staggering 11,000 likes and the result was the inaugural LuvSki trip, which was a huge success. The 2024 trip is in Val Thorens from 23-30 March, and LuvSki is drawing bookings from all corners of the globe, including the UK, Europe, the US, Australia and New Zealand. LuvSki is organised by Manchester-based NUCO, who have been specialising in operating large-scale events in the snow since 2012.

FOSSIL-FUEL-FREE SKI

A small ski area on the outskirts of Stockholm has begun operating with entirely renewable electric-powered machinery including a Prinoth all-electric piste-basher. The switch also entails a significant change in work routines, including new procedures and staff training. "We are challenging ourselves to think differently, and our hope is that it will lead us further in the transition towards more sustainable mountain experiences," says Fanny Sjödin, Sustainability Manager at SkiStar. Skistar owns and operates several of the largest alpine ski resorts in Scandinavia including Sälen and Åre in Sweden and Hemsedal and Trysil in Norway, and describes the Hammarbybacken initiative as a pilot project to demonstrate that transitioning to completely fossil-free ski area operations is feasible.

HARALD STEINER

ROBBIE KICKS OFF SEASON IN SCHLADMING-DACHSTEIN Robbie Williams staged two concerts on successive evenings, officially opening the season at Schladming-Dachstein (in fact the season had begun a few weeks early thanks to great November snowfalls) and playing to 25,000 ski and music fans. Williams

what entertaining is – why don‘t I show you!?” With these words, he launched his show. The unique 50m-wide stage in the Schladming Planai Stadium was a spectacle in its own right. A total of 20km of cable, 300 spots and over 150m² of LED screens added to the show.

FONDUELAND

SKIING IN AFRICA?

JUERGEN SKARWAN

reportedly charmed the audience, interacting with fans and always ready for a spot of fun. “What is entertainment?” he asked the crowd, pointing to his chest. “The number one rule of entertaining is – you must love your audience. But instead of trying to explain

032 // FEB24

HANNIBAL IN SÖLDEN

Sölden is to again stage its epic production Hannibal, recreating the famous crossing of the Alps. Sölden use piste bashers as elephants, airplanes, dancers, helicopters, paragliders and extreme athletes to put on the huge show on a 6km³ stage on its glacier, 3,000m above sea level. Taking place every two years, in 2024 on 5 April, it is “…incomparable, probably the greatest contemporary performance in the world,” a Sölden spokesperson said.

Fondue lovers can find nirvana in Gstaad now, as six huge fondue pots have appeared on the mountains around the famous ski town, each designed so that you can sit inside and enjoy, well, a fondue. Most locations are available to hike, sledge or snowshoe too, and helpfully you can rent a fondue backpack which contains scrumptuous fresh local ingredients, a pot, heater, plates and cutlery for CHF18.00 per person.

Africa is the only continent that has ski areas in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere, but unfortunately none of the continent’s outdoor ski centres have offered lift-accessed skiing in 2023. Morocco’s Oukimaden and South Africa’s Tiffindell have been out of action for financial reasons, and Lesotho’s Afriski didn’t open last winter but says it will in 2024. Only indoor skiing was possible in Egypt at a facility run by the operators of Ski Dubai.

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

COMPREHENSIVE COVER FOR ACTIVE TRAVELLERS

10%

OFF ONLIN

Sports Travel Insurance 500+ Sports & activities Skiing Snowboarding Off-Piste

Worldwide cover

Equipment cover

Accident cover

Cancellation cover

Emergency medical cover

Single-trip or annual cover

GET INSTANT COVER www.sportscoverdirect.com 01494 484800

30-years’ experience Underwritten by AXA XL

A LITTLE SHORTER

034 // FEB24

he world’s longest lift-served ski run, the world-famous Vallée Blanche above Chamonix, was due to re-open as we went to press with this edition, with a whole new

gondola for tired skiers and boarders to use to exit the glacial ice at the end of their descent. The full Vallée Blanche descent takes skiers from the top station of the Aiguille du Midi cable car at 3,842m

high above the famous ski town, shuffling onto the infamous arête ridge, carrying skis or boards to the start of the run itself. From here it is, potentially, a “more than 20km” off-piste run over around 2,800 vertical metres back down to Chamonix through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery on earth. You are, though, skiing over the Mer de Glace glacier, with its many dangers, including hidden crevasses, so ascent in a professional guided group is essential. The reality for the vast majority of skiers, too, is that rather than ski all the way down to Chamonix, the run ends on the glacier below the historic Montenvers station and hotel. The issue is that skiing the final bit requires negotiating the boulder field at the base of the glacier and then adequate off-piste snow back to the village. It can be done if conditions are right and the skier’s skills are up to it, but for most, the end is a train ride down from Montenvers. The issue in recent years, though, has been getting from the glacier below at the end of the skier's descent, up to Montenvers station. Thirty-five years ago, a gondola was built down to the ice from Montenvers station, descending just under 150m to the Mer de Glace. The problem since has been the

glacier melting away below. The initial solution in the 1990s was to build a few steps for skiers to climb up to the gondola base station, but as climate change melted the ice ever faster, the number of steps grew. By last winter, skiers with weary legs ending their descent had to climb up more than 550 steps to the bottom of the gondola, carrying their gear. So the solution is the new gondola this winter, which descends a little further, nearly 190m, but more importantly is located about 600m further up the glacier at its base station, so the steps are gone for now. Indeed, the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc, which built the new gondola, made exceptional efforts to minimise the environmental impact of doing so (which ended up delaying its opening by two months to late January 2024), hoping that the base location of the new lift higher up the glacier means it will last longer and new steps won’t be needed so soon, at least not by the hundred. However, its location does mean that the Vallée Blanche descent, while still, probably, technically, the world’s longest, has become more than half-akilometre shorter for most skiers and boarders, thanks to climate change.

OT CHAMONIX MONT BLANC

MONTBLANCNATURALRESORT.COM

SOLAR POWERED SKIING

An indoor snow centre in Germany has become fully self-sufficient in green energy by building a vast field of solar panels covering the ground on two sides of the huge building. The Neuss Alpine Park has covered an area of 30,000m² generating enough solar power to cover the entire energy needs of its indoor snow hall and adjacent hotel and restaurants but also all associated buildings. The process of making the Neuss Alpine Park CO₂ neutral took more than two years of planning with construction starting in the summer of 2022. The work has now been completed, and the system, including a combined heat and power plant, is connected to the grid. Scotland’s only indoor snow centre, Snow Factor near Glasgow, blamed rapidly increasing energy costs for its closure in autumn 2022.

PEAS TO ROCK ISCHGL

In a crescendo of excitement that’s sure to send shockwaves through the Austrian Tirol, the Black Eyed Peas are primed to close the curtains on Ischgl’s winter season with a Top of the Mountain Closing Concert like no other. The band are renowned for their electrifying stage presence and an impressive catalogue of hits that have defined an era. Prepare to groove to timeless classics like I Gotta Feeling, Where Is The Love? and Boom Boom Pow, while also indulging in their more recent chart-toppers including Ritmo, Girl Like Me and Don’t You Worry. Access to this open-air concert by the hip-hop legends, which begins at 1pm on 30 April, is included in the cost of your ski pass, which can be bought in advance online at skipass.silvretta.at.

NEVER-ENDING SKI SEASON

Italy’s Cervinia has announced it won't close its access to the glacier ski area it shares with Zermatt again, instead offering skiing and snowboarding daily, every day, year-round, weather permitting, with no end to its season. "Dust off your boots, sharpen the edges of your skis or snowboard and get ready for something new and extraordinary, never seen in Italy. There will no longer be a beginning or end of the season," a spokesperson said. Previously, Cervinia's season ran from October to May with summer skiing from June to September. "The winter season will run until 5 May 2024, then runs reopen the following day, without even reaching the end of a season," the spokesperson continued. Previously, only Austria’s Hintertux and Switzerland’s Zermatt have aimed to offer snowsports every day of the year.

I N AS S O C I AT I O N W I T H

SPYDER

 ATOMIC SAVOR GT AMID VISOR HD HELMET | £279.95

An extremely good-quality highdefinition lensed visor helmet. If you struggle when the weather turns overcast and you can’t see what’s under your feet, then the Atomic HD lens could be the answer. Giving you much better definition and contrast in bad light conditions, but also working really well when the sun comes out. skibartlett.com

FISCHER RC4 120 MV BOA SKI BOOTS | £579.95

BOA ski boots, the hot topic for this season – now available in a mid-volume performance boot with all the usual characteristics you’ve come to know from Fischer. The BOA® fit system allows you to dial in the perfect wrap around your foot, allowing the majority of foot shapes to get a good snug fit. Add in Fischer’s unique VACUUM fit shell and your foot will have a match made in heaven! skibartlett.com

FACTION PRODIGY 1 GROM JUNIOR SKIS

From £278.95 This is a youth all-mountain freestyle twin-tip ski built for capable young skiers and comes packed with many of the same tech features seen in the adults Prodigy 1. The poplar/ ash wood core gives you loads of energy and dampening for highspeed carving and big landings. A Full-Strength Sidewall and Anti-Chip Micro Cap work together to combat wear and tear. skibartlett.com

THE NORTH FACE THERMOBALL V TRACTION MULE | £64.95

One of the most comfortable and warm lounging-around slippers, whether for everyday use at home, or in your chalet or hotel. They’re super lightweight for travelling, so they’ll be the first thing you’ll pack in your bag. With the high-traction rubber sole and Thermoball insulation, you can also use these outside. skibartlett.com

 ATOMIC BENT 110 SKIS | £589.95

Amazingly manoeuvrable and extremely lively for a wider ski. Its lighter wood core and its HRZN tech tip and tail keep the Bent 110 playful and responsive, whether you’re offpiste, in the park or hard-charging the pistes somewhere in between. Featuring unique graphics designed by Chris Benchetler. skibartlett.com

038 // FEB24

@INTHESNOWMAG

£1099.95 Pair one of the lightest electronic airbag systems on the market – Alpride E2 airbag system – with state-of-the-art ultralight and very durable strong Dyneema fabric and you get a freeskiing avalanche airbag backpack so light you'll almost forget you're wearing it. This backpack is made for those adventures where weight savings and safety are a given – get out into the wilderness. skibartlett.com

 SIDAS - SKI COMFORT SOCKS | £25 Ski Comfort anatomical ski socks provide warmth, protection, and comfort during your day skiing. Made from recycled fibres and merino wool, these socks wick moisture away from your feet to ensure optimal breathability. skiracing.co.uk

BEARHUG | £44.99 The Bearhug bamboo knee support provides compression and promotes blood flow to the joint, ligaments and surrounding muscles. Supporting you on the slope and helping you recover from any aches and pains at après! getabearhug.com | decathlon.co.uk

@INTHESNOWMAG

Made with our most advanced recycled ARED 20/30 fabric, highly waterproof and breathable with 4-way stretch. AEP Kinematics gives an ergonomic fit cut in the ski position for comfort. Recycled high-warmth padding, underarm ventilation zips, peaked and complete ski features. dare2b.com

 SPYDER MEN’S TITAN JACKET | £520 Upgraded with 360° stretch EXO Shield technology and almost unparalleled 30k/20k waterproof breathability, the Titan continues to truly embody modern alpine style with its symmetric colour panelling and racing-influenced line. This sleek alpine jacket delivers all the features, with none of the frills in one stylish, speedy package. eu.spyder.com

 ATOMIC MAVEN 83 SKIS

£439.95 inc. Bindings If you’re looking for an easy-to-turn all-mountain ski to start your forays into the off-piste while maintaining your piste enjoyment, then the Maverick 83 will not let you down. Easy to turn in softer snow with its slightly rockered tip. Very stable at speed, giving you the confidence to keep pushing harder and faster. And despite their wider waist width, they are incredibly quick and lively from edge to edge, loving both short and long radius turns. skibartlett.com

DARE 2B MEN’S BASEPLATE JACKET | £260

039 // FEB24

 SCOTT PATROL E2 ULTRALIGHT 25L AVALANCHE AIRBAG BACKPACK

INSTA360 X3 FOR WINTER SPORTS | £459.99 Insta360 X3 is the next gen of the world’s best-selling 360 action camera. By filming in 360, you can fully focus on the action and never miss a shot. X3 automatically hides the selfie stick, so you can ski and record yourself at the same time. When you’re done, put all of your footage together using the Insta360 app — an AI powerhouse designed to help you create great edits fast. store.insta360.com

 SIDAS THERMIC: S.E.T ULTRA WARM PERFORMANCE SKI SOCKS + S-PACK 1400B SET | £290

The finest technical, heated socks for skiing. Our patented SMART. ELASTIC.TECHNOLOGY® allows Thermic to integrate the thin 2mm heating line discreetly into the sock to provide a warming action around the toes. SMART.ELASTIC. TECHNOLOGY® means integrated heat without impacting fit! skibartlett.com

BLIZZARD HUSTLE 9 SKIS | £589.95 For a lightweight ski, you’ll enjoy its very stable and responsive feel and its fun feel on variable terrain. The ski pivots easily to create short, quick turns but is also able to hold a good edge through longer turns. Skied with a pin-style binding, it gives you a lightweight hybrid touring setup that still skis really well while being pushed hard. skibartlett.com

040 // FEB24

Designed with our most advanced ARED 20/30 fabric, highly waterproof and breathable with 4-way stretch. Taped seams for extra water protection and insulated with recycled high-warmth padding. dare2b.com

SWEET VOLATA HELMET | £274.95 One of the safest performance helmets available for those of you whose number one agenda is speed! Used by the top racers on the World Cup race circuit, as they want the best protection when they’re skiing on the edge of their limits. 2Vi MIPS protection wraps your head with a layer of multi-impact protection, reducing the chances of concussion in an impact. skibartlett.com

K2 DISRUPTION 76X SKIS

£439.95 inc. Bindings For a ski of this price point, you'll struggle to beat it for performance. For a softer, entry-level ski, it performs much higher above its target audience, allowing you to have fun as you keep progressing. Designed for cruising at slower speeds, it’s very easy to slide into a turn, but if you want to roll onto an edge and open this up, it will amaze you with how stable it is. skibartlett.com

DARE 2B WOMEN’S POWDER JACKET | £180

 MONS ROYALE CASCADE MERINO FLEX 200 WOMEN’S BASE LAYERS | Top £109.95 | Leggings £84.95 Merino thermals – warm, comfortable and it doesn’t retain odour. Some of the most comfortable base layers you could buy; wear it for multiple days and it won’t smell, warm on cold days and breathable on warm days. Combine all of this with the addition of four-way stretch on this model and you’ll feel comfortable, unrestricted and they’ll keep their shape for years and years. skibartlett.com

SKI INDUSTIES OF GREAT BRITAIN OFFICIAL SKI TESTERS

WINNER

GIVING BRITISH SKIERS INDEPENDENT EXPERT ADVICE FOR OVER 50 YEARS Specialists in Touring | All-Mountain | Telemark | Ski Racing | Custom Boot Fitting

SKIBARTLETT.COM | 020 8848 0040 | INFO@SKIBARTLETT.COM

U X B R I D G E

R OA D

H I L L I N G D O N

LO N D O N

U B 1 0

O N P

SCOTT BLEND PLUS LS VISOR HELMET |

DARE 2B WOMEN’S LINE JACKET | £250

£299.95 A very cleanly designed integrated visor goggle and helmet setup, looking much more like a traditional helmet and goggle but with the benefits of a visor-style helmet. A superb wide field of view and light sensitive lenses that lighten and darken automatically, giving you impressive clarity when the weather keeps changing. Magnets cleverly secure the lens to the top of the helmet when you’re not using them and lenses can be very quickly and easily interchanged if you need to. Combine all this with MIPS multi-impact helmet protection and you have a superb-fitting, very safe helmet with good looks and vision. skibartlett.com

 BLACK DIAMOND RECON STRETCH SHELL JACKET | £339.95

Introducing the ultimate adventure companion – the Recon jacket. Experience unmatched comfort and performance with 4-way stretch fabric and a tailored anatomical cut. Built-in stretch meets Black Diamond's BD.dry™ waterproofing, ensuring you conquer any ski tour, freeride or piste with ease. Stay effortlessly unrestricted and dry in all conditions. skibartlett.com

 SPYDER MEN’S SANCTION HOODED DOWN JACKET | £300

The Sanction Hooded Down Jacket features reversible functionality to provide backcountry utilitarian use with large dump pockets for gloves, a hat, buff, or snacks for easy access on the skin track when facing outward, or for subtly stowing your après sports drink of choice with ease when facing inward. eu.spyder.com

 LINE CHRONIC 101 | £524.95 Newly redesigned for this winter making this an even more versatile all-mountain freestyle ski. A thinner tip gives you more playful jibbing and easy fluid turning. Thicker, beefedup sidewalls and more burly core under your foot give you more solid landings, better response from turn to turn and more durability. The Chronic has stood the test of time and with their new technology and shout-outloud graphics we think they’ve just got even better. skibartlett.com

 DARE 2B MEN'S AERIALS SKI JACKET | £240 Made with our advanced ARED 20/30 fabric that's waterproof, stretchy and highly breathable, you'll be more than ready for a day on the slopes in the Aerials. The men's ski jacket comes with a recycled lining with stretch panels to help you move across the snow with ease. You'll keep the cold at bay with recycled high-warmth padding and a fleece lining at the collar. Underarm ventilation zips will keep you fresh throughout an actionpacked day. There's a technical hood for extra protection, and it detaches for a more streamlined fit. Finished with a must-have ski-pass pocket and detachable snow skirt, perfect for keeping you dry in deep snow. dare2b.com

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

 K2 METHOD B&E SKI BOOT | £384.95 ORTOVOX LITRIC FREERIDE 28L AVABAG | £1049.95

One of the lightest electric airbag backpacks on the market. Designed with all the features you need for hard-hitting freeride descents. Clever zip-on Litric backpack attachment fronts can be purchased to make your avalanche backpack into a larger touring pack or a smaller resort-focused off-piste freeride pack. Quick access avalanche safety equipment pocket, ski carry straps and of course the easily rechargeable avalanche airbag. skibartlett.com

A wider-fitting three-piece FL3X style shell for any of you wanting a progressive flex freestyle-inspired boot with a comfy fit. Used by freestyle legends like Henrik Harlaut and Phil Casabon for very good reasons – shock-absorbing threepiece design for big kicker landings, poppy and playful for jibbing around the park and a slightly wider roomy fit compared to the classic FL3X model for all-day-long comfort. skibartlett.com

HEAD SHAPE E-V8 SKIS | £699.95 inc.

SPYDER WOMEN’S VIDA JACKET | £380 The Vida Jacket is as stylish as it is technical. Classic design lines with a luxurious faux fur accent on the hood for that après look you want, while showcasing our 4-way stretch EXO Shield technology. You will find the Vida fit to be generous and accommodating, yet incredibly flattering. eu.spyder.com

Bindings With built-in ‘EMC’ technology to dampen the ride, these are one of the smoothest piste skis we’ve tried. Opening a large envelope of ability levels, roll these on an edge at slower speeds and they turn effortlessly, push their speed envelope and their EMC technology sucks up every bump, keeping them very smooth, stable and easy to carve all day long. Superb looks in a superbly smooth ski. skibartlett.com

Push your skills. Explore more. The women's Experience 82 Basalt ski brings a lightweight build and predictable edge control for all-resort skiing. Confidence-boosting control and quick edge-to-edge feel gives you the confidence to handle varied conditions all over the mountain. snowandrock.com

@INTHESNOWMAG

043 // FEB24

 ROSSIGNOL WOMEN’S EXPERIENCE 82 BASALT SKI | £580 with bindings

 DALBELLO CABRIO LV FREE 120 SKI BOOTS | £599.95

The Dalbello Cabrio-designed threepiece shell gives you a very different feel to a conventional ski boot, fluid flexing, very smooth and great rebound from turn to turn. The hybrid design gives you all the features of a touring boot, with pin inserts and lots of range of movement for effortless ascents. Combine this with all the downhill technical features you could want, giving you power and control on even the craziest descents. Lively and powerful, smooth and fluid, there’s no freeride terrain that these boots will not allow you to discover. skibartlett.com

 DARE 2B MEN’S EDGE JACKET | £170 Our most advanced stretch ARED 20/30 fabric, elite waterproofness and breathability. Insulated with recycled high-warmth padding. A technical detachable wire-peaked hood for extra protection and complete ski features. dare2b.com

SCOTT PURE TOUR 100 SKIS | £739.95

The all-new SCOTT Pure Tour 100 is your One Ski Quiver: playful enough to be used every day, light enough for touring, and shaped for freeride. You’ve got it all in one! With its shorter radius, longer rocker and new tip shape, it's got the secret recipe for versatility. skibartlett.com

MEIDJO 3 TELEMARK BINDING | £599.95

LE BENT MONSTER PARTY LIGHT CUSHION TECHNICAL JUNIOR SKI SOCKS | £19.95

A graphic riot for your feet and what kid would not want a pair. Not only do their fun graphics look brilliant, their technical features are as good as their grown-up adult versions. A superbly comfortable blend of merino and bamboo makes these crazy creatures warm and comfy, so much so that your little ones will not want to take them off, but don’t forget the sock puppet capabilities when they eventually do! skibartlett.com

044 // FEB24

 DARE 2B WOMEN’S ICE JACKET | £180

Designed with our most advanced ARED 20/30 fabric, highly waterproof and breathable with 4-way stretch. Insulated with recycled high-warmth padding and complete ski features. dare2b.com

A powerful and extremely responsive NTN telemark binding with a smooth active feel as you flex. Used by some of the best telemark racers in the world like British telemark racer Jaz Taylor for a very good reason – their dynamic feel allows you to fluidly flex through the turn and get a lively release to help you into the next turn. A great telemark binding to help keep you improving and raising your performance level. skibartlett.com

 GRANGERS ODOUR ELIMINATOR | from £5.95

Fed up of stinky boots, gloves, helmets and trainers that you cannot wash and feel like they’ll walk away on their own – we’ve found you a solution. An easy spray-on odour eliminator that quickly gets to the source of odours that linger on non-washable items. skibartlett.com

@INTHESNOWMAG

JEANS SKI RECORD

PARK CITY TURNS 60

Japan’s famous resort of Niseko has a different way of enjoying its fabulous powder snow. The village ski school is offering the chance to slide across the snow in an inflatable raft, towed by a snowmobile. “An expert snowmobile driver will navigate through the pristine landscape for a fun-filled ride,” a school spokesperson enthused, adding that snow-rafting tours are suitable for all ages. Rafts can take up to three people and last 10 minutes.

@INTHESNOWMAG

America’s largest ski resort, Park City Mountain resort in Utah, is celebrating its 60th season, having opened as Treasure Mountains for winter 1963/64. The resort plans a season-long celebration of six decades of history, from its mining roots to its Olympic legacy with on-mountain activations and special events, including a 60th anniversary party with a headliner concert and drone show. parkcitymountain.com

RENT EVERYTHING

One of Europe’s largest international sporting goods retailers and ski rental networks, Intersport, are recommending that you not only rent your hardware in resort but also your clothing. Intersport say that doing so will not only save money and cut CO² emissions but have the added bonus that you end up travelling light and skiing in new gear. Besides skis, boards, boots and helmets, you can now also rent hats, gloves, goggles, ski pants and jackets. intersportrent.com

045 // FEB24

SNOW RAFTING

said Ned Wonson, Director of Marketing at JHMR, adding, “The participation was fantastic. People came in from all over the country for this event, and the atmosphere around the resort couldn’t be more ecstatic.” jacksonhole.com

KLAUS BAUER

jeans dominated, followed by a healthy amount of jean jackets and denim skirts. Participants filed through an arch set up at the base area to be officially counted for the new world record, which smashed the old mark of 102, held by The Remarkables Ski Area in New Zealand,”

PARK CITY

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has set a new world record for the most people skiing and riding in jeans, with 3,114 participants for their first-ever Ski In Jeans Day. “The base area at Teton Village teemed with visitors wearing festive outfits for the occasion. Blue

H O W I I M PRO V E D A T TH E . . .

group. We worked on bumps and steeps, which were my main challenges. Lunch was organised on both days, where we got to meet up with others in different groups and retell stories of the day. There was an après event on the first evening, where we enjoyed some drinks and snacks and mingled with the other campers and instructors. We were made to feel like a cohesive group of skiers of every level who were improving on our own individual needs. I was amazed by how much I improved in just two days. I felt more confident, more in control and more adventurous. I also made some great friends along the way, who supported me throughout the camp. We had a blast together, laughing, chatting and cheering each other on. The Helly Hansen Women’s Camps run all season long and are also part of the ‘Open Mountain’ campaign, which aims to encourage people of all abilities and backgrounds to get out onto the mountain to enjoy the outdoors. I would highly recommend Helly Hansen Women’s Camps to any woman who wants to improve her skiing. I can’t wait to go back next year.

DINING IN WHISTLER

ALL IMAGES: MICHAEL OVERBECK

Being based in Whistler and eating well is a big part of Helly Hansen Women’s Camps. There’s a huge choice of places here, catering for lots of different tastes. My favourite included: Breakfast in Stonesedge, a cosy and rustic restaurant that serves delicious dishes made from local ingredients. Lunch at the Roundhouse, a mountaintop lodge that offers panoramic views and a variety of cuisines. Dinner at Earls, a casual and lively spot that serves burgers, salads, pasta and more. A visit to the Irish pub for a pint and the largest bowl of nachos I’ve ever seen. The pub had a great atmosphere, with live music and sports on TV. A tasty bakery option at Purebread, where I indulged in one of their raspberry and white chocolate scones. They were soft, moist and bursting with flavour. A taste of après at Longhorn or Merlins, where I celebrated my skiing achievements with a drink and a dance.

HELLYHANSEN.COM

047 // FEB24

have always loved skiing, but I never felt confident enough to tackle the more challenging slopes, and I had been having a hard time finding a way to progress to a higher level in an environment where I could feel confident, supported and just have some fun. That’s what skiing is supposed to be about, after all! Having heard about Helly Hansen Women’s Camps, I decided that this could be my answer, so I signed up for a camp at the very start of this season. The camps take place at Whistler Blackcomb in BC, Canada, one of the world’s great ski resorts and a big part of the attraction. Another was that they’re women only, so no testosterone interfering with the experience! The camps are pitched at three different levels: complete novice, beginner to what they call ‘comfortable novice’ and then my level ‘intermediate to expert’ … or that should read “wannabe expert” in my case! It was an experience that changed my skiing and my outlook on life. The Helly Hansen Women’s Camps are designed to improve skiers’ confidence and ability and that certainly worked for me. The idea is not just to teach skills but to create a safe, motivating environment for women to develop without feeling any competitive pressure. It’s about mutual support and empowerment – which may sound a bit clichéd and not the British way, but it really works. I was placed in a group with other women who had a skill level similar to me. We met our coach, Anna, who was from the UK and had a lot of experience and enthusiasm. She assessed our strengths and weaknesses and gave us personalised feedback and tips throughout the camp. We spent two full days skiing on both the Whistler and Blackcomb mountains, exploring the awesome terrain and enjoying the stunning views. We practised techniques, including skiing over bumps and on steeper terrain. Anna encouraged us to push ourselves out of our comfort zones but also to have fun and celebrate our achievements. The camps are small groups of no more than six, and I lucked out as I had only two in my group, so ended up with pretty much private tuition. This made the learning experience more intimate and effective. Anna was very responsive and adapted the two days to work for the needs of the

SCOTTISH SNOW FILM Cairngorms struggles to make the most of what snow is available each season, and Thrawn, produced with funding from sportswear company Patagonia, documents that. It’s available to view free on their site. The film features local Lesley McKenna, a three-time Olympic snowboarder who was

raised on this innate tenacity and has spent her life pushing the boundaries of her sport and advocating for the people and place that shaped her. “Thrawn is the ability to make the most of whatever we’ve got. Up in the Highlands, we are connected to that energy,” says Lesley McKenna.

MONOSKI LIVES!

GETTING TOGETHER

KEYSTONE’S 555 ACRES

048 // FEB24

JP DOUVALAKIS KEYSTONE RESORT

A new film, Thrawn, has been released, documenting the resilient and passionate Cairngorm snow community in the Highlands of Scotland and their unmatched dedication to snowsports. The word “thrawn” means stubborn for a good reason. The snow community in the

There are not many ski areas open in the Northern Hemisphere in June, but you can find three centres in Norway open. One of them, Stryn, is the location for an annual celebration of all things Monoski. For those not familiar with these boards, they were briefly popular in the mid-1980s, before snowboarding really took off. Their fans love them still and arrive in early summer for the National Championships.

A rare plan to join two independently operated US ski areas by lifts and ski runs has emerged. Smugglers' Notch and Stowe in Vermont are near neighbours as the crow flies, and it has long been possible, and fairly easy, for experienced skiers with lift tickets for both mountains, to traverse between the two. In the past, there have been semi-formal inter-connect agreements, but the lift-link plan is new.

Colorado’s Keystone Resort has opened a 555-acre expansion of high alpine terrain in Bergman and Erickson Bowls, its first expansion since 1991. The area is accessed by a new high-speed six-passenger chairlift and includes a variety of skiing and riding from mellow and welcoming bowl terrain to adventure glades and the steep and rocky terrain in Erickson Bowl. There are 16 new trails including the iconic Thorne run.

@INTHESNOWMAG

SUMMER SKI ARGENTINA that remain. However, summer skiing is almost unheard of at Southern Hemisphere resorts. This year, though, Argentina’s Las Leñas ski area has announced that it plans to operate an 800m green run for summer skiing this season.

SKI TRAIN

100% GREEN POWER

BRANDEN SMITH / VAIL RESORTS

Summer skiing is offered by about a dozen ski areas in Europe’s Alps and Scandinavia and a few areas in Japan and North America, but the numbers offering it have been falling for over 20 years, as has the length of the summer ski seasons

A ski train service between Norway's capital Oslo and the ski resort of Kvitfjell has had a new ski- and snowthemed branding to its exterior. The train is now covered with ski and mountain scenes, as well as a picture of Norway's famous downhill ski racer Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. The train service runs daily from Oslo, with connections from other Norwegian cities through the ski season

@INTHESNOWMAG

The world’s largest ski area operator, Vail Resorts, has achieved 100% renewable electricity for the second successive year. Vail Resorts, Inc., which runs 36 US ski areas, as well as North America’s biggest Whistler Blackcomb in Canada, three leading Australian areas and Andermatt and Crans Montana in Switzerland, revealed the achievement as it published its 2022/23 Environmental & Social Responsibility Report.

Springtime is a fun time in the snow, with longer, sunny days helping everyone feel more relaxed on the mountain.

PARK CITY RESORT

BEST IN SPRING SNOW Of course, we never know quite what Mother Nature will deliver in the final weeks and months of the season, in terms of temperatures and snowfall. You’d think that with things generally getting warmer and sunnier, there’d be less snow, but last spring was a cold and snowy one right through to May in the Alps, more so than midwinter. But still, if your priority remains to get as many turns in as you can, right to the end, the advice is to book a ski resort with highaltitude terrain, where the snow will stay in better condition longer (ideally with plenty above 2,000m, or even 3,000m), or look for a resort at a northerly latitude in Canada or Scandinavia. Here again it will be cooler later into the spring and the snow is likely to hold up better for longer. There are still hundreds of places to choose from that fit these criteria, including dozens that are so sure of their snow that they stay open into May. Most of the well-known resorts in Norway, Sweden and Finland stay open into May, and the same is true of resorts with high slopes in the Alps.

SPRING SNOW IS TOURING TIME If you’ve ever dreamed of pushing your limit by trying ski touring, perhaps even

going on a guided tour from one rest to another or staying overnight in a high mountain hut, spring is the best time of the year to do it. Snow conditions are at their best and the snowpack is likely to be stable, although it remains as important as ever to be aware of off-piste dangers, particularly avalanches, and travel with a fully experienced mountain guide.

JUST RELAX Lots of skiers, though, just accept springtime for what it is and plan a relaxed ski break. The best snow conditions are likely to be in the morning, so you can focus on just enjoying three or four hours on the snow, then take a long lunch on a sunny mountain terrace, before deciding whether to spend your afternoon doing something active like hiking or biking, or just hitting the spa or reading a book on a sunny balcony. You can really relax, disconnect and enjoy the best of both winter and summer seasons in the mountains.

FESTIVAL FUN Springtime is also when 90% of festivals take place in the mountains. Although huge music events are taking over resorts like Mayrhofen’s Snowbombing, there are also hundreds of smaller festivals with different themes. Almost every musical variation can be found from Zermatt’s “unplugged” acoustic music to The Black Eyed Peas delivering hip-hop in Ischgl, to jazz in the Dolomites. But there are also lots of different food festivals or other ideas like the long-running Altitude Comedy Festival … so you can opt to mix several of your loves in life, not just snow, on one sublime springtime mountain holiday.

051 // FEB24

kiing holidays really do feel just like, well, holidays in spring: there’s not that midwinter feeling that you must get up and ski all day to make the most of your trip in the short daylight hours and low temperatures. Instead, the days are long, your ski day may be over by early afternoon and you have most of the day left just to kick back and relax.

pring skiing in the sunshine is hard to beat, but while lots of ski areas can promise you plenty of sunshine and the chance to relax on a sun deck, not so many can really promise great snow conditions right through to the end of April…or even May! The Tirol has a unique advantage in that regard. The famous Austrian ski province is home to no fewer than five fantastic glacier ski areas that can provide the best possible conditions at Easter and beyond. With ski slopes up above 3,000m, the snow stays in better shape longer in the day, even as it gets warmer, so you can ski more on better-quality snow.

THE FIVE GLACIERS OF TIROL Between the five Tirol glacier ski areas, there are over 300km of slopes, 75 state-ofthe-art cable cars and lifts, as well as exciting attractions and great mountain restaurants all just waiting to be discovered. Hintertux – Visitors can “step inside” a wonderland of ice stalactites, giant sparkling ice crystals, frozen waterfalls and even a glacial lake in Nature’s Ice Palace in the glacier. Back outdoors there’s the stunning scenery of the Ziller Valley all around. Stubai – the closest glacier ski area to Tirol’s capital, Innsbruck, the Stubai is a great choice for a springtime city-and-ski break, or you can stay in one of the villages in the Stubai Valley below for quick access. Sölden – famous for having not one but two glacier ski areas as well as it’s Big 3 liftserved points above 3,000m, Sölden has the snow certainty to launch its ski season

in early autumn and remains open for eight months through to early May. Pitztal – with Austria’s highest slopes and Austria’s highest man-made vantage point, Café 3440, Pitztal is open for snowsports from September to May most years. Kaunertal – located on the Italian border in the western Tirol, the Kaunertal has a season lasting into May. The resort has invested in some very cool new lifts in recent years, and getting up to it is an event in itself with the 29 hairpin bends of the famous Kaunertal Glacier Road.

CHILL OUT, IT’S SPRINGTIME! Of course, besides the glaciers there are loads of other great ski areas in the province that stay open well into April, some even May. One great choice for plenty of sunshine but also snow-sure pistes is Ischgl. The snow cover here is so reliable that the slopes are open from late November to the start of May, and the final month of the season is one big party. This year, it culminates with The Black Eyed Peas playing the famous Top of the Mountain gig, free for pass holders. Another top choice, Ski Juwel brings together the skiing of the beautiful Alpbachtal and Wildschönau valleys in a family-friendly ski haven. There’s a wonderful, relaxed atmosphere here, as springtime brings warm sunshine to the slopes and terraces of the many mountain huts. It’s a fabulous choice if you just want to relax and enjoy the final weeks of the season on uncrowded, sunny slopes. Perfection!

TIROL WERBUNG_JARISCH MANFRED

K M OF RUNS

NO. OF LIFTS

NO. OF SKI RESORTS

TIROL'S SKI SCHOOLS

VISITTIROL.CO.UK

3,400

1,100

390+

AUSTRIA

053 // FEB24

TIROL

054 // FEB24

hen it comes to the cream of classic ski towns, Golden in BC, Canada, has risen to the top. Golden is at the heart of world-class ski terrain nestled between the Selkirk, Purcell and Rocky Mountains. Fifteen minutes from downtown, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort is famed for its unique big mountain terrain and champagne powder snow. With five alpine bowls and a fast bottom-top gondola opening up 1,314m of vertical, no wonder Kicking Horse is the only North American stop on the Freeride World Tour. For extended ski vacations, Golden is within a two-hour drive of four other world-class ski resorts. Outside the resort, Golden is a mecca for heli-ski, cat ski, guided ski touring. Heli-skiing was born in Golden's backyard and is now home to three heli and cat ski operators. For ski touring, Golden also has the highest concentration of backcountry lodges in the world, with more than 20. The huts and cabins accessible from Golden offer a diverse range of experiences for backcountry skiers and snowboarders. For those seeking a selfreliant experience, some huts offer selfaccess, guided and catered opportunities. Alternatively, for those desiring a more hassle-free getaway experience, other huts offer helicopter access, are fully catered and provide an ACMG guide for the duration of your stay. Golden has lots to offer other than downhill skiing, with lots of family-friendly

options. Enjoy the great Nordic skiing and snowshoeing at Dawn Mountain, guided snowmobile tours along the West Bench trail, or tubing at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. Even wandering around downtown Golden, there are spectacular mountainscapes everywhere you look, making it a stunning place to just stand and look out from. But to make it as one of the world's great ski towns, having fabulous skiing on your doorstep is not enough! Golden has been going one better than its competitors right from the start, when the town’s founders decided to name it Golden when a neighbouring settlement decided to call itself Silver City. Today, Golden has a great choice of restaurants and bars, most of them locally owned and operated. There’s also a variety of accommodation options, from full-service hotels and local inns to quaint cabins and cottages, making it the perfect base for your mountain holiday. A daily winter bus service, the Golden Shuttle (goldenshuttle.ca), runs directly from Calgary Airport to Golden and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. It’s about a threehour drive on the Trans-Canada Highway through more spectacular scenery, raising your anticipation levels before you reach this authentic Canadian ski town. Plan your winter adventure at tourismgolden.com/inthesnow or download the free Golden App at tourismgolden.com/localapp

BC | CANADA

TOURISMGOLDEN.COM

MAUR MERE MEDIA

GOLDEN N O. OF RUNS

NO. OF LIFTS

RESORT A LTITUDE

TOP LIFT H E IG H T

120+

1,190m

2,505m

ALPE D’HUEZ GRAND DOMAINE | FRANCE

056 // FEB24

PEAKRETREATS.CO.UK

K M OF RUNS

NO. OF LIFTS

RESORT A LTITUDE

TOP LIFT H E IG H T

250

80+

1,860m

3,300m

the slopes, so you get the bonus of more space to enjoy it all in too! The resorts within the area all have their own individual charm and each has a great choice of accommodation, but there is quite a variety, so you need to consider which will be right for you. Alpe d’Huez is the biggest resort in the Grand Domaine, sitting at a snow-sure 1,850m while Vaujany is a traditional Alpine village with a long history and great facilities. Oz 3300 is made up of 10 hamlets set among the fir trees and is only 55km south of Grenoble. The Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine has the best of all ski worlds, with sunshine, great snowfall, varied terrain and so much more.

RECOMMENDED STAYS WITH PEAK RETREATS Alpe d’Huez: Le Cristal de l’Alpe apartments are ideally located in the heart of Alpe d’Huez, just 200m from the ski slopes. Facilities include a wellness area with an indoor heated pool, hot tub, sauna and steam room. Vaujany: The south-facing Les Edelweiss apartments are great for soaking up that spring sunshine and are located close to the main cable-car. Facilities include a wellness area with a hot tub, sauna and steam room. Oz 3300: The ski-in/ski-out Chalet des Neiges is ideally located in the centre of the village. Just 100m from the nearest lift, facilities at the residence include an indoor heated swimming pool, hammam, sauna, and on-site restaurant/bar. Peak Retreats are the French Alps ski holiday specialists, winner of the Telegraph Travel Awards Best Ski Operator 2023, they offer accommodation in over 70 mountain resorts. Specialising in self-drive, self-catered ski holidays; find your next ski holiday at peakretreats.co.uk

JOCELYN CHAVY

or spring skiing in the sunshine, there’s no better choice than the Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine ski area. One of the largest in France, it encompasses altitude resorts and traditional villages, but it doesn’t matter which you pick to stay in, as each provides direct access to the vast 250km of skiable piste. Among the most southerly of the larger French ski areas, the Alpe d’Huez Grand Domaine gets more sunshine and longer ski days than most in springtime. However, the huge vertical of over 2,000 lift-served metres (again one of the planet’s biggest), and the fact that its 3,330m high slopes are crowned by a glacier, means that abundant, high-quality snow is normal right to the season end. There’s skiing for every taste and ability, too. That huge lift-served vertical means descents of over 10km long are possible, and there are several pistes of this length or longer, including the famous Sarenne run, a 16km fabulous long cruise that takes you through stunning mountain scenery away from the rest of the ski area. As well as seemingly endless slopes for intermediate and advanced skiers and boarders, there are also excellent facilities for beginners, with dedicated fun areas and learning zones, specially designed to help novice skiers and boarders learn and then rapidly progress their skills on snow. March and April are the favourite months of the year for locals skiing in Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine. As well as the glacier and high-altitude slopes, lots of work goes into piste maintenance right from the autumn before, to ensure the snowy foundations are there to deliver the best conditions even into late April. Then there’s that milder weather in what is statistically, on average, one of the sunniest ski resorts in the Alps getting over 300 days a year of sunshine. Springtime also means longer days, so more time to enjoy it all with daylight extending until well after the lifts close. But there are usually fewer people on

a warm welcome and friendly locals. Whichever you are, you’ll enjoy short (or often no) lift queues, uncrowded slopes with a huge variety of terrain for all abilities, lots of activities to enjoy off the slopes as well as on, high value in every aspect of your holiday and easy access from the UK. The ski area extends over three mountains, all have comfortable chairlifts up and each accessing easy green, moderate blue or challenging black runs, so whatever your ability, you don’t need to get left behind or miss out/get bored on any of the mountains. Then there’s the snow, famously consistent light dry snowfall, and Sun Peaks also boasts milder temperatures than many other Canadian resorts as well as awardwinning slope grooming. When you visit, it’s also good to know that Sun Peaks has strong environmental policies, which fit well with its strong community feel. In fact, it was the first resort in North America to win the highest international environmental management standard, ISO 14001, more than a decade ago and remains the only resort in Canada to have achieved the prestigious designation. Springtime is a great time to visit Sun Peaks, with many great places and spaces to explore in the sun. Longer, sunny days mean that the lifts are open a little longer to enjoy more skiing or riding in the sunshine. You can then relax on one of the many patios for après ski. There are also even more outdoor (and indoor) activities outside of skiing/snowboarding to fill your sunny days than are offered midwinter. Sun Peaks, the hidden gem of BC, can be reached via Vancouver or Calgary with quick connected flights to Kamloops, then a short transfer of under an hour.

REUBEN KRABBE

id you know that Sun Peaks is now Canada’s second-largest ski area? This amazing destination, an open secret to lovers of great North American ski destinations, has quietly been growing in size to now reach a massive 4,270 acres of terrain. That makes it not just Canada’s second largest but also one of the whole continent’s biggest. Those 4,270 acres are more than just a number. For those of us used to the crowded slopes of the Alps, they mean space all around you on the slopes to really enjoy your skiing. Sun Peaks is an ideal destination for your first ski trip across the Atlantic, as it brings together some of the best of European ski area convenience with its compact heart and ski-in/out design, but also gives you the high quality, great service and lots and lots of space that are the hallmarks of North American ski holidays. It’s also a very welcoming place to visit. Sun Peaks was conceived as a community in the heart of British Columbia, and that’s very much what it has grown into. The kids have an elementary school at the base of the slopes they can ski out of at the end of the school day, and you’re quite likely to run into the mayor in one of the coffee shops. Most of the shops, cafes, bars and restaurants are locally owned and operated. Everything you need for your holiday is close at hand and easy to access, making Sun Peaks the perfect stress-free mountain destination. Sun Peaks is a great choice whether you’re travelling as a couple looking for an intimate ski holiday destination, a family wanting a fun and safe mountain destination or a solo skier looking for

BC | CANADA

SUNPEAKSRESORT.COM

N O. OF RUNS

LIFT CA PACITY

RESORT A LTITUDE

TOP LIFT H E IG H T

139

1,400p/hr

1,255m

2,080m

059 // FEB24

SUN PEAKS

 SUNGOD TEMPESTS™ The SunGod Tempests™ sunglasses are customisable and eco-friendly. They fit anyone and weigh 27 grams. They have strong and flexible hinges and lenses. The lenses protect your eyes from UV, glare, scratches and water. They offer clear and contrasted vision in any light or weather. From £80 | sungod.co

Hit the slopes in style with these ski-friendly sunglasses

MESSY WEEKEND MW SPEED

GOODR DO MY OWN STUNTS

Named after the fifth-highest mountain in the world,

Designed with both sport and lifestyle in mind.

These wraparound sunglasses are made for the

MAKALU is built to keep up with any sportsperson

Built with an ultra-lightweight frame with curved

extreme. With anti-slip, anti-bounce and anti-fog

who loves adventure. Durable yet light, these

temples and silicone nosepads for maximum

features, they offer clear and comfortable vision.

sunglasses have a handcrafted TR90 frame that fits

comfort. Featuring blue polarised lenses with full

The black frame and pink reflective lenses show

comfortably. The quality anti-scratch lenses offer

UVA+UVB 400 protection. Handcrafted TR90

that you do your own stunts. (Black Frame / Pink

100% UVA+UVB protection from the sun.

frame. Quality anti-scratch lenses.

Reflective / Cat 3 / VLT 14.1)

£65 | messyweekend.co.uk

£85 | messyweekend.co.uk

£45 / €55 | goodr.co.uk

BLOC TWENTY-FIVE X4900

BLOC BECK XMB80

APHEX IQ 2.0 SPECIFICS

The Twenty Five sunglasses are perfect for

The Beck sunglasses from BLOC are the ideal

IQ 2.0 SPECIFICS are the ultimate eco-friendly

demanding activities, with performance-

sunglass for all activities; they are engineered to

sunglasses for any occasion. Made from plant-

enhancing and protective features. The XTR

enhance performance and provide total protection.

based plastics that are biodegradable and

Karbon8 lenses shield your eyes from harmful

These glasses are suitable for everyday wear thanks

sustainable, they offer high sun protection and

light up to 400nm. The temple tips and sports

to their durable, lightweight design and Karbon

contrast with their polarized lenses. Whether

clip hinge ensure comfort and fit. Your vision will

TX bi-core injected structure. Fitted with non-slip

you’re on the slopes or in the city, they’ll make

be flawless.

adjustable nose pads and soft grippy bi-moulded

you stand out with their stylish design and

£45 | bloceyewear.com

temples, they are designed for comfort and fit.

vibrant colours.

£40 | bloceyewear.com

£89.95 | aphexgear.com

GOODR EXTREME DUMPSTER DIVING

ZEAL INCLINE

APHEX TAURUS SPECIFICS Eco-friendly and stylish sun-glasses that you can

Designed for the adventurous. The grey

Designed for long days in changing light conditions,

wear with confidence. The biobased plastic frame

frame and rose non-reflective lenses reduce

Auto Sun’s photochromic technology automatically

is durable and lightweight, and the oleophobic

glare and enhance contrast. The anti-fog

adjusts from a low-light, bright yellow with a 28%

polarised lens provide complete UV protection

coating and polarised wraparound lens

Visual Light Transmission (VLT), to a high-visibility

and clarity in any light condition. The unisex and

ensure clear vision in any condition. Extreme

persimmon with a 15% VLT for sunny conditions,

universal mode suits any face shape and occasion.

Dumpster Diving is the name of the game.

while its polarisation protects and heightens colour,

They come with a microfibre pouch that keeps them

(Grey Frame / Rose Non-Reflective / Cat 2 /

definition, and detail. A lightweight, plant-based

clean and a low impact package that reduces waste.

VLT 41.9)

sunglass with ProFlex rubber inlays.

£44.95 | aphexgear.com

£45 / €55 | goodr.co.uk

£125 | zealoptics.com/gb

@INTHESNOWMAG

061 // FEB24

MESSY WEEKEND MAKALU

VISITPARKCITY.COM

ACR ES OF RUNS

NO. OF LIFTS

RESORT A LTITUDE

TOP LIF T H E IG H T

7,300 2,026

40 21

2,073m 2,003m

3,056m 2,917m

PARK CITY RESORT

town with a great FREE public bus system known as the Park City Transit. Park City and Deer Valley’s ski areas offer consistent and abundant snowfall that ensures there is plenty of the white stuff right to the end of the season. Skiers and snowboarders of all levels, from families to experts, will find a wide range of terrain, including immaculately groomed pistes, gladed skiable woodland areas, beautiful bowls, challenging steeps, tough chutes and pretty woodland runs. Deer Valley Resort (skier only) has repeatedly been voted one of the world’s best ski resorts, particularly highly rated for its immaculate grooming, exceptional service and fabulous family-focused facilities. And as if all that wasn’t enough, there’s also Woodward Park City, a separate action sports centre paradise equipped with a top-of-the-line terrain park, halfpipe and snow tubing. There’s plenty to do off the mountain, too. Only a century ago, Park City was a silver mining town and has retained and restored much of its colourful architecture. Historic Main Street is lined with century-old buildings, art galleries, boutique shops and top-notch restaurants. If you want to enjoy the snow in different ways to skiing it, you could take a sleigh ride or try snowshoeing, snowmobiling or dogsledding. To really relax, though, maybe treat yourself to one of the many decadent spas in the Park City area? When it comes to dining you’re spoilt for choice, with more than 150 restaurants to choose from. There are diverse lodging options as well with Park City able to cater to every traveller’s preferences and budget.

063 // FEB24

ark City is an incredible destination to visit at any time of the year, but in springtime the ‘Greatest Snow on Earth’ (r) comes into its own with both of its two world-class ski resorts, offering great conditions and loads to do off the slopes as well when you’re not just soaking up the rays! Those two ski areas on the doorstep of the world-famous ski town are Park City Mountain, which boasts the largest ski area in the United States, delivering a vast array of terrain for snowboarders and skiers a like at all ability levels and Deer Valley Resort, which combines exceptional skiing terrain, top-notch service and luxurious amenities. Both were venues at the last Winter Olympics to be held in the US in 2002. But Park City is about more than just choosing which world-class ski area to visit each morning. As one of the world’s bestknown ski towns, after a day on the slopes it comes alive with a vibrant après-ski scene. Park City is filled with hundreds of great eclectic cafes, restaurants, shops and cosy bars, offering a perfect blend of relaxation and entertainment. Whether you prefer sipping hot cocoa by a fireplace or enjoying live music and socialising with fellow skiers, Park City has something for everyone. The icing on the cake is that Park City is the most accessible North American ski destination from the UK because it is an easy 35-minute drive from Salt Lake City (SLC) International Airport, which is served by direct flights from London Heathrow. You can rent a car, grab a ride share or take a shuttle between the two. Getting around Park City is easy once you arrive in

ANDY PARANT

hen it comes to being sure you're going to find snow late in the season, it's always a bit of a gamble choosing where to book. Of course, some years, as last winter, the best of the snow arrives late, and it's still dumping down in late April when most resorts have closed for the season. Some ski resorts have made a selling point of their high-altitude, snow-sure terrain. In France, Tignes offers skiing into May, in part thanks to its Grand Motte glacier, but also having resort bases sitting as high as 2,100m means Tignes can usually offer 1,300m of vertical or more right to the end. For me, the end of the season was also a great time to organise a family ski trip. Now that my boys are men, one had chosen to race horses over jumps and had found that the national hunt racing season ran parallel with the ski season, so no skiing until it was done. The other was at uni, but the uni year had ended for exam revision, so a quick ski trip wasn’t going to hurt. Of course, one thing to be aware of as you look for ski areas still open in late April and early May is that although the lifts might still be running, a good many of the facilities – shops, restaurants, cafes and indeed hotel and apartment complexes – might be closed or in closing down mode. Oh, and most British tour operators will have finished their seasons, too. The downside is a more limited choice; the upside is you have the resort and slopes largely to yourself and can sniff out end-of-seasonclosing-down-sale bargains! Fortunately, I did find that the Telegraph’s Best Ski Operator of the year 2023, Peak Retreats, experts in all things French skiing, were sticking with us and organising holidays right into the end of the season. They found us a property that was still open and still ski-in/ski-out: Village Montana in Tignes le Lac. Hugging the

slope on the edge of the resort, it’s a warm and welcoming property that still offers comfortable apartments right to the end of the season. Many of the rental shops had closed down, but the Sport 2000 Monkey Riders store was still open and had top-notch equipment still available, along with the added attraction of an espresso bar while your bindings were adjusted to your boots. So, to the slopes! Let’s be honest here about skiing in May: even at 3,000m, things are warming up and it's more of a summer ski experience with the best of the conditions in the morning and very stodgy after lunch. We were lucky with the fresh stuff, though, as it kept dumping into May. So, when it wasn’t blizzard or fog or thawing too fast to enjoy it, we did get some great runs. It also feels special to be still sliding on snow in the mountains and on snow still when most of the Northern Hemisphere has moved into summer sports mode. You also get the fun of witnessing resort staff relax after months of relentless toil meeting the needs of the world’s skiers. All in all, hitting the slopes in late April or early May is a great way to stretch the season out and remind yourself that whatever time of year it is, you can always ski somewhere! Then once you’re home again, you at least know it’s less than six months until the next season gets started. Perhaps an early trip in November would be in order when the slopes are nice and quiet again and you’re ahead of the crowds…? Info: Patrick and his family stayed with Peak Retreats at Village Montana in Tignes Le Lac. 7 nights self-catered in a 2-bedroom apartment from £383pp based on 5 sharing. Price includes return on Eurotunnel crossing, with a free FlexiPlus upgrade (except at some school holiday weeks), with Peak Retreats.

FRANCE

PEAKRETREATS.CO.UK

K M OF RUNS

NO. OF LIFTS

RESORT A LTITUDE

TOP LIFT H E IG H T

300

2,100m

3,450m

065 // FEB24

TIGNES

PILA ITALY

066 // FEB24

INTERSKI.CO.UK

K M OF RUNS

NO. OF LIFTS

RESORT A LTITUDE

TOP LIFT H E IG H T

1,814m

2,700m

neighbouring resorts and a 6- or 7-day pass includes two days skiing over the Swiss border below the Matterhorn you can see for Pila’s slopes, in Zermatt. For snowboarders and freestyle skiers in search of a bit of freestyle action, there’s also a great terrain park with features to suit all ability levels. But for most regular intermediate-advanced level holiday skiers, the wonderful wide open blue and red runs with stunning views at every turn, served by a fast, modern lift network, are the main attraction. There are lots of non-ski activities offered on the mountain at Pila too, including nature walks, snowshoeing excursions (with an option to hike by night up to a mountain restaurant for dinner) and even hot air balloon rides. Interski are the Aosta and Pila specialists with 40 years’ experience organising ski holidays to the region and can offer holidays based either up in Pila or down in Aosta.

RECOMMENDED STAY The luxurious 4★ Duca d'Aosta in Aosta is a beautiful hotel with lovely, spacious, well-appointed rooms and especially good bathrooms, and in a great position, right in the town centre. The Hotel Duca d’Aosta’s enviable location just off Aosta’s central piazza makes it the perfect place for sampling the best of the town centre shopping, dining and other attractions. The Pila gondola base station is less than a kilometre away with ski storage available for Interski guests.

PILA TOURISM

f you like your ski areas a little different, Pila, sitting high above Italy’s Aosta Valley, ought to be on your radar. Located in a beautiful natural landscape where you can enjoy magnificent sweeping views of the Alps, including Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn, Pila is situated above the historic city of Aosta itself and linked to it by a modern gondola. Aosta has a history going back to Roman times (the walls date back to then), and is choc-full of fabulous old buildings, many now shops, bars and restaurants. It’s largely pedestrianised too, so it’s no surprise so many skiers fall in love with the place. There’s even a regular market. Pila itself sits at a snow-sure 1,765m with the lifts climbing 1,000 vertical metres above. It has an impressive 70km of wellmaintained slopes served by modern ski lifts with the snow cover guaranteed by an arsenal of over 400+ snow cannons. There’s terrain for all tastes and abilities (5 blues, 21 reds, 4 blacks), including open Alpine bowls and enticing tree-lined pistes on lower runs. Beginners have brilliant terrain in the Grimod Bowl for perfecting those first turns on beautiful, confidence-building gentle slopes. The resort also has one of the best ski schools in the Alps ready to teach you. Advanced skiers will enjoy runs like The Wall, the clue to its steepness being in its name. There’s also newly accessible advanced terrain below Platta de Grèvon thanks to recent lift enhancements. If the local slopes aren’t enough for you the Aosta Valley pass covers all 800km (500 miles) of runs in the region including at

ARLBERG | AUSTRIA

STANTONAMARLBERG.COM

irn, Sunshine and Great Music: Spring Skiing in St Anton When it comes to skiing in the spring sunshine, nowhere is better prepared to maximise the opportunities than St Anton. It’s home to some of the highest terrain, most reliable snow cover and longest seasons in the Alps. Here spring skiing is pure fun, enjoying great skiing in the mornings, then the sunshine in the afternoon – there’s even a beach to chill out on at the resort’s Rendl mountain, which is also a great choice for

K M OF RUNS

NO. OF LIFTS

RESORT A LTITUDE

TOP LIFT H E IG H T

300

1,304m

2,811m

relaxed afternoon skiing in spring. Any fears about snow quantity and quality in the latter half of the season can be dispelled as St Anton started the year with the deepest snow in Austria up on its high Valluga slopes, and the vast Arlberg region in which it’s located has had the most slopes open in the country all season too – around 300km of incredible slopes, before you even start on the additional off-piste routes. St Anton even has a special name for spring snow: “firn snow”. It’s perfect for off-piste ski touring.

There are lots of spring events to enjoy as a spectator or participant, including the spectacular season-end “The White Thrill” top-to-bottom race and the Tanzcafé Arlberg Music Festival. St Anton rounds its long season off with a series of special weeks that bring extra fun and entertainment on and off the slopes, as well as savings on lift pass prices and more. The Wedel-/Sun ski weeks run over the Easter holidays from 2-12 April, 2024. It’s then the Crystal Snow Weeks for the final fortnight of the season from 13-21 April 2024.

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

ST ANTON

Ski-in, Ski-out – located at the valley station in Laax

206 Apartments 8 Restaurants 6 Bars 9 Shops

Via Murschetg 17 CH-7032 Laax Reception +41 81 927 90 00 Reservation +41 81 927 97 97 reservation@rocksresort.com rocksresort.com

ANDY PARANT

hat makes the perfect ski resort? We all have different priorities, but most agree that having ski-in/ski-out access is a must, and a snow-sure altitude in this warming world is a bonus too. We’d like plenty of space in our accommodation,

ARC1950.COM

of course; everything just steps away from our building is nice. How about a car-free atmosphere, with skiers and walkers sharing the snowy main street/ piste through the village? Then, having one of the world’s biggest ski areas on your doorstep is a big bonus.

That’s what the creators of Arc 1950 le Village had in mind when they created the avant-garde resort, which celebrates its 20th season this winter. The fourth Les Arcs village to be created and part of the vast Paradiski region with 425km of slopes, it was also created two decades ago with the installation of the Vanoise Express double-decker cable car connecting the area across the valley to La Plagne. It’s over 160 years since the very first winter mountain holiday was recorded in Switzerland, and for much of the last century, resort designers have been trying to create the perfect ski resort. The first purpose-designed ski areas appeared in Italy in the 1930s, and then in the 1960s France started leading the way with affordable, ski-in/ski-out accommodation.

@INTHESNOWMAG

MILAN VERMEULEN

ANDY PARANT

But many of those concrete blocks seemed dated within only a decade, and the focus for the culmination of 20th-century ski resort design switched to North America, where the Canadian group Intrawest, the world’s big ski success story of the 1980s and 1990s, began thinking about resorts that were not only functional but also comfortable and good to look at, while also making the most of the surrounding scenery. Intrawest’s vision proved so popular, with its flagship resorts Whistler Blackcomb on Canada’s West Coast and Tremblant in Quebec on the East, that the company rapidly expanded. It was so successful it began to look east, back to where those purpose-built resorts had begun in the Alps. They took a plot of land with a fantastic view of Mont Blanc on what was

@INTHESNOWMAG

portrayed at the time as the last feasible resort site in the French Alps, and Arc 1950 was born. Unlike its North American resorts, 1950 would be built from scratch on a blank canvas. Twenty years on is a good point to look at whether Arc 1950 has lived up to its promise. Alas, Intrawest overextended itself and went into rapid decline not long after the resort was completed. It is now run by ski holiday property giants Pierre & Vacances, who have stayed true to the original concept. There are still scale models of the resort buildings in each of the six residences, all marketed as 4 or 5★, each having its own swimming pool and spa facilities along with those spacious apartments. Perhaps the measure of Arc 1950's

success is how it has grown into itself. It’s a vibrant place with lively shops, bars and restaurants, and you can even get your Alpine-themed meals delivered by local catering specialists Hu.ski. Still pleasing to the eye thanks to the vision of its designers, it has not dated like purpose-built resorts before it has. It is still improving too with a luxurious Deep Nature Spa being one of the more recent additions. But comfort, convenience and fast, easy access to one of the planet’s great ski regions remain its key selling points, thanks to the original brilliant design. Intrawest may be long gone, but look out for their name still up there on the clock tower. Inghams offer 7 nights in Le Village Arc 1950 from £1089pp including flights and transfers, and self-catering.

071 // DEC22

"PLEASING TO THE EYE THANKS TO THE VISION OF ITS DESIGNERS, IT HAS NOT DATED LIKE PURPOSE-BUILT RESORTS BEFORE IT"

FIRST ELECTRIC SNOWBOARD A company called Cyrusher, which has made its name selling e-bikes, has turned its attention to snow sports and launched what it says is the world's first electric snowboard. The 15kg board they have named “The Ripple” comes in at a 156cm length, can carry a rider weighing up to 250lb and between 5’4” and

6’4” tall, and can hit speeds on the flat of up to 50 kmh, the company says. Cyrusher says that “The Ripple” features a 3,000-watt electric motor integrated into the snowboard with a V1 controller, “specifically designed for accurate navigation across snow and ice-covered landscapes.” The Ripple features

EAST PEAK RESORT

MATTHIEU VITRÉ

072 // FEB24

SKI & LEARN FRENCH

The Morzine-based Alpine French School is giving skiers the chance to learn the local lingo while enjoying the beautiful village. The school offers a “Learn French and Ski/ Snowboard Package”, which includes two to four hours of French tuition each day for five days and a six-day ski pass for the Portes du Soleil ski area. All candidates are evaluated before enrolling, so everyone is placed in a group of a suitable level that will help them achieve their aims.

a wide, high-traction rear tyre, designed for traction on icy snow cover and can cover distances of 15-20km on a single charge. “Combining high-tech features with an exhilarating experience, the Ripple pushes the boundaries of excitement on snow to new heights,” a Cyrusher spokesperson enthused.

NEW ALASKA SKI AREA

A new ski area for Alaska, East Peak, could eventually become the state’s largest. Not that Alaska currently has many large developed ski areas, although it has vast swathes of heli-ski and back-country skiing. The resort could be developed in the Chugach Mountains about 6 miles east of Valdez, a location world-famous for its extreme skiing and also North America’s snowiest town, receiving an average 7.3m of snowfall annually.

STEEP SLOPE CRACKS

One of the world’s steepest groomed slopes, Black Wall, which opened last winter at Glacier 3000 near Gstaad in Switzerland, was forced to close in midwinter when major cracks appeared in its snow surface. The cracks appeared after a rapid and sustained rise in temperatures across the Alps with the freezing point moving high above 3,000m. “Our track maintenance leader has never seen this in his 30-year career,” a Glacier 3000 spokesperson commented.

FB.COM/INTHESNOW

the ski podcast that puts you in the snow

SUMMIT ART French ski resort Courchevel in Les 3 Vallées is celebrating its 15th anniversary of its Art at the Summit programme, which brings artworks to display around the ski area each winter. This season, they’re displaying eight monumental sculptures by world-

renowned Costa Rican artist Jiménez Deredia, transforming Les 3 Vallées into an open-air art gallery. Deredia joins the likes of Salvador Dalí, Richard Orlinski and Lorenzo Quinn, also famed for their large artworks, which have been displayed in previous seasons.

listen on apple or spotify and leave a review ★★★★★ NEW ZEALAND’S BIGGEST

A new high-speed chairlift expanding the terrain at the Cardrona ski area in New Zealand from winter 2025 will see the resort offer the country’s biggest ski area. Work has begun on the new Soho Basin Express six-seater chairlift into Soho Basin, increasing Cardrona’s lift-accessed skiable terrain by 24% and taking the resort from 465ha to 615ha, making it the country’s biggest commercial ski area.

41 YEARS SKIING MONTHLY

An American man who has managed to ski at least once every month for 41 years decided to ski indoors for the first time to keep his achievement going. 74-year-old Gordon Garlock, who lives in Portland, Oregon, and formerly worked at Timberline ski area for many years, travelled from the US West to East coasts in order to ski at the only indoor snow centre in North America, Big SNOW in New Jersey.

in every episode the latest news where's best to ski now superb resort features bucket list destinations listener questions answered the latest gear reviewed

@INTHESNOWMAG

POLAR PREET

ritish Army medical officer Harpreet “Polar Preet” Chandi from Derby has taken a career break. In 2021, she became the first woman of colour to complete a 700-mile Antarctic journey, solo and unsupported, to the South Pole in 2021, then she returned in 2022 to break two Guinness World Records for polar exploration including completing the furthest solo unsupported one-way Polar ski expedition ever. Last December, she broke yet another, becoming the world’s fastest woman to complete a solo unsupported South Pole ski expedition. It saw Preet cover the 1,130km of Antarctic ice, which she completed in 31 days, 13 hours and 19 minutes, beating the previous record by more than 38 hours.

How did you feel when you reached the South Pole? HC I was so tired – but so glad I made it. This was completely different to my last expedition. I completely pushed myself to my limits on my last expedition; a speed attempt is completely different.

What were your expedition priorities? HC I just focused on what I could control. I couldn’t control the conditions – the blistering sun, the whiteouts, the temperatures of minus 30°C – but I can control how I dealt with them. Just keep taking it one step at a time.

How confident were you of success? HC After my last expedition, I knew I could cope well on the ice, which gave me the confidence to tackle this head on. It was definitely not a sprint, but I had to constantly weigh up my effort and how long I would ski for each day. Too long or too fast and I was going to burn out. Too slow or finish too early and I’d miss out on the record.

What are you feelings about Antarctica? HC Antarctica is an amazing place to be, and it’s an absolute privilege to be here. It is not a place any person can conquer; it is a place you treat with respect and hope it allows you safe passage. I’m so glad it allowed me safe passage. Learn more at polarpreet.com

074 // FEB24

POLARPREET.COM

FEB 2024

RYAN FLETT / RED MOUNTAIN