Skiing by numbers
Whether you`re going solo, pairing off, teaming up with friendds or taking the family, we`ve picked out the best resorts for your group size
words by Felix Mins
Skiing for 1
Firstly, you have to work out exactly what you want to achieve. Are you planning on making lots of friends and dancing all night or are you on a serious ski mission? Skiing alone can be dangerous so it’s always worth getting a guide or joining a short course. Who knows, your new ski buddies may turn into something more. One big plus is flexibility; you don’t have to stick to one resort. Why not hire a car and do a road trip? On a Salzburger Super Ski pass, for example, you can ski in up to 21 different resorts, all around one hour’s drive from the airport.
Party time
Les Arcs, France
Arc 1800 is the best base for solo skiers; the resort centre is very contained and has the best nightlife. The Red Hot Saloon has good live music and the Jungle Café is the place to go to meet new friends over old cocktails. Both the Apokalypse and the trendy Igloo Igloo (so good they named it twice) keep rocking till 4am. Back on the hill, Les Arcs is a great all-rounder. Equally good for beginners and intermediates, it also has some fearsome off-piste terrain.
FLY TO Chambéry
PLUS 2 hours’ drive
MORE INFORMATION www.lesarcs.com
Off-piste adventure
Monterosa, Italy
Monterosa is Italy’s very own Three Valleys and is practically deserted compared to its more famous French cousin. The skiing is steep Alpine terrain in a truly majestic setting; this is the place to come to explore some of the most challenging off-piste areas of the Alps. Gressoney is the central valley and the best base, but spend a night in the Guglielmina refuge (www.rifugioguglielmina.it, +39 016 391 444) overlooking neighbouring Alagnaup at 2,880m. At only €50 for dinner, bed and breakfast, there is a great party atmosphere and you start the next ski day at the top of the mountain hours before the lifts open.
FLY TO Milan
PLUS 2 hours’ drive
MORE INFORMATION www.monterosa-ski.com
www.guidemonterosa.com
Skiing for 2
Resort charm, spas and idyllic lunch spots are the name of the game when skiing with your other half. Forget the amorphous purpose-built French resorts and check out the domed churches and chocolate-box charm of Austria or the sheer majesty of the Italian Dolomites. This is a trip to lap up some fabulous Alpine scenery by day, stroll along cobbled streets hand-in-hand by night and treat yourself to a relaxing massage to wind down after skiing.
Chocolate-box charm
Kitzbühel, Austria
One of Austria’s most famous ski hubs,Kitzbühel dates back to medieval times and positively oozes romance. The pedestrianised centre comes complete with cobbled streets and frescoed buildings, but just outside this lies a more modern town offering surprisingly inexpensive accommodation. Catch the ski area in good conditions and there’s nowhere better; the tree-lined slopes carve around the mountains, laced with pretty mountain huts. There are also plenty of nonskiing activities if you fancy a day off the slopes.
FLY TO Salzburg
PLUS 1.5 hours’ drive
MORE INFORMATION www.kitzbuehel.com
Gastro paradise
San Cassiano, Italy
A tiny village on the outskirts of the Dolomites’ Gruppo Sella (arguably the most beautiful mountains in Europe), San Cassiano is the perfect destination for ski couples. Stay in the Rosa Alpina (www.rosalpina.it, +39 047 184 9500), which comes complete with a double Michelin-starred restaurant and the original Daniela Steiner spa. The skiing is largely on well-groomed pistes, which stay in good condition even in poor snow years. Don’t miss the mixed grill at the Scotoni Hut for lunch.
FLY TO Venice
PLUS 3 hours’ drive
MORE INFORMATION www.altabadia.org
Skiing for 3+
Family skiing is all about flexibility and variety.
You don’t want to go for long transfers or high mountain resorts that are prone to bad weather whiteouts. Instead, think about resorts below the treeline with plenty of non-skiing activities. If you have kids of different ages and skiing abilities, go somewhere with plenty of variety on the hill. The more forward-thinking resorts now have extensive kindergarten facilities. Don’t try and rush your kids’ development, let them play around in the inflatable park and get used to wearing ski boots, then splash around in a swimming pool and build a snowman. There will be plenty of time for piste-bashing later on.
Kids of all ages
Saalbach, Austria
A long-time family favourite, it’s a big, lively resort with plenty of varied skiing stretching all the way along the south-facing flank but still with that all-important north-facing ski area on the other side of the valley.
Austrian ski school, as a clear advantage over other European rivals, offers day-long lessons so you can check in the kids in the morning, have a day on the slopes, then pick them up at three. An unsung attraction is Bobby’s pub, full of old-school arcade games, pool tables and a bowling alley. Don’t book a hotel room overlooking the main drag – it can get noisy late at night.
FLY TO Salzburg
PLUS 1.5 hours’ drive
MORE INFORMATION www.saalbach.com
Beginner’s paradise
Valmorel, France
Most purpose-built French resorts are not renowned for their beauty but every rule must have an exception.
Designed as a quaint mountain village, Valmorel’s trafficfree centre has a distinct family feel, with plenty of kid-friendly shops and restaurants and lots of entertainment. Most of the accommodation is slope-side and within easy reach of the nursery slopes. Best of all, even early intermediates can travel around the extensive, easy slopes.
FLY TO Chambéry
PLUS 2 hours’ drive
MORE INFORMATION www.valmorel.com
Skiing for 6+
There’s something about ski holidays that makes them particularly suitable for large groups of friends. Maybe it’s the communal saunas, boisterous après-ski or just the chance to laugh at each other’s falls and brag about the black run you just conquered. Whatever the reason, skiing is the ultimate group holiday. Key requirements are a diverse ski area – as there’s bound to be a distinct mix of ability within any group – and bags of nightlife; just be aware most ski accidents happen in the bars not on the slopes…
Alternatively, if you are a group of serious skiers, why not try something completely different. Andreas Bengtsson (www.mountainguide.se, +46 (0)702 494 700) is a fully qualified high mountain guide who runs a ski trip with a difference. The only thing you need to book is your flight into Chambéry; he guarantees to find you the best off-piste available and will organise good-value last-minute accommodation accordingly.
Après action
Obertauern, Austria
Another resort that is not widely known internationally, Obertauern is a fantastic high-altitude ski area up in its own vast bowl with all-aspect skiing to suit piste cruisers and powder hounds. Best of all though, it is one of the top spots for après-ski in Austria, the universal masters of piste-side partying. Kick things off at the Edelweisshutte, then dance late into the night at the Lurzer Alm, which also has rooms (www.luerzer.at, +439 (0)6456 7289). Compared to Europe’s more famous resorts, Obertauern has the distinct advantage of still being quite reasonably priced.
FLY TO Salzburg
PLUS 1.5 hours’ drive
MORE INFORMATION www.obertauern.com
Snow-sure variety
Alpe d’Huez, France
Alpe d’Huez is in many ways the perfect mountain; wide boulevards of nursery slopes span out just above the resort, which sits at an impressive 1,860m. Above them are steeper reds and blues and then stretching up to the top of the mighty Pic Blanc are some truly testing blacks with the famous Sarenne – at 16km-long and a vertical drop of 2,000m it’s the longest run in the Alps, leading the pack. The ski area is huge and the resort centre more lively than most French resorts. Check out the steaming outdoor pools post-skiing and poke your head into the surreal church with the giant hand-shaped organ – the last thing you would expect to see in a ski resort.
FLY TO Chambéry
PLUS 2 hours’ drive
MORE INFORMATION www.alpedhuez.com
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