GRANDE CORNICHE, FRANCE
BEST FOR ADVENTURE
LYNGEN ALPS, NORWAY
Well north of the Arctic Circle, about 600 miles from the North Pole, lie the Lyngen Alps, a mountain range perfect for the most lion-hearted of skiers. The sheer exhilaration of being completely alone, turning on virgin powder on the sharp face of a remote blue fjord, has to be experienced at least once in a lifetime. This is unspoilt wilderness with not a ski lift in sight. Stay on floating base camp L’Amour de Lampoule, a 1930s sailing vessel complete with private chef and Jacuzzi. Early each morning, the boat drops anchor at the bottom of one of the area’s 60 peaks. From there, it’s four hours up to the summit on touring skis, and then a mile-long descent to a snowy beach, where the boat awaits, ready to take you to the next island or powder field, or to carry you back across the fjord.
BEST CHALET Even the most jaded skier will get a kick out of skidding down a slide that links a fourth-floor bar to the basement cellars of Grande Corniche, a new bolthole in Les Gets, France. And there are all kinds of other toys to entertain the chalet’s guests: a grand piano, a glass sauna with 180-degree valley views, and a snooker table that converts to a dining table at the flick of a switch. Situated a short drive from the lifts in the vast Portes du Soleil ski area (which has excellent restaurants and 400 miles of piste), the chalet, with its abundance of fur throws, exposed beams, and roll-top baths, does cosy Alpine style with panache.