Ready, get set, snow!

With the long-awaited ski season about to get under way, we reveal where to go, what to expect and how to make this a winter to remember

Ican recall the last time I clipped into a pair of skis like it was yesterday. I was in Kitzbühel, in January 2020, and with a matter of hours before my flight home I lapped freshly groomed pistes until the very last moment, oblivious to the fact I wouldn’t be skiing again for nearly two years.

Now the klaxon to mark the start of the 2021/22 ski season is about to sound, and I – like thousands of others who watched snow fall in mountains we couldn’t reach last winter – am more excited than ever about returning to the slopes. This bubbling anticipation doesn’t feel unfounded, either. The traffic lights have been scrapped, testing requirements are easing and resorts are ready and waiting. Cécile Ferrando from Val d’Isere tourist office forecasts “happy days” to come: “It’s been far too long and we can’t wait to see British skiers back.”

Over the past 19 months, in-resort work has not stopped; in fact the time off has allowed space and time to work on new projects. From advanced lifts in Val Thorens and Orelle, to blockbuster events, including a double-whamming Hahnenkamm race in Kitzbühel, and a host of activities from skydiving off the Eiger to a night-time illuminated walking trail in Les Gets, there’s no doubt the mountains will be alive and kicking.

The pandemic has inevitably been a catalyst for change too – lift passes, lessons and equipment hire are now largely available to book in advance. In France, takeaway food, previously notoriously difficult to come by, is commonplace, while in North America mandatory reservations for dining on the mountains have made for a queue-free experience.

“We cannot wait for this season to arrive,” says Rupert Longsdon, founder of the Oxford Ski Company, where bookings are at a 23-year high. Other operators are reporting fully booked calendars. This is proof enough that the strong and sturdy are back in the race to get skiers and snowboarders on the slopes. “We expect this will be our biggest and busiest ever year,” said Nick Williams, director of Mountain Heaven, which has taken on six new chalets in La Plagne to cater for growing demand.

The race is on: see you at the starting line.