Snow tribe ECO ELITE
LAAX, SWITZERLAND
So what and where is it?
Laax is the ski resort of the future. You won’t find dusty chalets and motheaten fur bedspreads here. It’s eco-friendly, without a mung bean in sight.
OK, but why here specifically?
It’s a digital resort (mercifully, this does
not mean it’s a hologram, only accessible by VR headset), with its own app so you can find places to eat, check lift queues, and compete with your friends on altitude and distance. It has 224km of slopes, 30 mountain restaurants, and is delightfully obsessed with being green – it’s aiming to be the world’s first self-sufficient ski resort. Day one: get your gear from the heated lockers (bye, soggy boots) and start speeding down the slopes. Then, head to Galaaxy for lunch. It’s the epicentre of the resort and looks like a Bond villain and a Swedish hipster did an interior design challenge. Think an Insta-dream of neon signs, ’70s carpets, shelves of old VHS tapes and cacti. Next, try skiing (straight) down the world’s largest halfpipe, before dinner at Tegia Larnags, a traditional hut where you can stuff your face with the fondue it’s become famous for. Plan ahead and take bum boards to slide back down on afterwards (you’ll be very swift after all the cheese).
Who am I going to meet?
Laax is a beacon for moneyed hipsters, like it’s sending out a sonic signal that only people with good beards and an eclectic vinyl collection can hear. You might also meet the odd start-up founder on the slopes: there’s a co-working space at the top of Galaaxy, so you can literally ski home from work. The. Dream.
And where do I stay?
Riders Hotel is about minimalist interiors, G Plan furniture and natural light, and it’s the perfect place to crash after a day on the slopes. Head to the lobby bar, where there’s live music and film screenings at weekends. Fancy some après-ski? Hit the basement club or, if you’re shattered, head to an evening yoga class in the gym before relaxing in your suspended bed.