WHERE TO TACKLE THE PEAKS LIKE A PRO

From British Columbia to Georgia, we bring you the expert’s guide to the world’s most challenging winter sports terrain

Skiing and snowboarding have changed enormously in recent years. Once, most people were content zooming around on groomed slopes with perhaps the occasional foray o -piste, but today an ever-increasing number of riders are looking to challenge themselves with steeper terrain and deeper, ungroomed snow. This is largely a result of improved equipment, from wide skis to avalanche airbags, along with the influence of high-profile events like the Freeride World Tour. Add to that the opening up of such wild, outsider locations as Georgia, Iceland and Siberia to winter sports-lovers, and it’s a trend that’s only set to grow.

So, where’s the most challenging riding to be found? Here are a few of the resorts that the experts love…

FROM LEFT: Off-piste in La Grave, France; the challenging upper slopes of Verbier, Switzerland