The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Shake up your ski season and stay somewhere new
Bjelasnica? Geilo? La Toussuire? It’s time to swap your Alpine favourites for some surprising, cheaper and crowd-free options. Abigail Butcher picks the best, tailored to every taste and ability
The French don’t call British skiers “Les Rosbifs” for nothing. When it comes to ski holidays, we know what we like – just as we are predictable in our choice of roast dinners. For a long time, that involved choosing the same ski resorts year after year – but after a wallet-squeezing couple of years, increasingly unpredictable snow conditions and a desire to avoid long lift queues, skiers are looking for alternative resorts away from the familiar favourites.
Research released by Club Med shows that more than half (55 per cent) of Britons are reconsidering their choice of destination. It is a pattern backed up by many tour operators, who report a surge in bookings to the likes of Italy and Scandinavia, as skiers seek reliable snow, value for money and fewer crowds. An increasing number of customers are requesting more cultural experiences and adventures on their holidays too.
In response, this winter Crystal Ski Holidays has introduced a host of new countries to its portfolio, including Spain and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The changes reflect a desire to suit all customer needs and to offer budgetfriendly options, says Scott Britton, head of commercial at the UK’s leading ski operator.
“Value for money is more important than ever before,” he says. “We have introduced Bulgaria, Andorra, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. All demonstrate really good value for money in terms of the holiday package prices and the cost of lift passes, which helps skiers and snowboarders get out to the slopes without breaking the bank. They are all beginner-friendly destinations, too, making them great options for those new to skiing.”
Ski Solutions is selling 70 per cent more ski holidays in Norway this year than it did in 2022, with Trysil and Geilo the most popular destinations. “Clients are aware of the high quality and value for money in Norwegian resorts,” says Paul Russell of Ski Solutions, “particularly for families where lift pass, rental and lesson costs are lower.”
At the other end of the financial scale, Italy is upping its game with the opening of new luxury hotels and chalets in response to demand, which Rupert Longsdon, CEO of the Oxford Ski Company, says has been very well received.
“We are now suddenly seeing the quality of properties usually reserved for top-end Swiss and French resorts on the slopes of resorts across Italy – which is very exciting and adds a whole new region for those looking for the ultimate in luxury.”
The knock-on effects of the pandemic continue to influence holiday choices, too, with many skiers still eager to tick off bucket-list destinations that were inaccessible for over three years. Rupert Hatfield, Canada and USA product manager of Ski Safari, says skiers are dreaming big.
“We are seeing more demand than ever before for big ski trips, whether that is holidays to bucket-list destinations such as Japan, multi-resort ski safaris with city and sightseeing addons, or simply splashing out on highend, luxury hotels.”
So, if you are tempted to ditch your tried-and-tested favourite and try something entirely new, here is our pick of 10 resorts which offer a great fresh perspective on your annual ski holiday.
Schladming-Dachstein, Austria
Schladming-Dachstein is home to one of the largest bars in the Alps and the scene of legendary night skiing races (next hosted on January 23, 2024). Après starts with live bands in the mountain huts spread over Schladming’s 167km of pistes and often ends in the Hohenhaus Tenne, the enormous bar beside the Planai base station that turns into a nightclub as the evening wears on.
The medieval town has a pedestrianised centre and plenty of shopping, and thanks to regular ski racing there has been heavy investment in the resort’s lift network, with a massive proportion of heated and covered chairlifts allowing skiers to travel in comfort and style. Schladming-Dachstein is also part of the Ski Amadé, which offers a substantial 760km of pistes.
Sunweb (020 3170 8206; sunweb.co.uk) offers the Hotel Schladmingerhof from £1,068, including a lift pass.
Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
Set among the jagged peaks of the Dolomites, Cortina is one of the oldest and chicest ski resorts in Italy. Cobbled streets and gourmet restaurants are the order of the day in this upmarket destination that centres around a bell tower and designer shops. The skiing is excellent and, unlike the French Les Trois Vallées, blissfully uncrowded. Cortina’s 120km of pistes are spread across three distinct ski areas – Faloria-Cristallo, Tofana-Socrepes and Cinque Torri-Lagazuoi – and are most suited to intermediates and experts. The off-piste is also noteworthy.
Oxford Ski (01865 817420; oxfordski. com) offers the LV01 Dolce Vita luxury chalet, sleeping eight adults and four children, from €35,500 (£30,430) total.
La Toussuire, France
Best for off-beat charm
Set on a sunny plateau at 1,750m, La Toussuire sits centrally in the Les Sybelles ski area. While little known on the British market, this area is the fourth largest in France, with 310km of slopes and the highest point a decent 2,620m. There are five other neighbouring villages in the area – Le Corbier, Saint-Sorlin-d’Arves, Les Bottières and Saint-Colomban des Villards – around which to plan each day’s skiing.
With a car-free main street, La Toussuire is great for families, too – there are two easy beginner slopes and magic carpets beside the village. Like the Portes du Soleil, the majority of Les Sybelles’ slopes are intermediate (217km) on wide, open mountainsides, with 71.3km for beginners and a dash (21.7km) for experts.
Peak Retreats (023 9283 9310; peakretreats.co.uk) offers a two-bed self-catered apartment in L’Alpaga, La Toussuire from £286, based on five sharing, including Eurotunnel crossing.
The highest ski resort in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bjelasnica is a snow-sure choice at a great price
Engelberg, Switzerland
With its towering jagged peaks, 12th-century Benedictine monastery, grand hotels, an impressively long ski season (October-May) and one of the biggest runs in the world (2,000m vertical), Engelberg gives Chamonix quite a run for its money.
While the mighty Titlis, at 3,238m, doesn’t quite rival the Aiguille du Midi (3,842m), Engelberg’s “Big Five” offpiste runs are legendary and a must-do for all self-respecting freeride skiers and snowboarders. It is as easy to reach as Chamonix, too, and just over an hour away from Zurich and one hour 40 minutes from Basel. Reliable Swiss trains take skiers directly into the village, where most accommodation is within easy walking distance.
There is limited skiing for intermediates but Engelberg has two areas for children and beginners: Schmugglis Winterland at Trübsee, and Globi’s Winterland in Brunni.
Inghams (01483 944479; inghams.co. uk) offers Hotel Terrace from £1,249.
Baqueira-Beret, Spain
A favourite resort of the Spanish royal family, Baqueira-Beret is set high in Catalonia in the Spanish Pyrenees, offering
Like its French counterpart, Geilo has a reputation for offering masses of family-friendly activities from dog sledding to ski-doo driving, fat biking and ice fishing. There are 40km of downhill slopes, and the 220km cross-country skiing area is worth a try, too. The downside? A long transfer. Bergen and Oslo airports are both more than three hours away by car – though that is arguably no worse than the Tarentaise valley on a Saturday.
Ski Solutions (020 3553 7131; skisolutions.com) offers Vestlia Resort from £1,495.
Big Sky, Montana
This is a serious skier’s resort, with an abundance of powder (more than 10 metres per season) and two of the steepest inbound runs in the United States – Big and Little Couloir – served by the Lone Peak tram, which has been updated for this winter. Much like Corbett’s Couloir in Jackson Hole, Big Couloir is tightly patrolled – you can’t ski it alone and only two skiers are allowed to drop into its 60-degree entry point every 15 minutes.
That aside, Montana is cowboy country, and on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park, making this once-in-a-lifetime option for adventurous skiers and lovers of Westerns.
Ski Safari (01273 257278; skisafari. com) offers 10 nights at the four-star Summit at Big Sky from £4,599.