SKI SPECIAL

November 1, 2008 – 12:00 am

CARRY ON UP THE SLOPES

FROM THE POWDER TO THE PARTYING, THE BUDGET TO THE BEAUTIFUL, EXPERT TOM ROBBINS GLIDES THROUGH THE PICK OF EUROPE’S MOST EXCITING WINTER SPORTS DESTINATIONS

WHERE TO STAY

BEST FOR GROUPS ST ANTON, AUSTRIA STATS: TOWN ALTITUDE 4,278 FT HIGHEST LIFT 9,222 FT LIFTS 85 PISTES 173 MILES LIFT PASS 39/DAY (£31) CLOSEST AIRPORT INNSBRUCK – 62 MILES This resort has it all – arguably the best offpiste skiing in Europe, probably one of the most charming village centres and certainly some of the most legendary après-ski action the Alps has to offer. It’s the perfect place for a big group of all tastes and abilities.

The village is part of the huge Arlberg ski area, with fast, modern lifts, and 174 miles of pistes. Intermediates will love racking up the miles, starting out from St Anton and skiing up and over the mountains to the neighbouring villages of St Christoph, Stuben, Lech and Zurs. Beginners and nonskiers will enjoy the bars and restaurants at the foot of the nursery slopes, where they can sit in the sun and watch their friends’ faltering first steps. At the end of the day, there’s an excellent spa and indoor-outdoor swimming pool to restore aching muscles. Or spend some less strenuous hours among the busy shops and cafés along the (usually snowy) pedestrianised high street. For experts, this place probably needs no introduction – there are endless off-piste challenges, including famous routes like the back of the Valluga and the Schindlerkar.

And après ski? Come 4pm, the music pumps out from the Krazy Kanguruh (+43
(0)5446 2633, krazykanguruh.com), the slopeside bar where the whole concept of après ski was invented in the 80s. The most important decision of the day is whether to go there, and dance on the tables to Bon Jovi while having shots of schnapps squirted into your mouth by enthusiastic bar staff, or cross to the opposite side of the slope to the Mooserwirt (+43 (0)5446 3588, mooserwirt. at), which plays turbocharged Austrian music, and sells more beer than any other bar in the country!

BEST FOR PROS

CHAMONIX, FRANCE STATS: TOWN ALTITUDE 3,396 FT HIGHEST LIFT 12,605 FT LIFTS 62PISTES 130 MILES (CHAMONIX VALLEY) LIFT PASS 47/DAY (£37) CLOSEST AIRPORT GENEVA – 55 MILES In 1741, while hiking, two British friends found themselves looking out over a huge glacier, known today as the Mer de Glace. Though they didn’t know it, they were the very first mountain tourists, and when their letters about the awesome sight were published in London, they sparked a fascination with the Alps.

Unlike other ski resorts, Chamonix is a proper town, with year-round residents; there’s a grand casino, and Chanel and Lacoste on the high street. The skiing is divided into four separate areas, and you take a bus to get from one to the next. It’s not ideal for beginners, or young families, but good skiers will relish the differing characters of these areas, and the advanced will be determined to try the Vallée Blanche, probably the world’s most legendary off-piste run. It’s a 12 mile route, entirely on glaciers (which makes hiring a guide essential) taking you from 12,392 ft on the flanks of Mont Blanc, Western Europe’s highest mountain, back down to the place it all began: the Mer de Glace.

BEST FOR BUDGET TRIPS NASSFELD, AUSTRIA STATS: TOWN ALTITUDE 2,001 FT HIGHEST LIFT 6,627 FT LIFTS 30 PISTES 68 MILES LIFT PASS 37/DAY (£29) CLOSEST AIRPORT KLAGENFURT – 60 MILES Tucked away on the border with Italy, Nassfeld is Austria’s southernmost ski area and a forgotten backwater overlooked by the international ski crowd. This is great news – the slopes are usually empty and prices are a fraction of those in the big French resorts like Val d’Isère or Méribel.

In the village’s (one) nightclub, a pint costs €3 (£2.30) (rather than the €8 (£6.34) or €10 (£7.82) you can easily pay in France), while a pizza from the stone, wood-fired oven of the sleek, modernist Bar Alpin costs €8 (£6.34). Because of its proximity to the border, the food is a glorious mix of Italian and Austrian, and you can even ski over into Italy too.

Though the prices are bargain basement, the skiing is anything but. The lifts are fast and modern (and include the Millennium Express, the longest gondola in Europe) and the pistes wide and well groomed. It’s not the highest ski area, but it is beautiful – the slopes are spread over five forested mountainsides with views down to the quiet farming hamlets in the valley below.

BEST FOR INTERMEDIATES LA TANIA, FRANCE STATS: TOWN ALTITUDE (LA TANIA) 4,593 FT HIGHEST LIFT 10,597 FT LIFTS 183 PISTES 373 MILES LIFT PASS 44/DAY (£35) CLOSEST AIRPORT CHAMBERY – 60 MILES The statistics alone are mind-boggling: Les Trois Vallées ski region boasts 373 miles of pistes and 183 lifts, making it the biggest linked ski area in the world. But it’s not just the quantity, it’s the quality – mile after mile of beautifully groomed pistes which will help intermediates build speed and confidence as they explore. In all, the slopes of Les Trois Vallées link up to 14 villages, including some of Europe’s best known resorts – Méribel (which attracts more Brits than anywhere else), glamorous Courchevel, and Val Thorens, Europe’s highest ski

TRENDS

ED BLOMFIELD, EDITOR OF WHITELINES SNOWBOARD MAGAZINE REVEALS WHAT’S BIG ON THE SLOPES THIS YEAR:

One of the biggest highlights of the season is the release of That’s It That’s All, a cult snowboard film by super pro Travis Rice, right, and Red Bull that delivers 40 minutes of cutting-edge riding.

If your skills aren’t up to that standard, however, old-school 90s tricks such as straight air Japans (where you grab your ‘front edge’ − the side of the board closest to your toes − and pull it up to your knees) are making a comeback. Powder riding or freeriding is also enjoying a resurgence, partly thanks to the development of specialist powder boards which make it easier to ride in deep snow. ‘Noboarding’ – a revolutionary form of snowboarding that does away with bindings altogether for a truly surf-like experience – is also exploding in Canada and the US.

BEST GADGETS

1 Salomon Falcon CS

The first boot with a mouldable shell and lining that is heated in an oven and shaped to your foot. £270

2 Salice Geko Clip

This universal clip maximises your goggle choice if your eyesight’s poor. It works with most brands, just take it to your optician for a prescription lens. £24.95

3 Boeri Tactic Camera Helmet

This helmet has an inbuilt camera with wifi , so pictures can be transmitted to an MP4 hard drive. £650

4 Therm-ic Heated

Therm-ic Heated Gloves Forget cold hands, these heat your digits at three different levels for up to eight hours. £220

5 Quiksilver Yeti Watch

The first watch to measure a slope’s incline, it has an altimeter, digital compass, temperature display and forecasts the weather. £154

BEST FOR PARTYING

MAYRHOFEN, AUSTRIA STATS TOWN ALTITUDE 2,067 FT HIGHEST LIFT 8,202 FT LIFTS 48 PISTES 97 MILES LIFT PASS 36/DAY (£29) CLOSEST AIRPORT INNSBRUCK – 40 MILES Though the Krazy Kanguruh, St Anton may have the most seminal ski bar of them all, in Mayrhofen, the whole town is après-ski mad. Long lunches on its sunny slopes seem to slide straight into après-ski beers, then carousing continues until the early hours. Some people seem to down skis to start drinking at mid-morning. We’re not talking fashionable clubs and the latest dance music – here it’s all about shared bonhomie, joining arms with your fellow skiers and rocking to and fro in your boots to local folk songs funked up with a disco beat.

But there is more. For one week, late each season, Mayrhofen hosts Snowbombing (snowbombing.com) – a full-on music festival that is effectively the Olympics of après-ski, and the climax of the ski season’s party calendar. In 2008, more than 20 live bands and 75 DJs came over from the UK to perform in a huge variety of venues – from Madness playing a concert in a forest on the edge of the village, to Krafty Kuts DJing in a giant igloo at the top of the mountain. For six days, the music runs from midday to 7am – there are only five hours in every 24 when the party isn’t raging.

It would be easy to forget about the skiing altogether – but those who do are missing out. Mayrhofen has some great slopes for all abilities. There’s everything from the Harakiri black run, which the tourist office claims is the steepest in the country, to the Ahorn, a separate mountain which is ideal for beginners to start off with.

Tom Robbins is the author of White Weekends, £20 (Bantam Press), a guide to skiing Europe’s best resorts.

Readers of Thomas Cook Travel Magazine can order a copy at the special discounted price of £18 (including free P&P) by calling Book post PLC on +44
(0)1624 677237 quoting the reference, TCM-WW

WHAT TO WEAR

PUCCI ELEONORA SKI JACKET, £529, www.harrods.com	IGNITE NO1 PERU, £20, www. ignitebeanies.com
ANON FLASHER SUNGLASSES, £45, www. anonoptics.com	SWEATYBETTY JOANNA SOFE SHELL SLIM PANT, £130, www.sweatybetty. com
VANS HI STANDARD SNOWBOARDING BOOT, £120, www.vanssnow.com	BURTON [AK] 2L STAGGER JACKET, £255, burton.com

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