Europe
The Europeans have their priorities a little skewed when it comes to a skiing holiday. Food is the most important, and then après, and skiing or snowboarding is only the third priority. This is what makes Europe a great destination.There’s excellent skiing and snowboarding, but also a chance to soak up some fabulous European culture, enjoy après and the animated nightlife, and eat the wonderful food.
There are lots of ski options in Europe. Much of the skiing is in The Alps, which span the Mediterranean coast of France through Switzerland, Northern Italy, Austria and into Slovenia. Skiing in Europe offers endless runs on huge vertical. The mountains are giants and the spectacular scenery can be admired from the slopes or from soaring cable cars. The ability to ski from village to village is common, and in some places you can even ski from country to country. The old-world villages are quaint and offer opportunities to stop for a hot chocolate, wine or beer. Part of the culture is the good food and long lunches, so this is an essential part of the experience.
France is definitely known for its great food and wine,but also extensive skiing with dramatic scenery and wide runs. The French locals in the mountainous areas are incredibly friendly, which adds to the experience. Some of the best extreme terrain can be found in Chamonix with Europe’s highest peak, Mont Blanc. This resort is on steroids, and offers fantastic challenging skiing on and off-piste, and attracts hard-core skiers in particular. Vald’Isere is another common choice, and has plenty of wide runs for beginners and intermediates.
In
Switzerland, it’s all about the Swiss organisation, cosmopolitan flair, great lift systems, charming villages and dramatic scenery. The après is relatively restrained in Switzerland, but there’s still nightlife, and partaking in fondue is essential. Verbier boasts steep and deep off-piste skiing. St Moritz is glamorous and fashionable, and is well suited to intermediate skiers and snowboarders. Klosters is also refined and sophisticated, whilst Zermatt is family-oriented and has the towering Matterhorn overlooking the old-fashioned town.
Italy is as much about the eating, long lunches and wine drinking, as it is about exploring the slopes. The culture is super relaxed and friendly. The Matterhorn is right on the Swiss-Italian border and Mont Blanc straddles the French-Italian border,with resorts such as Sestriere near the winter Olympics host city Turin (Torino). Cortina in the Dolomites (northeast corner of Italy) is very stylish and up-market, and has stunning scenery. The fabulous towns of Milan, Turin,Verona and Venice are also within a few hours of the resorts.
The Alps cover most of
Austria so there are lots of opportunities for skiing here.
Austria is where alpine skiing was born and perfected, and offers avery traditional skiing experience which resorts in other countries try to emulate.
St Anton in the Arlberg region attracts advanced skiers and has the most rocking après in the world. Kitzbuhel and the
Innsbruck area are also popular choices.
Skiing in Europe is obviously not as economical as other destinations. It can be quite expensive considering the currency exchange, especially if you enjoy drinking and eating out. Shopping is expensive, and a main expense will be the flights to Europe, although with luck you might score a good deal. Accommodation costs vary significantly within and across resorts,with budget to extravagant options available. You will need to save up for skiing in Europe, but the money spent is oh so worth it because the experience is amazing.
A less expensive alternative is
Andorra in the Pyrenees Mountains, between France and Spain. More Eastern countries are also becoming popular as cheaper alternatives. In
Poland the mountainous southern rim provides prospects such as Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains. On the other side of the range is
Slovakia, which is a new destination with lots of mountains and varied terrain. Resorts include Jasná, Donovaly, Vratna and Drienica. Otherwise,
Romania is becoming an attractive destination for skiers including Poiana Brasov and Sinaia. Skiing in
Russia is also transforming itself, and in
Slovenia, the best known areas are the Kranjska Gora and Maribor Pohorje which host downhill events.
Bulgaria’s resorts include Borovets, Pamporovo, and Bansko.
In Western Europe, coping with the foreign language isn’t too difficult. You’ll probably already know a few words of French, Italian and German, and there are so many British tourists frequenting the resorts that a degree of English is spoken in most places.Eastern Europe isn’t quite so populated with English tourists, but in order to get away from the crowds, the small vocabulary you’ll need to learn will be worth it. Learning some European language will be part of the cultural enjoyment of the skiing holiday.
And the best thing about Europe - did we mention the food?!