Ski Adventures Abound
Skiing is often a rushed vacation. You race to the nearest peak, hope the snow is adequate and the food palatable, and fight the crowds for a day or two of action.
As someone who has skied a lot, my children were on a race team for 8 years, and we are a family of skiers, I suggest that you take a ski vacation to one of the world’s best resorts.
We have taken trains to ski in Utah, planes to ski in Canada, taken rode trips to ski Wyoming, and have flown to Europe to ski Switzerland. Each and every trip was unique and different; each was an Incredible Journey for the entire family.
What makes a ski vacation fun is that you get to participate in an activity which everyone likes, while at the same time staying in a mountainous retreat which is beautiful, charming, and unique.
Every skier has his/her wish list – ski vacations allow the family to do something together and tackle the slopes of which legends are made of. Today most ski destinations have charming villages where you can walk or take public transportation to just about everything. And there is so much more to do than just ski!
Whether you’re looking for fun, family skiing in extraordinary powder or extreme black diamond adventures with skyscraping verticals, I can help create the ski vacation of a lifetime. Many of the places we send clients have wonderful condos set in a village landscape that makes it easy and convenient.
Whistler/Blackcomb, British Columbia
Consistently voted the “Best North American Ski Resort,” Whistler/Blackcomb is climbing in the ranks as best ski resort in the world. These two mountains anchoring the Canadian Rockies have it all: the largest vertical drop (5,280 ft), expert terrain, glaciers and wide alpine bowls. Even though 16,000 skiers a day race down these slopes, there’s plenty of room for everyone in the 7,000 acres of skiable mountainside. This is consistently one of the top places I send skiers to – the value is incredible, plus there are plenty of ski in/ski out properties at the base of Blackcomb and Whistler. Plus it is just a short flight away!
Whistler’s charming village, with cafes, international stores and more than 100 restaurants, truly highlights any ski vacation to this capital of snow in the Great White North. In Whistler, your vacation experiences will run the gamut, from heli-skiing and indoor rock climbing to cooking lessons and spa therapy.
Kitzböhel, Austria
There are resorts in the Alps with more imposing mountains and better snow, but Kitzböhel is unsurpassed when it comes to pure Alpine charm. Known as the “Pearl of the Alps,” this captivating 700-year old village was one of the first international ski resorts, and it still draws a combination of tradition-loving Europeans along with young revelers enjoying the nightlife.
Kitzböhel’s most intimidating slope is the Hahnenkamm—a legendary mountain on the World Cup circuit. Any skier who conquers this steep, tricky and fast-paced course instantly earns the respects of his or her peers. But Kitzböhel has a softer side too, found on such long, tree-lined runs as the Kitzböheler Horn and the Bichlalm. At Kitzböhel, you’ll rub shoulders with the rich and famous and be treated like royalty, but at about half the cost of Aspen or Vail.
Zermatt, Switzerland
Ideally located at the foot of the Matterhorn, Zermatt is considered by many to be Switzerland’s top ski resort—which is saying a lot considering the mountainous country’s long history with the sport. Offering spectacular views of the iconic Matterhorn and 28 other peaks surrounding the village, Zermatt is a remarkably peaceful getaway, thanks to its car-free environment, where your skiing options are staggering with the world’s second biggest lift-served vertical drop at your disposal and guaranteed snow from top to bottom.
The most dramatic ski area in the resort is the Schwarzsee-Trockner Steg-Klein section. After an awe-inspiring ride through the mountains, the lift unloads you at a rocky point with an extraordinary 360-degree panorama. After the scenery is done wowing you, take the lift once more to access the Plateau Rosa, where you can slide 4,700 vertical feet down into Cervinia, Italy, for a two-nation Alps experience that is unrivaled. We did this as a family and my son and husband raced the whole way down – it took my daughter and I ten minutes to get to the bottom! But it was sooo much fun!
Cortina, Italy
Another gem of the Alps, Cortina d’Ampezzo near Venice is one of the world’s first ski resorts and certainly the most stylish in all of Europe. Located amidst the magnificent Dolomites, Cortina is a lively alpine village where Italians come to be seen, to show off their Ferraris and to linger over an espresso. Even when the town is crowded, the slopes are generally empty, because nearly three-quarters of the winter guests just come for the scene and the sunshine.
As a skiing hotspot, Cortina boasts a wide variety of slopes for all abilities, matched with an abundance of off-snow activities. The Dolomites’ cliffy outcroppings, which give the area its stunning beauty, somewhat limit the skiable summit terrain. Yet skiers still find enough thrilling slopes near the central village, which has 52 lifts and 87 miles of groomed runs. But if that’s not enough, your travel agent can secure a pass that allows access to more than 50 resorts in the area.
Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France
One of the world’s most famous ski resorts, Chamonix sits atop the highest peak in the Alps and the second highest in all of Europe. More than any other resort on this list, Chamonix appeals to hip adventure-seekers and boarders who crave long runs and reliable snow with plenty of cliffs, chutes and headwalls. Chamonix’s extreme terrain has even starred in several ski movies, though it doesn’t like to sign autographs, so don’t ask.
Of Chamonix’s seven ski areas, the Grands Montets is the most renowned, since skiers far and wide consider it to be one of the world’s most challenging ski areas. Here a cable car rises to 10,000 feet, and if your legs are strong and your courage unshakable, you can climb 121 metal steps to an observation deck that offers arguably the best panorama in all the Alps.
What really sets Chamonix apart is the abundance of off-piste terrain and guided explorations of chutes, snowfields, glaciers and high bowls. The most famous off-piste run in the world is the Aiguille du Midi, a 12-mile thriller that begins at the top 12,606 feet high and ends in the valley some 9,000 feet below. It is a long, steady ride with dramatic terrain that is not too challenging, with the exception of a giant crevasse near the Mer de Glace glacier that your guide will warn you about repeatedly. In short, it’s the skiing excursion of a lifetime.
The Gurus of the Mountains
My husband and I are skiers who KNOW the mountains and the differences between them. We have been to Zermatt, Chamonix, St. Moritz, Davos, Whistler, all over Colorado, Utah, British Columbia, Lake Tahoe (where we have skied for 30 years), Wyoming, Montana and the list goes on. He is an extreme skier, he has raced Far West when he was younger and “hangs” with the who’s who of skierdom. I on the other hand like to not push my comfort level to the heart pounding level of extreme. Together we can plan the ultimate adventure.
When it comes to a ski vacation we can guide you to the “best” resort based on your needs. As a skier knows, not all resorts are alike, and each caters to a different clientele.
Let’s start planning your next Incredible Journey together! Contact Joyce at jc@incrediblejourney.net 888-729-6899.
