Ski report 2010
What’s happening in the resorts on the bmi network
WORDS | MATT BARR
Photography: © Photolibrary
01/ The European Alps
CLOSEST AIRPORTS: LYON AND ZURICH
bmi flies to Lyon from Manchester and to Zurich from Edinburgh
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT MÉRIBEL, FRANCE’S MUCH-MALIGNED ‘BRITS ON THE PISTE’ RESORT. With two major music and comedy festivals pencilled in for 2010, it is repositioning itself as an Alpine Edinburgh.
Expect to see comics like Marcus Brigstocke, Andrew Maxwell and Phil Jupitus wandering around during the Altitude Comedy Festival [20-26 March, www.altitudefestival.com], and bands such as The Feeling and Sophie Ellis-Bextor holding court at the new Little World Festival [13-19 March, www.littleworldfestival.com].
Organiser of the latter, Dave Jordan, thinks the resort is the ideal location for this type of event. “Méribel has been a hotbed of live music for years, with The Feeling learning the ropes as a covers band out here in 2001. They played to 5,000 people a couple of years ago and putting on a bigger show is a natural progression.”
For the full chi-chi experience, stay at the new four-star Hotel Allodis, which has a spa by Clarins [www.hotel-allodis.com].
If a resort like Méribel feels too hectic, try going in through the back door, at one of France’s many lesser-known resorts. One example is the Haute Maurienne Vanoise area. This mystifyingly under-known ski area is just two hours from Lyon and comprises seven villages: Val Cenis, Termignon, Bonneval sur Arc, Bessans, Bramans Val d’Ambim, Sollières and Sardières.
With Val Cenis and Termignon recently joining forces to offer 125km of slopes, expect cheap lift tickets (€28.50 for a day ticket), empty slopes and plenty of powder. And, if you’ve ever wondered what those Lycra-clad Olympic skiers actually get up to, visit Bessans [www.bessans.com] to try your hand at biathlon, an exciting and challenging blend of cross-country skiing and shooting. An introductory course (€28 for two hours) gives you the chance to shoot on a 10-metre range and get cross-country training.
Over in Switzerland, this season is a good time to join forces with the Swedish freeriding contingent who call Engelberg home. This hard-skiing, hard-partying enclave of the Swiss Alps has been attracting the powder cognoscenti for a few years now, and with the recent opening of the Ski Lodge [www.skilodgeengelberg.com] the secret appears to be out.
“It’s the best hotel in the Alps,” says Jojo Cook, editor of Boardsports Source magazine, a ski, snowboarding and surfing industry bible. “And the guys that run it know Engelberg better than anybody.” Engelberg’s the kind of place that attracts a particular breed of Alpine rider, the hardcore backcountry charger who you’ll recognise from their state-of-the-art equipment (see boxout, page 48).
02/ The Scottish Highlands
CLOSEST AIRPORTS:ABERDEEN, EDINBURGH AND GLASGOW
bmi flies to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow from 10 destinations across the UK and Western Europe, including London Heathrow, Leeds Bradford and Copenhagen
Photography: © AlamySOME DAYS, SCOTLAND OFFERS FANTASTIC SKIING. Unfortunately, those days can be few and far between. But should the weather gods choose to align in Scotland’s favour, the Highlands certainly have one of the most vibrant scenes in Europe, with the five main resorts (Nevis Range, Cairngorm, the Lecht, Glenshee and Glencoe) inspiring a fierce loyalty among locals. Glenshee [www.ski-glenshee.co.uk] is Scotland’s biggest area, with 40km of pistes served by 21 lifts. There are 36 runs, making for the most well-rounded ski experience, plus it has snow-making capabilities.
Cairngorm [www.cairngormmountain.org] is near Aviemore, Scotland’s ski town, and has 30km of pistes accessed by 10 lifts and a funicular railway. It also has the country’s longest piste and a surprisingly cutting-edge fun park. Scottish Olympic snowboarder Lesley McKenna rates Cairngorm as her favourite resort
in Scotland and says her preferred run, Aladdin’s Couloir, is one of the best freeride runs she’s ever done. “I was lucky enough to score it in March 2008 and it was as good as anything I’ve ridden elsewhere. The snow park here is also fantastic.” This run is for the more experienced so if conditions are right, ask a local.
Elsewhere, Glencoe [www.glencoemountain.co.uk] was the country’s first ski area and, while noticeably smaller (20km of pistes served by seven lifts), it offers more challenging terrain.
For beginners and families, there are few ski areas better than the Lecht [www.lecht.co.uk], which tends to have mellower slopes and some decent snow-making facilities. Experts are catered for by two parks and a half pipe when conditions are correct.
Finally, Nevis Range, within the shadow of Britain’s highest hill, is the UK’s highest ski area and the resort with the only gondola – very handy indeed if that North Sea wind starts blowing. There are five black runs here and a diverting 20km of pistes, as well as some bona fide off-piste terrain [www.nevisrange.co.uk].
The best way of skiing Scotland, if you’re there for a week or so, is to take advantage of the new five-day ticket. For £115 you can ski for five consecutive days at any of the ski areas.
Get daily updates from www.ski-scotland.com before you go.
03/ The Caucasus
CLOSEST AIRPORTS: TBILISI AND YEREVAN
bmi flies to Yerevan from London Heathrow, then on to Tbilisi. For more information and to book flights, visit flybmi.com
Photography: © Corbis / 4 CornersWELCOME TO THE WINTER SPORTS WORLD’S LATEST WILD FRONTIER. With Russia’s Sochi the shock winner of the race to host the 2014 Winter Olympics, a brave new world is evolving in the Caucasus range. Although to Western eyes the area might seem impossibly exotic (and not a little risky), for Russians this Black Sea region has always been an important holiday destination.
The resort of Gudauri, two hours’ drive from the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, is a good introduction to the region. It is Georgia’s flagship resort, and has four lifts that take skiers to the unusually lofty height of 3,200 metres. It means visitors can expect a lot of snow and empty slopes. This year, the resort also has an exciting new Franco-Georgian heliski operation to help lure powder skiers to the region. “Gudauri is great for freeriding and perfectly safe. Our helicopter is owned by SAF, the biggest heli operator in France, and our pilots and engineers have a lot of experience in the mountains,” says Olivier Houillot, one of the driving forces behind the wonderfully named Heliksir. Guests can either book the helicopter for the entire week, or book a day to put the cap on a memorable trip [www.heliksir.com].
Due south, Armenia also has some surprisingly advanced ski facilities. The main resort, Tsakhkadzor, is a 40-minute drive from the Yerevan and has great facilities. Lifts top out at 2,820 metres, and there are five in total accessing a good variety of red, black and blue runs. As with most resorts in this region [visit www.winterarmenia.com for more information], there isn’t a huge amount of on-slope grooming facilities, making it manna for advanced skiers and snowboarders looking to find the next untouched powder spot.
Ice Pick
The products to help you look cool and stay safe
At Engelberg you’ll see the hardcore brigade with the Burton S-Series or the Fish (pictured). The former is a snowboard that splits into a pair of skis, all the better for reaching those stashes of newly fallen snow (£900). The latter is a powder-specific board with a large nose and swallowtail, helping riders keep afloat in the masses of powder that hit the resort each year (£520). www.burton.com
To be on the safe side in more remote resorts consider packing something such as the ABS Avalanche Airbag System. It is a rucksack containing a bag that inflates if you’re caught in an avalanche, keeping you on top of the snow. Snowboard expert Mark Harries rates it as a must-have for serious powder lovers. “If you’re travelling to relatively out-of-the-way places, you need to take every type of precaution and this is a very well thought out piece of avalanche safety equipment.” www.abs-airbag.com
