There is a ski resort for every
budget in Europe - from the huge, more expensive resorts of the Swiss Alps to
the smaller, affordable resorts of Eastern Europe.
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| Skiing in Bavaria |
Downhill skiing has a long
tradition in the Alpine countries of Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Germany and
France. There is good skiing, too, in the Scandinavian countries, Norway,
Sweden and Finland. More recently other European countries have developed ski areas
such as Spain’s Sierra Nevada region, Andorra, Estonia, Romania, Czech Republic
and Bulgaria. Even Cyprus has skiing from January until the end of March on the
slopes of Mount Olympus. While these newer resorts do not boast the vertical or
acreage of the older resorts, they often appeal to families and beginners who
do not need a mega-resort to meet their needs.
The major resorts of the Alps
offer hundreds of slopes over towering peaks with vast lift systems and easy
access to “off piste” or backcountry areas. The Dolomiti Superski in the
Italian Dolomites, for example, includes 1200km of slopes covering an entire
province. Verbier, Switzerland, encompasses 95 lifts over four valleys and 100
runs. Some ski regions straddle country borders such as the Portes du Soleil with skiing around 12 resort villages, four in Switzerland and eight in France,
from the same lift ticket.
Top resorts in Switzerland
include St Moritz, Zermatt, Davos/Klosters and Mürren - all boasting massive
networks of ski runs for every standard, ski schools and terrain parks as well
as authentic mountain culture, great food and topnotch shopping.
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| Davos, Switzerland |
Cortina d’Ampezzo is the most
elite ski resort in Italy, attracting jet-setters and aristocracy and has also been the
scene of many movies. In the 1981 James Bond film, ‘For Your Eyes Only’ Roger Moore is shown being chased on skis
there; much of the 1963 ‘The Pink
Panther’ was filmed there as well as several segments for ‘Cliffhanger’. Families with
teens should note that 16 year olds are considered adults for lift ticket
pricing in Italy.
French resorts have great skiing
and dining but vary considerably in terms of character and culture. There are
many old mountain villages which have developed gradually into prominent ski
areas (for example, Morzine, Val-d'Isère and Megève) as well as more recent,
purpose-built resort complexes such as Avoriaz, La Plagne, Tignes, and ValThorens. Chamonix is one of its most famous destinations and the Trois Vallées
- which includes Méribel, Courchevel, Val Thorens and Les Menuires - is a very
popular snowsports playground.
Austria is home to many World
Cup and Olympic champions. Its top resorts include St. Anton - famous for KrazyKangaruh après-ski - and Kitzbühel where around 80,000 people watch the World
Cup downhill race every January. There are many smaller, family-friendly
resorts such as the Tyrolian village, Mayrhofen.
The main ski resorts in Germany
include Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Berchtesgaden, Mittenwald, Oberstdorf, and
Lenggries. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is the most prominent area for tourists as
well as being a regular host to World Cup races.
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| Para-penting in Germany |
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| Lazy lunch at the lodge |
European skiing is notable for
its craggy mountains, greater vertical drop than North American resorts, high
quality on-mountain lunches with good local wines, great après-ski, and
mountain guide service taking advanced skiers to exciting “off piste” areas.
With insurance coverage different in each country, it is best to take insurance
cards, check with providers what is covered and if necessary take out extra
holiday medical insurance.
Most European skiing is open
from the end of November until mid to late April. Levi, the biggest resort in
arctic Finland, has skiing into mid May. And the Swedish resort, Riksgränsen features skiing in
midsummer under the midnight sun until the end of June.
One thing to remember: most European onhill eateries frown upon bagged lunches. There are occasionally picnic areas inside lodges but these tend to be for tuition groups. So, if you bring your own sandwich, make sure you eat it outdoors and if you are on a restaurant deck at least buy a drink.
One thing to remember: most European onhill eateries frown upon bagged lunches. There are occasionally picnic areas inside lodges but these tend to be for tuition groups. So, if you bring your own sandwich, make sure you eat it outdoors and if you are on a restaurant deck at least buy a drink.
