Most Famous Ski Resorts
At this time, we give you a taste of the good life. Well, ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!
Courchevel, France
Courchevel has always been a famous ski resort. Luxury fashion boutiques, gourmet restaurants, and fancy parties with champagne shower all over the place. Sweet life only. It sounds even a bit cliché. Though, besides its thrilling slopes, there are plenty of activities. Get ready to master l’art du chill, we are about to reveal a hot to-do list. Are you hungry for more?
There is an adventure camp. All spicy feelings included: multigliding (airboard, parets, snake gliss), snowmobile: on a 700-metre closed track, at an altitude of 2000 metres. You can embrace a multigliding package (multigliding + snowmobile), or test a quad bike on snow – a new gliss sensation to try!
In Courchevel, snowsports also mean tobogganing. The resort offers various options. It’s up to you: 2 kilometres through a forest, 3 kilometres of Grand Prix-style racing, or just a few meters with little ones. Be adventurous, feel the heat of the moment, adrenaline pumping and all that stuff guaranteed. There we are! Look, a Formula 1 champion driver is born.
Amazing experience of biathlon shooting is also available – shooting with real biathlon rifles on official targets 10 meters away. If you are a rafting fan, you should try snow rafting: sensations and huge gliding descents in a rafting boat. As for tubing, one can hurtle down a slope in the large buoy (1 or 2 people). Dog sledding, fat bike, flying, hang-gliding, helicopter, hiking and snowshoeing, hot-air balloon, ice climbing, ice skating, paragliding, skydiving, snowcat driving, snowmobile, snow-scooter, torchlit descent, and more. Do you still feel bored? Just in case you get tired of snow&sports, you can plunge into a relax-zone of aquafun area, bowling, cinema, cookery, fitness, dancing, well-being and yoga, spas, or theme evenings. The best time of your life is around the corner.
St. Moritz, Switzerland
St. Moritz ski resort is a perfect example of Swiss standards of quality. A striking destination in Europe, where you can lose your breath. In case you are willing to discover new horizons alongside the most beautiful resort attractions and capture an epic 360-degree mountain’s panoramic view – you’re on the right path.
This amazing paradise on Earth is like a magnet for famous people, movie stars, artists, designers, and aristocrats. And we know why. It offers a classy lifestyle: iconic events, grand hotels, shopping, casino, the St. Moritz Olympia’s bob run, Cresta run – AKA gentlemen on sleds, and a vintage car racing. This resort will also feed you with some cultural events, as this upscale Alpine winter sports destination has always been attractive for artists and thinkers. Regarding the Arts & Culture section you might enjoy the resort’s history, architectural gems (from rustic charm to cosmopolitan chic), and of course its museums - where you can get inspired by the works from Giovanni Segantini to Andy Warhol.
What is more, at the spot you will have a warm welcome by star-rated restaurants, where you can treat yourself with dining at 1800 m, dining at 2400 m, tea-time, nightlife & bars. The bucket list of sports & wellbeing to try: Ski Alpine, Nordic, ice skating, wellness & spa, watersport at 1800 m, golf at 1800 m, leisure hiking, mountain bike, altitude training. Plan your next dream trip.
Whistler Blackcomb, Canada
A resort village with proper energy. It’s quite obvious that there is a bunch of luxurious stores, restaurants, cafés, bars, and pulsing aprés nightlife. The pedestrian-only Village is a lifetime destination into two massive mountains, unique to North America, with a special vibe and style. Whistler village is a magical place, where you can fully relax your mind and body. Slow-motion life to enjoy local restaurants’ atmosphere while tasting good quality delicacies.
If you prefer an active pastime, go for activities: backcountry skiing, Coca-Cola® Tube Park – feel the wind in your face while going down the massively breathraking tubing hill. Crystal Hut Fondue Tour by Snowmobile or Snowcat and Dog Sledding are the must. Keep your eyes wide open, experience free mountain tour – the Whistler Blackcomb CIBC Mountain Host program, that offers free orientation tours daily for skiing, snowboarding, and sightseeing. Enjoy top of the mountains to capture an epic 360-degree panoramic view. The GMC Race Centre on Blackcomb Mountain located on Cougar Milk Run offers friendly competition for skiers and snowboarders. Try your fortune with free racing or group events. The best one wins.
Besides this, get inspired by the majesty of cultural diversity, live your life to the fullest and make memories to last forever. Art lovers will appreciate the Audain Art Museum where is exhibiting the Art of British Columbia. Got tired of routine, craving for some new impressions? Entertaining, amusing, and interactive ways to update your reality – Escape rooms and quests. You’ve got only 45 minutes to escape and save the world!
We also think you deserve a breakfast for champions. So, get on the Whistler Village gondola between 7:15 and 8 a.m. for a mountain-sized breakfast buffet at the Roundhouse Lodge. Treat yourself to something nice. Savour the view and be a “part-time” lord of the mountains.
St. Anton am Arlberg. Austria
If you’re into filling your lungs with fresh and cool mountains’ air, go for St. Anton. It is one of Europe's — and the World's — top ski resorts for “big league” skiers, with the most stunning views and challenging slopes in the Alps. If you're an expert skier, this is the right place to be.
Back in the day, St. Anton made a great impact on ski history – in 1901 the first ski club in the Alps began to function there. This spot remains super inviting for globetrotters from all over the globe.
Nowadays, it’s a contemporary holiday resort that has preserved its own unique identity, and traditional allure. The warm welcome, generous reception and entertainment of guests, along with Tyrolean customs are a corporate style of the village as its international, cosmopolitan temper.
Besides standard winter sports activity and stunning bird’s eye views of peaks, one of the most appealing offers of this resort is Christmas Magic in December 2019 – “Adventzauber” aka as Advent Magic in the Park a Christmas theme trail for all ages. It invites people from all over the world to unite and enjoy the festive mood and run-up to Christmas. There is a Christmas photo corner, where everyone can design their greeting cards. Children can visit handicraft sessions at the elf’s workshops; listen to festive stories and poems from St. Anton, recited in the local dialect. And of course, Xmas cookies tasting made of traditional recipes. Guests can also watch the life-size nativity scene at the Mühltobel Gorge and enjoy the sound of brass bands.
One more secret of great value – it is a perfect place to try Mulled wine (German: glühwein (or glüwein) AKA “hot wine”) – a hot alcoholic drink based on red wine heated to 70–80 degrees with sugar or honey and spices. Traditionally served in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic at Christmas markets and holidays held outdoors.
Are you feeling festive yet? Dress up, buy the tickets, and take the journey!
Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy
The five peaks of the Cinque Torri give prestigious Cortina D'Ampezzo the most alluring atmosphere and ambience among other Italy's ski resorts. By the way, the entire area is included in a UNESCO World Heritage. The resort provides different winter sports activities: from Alpine & Nordic skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ski mountaineering & freeride to fat bike, sledding, snowkite, ice skating, curling, ice climbing, and cross-country skiing in the Dolomites. Moreover, on 9 June 2016, the 2021 Ski world Championships were officially awarded to Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Besides its fantastic winter sports attractions along with the beauty of the preserved nature and its wilderness, one can plunge into the cultural heritage of the region. We bet you have never heard about the Ladin language and the dialects of the dolomites. Unlike others, Mountain people cherish their traditions and safeguard the Ladin language aka “Ladin Dolomitan” which is the Dolomite's Ladin. The Museum of History, Customs, Culture of the Tradition of the Ladin folk is located in the Municipality of Livinallongo del Col di Lana, near the square of Pieve di Livinallongo. This Ethnographic Museum shows off four segments that present a complete overview of the customs and traditions of the Ladin culture of Livinallongo.
Artistic wrought iron handicrafts could be an interest as well. A charismatic Dolomite landscape is an important concentration of churches and chapels. Knowing the fact that this spot is shrouded in mystery, you would like to see for yourself. The Dolomites have an ancient legend that gets passed on from one generation to another for the centuries. The tale of Carlo Felice Wolff called "Lusor de Luna" reveals the secrets of this intriguing story. Since then, the Dolomites have been called The Pale Mountains, a fairy-tale spot for remarkable holidays in the UNESCO Dolomites.
Sources
1. Whistler Blackcomb by Mitch Winton Photography source Whistler Blackcomb facebook
2,3. St. Anton am Arlberg source St. Anton am Arlberg facebook
4. Courchevel source @courchevel_officiel Instagram
5. Courchevel at courchevel.com
6. St. Moritz at stmoritz.com
7. Cortina D’Ampezzo at dolomiti.org
Written by: Olena Komar
Graphic Design by: Ana Teixeira
Web Content Optimization & Web Design by: Paulo Vieira