NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Ski holidays were all but impossible last year but with Covid rules easing and snow already covering the Alps, it’s time to start booking for the upcoming season.
And this winter is one you certainly don’t want to miss.
Iconic alpine dance festival Tomorrowland is getting ready for its big return for 2022, a breathtaking new viewing platform is opening at Morzine, and Aspen launching a huge snow celebration for its 75th birthday.
So what are you waiting for?
Dust off your skis, get your goggles on, and read on below to start planning your winter getaway.
If the closest you could get to a snow festival last year was dancing to Spotify in your slushy garden, you’re in luck: festivals are back.
Tomorrowland Winter 2022’s line-up of DJs includes Armin van Buuren, Adriatique and Afrojack.
The resort, famous for its winding Tour de France climb, also has a communal open-air heated swimming pool perfect for après-ski and for daredevils there’s the ten-mile Sarenne, said to be the world’s longest black run.
This December, a food court is opening in the village, serving food and drink from 4pm to midnight.
A four-night festival ticket and ski pass from March 22 to 26 costs from £360, tomorrowland.com
A new relaxation experience imported from Finland, ice floating is available this winter on the Ouilette lake.
Wearing a drysuit, you’ll slip into the frozen lake and, believe it or not, experience an extraordinary moment of relaxation as you feel truly at one with nature.
At an altitude of 8,245ft, in the heart of the ski area, you can literally float on the mountain landscape.
From £42pp, evolution2.com
The Shiga Kogen Yakebitaiyama ski resort and the Okushiga Kogen ski resort are collaborating for the first time with the Yakeoku Season Pass, which will connect both of them (apply for it via the Okushia website or the Prince Hotels website.)
This allows visitors to ski across a much wider area and the pass allows grant holders a special room rate at the hotel directly connected to both resorts.
The site is famous for its hot springs where skiers can relax, while another attraction at the foot of the Shiga Kogen area is Jigokudani Yaen-Koen, known as the Monkey Park, where wild monkeys bathe in hot water.
After the success of its budget offering, The People Hostel, Les 2 Alpes in France is opening the doors of its Base Camp Lodge on December 10. The 30-room hostel has rooms accommodating up to ten people, as well as double and family options.
Ideal for solo skiers or young families, it mixes Alpine chic with sleek metal details, and has a fitness room, sauna and restaurant that includes vegan and vegetarian menus.
Rooms from £110pn, basecamplodge-les2alpes.com
Among several exciting new challenges this winter, Salzburgerland’s 12 Peaks Trophy (where you’ll experience altitude differences of up to 32,800ft) invites intrepid skiers to conquer 12 peaks across five valleys over one timed circuit.
For hardcore skiers, the Ski Your Limit Skicircus route is a real test — you have seven hours to cover 40 miles of pistes, 32 lifts and an altitude difference of 40,700ft.
In addition, Wagrain Kleinarl has launched a gastro-themed route for skiing foodies to this upcoming season.
For more info, visit salzburgerland.com
For an adrenaline-filled ski holiday that suits non-skiers too, try Pays de Gex in the Jura Massif mountains, just a 45-minute drive from Geneva.
The 3,000ft Faucille Zip Line, which opened last year, has a hair-raising one-minute descent, with speeds of up to 56mph (tickets £29, age 12 and up.
You can ski at Lélex-Crozet, Mijoux La Faucille and Menthières — small fields with lift passes costing around £19 a day — and there are plenty of cross-country ski trails.
Find out more at paysdegex-montsjura.com
A new viewing platform at Pointe de Nyon — offering a bird’s eye view of the French Alps — opens this winter.
At 6,600ft, the 33ft glass walkway is a free attraction, giving visitors a view of the 1,150ft drop beneath their feet as well as a 360-degree perspective, from Lake Geneva to Mont Blanc.
The resort, one of the closest to Geneva, has a huge array of beginner and intermediate slopes and for those who would prefer other winter pastimes, snowshoeing, ice climbing, ice skating and dog sledding are all on offer.
morzine-avoriaz.com
Want to ski and sunbathe? Visit Spain’s Sierra Nevada resort for winter sun
You can now immerse yourself in all thing’s wine at Porto’s new boozy attraction
UK Christmas markets, light shows and winter wonderlands to visit this December
Aspen Snowmass celebrates 75 years of skiing and riding this winter season. This milestone will celebrate the heritage of skiing in Aspen.
As a gift to each skier, they’re also offering lift passes for £55 when you book lodging and equipment rentals through Stay Aspen Snowmass.
aspensnowmass.com
In Bernese Oberland’s lovely Jungfrau region, the small village of Mürren is preparing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first ever slalom race.
Launched as a winter resort by British tour operator Henry Lunn in the Victorian era, his son Arnold made Mürren the base of his campaign to get recognition for the new sport of Alpine ski racing.
To promote it, he introduced the slalom in 1922. In January 1928, members of a daredevil ski club inaugurated a downhill marathon called the Inferno, a descent of more than 6,562 vertical feet.
The 2022 edition of the Inferno takes place from January 19 to 22.
muerren.swiss/en
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