Europe Ski Guide 2022 – Where to Ski in Switzerland, Italy and France
Tired of the up and down loop at the ski lift? Traditionally, skiing in Europe also involves traversing peaks, towns and villages – a wandering winter wonderland of snow punctuated with great meals and adventures. A number of high-end outfitters specialize in exactly this.
Snow safari over the Alps
For a change from the ski lift loop — and a dose of old-world winter charm — ski from point to point in Europe. operatorSwiss Ski Safari
finds the best terrain for your ability, breaks up the slope time with exceptional meals and cultural experiences and combines it all with overnight stays in family-run mountain huts and outstanding hotels, like the new Six Senses Crans-Montana. On a week-long “safari” you could: find your ski legs in Andermatt, Switzerland (where the Chedi is your base); Transfer to Zermatt on the Glacier Express to travel a glacier with a guide; slow down in Crans-Montana to enjoy the panorama of the peaks that stretch from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc; hunting powder in Verbier; and cross the border into Italy to ski to a 1,000-year-old monastery at the top of the Saint Bernard Pass. Heli-skiing over Lake Como followed by a Riva cruise for lunch is the spectacular finale.
Ski like an Olympian in Italy
The next Winter Olympics won’t take place until 2026, but we welcome the return of the Games to their real-snow location in 1956: Cortina d’Ampezzo. You can watch the stars of the World Cup compete there in January or follow in their footsteps with the bespoke adventure company Dolomite Mountains (based in Italy). You will test your skills on championship-worthy slopes for seven days in seven ski areas (including Cortina, Alta Badia, Civetta and Val Gardena).
Instead of medals, you’ll be rewarded with Michelin-star meals (e.g. at SanBrite) and pampered nights at hotels like the Rosa Alpina in Alta Badia and the new Hotel de LEN in Cortina, which has a rooftop spa with views of the mountains.
Immerse yourself in France
The experience company Eleven has two family-oriented, alpine-chic chalets (Hibou and Pelerin) that are just 30 minutes from seven world-class ski resorts. Take the kids to ski lessons and try three in one day: play in the powder in the woods of St Foy; Lunch at the Michelin-starred, 3,000-meter-high Le Panoramic restaurant in Tignes; Then cruise along a glacier into neighboring Val d’Isere for the long runs of Lost Valley (and its legendary apres spot, La Folie Douce).
On another day, Eleven’s helicopter can take you across the border to Courmayeur, Italy, for heli-skiing (which is illegal in France). Anti-lift purists can drive five miles to Eleven’s rustic cabin, Le Ruitor. Non-skiing family members can be taken there to share the fire and fondue before skiing home to the hot tub.
You can also “summit bag” in Canada, and no fly-in heliski company has refined the experience like this mica, based in Revelstoke, British Columbia. The powder is legendary, the lodge has great food, and now their private four-suite chalet comes with a Koala helicopter (the Ferrari of heli-skiing) and two guides—who are better at conquering many mountains.
This story appears in the October 2022 issue of City Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW