We've been waiting a while but it's here at last: snow season! What if we travel a little further afield this time instead of going to the same old resorts? Today we're going to take a look at the highest and most famous peaks in the Alps and tell you about the best ski resorts in that 1,200-km-long mountain range.
- Val Thorens - France
This French town at an altitude of 2,300 metres is in a fabulous location right below the piste. Come out of your apartment, put our skis on in the doorway and enjoy the day!
Best point:in addition to the great quality (and amount) of the snow, this French resort is well-known among the younger audience for its lively nightlife. So if—besides snow—you're looking for somewhere lively, Val Thorens is the place for you.
How to get here: you can get to Val Thorens by flying to Geneva, which is 160 km from the resort. Then you can take the Aero-ski bus, which will take about 3.5 hours to reach the pistes. You can buy your tickets online or at the ticket office at the terminal.
- Zermatt - Switzerland
With more than 360 skiable kilometres and several ski lifts connecting its slopes to the Italian Alps, Zermatt is the highest resort in Europe. The main highlight are its virgin snow peaks, which will delight the most daring free-riders.
Best feature: can you imagine being able to ski 365 days a year? Well, here you can! Thanks to the Theodul Glacier (inside the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise), which you can get to on the highest cable car in the world, you can glide over the snow at an altitude of 3,000 metres – even in summer!
How to get here: you can take a train from Zurich Airport to Zermatt, which private cars are not allowed to enter. The journey takes about 3.5 hours but you won't mind because the scenery is simply spectacular!
- Via Lattea - Italy
Just 100 kilometres from Turin is Via Lattea, which is not exactly a resort: it's 6! Made up of the resorts of Sauze d’Oulx, Sestriere, Cesana, Torinese, Pragelato and Clavière, you will find more than 400 kilometres of skiable slopes in Via Lattea.
Best point: there are good connections between all the resorts and you can also buy a combined ski-lift pass so you can try them all. 212 pistes and 70 ski lifts and chair lifts for all the fun you could wish for!
How to get here: there are trains to Oulx—which is just a few kilometres from the slopes—from Turin every hour. The journey takes just over an hour and, once you are here, you can take the regular bus service to any of the resorts that make up the Via Lattea.
- Olympia SkiWorld Innsbruck - Austria
This complex, which was the venue for 2 Winter Olympic Games, is made up of 9 ski resorts: Seegrube – Nordkette, Patscherkofel, Axamer Lizum, Muttereralmpark, Kühtai, Rangger Köpfl, Glungezer, Schlick 2000 and the Stubai Glacier.
Best point: you don't need a car in Innsbruck as there is a free ski-bus every day to each of the resorts. We shouldn't forget that we are also in a university city so the après-ski atmosphere is guaranteed.
How to get here: in spite of Innsbruck being in the Austrian Tyrol, the easiest way to get here is by flying to Munich. There are lots of trains from the Bavarian capital to Innsbruck every day and the journey can take about 2 hours, depending on which train you choose.
Start dusting off your ski or snowboarding gear and get ready for lots of fun!
