InTheSnow | Issue 69 | February 2022

EXPA/ JOHANN GRODER

INTHE SNOW ISSUE 69 | FEB 2022

ISSUE 69 | FEB 2022

RED BULL

BRITAIN’S FIRST WORLD CUP WIN!

FRANCE

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In Safe Hands

SNAPSHOT In A Hurry? Here Are Some Of Ski’s Current Top Stories ...

ANTON SUCKSDORFF

SKI NEWS

SUSTAINABLE SKIS FROM FINLAND Finnish sustainable material tech company Spinnova and ski maker PUSV have announced they’re making skis from all natural materials rather

THE LONDON SKI SHOW & SNOWBOARD FESTIVAL

than glass fibre, carbon fibre or plastic.

LONDON SKI SHOW BACK IN 2022

SKI SLOPES ON STAGE

SKI DOWN THE HOTEL ROOF

The London Ski Show & Snowboard Festival, last staged

The 2014 Swedish comedy-drama film Force Majeure

The Falkensteiner Family Resort Lido in Italy’s South

in 2019, says it will be back from 27 to 30 October at

was remade by Hollywood in 2020 as Downhill with

Tyrol has unveiled a 150m-long dry ski slope coming

Evolution in Battersea Park. The National Snow Show

Will Ferrell, and in 2022 it has made it to the London

down its roof, part of a long list of new facilities,

also returns from 15 to 16 October at Birmingham’s NEC.

stage as a production starring Rory Kinnear.

after a multi-million-euro makeover.

RIDE ON THE CABLE CAR ROOF IN THE DOLOMITES

THE POLAR NIGHT LIGHT FESTIVAL

BIGGEST SKI RESORT OPERATOR HITS BIG 4-0

A new cable car at Carezza in Italy’s Dolomiti

It’s cold and dark in the far north in midwinter (good

Vail Resorts has purchased another three Eastern

Superski is the first in the country with an “outdoor

for seeing the Northern Lights), but the ski resort of

US ski areas, meaning it now runs 40 resorts, most

balcony” where users can ride up outside the cabin,

Ruka in Lapland has brightened things up with the

in the US but also North America’s biggest, Whistler

similar to lifts at the Dachstein and Tignes.

“light artworks” of its Polar Night Light Festival.

in Canada, and Australia’s biggest, Perisher.

MONTE BIANCO ENRICO ROMANZI

DOLOMITI SUPERSKI WISTHALER

HELMET, VACCINE, & ALCOHOL RULES IN ITALY

“MELTING GONDOLA” ARTWORK APPEARS

Italy brought in a host of new rules as it entered the

This winter, visitors exiting the Silver Queen

New Year. Under-18s now need to wear helmets,

gondola on Aspen Mountain, Colorado, will see a

everyone must have liability insurance and there’s

“melting” cabin, symbolising a warming planet and

now a strict alcohol limit too.

created with Protect Our Winters (POW).

Well, talk about a rollercoaster! When we were preparing our last magazine back in the autumn, everything was looking fairly promising. Infection rates were pretty low, governments were promising ski areas they’d stay open and holiday bookings were surging with that much talked of “pent-up demand” after nearly two years of pandemic limbo. Then came Omicron.

Looking on the bright side (as we always try to do at InTheSnow!), despite that, it has been a much

SPAIN’S 3 VALLEYS

CABIN CREW TRAVEL AGENCY LAUNCHES

The Spanish ski resort of Cerler, which celebrates its

A group of former and existing airline cabin crew

50th birthday this winter, has expanded into a third

have got together to make something positive from

valley, Castanesa. A new Doppelmayr’s D-Line lift

the pandemic and launched their own travel business.

takes Cerler’s total ski area size up to 80km.

Doors2Manual.com offer ski holiday advice.

better winter than last year, so far. Unlike 2020/21, ski resorts have stayed open. OK, things are far from normal, but we can go skiing in every country when last season about half of ski nations kept their resorts closed for some or all of the winter.

Then there’s the fact that we can travel. OK, there’s been lots of testing involved, in the UK and in destination countries, and not being vaccinated, in some cases boosted, makes it a lot more difficult or impossible to go to some countries, but

MAURO MARIOTTI RIC

this season, if we jump through all the hoops, we can get to those reopened slopes.

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Those of us that have made it report back that it is so worth the effort. Indeed, the extra effort required, along with the euphoria of getting back on the slopes after several seasons for most of us, magnifies the happiness factor of being there.

The further good news, forgetting about the pandemic for a moment, is that it has actually

PUBLISHER

Dominic Killinger dom@inthesnow.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Patrick Thorne

NEW ICE HOTEL ON ITALIAN GLACIER

patrick@inthesnow.com

tom@rocketbase.co.uk

Glacier at Passo Tonale in Trentino. Located at 2,753m next to the Capanna Presena Refuge, the construction is one of the world’s highest of its type.

WEB & DIGITAL DESIGNER

Max Spooner-Blind

MANAGING EDITOR

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Tilly Tasker

SALES MANAGER

James Bishton

SKI TECHNIQUE EDITOR

Warren Smith

OPERATIONS DIRECTOR

Debbie Gabriel

debbie@inthesnow.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Debbie Gabriel Sam Thorne James Bishton

MAGAZINE & BRAND DESIGN BY

Tom Showler Rocket Base

DEPUTY EDITOR

Megan Hughes Henry Druce

A new ice hotel has opened on Italy’s Presena

SUB EDITORS

Nick Jones Marion Adams

GEAR EDITOR

Sally Bartlett

been one of the better starts to the season of recent years, with plenty of snowfall before Christmas building a great base in many of the

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key Alpine destinations, resulting in most of

Printed in the UK.

them having pretty much all of their slopes open

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from day one.

Let’s hope the good conditions continue, the pandemic continues its current trajectory (at time of writing) of easing, that travel continues to get easier and that the snow conditions stay great so that more of us can get away and back on the snow in the latter half of the season.

patrick@inthesnow.com

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RED BULL

RYDING FIRST EVER BRIT TO WIN A WORLD CUP ALPINE SKI RACE Dave Ryding has made history winning Britain’s first gold in the Alpine Skiing World Cup, 55 years after the tour was created.

Ryding won the Hahnenkamm slalom race on the Ganslernhang racecourse at Kitzbühel in the Austrian Tirol, where he had previously taken silver five years ago in 2017.

Ryding, who was already Britain’s most successful ever alpine ski racer, was lying in sixth place after his first run, but moved into the lead after a second run of 49.86 seconds, with the five racers skiing after him either skiing out or not matching his time.

At 35 he is the oldest man ever to win a slalom race.

“I never stopped believing, I never stopped trying, and to bring the first victory for Great Britain in a World Cup, in Kitzbühel … I mean, I don’t know if dreams are made

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better,” Ryding commented in the post-race interview.

Dave’s long-time coach Tristan Glasse-Davies and his ski technician Jai Geyer were both clearly overwhelmed by his victory.

Norwegians Lucas Braathen and Henrik Kristoffersen were second and third respectively. Kristoffersen, visibly excited for Ryding’s win at the finish, moved up more than 20 places from his first run position.

Ryding’s win on 22-1-22 came in the week of ceremonies in Mürren, Switzerland, commemorating the centenary of the creation of the slalom race format by British ski racing pioneer Sir Arnold Lunn.

The first ever alpine slalom race in its current form took place on 21 January 1922.

Hahnenkamm race organisers also noted that Britain’s Gordon Cleaver won the Combined race at the first ever staging of the meeting 91 years

ago in 1931. In a post after Ryding’s victory they noted that Cleaver’s win helped establish the race as an international event. Since 2006 when the 75th Hahnenkamm Race took place, the Kitzbühel Ski Club has awarded the Cleaver Cup to the best-placed Briton.

Although Ryding’s win is being treated as a shock result by some, it probably shouldn’t be. After 13 years on the tour he has finished in 13th place or higher at the end of the Slalom World Cup tour for each of the past five years, twice finishing in the top ten in the world, reflecting both his world-class talent and his consistency. Having now clocked up almost a hundred World Cup starts, for many ski racing experts the win was more a matter of time.

With three other podiums in the past five years, Ryding now has half of the eight podium places in alpine ski racing which the UK has achieved in

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the 55 years of the World Cup tour, the other four being shared between three racers in the late 1960s and early 1980s, more than three decades before Dave’s first.

Ryding learned to ski on a dry slope in Lancashire and didn’t ski on snow until age 12. He is off to his fourth Winter Olympics in a few days’ time after competing in the final World Cup slalom before the Games in Schladming this coming Tuesday.

“Maybe if I grew up in the Alps I’d have won before, but the way I did it I had to learn everything later. I wasn’t exposed to all the mountains until I was older. But this shows that you can do it older,” Dave told The Mirror.

Along with the winner’s trophy, Dave won a CHF 110,000 (£89,000) prize.

The win also took Ryding up to 4th in the FIS World Cup Slalom standings, just ahead of being British Team captain for the Beijing Olympics, his fourth.

FEB22 // 007

NEW ZIP LINE ABOVE LES ARCS Les Arcs has a new zip line in operation for its guests this winter.

The zip line passes over the old Flying Kilometre run, which held the world speed skiing record for many years (251.40kph, Simone Origone’s performance, 2006), and you can reach speeds of up to 130kph, on your own or on a dual ride. Price: €55 (around £46) per descent.

VERBIER REPLACES KEY LIFT

WHAT’S THE SNOW FORECAST LOOKING LIKE FOR MARS?

Verbier has replaced its Médran 1 cable car after 37 years, with a shiny, faster new lift almost doubling capacity on the route.

The new lift has large 10-seater cabins, the largest currently available for this type of lift, and

A study recently published in the

better predict weather patterns on both Mars

to the seasons) which were found to be

can carry up to 3,200 people per

journal Nature has looked at the

and Titan (the largest moon of Saturn and the

similar to those of Earth.

hour, compared to 1,800 today.

chances of accurate snow (and

only known place other than Earth believed

After drilling down through data sets using

The lift stations have also been

other weather) forecasting on Mars

to have stable bodies of surface liquid).

information collected from the now many

becoming a reality.

The study considered “annular modes”

missions to Mars, the scientists concluded

Planetary scientist J. Michael Battalio of Yale

on Mars and Titan (variations in how the

accurate weather forecasting for the red

University led the study into how we might

atmosphere flows which are unrelated

planet may only be a decade away.

greatly improved.

EDDIE THE EAGLE “TOP INFLUENCER” IN SNOWSPORTS Ski jumper Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards has been named the “Most Influential British Olympic Skier” on the basis of Google and Wikipedia searches. Staff from the Ski stats for each of the 240 snowsports athletes that have represented the UK over the decades.

NZ SKI AREA PLANS TO DOUBLE IN SIZE One of New Zealand’s fastestgrowing ski areas has ambitions to become one of the country’s largest too. The operators of The

PYRENE DUFFAU / LES 2 ALPES

Instructor Academy Austria studied

LES 2 ALPES SAY WORK TO REPLACE JANDRI EXPRESS WILL START THIS YEAR

Remarkables ski area, NZSki, have announced plans to bore a

Les 2 Alpes, one of the few remaining

€128 million (around £107 million) spend by

more than triple capacity to 4,000 people

230m-long skier’s tunnel in order

summer-ski destinations in the Alps and

the resort’s SATA lift company, with the lift

per hour, with stations en route at 2,100m

to access a whole new valley of

home to what they say is Europe’s largest

scheduled to open for the 2024/25 season.

and at 2,600m altitude.

skiing and more than double the

skiable glacier, is to replace its main Jandri

The current lift, which opened in 1985,

“We want to make Les 2 Alpes a top-

Express lift. Work is due to start this year

can carry 1,200 people per hour; the new

class resort,” said Fabrice Boutet, CEO of

on the replacement, part of a projected

tri-cable lift with 32 passenger cabins will

SATA Group.

resort’s available terrain.

008 // FEB22

@INTHESNOWMAG

PATRICK ARMBRUSTER

SWISH LIFTS SPEED UP THE SELLARONDA

THE INSIDE STORY OF SNOWBOARDING

BEAR DOES NOT RIDE COLORADO CHAIRLIFT

Italy’s biggest ski region, Dolomiti Superski, announced

Photographer Patrick “Brusti” Armbruster has

The reality-checking website Snopes decided to check

a spend of €130 million (around £109 million) on

compiled a new coffee-table photo book titled Barely

whether a social media post that had gone viral with a

upgrades including a dozen new lifts.

Made It on the evolution of snowboarding, which he

blurry image of a bear riding a chairlift, watched by a

Three of these – two new eight-seater chairs and a six-

has been involved in for three decades.

cub, was true or not.

seater – are in the Alta Badia region, part of the famous

Patrick discovered snowboarding in the late 1980s,

The story claimed that the bear “somehow managed to

Sellaronda circuit of ski runs that has famous valleys like

and in 1994 had his first pictures published in a Swiss

turn on” the closed chairlift at a Colorado ski area out

Badia, Fassa and Gardena radiating off it to create one

snowboard magazine, before going on to become

of hours and then rode on it for two hours, although no

of the world’s largest ski regions.

a senior photographer at Snowboarder (Monster

one thought to take a good picture.

In fact, this winter a new 4.5km-long gondolas

Backside) and Onboard magazines. In 1999, Patrick

Snopes found the image that was posted could be

connection from Cortina d’Ampezzo means you can

started to produce some of the first European 16mm

traced back to first appearing in France as long ago as

reach the circuit and its linked valleys on lifts and piste

snowboard movies, forming Absinthe Films, releasing

2013, but possibly earlier.

from there now too. Once on the Sellaronda, the new

snowboard movies featuring the best riders in the

“It appears that this ‘bear’ is reclining on the chairlift,

eight-seater Costoratta chairlift is located on the anti-

world and winning numerous awards.

which doesn’t seem very natural,” Snopes reports,

clockwise route around the circuit.

“The book project has been with me for over 20

concluding: “We weren’t able to find any news reports

“It is a state-of-the-art detachable chairlift – the ultimate

years. In 2013, I started to scan my whole archive

about a pair of bears who took a joyride on a ski lift in

in ergonomic comfort, this eight-seater chairlift features

of thousands of analogue photos documenting a

Colorado.”

protective bubble covers and, at full capacity, can carry

legendary time in snowboarding. The book records

A second investigation, by website lift.blog, pointed

3,400 people per hour,” a spokesperson said.

the time when snowboarding became popular,

out the bear was brown, a type of bear not seen in

The second new eight-seater chairlift in Alta Badia is

the riders were idealised as rock stars and the

Colorado, and that the type of lift it was shown riding

Sodlisia at Colfosco, replacing an existing chair, and

events became pilgrimage sites for the fans,” said

on didn’t operate at the resort claimed either.

there’s also the new La Brancia six-seater chairlift,

Patrick. Barely Made It costs €45 (around £38).

another upgrade of an existing lift, at San Cassiano.

patrickarmbruster.com

World’s Longest Ski Run To Benefit From €54m Spend The planet’s longest lift-accessed ski run is about to get an upgrade.

The world-famous Vallée Blanche run of approximately 20km above Chamonix in France attracts an average of 50,000 skiers and boarders a year.

The gondola is due to be completed for the winter after next, 2023/24, the Glacorium in December 2024.

Of course, for many of us, unless visiting when natural snow cover is good below the retreating end of the glacier, and we’re prepared to follow our guide through the glacial debris, it means our run down the Vallée Blanche will be just a little bit shorter in future, although the full length should remain skiable at times for a while yet for the most determined.

Skiing the Vallée Blanche The Vallée Blanche should remain on every skier and boarder’s bucket list, descending through spectacular scenery, away from most signs of human activity. It is accessed via a two-stage cablecar ascent of 2,700 vertical metres from central Chamonix to the Aiguille du Midi (3,842m), then a 150m shuffle down the infamous arête before you clip your skis or board on. Skiing over glacial terrain there are multiple dangers, and each winter there are accidents with falls into crevasses, so although the route through can be tackled by good intermediate skiers, it should never be attempted without a local guide.

CLÉMENT FACY

But there’s a problem. While it is still possible to ski all the way from the top of the slope back to Chamonix, when conditions are good, most tours end below the historic Montenvers hotel and railway station after about 1,600m of vertical descent.

The problem is that while you might not notice it if you haven’t been skiing the Vallée Blanche for decades, the Géant, Tacul and Mer de Glace glaciers over which it descends are thawing away, like almost all of the world’s glaciers, due to climate change.

This is apparent when you reach the point below Montenvers (1,913m) where you take your skis or board off again to catch the historic railway back down to Chamonix. In the 1980s, a short gondola was helpfully built down to the level of the ice for skiers to use to get back up and for tourists to use to get down to visit the glacier in the summer, including some impressive caves carved in the rock, on foot.

But as the ice has melted, the gap between the bottom of that gondola and the end of the run has

grown. Steps were built to fill the gap. In the early 1990s, three steps were required, but by the start of the 2000s, a thigh-burning 118 were needed to clamber up from the ice, in your ski boots, tired after your descent, carrying your skis. By 2010, the step count had almost tripled again to 320. Now we’ve passed 550 steps.

This equates to a loss of 100m depth in the last 30 years, one of the most unavoidable, in-yourface pieces of evidence of climate change there is. As it had taken 110 years to lose the previous 120m of depth, it also shows how the speed of melt is accelerating.

Something had to be done, and following a highprofile visit from President Macron a few years ago, the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc, which runs the lifts in the Chamonix Valley, have unveiled a €54 million (around £45 million) project which will see a new gondola lift built 700m further up the mountain where the current level of the ice is more significant, as well as a new Glacier Interpretation Centre (or “Glaciorium”).

“We want to make this glacier and climate interpretation centre a world reference. The Montenvers welcomes over one million visitors per year, and our aim is to inform them, in a fun way, about everyday actions and the role we can all play in preserving this environment,” said Mathieu Dechavanne, CEO Compagnie du Mont-Blanc.

010 // FEB22

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012 // FEB22

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COLIN BALDWIN

It may seem cliché, but those of us who love the mountains know that a ski holiday is not just about the skiing. It’s not just the pristine slopes and deep powder that we miss; it’s the entire way of life that no other getaway can recreate.

No matter how many snowdomes or dry slopes you frequent, nothing has quite the same feel as a winter holiday in the mountains.

As such, it’s unsurprising that for many of us, a year away has been more than enough! We are determined to get back out to the slopes this winter, to support the businesses that allow us to enjoy it, and to switch off from the stresses of everyday life.

Of course, we have to acknowledge that this winter is different. The world has changed and (for the time being at least) so too has travel; there’s no avoiding that. But this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the mountains. With Crystal Ski Holidays, you can plan and book your holiday with complete peace of mind, safe in the certainty that they have every base covered.

Indeed, over the past few years, certainty has been something pretty hard to come by. Whether it’s a wedding, holiday, even a simple birthday party, changing rules and restrictions have meant planning ahead no longer provides the security it used to.

Planning a ski holiday has been much the same. With the UK and ski destinations changing their entry requirements and in-resort restrictions, many skiers have been scrambling to understand how their holidays will be affected and whether they will be out of pocket.

As such, complete financial protection has never been more important when

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MIHAILOMILOVANOVIC

What do you miss most about the mountains? The chill of the fresh Alpine air, the crunch of the snow beneath your boots, that weightless feeling of soaring down a slope, the warm satisfaction of an evening fondue …

booking a holiday. When booking with a reputable company such as Crystal, you’ll receive a package holiday that’s fully ABTA and ATOL protected, covering everything from your flight to your transfer and accommodation.

On top of this, Crystal Ski Holidays have updated their extensive Crystal Holiday Promise to ensure your ski holiday is covered, no matter what happens this season.

Crystal won’t take you on holiday to a destination that is on the red list at the time of your departure. If they do cancel your booking, you can get your money back within 14 days, or you’ll have the option to change your booking to a different destination, or to a later date.

For holidays between December 2021 and April 2022, you can change your holiday dates or accommodation fee-free up to 28 days before your departure date, whatever the reason.

But what if you catch Covid before your departure? We know this is a worry for many skiers this year, but in updating the Crystal Holiday Promise, Crystal Ski Holidays have you covered on this front too.

If you’re unable to travel because someone in your party tests positive for Covid-19 or has to self-isolate, or vaccination or quarantine requirements have changed since you booked and you can no longer travel, you can make a change right up until the day of departure. See the Crystal Ski Holidays website for the full T&Cs. In addition, one of the reasons so many skiers trust Crystal with their ski holidays is the expert service you receive every step of the way. These guys seriously know their stuff when it comes to skiing and are always up to date with the latest travel information and in-resort restrictions, so you can be sure you’re in good hands. They will consistently keep you updated on any restrictions in your destination that they believe could significantly impact your enjoyment and will give you the chance to change your booking.

You can also download the free Ski Explorer app to make sure you’re on top of all the latest snow reports, resort info and more.

COLIN BALDWIN

No matter what this winter season brings, Crystal Ski Holidays have got you covered.

FEB22 // 013

AMARCSTER MEDIA

From humble beginnings at the dry slope of Pendle Ski Club, Dave Ryding has become the UK’s most decorated slalom skier, and Beijing 2022 will mark his fourth Winter Olympic Games. So what gear is he relying on to take his skiing to a new level this winter?

OUTERWEAR FUSALP The official sponsors of the GB Snowsport Alpine and Para Alpine Ski Team, Fusalp’s new athlete competition and para guide suits offer a unique fusion of innovative high-performance fabrics and stateof-the-art aerodynamic qualities that will enhance speed and movement on the slopes.

Fusalp have been creating highperformance wear for alpine skiers since 1952, and this new range brings together all their expertise in technical execution and luxury style.

With dynamic graphics and distinctive

014 // FEB22

colour palettes featuring a nod to Great Britain’s heritage, the suits retain an edge of style and elegance while the technical fabric and fit will push athletes to excel beyond their expectations.

“We all have big ambitions for the coming year, and further, and this partnership will really help us to make the most of the opportunities ahead of us,” Ryding said of the partnership with Fusalp earlier this season.

Fusalp is also the brand favoured

by Britain’s most-decorated Winter Paralympian, Menna Fitzpatrick. Born visually impaired, with less than 5% overall vision, Fitzpatrick learnt to ski at just five years old. Since joining the British Para Snowsport’s Team, she has gone from strength to strength, and her four medals at the 2018 PyeongChang Paralympic Games made her one of the most-decorated Winter Paralympians in history.

Fancy adding a little speed to your day-to-day ski? Channel your inner alpine racer this winter with the ready-to-wear collection of Fusalp x GB Snowsport, which will be available for purchase at Fusalp.com.

SKIS FISCHER Dave’s slalom weapon of choice?

The Fischer RC4 Worldcup SL. This is a ski that generates massive power while maintaining perfect edge transitions and impressive acceleration. Pair with the RC4 Worldcup SL racing boot to make the most of Fischer’s RACE CODE guarantee, which sees all skis, boots and bindings in the RACE CODE line perfectly tuned to one another.

BOOTS FISCHER Designed both with and for World Cup athletes, the Fischer Podium RD 150 delivers power, precision and progressive control that can handle the demands of any racecourse at even the highest of speeds.

Explore Fischer’s race range at fischersports.com

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MICHAEL GONCALVES

MATTHIEU VITR

I9-26 MAR 22

I9-26 MAR 22

Rock the Pistes

Tomorrowland

Snowboxx

Portes du Soleil | France/Switzerland Firmly established now as one of the biggest festivals in the Alps, with 28,000 attending, five free big concerts are staged on the ski slopes at 1.30pm daily – you just need a lift pass to be able to get to them.

More than 30 smaller après-ski concerts are also staged. en.rockthepistes.com

Alpe d’Huez | France The first Tomorrowland in the Alps was a huge success in 2019, attracting 30,000 fans, but the second had to be cancelled just days before it was due to take place, and the hope it would return for 2021 was also thwarted. Three years on, we’re hopefully finally here! tomorrowland.com

Avoriaz | France Hosted in car-free Avoriaz, Snowboxx is back and going head-to-head on dates with Tomorrowland.

The already sold-out festival has hosted some of the biggest acts including Stormzy, Rudimental, Basement Jaxx and Fatboy Slim along with other huge DJs, live acts and plenty of parties. snowboxx.com

2 APR 22

SnowpenAir

Altitude Comedy Festival

Top of the Mountain concert

Grindelwald | Switzerland Switzerland’s open-air concert in the stunningly beautiful Jungfrau region has attracted big names in the past, including veteran rockers Deep Purple twice, along with acts including Status Quo, The Scorpions and Toto. This year’s headliner Helene Fischer has sold 15 million records. snowpenair.ch

Mayrhofen | Austria There’s music, but the main focus of this long-running festival, established back in 2007, is comedy. The 2022 line-up includes festival founders snowboarder Marcus Brigstocke along with Andrew Maxwell as well as Rich Hall, Zoe Lyons, Shappi Khorsandi and many others. altitudefestival.com

Ischgl | Austria An institution in the Alps for decades now, Ischgl’s season-closing long-weekend highlight has in years past featured acts including Kylie, Elton, Robbie and Rihanna among many other famous names. In 2022, the concert appears to be being staged a month before the usual end-of-season date. ischgl.com/en

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DENIS EMERY

28 MAR - I APR 22

GEORGE EBERLE PHOTOGRAPHY

26-27 MAR 22

CALENDAR FESTIVALS 2022

ANTHONY UPTON

I3-I9 MAR 22

5-I0 APR 22

4-9 APR 22

8-I0, 15-I7 APR

Zermatt Unplugged

Snowbombing

Caprices

Switzerland An intimate festival shows off acoustic talent from around Europe on stages spread throughout the village with over 100 concerts taking place across five days. Some of the big-name performers include Ellie Goulding and Nena of 99 Red Balloons fame. zermatt-unplugged.ch

Mayrhofen | Austria One of the biggest and longest-established festivals in the Alps, it’s 23 years since the first Snowbombing festival. Snowbombing takes over the Tirolean village with six headline venues, four mountain stages, forest parties, their infamous igloo raves and a whole lot of big-name acts. snowbombing.com

Crans Montana | Switzerland One of the few festivals that has managed to keep going, to some extent, through the pandemic, staging a summer event when a winter one wasn’t permitted due to restrictions. Back over two weekends, this is the dream festival for fans of underground house and techno music from across Europe. caprices.ch

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@INTHESNOWMAG

David Malacrida

Ride, Protect & Share, these three words represent the essence of who we are: a snowboard, ski, surf, and outdoor clothing brand who, while not taking ourselves too seriously, still want to effect change.

At a time when the textile industry is responsible for 7%* of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and where the climate crisis has reached its peak, we all have our role to play to make a difference. Since Picture started in 2008, we have always sought to push one step further to minimize our impact on the environment. Our commitment to a sustainable, ethical, and environmentally-responsible approach covers every aspect of our business, from the supply chain, to manufacturing, to shipping.

Okay, great, but alone we are just a drop in the bucket.

This is where B-Corp certification has meaning: using business and our influence as a force for good. We need to galvanize as many people as possible from our community – partners, and stakeholders in the outdoor and apparel industries - to participate in the energy transition and in removing carbon from the global economy.

To reduce the consequences doing business has on both the climate and people, we need to wipe out our dependence on fossil fuels. Curbing our impact on the environment and limiting growth, changing conventional production models, and promoting reasonable consumption are all key pillars of this evolution.

Fighting climate change through our passion for boardsports and great outdoors, this is our mission.

Julien, Jérémy & Vincent Picture’s co-founders

www.picture-organic-clothing.com @pictureorganicclothing

*(Quantis, 2018 & Fashion On Climate, 2020)

SUBLIME SPANISH SKIING AT BAQUEIRA BERET

The Pyrenees have been enjoying some of Europe’s best snow conditions this season, so if you’re searching for your next ski destination, the Spanish resort of Baqueira Beret might just be the perfect pick.

Nestled among the magical landscapes of the Lleida Pyrenees, Baqueira Beret is Spain’s largest ski resort and enjoys a uniquely snowsure location, along with well-groomed ski slopes, incredible gastronomy and

E-SCOOTER EXCURSIONS IN THE FRENCH ALPS

a fantastically friendly atmosphere.

The ski area itself is formed of four

The ever-growing list of alter-

in Megève, where diversifying ski school

Using state-of-the-art E-TROTT models,

very different major zones: Baqueira,

native things to do on in resort

Evolution 2 has introduced guided forest

riders stand upright throughout, with all the

Beret, Bonaigua and Baciver, with a

when not skiing or boarding has

excursions, is for those aged 12 and over.

necessary safety equipment and expert

total altitude change of 1,110m. Skiers

been extended again with the op-

Much like an e-bike, the scooter equivalent

supervision provided.

can explore 111 slopes, plentiful Nordic

tion to go on an e-scooter excur-

is powered by a small electric motor, which

The tours, which depart the village centre

skiing routes, a top-quality snow park

sion over snow in the French Alps.

allows users to go faster and to effortlessly

as the sun goes down, cost from €60pp

The winter evening e-scooter experience

ascend steep inclines.

(around £51pp) and last for 90 minutes.

and a boardercross zone, before heading back to the resort’s magical

AARON JAMIESON

town centre to enjoy the evening’s activities. baqueira.es

LEGEND KILLED IN ON-SLOPE ACCIDENT A famous ski coach and instructor who wrote several books that became “bibles” for ski instructors has been killed in an on-slope collision in Colorado. Ron LeMaster, 72, whose most influential books included The Skier’s Edge and Ultimate Skiing, was skiing at Eldora Mountain when he was involved in a collision with a snowboarder.

SUPERYACHT WITH A SKI SLOPE UNVEILED Dutch design company Mitsi Studio has released its concept for redeveloping a former aircraft carrier into a super yacht. The company’s plans for the

TWO NEW LIFTS & TWO NEW RUNS FOR NISEKO Niseko continues to cement its position

cabins go into service as well as a new

feature individual leather seats “to provide

60-year-old former French naval ship

as Japan’s and one of the world’s leading

six-seat high-speed chairlift complete with

more personal space,” the resort says.

would see the boat’s large surface

destinations of the 21st century with two

heated leather seats. Work on the gondola

The gondola also accesses new runs

area switch to “interchangeable decks”

major lifts being installed for the coming

began last year, but its completion was

being created at the eastern extreme of

which could include a ski slope as well

winter. The resort’s Hanazono sector will

delayed due to travel restrictions on teams

the ski area, Colly’s Folly, a wide fairly easy

as a golf course.

see a new gondola lift with 10-passenger

coming from Europe to install the lift. It will

run, and Juicy Fruit, a very gentle run.

018 // FEB22

@INTHESNOWMAG

THE 2022 BEIJING WINTER OLYMPICS

Four years after the last Winter Olympics and Paralympics in South Korea, the Games are back, this time taking place in Beijing. The 24th Winter Olympics are also taking place almost a century after the first-ever winter Olympics in Chamonix in 1924.

When?

Olympics: 4 to 20 February 2022 Paralympics: 4 to 13 March 2022 The blue-riband events include the Men’s Downhill on 6 February with the Women’s on 15 February. British interest will be strongest in the Women’s Slalom on the 9th and the Men’s on the 16th.

Where?

The famous Bird’s Nest Stadium from the 2008 Summer Olympics is being recycled to host the opening and

022 // FEB22

closing ceremonies, but whole new winter Olympic venues have been built north of the Chinese capital and connected by a 350kph rail line.

Due to the pandemic, athletes will be seeing these for the first time at the Games themselves; normally they would attend test events for several years ahead of the Games, but these had to be cancelled.

The new National Alpine Ski Centre at Yanqing about 97km north of Beijing has a spectacular wooden summit building designed to resemble a kite.

The downhill racecourse has been designed by former Swiss ski racer Bernhard Russi from Andermatt, who has designed many of the courses for past Winter Olympics. Most snowboard and freestyle skiing events will take place at the nearby Genting Snow Park.

Big Air competitions will take place at a former Beijing steel mill, Shougang, shut down in 2008 to help cut air pollution and redesigned as a permanent snowsports facility.

How Do I Watch?

The BBC says it will have over 300 hours of live coverage and much

more besides. Subscription service Eurosport says it will show all events live. Channel 4 announced last autumn that it will cover the Winter Paralympics.

Because of the time difference (China is eight hours ahead), a lot of the big races and competitions will run between 3am and 6am UK time!

China has suppressed the virus very effectively, thanks to its strict controls on its people. For the Games, venues have been closed to the public since the start of the year, and strict “bubbles” and testing policies are in place for athletes and media. Only Chinese fans will be allowed to attend in person.

Environmental Concerns

Britain took a record five Olympic as well as seven Paralympic medals at the PyeongChang Games, where Millie Knight with guide Brett Wild and Menna Fitzpatrick with guide Jennifer Kehoe dominated in the alpine racing for vision impaired and will be aiming to do even better this year.

Past Olympics have had a poor record on the environment, not least because of the number of people who fly in from around the world to attend them. This year, it will be only officials, media and athletes doing that. The areas where the events are being staged get little natural snow and are reliant on snowmaking, so China is being criticised for that but says everything is powered by renewable energy.

New Events

Mascot

Team GB

Seven new medal events (expanding the total to 109) will take place including Men’s and Women’s Big Air Freestyle, mixed team competitions in freestyle skiing aerials and Snowboard Cross.

The Pandemic

Despite being (probably) the source of Covid-19 and having the world’s biggest population,

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The official mascot for the Winter Olympics is a panda named Bing Dwen Dwen (translates as “Ice” and “Children”) inspired by China’s national animal.

Useful Websites • • • •

olympics.com/en/beijing-2022 eurosport.com/olympics bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics beijing2022.cn/en

@INTHESNOWMAG

BY PATRICK THORNE

SCOTTISH SKI AREA ANNOUNCES IT IS CARBON NEUTRAL

GONDOLA AND RUN AT SLOVAKIA’S JASNÁ NAMED AFTER SKI STAR VLHOVÁ Jasná, Slovakia’s largest ski area,

racing superstar Petra Vlhová.

“I’ve always had a great ride on this slope.

has started work on a long-planned

Jasná has also renamed its popular piste

I’m at home here; I’ve won several races

€15 million (around £12.5 million)

number one after Vlhová, who specialises in

here. Last season, I gained new energy

gondola lift, due to open for

slalom and giant slalom and won the World

right here in Jasná and on this piste and

winter 2022/23, and has decided to

Cup overall title last season, becoming the

brought the whole season to the most

name it after the country’s ski

first Slovak skier to achieve this feat.

beautiful end,” said Petra Vlhová.

AIRLINE INCREASES EASTER FLIGHTS IN RESPONSE TO STRONG DEMAND Airline Jet2.com says it has responded

restrictions has seen snowsports fans

(Andorra),” a company spokesperson said.

to strong demand from skiers and

rushing to make up for lost time …

The additional Geneva flight dates are

snowboarders looking to get back to the

customers have been quick to get

from Birmingham (Saturday 2 and 9 April),

slopes, by adding more Easter ski flights

their piste of the action booked in, with

Glasgow (Saturday 2 and 9 April), Leeds

to Geneva from Birmingham, Glasgow,

bookings up across all of the eight ski

Bradford (Saturday 16 April), Manchester

Leeds Bradford, Manchester and London

destinations that Jet2.com operates to

(Saturday 2 and 23 April) and London

Stansted airports.

(Chambéry, Geneva, Grenoble, Innsbruck,

Stansted (Sundays from 27 March to 10

“The recent relaxation of travel

Lyon, Salzburg, Turin and Barcelona

April and Saturday 2 and 16 April).

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Nevis Range ski area near Fort William in Scotland has announced that it is now a Carbon Neutral business (accredited by Carbon Footprint).

“Sustainability is at the top of our agenda. The Highlands and Islands is a phenomenal destination to work, live and play. We want to ensure Nevis Range is active in safeguarding the future of our environment,” said Chris O’Brien, the centre’s Managing Director.

The business is moving towards climate positivity with over 60% of power usage supplied by hydro power. Moving forward, there are plans to cease all LPG use.

The next target is to move to zero waste by ensuring offices are paperless by March and ski hire and ski school likewise by next winter.

All single-use plastics have already been removed from the mountain’s restaurants with any packaging that is needed only accepted if biodegradable or recyclable. A new composter is being installed to accelerate the move towards a zero-waste practice, and there’ll be a new electric car scheme for employees shortly.

Customers of Nevis Range will be encouraged to join the climatepositive journey by donating £1 towards the business’s carbon offset projects when they purchase tickets online.

“Sustainable tourism isn’t a niche trend anymore – it must be a fundamental part of our country’s tourism offering,” commented Chris Taylor of local tourism body VisitScotland.

FEB22 // 023

024 // FEB22  PROMO

@INTHESNOWMAG

Over the past two years, it feels like we all need a serious breath of fresh air. Fresh mountain air, to be precise … We explore why Bavaria might be the best destination to escape it all this winter.

of Munich or Salzburg, or a visit to the dizzying heights of the Eagle’s Nest. Or take in one of the most picturesque spots in Europe with a trip to the famous fairy-tale castle of King Ludwig II, Castle Neuschwanstein. You’d be forgiven for forgetting you’ve got skiing to get back to!

When you think of a winter wonderland, chances are that the image in your head looks a lot like Bavaria.

However, Germany is often surprisingly slept on by skiers and snowboarders, leading the Bavarian Alps to garner a reputation as one of the few remaining hidden gems when it comes to ski destinations.

With snow-capped mountains, gingerbreadstyle houses and magical castles rising among the peaks, Bavaria offers a picture-perfect winter destination, with epic skiing to match.

This winter, it offers British skiers some muchneeded breathing space, a chance to escape, unwind and reconnect with nature.

There’s nowhere better to do this than at Karma Bavaria, a stunning 4★ resort hotel set in the heart of Bavaria’s best skiing region.

Nestled in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, Karma Bavaria sits in an area of astounding natural beauty. It overlooks not only the surrounding mountains but also the spectacular Lake Schliersee, with its crystalclear waters, waterside restaurants and entertaining beer halls.

It’s a wonderful base for those looking for a calmer break this winter, away from the noise and crowds of a typical resort, with the opportunity to explore a new area’s finest slopes.

Karma baVaria

Karma Bavaria’s carefully crafted ski packages will ensure you experience the best of Bavaria’s skiing. The resort sits just 20 minutes from the Spitzingsee-Tegernsee ski resort, a charming area with an impressively wide variety of runs and reliable snowfall, not to mention spectacular views.

However, there’s so much to enjoy in Bavaria in wintertime that this is probably one of the only destinations where we’d recommend taking a day off skiing (!) to experience some of the area’s many unique attractions and activities.

From classic horse-drawn carriage rides and ice skating on Lake Schliersee to castles, distilleries and sparkling cities, Bavaria’s offslope activities are a little more unique than in a regular ski resort!

Our top picks? Explore the area’s rich history and culture with a day trip to the vibrant cities

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©COPYRIGHT 2015 PROCHASSON FREDERIC/SHUTTERSTOCK

Winter in baVaria

Once you’ve made the most of the surrounding area, it’s time to start thinking about your evening activities. Whether you fancy a post-ski beer, a steam and sauna, or some fun family time, there’s no better place to relax and unwind than the stunning resort of Karma Bavaria.

With a wide range of spacious, recently renovated rooms and suites, the 4★ resort hotel of Karma Bavaria offers the ultimate highend experience for those seeking to explore this stunning area.

Expertly combining cosy Alpine heritage with contemporary design and luxury features, Karma Bavaria’s rooms offer everything you might need for a fantastic mountain getaway, including a range of post-ski options.

Those with aching legs will savour the rejuvenating waters of the Karma Spa. Take a swim in the heated pool (complete with gushing waterfall), or let your troubles float away with the bubbles of the sizeable hot tub, as you gaze out at the gorgeous snowy landscape. Finish up with a steam or sauna, and we can guarantee you will be the most relaxed skier on the mountain come morning!

However, the experiences here aren’t only for the adults! There’s plenty to entertain younger guests and families, from the dedicated Three Monkeys kids club (for those aged two to 11) to the highly impressive games room. The latter boasts not only a nine-pin bowling alley but also billiards, darts, ping pong and table football!

From Wednesday to Sunday, the in-house Karmasee Restaurant serves up the best of Bavarian cuisine and seasonal specialties in an impeccably stylish setting. Whether you fancy four-course candlelit feasts, a taste of the area’s most traditional specialities, or a classic with a twist, you’re sure to find it here. There are also numerous restaurants near the hotel, serving a range of cuisines from Bavarian to Greek and Indian!

Finish up the evening with a drink in the hotel’s very own bar, or play DJ with a foray into their wide-ranging vinyl collection, the Karma Collection.

Book your holiday to Karma Bavaria today: reservation@karmabavaria.com

KARMAGROUP.COM

winter love in SalzburgerLand © KITZSTEINHORN

Austria

Austria’s famous skiing province of SalzburgerLand is one of the world’s best.

Among the quickest to reach from the UK, there’s a vast choice of dozens of ski destinations here from friendly, intimate villages to vast snow regions with hundreds of kilometres of interconnected slopes.

Top choices include St Johann in Salzburg, which offers the best of all worlds, or the Zell am SeeKaprun region, which is home to the only high-altitude glacier slopes in SalzburgerLand. Both centres have big ski areas on their doorsteps.

Zell am See-Kaprun One of SalzburgerLand’s largest ski areas with 408 km (255 miles) of pistes, all included with the Ski ALPIN CARD, the ski area contains the province’s only glacier slopes above Kaprun and the large Schmittenhöhe area above the neighbouring

026 // FEB22  PROMO

lakeside town of Zell am See. That glacier at the Kitzsteinhorn guarantees perfect skiing conditions from October right through to late spring. In winter, the vast ski region fully opens up with an incredible array of ski terrain, with beautiful views out across Austria’s highest mountains.

Kaprun offers ski-in/ski-out thanks to the breathtaking connection of Maiskogel and Kitzsteinhorn by a new top-notch cable car.

Schmittenhöhe above Zell am See also has plenty of its own pleasures to offer including the view down to Lake Zell and many long piste runs down to the valley. If you like terrain park features then one of the world’s longest fun slopes is on the Schmittenhöhe (it’s 1.3 km long!).

There’s also the dragon Schmidolin which offers a lot of activities and parks for children.

of Alpine atmosphere, but also with the Snow Space Salzburg, one of Austria’s five largest ski regions, on its doorstep.

Altogether, there’s 210km of slopes, with the impressive new 10-person Panorama completing the connection of this vast ski domain which encompasses 12 imposing mountain peaks and five beautiful valleys, all served by 70 state-of-the-art lifts.

The whole area has something for everyone including ski tour routes, freestyle and freeride spots as well as awesome deep-snow ski-touring and freeriding routes. Families are also well catered for, and besides downhill there are three cross-country ski trails, several toboggan runs and an ice rink.

St Johann in Salzburg is the perfect base for either a short break where fast travel is essential or a longer stay to enjoy all that this wonderful region has to offer to the full.

St Johann in Salzburg

SalzburgerLand

St Johann in Salzburg is located in a beautiful natural environment, chock-full

What all of SalzburgerLand’s ski villages and towns have in common is an

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unspoilt natural beauty and an authentic atmosphere with warm, friendly accommodation, welcoming cafés and restaurants and enticing shops.

There is lots to do besides skiing too, from adventurous activities like paragliding to the simple fun of a toboggan ride down a mountain track, a sleigh ride or a snowshoe hike. Most villages also have a wide choice of welcoming shops and restaurants and often swimming pools and spa facilities too.

Of course, all ski areas in the region make meticulous efforts to keep everyone safe on the slopes and in resorts, following Austrian government guidelines and keeping all public areas spotlessly sanitised.

As an added bonus, it is all quick and easy to reach from the UK with a very short flight to compact and stressfree Salzburg airport then an equally speedy transfer on to your resort.

#winterlove in SalzburgerLand, Austria

AUSTRIA.INFO

THE GRAND COLORADO ON PEAK 8 IN BRECKENRIDGE COLORADO

Gods and Goddesses

of Snow

WORDS BY PATRICK THORNE

028 // FEB22

@INTHESNOWMAG

When it comes to sacrificing our old skis on bonfires while we dance around madly hoping the snow god will hear us and send a big dump of the white stuff, there’s usually only one deity we call upon, Ullr, the Norse god of, er, archery.

But he also skied! Well, maybe. The 11th-century Böksta Runestone depicts an archer skiing. Who might possibly be Ullr? Anyway, we’re not a very demanding lot, so that’s good enough for Ullr to become a kind of patron saint of skiers.

A Ullr medallion depicting the god on skis holding a bow and arrow is widely worn as a talisman by both recreational and professional skiers as well as ski patrols in Europe and elsewhere apparently (well, Wikipedia says so).

What’s more certain is that the ski resort of Breckenridge in Colorado has been staging a week-long “Ullr Fest” each January for nearly 60 years, running events designed to please the god so that he arranges for the snow to dump down in abundance.

However, Ullr was not (or to be on the safe side, I should say IS not) the only deity connected to skiing or snow.

They tend to crop up in most families of gods from most cultures, even those associated with nice, warm places like Greece or Hawaii; interestingly, a lot of them are female.

So perhaps when we pray for snow, we should be hedging our bets and appealing to more than one supernatural power?

Although if that idea offends you Ullr, or Skaði, or Chione, or Frau Holle, or any one of the others, I’m sorry, it was always you really. Anyway, here are some of the options.

Skaði

Norse Goddess of Skiing Although Ullr’s status as the Norse god of skiing is up for debate, Skaði’s (pronounced skardee) ski-deity status is more certain as she’s specifically named as the “ski-goddess” in the story of Odin. She is said to have lived in a place “where the snow never melts” and to rule over winter and mountains. Like Ullr, pictures of Skaði tend to show her on skis and often carrying a bow. Some stories indicate (though not very clearly) that she may have eventually married Ullr, so perhaps she taught him how to use his planks?

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Chione

Greek Goddess of Snow Although we mostly think of great beaches and warm seas when we think of Greece, the country is home to more than a dozen ski areas including one on the lower-slopes of permanently snow-capped Olympus. Zeus must have had good heating in his palace.

Greek mythology does name a goddess of snow, Chione, the daughter of Boreas, the god of the north wind, who bore Poseidon a son named Eumolpus whom she threw into the sea for fear of her father’s reaction. Luckily though, Eumolpus was rescued and raised by Poseidon.

Okami

Japanese Shinto deity of snow (and a dragon) In Japanese mythology, Izanagi and Izanami give birth to the country’s islands and gods. Izanami died from burns giving birth to the fire deity Kagutsuchi, however, which made Izanagi so angry he killed his fiery offspring.

Several other deities sprung from Kagutsuchi’s blood including Ōkami.

A rather lovely poem written about 1,400 years ago after an unexpected snowstorm references the dragon: “It was by speaking, To the dragon of my hill, I caused this snowfall; A few flakes may have scattered. No doubt, out there where you are.”

Khuno

Incan Snow God There’s snow on them there Andes, but when Khuno got mad he burned all the vegetation from the land, leaving only the coca plant alive. The hungry Incans decided to give it a go and discovered that the plant’s leaves helped them endure the cold. It’s not mentioned if they also found out they contained the active ingredient in cocaine. In her piece on ski gods and goddesses for theskidiva. com writer Wendy Clinch speculates that this could be why cocaine is sometimes known as “snow”.

Cailleach Bheur

Gaelic Goddess of Winter Closer to home, Cailleach Bheur is the Gaelic goddess of winter for ancient Scottish and Irish tribes and clans so perhaps ought to be who the Scottish ski areas should be praying to. She hasn’t been about much in recent years. As a blue-faced hag, she’s unfortunately not much of a looker, but she is born anew each Halloween and is supposed to bring

snow to the land for six months through to 30 April, when a goddess called Brigit turns her to stone.

Itztlacoliuhqui

Aztec God of Ice … and human misery The Aztecs had a pretty tough culture which not only involved having gods with names you couldn’t pronounce but also giving them a long list of responsibilities.

Itztlacoliuhqui (pronounced … well, who knows?) for example was not only responsible for frost, ice, snow, winter and general coldness but had to take a second job handling sin, punishment and human misery. Things had started well for Itztlacoliuhqui as he initially had the much easier-to-say name Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli and had far lighter responsibilities as Lord of the Dawn, but then he made the classic error of challenging the sun god Tonatiuh to a shooting match, and it was all downhill from there.

Poli’ahu

Hawaiian Snow Goddess Hawaii isn’t famed for its snow, but the world’s tallest mountain, Mauna Kea (two-thirds of its vertical is beneath the Pacific) is snow-capped. It’s here that Poli’ahu hails from, being the daughter of Wākea, who dwells at the summit.

Poli’ahu is responsible for the snow there, and it is due to her and Wākea’s presence that to this day native Hawaiians are upset when anyone, including skiers and snowboarders, disrespect their presence.

Frau Holle

Germanic Goddess of Snow Frau Holle is one of many names for a pre-Christian goddess of snow or winter who was popular right up to the Middle Ages in Scandinavian and Germanic areas of Northern Europe. Having not gone away but become someone you could no longer talk about, she reappeared in an acceptable form to the church as a fairy-tale character in the Brothers Grimm book of Children’s and Household Tales in 1812. The brief version of the story is that when Frau Holle shakes out a quilt in her magical world, the feathers that fly out translate into a massive snowstorm in our world. There have been at least eight movies made about her over the years in Germany, but Disney hasn’t picked up on her yet.

Even in this enlightened social media age, you’ll often see ski areas in Austria and the German-speaking parts of Switzerland thanking Frau Holle for her generosity after a major snowfall.

KARMAGROUP.COM FEB22 // 029

TURKEY

Turkey is a popular, affordable beach destination for Brits, but many are not aware it has great skiing (that’s equally affordable!) too. In fact, more than half of the country is classed as mountainous, and they’re big mountains too, the highest Mount Ağrı (Ararat) 5,137m … that’s over 300m higher than Mont Blanc.

Global ski-area tracker skiResort.info reports that Turkey is now home to more than 40 ski resorts, around half of which have been created in just the past 20 years, with the country’s government a

030 // FEB22

key supporter of their development.

Package holidays were actually organised to some of them in the 1980s and 90s from the UK, with the resort of Uludağ, about three hours south of Istanbul, the destination of choice for a ski and city break. The country’s main ski area last century, it remains a weekend ski and party hotspot for wellheeled Turks, but bigger, more modern ski areas have emerged in most distant parts of the country.

These newer areas tend to be close to the border with countries like Syria, Iran and Iraq and are popular with Arabs and Russians but less so with Western Europeans, despite their marketing

efforts to correct that.

Palandöken, with 43km of runs and more than a dozen modern lifts, has been largely developed since the late 1990s above the 6,000-year-old city of Erzurum. In 2011, the city was host to the 25th Winter Universiade, a kind of Winter Olympics for the world’s skiers, with the freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions taking place there.

With now 55km of slopes served by 14 lifts, Erciyes currently claims to have the biggest ski area in Turkey. With the highest lifts in the country reaching to 3,346m, it is also one of the easiest to reach, just a 30-minute drive from the local Kayseri airport, and has the

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greatest uplift capacity from its lift network, some 26,000 skiers per hour.

Elsewhere, Turkey has plenty of smaller, quirky ski centres well worth a visit. Salda, for example, has only five runs but stunning views out over the vast Lake Burdur with its 250km2 surface area below, or Merga Bütan in Hakkari, which claims one of the country’s longest seasons, from November to May. If it’s sea and snow you’re after, Saklıkent, about 50km from the beach resort of Antalya, is a good choice.

There are four runs here operating from mid-December to the beginning of April.

@INTHESNOWMAG

PASCAL LEBEAU

SKI SHOWS ARE BACK THIS AUTUMN

A “NEW” ROUTE TO VAL THORENS

WELSH DRY SKI RESORT GETS NEW IMPETUS

Ski shows look set to return in the UK this autumn with a

It has been possible to take a gondola up from

Plans for what has, in previous incarnations, been priced

new London ski show announced and a show that was

Orelle in the Maurienne Valley (the so-called “4th

as a £200 million year-round leisure resort development

a big hit at the NEC in Birmingham last autumn saying it

Valley of Les 3 Vallées”) then ski down to Val

in the Afan Valley of South Wales have been granted

will be back in October too.

Thorens for many years, but now a new lift has

conditional planning approval.

The UK’s first ski show since the pandemic began, The

completed a full five-stage gondola/cable-car lift

Originally unveiled in 2017, the centre was slated to

National Snow Show (15–16 October), was staged at the

connection taking 45 minutes in total, meaning

offer a range of outdoor sports including white-water

NEC in Birmingham last October before the Omicron

pedestrians can make the journey too. It climbs

rafting, rock climbing, mountain biking and what was

surge. Widely reported as very busy and a major

2,300 vertical metres to Cime Caron, then 900m

billed as “the world’s largest artificial downhill ski slope”

success, it was the first major show outside London

back down to Val Thorens.

on 130 hectares of former forestry plantation land with

for more than five years. Organisers say it already has

The lifts open up some intriguing possibilities for

accommodation in lodges and a hotel with facilities also

double the number of stands booked for next year.

skiers which may develop further in coming years.

including a spa and restaurants.

The new London Ski & Snowboard Festival (27–30

For example, at peak times when there is heavy

The original plans included black, red and blue ski runs

October) replaces the event last staged in 2019 by

congestion on the road up to Val Thorens, this

as well as slalom courses, tubing, moguls, ski-school,

the Telegraph Group, which axed both its show and its

could be an alternative way to reach Europe’s

kindergarten and toboggan runs.

magazine at the start of the pandemic in 2020.

highest resort. Skiers could park their cars free of

The proposals have now been rebranded the Wildfox

“What we are creating is a ‘come alive show’, an

charge at Orelle then proceed with their bags over

Resort Afan Valley, and a new team led by the

experiential event celebrating ‘Avant’ in the daytime

to Val Thorens.

Salamanca Group, a privately held merchant banking

with a dream-like ski village, packed with activities for

“Orelle is a small, quiet, authentic village which

business, has come on board.

adults and children alike. Then morphing seamlessly

offers an excellent value for budget for a winter

Wildfox Resorts say they hope work will start on the site

into night-time, a vibrant, hedonistic world of après,”

stay in Les 3 Vallées,” said Vanessa Perret, Director

later this year and the centre open in 2024. They also

says Greg Lawson, CEO of organisers Smart Group.

of Orelle Tourisme.

say it will be the first of three now being planned in the

nationalsnowshow.com | londonskiandsnowboard.co.uk

159 Draycott Avenue – SW3 3AJ, Chelsea – London

UK by their company.

fusalp.com

6 SKI LIFTS YOU SIMPLY CAN T I

@INTHESNOWMAG

TITLIS ROTAIR

PEAK-TO-PEAK

The world’s first revolving cable car, the Titlis Rotair graces many a list of the world’s best ski lifts thanks to its ability to give a full panoramic view of the surrounding mountainscapes. Enjoy 360° of spectacular scenery as you make the five-minute journey up to 3,020m above sea level, before taking your pick of the area’s varied pistes and incredible freeride options on the way down.

Whistler’s iconic Peak 2 Peak gondola once held the world record for the longest unsupported lift distance between two towers and reaches a staggering 436m at its highest point.

However, to truly appreciate the wildness of this 3km ride, you must make sure you get the cabin with the glass bottom. The views over the snowcovered trees and rivers below are really something, plus you can easily plot your route down on your way up!

Engelberg-Titlis | Switzerland

ALPAURIS

Alpe D’Huez | France

Whistler | BC

HOHSTOCK

Belalp, Switzerland

NORIKER HORSE CARRIAGE

THE KING LIFT

The Armentarola piste is widely renowned as one of the world’s most beautiful ski routes and certainly ends in one of the most unique ski lifts we’ve ever experienced. Here, skiers grab a hold of ropes behind a horse-drawn carriage and are pulled back to the Armentarola ski lift by two Noriker horses, a strong and sturdy breed native to the local Alpine valleys. It’s certainly a far cry from a multi-million-dollar gondola!

Thought single-person lifts were a thing of the past? Think again! Individual chairlifts are still very much alive and kicking in certain areas, with many to be found in Japan’s famous powder resorts.

The King Lift is one of our favourites, a staple of the area since the sixties and as basic as ski lifts can get. No safety bars, no ski rests, certainly no heated seats. Just you, your skis and some epic views over Mount Yōtei.

Alta Badia | Italy

The Hohstock T-Bar in Belalp, Switzerland, is a lift that shouldn’t even be physically possible. Built in 1982, this lift has the rare ability to turn in all four directions and is the last of its kind in Switzerland. From the top, you can choose from three entertaining black runs, one of which is accessed via a tunnel at the top of the slope and provides access to some epic secured freeride terrain. For serious lift lovers, the unique engineering behind the Hohstock is certainly worth reading into.

Niseko | Japan

ROGER GRUETTER

Y

Endearingly known as the “Scare Chair”, this fast-moving chairlift sweeps you out of Alpe d’Huez under a concrete bridge and immediately drops down into the valley before whisking you up the other side. It’s certainly a stomach-dropper, but it’s also kind of fun, depending on how you handle heights! What’s more, the Alpauris is the only connection between Alpe d’Huez and the Auris area, so it’s unavoidable if you’re looking to explore further afield.

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FEB22 // 033

WORDS BY MEGAN HUGHES

ALEX MOLING

The Dolomites is a destination steeped in culture. Sat right on the border of Italy and Austria, the influences of both are clear to see across the area, from the buildings to the food, even the language (locals here speak a blend of Italian, French and Ladin – their own local dialect). It’s an area that has a fascinating heritage and a rich history,

It’s a privilege to be able to learn and understand more about the area’s wartime experience in this way.

Indeed, it’s not often that you can explore the history of an area while on your skis, exploring an area.

In terms of the skiing itself, the First World War Ski Tour takes you through some of the Dolomiti Superski’s most iconic spots, from Corvara and Arabba to the Marmolada Glacier and even the famous “Hidden Valley” run. The latter is one of the world’s most spectacular descents and one that should be enjoyed by all skiers here, even if you aren’t all taking on the full tour.

You’ll have to start early if you want to get this specific tour done in a day, as it generally takes around seven to eight hours to complete. However, if you want to slow things down a little, or take more time to appreciate the area, you could easily spread the route across a number of days.

We would highly recommend the First World War Ski Tour as a fantastic option for those looking to introduce themselves to the Dolomiti Superski area, or for regular visitors to gain a new perspective on this popular destination.

DIEGO GASPA

RI BANDION

- FOTOGRAFO

ALEX

MOL

ING

MPANIN GIACOMO PO

Take on the Dolomites’ most spectacular slopes and explore the area’s rich wartime history with this stunning ski route.

particularly when it comes to the Great War of 1914–1918.

During the First World War, as the front line between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies ran right through the Dolomites, remnants of the conflict can be seen everywhere. It’s an interesting juxtaposition, to see solid metal cannons sat against this backdrop of incredible beauty, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and to think of the fierce fighting that took place here, an area that’s now so peaceful, so full of life and happiness.

To allow skiers to learn more about the area’s wartime history, a dedicated First World War ski itinerary was developed that takes in key spots on the military front.

The First World War Ski Tour is an 80km ski route, focused around the Mount Col di Lana, the “symbolic mountain” of the First World War here. It guides you through some of the Dolomites’ most breathtaking scenery and allows you to experience a number of the area’s best and longest runs, all while taking in its fascinating history.

Traces of the war are everywhere along the route; trenches running through the rocks, war-era artefacts sat atop pistes, open-air war museums with memories on display.

034 // FEB22

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GAIAPANOZZO

MICHAEL WERLBERGER

WORLD’S NEW LONGEST SKI CIRCUIT OPENS

SUNRISE, SUNSET OR STARLIT SKIING

THE CENTENARY OF SLALOM RACING

What is claimed to be the new marked longest ski circuit

Ski resorts in the Italian region of Trentino are

The famous Swiss ski resort of Mürren has been

in the world has been created in Austria’s Tirol region.

extending the ski day by offering sunrise, sunset

celebrating the centenary of the first-ever modern

The 88km-long route follows the slopes above about a

and night skiing on selected dates this season.

slalom race. The anniversary itself was 21 January,

dozen ski villages in the huge SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-

Trentino SkiSunrise sees lifts opened early for

the date when ski racing pioneer Arnold Lunn set the

Brixental region and its near neighbour the KitzSki

skiers to experience untouched slopes at the first

course for “a turning race around flags on the practice

region around Kitzbühel.

light of day, followed by a hearty breakfast at a

slope” in 1922.

The route incorporates 58 slopes, half of them blue,

gourmet mountain hut. At the other end of the ski

At a ceremony, William Lunn (great-grandson of

28 red and one black, and involves 17,232m of vertical

day, the famous resort of Madonna di Campiglio

Sir Arnold) and Swiss slalom queen Erika Hess (41

ascent and descent in total. About 46 lift ascents

in the Brenta Dolomites allows skiers and

world titles) unveiled a memorial rock in tribute to

are required, and there’s a three-minute shuttle bus

snowboarders the opportunity to take the lift after

Arnold on the original practice slope beside the

connection between the two giant ski regions which

the last run of the day, enjoy a snack in a mountain

Allmendhubel funicular (which opened 1912). Messages

you’ll need to take twice. It’s possible to start it at any

hut and then ski down by torchlight under the

of congratulations came from all over the ski racing

point on the route.

starry sky accompanied by ski instructors.

world, including salutations from slalom legend Ingemar

The connection between SkiWelt and KitzSki means

If skiing up to the last light of day isn’t enough,

Stenmark, holder of the most World Cup wins in history,

guests can ski from Going am Wilden Kaiser across to

numerous slopes across the region offer “skiing under

and British skier Dave Ryding, who wrote, “Without the

the Kitzbühel Alps to Hollersbach in the Hohe Tauern,

the stars”, where visitors can ski, sled or snow tube

slalom my life in skiing would not have been.”

never using the same slope twice and creating what the

late into the night on illuminated slopes.

Lunn went on to found the world’s first alpine ski racing

region is claiming as the longest ski circuit in the world.

In Val di Fiemme, the Olimpia 3 slope at Alpe Cermis

club, the Kandahar, at Mürren two years later and was

All the lifts on the circuit are covered by one lift pass, the

is open until 10.30pm, meaning skiers can have dinner

instrumental in organising the first World Championships

KitzSkiWelt Ticket, and there’s an online KitzSkiWelt tour

in a mountain hut and then ski back down to the

of alpine skiing in 1930, again in Mürren, as well as

planner tool available to plan your route.

lifts under the stars. There are also floodlit slopes at

overseeing the first downhill and slalom racing at the

Paganella and Val di Fassa ski areas. visittrentino.info

Winter Olympics of 1936.

Most of us want to do our bit in the climate emergency to make our ski trips as sustainable as possible, with the lowest environmental impact achievable. Most of the information out there though is simplistic – implying if we travel to a “green ski resort” that’s it, or just tells us that going skiing at all is bad for the planet.

Both are untrue, and it’s fairly straightforward to go skiing sustainably (really it’s essentially just going back to how we did it before mass air travel when we used to “make do and mend”), but it does take a bit of thought and planning.

Travel The Old-Fashioned Way

FOTO HOMBERGER

WORDS BY PATRICK THORNE

Over the past 20 years, study after study has shown that if we want to cut the carbon emissions of our holiday, it’s not so much about how “green” the ski resort we’re visiting is (although that plays a part!) but how we get there. Typically, flying to the Alps we use up 60–70% of our total holiday CO2 emissions on travel there and back; if we go long haul to North America or Japan, that jumps to 95%. These percentages are slashed if we travel by rail – just like British skiers did for almost a century before air travel began to dominate in the 1960s and 70s. Driving in a fairly full fuel-efficient car is much better too; obviously, an electric car is the best if you’re lucky enough to own or have access to one.

Fortunately, it’s fast and easy to reach ski areas by rail and road from the UK, either via the Channel Tunnel or by heading north to Scotland. Holiday company Travelski provide a door-to-door service from St Pancras to leading resorts in the French Alps. You can also travel by train, sometimes to a station in resort, other times with a short bus or taxi ride at the end, to any ski area you can reach by plane. The Snowcarbon website is full of great information and can also help with enquiries.

036 // FEB22

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After travel decisions, the resort you choose to visit is the second biggest factor. Fortunately, despite some media outlets taking a swipe at skiing for being non-eco-friendly, almost all resorts are well aware of climate change, being on the front line, and are among the best places in the world when it comes to cutting CO2 emissions, using green power and everything else that needs to be done in the climate emergency. Several actually generate way more green power from local hydroelectricity plants than they consume and export to the grid.

It’s true though that while all claim to be doing fabulous things in the environment, some are actually doing a better job than others, and reading the sustainability sections of their websites, it can be hard to know what’s real and what’s greenwash.

Fortunately, independent website SaveOurSnow has waded through them all, pulled out the hard facts and maintains a list of “Green Resorts” which are 100% green energy powered.

Stay in Green Accommodation Energy efficiency is common business sense in the mountains, where keeping warmth in and cold out has always been the norm. Again, almost all accommodation now claims to be environmentally friendly, but as with resorts, some go much further to generate green power themselves, hook up to communal biomass heating or do one of 101 other things to reach carbon neutrality. SaveOurSnow. com maintains a list of the properties that are

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Save the Snow Year-Round Of course, it’s not a lot of help if we only focus on minimising our environmental impact when we go skiing; we should be thinking about it year-round.

It’s all our decisions day to day that’s melting the glaciers, so it’s the usual advice of reduce, reuse and recycle, switch to a green energy supplier if you haven’t already and use the most environmentally friendly transport you can afford. If you feel passionately enough about the matter, support Protect Our Winters, which campaigns to save snow.

Resources: Moving Mountains: moving-mountains.ch Protect Our Winters: protectourwinters.uk SaveOurSnow: saveoursnow.com SkiFlightFree: skiflightfree.org Snowcarbon: snowcarbon.co.uk Travelski: uk.travelski.com/travelski-express Tschuggen Hotels: tschuggenhotelgroup.ch/en Valsana: valsana.ch/en

FEB22 // 037

URS HOMBERGER AROSA

Visit a Green Resort

genuinely going that extra kilometre to be “green”.

Switzerland’s Tschuggen Hotel Group is a leader in the field, and as well as being the only climateneutral premium hotel group in Switzerland they have developed a whole philosophy, their Moving Mountains concept, which goes beyond “just” sustainability to try to address basic human needs, particularly mental and physical well-being, that have been thrown into ever-greater prominence by the pandemic.

Tschuggen’s most sustainable property is the Valsana Hotel & Apartments in the classic resort of Arosa, linked to Lenzerheide, which combines retro-chic design with a fresh approach to luxury.

The hotel runs on recycled energy, limiting its ecological footprint to just 4% with virtually zero emissions. Almost all the heat needed for the property is generated, stored and recirculated using waste heat and ground probes with the aid of the site’s ice battery.

The eco-philosophy runs throughout the hotel from the chunky wood furniture, floors and exterior, all made with trees from the surrounding area and the cladding of the previous property. Even the beds are eco-friendly – the mattresses are made from natural coconut fibres. Valsana Hotel can also proudly say they are single-use plastic-free.

Arosa can be reached in less than 12 hours taking the Eurostar to Paris-Nord, switching to the TGV from Paris-Lyon to Zurich, jumping on the Intercity to Chur and then the regional express up to Arosa.

Of course, you’ll be passing through some great cities, so you might want to break your journey up a bit en route to take a look around.

URS HOMBERGER AROSA

There’s been a marked shift in the past few years for gear manufacturers to look at using wholly recycled and recyclable materials. Even ski and boot manufacturers have looked at ways of making the complex product structures they put together when they build a ski from lots of different materials also deconstructable again, once they’ve had their useful life, so you can return them to be stripped down like old cars.

But while that’s clearly very good news, the production of new kit, even in a sustainable way, is always going to use resources, and while we should look for best practices when we do buy new, most of us should be trying first to “reduce, reuse and recycle” by making the kit we’ve got last longer and perhaps buying second-hand gear once we can no longer repair it. That’s because once a thing is made and physically exists, we need to get as much out of it as we can, rather than requiring another thing to be made for us.

Of course, that should apply to all aspects of our lives, not just our ski kit.

TSCHUGGEN HOTEL

Wear Old Stuff

BULGARIA S BEAUTIFUL BANSKO I

RYAN SALM

WORDS BY JAMES BISHTON

If your thirst for adventure has been heightened in the lockdowns, then why not try a lesser-known ski destination this winter?

This curiosity took me to Bansko on a four-day jolly to celebrate New Year 2022. Without a doubt, Bansko is the ski capital of Bulgaria with it being crowned winner of the prestigious World Ski Awards’ “Best Ski Resort In Bulgaria” every year since 2013.

We approached Bansko under the cover of darkness after a two-and-ahalf-hour transfer (160km) from Sofia Airport, so mystery and suspense shrouded the scenery until daylight broke. Fortunately, the morning blessed us with blue skies and a clear view to the top of the Pirin Mountains’ snowy

038 // FEB22

peaks, the hills from which the ski area is built upon.

Suited and booted, we jumped on the Bansko Gondola, a main artery within the lift system connecting Bansko town to the ski centre 12km away perched at just over 1,600m. After sparking friendly chairlift chat with some locals, it was interesting to learn that Bansko ski area only started its build in 2004, so it’s a resort truly in its infancy, and yet it has carved out something of a niche for itself delivering quality entry-level ski holidays at incredibly good prices.

The lift infrastructure is modern with speedy and comfortable chairs opening up 75km worth of beautifully groomed pistes offering an eclectic mix of alpine and gladed routes.

Experienced skiers can enjoy the steep, north-facing Alberto Tomba black run, a

stretch of piste that is recognised for its quality, playing host to a number of FIS World Cup events. Some of the biggest names in the sport, like Lindsey Vonn and Marcel Hirscher, have enjoyed career highs with gold medals at Bansko.

Bansko, however, has built its reputation on being a playground for novice and intermediate skiers, and I could see why.

A stand-out piste was a unique 16km meandering blue that runs uninterrupted from the Todorka Peak, the highest point in Bansko at 2,600m, weaving all the way down to the base station of the gondola lift in Bansko town.

This particular “ski-road” was a favourite, thanks to countless piste-side bars where you could pull over for a swift pint … and with beers being under £2, it won’t pinch your pocket either!

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By the time you have reached the bottom, the Bulgarian après-ski is in full swing with Happy End leading the charge. However, if you are looking for something a little quieter, seek out the local taverns, mehanas, for a more authentic Bulgarian experience.

These restaurants, nestled in the quaint cobbled streets of Bansko old town (a UNESCO World Heritage site), will whip up some hearty local specialties with regional wines to the soundtrack of live Bulgarian folk music.

Skiing has taken me all over the world, and I find it fascinating to see how the same sport manifests itself in different cultures. If you are someone who enjoys the adventure of ski, Bansko offers an entirely unique ski experience all within a short haul flight and at a price that doesn’t break the bank.

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THE TRAVELSKI EXPRESS IS BACK!

As the French Alps finally re-open to British skiers, the Travelski Express NINI JOERG MITTER

offers a convenient, climate-friendly alternative to traditional rail or air travel this season.

The Covid-19 secure Travelski Express train (operated by Eurostar and only

NAMASKI+YOGA

available with a Travelski Express package) sets off on Friday evenings, direct from London St Pancras to the heart of the Alps.

On arrival at Moutiers or Bourg St Maurice early on Saturday morning, you’ll get a welcome French breakfast

Mountain yoga has become ever

the seven highest lift-accessed points in

participants unclip their skis/snowboards

more popular in recent years, but

Obertauern’s ski area.

and practise about two to three yoga

few ski areas actually offer yoga

Seven “power places” have been identified

asanas on snow before skiing off to the

sessions while skiing.

where participants can practice yoga on

next stop.

This winter, though, ski and yoga guides

snow surrounded by a wonderful winter

Deep-breathing exercises, meditation

have even landed in Geneva!

at Obertauern in Austria’s Salzburgerland

wonderland and breathtaking views over

and warming tea breaks complete this

Seven full days of skiing and more

will offer yoga sessions between ski runs

the surrounding snow-covered mountains.

unique offer, which is part of a wider

focused on the resort’s “super seven” –

After reaching the power place,

#takemebackonskis initiative by the resort.

before taking a transfer to your chosen resort. Drop your luggage, get kitted up and you’ll be on the first lift to ski empty pistes before most flights

sustainable travel, all from as little as £489 per person (price including accommodation, train travel, transfers to/from resort, 7-day lift pass and welcome breakfast).

Check out the deals section at uk.travelski.com for more information.

Travelski Express is an ABTA bonded tour operator and operates to Meribel, Brides les Bains, Val d’Isere, Les Menuires, Tignes, Les Arcs and La Plagne.

GREENLAND “BECOMING DARKER” AS LESS SNOW FALLS American researchers have found that Greenland is “becoming darker” as the ice and snow that formerly

SNOW BOBSLEIGH WINS SCULPTURE COMPETITION

permanently covered much of it is melting away due to climate change.

The increasingly darker landmass

A bobsleigh sculpture created by Ralf Rosa

asked teams to create spectacular winter-

which shows a snowboarder performing

and Peter Fechtig from Germany has been

sports visions up to 10m high, with a British

aerial acrobatics.

declared the winner of the annual Shapes

team opting to recreate famous ski jumper

Guests in Ischgl can admire the icy winter-

absorbs heat, rather than reflecting it

in White snow-sculpture competition

Eddie “The Eagle” for their entry.

sports landmarks on foot or on skis as they

away as white snow does.

staged at the Austrian resort of Ischgl.

Other entries included “Ice Skates”, a

enjoy the resort for as long as they last.

The 28th snow-sculpture competition

pair of oversized ice skates, and “Big Air”,

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means the rate of melting is likely to accelerate as the darker land

FEB22 // 039

ALBERTO CABALLERO

RESORTINSIDER

SIERRA NEVADA Europe’s most southerly ski resort is located some distance from the rest of Spain’s well-known ski areas in the Pyrenees. It stands alone on a massive mountain towering above the Mediterranean coast and the ancient city of Granada. Home to Spain’s highest slope, a former alpine skiing world championships host and with views across to the north coast of Africa from the top of the slopes, this is a special place.

Take The Long Run: The Eagle slope is the longest of Sierra Nevada’s 131 runs at 6.253km.

Sail the Med: This is one of the few ski areas where you can spend half the day swimming in (fairly) warm seas and half on the snow slopes. It’s about an hour down the mountain to the beach, but you can also

040 // FEB22

book a half-day excursion on a catamaran if you want to really, er, push the boat out.

Hit the Park: The Superpark Sulayr is a big attraction in more ways than one with 60 modules and beginner, difficult and expert-rated lines. It incorporates a snow cross circuit and 165m superpipe and is accessed by the Loma de Dílar and Monachil chairlifts.

Eat at La Bodeguita: There’s strong competition between restaurants in Sierra Nevada, but for a traditional Spanish establishment, high-value prices, good service and even veggie options, La Bodeguita tops the reviews.

Earn Your Turns: There are two mountain ski itinerary routers for tourers: one on the El Aguila track in the Cauchiles area and another that runs along the K12 route, from the summit of Veleta to Pradollano, if you want to make your own way up.

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Visit the Alhambra: The Alhambra is a remarkable palace and fortress complex begun in 1238 and located in Granada, 31km away below Sierra Nevada. A year-round attraction, it’s hard to get tickets and there are long queues in the summer if you do, but midwinter it’s much quieter.

For Families: The Fuente del Mirlo Blanco park, located at the end of the El Río track, is the epicentre of fun, located close to the Pradollano area.

Try the Tapas: Granada is a university city, and hundreds, sometimes thousands, of students fill Sierra Nevada to have fun on the slopes, especially at the weekends. Bars do battle to grab the most student customers by offering free tapas with each drink bought, and word soon gets around in terms of who is offering the most each night; just look for the busiest bar.

SIERRANEVADA.ES/EN

© COPYRIGHT 2018 TARAS HIPP/SHUTTERSTOCK

MUSEUM IN CABLE CAR STATION REOPENS A remarkable attraction within a ski lift building has been rebuilt after it was devastated by fire at the start of last year. The new TOP

WIN

Mountain Motorcycle Museum at the TOP Mountain Crosspoint at Obergurgl is home to hundreds of historic motorcycles from more than 100 different manufacturers.

SKI HOLIDAYS BY RAIL TO THERMAL SPA RESORT Travelski Express, which operates ski holidays by rail from London St Pancras, have added the

a Holiday to

affordable thermal spa town Brides-Les-Bains to their existing portfolio of Méribel, Les Arcs, Les Menuires, Val d’Isère, Tignes and La Plagne. For skiers, a 20-minute cable car ride, included in the lift pass, provides access to the whole of Les 3 Vallées.

A

MORZINE UPGRADES KEY CHAIRLIFT

Award-winning travel brand Karma Group are giving InTheSnow readers the chance to WIN a three-night break for a family of four, at their stunning Alpine resort in Bavaria, Germany.

Morzine’s Bélvèdere chairlift, which provides access to the demanding pistes at Chamossière and the fun space at the Pointe de Nyon, has been upgraded from a fixed-grip quad to a detachable

Karma Bavaria is a 4★ resort hotel, steeped in authentic Bavarian culture, right within Bavaria’s premier skiing destination.

Enjoy the best of both worlds, with carefully crafted ski packages to explore Bavaria’s finest slopes; then relax and unwind at our calming resort, in beautiful, culturally rich, Schliersee.

The Prize Includes

six-seater, with an increased uplift capacity of up to 2,800 people per hour. The improved Bélvèdere’s

Æ

Three nights’ accommodation in a Deluxe Family Room

Æ

Daily breakfast

Æ

Three-course dinner on arrival night

HOW TO ENTER

Æ

Return economy flights

Visit inthesnow.com/competitions

Plus, entrants can receive 10% OFF accommodation at Karma Bavaria; see entry page for details.

base station has a grass-covered roof, integrating it perfectly into the surrounding area.

SKI AREA RISING FROM THE ASHES (LITERALLY) The reconstruction of Selwyn

Terms: UK residents, 18+ only. Closes 4/3/22. Transfers excluded. Blackout dates apply and prize subject to availability. Visit inthesnow.com for full promotion and discount code T&Cs.

Snow Resort in Australia is well STEFAN BOESL

©2017 FAMVELD/SHUTTERSTOCK

©2015 PROCHASSON FREDERIC/SHUTTERSTOCK

underway after it was largely destroyed in catastrophic bushfires that engulfed parts of the country a few months before the pandemic hit at the start of 2020. “The transformed resort will deliver a better experience for the ski and snowboard community,” said Kevin Blyton, who runs the resort.

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KARMAGROUP.COM

FEB22 // 041

TORFHÚS RETREAT

The Ultimate Winter Adventure

042 // FEB22

This winter, it’s as difficult to plan a luxury ski trip as it is to plan any other ski trips, thanks to the complications of travel in the ongoing pandemic, but nonetheless, holiday company Scott Dunn have put together a spectacular 16-night trip for those looking to splurge now that it is possible to travel again (or at least is at the time we go to press!)

The Ultimate Winter Adventure takes in luxury properties in the Italian Dolomites and the famous Austrian ski resort of St Anton as well as the wilderness of Finland for the chance to experience the Northern Lights before ending at the healthboosting Blue Lagoon in Iceland.

This adventure-packed itinerary begins with four nights in The Dolomites – a snow lover’s dream consisting of 12 valleys and nearly 1,200km of ski runs on one ski pass. Guests will stay at the famous Rosa Alpina Hotel located by the Sellaronda circuit, which opens up one of the world’s three largest lift-linked ski regions. The hotel has only 51 rooms but three fabulous restaurants – one of which has three Michelin stars – and an extensive spa.

A private transfer for the next four nights takes skiers on to the 5★ St Antoner Hof boutique hotel in the heart of St Anton, one of the most popular ski resorts in the

Alps. The spa here offers an indoor pool, Finnish sauna, Turkish steam bath and an extensive range of massages.

Adding a bucket list element to the trip, travellers will then fly to the wild terrain of Finland to (hopefully) experience the Earth’s most stunning natural displays, the Northern Lights. Situated in a picturesque, remote location on the southern shore of Lake Inari, Wilderness Hotel Nangu promises breathtaking views and can arrange a number of excursions to set out in search of this natural wonder. Other fullday excursions include husky sled riding to visit a reindeer farm and heading out by snowmobile to try ice fishing.

Next up is the magnetic island of Iceland with a three-night stay at the Torfhús Retreat, where there’s the option to explore riding on the owner’s Icelandic horses. The remote location with no light pollution also offers another chance of spotting the Northern Lights, and guests can benefit from their own private geothermally heated basalt plunge pool, spacious living room and a fully equipped kitchenette in each Torfhús.

The Adventure concludes at one of the world’s most unique spas, Iceland’s Blue Lagoon. Fully rejuvenated, guests will fly home from Reykjavik.

The Ultimate Winter Adventure costs from £28,900 based on two people.

SCOTTDUNN.COM

TH E CENTURY IN SKI ING

BY PATRICK THORNE

100 YEARS AGO An important anniversary in the history of ski racing, winter 1922 saw Mürren host the first slalom race judged solely by time down the course. Prior to this race, winners were judged on a combination of style and speed.

ZIESEL TOURING

50 YEARS AGO Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Pröll, the most successful female alpine ski racer during the 1970s, won her second successive overall title on her way to

Snowmobiling, quad biking over

Ybrig the first to offer visitors

allows almost silent driving through the

snow and ice-driving in cars are

the chance to drive a Ziesel?

snowy winter landscape.

all popular activities in ski

Driving this very unusual vehicle is

You steer your Ziesel with a joystick and

resorts, and you can even try

described as “an exciting, action-packed

the seats are heated. Hoch-Ybrig in Central

Nadig. Moser-Pröll finally did take gold

things like e-biking or all-

experience” by the Swiss National Tourist

Switzerland offers 40-minute-long tours

eight years later in Lake Placid though.

terrain Segway rides over snow,

Office, who advise that a Ziesel is an

including an introduction to driving the

but is the Swiss resort of Hoch-

electric-powered tracked vehicle which

machine and a snack break.

getting five in a row. However, she was pipped at the post in her bid for Olympic gold by Switzerland’s Marie-Theres

25 YEARS AGO Greenland has spectacular heliskiing and ski touring terrain, but there aren’t many lifts for locals. However, 1997 saw a new drag lift installed at the town of Aasiaat on the island of Tupilak, accessible across the ice.

10 YEARS AGO In the build-up to the 2014 Olympics at

VAIL BEGINS PREDICTING LIFT QUEUES IN THE FUTURE Vail Resorts have announced that they’ve

“EpicMix Time combines historic and

for all lifts, at all times of day. This new

collected so much data from operating

actual wait time data for a specific lift with

technology leverages machine learning,

their Epic Mix passes for more than a

both resort and lift guest counts, wait

so its forecast will continue to improve

decade now, they are able to predict when

times at other lifts, current snowfall, day

in accuracy throughout the season,” the

and where lift queues will build up and

of the week and period of the season to

company spokesperson said.

warn skiers accordingly.

create a predictive lift line wait time model

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Sochi, Russia announced plans to build five destination ski resorts in the North Caucasus. The project is continuing to gain ground a decade later with French companies helping design, build and run the centres. The developments are backed by the French bank Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, which agreed to provide €840 million euros (around £701 billion) in investment, mostly for French-built ski lifts.

FEB22 // 043

SKI RESORT FOR NETFLIX DRAMA The famous resort of Kitzbühel in the Austrian Tirol is the location for a new six-episode Netflix teen drama, Kitz. The show centres around a local girl who infiltrates a rich and influential group of young people from Munich in order to avenge those responsible for her brother’s death.

PAKISTAN PLANS 3 NEW RESORTS The Culture and Tourism Authority of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPCTA) has announced that three more ski resorts are to be created there. Pakistan’s only existing commercial ski area, Malam Jabba, had a chequered history, having taken decades to develop then being destroyed by a Taliban insurgency. It has now reopened and is reported to be very popular, however.

NEW GLASGOW SKI SHUTTLE

GLACIER GONDOLA “ALMOST” 100% SOLAR POWERED Austria’s Kaunertaler Glacier has

The 10-passenger “Weißseejochbahn”

for its operational period.

unveiled its latest new gondola

gondola is the centre’s third to head up to

There are no ski runs over the border

this winter. The resort, open

the Italian border and is “almost” energy

( just one Italian mountain hut you can

to early June, claims Europe’s

self-sufficient through an integral solar power

reach for coffee), but a full-day package is

steepest run, the Black Ibex, and

system. Only operating during the winter, it

available for freeriders down to South Tyrol

has added a host of impressive new

generates solar power year-round delivering

which includes lift ticket, guide, lunch and

lifts in recent years.

almost as much electricity in total as it needs

transport back.

A new ski shuttle service from Glasgow to the ski centres of Glencoe and Glenshee has been launched by retailer Ellis Brigham.

Setting off from their store at XSITE Braehead, about six and a half kilometres from Glasgow airport, the weekend service costs £25 with users dropped right by the lift. Freshly serviced skis or boards can be hired for £25 a day.

Indoor Snow Centre Claims Nearly

GAUDENZDANUSER.COM

TWO MILLION VISITORS IN SEVEN MONTHS The giant Sunac Snow Park in Guangzhou, the capital of south China’s Guangdong Province, has reported “nearly two million visitors” in the seven months since

LAAX ISSUES SECOND ANNUAL LAST DAY PASS

it opened, despite the pandemic, according to its management.

Swiss ski resort Laax, which is aiming to

it has calculated will slow the rate of melt

passes, planting 400 trees to offset about

That’s similar to the numbers

become carbon negative by 2025, has

of the centre’s Vorab glacier by 10 minutes.

400 tonnes of C02 and push the glacier’s

launched its second annual Last Day Pass.

So every six passes sold pushes the

last day back by nearly three days. This

The idea of this biodegradable, locally

glacier’s last day back by an hour, or 144

year, the target is a 25% with 500 trees

produced wooden lift pass is that for every

passes a full day.

planted adding nearly four days to the

pass sold the resort will plant a tree, which

Last winter, the resort sold 400 of these

glacier’s life.

claimed by the world’s biggest ski areas in a season.

044 // FEB22

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 Full Tilt Ascendant Approach Michelin GW

Designed as a technical freeride option for someone looking for a Hybrid touring boot. Not cutting back on the feature set you’d expect from Full Tilt - including their renowned 3-piece shell construction giving you a fluid progressive flex, warm and super mouldable intuition tour liner, Michelin Grip Walk soles, lightweight Grilamid shells and a removable tongue. £484.95 | skibartlett.com

 The North Face

 Faction

 Union Danny Kass

Silvani Anorak

Prodigy Youth 0.0 Skis

Snowboard Binding

Built for freeriders, it’s fully water and windproof in a breathable package thanks to two-layer DryVent™ fabric technology. Underarm vents allow you to let out some steam when charging, and the powder skirt keeps snow at bay on deep days. The side-entry zip means you don’t have to be a ninja to get it on, and for a seamless barrier against snow, you can zip it together with compatible trousers. £199.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

A superb entry point into the world of all-mountain freestyle skiing for the younger fraternity.

It’s lightweight core makes these effortless to ride and to play all over the mountain.

Great edge hold and extremely manoeuvrable for varied turns and varied snow conditions. A great priced ski with impressive performance for teenagers who want to have fun and ski everywhere. £278.95 | skibartlett.com

After a multi-year hiatus, the Danny Kass Pro Model is back in the rotation of Union Custom House awesomeness! This is Danny’s 10th Pro Model with Union and is arguably the best of them all. The binding itself is fierce, untamed and possesses catlike response – just like the man himself. £289.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Black Diamond Spark Johnny Mitts

 Atomic Maven 86 C Womens Skis

Versatile enough to ski the piste or to escape for a ski tour. Lighter than a lot of similar-width freeride models on the market making these a great one ski option of a light off-piste and touring ski, with a sturdy feel for highspeed piste skiing. Shaped to give you manoeuvrable and playful fun in any shape of turn, all over the mountain. £499.95 | skibartlett.com

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Gorgeously flexible leather and primaloft (down-like) insulation instantly gives you a feeling of quality and warmth. Johnny Collinson’s Pro Model Spark mitts include some appropriate extra touches - padding on the thumb, hand and knuckles for backcountry impact protection, reinforced wear points for extra durability, and a waterproof membrane. You can see why this is a go-to glove for any avid freerider.

Johnny’s sister Angel kicks arse too so there’s also a 3-finger Spark Angel Mitten for the female freeride fraternity. £79.95 | skibartlett.com

 POC Skull Dura Junior Helmet

A junior version of the high protection adults’ Dura X racing helmet - a stronger outer shell with strategic impact absorbing protection, delivering superb protection when you need it, whether racing or hardcharging all over the mountain. Protect your children’s softer skulls with one of the best junior helmets on the market. £179.95 | skibartlett.com

 OUTDOOR MASTER PRO XM Snow Goggles

This goggle comes with 20+ lens variants so you can switch to suit changing light environments. Its quick-release magnetic frame means you can swap your lenses quickly and efficiently, even on the side of the slope! £44 | outdoormaster.com

 K2 Disruption SC Skis

More at skibartlett.com With their renowned reputation for specialist expert advice, combined with their carefully selected and tested range of products, it’s no surprise that Ski Bartlett’s word-of-mouth reputation over the last 50 years has made them the UK’s most popular independent ski shop!

With ‘Dark Matter Damping’ and carbon reinforcements the Disruption SC is built to excel at speed in short to medium size turns. Silky smooth from edge-to-edge, anchoring you to the ground with impeccable edge grip. These are the kind of lively piste skis that will suit high performance skiers, as well as instructors and coaches. Disrupt the status quo and shred your short turns in style. £539.95 | skibartlett.com

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 K2 MINDBENDER 120 SKI BOOTS

 Sweet

 K2 MINDBENDER 90TI SKIS

With a 120 flex rating, tech inserts and a walk mode boasting a 50° range of motion, the Mindbender 120 offers all of the performance you’ll need to charge the steeps and rally in the deep. £485 | Ellis-Brigham.com

Protection Trooper 2Vi MIPS Ski Helmet

When soft snow is in short supply, turn to the Mindbender 90Ti. This is a ski that has the precision-edge hold you need to dominate the hardpack but is still wide enough for forays into the ungroomed. £524 | Snowtraxstore.co.uk

Reinforced shell. Shock-absorbing liner. Carbon reinforcement inlays. MIPS - Multi-impact protection reducing force to the brain.

This has to be the hard-charging skiers’ helmet of choice, protecting you from falls off-piste or on, through the trees or rocky terrain never compromise on safety when you’re skiing in extreme environments. £279.95 | skibartlett.com

 Black Diamond Cirque Gloves

A convertible glove and over mitt combo gives you breathable functional dexterity for the climb up with weather and windproof protection for the high speed and fun descent back down. These gloves use a DWR waterproof coated outer fabric with soft Primaloft Gold insulation, warm, waterproof, comfortable - then add in a cleverly concealed ultralight Pertex wind-hood stealthily hidden in the cuff to keep the weather out and the warmth in.

A multi-use active action glove. £69.95 | skibartlett.com

 Patagonia Micro Puff Storm Jacket

The ultimate jacket that will do everything you’ll need on your next adventure. A combination of ‘warm-when-wet’ PlumaFill synthetic insulation and a 100% recycled waterproof outer shell. The synthetic down-like insulation makes this a superb lightweight, warm and very packable jacket, performing well in cold and damp conditions - ideal for forays in the backcountry or in the inclement UK winter weather! £529.95 | skibartlett.com

 Line Blade Skis

A true all-terrain fun-filled carving ski made for those of you who want to carve trenches, olly off rollers, and spend the afternoon hunting jumps and powder. Made with Gas Pedal Metal, a new Cut-out  Leki Carbon 11 3D Ski Pole Titanal Layer which spans One of the best poles in Leki’s extensive the width of the ski to give collection - pure carbon feels positive you direct edge that race& Moss  grip Bluebell and strong when you pole plant; skis can’t evenPiste challenge.

Its Map Art Prints combined with the Trigger 3D strap massive 140mm-wide Bluebelltip & also Moss have a range of 145 resort system giving you a firm grip with noallows you to have pisteimpressive maps, hand drawn and reimagined drop action and incorporating a safety performance ininto thecontemporary powder. An art prints. Available in release mechanism to prevent the risk immensely fun4one-ski quiver sizes and professionally printed on highof injuries. Strong, light, positive, safe. for whatever the mountains quality 250gsm art paper. The perfect gift £144.95 | skibartlett.com throw at you. £644.95 | for skiers and snowboarders. skibartlett.com From £19.95 | bluebellandmoss.com

 Scott Patrol E1 Avalanche Airbags

 Contour Start-up Touring Adapter

A clever adapter that converts a standard binding into a touring binding to allow children to start venturing into the exciting world of ski touring. The adapter clips into an alpine binding and allows your heel to lift up to freely walk up hill. Now you can take your kids on backcountry adventures at a very economical price. £109.95 | skibartlett.com

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Electrically activated avalanche airbags are definitely the hassle-free option when flying. These avalanche airbags can be activated multiple times, if needed in the offpiste, for start of season functional testing, or for training simulations.

Easily rechargeable, fast activation, multi-triggers possible when needed in avalanche terrain.

Now available in multiple volumes and two different back lengths. From £849.95 | skibartlett.com

 Meidjo 3 Telemark Binding

Going from strength to strength, this is now the third iteration of the Meidjo telemark binding. Designed by undoubtedly one of the most avid telemark skiers on the planet, and that’s not an exaggeration, these are designed to freely flow from turn to turn with enough power for even the best racers on the World Cup telemark tour! Tested by some of the best racers and freeride athletes out there. £489.95 skibartlett.com

Picture Organic Clothing Utility Line 

100% bio-sourced thanks to the use of sugarcane waste, the new UTILITY line from Picture Organic Clothing is seriously sweet gear. Dryplay 20K/20K membrane, Teflon EcoElite™ PFC-free waterproofing treatment and unique body-mapping construction ensure exceptional performance for freeride and ski touring enthusiasts. From €265 picture-organic-clothing.com

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FEB22 // 047

 Burton Grom Junior

 Fusalp

Snowboard Binding

Fernand Ski Jacket (Men)

 The North Face Tekno Logo Hoodie

The Grom binding was designed in collaboration with Burton employees and their own kids, and it makes it super easy for even the smallest riders to get shredding. With a mitten-friendly oversized buckle and single strap for easy entry and release, plus a light flexible construction, the Grom binding ticks all the boxes for the next generation of rippers. £89.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

Fusalp’s FERNAND ski jacket encapsulates the Alpine heritage of this iconic brand. Combining a breathable and water-repellent microporous membrane with a lightweight stretch material, it provides optimal freedom of movement, comfort and weather protection. A quilted lining, welded seams and a host of functional features make this a seriously highperformance piece. £650 | fusalp.com

Made for casual moments on the mountain, the Tekno Logo Hoodie takes a street style and makes it at home in the great outdoors. TNF have added a zip to the kangaroo pocket so you can safely stow your phone and essentials knowing they won’t fall out when you’re on the move.

Drawcords let you adjust the hood and waist to lock in warmth. £114.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Fusalp Marina Ski Fuseau (Women)

The MARINA ski pants combine technical fabrics and functionality with a modern, slim fit sillouhette that will soon become a staple of your snow-chic wardrobe. A high-performance microporous membrane, thermoregulation technology and bonded fleece ensure maximum warmth and ease of movement. £390 | fusalp.com

 BurtoN Kids Chopper & Chicklet Junior Snowboard

The Burton Chopper and Chicklet are the ticket for boys and girls who want to start snowboarding and quickly learn the basics. What makes it so perfect is the beginner-friendly combo of a convex base with upturned edges and the softest flex possible so that even the lightest-weight riders can master turning and stopping. The catch-free feeling continues with a flat profile from nose to tail that’s extra stable for better balance and board control. £159.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

 Burton Mini Grom Snowboard Boots

 OUTDOOR MASTER ULTRA XL Snow Goggles

A premium goggle at a great price, these goggles are packed full of features including Colour-Optimisation Technology that filters blue light to boosts the contrast so you are able to see those bumps and moguls even in the flattest of light. £66 | outdoormaster.com

Get your mini shredder started on the right foot with the super soft flexing toddlers’ Burton Mini Grom Snowboard Boot, offered all the way down to size 6. Oversized Shred Ready hook-and-loop straps get them out there faster while 3M™ Thinsulate™ insulation keeps them out there longer. The super-cushioned DynoLITE outsole provides better balance, traction and comfort when hiking, riding or just playing outside. Better yet, with the Room-To-Grow footbed, you gain one full size to stay a step ahead of those guaranteed growth spurts. £79.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Union Rover Approach Skis

Tired of crowded resorts and long lines? Deep days await with the Union Rover approach skis. Explore your local hills, backcountry or closed resorts, all while enjoying the rideability of your favourite snowboard in your quiver. The Union Rover works in perfect harmony with the Union Explorer bindings, and easily swaps onto your regular snowboard in seconds so you can enjoy the ride down. £389.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

048 // FEB22

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 Union Explorer

 Ortovox

Snowboard Binding

Diract Voice Transceiver

When your splitboard bindings ride like your regular bindings, it’s easy to enjoy the ride down.

The Explorer splitboard binding focuses on natural board feel, fewer moving parts and a durable design built to handle the longest tours and steepest lines. Where will the Explorer take you on your next splitboarding adventure? £339.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

The world’s first avalanche transceiver with integrated voice navigation, will reliably and quickly guide you to your buried companion. Clear, simple spoken instructions tell you what to do in your search when your partner’s survival is of the utmost importance. The display is exceptionally stable from first reception, which reduces stress and helps speed up the search. Equipped with Smart-Antenna Technology, which analyses the device’s location and automatically switches to the best transmitting antenna. £299.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Union Expedition Rover Crampon

Designed specifically for use with the Union Rover 1 Approach Ski, the Rover Crampon’s serrated tooth design provides maximum traction in icy terrain. Take your adventures to the next level. £54.95 sputniksnowboardshop.com

 OUTDOOR MASTER

 Yeti Rambler 10oz Mug

At a glance, this mug might look like your everyday drinking vessel, but look again. It’s loaded with top-to-bottom insulation to keep your coffee hot from the first pour to the last sip.

When the lid is removed, the built-in grooves on the bottom help it stack perfectly on top of another one just like it. Like the entire Rambler® Family, this stackable mug and included MagSlider™ Lid are dishwasher safe, making them easy to clean. £24.95 sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Burton Wheelie Gig Snowboard Bag

With a bomber 600D polyester construction, super-smooth IXION skate wheels and fully padded space for multiple boards, this board bag offers rugged wheelie convenience without draining your wallet. £154.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

Kelvin Ski Helmet

This helmet is designed for both comfort and safety with its reinforced ABS shell and shock-absorbing EPS core.

With 14 individual vents there’s no more over-heating even on those sunny spring days! £33 | outdoormaster.com

 Salomon

 Jones Mountain Twin Snowboard

Dancehaul Snowboard

It’s built to shred the whole mountain like it’s an endless skatepark without sacrificing float in pow or stability for bombing lines. The Twin’s shape features blunt tips for reduced swing weight, Traction Tech edges to keep you locked in on firm snow and a 3D Contour Base that makes every turn more effortless. £459.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

This unisex board has a mountain of personality for every riding style. Extra width and a tapered directional shape transform ordinary to extraordinary with maximum agility in any snow scenario. A reminder that freestyle can happen anywhere. £399.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Volcom Ten Insulated Gore-Tex Jacket

 The North Face Larimer Mid Waterproof Boot – Kelp Tan

Lightweight, waterproof and insulated but with everyday street-style looks. The Heatseeker™ Eco synthetic insulation provides durable, lightweight and compressible warmth while the DryVent™ waterproof membrane protects you from the elements. £144.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

A sublime blend of warmth and performance. From dawn patrols to seeking out powder stashes, the unstoppable waterproof, windproof and breathable protection of the GORE-TEX 2L membrane comes free of harmful chemicals thanks to the PFCec-free durable water repellent treatment. £274.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

More at sputniksnowboardshop.com

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Sputnik is one of the UK’s largest independent snowboard shops. We offer great choice and service to all our customers. Whether you are beginner or expert, we can kit you out to ensure you have a great day on the mountains.

 Atomic

 Willyfinder Ski Suits

CTD Helmet with Shocksensor

Willyfinder (cheekily named because of the double-ended zip on the front of every ski suit) was born of a love of the slopes and a frustration with boring skiwear.

Modern ski suits with a retro vibe, they use the latest technology to keep you warm, dry and comfortable all day long. £249.99 | willyfinder.com

A hard outer shell (carbon-loaded versions also available) and AMID shock-absorbing foam gives you 30% higher protection than the FIS racing standards required.

Uniquely now incorporating Shocksense - a smart sensor built into the helmet links to your smartphone to give you an accurate assessment of your helmet's condition if you've had a crash, or dropped your helmet! £319.95 | skibartlett.com

 K2 DISRUPTION MTI SKIS

 Look Pivot 14 GW Ski Binding

The Disruption MTi is an aggressive ski designed for experts who wanna go fast. A medium-length turn radius, Titanal I-Beam construction and Dark Matter Damping combine for a quiet and smooth ride that inspires confidence throughout every turn. £700 | Ellis-Brigham.com

The Look Pivot is arguably one of the safest bindings on the market. The Pivot family of bindings are designed to give you release and retention in appropriate measures. No prereleases when skiing hard and fast, but smooth rotational heel release for slow or fast twisting falls. £239.95 | skibartlett.com

 Dryrobe Advance Longsleeve Camo Storm Jacket

It’s warm shearling fleece liner will hug you like a cosy sleeping bag and its waterproof outer shell will keep the stormy rain and wind at bay. Whether you’re walking the snowy streets in the Alps, watching your kids playing sports, walking your dog, or getting changed at the beach or out wild swimming - once you have one of these you will never leave home without it, keeping you warm and dry in all weathers.

From £139.95 | skibartlett.com

 Mons Royale Yotei Long Sleeve Top

100% natural warmth. The technical performance of merino matched with un-compromised style, the Yotei can be worn on its own or over a baselayer. Made using our 100% Merino 200, which is warm, breathable and odour resistant. £99.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Falke

050 // FEB22

 Head Kore 99 skis

SK4 ‘Giraffe’

A new iteration of the awardwinning Kore range of skis. Now with ‘progressive chamfer’ on the top sheet giving them a lighter feel to make turning quicker, easier and more playful. Their on-piste grip and hard-charging feel is impeccable, but slow it down with the family and they’ll manoeuvre with ease.

Powder, piste, hard snow and soft, the Kore range of skis has now got even better. £699.95 incl Bindings skibartlett.com

Now you can have a fun-looking sock with technical padding to protect your feet from pressure and rubbing and an impeccable fit around your foot - a combination that will make you look good and feel good. £29.95 | skibartlett.com

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Ski sock

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 Picture Organic Clothing Lab Line

Picture Organic Clothing’s most technical line to date, the new LAB series combines a three-layer lightweight hardshell with a nano-porous, eco-friendly Xpore membrane, giving the highest levels of protection in all weather conditions.

From €350 | picture-organic-clothing.com

 Eivy Icecold Women’s Thermal Top

Be extra toasty in the Eivy Icecold mid-layer top that combines street fashion and maxed out functionality. The integrated fleece-lined neck warmer keeps you warm on cold days while the moisture-wicking and fast-drying fabric gives you optimum performance. Also features integrated thumb loops and UPF50+ UV protection. £69.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com  Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody

A lightweight, breathable and quick-drying fleece, cleverly designed to keep you warm in the cold, but let the heat escape when you’re putting in the effort. Not only is this an extremely functional and packable piece for backcountry touring, hiking, biking, or any other energetic cold weather activity - but it also looks and feels unbelievably good. You will rapidly realise this will be an everyday go-to in your wardrobe.

Functional performance meets casual comfort. £129.95 | skibartlett.com

 Eivy Icecold Women’s Tights

Designed to work perfectly with the Eivy Icecold top, the Icecold tights are a thermal bottom with optimum performance. Moisture wicking and fast drying, UPF50+ UV protection rating and brushed, non-seethrough four-way way stretch are just a few of the many features these thermals have.

They also look amazing! £59.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com

 Scott Explorair Premium Gore-tex Glove

A rugged leather glove loaded with a Gore-tex waterproof membrane, Gore Active technology, and Kevlar-stitched reinforcements on usual highwear areas. Designed to withstand the rigours of all your freeride, mountaineering and backcountry touring adventures. Tough and warm with uninhibited dexterity. £119.95 | skibartlett.com

 Volcom Ell Insulated Women’s Gore-Tex Jacket

Undaunted by the wet and cold, the Ell Insulated Gore-Tex Jacket is a new addition to the line.

Featuring cosy-not-bulky insulation beneath waterproof two-layer fabric, the hinged hood, snap placket and chest yoke are inspired by heritage outdoor pieces and lend streetwear appeal in a fully featured winter jacket with hinged hood, hand gaiters and sleeve pass pocket. £239.95 | sputniksnowboardshop.com  Scott Defined Pullover Tech Hoody

This technical mid-layer is a great warm but breathable layering piece with added 4-way stretch, ideal for physical days out touring. When other insulation is just a bit too much, this will give you weather protection on the ascent with it’s technical hood and high collar. Wear it as a comfortable midlayer or on its own. A great everyday hoody with technical rider focused features. £79.95 | skibartlett.com

052 // FEB22

 Faction Agent 4.0 P.O.W. Collab Skis

An ambitious eco ski project in collaboration with Protect Our Winters (P.O.W.) has finally come to fruition - creating a unique eco-conscious ski that is fully aligned with P.OW.’s climate recommendations, as well as Faction’s need for high-end quality and performance. Limited edition, only 250 pairs available, get them if you can! £749.95 | skibartlett.com

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Co

. t us.... i s i v nd a e m M40

M25

M4 BRINGING YOU THE UK’S LARGEST RANGE OF SPECIALIST SKI & SNOWBOARD EQUIPMENT ALONG WITH THE BEST ADVICE AND EXPERTISE

est.

SKI | SNOWBOARD | FREERIDE | FREESTYLE TOURING | TELEMARK | RECREATIONAL | RACE WORLDWIDE MAIL ORDER SERVICE SKIBARTLETT.COM | SPUTNIKSNOWBOARDSHOP.COM

1965

sputnik EST

Uxbridge Road, Hillingdon, West London, UB10 0NP | 020 8848 0040 Photo Courtesy of: Mattias Fredriksson - Patagonia

. 1999

©HOLMERN

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BILLY MORGAN Last winter, Scottish ski areas were shuttered and even the mountains themselves were officially closed to most skiers and snowboarders due to a “stay local” order which meant even people living an hour away couldn’t drive to hike up.

So Southampton-based snowboard star Billy Morgan, both an X-Games and Olympic medallist, taking Team GB’s record fifth medal at the 2018 Games in South Korea, pretty much had the slopes to himself when he headed up there splitboarding with friend Scott Penman during one of the snowiest winters of recent decades.

What was the inspiration behind the trip?

BM We couldn’t go to Europe because the borders were shut and there’s no mountains in the south, so we just jumped at the opportunity to go to Scotland. I’ve been there a few times before, and every time I’ve left, I’m like “I really need to go up there and make more of it.” I hadn’t done splitboarding before. It was really good to go out there with a guide and people who knew what they were doing. I’d say it was an introduction, but it was more like getting thrown in at the deep end.

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Did you have a favourite spot in Scotland?

BM When we went over the back of the Nevis Range. I’ve been up to Scotland a couple of times before, and I thought I’d seen the terrain that it had to offer, but when we got up onto the top of Ben Nevis and went over the back, I was like, “Holy shit, this looks like, like the Alps – this is legit terrain.” I didn’t know things like that were up there.

How did the splitboard itself compare to a normal snowboard?

BM I assumed it would be exactly the same, but there’s a bit less torsional rigidity in the snowboard, which took me a while to get used to it – you basically can’t hammer the edges as much as you would on a normal snowboard. I fell over a few times, and I was like “Why am I falling over? I can’t even snowboard anymore!”, but luckily I was able to blame the torsional rigidity – it totally wasn’t because I hadn’t snowboarded for nine months.

How did it feel to be back on a mountain again?

BM I didn’t realise how much I’d missed it until I got up there. I knew I wanted to go snowboarding and it would be different to me just riding in the park, but as soon as I got up the mountain, I realised I’d missed all the things you appreciate – the smells, the views, being quite alone and exposed up there.

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Ski patroller [ski /p tr

ler ] [ noun ]

The job of the ski patroller is to keep you safe on the mountain. But for Hannah Baybutt of Sun Valley, it’s more than a job. Keeping you alive makes her feel alive. She’s the first to rise.

The last to leave. A first responder, an emergency medical technician, a rescuer, an explosives expert, an avid skier, a dog lover, a teammate,a friend. There’s nowhere she’d rather be. She belongs in the mountains.