Luxury London Magazine January 2020

MAGAZINE

January 2020 £7.00

THE

HIGH WHERE TO SKI, STAY AND PLAY THIS WINTER

LIFE

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CONTENTS

66

34 UP FRONT

46 PRIZE LOTS A rare Aston Martin One-77 is sold for charity

10 EDITOR’S LETTER 13 THE BRIEFING

The coolest hotel in Sweden

48 D O YOU FEEL REAL?

The artist building a motorway bridge inside Tate Britain

and 130 years of Yosemite 28 CHASING WAVES

52 HEAR MY TRAIN

With Andrew Cotton, Britain’s

A COMIN’

leading big wave surfer

The final days of Jimi Hendrix

34 OFF PEAK Behind the lens with polar

DRIVE

photographer Martin Hartley

C U LT U R E

60 BACK TO THE FUTURE

Testing Lister’s limited-edition

LFT-C drop-top

42 THE AGENDA

66 T HE SPEED TRAIN

Highlights from 64 years of

LIFE magazine

Racing the Orient Express in a Bentley Bentayga Speed

T H E S N OW I SS U E

106

78 COUTURE

94 102 POWDER PLAY The top ski destinations

74 OUT OF OFFICE

Backpack essentials for the

great outdoors

78 QUANTUM LEAPS Introducing Vollebak, the fashion house creating the clothing of the future 86 APPAREL WITH ALTITUDE

and itineraries for 2020 106 ICE SPY Skiing in Sölden, the Austrian resort made famous by Spectre 102 MAMMOTH LAKES Celebrity spotting on the Californian slopes 118 MILE HIGH CITY

Slope style from Chanel, Fendi

Exploring the mountain-flanked

and Moncler

city of Denver

ESCAPE

120 O NE HELLUVA RIDE How the mining town of Telluride became a glitzy ski resort

94 NATURAL HIGH

122 ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

High-altitude abseiling in the

Ski touring across Colorado’s

Austrian Alps

greatest peaks

COV E R Fabian Lentsch, Stefan Ager and Andreas Gumpenberger above the Mittagsspitze in Austria, photography ©Mirja Geh / Red Bull (p.94)

FROM THE EDITOR January 2020 Issue 20

EDITOR Richard Brown DEPUTY EDITOR Ellen Millard SENIOR ASSISTANT EDITOR Anna Prendergast EDITOR-AT-LARGE Annabel Harrison

In a surreal scene from the Chicago Auto Show of 1969, Chevrolet executive John Z. DeLorean welcomes on stage the recently-retired Olympic ski champion Jean-Claude Killy and a nascent running back from the University of Southern California named O.J. Simpson. More surreal still, at the side of the stage, Hunter S. Thompson, still two years from finishing Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, has been employed to document the event.

That the US motor giant should choose to put the poster boy of Alpine skiing on a platform alongside the Next Big Thing in American football was of a significance not lost on the godfather of gonzo journalism. ‘Skiing is no longer an esoteric sport for the idle rich,’ wrote Thompson, ‘but a fantastically popular new winter status-game for anyone who can afford $500 for equipment. Five years ago the figure would have been three times that… but now, with the advent of snow-making machines, even Chattanooga is a “ski-town.”’

Idaho’s Sun Valley, America’s first ski resort – where, incidentally, Thompson’s idol Ernest Hemingway completed For Whom the Bell Tolls – might have opened in 1936, but it was Killy – ‘a “swinging Frenchman” with the style of a jet-set maverick and the mind of a Paris bartender’ – that provided skiing with a sellable face, doing for the sport what Arnold Palmer had done for golf the decade before. Economic prosperity, and a mushrooming middle class, would do the rest, turning a splattering of ex-mining towns in the American Midwest into star-spangled-banner versions of Verbier and St. Moritz.

Thompson, the most famous resident of what would become America’s most famous ski resort, famously couldn’t ski. When the Aspen local ran for town sheriff in 1970, he did so with a manifesto that promised to legalise drugs – although he promised not to take mescaline while on duty – promote environmentalism and rename Aspen ‘Fat City’ to prevent ‘greedheads, land-rapers and other human jackals from capitalising on the name Aspen’. He wanted to smash up the pavements and replace them with dirt.

Thompson never made sheriff. In 2005, in accordance with his will, his ashes were shot out of a canon on his Colorado ranch in a $3million ceremony paid for by Johnny Depp. The pavements in Aspen are now electrically heated. It’s still possible to find wild, mountain-town America, just not in Aspen – in places like Telluride (p120), Breckenridge (p122) and Crested Butte (p124).

All you gotta to do is buy the ticket and take the ride.

CONTENT DIRECTOR Dawn Alford ONLINE EDITOR Mhairi Graham CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Rob Crossan Natasha Afxentiou HEAD OF DESIGN Laddawan Juhong SENIOR DESIGNER Ismail Vedat GENERAL MANAGER Fiona Smith PRODUCTION MANAGER Alice Ford COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Rachel Gilfillan BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTORS Samantha Lathan Danielle Thirsk BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE Madelyn Curnyn BRAND EXECUTIVE Dom Jeffares MANAGING DIRECTOR Eren Ellwood PUBLISHED BY

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THE BRIEFING T H E L AT E S T N E W S F R O M T H E W O R L D O F L U X U R Y

STARTING HIS CAREER AS A VIDEOGRAPHER, BERLIN-BASED FREDERICK SCHINDLER FOUND A LOVE OF LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY IN 2016 WHEN HE TOOK AN AERIAL PHOTO OF AUSTRALIA. NOW A PROMINENT INSTAGRAMMER (@FREDERIKSCHINDLER), SCHINDLER TRAVELS THE WORLD WITH HIS YOUNG FAMILY, CAPTURING IMAGES SUCH AS THIS ONE OF LOFOTON BRIDGE IN NORWAY. FREDERIKSCHINDLER.DE

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THE HOTEL

THE RETREAT

The Icehotel: what it's like to sleep on a bed made of ice

Amangiri unveils a new camp in the heart of the Utah wilderness

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P.24

THE ANNIVERSARY

THE VOYAGE

Celebrating 130 years of Yosemite National Park

Azamara launches an Antarctic adventure

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THE EXPEDITION

THE ART

The travel company proffering experiential road trips

Doug Aitken's mirrored house moves to the Swiss Alps

01

THE HOTEL

ICEHOTEL THIRTY YEARS AGO, ONE ECCENTRIC SWEDE CONCEIVED A PLAN TO BRING THE WORLD'S TOURISTS TO JUKKASJÄRVI, A N U N A S S U M I N G T O W N I N S W E D I S H L A P L A N D . T H E R E S U LT WA S T H E I C E H OT E L , A N A N N U A L A R T I N S TA L L AT I O N W H E R E YO U CA N B ED DOWN ON A B LOCK OF I CE

Words: Ellen Millard

S

For the next 11 years, the workshops gained traction and a legion of loyal art fans. Such was the furore surrounding the event that in 1992, Arctic Hall, a 250sqm igloo-cum-art gallery, opened on the banks of the Torne. A year later, by chance, the gallery hosted its first overnight visitors – a group of colleagues on a business trip, who found themselves without a place to stay. Armed with sleeping bags and reindeer skins, they bedded down in the igloo and lived to tell the tale.

Today, 50,000 visitors descend on Jukkasjärvi each year to visit what is now known as Icehotel. Crafted from new every November out of 2,000 blocks of ice harvested from the Torne River, the hotel comprises a series of Art Suites – individually designed by different artists each year – and a selection of standard ice rooms. There are also a number of permanent rooms – some of which are en-suite – which are located in Icehotel 365, an all-year round, solar-powered space that you can visit during the warmer months (there’s also an adjoining Ice Bar for cocktails in the rocks).

But it’s the temporary installation that provides the biggest thrill. Each design is unique and more impressive than the next. If you’re willing to brave the -5˚C temperature, you may find yourself snoozing next to a glacial life-sized campervan, below the belly of a whale carved from snow or under the watchful eye of two scarily realistic, and somewhat unnerving, crystalline clowns.

My room is an icicle ode to religion, designed by Spanish architects Josu Gonzalez Ruiz and Emiliano Lorenzo, with cathedral-inspired spires and towering shards that circle the

o small is Jukkasjärvi that it has just one road.

Located in Swedish Lapland, the town is 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle and in the winter, when temperatures can drop to as low as -30˚C, it is sparse.

Everything is white. Rustic cottages wear coats of snow and branches bow from the weight of icy tips. Even my eyelashes sport snowflake mascara, and as I shuffle along the road my feet leave tell-tale prints behind me.

At the end of the highway, the blood red exterior of the local church brings upset to the blank canvas. A veritable Gingerbread House with a scalloped-trim roof, it is the oldest church in the region and has witnessed expansive change to its tiny hometown.

In the 1970s, engineer Yngve Bergqvist, who worked for a local mining company in neighbouring town Kiruna, founded a canoe centre on the banks of Jukkasjärvi’s Torne River. It put the village on the map, attracting more than 5,000 visitors a year – but only for a few months at a time.

Come winter, which in Swedish Lapland stretches for five months, Jukkasjärvi would become an arctic desert once again, with the lake transformed into an ice block 60cm thick and strong enough to hold the weight of a car.

It was while on a trip to Japan in 1989 that Bergqvist conceived a way of carving some life into Jukkasjärvi’s winter wasteland. He happened upon two sculptors who crafted brilliant figures out of the very commodity the Arctic Circle produces in abundance: ice. That year, Bergqvist invited the sculptors to hosting an art workshop in Sweden – and so began the Icehotel.

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A classic three-night Icehotel break is available between December 2019 and March 2020 from £1,046 per person based on two sharing accommodation (two-nights in a warm room and onenight sleeping on ice) on a B&B basis, including return direct flights from London Heathrow to Kiruna, airport transfers, morning sauna and a loan of winter clothing.

To book, call 01737 886 131 or visit discover-the-world.com

central bed. LED lights omit a purple glow and a chorus of choir singers provide the backing track (which, thankfully, can be turned off when it’s time to catch some shut eye).

It is eerie and beautiful at once, the sub-zero-temperatures making it all the more ethereal.

To sleep in such conditions, all you need is one base layer, a pair of socks and a hat. It seems remarkably little, but your own body heat keeps the sleeping bag warm, which is designed to cope with temperatures as low as -30˚C. Artistry aside, it is, admittedly, not the most relaxing of sleeping quarters. A reindeer skin is all that separates you from your ice block mattress and there are no toilets in the temporary hotel, lest you wish to brave the dash outside to the heated reception building. But there’s a reason Icehotel tops many a bucket list – there is simply no experience quite like it. In 2018, it featured on BBC’s Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby, vying with towering Singapore skyscrapers and Moroccan mansions as the best hotel in the world.

Now in its 30th year, the Icehotel continues to thrive. Such is its success that it is no longer visited for unique sleeping arrangements alone. Bergqvist’s madcap idea provided the catalyst for what is now a winter playground, complete with winter sports that range from husky sledging to a crash course in ice sculpting.

Such conditions require fuel, and while the Lapland environment means local ingredients are limited, Icehotel's wizard chefs are well-versed in the art of crafting delectable dishes from what's available. A cross country ski tour across the surface of the lake is paused to devour a feast of sausage and flatbread, roasted over an open fire and enjoyed in a private enclave on the surface of a miniature island, while a snowmobile excursion to scout out the Northern Lights culminates in a belly-warming dinner of moose goulash and blueberry sponge.

Even a sauna experience comes with charcuterie boards and glasses of wine. Unlike your traditional hot box, a Swedish sauna is a 10-step ritual that takes the body from cold to warm to cold again – and when they say cold, they mean cold. A 20-minute stint in the coal-heated sauna is followed by a snow angel competition in our swimming costumes, and a mad dash back inside for a second sauna hit. Once we’ve reheated, we’re taken down to the river, where a section of the ice has been broken for our dipping pleasure. Plunged into water so cold they have to circulate it to stop it freezing, we then sprint to the outdoor hot tub to recuperate under the stars, a cup of hot lingonberry juice in hand.

Our reward is dinner at the neighbouring Homestead restaurant where buttery mashed potato, Swedish meatballs and tangy lingonberry sauce is heaped high on plates and smothered in gravy. It’s ultimate comfort food, the sort that warms you from the inside out and readies you for a deep sleep – the perfect feast, in fact, to prep you for a night on a mattress made of ice.

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THE F EBARTIUE RF EI N G

130 YEARS OF YOSEMITE 2020 WILL BE A LANDMARK YEAR FOR NORTH AMERICA'S FIRST NATIONAL PARK

02 THE ANNIVERSARY

In 1866, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Land Bill which protected Mariposa Grove and Yosemite Valley, and in doing so created the first officially preserved public space in US history. Twenty-four years later, thanks to lobbying from environmentalist John Muir, the area was awarded National Park status, encompassing the valley and its surrounding mountains and forests. The move paved the way

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for the nation’s official National Park System, which protects and provides financial support to designated parks and monuments across America.

One hundred and thirty years since it was awarded National Park status, Yosemite receives 4.3m visitors a year. Located in the Sierra Nevada of central California, the space is famed for its biological diversity, which spans glaciers to waterfalls to granite cliffs. The entire park stretches eight miles from east to west, with its natural granite walls reaching heights more than twice the size of the Empire State Building.

It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. yosemite.com

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03 THE EXPEDITION

NOMADIC ROAD TAKES INTREPID TRAVELLERS FAR FROM THE BEATEN TRACK FROM FROZEN GLACIERS TO ARID DESERTS, THESE ARE ROAD TRIPS ON A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCALE

“If you're someone who prefers the conventional, we're sorry, you are in the wrong place” reads Nomadic Road’s website. A motoring expedition specialist, the company was founded in 2015 to offer enticing itineraries for petrolheads, boasting a black book of contacts who help the team craft experiential journeys that take you, very literally, off the beaten track.

Created by an eccentric Mumbaiker petrolhead known simply as Venky, Nomadic Road offers a roster of breathtaking trips that marry its founder’s three loves: automobiles, adventure and the great outdoors. For 2020, the company invites you to drive across frozen glaciers and active volcanoes in Iceland; trace the trial of Genghis Khan across the arid Gobi desert; or track elusive snow leopards in Western Mongolia – to name just three of the company's planned expeditions.

Not just about the drive, each trip includes atypical excursions – from horse riding with eagle hunters in the high Altai mountains to practising your best swing on a glacial golf course in Siberia.

Every itinerary is organised down to a tee, from the exclusive expedition vehicles, to transfers, visas, accommodation and all meals.

There’s even a support vehicle that follows the convoy of 4x4s, on hand should anybody suffer a flat tyre or engineering fault. You'll want for nothing – just be sure to leave any hopes of conventional living at home.

This image shows a fleet of Nomadic Road vehicles crossing Lake Baikal in Siberia.

For more information on Nomadic Road's 2020 expeditions, visit nomadicroad.com

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04 T H E R E T R E AT

AMANGIRI MARKS 10 YEARS IN UTAH WITH A NEW CAMP CAMP SARIKA BY AMANGIRI UPS THE LUXURY ANTE WITH 10 INTIMATE PAVILIONS IN THE HEART OF THE UTAH WILDERNESS

For 10 years, Aman’s Utah outpost Amangiri has been enticing travellers to the deep canyons and vermillion rock formations of Canyon Point. To celebrate its landmark anniversary, the hotel has unveiled plans for Camp Sarika, a group of 10 one- and two-bedroom pavilion tents located a short drive from the hotel, which is due to open in April 2020.

Deriving its name from the Sanskrit word

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for ‘open space’, Camp Sarika will boast its own restaurant, two spa suites, a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. Each pavilion will have uninterrupted views of the surrounding 600 hectares of raw wilderness, which can be admired from the private plunge pools or during one of the complimentary yoga and guided meditation sessions, which are both held al fresco.

A roster of excursions are on hand to keep you entertained, each of which has been designed to immerse you in the Utah landscape – whether that’s hiking through Amangiri’s trails, canyoneering or horseback riding.

From approx. £1,678pn for a Desert View Suite, including all taxes and fees, and breakfast, lunch and dinner for two guests and the in-room mini bar, private transfers to and from Page Municipal Airport, guided daily group hikes and fitness classes, aman.com

05 T H E V O YA G E

AZAMARA UNVEILS AN ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE SAIL TO THE END OF THE EARTH ON THIS EYE-OPENING 17-NIGHT VOYAGE

All aboard the polar express: Azamara will set sail for Antarctica in January 2021, with a 17-night voyage in one of the most awe-inspiring environments on the planet. The journey will take you across the iceberg-flanked Antarctic Sound, where spectacular glaciers, penguin rookeries and whales breaching can be spied from the boat’s balconies. There will be a chance to explore Elephant Island, so named because of the large resident pod of elephant seals, before the ship embarks for the Falkland Islands and the Argentinean port of Puerto Madryn, called home by more than half a million penguins.

During your journey, you will experience the lap of luxury onboard one of Azamara’s stateof-the-art ships. Fine dining, a luxury spa and complimentary fitness classes are open to all guests, while those staying in a World Owner’s Suite, Ocean Suite, Continent Suite or Spa Suite will benefit from a private balcony, complimentary in-room afternoon tea and a private butler.

A series of pre- and post-voyage land intineraries are also available for those who want to continue the adventure – from Patagonia to Machu Picchu.

From £4,667 per person, azamara.co.uk

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THE ART

ARTIST DOUG AITKEN'S MIRROR HOUSE MOVES TO THE ALPS

IT IS ONE OF A NUMBER OF INSTALLATIONS AT THIS YEAR'S ELEVATION 1049

Following residences in the Coachella Valley in California and a bank in Detroit, artist Doug Aitken’s mirrored house has found a new home on the Swiss alps. Mirage GStaad takes the form of the traditional suburban ranch houses made popular in California in the 1920s and 30s and is clad entirely in mirrors that reflect the surrounding snowscape.

Unlike Aitken’s previous installations, the Alpine structure relies on natural light and the changing weather to be seen. Like a real home, you can enter the building, where you will find

a trippy angular interior that bends light and creates unexpected reflections.

Mirage GStaad is part of the annual Elevation 1049, an alpine art festival produced by Luma Foundation in collaboration with The Store X Vinyl Factory and features art, music and live performances.

Installed in February 2019, when the festival’s theme was Frequencies, Aitken’s piece will remain until January 2021. If you can't get to the Alps in time, you can experience it via livestream at elevation1049.org.

T hi s imag e of Mirage G staa d was cap tured by 24-year-old Swiss photog rap her David Hubacher. David is the co-found er and he ad of p hotog rap hy at content marketing age ncy @witwinkel.

Che ck out his Instag ram p ag e – @david hub acher – for more of his stri k i ng snap s.

C ANARY WHARF · COVENT GARDEN · JERMYN STREET O L D B ROA D S T R E E T · O N E N E W C H A N G E · R E G E N T S T R E E T S L OA N E S T R E E T · W E S T F I E L D W H I T E C I T Y

H A C K E T T. C O M

CHASING

WAVES A N D R E W C O T T O N I S B R I TA I N ’ S N U M B E R O N E

B I G WAV E S U R F E R . D E S P I T E B R E A K I N G H I S B A C K I N 2 0 1 7, T H E P LY M O U T H N A T I V E A N D F O R M E R P L U M B E R I S B AC K I N T H E WAT E R A N D D E T E R M I N E D T O C AT C H H I S D R E A M WAV E

Words: Hugh Francis Anderson

ANDREW COTTON DURING A TRAINING SESSION IN HIS HOMETOWN CROYDE, UNITED KINGDOM, MARCH 2015, PHOTOGRAPHY ©RICHIE HOPSON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

“I realised that you have to enjoy the worst possible moments to even have a chance of experiencing the best”

THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE ANDREW COTTON DURING A TRAINING SESSION IN HIS HOMETOWN CROYDE, UNITED KINGDOM, MARCH 2015, PHOTOGRAPHY ©RICHIE HOPSON/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

B

orn in Plymouth and raised on a culture of sea and surf on the north Devon coast, you might say that Andrew Cotton – or Cotty, as he’s known in the surfing community – seemed destined for a life on the water. A keen surfer from the age of seven, Cotton left school at 16 to work in a local surfboard factory, a position he held for almost a decade.

“That job was a way of feeding the passion,” says Cotton, speaking to me in Biarritz, France’s surfing epicentre. “In some ways, I suppose, it was like being a professional surfer.

I surfed a lot and when the factory shut for a few months every winter, it allowed me to travel.”

At 25 and under pressure to find a ‘real job,’ Cotton trained as a plumber. “I was only there for the money, though,” he says, rolling his eyes. “It becomes like torture. It doesn’t matter how much money you make; if you don’t have passion for what you’re doing, it becomes meaningless.”

Cotton became a lifeguard for the RNLI and, in his free time, found himself chasing bigger and bigger waves.

He spent time in Hawaii, where he was regularly catching 20-footers at Waimea, and Ireland, pioneering now famous big wave spots like Mullaghmore. But it was through a spontaneous 2010 invitation to join big wave surfer Garrett McNamara in Portuguese fishing village Nazaré, a legendary surf spot, that Cotton was introduced to the most extreme end of the sport.

“Nazaré gets, without a doubt, some of the biggest waves in the world,” says Cotton, leaning forwards as if the mere mention makes him excited. “I’m talking about 80ft giants; there’s so much water and it moves so quickly that they’re like moving mountains.”

Back in 2010, Cotton’s role was to operate the safety jet ski, a skill he’d taught himself in huge waves off the west coast of Ireland. It was watching McNamara being sucked over the top of one of the largest waves Cotton had ever seen that changed the way he thought about surfing. “At that point I didn’t know whether you could even survive that.

I thought to myself, ‘Am I going to be looking for a body?’

Suddenly he surfaced with the biggest smile on his face, he was stoked, and it resonated with me. I realised that you have to enjoy the worst possible moments to even have a chance of experiencing the best. That was a big turning point in my life.” The following year Cotton towed McNamara into what was then – at 78ft – the largest wave ever surfed.

Having turned professional in 2013, Cotton teamed up with Red Bull in 2016 to create the documentary Beneath the Surface, a project that saw him dedicate an entire season to riding mammoth waves that break about eight miles off the coast of St. John’s Point in Donegal, Ireland. As McNamara says of Cotton in the documentary: “He’s one of the lone big wave surfers surfing for queen and country.”

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THIS PAGE AND OPPOSITE ANDREW COTTON DURING THE MAKING OF BENEATH THE SURFACE IN KILLYBEGS, IRELAND, APRIL 2016

In November 2017, while surfing in Nazaré, where a deep offshore canyon churns the Atlantic Ocean into colossal walls of water, Cotton suffered a horrific wipe out, which catapulted him from his board and broke his back. “Being so committed to such a big wave, I just had nowhere to go,” he remembers. “The wave broke on me and projected me into the flats, breaking my back on impact. I pretty much knew instantly it wasn’t good, but all I could think about was that the waves were only going to get better and I was missing the swell of the year.”

It took Cotton almost a full year to recover, before fate dealt him another cruel blow when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament competing at the Punta Galea Challenge in Spain.

Finally, after months of painstaking post-surgery rehabilitation, he’s back on his board, the desire to ride the world’s largest swells still his driving force.

“It’s amazing to be back in the water after all the effort put into rehab, gym work and building a solid foundation,” says Cotton.

“Now it’s great to add the fun part of it all, which is surfing – it makes everything worthwhile.”

I wonder when risk begins to outweigh reward for 40-year-old Cotton, who is married and has two young children, especially on a body that has already suffered so much. “Children have helped me become more focused and safer,” he says. “No one wants to die or drown or get injured. But it hasn’t changed my passion for actually wanting to go out and ride the biggest waves in the world.”

Nor does Cotton see age as an obstacle. “I think age in all sports is going up. I think we’re taking more care of our bodies and learning how to prolong our careers, and big wave surfers tend to be older. I still feel like I’ve got a lot more to do in my big wave surfing career. I still haven’t really had one of those waves that I’ve dreamed about.”

As anyone who’s spent time in the world’s great surf destinations knows, the pursuit is far more than a sport to those who preach it.

“It just makes me feel alive,” says Cotton. “You just never know what emotions a session can make you feel. I’m just looking forward to a full winter of chasing adventures in the Atlantic Ocean.”

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O F F

ARCTIC OCEAN SEA ICE

P E A K PHOTOGRAPHER MARTIN HARTLEY HAS SPENT HIS LIFE CAPTURING THE A R C T I C O C E A N O N C A M E R A , A N D I N T U R N H A S S E E N T H E D E VA S TAT I N G E F F E C T S O F C L I M A T E C H A N G E F I R S T - H A N D . T H I S F E B R U A R Y, H A R T L E Y W I L L E M B A R K O N H I S M O S T I M P O R TA N T E X P E D I T I O N TO DAT E : TO P H O T O G R A P H T H E R A P I D LY M E LT I N G S E A I C E . A H E A D O F H I S T R I P, T H E L A N C A S T R I A N D I S C U S S E S S U R V I VA L I N S T I N C T S , E N V I R O N M E N TA L I S M A N D W A L K I N G – Q U I T E L I T E R A L LY – O N T H I N I C E

Words: Ellen Millard

Y

ou know NASA? That giant, American space programme responsible for rocketing the first man to the moon and countless space expeditions since? That hub of genius, technology and expertise, where the greatest minds, innovators and machinery collide? Well, imagine if I told you that this mecca of intelligence had been trumped by something as simple as stationary.

In 2017, NASA deployed a satellite above the Arctic Ocean to measure the volume of sea ice, an expanse of frozen water that, thanks to increasing global temperatures, has rapidly reduced in recent years. The satellite was supposed to provide the most up-to-date data, but it struggled to decipher where the snow stopped and the ice began.

Enter Martin Hartley and his tool of choice: a ruler.

The photographer, who has spent his career capturing the planet’s coldest climates on camera, was dispatched to the Arctic – skis, camera and ruler in tow – to measure the snow depth while a NASA plane flew overhead, recalibrating the satellite’s data accordingly.

The findings were bleak, but Hartley could predict this from sight alone. “Normally on an Arctic Ocean expedition, you’re surrounded by ice that’s four to eight centimetres thick,” he explains. “On that journey, I didn’t see any big lumps of ice. It was like skiing across a lake.”

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INTERVIEW KLYUCHEVSKAYA SOPKA 4,750M, KAMCHATKA, FAR EAST RUSSIA

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KLUCHEVSKAY SOPKA, KAMCHATKA, RUSSIA,

A quick Google back on home soil revealed unwelcome statistics: historically, Arctic sea ice spans five to six million square miles, but as of September 2016 it has been as low as 1.6 million. It’s the earth’s “protective layer”, Hartley says, which projects 90 per cent of the planet’s radiation back into space – “and that’s nearly all gone now. Ten years ago, the predictions were that it was going to be around for the next 100 years, and in the last 10 they’ve realised that’s not accurate. That’s my primary reason for going back to the arctic again and again: to document the sea ice.”

One of the world’s foremost adventure photographers, Hartley has travelled the planet capturing nature from its best angles. Born and raised near the Lancashire Moors, he always had a love of the outdoors and photography, but never thought to bring the two together until he came runner-up in the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition aged 16. Today, his images of powdered peaks and jagged glaciers have been published by the likes of National Geographic, The New York Times and the BBC, and taken him to the most extreme corners of the globe.

“I’m fascinated by the human experience of being in an extreme environment,” says Hartley. “When the plane is gone, you’re more or less on your own. If you’re aware that the long arm of rescue can’t come and pull you back out, then you have to think quite differently about survival and all the decisions you make.”

Life or death moments come thick and fast in such conditions. On one trip to the Arctic Ocean, Hartley and two others found themselves on thin ice – literally. “All around us, it was breaking up,” he recalls. “The only way to escape from that situation was to ski. If one person had fallen through, we would have had to have left them. There was no way a helicopter or plane could come and get us because the weather was so bad.”

His latest collaboration with Leica and outwear brand

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INTERVIEW

FRANK HURLEY PHOTOGRAPHER’S JACKET, £1,950, SHACKLETONLONDON.COM

Shackleton will provide him with some protection against the elements: the Photographer’s Jacket has been designed in partnership with Hartley and features 800 fill-power goose down, a graphene lining to function down to -25˚C and ample pockets for essential kit. It’s named after Frank Hurley, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s official photographer and cinematographer on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914, and a personal hero of Hartley’s. “I know Frank Hurley’s work very well because I’ve done the journey that he did with Shackleton, and I know every single picture he’s taken,” the photographer says. “Anything I can get involved with that’s got his name attached to, I will.”

Hartley’s next trip is scheduled for February 2020 and will take him to Greenland, where he intends to document the sea ice before it melts even further.

“I’m not religious, but you know when you walk into a cathedral and you feel that kind of atmosphere? Big ice has that effect on you as well,” he says. “When you walk through it, you can feel the cold radiating from it, in the same way a really hot fire pushes heat onto you. It is incredible – and it’s going to go in my lifetime.

“Climate change is happening in different places all over the planet, but the Arctic Ocean is warming faster than anywhere else,” Hartley says. “My goal is to keep going back before it’s all gone.”

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P.42 WENDA AND OSTRICHES, NORMAN PARKINSON, 1951

DIARY DATES The latest events to add to your calendar this month

P.46 BIDDING WARS Pick up a paddle for the best auctions in town

P.48 MARK LECKEY The Turner Prizewinning artist keeps it real at the Tate Britain

P.52 VOODOO CHILD Fifty years after his death, we explore the legacy of Jimi Hendrix

C U LT U R E MUSIC,

MUSEUMS AND

MASTERPIECES

Quintessentially British photographer Norman Parkinson shot his wife, actress Wenda Rogerson, perched on an ostrich in 1951. The photograph formed part of Sotheby’s Art of Travel sale in December (p.46)

T H E A G E N DA YOUR CURATED GUIDE TO CULTURE IN THE CAPITAL Words: Ellen Millard

MARYLEBONE HIGHLIGHTS FROM 64 YEARS OF LIFE MAGAZINE From 1936 until 2000, LIFE magazine commissioned more than 120,000 stories and 10 million photographs, documenting many of the most significant and memorable moments in modern history – from daily heroic feats

by members of the public to celebrity encounters to harrowing images of war.

A selection of these snaps are currently on display at Marylebone’s Atlas Gallery, where viewers can marvel at the diversity of LIFE’s subject matters: from Frank Sinatra in Miami to the Buchenwald prisoners of Germany.

Until 1 February, 49 Dorset Street, W1U, atlasgallery.com

THIS PAGE, FROM TOP FRANK SINATRA WITH ED SULLIVAN, 1964-5; STEVE MCQUEEN IN BLACK JAGUAR AT STUDIO, CALIFORNIA, 1963, BOTH BY JOHN DOMINIS, ©LIFE GALLERY OF PHOTOGRAPHY

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ANGEL DISCOVER CONTEMPORARY AND MODERN ARTWORKS AT LONDON ART FAIR 2020 NEGLIGEE, ILONA SZALAY, 2019, COURTESY OF ARUSHA GALLERY

CHELSEA SURREALIST ARTIST SAMMY SLABBINCK BRINGS VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS INTO THE 21ST CENTURY Feminism, gender indentity, national indentity and the connection between nature and wellbeing are the overarching themes of London Art Fair 2020, which connects seasoned and aspiring collectors with galleries from across the globe. Don’t miss Photo50, the fair’s annual exhibition of contemporary photography, which this year has been curated by gallerist Laura Noble. Her exhibition Occupy the Void will focus on works by living female photographers over the age of 50 and the physical and cultural spaces they inhabit.

A self-titled “re-animator of images”, Surrealist artist Sammy Slabbinck layers illustrations, photographs and prints from the 1950s, 60s and 70s to create his works. Using a collection of images and literature he’s amassed since he was a teenager, the former gallerist gives each cutting a new perspective as they are moulded into thought-provoking collages that distort scale and proportion.

See the artist’s work at Michael Hoppen Gallery, where his previously unexhibited collages are on display.

22-26 January, Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, N1, londonartfair.co.uk

Until 25 January, 3 Jubilee Place, SW3, michaelhoppengallery.com

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FROM TOP SPRING CLEANING, 2019; SPIDER WOMAN, 2019; THE MOUNTAINS ARE CALLING, 2019; ALL ©SAMMY SLABBINCK, COURTESY OF MICHAEL HOPPEN GALLERY

M AY F A I R HUNTING FOR TREASURE AT THE MAYFAIR FINE ARTS AND ANTIQUES FAIR From a George III cheese dish that will set you back £16,750 to a pair of monkey-shaped perfume bottles circa 1755, The Mayfair Fine Arts and Antiques Fair boasts a truly eclectic mix of wares. This January, 40 dealers will present their best stock at the event’s 2020 edition, which is hosted at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square.

9-12 January, London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, W1K, mayfairfair.com

FROM TOP RUNNING DOWN TO ZERMATT, ARTHUR JAMES WETHERALL BURGESS (ROUNTREE TRYON GALLERIES); A BUSY STREET SCENE, NORTH HOLLAND, EDWARD SEAGO (HAYNES FINE ART)

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CANARY WHARF CANARY WHARF’S WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL RETURNS FOR ANOTHER YEAR OF ILLUMINATED ART Canary Wharf glows brighter than usual in January thanks to its annual Winter Lights festival, which sees 25 installations by international artists light up the estate. For 2020, Belgian artist Joanie Lemercier will present Constellations, a 3D light show projected onto the North Dock, while Daniel Popescu sends the illuminated message Mi-e dor de Tine – ‘I miss you’ in Romanian.

16-25 January, Canary Wharf, E14, canarywharf.com

AFFINITY, AMIGO & AMIGO

M AY F A I R PICASSO’S PAPER MASTERPIECES ARE EXPLORED IN A NEW EXHIBITION Not just a tool for nascent ideas, paper was a significant source of creativity for Pablo Picasso, who worked with pastel, gouache and watercolour to create collages, sculptures and Cubist papier-collés (cut and pasted

papers). The artist himself referred to printmaking as his way of “writing fiction”. See his stories come to life at the Royal Academy of Arts, where a new exhibition, Pablo Picasso and Paper, will highlight the artist’s lesser-explored medium, with more than 300 works spanning his 80-year career.

25 January – 13 April, from £18, Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J, royalacademy.org.uk

FROM TOP ‘LE DÉJEUNER SUR L’HERBE’ AFTER MANET I, MOUGINS, PABLO PICASSO, 1962; WOMEN AT THEIR TOILETTE, PABLO PICASSO, WINTER 1937–38, BOTH ©SUCCESSION PICASSO/DACS 2019

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SOLD

$1.275M DATE: 30 N OVEMB ER 2019 ESTIMATE: $1. 5M – $2M

Aston Martin One-77 One of just 77 Aston Martin One-77’s that were produced by the British marque in 2011, this hypercar was

PRIZE LOTS

snapped up at the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2019, where Sotheby’s held its first ever auction in the Middle East. All proceeds from this sale are being donated to conservation non-profit African Parks on behalf of Auction4Wildlife, which was founded by the motor’s original owner Markus Jebsen.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP ASTON MARTIN ONE-77, COURTESY OF AFRICAN PARKS; ONE OF FOUR LARGE-FORMAT PANORAMA PHOTOGRAPHS OF DESERT SCENES OF TRAVELLERS AND CAMELS, LEHNERT AND LANDROCK, COURTESY OF SOTHEBY’S; KAWS, NO REPLY, 2015, COURTESY OF PHILLIPS

SOLD

£3,250 DATE: 12 DECEMB ER 2019

UPCOMING E STI M ATE :

ESTIMATE: £3,000-£5,000

£4 0,000 – £60,000

No Reply, KAWS

Four large format panorama photographs of desert scenes of travellers and camels by Lehnert and Landrock

New York graffiti artist Brian Donnelly, better known as KAWS, has been tagging city streets since the early 1990s.

He gained popularity with his neon works, and quickly expanded his creativity to other mediums: sculpture, painting and collage. This complete set of 10 screenprints will go on sale at Phillips in January.

Editions, 23 January 2020, phillips.com

Described in the accompanying catalogue as “probably the most ubiquitous surviving Orientalist imagery of North Africa in the early 20th century” these Lehnert and Landrock photographs sold at Sotheby’s in December as part of the house’s Art of Travel auction, a series that aimed to capture the enduring allure of travel.

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DREAM ENGLISH KID, 1964-1999 AD, MARK LECKEY, 2015

DO YOU FEEL REAL? THE NEW REALITY OF TURNER PRIZE-WINNING MARK LECKEY – THE A R T I S T W H O ’ S B U I LT A M O T O R WAY B R I D G E I N S I D E TAT E B R I TA I N

Words: Hannah & Mark Hayes-Westall

F

or someone obsessed with a possibly magical motorway bridge, Mark Leckey is an artist surprisingly focused on the reality of life. The 2008 Turner Prize winner has long explored the world through the lens of his own responses to different stimuli from his past and present. The resulting work has come to define the eras in which it was produced, influencing creators from art, music and fashion, and repeatedly – though perhaps unintentionally – establishing frameworks that the rest of us have come to use to understand the technology-led world around us.

Driven by a need to understand and resolve his own responses, Leckey’s art has addressed subjects from the underground youth dance scenes of England’s working classes to the power of his own desire for material goods and the origins and impact of that kind of consumerism.

A recurring motif, and one that features in his current Tate Britain solo show, is his memory of a childhood belief in having had a brush with the supernatural under the Eastham Rake motorway bridge near Liverpool, an event that acts as a key biographical marker in the artist’s life.

Leckey first became well known outside of the art world for his 1998 15-minute film Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore.

Commissioned by London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, it brought together footage of British dance scenes, from the 1970s Northern Soul Weekender movement to1980s Casuals and the hardcore scene of the early 1990s, all soundtracked by a mesmerising mix of underground tracks, documentary footage and audio clips from 90s pirate radio.

With clips reused by Jamie xx in the 2014 track All Under One Roof Raving, among others, the work has had an impact on audiences far beyond the bounds of those initial ICA gallery goers. Arguably, this is a result of the immediate, visceral appeal of the film, a quality that Leckey has spoken about and which seems to exert an ongoing pull on him even as it acts to influence others.

Leckey has spoken, too, about his dissatisfaction with the kind of art-world thinking that focuses on theory and seeks to generate work that drives a viewer to think. Rather, he has often focused on generating work that makes a viewer feel; work that, like so much in popular culture, generates an immediate emotional response. Not attached to one

form of expression, Leckey’s artistic endeavours have taken the form of everything from creating a band, DonAteller, which performed covers of the covers of popular songs, to films like 2003’s Parade, which sought to capture the sense of getting ready for a night out in a great outfit. There have also been events like 2003’s BigBoxStatueAction, where he installed a sound system opposite the Jacob Epstein statue Jacob & The Angel in Tate Britain’s Rotunda, and blasted an extremely loud soundtrack at it that included dance music and Handel’s Messiah.

Famously his 2004 video work Made in ‘Eaven was set in

his own Fitzrovia flat and featured the Jeff Koons metallic Rabbit sculpture set on a plinth. As the video shows the work from every angle, the viewer gradually realises that the consistent lack of reflection means that the film is entirely computer generated.

While the desire to evoke a response seems constant, woven through the work is also a ribbon of nostalgia that drives many of the artist’s acts of creation. Leckey has talked about Fiorucci as a work that is made out of longing and which he created as an attempted exorcism, a way of ridding himself from obsessively thinking about the concepts and feelings that it represented to him. He discusses Made in ‘Eaven as a dream about the feeling of desire for a perfect consumer object. Nostalgia and pop culture are also connected intimately in Industrial Light and Magic, the work that won him the 2008 Turner Prize. The

exhibition included Cinema-in-the-Round and was a meditative examination of the history of film given in the form of a lecture and film presentation, and conceived by Leckey to explore why he – and by extension, all of us – react in certain ways to certain film pieces.

While Fiorucci was made laboriously in the pre-internet age, with film clips gathered by post, it’s unsurprising that Leckey later embraced YouTube, and his 2015 work Dream English Kid,1964-1999AD was triggered by accidentally finding online a film of a Joy Division gig he had attended in Liverpool aged 15. The discovery that such unnoticed, personal events might have been documented and might be available led to the film piece that, using collage, music and sound audio, creates a new kind of autobiography – one that creates an emotional immediacy that generates a new reality for viewer and creator alike, all of which feed into the new show at Tate Britain, Mark Leckey: O’ Magic Power of Bleakness.

In Dream English Kid, Leckey first addressed the motorway bridge at Eastham Rake he remembers as the site of a childhood encounter with a pixie. The memory lasted, unchallenged, until he neared adulthood and the artist recalled it as an uneasy one, neither benign nor malevolent. It came to embody the idea of a childish innocence, with the bridge acting as the focus for those memories he wished to rid himself of. Attempting to move forward, in 2018 Leckey recorded and put out a 10-inch single on Warp Records, Exorcism of the Bridge@Eastham Rake. As exorcisms go, it wasn’t a success and the new show will be centred on the same bridge.

At the heart of Mark Leckey: O’ Magic Power of Bleakness the artist has installed a life-sized replica of the motorway bridge on the M53, which forms the setting for a new audio play. Focusing on a group of teenagers, the play is inspired by folklore, particularly stories of changelings and “fairy raids”, and by the artist’s own pre-adolescent experiences.

The bridge will be shown alongside both Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore and Dream English Kid, 1964-1999AD in a show that is atmospheric and theatrical, and which forces visitors to think about what makes the past feel real.

Mark Leckey: O’ Magic Power of Bleakness, from £12, until 5 January 2020, Tate Britain, Millbank, SW1P, tate.org.uk; Hannah and Mark Hayes-Westall are the publishers of art news website FADMagazine.com and art newspaper Art of Conversation

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OPPOSITE PAGE EXTENDED EXORCISM OF THE BRIDGE AT EASTHAM RAKE, AS PART OF BMW TATE LIVE EXHIBITION ‘TEN DAYS SIX NIGHTS’, TATE MODERN, 24 MARCH 2018; THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP DREAM ENGLISH KID, 1964 – 1999 AD, MARK LECKEY, 2015 (PRODUCTION STILL). COURTESY OF THE ARTIST PHOTOGRAPHY ©MARK BLOWER; RECORD SLEEVE MOCK-UP FOR MARK LECKEY’S UNDER UNDER IN 2019, USING HENRY FUSELI’S PAINTING COBWEB, 1785–6, ©MARK LECKEY; INFLATABLE FELIX, MARK LECKEY, 2014

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HEAR MY TRAIN A COMIN’ THE FI NAL DAYS OF J IMI H E N DRI X

H A L F A C E N T U R Y AG O, T H E W O R L D ’ S G R E AT E S T G U I TA R I S T D I E D I N T R AG I C C I R C U M S TA N C E S I N A S M A L L , C E N T R A L L O N D O N F L AT. L U X U R Y L O N D O N L O O K S B A C K O N T H E T R O U B L E D F I N A L D AY S O F J I M I H E N D R I X

Words: Rob Crossan

JIMI HENDRIX, THE ISLE OF WIGHT FESTIVAL, 1970, ©PHILIPPE GRAS/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

‘T JIMI HENDRIX, FILLMORE EAST, MAY 10, 1968, PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE BANKS

he story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye. The story of love is hello and goodbye. Until we meet again’. A few hours after he wrote these lines, the most sublimely gifted musician of his generation was dead in is bed, having choked on his own vomit after a typical evening involving groupies, parties, wine, joints, amphetamines and barbiturates.

Fifty years on, rumour and inconsistences still persist around the death of a man who, all but ignored in the United States, found his most fanatical audience in London. For it was this city that embraced Hendrix literally from the moment he first stepped off a plane in September 1966.

At the time, Hendrix was known only by a few cognoscenti in the Greenwich Village live music scene. The term ‘overnight success’ could have been coined to reflect how this transcendently charismatic musician was received when he first arrived in London in 1966. Eric Clapton was among the first to recognise Hendrix’s genius, the Yardbirds and Cream guitarist quick to realise that here was a man whose skill and craftsmanship with the instrument were light years ahead of anyone else on the planet.

“He played just about every style you could think of, and not in a flashy way,” recalled Clapton. “I mean he did a few of his tricks, like playing with his teeth and behind his back, but it wasn’t in an upstaging sense at all, and that was it ... He walked off, and my life was never the same again.”

Fast forward a mere four years and Hendrix, still using London as his base, had evolved from being the genius behind chart-friendly rock and blues juggernauts like Hey Joe and Foxy Lady into a musician increasingly shying away from mainstream success in favour of more esoteric, jazzinfluenced sounds.

Predicting his own early death in 1970 while on location in Hawaii for the shambolic hippy film Rainbow Bridge, Hendrix remarked on set to fellow cast and crew members that if he ever went back to his home city of Seattle it would “be in a pine box”.

Wrecked by an ever increasing diet of hard drugs and a relentless touring and recording schedule, Hendrix’s physical and mental health was in tatters, causing him to abandon a gig in January 1970 halfway through due to having taken bad acid before heading on stage.

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JIMI HENDRIX AT THE LOCARNO BALLROOM BRISTOL, 1967, © TRINITY MIRROR / MIRRORPIX / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

An early autumn return to London after a typically chaotic opening to his own Electric Lady Studios in New York should have been the cue for some extensive recuperation, but the temptations of the city were too much for Hendrix to resist.

He was dating the German figure skater Monika Dannemann and two of them would take drugs in her flat inside the Samarkand Hotel in Notting Hill. Hendrix was wary of spending too much time in public view; he had two lawsuits pending, one a paternity case, and was under pressure from his manager Mike Jeffery, as well as his record company, to come up with new product and new concert dates.

Appearing briefly at a party after penning The Story of Life at Dannemann’s flat, a noticeably depressed Hendrix complained to fellow partygoers about his frustrations with the music industry and with Jeffery, before returning to the Samarkand with Dannemann. It was almost dawn when, on top of the wine and amphetamines he’d consumed that evening, he took up to nine sleeping pills and ate a tuna fish sandwich, according to Dannemann.

Dannemann claimed that she awoke some time between 10am and 10:20am the next morning and found Hendrix sleeping normally in bed next to her. She said she then left to purchase cigarettes, and when she returned at around 11am, found him in bed, breathing, although unconscious and unresponsive. By the time the ambulance arrived at St Mary Abbot’s Hospital, Hendrix’s heartbeat and pulse were already flat.

James Marshall Hendrix was declared dead at 12:45pm on Friday 18 September 1970. He was 27.

The coroner’s open verdict and the lack of any investigation surrounding his death meant Dannemann’s story went officially unchallenged for more than 20 years.

It was only in the early 1990s that Hendrix’s ex-girlfriend Kathy Etchingham located the ambulance men who attended the scene at the Samarkand Hotel. Reg Jones stated that when they were called to the flat Hendrix was fully dressed and alone, with Dannemann nowhere to be seen. It was subsequently suggested that Hendrix had already been dead for some hours.

Dannemann died in 1996 and with no surviving witnesses from that morning in September 1970 left alive, rumours

Hendrix remarked that if he ever went back to his home city of Seattle it would “be in a pine box”

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still abound. Was Hendrix’s body moved to Dannemann’s flat after an overdose elsewhere in London? Was he killed on the orders of a cabal of mafia bosses with whom Mike Jeffery was believed to be involved? Was he the victim of a J. Edgar Hoover-sponsored programme to kill celebrities who sympathised with the Black Panther movement?

The medical evidence that finally emerged in the 1980s does suggest the possibility of foul play. Although the official autopsy shows consumption of sleeping tablets as the cause of death, it’s far from definite that this would have been fatal for Hendrix, a chronic insomniac with a high tolerance of barbiturates.

The doctor at the hospital where Hendrix’s death was officially recorded also stated that the large quantities of red wine were present in his throat, stomach and lungs. There was little alcohol in his bloodstream, suggesting that he could have been held down and drowned by having wine poured down his throat.

Political motivation for the musician’s death is also not as far-fetched as it might ostensibly appear. His disturbing, feedback-spattered performance of the The Star-Spangled Banner at the 1969 Woodstock festival was still fresh in the memory. Hendrix attracted Black Panther supporters to his concerts and their actions, if not their more overt violence, struck a chord with him, as he remarked. “It isn’t that I’m not relating to the Black Panthers. I naturally feel a part of what they’re doing, in certain respects. Somebody has to make a move, and we’re the ones hurting most as far as peace of mind and living are concerned.”

According to the documentary Jimi Hendrix: The Last 24 Hours (2004), declassified FBI documents show that Hendrix appeared on a list of dissident musicians, writers and artists who would be put into a detainment camp in the United States should escalating black radicalism and violent opposition to the Vietnam War reach the point of national emergency.

Much of the content of these papers remains redacted to this day. Like the reverb on one of Hendrix’s incendiary guitar solos, the truth continues to flutter and waft into the unknown, beyond the reach of those who remain.

Half a century on, his final written words still seem to contain something of that restless spirit, a soul that beguiled London, creating sounds that remain some of the most restlessly inventive of the past century.

‘All the tears we cry. No use in arguing. All the use to the man that moans. When each man falls in battle. His soul it has to roam.’

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JIMI HENDRIX AT THE LOCARNO BALLROOM BRISTOLM, 1967, ©TRINITY MIRROR/MIRRORPIX/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

ELECTRIC LONDON-LAND T H R E E H E N D R I X H OT S P OT S I N T H E C A P I TA L 23 BROOK STREET The bedroom of the Mayfair flat where Hendrix lived for much of 1968 and 1969 with his then girlfriend Kathy Etchingham has now been restored to look almost exactly as it was during his tenure, right down to knick-knacks bought on Portobello Road and furnishings from John Lewis.

You can buy tickets to visit the flat (which is next door to the house Handel lived in 200 years earlier) at handelhendrix.org.

RONNIE SCOTT’S It’s a little more open-minded in its music policy these days, but Hendrix was never given the most rapturous of welcomes by the famously aloof jazz crowd when he played at this Soho institution. It is, however, the site of his last ever public appearance – he jammed here just two nights before his death. ronniescotts.co.uk T H E S C O T C H O F S T. J A M E S Reopened after a gap of almost a quarter of a century in 2012, the original incarnation of this bijou West End club was where Paul McCartney first met Stevie Wonder. In 1966, Hendrix, having only arrived from the States earlier that day, sweet-talked his way onto the stage to join the house band and, according to those who were there, blew them off the stage with his version of Wild Thing by The Troggs. the-scotch.co.uk

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TIME IS PRECIOUS MAKE THE MOST OF IT

T H E U LT I M AT E AIRPORT EXPERIENCE PRIVATE ENTRANCE BUTLER | LUXURIOUS SUITE EXCLUSIVE SECURITY EXPERIENCE CHAUFFEUR | PL A N E H EATH RO WVI P.C O M

D R I V E

H Y P E R C A R S , H O T H AT C H E S & S U P E R S U V S

P.60 TRUE BRIT Homegrown Lister unveils the new LFT-C drop-top

P.66 ON TRACK Racing the Orient Express in a Bentley Bentayga

The latest Extraordinary World event from Bentley took drivers to the land of fire and ice. In a fleet of Bentley B8’s, the group traversed Iceland’s frozen rivers, frosty mountain trails and craggy rock faces.

For 2020, the marque will take drivers to California. For more information, visit events.bentleymotors.com

BACK TO THE

F U T U R E L I S T E R ’ S L I M I T E D - E D I T I O N L F T- C D R O P -TO P I S A THUNDEROUS TRIBUTE TO BRITISH-MADE BRILLIANCE

Words: Rory F. H. Smith

Once upon a time, in a land not so far from London, there existed a booming British car industry. Here, the likes of MG, Rover, Vauxhall and Jaguar created some of the finest motorcars the world had ever seen. Now, these former bastions of the British economy, are – for the most part – still going strong albeit under the eye of foreign owners. With only a handful of truly British car brands still motoring along, one name shouts louder than the rest. Quite a bit louder, in fact.

Introducing Lister. Now in its third era, the plucky British workshop was founded by Brian Lister in 1954 when the Lister MG won its first race at Snetterton with racing driver Archie Scott-Brown behind the wheel. Like many of its peers, Lister was one of a handful of workshops producing homemade racing cars, designed and engineered by enthusiasts like John Cooper and Colin Chapman. Together, they formed a highly competitive cottage industry, which led the resurgence of the British motor racing scene after the war.

Lister continued to go from strength to strength during the 1950s, with more race wins leading to a succession of more powerful racing cars featuring powerplants from the likes of Maserati, Bristol and Jaguar. But none were quite as iconic as the Lister Knobbly – named after its curvaceous exterior – which led the pack in the 1950s racing scene.

Powered by a 3.8-litre Jaguar D-type engine, the Knobbly won 12 of the 14 races in its maiden season in 1957. The car catapulted the Lister name into motorsport history but, although the brand continued to make cars for its customers for several more years, it ended factory racing in 1959. It wasn’t until 1986, under the new ownership of Laurence Pearce, that the name re-emerged. In its new iteration, the company became renowned for tuning versions of Jaguar’s XJS sport tourer and once again hit the track with the development of the V12 Lister Storm in 1993.

In 2013, the marque entered its third era, when fatherand-son team Andrew and Laurence Whittaker bought the Cambridge-based company to produce recreations of the iconic Knobbly 1950s racer.

What started as a niche nod to Lister’s past soon rose into a fully fledged car company with a penchant for modifying loud and ludicrous Jaguar F-types, like the topless LFT-C in front of me. To the untrained eye, the Lister LFT-C could well be mistaken for a slightly tweaked and tuned F-type but

it’s far from standard, in any way. It is based on the F-type R convertible and Lister’s army of engineering alchemists have worked over every aspect of the two-seater drop top. Under its long bonnet lies the gutsy, Jaguar factory-fitted 5.0-litre V8 engine – only Lister has bolted on an upgraded supercharger, intercooler, air filter and engine management system. All this means the LFT-C churns out 666bph and can hit 62mph in just 3.2 seconds, 100mph in seven seconds and reach a top speed of 205mph.

While the stats are certainly impressive, it’s out on the road that it all makes sense. Just starting the Lister is an event – and one that’s almost certain to offend the neighbours. With a trick, bespoke exhaust system, sprouting into four, carbon-clad tips at the rear, the LFT-C certainly makes it presence known – especially with the exhaust amplifier firmly pressed. Cracks, pops and bangs accompany downshifts, while the full force of an electrical storm is let loose when you plant the throttle – fitting, considering the pre-production project was called Thunder before it took its current arrangement of letters.

The moment the supercharger kicks in, pinning you back against your seat, a relentless ear-splitting symphony follows, as the LFT-C shifts through the gears with remarkable pace.

People in the surrounding counties will know what you’re up to, as will the local constabulary. Never before has noise been such a clear indicator of the speed you’re clocking – a handy reminder if you still want to hold onto that driving licence.

Despite the additional power, Jaguar’s all-wheel-drive system and stability programmes keep everything facing the right way, and it’s possible to switch between the driving modes through the familiar Jaguar switchgear.

POWER: 666BHP AT 6,000RPM TORQUE: 720.33 NM ACCELERATION: 0-60 IN 3.2 SECS MAX SPEED: 205MPH PRICE: From £139,000

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Only 10 LFT-C’s will be made, compared to 99 examples of the LFT coupe

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Happily, things are just as mad on the inside. Making the most of the F-type’s well laid out interior, Lister commissioned Scottish interior trimmers Bridge of Weir to overhaul the LFT-C’s cabin. With 36 colours to choose from, Bridge of Weir’s nappa leather covers everything from the doors to the roof lining and steering wheel. Finished in a striking combination of black and yellow, this particular car pays homage to the original Lister colour scheme used for its first motor in 1954. Leather aside, the Lister’s interior is identical to the F-type’s, sporting the same Jaguar-made infotainment screen and dials. Even the jumping Jaguar logo remains firmly planted in the centre of the steering wheel.

Those admiring Lister’s handiwork from the outside will notice a few subtle but important changes to the looks. With a handsome base car – the work of former Jaguar design director Ian Callum – the LFT-C wears all-new carbon-fibre bodywork such as the deeper front bumper and splitter, which sit just millimetres off the ground thanks to the car’s new lower suspension set up. Along the sides, new skirts lead to the monstrous rear diffuser, which houses the four larger exhaust tips. Rounding off the look are optional 21-inch rims, which sit in front of the yellow painted brake calipers. Collectively, the visual changes are respectful to the original design, giving the LFT-C a menacing stance to match its devilish performance.

Of course, all this lunacy comes at a price – £139,000 at base cost, to be precise. Going someway to justifying the cost is the fact that only 10 LFT-Cs will be made, compared to 99 examples of the LFT coupe. With that financial foundation, let alone the almost endless options list, the Lister is lifted firmly into supercar territory, with competition from the likes of the Porsche 911 Turbo and Aston Martin Vantage. But few will match up to the madness of the Cambridge-made LFT-C. While its competitors might go about their business more effectively, the charm of this rare piece of British-made exotica is hard to shy away from, especially in an age of mass-produced luxury. When Brian Lister first put together his home-made racing car in 1954, it’s unlikely he’d have thought the Lister badge would still be thriving well into the 21st century. What Andrew and Laurence Whittaker have created is a fitting tribute to Lister’s early work. This car is an excessive and eccentric tribute to the colourful characters that spawned the fledgling British sports car explosion in the 1950s. With more theatre than all of its peers put together, the drop top LFT-C brings the Cambridge carmaker’s remarkable relationship with Jaguar into the modern age with full force. lister.com

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THE SPEED TRAIN

T H E WO R L D ’ S FA S T E S T P R O D U C T I O N S U V TA K E S O N T H E MOST STORIED TRAIN IN HISTORY – LUXURY LONDON CHASES THE ORIENT EXPRESS ACROSS 3,000 MILES AND EIGHT COUNTRIES IN T H E U LT I M AT E G R A N D T O U R

Words: Jeremy Taylor

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he Orient Express travels 1,400 miles across Europe from Paris to Istanbul once a year on the trip of a lifetime. It follows the original route mapped long before the very first Bentley was built 100 years ago.

Well-heeled travellers would board at Gare de l’Est and luxuriate in Pullman carriages, with waiters catering to their every need. Their berths featured intricate wooden panelling, leather armchairs and the finest champagne on ice.

The Express captured the imagination so comprehensively that it became the subject of countless stories – most famously Murder On the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie.

The Speed, the latest version of the Bentley Bentayga, is just as thrilling.

The Crewe-built people carrier has a top speed of 190mph – that’s 0.5 mph faster than the latest Lamborghini Urus.

As you might expect in a Bentley, the Speed features the best of everything. Hard-finished wood veneers, carbon-fibre trim and the finest hide seats adorn a sumptuous cabin. A solid gold, diamondencrusted Breitling clock can be yours as a £160,000 option too.

Powered by a six-litre petrol engine, the Speed hits 60mph from standstill in just 3.9 seconds. The twin turbo W12 has been upgraded to 626bhp and shaves 0.2 seconds off the standard Bentayga 0-62mph dash.

The Speed hits 60mph from standstill in just 3.9 seconds The exhausts are snarlier, the suspension firmer and this is the only Bentayga offered with sporty Alcantara trim – although luxury leather hide is available if you prefer.

My travel plan is to leave Paris and follow a high-speed road route to Istanbul, the bridge between Europe and Asia. While the train journeys via Vienna, Budapest and Bucharest, I’m driving to Strasbourg, Salzburg, then south to Belgrade and Sofia, before a final push to Turkey – although as it turns out, I won’t make the final destination by road.

As I leave the French capital, even cool Parisians can’t resist a peek at Bentley’s £182,000-worth of motorised luxury. It could be the vibrant orange paintwork, but the Bentayga’s robust styling isn’t always well received.

Finding a way out of the city centre

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from the newly restored Hotel Grand Powers in the 8th arrondissement and onto the Périphérique ring road involves countless pedestrian selfies – plus a paparazzi-style entourage on scooters.

The A4 east to Strasbourg then, is a welcome relief. It’s a chance for the Bentley to do what it does best – stretch its legs and cruise in a straight line for mile after mile. I’m averaging just over 20mpg, not bad for 2.4 tons of handcrafted motor car that barely makes a whisper.

Strasbourg’s 2,000-year-old city centre wasn’t built for cars. The cobbled streets of the old town are sealed off to traffic and the city’s rich architectural heritage is jawdroppingly beautiful. To avoid the tourist-packed streets, stay at Hôtel Les Haras, a contemporary conversion of the former national stud farm within walking distance.

Salzburg is a nine-hour drive through the Alpine borderlands of Switzerland and Germany, but the Bentley munches up vast distances with consummate ease. Only fuel consumption suffers as the roads become more interesting across the

BENTLEY B E N TAY G A S P E E D Price: £182,200 Engine size: 5950cc Cylinders: 12 Power: 626bhp Performance: 0-62mph in 3.9 secs Max speed: 190mph

mountains. Expect no more than 17mpg on an enthusiastic drive.

The Bentayga corners better than you might expect – for an SUV it’s almost nimble. The steering tightens up at speed and it starts to feel like a proper supercar. The Bentley is quick, too. Last summer a Speed broke the production car record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in America.

Salzburg was designed for horses and carriages, and, like Strasbourg, is no place for a car. The Bentayga’s air suspension glides across the cobbled streets, however, as concert-goers gather in the Residenzplatz square. This is the perfect location to show off the Bentley’s 20-speaker Naim audio system with The Sound of Music soundtrack.

There’s no hotel parking in the busy centre, so I wheel my suitcase to Hotel Goldgasse, an atmospheric hotel

down a narrow shopping alley near the Domplatz. The medieval building is packed with character and superconvenient for the city centre.

The next day it’s an eight-hour drive to Belgrade. Judging by the welcome, I’m not sure there are many orange Bentleys in the Serbian capital. The understated Saint Ten Hotel is a 15-minute walk away from the city centre, in a leafy suburb. The Church of Saint Sava, one of the largest Serbian Orthodox churches in Europe, dominates the skyline and the hotel can arrange tour guides to explain the complicated past and present history of this much misunderstood country.

South of Belgrade the Serbian countryside becomes more undulating and tree-covered than the agricultural northern flatlands. There are long queues at the border into Bulgaria and to use the rugged roads south to Sofia you will need a vignette – a sticker to show that you have paid the correct toll.

The Grand Hotel offers huge suites for reasonable prices. There’s a slightly austere atmosphere that harks back to the Communist era but the staff are helpful and Gurko Street is a

good place to explore on foot.

While Orient Express passengers dine on lobster and caviar, I’m making the best of motorway cafés and service stations. Sadly, the Bentayga doesn’t come with a butler.

The current Orient Express takes a leisurely six days to make the Bosphorus strait and I’m on schedule to beat that – until I receive a phone call telling me I don’t have the correct paperwork to drive the car into Turkey.

I’m only an hour from the border, near the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, last year’s European Capital of Culture.

I’m forced to turn abruptly north and head for the Romanian capital of Bucharest instead.

It’s been an exhilarating journey, driving the fastest, most luxurious SUV on the road – well, on Romanian roads for certain. If I were to do the journey again, would I let the train take the strain or choose the Bentayga Speed? I could live without the orange paintwork, but include a few smoked salmon sandwiches and I’d be happy to struggle by in the Bentley. bentleymotors.com

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF JESSICA SAUNDERS

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DISCOVER THE

BEAUTY

HEALTHCARE . PHARMACY . SKINCARE . WELLBEING

COUTURE CUT FROM A DIFFERENT CLOTH

P.74 ALL THE GEAR The utilitarian menswear to take your ski style from amateur to pro

P.78 FUTURE PROOF How boutique brand Vollebak has pioneered a whole new field in which to dominate

P.86 RETRO REVIVAL The womenswear that works both on and off the slopes

David Beckham channels the high-octane, adventurous spirit of Tudor, wearing the watch manufacturer’s Black Bay P01, originally designed for the US Navy. In Tudor’s latest campaign, the sportsman joins Olympic snowboarder Kjersti Buaas in the Alps, putting the watch to the test at high-altitude and sub-zero temperatures. £2,960, tudorwatch.com

OUT OF OFFICE ESSENTIAL KIT FOR MAKING THE M O S T O F T H E G R E AT O U T D O O R S

Words: Justin Hast

MOUNTAIN MEN McNair ’s heavyweight merino shirts might be made in Yorkshire but they’re meant for the mountains

Navigate the winter weather with a mountain shirt from McNair. These heavyweight merino numbers from the Yorkshire-based clothing company are comparable with heavyweight fleeces, just a lot more stylish. Established in 2013 by Richard Hamshire, Natalie Stapleton and Neil McNair (a professional snowboarder), every McNair shirt is weaved, milled, raised and steamed within a 10-mile radius of Huddersfield – a city that’s to wool, what Northampton is to shoes.

Heavyweight merino Ridge shirt, £375, mcnairshitrs.com

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CRITICAL APPARATUS 1

PROTECTIVE CAP

This cap and protective face mask is made from Nylon Metal, one of the most versatile fabrics to come out of Stone Island’s legendary textile research department. £235, stoneisland.co.uk

2

Arkiv R6 Field Pack San Francisco-based Mission Workshop manufactures what are arguably the most robust, hardwearing backpacks in the world.

Originally developed for the cycling community, each bag is designed to be “as tough as it is beautiful”. The company’s Arkiv R6 Field Pack boasts a six-rail modular packing system for the secure attachment of weatherproof accessories to the exterior of the bag. Additional compartments range from simple mobile phone pouches and tool pockets to larger organisers and laptop sleeves. The pack can be used in either ‘roll-top’ mode, or in a traditional ‘flap-down’ configuration.

All Arkiv bags are weatherproof and backed by a lifetime warranty.

I.N.O.X. V WATCH

40L, £460, missionworkshop.com

Victorinox makes more than Swiss Army knives, including this stealthy wristwatch. It has SuperLuminova-coated hands and a removable protective shield. £479, victorinox.com

3

GLACIER SUNGLASSES

With their removable side shells, Vuarnet’s Glacier shades have become legendary – as evidenced by their onscreen appearance in James Bond’s Spectre. £420, eyeshop.com

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OUT OF THE TRAPS Headwear doesn’t come much cosier than this trapper hat from Gucci – made in Italy from plush 100 per cent tan shearling and featuring tiefastening ear flaps. £580, gucci.com

Don’t sweat it

TOOLS FOR THE JOB Basel-based artisan carpentry brand WohnGeist imbues the spirit of Switzerland into each product it builds.

Each tool is held in place by magnetic retainers, and the box is available with personal engraving. WohnGeist is a member of the World Wildlife Fund’s Wood Group, committed to fashioning sustainable products that will stand the test of time.

Approx. £750, woodandluxury.com

Exemplifying Moncler’s affinity for all things outdoors, this sweater references popular skiing resort Aspen in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Crafted from a luxury blend of cashmere and wool, it takes the novelty ski jumper to new heights. £605, harrods.com

F L I G H T O F FA N C Y Leatherwork specialist Loewe has created a modern interpretation of the timeless aviator jacket – note the traditional double-buckled throat latch and classic contrasting collar, cuffs and hem. £2,900, mrporter.com I N YO U R M I T T S Martin Magnusson, Hestra’s founder, settled in Småland, Sweden, in 1936 and began making gloves for lumberjacks. Today, third generation Magnussons continue his mitt-making legacy. £120, mrporter.com

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Urban Orienteering Equally at home on Ben Nevis as on Bond Street, these handmade, full-grain leather hiking boots from Brunello Cucinelli represent a sartorial investment for life – and one that will only get better with age.

Treads made of TPU rubber – a super resilient plastic-rubber composite – ensure that your knees will give out before the boots do. Robust rubber-lug soles, plush linings and padded felt collars mean you won’t be reaching for the blister pack, while a combination of rich brown leather, copper ringlets and contrasting red laces are sure to appeal to orienteering aesthetes. £1,100, mrporter.com

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QUANTUM

LEAPS C O A T S T H A T C O N D U C T E L E C T R I C I T Y, J A C K E T S T H A T R E F L E C T E V E R Y C O LO U R I N T H E V I S I B L E S P E C T R U M A N D T- S H I R T S T H AT T U R N I N TO W O R M F O O D – VO L L E B A K U S E S S C I E N C E A N D T E C H N O LO G Y TO C R E AT E T H E C LOT H I N G O F T H E F U T U R E

Words: Rachel Neville

N

ick and Steve Tidball couldn’t be more alike – nor more dissimilar. Twins and business partners, they’ve always been attached at the hip. The British brothers cut their teeth in advertising where they came as a pair – where architecture-trained Nick Tidball was an art director and Steve Tidball, a former art history student, was a copywriter, and the pair became creative directors of the renowned TBWA agency in London. Now they’re cofounders of Vollebak, arguably the most innovative adventure sportswear brand in the world.

When we meet at their office in Tottenham Court Road, a barefoot Steve gives me a warm greeting, his big grin and friendly persona echoed in his brother, who is identical

(specifically ultra-marathons) to launch Vollebak. “We were 40 and had young kids so it wasn’t the most sensible idea, but our wives were understanding,” says Nick.

Far from being just another athletic-wear label, Vollebak draws on the newest innovations in science, technology and art to create the sportswear of the future.

Their first product was a pink hoodie that zips all the way up over your face. It’s designed to be used by athletes as a meditation device ahead of mentally intense activities such as freediving and ultra-marathons. Described as a “portable isolation tank,” the Relaxation Hoodie uses colour therapy inspired by the research of 1970s psychologists and a pinknoise soundtrack to lower your heart rate and slow your brainwaves, creating a feeling of calm that helps athletes get

but wearing shoes and a better-maintained beard. Their mannerisms are uncanny. As we chat, they finish each other’s sentences, although Steve – “the one who thinks before he speaks” – shakes his head when his brother gets carried away in spilling tales about their quirky countryside upbringing with hippie-esque parents.

Vollebak was “born out of frustration,” says Nick, reflecting on the pair’s previous careers developing campaigns for global brands. “We were in advertising for 15 years and success was dependent on two factors – how good you are and how persuasive and political you are,” he says. “We didn’t do anything for a decade apart from get fired,” adds his brother, with a grin. “We didn’t want to do average stuff. If we were going to do it, it had to be the best in the world, but everyone is scared of innovation. People are comforted by a 30-second TV slot or a celebrity because it feels familiar – people didn’t know what to do with our ideas.”

In 2015, after yet another idea was killed, the brothers decided to blend their passions for branding and sport

in ‘the zone’. If you need an extra boost, the pockets are positioned to make it feel as though you are giving yourself a comforting hug when both hands are placed in them.

The invention, which admittedly, looks a bit ridiculous, was met with scepticism. “We wanted to find out if clothing could actually affect how you feel,” says Steve. “But we quickly realised that the last thing you should use to launch a sports brand is a pink hoodie!”

Everything changed when Jimmy Fallon got his hands on one and demoed it alongside actor and comedian Jon Glaser on The Tonight Show. “Nobody thought we were crazy after that,” Steve says.

With Fallon’s seal of approval, the brothers turned to nature for inspiration. They began exploring the world of biomimicry, analysing living things and using science to recreate their survival techniques and make clothing for adventure enthusiasts.

They started with a jacket that mimics the blue morpho butterfly, an incredible insect with shimmering blue wings that

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THE BLACK SQUID JACKET

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The brothers’ creations go beyond scientific quirks – they can save your life

THE SOLAR CHARGED JACKET

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research and development phase may never be finished, and we could still be improving on this jacket in 10 or even 50 years’ time. Our first edition of the Graphene Jacket is the very first step towards our end goal of creating bionic clothing that is both bulletproof and intelligent.”

While durability is the cornerstone of much of what Vollebak manufactures, one of the brand’s most pioneering launches isn’t intended to last forever – quite the opposite in fact. “There’s a principle in ultra-marathons called ‘leave no trace,’ which is basically the idea of running an entire race and only leaving behind footprints. It’s a really beautiful concept. So we thought ‘what if a piece of clothing could do something similar’?” Steve adds.

The outcome is the Plant and Algae T-Shirt. It’s made of 100 per cent natural materials – pulped eucalyptus and beech from sustainably managed forests and algae grown in bioreactors – and inked with algae that constantly changes colour with exposure to light and air. Best of all, it totally biodegrades within three months when buried in the ground, leaving zero footprint on the planet.

“The idea was to create this completely circular thing that started as plants,” adds Nick, “became a T-shirt and ended up back in the ground. At the end of its life, there is nothing left – nothing to end up in landfill.”

Other Vollebak products have a significantly longer shelf life. So far, the company has made a hoodie, a military-style utility vest and a puffer jacket that the brothers claim will last for 100 years. The puffer, which launched in November, was the trickiest to create. “Puffer jackets are really expensive and they tear easily, so we made one that’s indestructible,” says Steve. “You should be able to ride a tank over this – and we plan to.” The jacket is also fireproof and impenetrable by a blade. It’s a new solution to the bulletproof vest and could, one day, be a solution to all-weather body armour.

Owing to its radical commitment to shaping the future of consumerism, the company has been compared to the likes of Tesla motor company and elBulli restaurant. In every industry there’s someone building the future. In clothing, that’s Vollebak.

can be seen from more than a kilometre away. The brothers reverse-engineered this process, embedding two billion tiny glass spheres on the jacket’s surface which reflect light and make the jacket look as if it is glowing. You’d never be missed by a headlight, or a search helicopter for that matter.

Another of the brand’s innovations is the Solar Charged Jacket, which glows in the dark like a firefly, and is a night trekking essential. Leave it out in the sun to charge it up and and, once the sun sets, watch as the highly reactive material changes from a subtle grey to a ghostly “kryptonite” green.

It’s fun to draw on with a torch, too, as I discovered.

The brothers’ creations go beyond scientific quirks – they can save your life. Tech CEO and adventurer Nikita Gushchin has first-hand experience of this. In early 2019, while trekking alone in the mountains of Nepal on his way to the Muktinath temple, Gushchin found himself lost at sundown. Exhausted, with no tent, sleeping bag or fire source, he thought he was going to die, describing his mood as “ice-cold acceptance without a shadow of emotion”.

Then he remembered his Vollebak jacket, made from graphene – the lightest, strongest, most conductive material ever discovered. Made in collaboration with the same team behind Michael Phelps’s 2008 Beijing Olympics swimsuit (which was later banned for giving wearers an unfair advantage), the bionic jacket can, theoretically, absorb an unlimited amount of heat.

In a last-ditch effort to avoid death, and with just 30 minutes of daylight left, Gushchin turned the jacket into a solar panel. He held it up to the sun, using the graphene to capture the last remaining rays. With the jacket heated, he reversed it and wrapped it around him. The trapped heat was enough to get him through the night and, in the light of day, he was able to find his way back to safety.

The brothers have many similar tales, including one of another adventurer, Grant Holley, who used his jacket to capture the heat of a camel and transfer it to himself in order to survive a cold night in the desert. We reckon it’s only a matter of time before the jacket – which they hope will one day be able to survive gunfire – shows up in a James Bond film.

“No one knows the true limits of what graphene can do yet,” says Steve. “With a super-material like graphene, the

vollebak.com

THE BAKER MILLER PINK HOODIE

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WANT TO BE LED ASTRAY?

Find and book your next escape at mrandmrssmith.com

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PROMOTION

THE CITY EDIT

THE ROYAL EXCHANGE, EC3V THEROYALEXCHANGE.CO.UK

T R E AT Y O U R S E L F T O F I N E J E W E L L E R Y, R I C H F R A G R A N C E S & D E L I G H T F U L V E G A N C H O C O L AT E S AT T H E R O YA L E X C H A N G E

PENHALIGON’S Penhaligon’s The Revenge of Lady Blanche is a green floral narcotic fragrance which reflects the essence of the lady it is inspired by – a mysteriously charming individual who would do anything to climb the social ladder. £188, 4 Royal Exchange

HALCYON DAYS Halcyon Days’ Maya torque bangle, which has previously been worn

by HRH The Countess of Wessex and Lady Amelia Windsor, has been revamped with a rich emerald twist. £110, 27 Royal Exchange

14KT ROSE GOLD BELGRAVIA NECKLACE, £1,350; 14KT ROSE GOLD RUBY BELGRAVIA BRACELET, £495; 14KT ROSE GOLD RUTILATED QUARTZ & RUBY BELGRAVIA RING £495, ALL TATEOSSIAN

TATEOSSIAN UNVEILS THE BELGRAVIA JEWELLERY COLLECTION Tateossian’s core values are innovation, creativity and quality, each of which is carried into the craftsmanship of the brand’s accessories.

With the aim to offer men and women a way to express their individual styles, Tateossian combines unconventional materials with classic elements to bring its unique designs to life. The Belgravia jewellery collection is no exception; semi-precious

stones are at the heart of the pieces, which are crafted from 14kt rose gold satin and finished with bezel settings.

The chic simplicity of each item makes them a staple for every jewellery lover’s arsenal.

1-4 Royal Exchange

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ROCOCO Brand new to The Royal Exchange, Rococo boasts a range of tasty treats.

Don’t miss the tangy vegan Raspberry Praline, perfect for Veganuary. £20 for a box of 12, 20 Royal Exchange

A p p a re l w it h

A LT I T U D E S T R E A M L I N E D S P O R T S W E A R T H AT T R A N S L AT E S ON AND OFF THE SLOPES

Words: Anna Prendergast

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Marei ski overall, £1,330, bogner.com; Allos ski suit, £375, perfectmoment.com; Apres ski overall, approx. £1,500, ienki-ienki.com; LynnHolly Johnson and Roger Moore in For Your Eyes Only, 1981 ©AF Archive/Alamy Stock Photo

Retro revival Forget salopettes and separates, no one can miss you on the mountain in this season’s retro ski suits in sporty shades of racer red. Look to Bond girl Lynn-Holly Johnson’s original Bogner all-in-one in For Your Eyes Only for pitch-perfect eighties inspiration (although we remain unconvinced by her headgear).

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Get your kicks Bally’s high-performance hiker-style Hady boot draws on archives from the 1930s and incorporates a chunky lug sole and mountain motif. The Swiss brand knows a thing or two about alpine style, but these are a winter-proof staple wherever you spend the season. £740, bally.co.uk

Sunglasses, £290, Celine, matchesfashion.com

ICE PICK Harry Winston’s 18k white gold Diamant de Neige earrings are as unique as the snowflake formations that inspired them, while Ambush’s silver carabiners are a tough, androgynous take on the cross-country skier’s hardware essential.

Harry Winston earrings, £40,873, 1stdibs.com; Ambush carabiner earrings, £1,325, matchesfashion.com Atena jacket, £1,645, Moncler, net-a-porter.com

SILVER LINING

Silver ski boots, £950, fendi.com

Sassy ski jacket, £445, bogner.com

Metallic gilet, £870, Spotalm, harrods.com

Soft play Perfect Moment’s playful collection filters flattering iridescent shades through a soft-focus lens, proving that practical can be pretty, too.

A welcome gear change for performance wear.

Parka jacket, £540, perfectmoment.com

Cozette dickey, £294, Tibi, modaoperandi.com

Slogan jumper, £230, perfectmoment.com

P I S T E D E R É S I S TA N C E Give any outfit a lift with Chanel’s AW19 minaudière, in the form of a strass-studded, quilted cable car with frosted windows. POA, chanel.com

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Overstoke ski jacket, £180, planksclothing.com

Tempo helmet, approx. £75, picture-organic-clothing.com

Pink snow boots, £85, Moon Boot, luisaviaroma.com

Sugar coated Ienki Ienki’s breezy block colours and voluminous proportions are backed up by a cushy, cosy goose down that protects against windchill but remains remarkably lightweight. Keep your blood sugar topped up on the slopes with these saccharine pink overalls. Approx. £1,500, ienki-ienki.com

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M A D E I N I T A LY, LOVED IN LONDON I TA L I A N J E W E L L E R Y B R A N D F O P E U N V E I L S I T S F I R S T LONDON BOUTIQUE ON OLD BOND STREET

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S

ome say that fine jewellery is best reserved for special occasions, but FOPE makes this way of thinking seem archaic. Uniting traditional goldsmith techniques with contemporary design, the Italian brand produces fine jewellery designed for everyday wear.

Founded in the historic city of Vicenza, a region rooted in craftsmanship, the family-owned business has been producing fine jewellery since 1929. Marrying its heritage with unique design features, FOPE combined the traditional touch of Italian goldsmiths with bespoke, high-tech machinery to create its Flex’it system, which was patented in 2007. This innovative method produces flexible jewellery pieces made entirely out of 18kt gold, an effect that’s achieved using tiny gold springs inserted between each link. This is the secret behind the brand’s ergonomic, stretchable chain design, which has become a signature feature of all of its jewellery collections.

For its 90th anniversary, FOPE marked the occasion with two exciting launches. The first, the Eka Anniversario collection of yellow, white and rose gold jewels, was directly inspired by the brand’s heritage Eka collection, which was the first to feature the Flex’it technology.

The second was FOPE’s first standalone London boutique on Old Bond Street, which opened its doors in November. The flagship store, which has been opened in partnership with The Watches of Switzerland Group, references 1950s Italian design alongside traditional British elements and is home to exclusive pieces, including the diamond set LadyFope timepieces, which cannot be bought elsewhere in the UK. These special edition watches are powered by Swiss-made quartz movements and are available in 18kt white and rose gold. Diamonds shine on the dial, bezel and bracelet, the latter of which has, of course, been crafted with FOPE’s famous Flex’it system – allowing wearers to feel ultimate comfort as no clasp is required.

As well as housing exclusive pieces, the Old Bond Street boutique provides a luxury experience to those who wish to explore the world of FOPE and its exquisite fine jewellery creations – making the store a beautiful addition to the capital’s world renowned shopping street.

Founded in the historic city of Vicenza, FOPE has been producing fine jewellery since 1929

FROM TOP ROSE GOLD NECKLACE WITH DIAMONDS, FROM THE MIALUCE COLLECTION, £33,045; FLEX’IT BRACELETS MADE ENTIRELY OF 18 CARAT GOLD WITH DIAMONDS, FROM THE EKA MIALUCE COLLECTION, FROM £16,800; ROSE GOLD AND DIAMOND WATCH WITH FLEX’IT BRACELET FROM THE LADYFOPE COLLECTION, £29,850

FOPE, 1A Old Bond Street, W1S, fope.com

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ESCAPE TO STRIVE, TO SEEK, TO FIND...

P.94 NEW HEIGHTS Abseiling in the Austrian alps

P.102 THE SNOW REPORT The best places to ski in 2020

P.114 STARS OF THE SLOPES Mammoth Lakes, the ski resort-turnedcelebrity magnet

P.118 DISCOVERING DENVER Why Colorado’s capital is known as Mile High City

P.120 IN THE SNOW How the mining town of Telluride turned into a ski destination

P.122 MOVING MOUNTAINS Navigating Colorado’s greatest peaks

Its powdered peaks may have played a starring role in 2015’s Spectre, but Austria’s Sölden is more than just a pretty face – with a thriving ski resort and an annual wine festival to boot (p.106)

N AT U R A L HIGH T H R E E F R E E R I D E R S F R O M A U S T R I A TA K E H I G H - A LT I T U D E S K I I N G T O N E W L I M I T S

Photography: Mirja Geh for Red Bull

O

n 7 August 1929, Graf Zeppelin, a 236-metrelong German airship, lifted off from Lakehurst, New Jersey, crammed with an eclectic mix of adventurers, actresses, reporters and members of high society, including Lady Grace Drummond-Hay of the Hearst newspaper empire, which helped sponsor the flight.

After crossing the Atlantic, the next phase of the Zeppelin’s journey saw it lift off from Friedrichshafen, south Germany, on a 7,000-mile, non-stop flight to Tokyo via Russia’s vast internal wilderness. From Tokyo, the airship crossed the Pacific before arriving in San Francisco, timing its arrival so that it flew over the Golden Gate Bridge just as the sun was setting.

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Graf Zeppelin arrived back at Lakehurst from the west on the morning of 29 August – 12 days, 12 hours, and 13 minutes after it had departed to the east. At the time, it was the fastest circumnavigation of the globe, and made Drummond-Hay the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air.

Ninety years later, gripped by similarly lofty ambitions, Austrian big mountain freeride snowboarder Fabian Lentsch and compatriot skiers Stefan Ager and Andreas Gumpenberger teamed up for a Zeppelin adventure of their own.

Following two years of preparation, in February 2019 the trio took off from

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the same Friedrichshafen airfield as Graf Zeppelin, travelling 60 miles before reaching the summit of the Valkastiel mountain in Brandnertal, Austria.

Maxing out at 7,300 feet, the freeriders exited the Zeppelin on ladders before abseiling down 160-foot ropes to the top of the mountain – becoming the first skiers to ever do so.

“Our ropes were 50 metres long,” says Ager, in a video shot for Red Bull, who sponsored the adventure. “After starting to rappel [abseil], you look back up and just see this enormous airship. It was a perfect bluebird day – it felt like rappelling out of a cloud.”

PARK HYATT NISEKO

Off-Piste Destinations During peak winter periods, even the most exclusive of Europe’s alpine resorts and the USA’s Rockies can feel congested, but a fistful of less obvious locations are offering improved accessibility, lifts and lodgings just in time for the 2019/2020 season. Made up of 60 per cent mountainous terrain, Georgia boasts Europe’s highest peak: Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus range stands 800m higher than Mont Blanc at 5,642m. Gudauri, a two-hour drive from Tbilisi, is the largest of the country’s resorts, and locals don’t turn up until lunch, so for a couple of hours you’ll have the slopes to yourself.

The Caucasus, and Elbrus in particular, can be wild and windy – so be sure to book a guide (or

try Mountain Heaven’s nineday itinerary through Georgia launching in March). Take refuge at high-design brutalist hotspot Rooms Hotel Kazbegi, where staff were recruited from film schools to inject creativity into the post-Soviet project.

In Japan, ski-in ski-out Park Hyatt Niseko on Hokkaido island (famed for its snowboardperfect soft-dry ‘Japow’) opens this month with lofty ceilings, unspoilt views of Mount Yotei and access to plenty of backcountry routes, while the end of 2020 indie opening Sansui Niseko is set to attract a fresh-faced, highoctane crowd (sansui translates as both ‘water’ and ‘mountain’). mountainheaven.co.uk; hyatt.com; roomshotels.com; ansuiniseko.com

POWDER P L AY

ROOMS HOTEL KAZBEGI, GEORGIA

W H AT ' S N E W A N D W H E R E TO F I N D THE WHITE STUFF THIS WINTER

Words: Anna Prendergast

GULMARG

THE KHYBER HOTEL, KASHMIR

Gulmarg in Kashmir should also be on the serious skier's radar for the new year, as tourists tentatively trickle back into the region after political unrest (check travel advice on gov.uk before booking).

Its vertical drop beats St Anton and Jackson Hole for size, but despite its Himalayan scale it has a village-like feel, and The Khyber’s personal brand of hospitality envelops newcomers into the community. khyberhotels.com

FROM TOP Napapijri jumper, £299, farfetch.com; Dr Barbara Sturm sundrops, £110, cultbeauty.co.uk

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CALDERA HOUSE, JACKSON HOLE

BRUSH CREEK RANCH, WYOMING

In-the-Know Itineraries

Completo skis with custom design, £960, folsomskis.com

Ahead of the year’s biggest sporting event in Tokyo, carve out time for classes with an Olympian. Pro racer and snowboarder Bode Miller will lead skiers from clubby Caldera House in Jackson Hole, where freeriders and adrenalin junkies convene year after year; follow Ashleigh McIvor’s tree-lined tracks (if you can keep up) at Whistler’s Blackcomb Snow School and book into a workshop with British bronze medal winner Jenny Jones at mellow Sainte-FoyTarentaise. Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming, where Miller lives, now offers guests exclusive access to Green Mountain, and is easier than ever to get to with new direct flights to Denver from Heathrow, and its terrain offers more than 1,000ft of runs, including double diamonds.

If the pros and the private access aren’t enough, take up 2020’s most exhilarating winter sports trend: night-skiing. Slalom under the stars on Corvatsch with a VIP Snow Night at Carlton Hotel in St Moritz; head to Hirafu Gondola in Niseko for clear skies; find floodlit fun in the pretty, provincial landscape of Bormio’s World Cup run in Italy. In Courchevel, dine and ride at Les Airelles, where supper is served under the stars in a mountainside yurt only accessible by snowmobile before nightskiing back to base, or try night tobogganing in Sölden (we put the slopes to the test on page 106). Newly-opened Design Hotel Levi in Finnish Lapland offers the unbeatable experience of skiing beneath the northern lights – book for March for your best chance of seeing them.

Scott Dunn has created the ultimate itinerary, too, with a 34-day ski safari touring five countries

Les Airelles' sister property Mademoiselle recently opened in Val D’Isere

Globe Trotter suitcase, £2,535, globe-trotter.com

CARLTON HOTEL, ST MORITZ

from Aspen to Iceland, and a heli-ski ocean voyage will take adventure addicts through virtually-untouched terrain in Antarctica which will take place in 2021 (spaces are limited and tickets are on sale now). calderahouse.com; carlton-stmoritz.ch; airelles.com; designhotellevi.fi; notabeneglobal.com; scottdunn.co.uk

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Hemisphere goggles, £110, zealoptics.com

THE MACHRIE, ISLAY

Acne beanie, £130, matches-fashion.com

The Green Scene snowsure Wolf Creek became the first solar-powered resort in the world in 2018, harnessing the state’s yearly average of 300 days of sunshine, and this year will celebrate its 80th season with the reopening of a nostalgic poma lift. In late 2021, top-tier, environmentally-friendly hotel group Six Senses will open in Kitzbühel, where residential buyers will drive the new zero-emissions Porsche Taycan supercar and LEED-certified chalets will be heated solely through geothermal energy.

Winter sports are nothing without nature.

The mountains, the snowfall, the wildlife – they must all be protected. And the industry is stepping up, with Swiss resorts setting the standard. At Lagom’s chalets in Verbier and Zermatt, decide whether you need toiletries, how often you’d like linen laundered and whether to carbonoffset your trip. In November’s World Ski Awards 2019, carbon-neutral crashpad Valsana took the title of World’s Best Green Ski Hotel 2019 (it assists guests with tree-planting and off-setting) and in 2020 Laax plans on being the first self-sufficient resort while remaining one of Europe’s best for big-air seekers and freeriders. Colorado’s family-owned,

levlagon.com; valsana.ch; flimslaax.com; wolfcreekski.com; sixsenses.com

FINNISH LAPLAND

BY VISIT FINLAND

Burton snowboard, £120, burton.com

Six Senses Kitzbühel will be the wellness group's first resort in the Austrian alps

Alberta Ferretti has teamed up with the eco-warriers at Eco-Age to create a line of sustainably made knitwear made from 100 per cent wool, spun using renewable energy, and GRS-certified recycled cashmere created in Prato, Italy.

From £390, harrods.com

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THE JAPANESE AT THE CHEDI ANDERMATT, SWITZERLAND

Nouveau Après Ski Fuel up before you get down, and fill your ski boots this season with Michelin-star menus, chef residencies and exclusive invites. Leo Trippi is shipping out some of London’s biggest names, such as Hide’s Ollie Dabbous and Frog’s Adam Handling, who will be showing off their carving skills in the kitchen and on the slopes, as well as hosting private classes for curious epicures. At Badrutt’s Palace, Jason Atherton (whose restaurant King’s Social House opened at Badrutt’s in winter 2018), Andreas Caminada and Nobu Matsuhisa will throw an intimate supper club for guests in February, bringing their collective expertise to the experience, and in Lech, award-winning Tom Aikens will join Severin’s head chef Kevin Szalai (known for his signature dish Deer & Moss, but this season launching his first vegan menu, too). In France, retired three-Michelin star chef Antoine Westermann has donned chef whites once more to design La Table d’Armante’s new menu at Armancette, while Michel Rochedy announced his own retirement, handing over two-starred Le Chabichou to prodigy Stéphane Buron, following the hotel’s $11m makeover and signalling a new era for the big hitter. Meanwhile, Meribel’s Le Coucou opened in December with an entire restaurant dedicated to fine cuts of beef; for spirited live music go to Rond Point up the road (known by regulars as ‘The Ronnie’). leotrippi.com; badruttspalace.com; severins-lech.at; armancette.com; chabichou-courchevel.com; lecoucou.com

BADR UT SWITZ T'S PALACE ERLAN , D

The Japanese

by The Chedi Andermatt opened this December with Michelinstar chef Dietmar Sawyere at the helm

LEO TRIPPI'S CHEFS AT NEW HEIGHTS

Meredith Erickson's guide to Europe's alpine kitchens is filled with recipes for comfort food and stories from the mountains. £30, waterstones.co.uk

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY RUDI WYHLIDAL (INSTAGRAM: @RUDIWYHLIDAL)

ICE SPY

S P E C T R E M I G H T H AV E P U T S Ö L D E N O N T H E M A P, B U T A U S T R I A’ S U N D E R -T H E - R A DA R S K I R E S O R T – H O S T TO T H E W E I N A M B E R G W I N E F E S T I VA L E V E R Y A P R I L – H A S A LWAY S B E E N A B L O C K B U S T E R H I T F O R T H O S E I N T H E K N O W

Words: Ellen Millard

‘A

proteolytic digestive enzyme drink, shaken, not stirred’ doesn’t have much of a ring to it, so you can imagine 007’s disappointment when his signature vodka martini was replaced by a super smoothie in Spectre (2015). Good for the stomach, not so much for a soundbite. In the film’s fictional Hoffler Klinik medical centre, the only thing served on the rocks is the building itself – the glacial facility is carved into the craggy summit of Austria’s Gaislachkogl Mountain and, as true Bond fans will remember, paves the way for a nail-biting plane-versus-car chase through the dramatic Alpine peaks of the Ötztal valley.

In reality, this lofty locale is a swanky restaurant where the drinks flow, the people relax and the car chases are kept to a minimum. Named Ice Q, the all-glass restaurant is perched 3,048m above sea level and commands a spectacular view: no less than 300 peaks of the Alps and Dolomites can be spied – sorry, couldn’t resist – from this soaring vantage point.

It’s little wonder that Spectre’s location scouts saw this as a suitable shooting spot; the Ötztal glacier road is the second highest paved road in Europe and the winding drive between the powdered peaks yields a dramatic backdrop. Rumour has it that the surrounding slopes were closed for several weeks during peak ski season to allow for filming, with a 500-strong crew descending on the tiny neighbouring town of Sölden.

With guaranteed snow from October through to May, Sölden’s population of 3,279 is vastly outnumbered by the 15,000 tourists that visit each year. The bountiful snow fall is the resort’s biggest draw – so much so that it hosts the first races of the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season in October, with the giant slalom for men and women held on the exhilarating Rettenbach glacier. From the glacier’s Schwarze Schneid peak, it’s a thrilling 15km to the valley floor.

Skiing aside, it’s not the most glamorous of resorts – those used to jostling with celebrities in St Moritz may need to lower their expectations – but this chocolate box-pretty village possesses a bijou charm, and has a lively après-ski scene to boot.

I didn’t have the chance to put this to the test, but my days spent in Sölden were suitably intoxicated nonetheless thanks to the annual Wein am Berg festival. Translating to Wine on the Mountain, this four-day celebration began in 1999

when Anton Kollwentz, the former president of Austria’s Burgenland vineyards, paid a visit to Das Central, Sölden’s first five-star hotel. In the hotel’s former manager, Gottlieb Waschl, Kollwentz found a friend, and the two oenophiles set about on a mission to bring their homeland’s two most precious commodities together: plonk and peaks.

Each year the festival plays on a different theme, championing not just Austrian wine and cuisine but those of another nation, too. For 2019, for example, winemakers and chefs from Piedmont, Italy, joined a line-up of established Austrian gastronomes. To give you an idea of the calibre of chefs, during the Austria Meets Great Britain fare of 2018, Jason Atherton was in residence. In 2020, the festival will

ABOVE DAS CENTRAL; OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP RESTAURANT ÖTZTALER STUBE AT DAS CENTRAL; SÖLDEN, ©ÖTZTAL TOURISMUS/ LUKAS ENNEMOSER

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S Ö L D E N S TAT S Resort Altitude: 1,377m Ski Alt. From: 1,350m Ski Alt. To: 3,340m Ski Area: 144km Runs: Blue: 69 Red: 45 Black: 27 Longest Run: 15 km

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OPPOSITE PAGE PRESIDENTIAL SUITE AT DAS CENTRAL; THIS PAGE, FROM TOP RESTAURANT ÖTZTALER STUBE AT DAS CENTRAL; GIGGIJOCHBAHN GONDOLA IN SÖLDEN, ©ÖTZTAL TOURISMUS

focus on the epicurean feats of the economic triad Benelux, a.k.a Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

By nature the event attracts a large number of industry insiders, but it’s equally enjoyable for people who just genuinely love delicious food and excellent vino. Wine is served, literally, from the moment you check in at Das Central: a glass of sparkling rosé is presented on arrival, presumably to take the edge off the notoriously bumpy landing at Innsbruck Airport. Upstairs, lodge-style bedrooms with Moooi lamps, giant bath tubs verging on paddling pools and marshmallow beds provide a base in which to flop after a day of high-altitude wine tastings, while the regal and somewhat bizarrely Venetian-themed basement spa is on hand to soothe ski-weary feet.

Taking to the slopes isn’t mandatory but it’s certainly encouraged, especially given the roster of expert guides who are flown in especially for the weekend. My group is shown the ropes by former Olympic skier Ingrid Salvenmoser, who during her career competed in no less than 196 World Cup races in Giant Slalom and Slalom. We take turns to shoot down the slope and she critiques our skiing style one-by-one, before toasting our talents (or lack of, in my case) at a Grüner Veltliner (white wine) tasting on the Tiefenbach Glacier.

The festival culminates in the Big Bottle Party, where the corks are popped on strength-testing magnums, jeroboams and methuselahs. Guest chefs from both host nations take charge of the kitchen, where small plates are cooked up and served alongside wine pairings. The finale is hosted on the Giggijoch mountain restaurant, which sits 2,000m above sea level. I’m told that wine tastes better at this altitude, or

perhaps it just goes to your head quicker. Either way, there’s clearly a reason the journey home is navigated via gondola – and all the better for it. A final chance to see Austria’s most spectacular view should not be missed.

The Wein am Berg Package starts from approx. £1,470 per person in a double room at Das Central including three-day Wein am Berg programme and a two-day ski pass (price without ski pass is from approx. £1,376 per person), 23-26 April 2020. For further information and bookings, visit central-soelden.com

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THE RICH LIST L U X U R Y T O U R O P E R AT O R C A R R I E R P R E S E N T S T H E R I C H L I S T, A C U R AT E D E D I T O F E N R I C H I N G H O L I D AY S A N D E X P E R I E N C E S T H AT M I G H T J U S T C H A N G E YO U R L I F E

H

ow do you wish to travel in 2020?

With wellness in mind, fully-immersed in the local culture, or with the environment at the forefront of your every move? To help with your decision, luxury tour operator Carrier presents The Rich List, a curated edit of bespoke experiences tailored to suit your travel needs. Fifty hotels have been divided into five categories that tap into

a different travel trend, whether you’re seeking a digital detox, an eco-conscious escape, a wellness retreat, a cultural awakening or simply time spent with your loved one. Each experience is designed to be life-enriching, from a painting class under the guidance of an acclaimed British artist to a yacht charter complete with a private chef and Holistic Spa Therapist. Here’s our pick of the best trips for 2020.

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THIS PAGE, FROM LEFT AL BUSTAN PALACE, OMAN; SABI SABI EARTH LODGE, SOUTH AFRICA

L E T ’ S TA K E T H I S O F F L I N E

surrounds the hotel, this sanctuary delivers a spa experience like no other, inspired by the restorative spirit of nature and rooted in traditional Thai healing practices. Post-treatment, retreat to the private beach for cocktails on the sand.

Modern technology means that the world is at our fingertips. Maps, local guides and recommendations are just a push of a button away, but it also means the office is just as easily accessible – and unavoidable. For a digital detox, look to Qualia Australia for true escapism.

Located on Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays and surrounded by the splendour of the Great Barrier Reef, this serene escape is as far from city life as you could hope for. Everything about Qualia is designed to keep you horizontal – from the beach terrace to the tranquil library and extensive spa facilities. Just don’t forget to put your Out of Office on.

LOCAL SPIRIT

Originally built for Oman’s Sultan Qaboos, Al Bustan Palace in Muscat is a dramatically regal building located in the foothills of the Al Hajar Mountains.

The building is breathtaking and hard to leave, but no trip is complete without discovering some of Muscat’s fascinating cultural spoils. Just 10 minutes away are some of the city’s most important heritage sites, from the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque to the Jabal Shams, a.k.a the Grand Canyon of the Middle East. Don’t head out without asking the concierge team for their top tips.

G I V E A L I T T L E B AC K

Deep-rooted in conservationism, Sabi Sabi Earth Lodge in South Africa has been tipped as the most environmentally-sensitive safari lodge on the continent. Boasting all the trappings of a fivestar retreat – think state-of-the-art spa, private plunge pools for each of the 13 suites and a well-stocked underground wine cellar – the hotel has been moulded into the earth and designed to complement the surrounding bushveld. Game drives allow you to see this wondrous landscape and its fascinating inhabitants in all their glory.

TIME FOR TWO

So romantic is One&Only Le Saint Géran that even its name alludes to starry-eyed lovers – Le Saint Géran was a ship that sank off the coast that is popularised in the legend of Paul and Viriginie, otherwise known as the Romeo and Juliet of Mauritius. This paradisiacal palace was one of the first hotels on the island when it opened in 1972, and today remains a favourite among visitors, more than half of whom have stayed before.

This loyal clientele returns for the pristine sands, enviable roster of water sports and the state-of-the-art spa. For peek romance, ask for a table for two on the candlelit jetty, where your private butler will serve you dinner under the stars.

H E A LT H I S W E A LT H

At Trisara in Phuket, no less than six hands deliver the hotel’s signature massage, a treatment designed to settle your body’s energy using oils, herbal compressions and the intuitive skills of three spa therapists. Hidden in the jungle that

To learn more about Carrier and to order your free copy of The Rich List, please call 0161 826 1914 or visit carrier.co.uk/richlist

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MAMMOTH L A K E S: C A L I F O R N I A’ S CELEBRITY SKI SPOT HOW MAMMOTH LAKES BECAME MECCA F O R FA M O U S FAC E S F R O M T H E G O L D E N S TAT E

Words: Joshua Bozin

I

t may not enjoy the reputation of Vail in Colorado, or Jackson Hole in Wyoming, but Mammoth Lakes certainly has celebrity pull. Former skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has a house here, while the Kardashians, George Clooney and Will Ferrell are all regular visitors. No surprise perhaps, given that the ski resort is just over a onehour flight, or five-hour drive, from

LA (choose to take Highway 395 and you’ll behold the pink and yellow hues of the Eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range before passing through a section of Death Valley National Park).

During winter, Mammoth Mountain, at the centre of the resort, receives an average 33ft of snow.

Happily, the resort also boasts more than 300 days of sunshine a year – making for plenty of bluebird skiing and some excellent al fresco après-ski.

MAMMOTH LAKES Mountain Range: Eastern Sierra Elevation: 2,402m Population: 8,132 Average Snowfall: More than 400 inches (33 feet) Flight Time from Heathrow: 11.5hrs to LA + 1hr to Mammoth Yosemite Airport

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WHERE TO EAT

The Eleven53 Interpretive Centre offers some of the most striking 360-degree views in North America The resort offers some of the best runs in the US – 150 of them to be precise. More than 3,500 acres of skiable terrain is accessible via 28 chairlifts and three gondolas. Away from the slopes, there is a vast wilderness to explore, covering expansive valleys, crystal clear mountain lakes and natural hot springs.

A 45-minute drive from Mammoth, Mono Lake is one of the oldest lakes in the western hemisphere. The lake is hauntingly beautiful, surrounded by snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains and inhabited by bald and golden eagles.

Mammoth Lakes is situated on the edge of an ancient volcanic caldera. Some 760,000 years ago, a volcano exploded leaving behind a network of natural hot springs. With more than 100 hot springs in the Owens Valley Basin, many of these hot springs are easily accessible, and pose the ideal activity for non-skiers wishing to explore the region.

Don’t miss Wild Willy’s – one of the easiest and most rewarding springs.

Learn about the area’s history at the Eleven53 Interpretive Centre. Located at the top of the mountain – at 11,053ft – the restaurant and gallery offers some of the most striking 360-degree views in North America.

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GOMEZ’S Home to the Mammoth Margarita – a homemade, traditional take on the Mexican classic – a trip to Mammoth Lakes is not complete without dining at Gomez’s. Operating for more than two decades, this Mexican eatery is home to one of the largest destination Tequilerias in the world, boasting a collection of more than 600 Tequilas and Mezcals.

Sip on a margarita and enjoy some of Gomez’s legendary soft shellfish tacos. gomezs.com P E T R A’ S B I S T R O & WINE BAR Head chef Radisson Williams utilises local ranchers and farmers of the area to uphold a commitment to only using naturally-raised and sustainable meats and seafoods. What results is a menu that highlights some of the freshest and finest food in the Eastern Sierra. petrasbistro.com

WHERE TO STAY T H E V I L L AG E LO D G E Established in 2005, The Village Lodge is a 3 Diamonds AAA rated hotel located in the heart of Mammoth Lakes village, offering guests the luxury of a ski-in and ski-out experience.

Located just steps away from the charm of Mammoth Mountain village, enjoy access to some of the best shopping, dining and entertainment in town. Rooms are quaint and comfortable and most come with a kitchenette and an open fire – a delight after a hard day’s skiing.

From £150 per night, thevillagelodgemammoth.com

TIME TO

R EFLECT MAKE IT EXCEPTIONAL

There’s no present like time – and at Scott Dunn we really understand that your holiday time is extra precious.

It’s why we’ve always made it our priority to be great listeners. Because we believe that only by getting to know you can we create the magical moments and timeless memories that will make your time away truly exceptional.

When you make time for what matters most, we make it exceptional. Call 0203 7336 531 or visit scottdunn.com/ll

MILE HIGH

CITY BEFORE RUSHING OFF TO THE SNOW-CAPPED P E A K S O F C O L O R A D O ’ S H I G H C O U N T R Y, S P E N D A F E W D AY S I N D E N V E R , A C I T Y W H E R E H I S T O R Y A N D U LT R A - M O D E R N I S M S I T S I D E B Y S I D E

Words: Rowena Marella-Daw

F

lying into Denver, Colorado’s state capital, a tableau of plains framed by mountain ranges appears on the horizon as you start the descent. Even from the air, you can see how clean and orderly the city is.

On the ground, the compact conurbation has a sophisticated air, the result of a clutch of trendy neighbourhoods. Nicknamed Mile High City, Denver doesn’t actually reach its official elevation of one mile above sea level until the 13th step of the State Capitol building.

Denver’s heart lies in the historic LoDo (Lower Downtown) area, home to Denver Union Station, which has served as Colorado’s main rail transport hub since 1881. An interesting titbit of trivia: the station banned kissing on the platform in 1902 because it slowed down the trains and delayed departure. In 2012, the station underwent major refurbishment and reopened in 2014, reviving the façade’s original style with Beaux Arts features.

Today, the station integrates the historic terminal

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building, a modern open-air train hall, light rail station, and an underground bus terminal. The central building’s Great Hall is now home to the boutique Crawford Hotel and several retail establishments. It has been dubbed ‘Denver’s Living Room’ and is a place where visitors mingle and relax while enjoying tipples and nibbles from the Terminal Bar. Because Denver’s streets are laid out in a grid, it’s easy to navigate your way around. The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver is a must-see, along with the Denver Art Museum with its impressive architecture and collections. A few blocks from the station is Larimer Square, Denver’s oldest and most historic block. Here you’ll find a clutch of small independent shops, cafés with outdoor seating areas, restaurants and

an indoor market. There’s a vibrant feel to this enclave, especially after sundown, when a canopy of fairy lights adds a spectacular touch to outdoor dining.

Larimer Street is also home to the River North Arts District, better known as RiNo. This is Denver’s more bohemian neighbourhood, where parking lots and walls have been transformed into art galleries

helpings of tempting salads.

Then there’s Snooze at the Denver Union Station, which describes itself as “an AM eatery.” This venue is the antidote to hangovers: a place where you can find to-die-for brunch feasts and awesome breakfast burritos.

Elsewhere, The Bindery on the edge of Denver’s LoHi neighbourhood offers an eclectic mix of dishes that includes tamarind barbecue octopus, and Black

showcasing bold, colourful murals by local artists. Once the site of derelict warehouses and factories, this revitalised area is now home to concert venues, craft breweries and a jazz club. Following the legalisation of cannabis in Colorado in January 2014, the LivWell Enlightened Health Marijuana Dispensary now features highly on many visitors’ lists of mustvisit destinations. Strict laws on use of cannabis are in force, so passports are required to enter.

Denver’s food scene is the legacy of diversity – Mexican, American, Texan, Asian and other cultures have all left their mark. Denver Central Market is a buzzing indoor foodie emporium that caters for carnivores, vegetarians and vegans. There are long queues at Green Seed, which serves generous

and Blushing 12oz tenderloin steak.

Colorado has more breweries than any other state except California – 396, in fact. Don’t miss the award-winning Denver’s Mythology Distillery, or The Cooper Lounge in Union Station.

Denver boasts that it has 300 days of sunshine each year and the winters here are mild, averaging between seven and 15˚C. And, since the snow doesn’t settle, outdoor life isn’t disrupted.

Winter events include a gamut of alcohol-fuelled activities, such as the Tequila Tasting Festival, Brew Fest, Bourbon and Bacon Fest, and the Whiskey Tasting Festival.

Apart from the excellent food and numerous places of interest, what impresses most about Denver is the warmth and politeness of its people.

Denver is cool, you’ll leave on a high.

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O N E H E L L U VA R I D E O N C E A N U N R U LY M I N I N G T O W N , N O W A G L I T Z Y S K I R E S O R T, C O L O R A D O ’ S TELLURIDE HAS GONE FROM BOOM TO BUST AND BACK AGAIN

Words: Rowena Marella-Daw

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“T

o hell you ride!” could be a line from a John Wayne western, but this foreboding farewell made perfect sense in the 1870s, when miners based in the muddy tented camp then called Columbia went to work in the mines by traversing treacherous mountain passes on foot and horseback. So legends go, that’s how Telluride derived its name when it officially became a town in 1878. A geological explanation also attributes it to tellurium, a non-metallic element that can form compounds with gold and silver.

Ensconced within the mineral-rich San Juan mountain range in Colorado’s southwestern corner, Telluride made a mint out of nearby mines, notably Tomboy Mine, which became one of the world’s biggest gold producers. As the town prospered, business and vice became buddies, with the red-light district called Popcorn Alley contributing its share to the coffers.

The First World War and the Great Depression put the kibosh on trade and commerce, eventually shutting mines and turning Telluride into a ghost town. Almost half a century later, entrepreneurial locals turned to another of Telluride’s commodities – snow. A ski resort opened in 1972 and the town never looked back.

The rustic village, 12 blocks long and eight blocks wide, is set within a box canyon elevated 2,667m above sea level.

Its main thoroughfare, West Colorado Avenue, is lined with period buildings housing trendy shops, cafes, art galleries and fine restaurants. But what I really love about this town is the absence of burger and coffee chains. Remnants of the old mining days still exist here and there, including the Sheridan Hotel, which opened in 1895. In 1964 this enclave was

TELLURIDE BY NUMBERS Elevation: Base: 2,659 m, Lift-served: 3,815 m Skiable Terrain: 2,000+ acres Longest Run: 4.6 miles Total Trails: 148 Total Lifts: 17 Average Annual Snowfall: 23 feet

designated a National Historic Landmark District, the highest historic status bestowed by the United States Secretary of the Interior, taking it one step closer to becoming a national park.

An excellent free gondola service runs regularly between the main town and Mountain Village above, taking passengers on a breathtaking 13-minute ride past towering aspen trees, until 4,000-metre snow-covered peaks finally dominate the horizon.

The gondolas make regular pit stops at Station St Sophia, allowing visitors to alight for Allred’s, Telluride’s fine-dining flagship restaurant, before heading up to Mountain Village, a European-inspired enclave with its own clutch of boutique shops, restaurants and luxury hotels. From Mountain Village, gondolas transport skiers to the main ski resort.

Telluride is rated Colorado’s top ski destination by resort guide SnowPak. On average, it receives seven metres of snow each year, and more than 2,000 acres of variable terrain cater to all levels of skiers and snowboarders. The longest ski run is the 4.6-mile Galloping Goose.

Advanced skiers are challenged with in-bounds trails comprising glades, steep groomers, moguls and the upper mountain’s Hike-To terrain. Those who prefer Nordic skiing and snowshoeing will find six miles of groomed trails along open meadows and alpine forests, and the rewards are stunning vistas of the San Juan Mountains.

Telluride village, where the all-night revelry happens, is a popular haunt among trendy tribes catching up over cocktails and seriously good food. On Sundays, there’s a certain buzz about the Chop House restaurant on the ground floor of the New Sheridan Hotel.

Even hardened ski and party animals need to slumber, and I can vouch for Lumière with Inspirato, a luxury boutique abode in a quiet corner of Mountain Village. More like a private residence with views of mountain peaks, it offers spacious one- to five-bedroom suites. Being based here makes it quick and easy to drive off and explore other historic towns, such as Ouray and Montrose.

Telluride has come a very long way from its origins as a free-wheeling, rowdy mining camp. If a time-travelling miner were to come back from the past, the sophisticated yet down-to-earth village he’d find would surely knock him off his mule.

OPPOSITE PAGE TELLURIDE AT NIGHT; THIS PAGE, FROM LEFT TELLURIDE’S MAIN STREET DURING THE MINING DAYS; MINER & MULE TREK TO THE MINES

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CRESTED BUTTE

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R O C KY M O U N TA I N S K I TO U R I N G AC R O S S C O LO R A D O ’ S G R E AT E S T P E A K S , F R O M T H E W O R L D ’ S H I G H E S T C H A I R L I F T AT B R E C K E N R I D G E TO THE OLD-WESTERN STYLE CHARM OF CRESTED BUTTE

Words: Nick Savage

HIGH

BRECKENRIDGE

W

hen I was 16, I flew into Denver International Airport and was astonished at the immensity of the United States. The Great Plains stretch out interminably eastwards to dissolve into the hazy curvature of the earth. To the west the Rocky Mountains rise up like an Olympian retaining wall, curiously neat, astonishingly high.

When I arrive in Colorado in 2019, I have the same sensation, along with a persistent popping of the ears, as we nearly double our altitude climbing from Denver (1,560m) to Breckenridge (2,926m). A similar awe is inspired by the muscular metamorphic rock formations of gneiss and schist cloaked in Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, blue spruce and aspen; and the sensation of cinematic novelty from seeing old mining camps wracked by wind and winter. In Golden, two bald eagles revolve and gyrate in the air above a frozen reservoir. In Frisco, a moose gambols along an icy creek.

I’m primarily here to snowboard, and Breckenridge is one of the best places for it in America. The resort is a monster, with five massive peaks, nearly 1,200 hectares of skiable terrain, 167km of piste, four giant parks and a 6.7m-high superpipe. The Imperial Express Superchair is the highest in North America and you can ski the 4th of July Bowl on, well, Independence Day. My hotel, One Ski Hill Place, has all of the amenities that one could possibly imagine at a ski resort, including a mini spa, a bowling alley, family-friendly movie lounges, a café-cum-restaurant and bar, a business and conference

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centre and ski-in/ski-out accommodation. There are working fireplaces and aviator-style breathing oxygen canisters. Yes, it’s that high. Don’t rush into the après-ski before you’re accustomed to the altitude or you might monkey-wrench your next day or three on the slopes.

Breckenridge town has a lot to recommend itself. The Victorian-era mining town has a storied history, veering from gold bonanza in late 19th century to veritable ghost town in the earlier part of the 20th, until it rose phoenix-like in the 1960s to become one of America’s premier ski destinations.

On a snowcat tour from the Breckenridge Nordic Center through preserved wetlands hemmed in by multi-milliondollar chalet properties, guide Sarah Stirt regales us with stories of the town’s history as we head to Josie’s Cabin – one of the first homesteads in the region. Once arrived, we dust off snowy boots and eat s’mores to tales of the inveterate outlaw Pug Ryan, who managed to separate most of Breckenridge’s citizenry from its money (and often lives) during his career robbing casinos, banks and fellow criminals.

Back in the town centre, many of Ryan’s former haunts

BRECKENRIDGE Elevation (summit): 12,998 ft Elevation (base): 9,600 ft Lifts: 34 Skiable (acres): 2,908 Longest run: 3.5 miles

CRESTED BUTTE Elevation (summit): 12,162 ft Elevation (base): 9,375 ft Lifts: 15 Skiable (acres): 1,547 Longest run: 2.6 miles

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Ventus jacket, £260, Black Crows, mrporter.com

Ski helmet, £350, KASK, mrporter.com

Narcisse boots, £415, moncler.com

Vanir Salopettes, £480, jottnar.com

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are still operating. The Gold Pan Saloon has the oldest liquor license west of the Mississippi River and pours out a fortifying array of craft brews. The Briar Rose Chophouse & Saloon, formerly a brothel, serves dictionary-thick slabs of steak, the finest in town. If you’re looking for somewhere a touch more new-fangled to wet your whistle, the Breckenridge Distillery crafts award-winning whisky, gin, vodka and rum and, like many things in Summit County, is the highest in the world.

Breckenridge is owned by Vail Resorts and therefore qualifies for the Epic Pass, which grants customers access to 67 resorts across eight countries, with five resorts in Colorado alone (Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Beaver Creek, Vail and Keystone).

One can fit in a lot of mileage traversing Breckenridge’s five peaks, but we decide to take advantage of the Epic Pass by embarking on a road trip in miniature across to Crested Butte.

During the winter months, a proper 4x4 is a necessity to navigate the Rocky Mountains. We board a Chevy Tahoe and drive just over three hours in a fishhook route through the heart of Colorado, motoring out of the broad valleys and high peaks of the Continental Divide south through the town of Fairplay (a.k.a South Park) into the sandy pinyon pine swathed canyonlands of San Isabel to Buena Vista, where we visit an incongruously hip design guesthouse.

The Surf Hotel is a masterwork of mid-century modern design. Originally built as a bolthole for whitewater kayakers, mountain-bikers and others of their outdoorsy ilk, it’s now evolved to include its own music stage and a world class restaurant. From here the road continues through dramatic cols and along behemoth ridges to bottom out in broad plains of farmland, blanketed with thick deposits of snow. A sharp turn northwards at Gunnison and we enter the beautiful valley of Crested Butte.

There’s a lot to recommend this town and, personally, I found it to be one of the most charming I’ve visited in the American West. With less tourist footfall than many of its neighbouring resort towns, the pristine landscape, frontier history and adventurous mountain lifestyle have been largely preserved.

There are plenty of modern diversions, however, including the legendary Dogwood Cocktail Cabin, Secret Stash Pizza and modern American restaurant Sunflower. My most memorable meal was lunch at the base of Crested Butte’s Twister Lift at Uley’s Cabin. Formerly the residence of the eponymous, infamous local bootlegger, it offers French food par excellence in an extraordinary hunting lodge setting.

On the final morning, infinitesimal orbs of snow wobble in the cold wind and scatter on the paving stones. There’s a palpable frisson of anticipation as we skate down to the Red Lady chair. We’re the first in line, soon to be joined by a gang of fellow travellers nattering excitedly about the half foot of powder blanketing Mt Crested Butte.

We have two hours to fit in before we board a GMC

Denali which will take us to Gunnison Crested Butte Regional Airport. Two hours that comprise snow conditions that flirt with the ideal. Double black diamonds that would have caused concern the day before are rendered toothless. We surf the steeps, scalloping the soft snow with long arcs of the tail, catching massive pockets of air over rollers and landing a few storeys below on a bed as pliant as memory foam.

All in, we score first tracks on four different slopes, just under 20 runs and trips through the trees that rival The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I can’t remember a better two hours of snowboarding I’ve had in the past two decades.

Thirty miles south of Crested Butte in Gunnison the skies are crystalline blue as we stroll across the tarmac to board an Embraer commuter jet. Moments later we’re in the sky, seemingly flush with the Collegiate Range at the same altitude. Big white peaks trade spaces with evergreenthicketed ridges and ochre-coloured sandstone pinnacles.

We fly over the continental divide where all tributaries flow east toward the Mississippi River or west to the Colorado, and it’s hard to resist an anatomical comparison: the Rocky Mountains are the backbone of the Americas; a meridian separating planes from desert, Atlantic from Pacific, east from west. I’ve only experienced one small vertebrae on this excursion, but what a spine-tingling experience it was.

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NEED TO KNOW Fly directly to Denver with United and British Airways from $574, ba.com; United flies from Denver to Gunnison twice a day, approx. $300, united.com; Epic Mountain Express provides services from Denver International Airport to Colorado’s mountain resort areas, from $79 per person for door-to-door service, epicmountainexpress.com; Epic Day Passes start from $125 per day, epicpass.com; Breck Guides, from $299, breckenridge.com; stay at One Ski Hill Place from $399 per night, rockresorts.com

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TA M A R A M A C O A S TA L B E A U T Y SYDNEY

H O M E AWAY FROM HOME

Tamarama, a.k.a Glamarama, is a well-to-do suburb located east of Sydney that attracts a youthful international crowd – expect models, surfers, tech entrepreneurs and everything in between. Roughly one kilometre south of Bondi, and only a 15-minute drive from Sydney, this stunning open-plan modernist masterpiece is a great place to take in the ocean vista. With enough room to entertain eight, an al fresco balcony perfect for starlit dinners and the distant sound of waves, it’s no surprise that this is one of the most popular residences in the glamorous location.

C O N N E C T I N G D I S C E R N I N G T R AV E L L E R S W I T H BEAUTIFUL HOMES ACROSS THE GLOBE, HIGH-END H O M E - S H A R I N G S E R V I C E O N E F I N E S TAY B O A S T S A N E X P E R T LY C U R A T E D P R O P E R T Y P O R T F O L I O

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nly one in 10 homes makes it past the discerning eyes of onefinestay, the high-end home-sharing service boasting luxury stays across the globe. An envy-inducing scroll through its portfolio conjures an array of desirable properties: a Paris apartment with direct views of the Eiffel Tower; a Los Angeles terracotta-tiled home perfect for a Francis Ford Coppola film; or a Balinese villa to trump any influencer’s post.

Founded in 2010, onefinestay offers made-to-measure hospitality, opening the doors to some of the finest homes in the world. Expect memorable design, unique architectural gems, hard-to-beat locations and feel-good experiences.

Mediating between homeowners and guests, onefinestay seamlessly eases the headache of home sharing. Unlike many other homesharing services, a company representative will check you in, meaning there’s no ambiguity when it comes to access and the handover of keys. Onefinestay also acts as a quasi-concierge service, helping to arrange activities and experiences and remaining on call 24/7 during your stay so you can focus on what’s really important. Here are just some of the most interesting homes currently on offer...

If you think your home could feature among these great picks, why not find out more about becoming a onefinestay homeowner? Call +44 203871 8650 or visit onefinestay.com/join/luxury

BROMPTON SQUARE V LONDON

Brompton Square V could only be the home of someone with a big character (the owner is a famous movie director) and it can be yours for an unforgettable London sojourn.

It has a provocative art collection spread throughout the three curio-filled sitting rooms, with emerald damask wallpaper, woodpanelling and a ruby-red cinema room. The five en-suite bedrooms are equally brimming with character – you’ll find antiques, unusual objets d’art and flamboyant accessories. Oh, and there’s also a wax figurine of the Pope under the stairs. Vacationing in a home like this, you’ll certainly be the talk of the town.

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V I A D E I B A N C H I N U OV I ROME

OUTPOST ESCAPE LOS ANGELES

Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, Outpost Escape is a Californian gem, where laidback, rustic chic reigns supreme.

The home’s white-painted, terracottatiled open-plan living area is elevated by a minimalist, modern kitchen. The perfect abode for a romantic getaway

(there’s only one master bedroom), the panoramic windows look onto the private garden, which boasts a large swimming pool. Our idea of a dreamy vacation starts here, followed by a jog through Runyon Canyon Park, then brunch at Norah on Santa Monica Boulevard. Come evening time, curl up with a good book on the sofa, prepare a romantic dinner, or enjoy a relaxing bath.

Traditional Italian charm is the order of the day at Via dei Banchi Nuovi, a four-bedroom fourth-floor apartment in Navona-PantheonVenezia. Airy and spacious throughout, the home is minimally decorated with whitewashed beams and ivory walls, allowing the eclectic-yet-elegant furnishings to do the talking. Curl up with a novel from the living room’s well-stocked bookcase, which boasts views overlooking the Roman rooftops. On a warm day, the charming terrace is a suntrap and the perfect spot for a mid-afternoon snooze. Locationwise, it’s ideal for exploring; you’ll be just moments from the Piazza Navona, the Tiber and, across it, the Castel Sant’Angelo.

AV E N U E F R É D É R I C L E P L AY PA R I S

The Parisian equivalent of a New York apartment with views over Central Park, Avenue Frédéric le Play has such good views of the Eiffel Tower it’s almost cliché.

One floor above street level, this glorious apartment is located in a very central location, and you’ll find some of the city’s finest sights (the Champ de Mars and the Jardins du Trocadéro included) nearby. With a spacious living and dining room, it’s the perfect place for late-night dinners and midnight revelry, with a certain je ne sais quoi oozing from its walls. Make sure to consult onefinestay’s local Service team for the best restaurant recommendations in the city.

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The

GREAT BIG 2020 SALE *

Take advantage of our biggest ever sale, with savings of up to 40%* on more than 120 voyages in 2020 & 2021. Combine these incredible savings with our ‘Book with Confidence Guarantee’ to enjoy the flexibility to change your voyage once free of charge, should you need to.

For the first time, all three of our ships are spending the summer in Europe, so you’ve got more choice than ever for where to sail. With more sailings from Southampton than ever, you can venture to the north cape of Norway or discover the captivating scenery of Iceland without having to take a single flight.

Let us take you as an insider to the hidden gems of the Mediterranean, where we’ll stay late in port so you can experience first-hand how the cities come to life after the sun goes down.

Voyages are selling fast, with Suites already nearing sell-out on most sailings and limited availability across all other categories – so don’t miss your chance to secure your stateroom before it’s too late.

More included with Azamara®

For more information and to book: Call: 0344 481 7690† | Visit: Azamara.co.uk/2020Sale *Cruise must be booked between 9th December 2019 and 31st March 2020 (“Offer Period”). 40% discount applies to select sailings departing on or after 14th April 2020 until 21st November 2021. Prices are subject to availability and change without notice, capacity controlled, and may be withdrawn at any time. Refer to Azamara.co.uk/2020Sale for complete terms and conditions. ©2019 RCL Cruises Ltd t/a Azamara. =Calls cost the same as calls to geographic numbers (01 or 02) and are included in your landline or mobile free call package.

Customer Rating based on independent verified reviews.

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P R O P E R T Y T H E F I N E S T H O M E S I N T H E C A P I TA L

STREETS AHEAD The top properties hitting the market this month

P.135 A PLACE IN THE SUN The best holiday homes, from Greece to the Grenadines

Inside designers Dan and Dean Caten’s Maida Vale mansion (p.138)

STREETS AHEAD DISTINCTIVE HOMES ON THE PROPERTY MARKET THIS MONTH

C H A P E L S T R E E T, SW1X

Michael Heseltine’s former home in Belgravia has hit the market. The Chapel Street townhouse has been beautifully renovated by super prime construction company London Projects, which transformed the space in a 72-week restoration

project. The renovation added 900 sq ft to the property, making it one of the largest and widest private homes in the area, at 6,773 sq ft in total. The house benefits from six bedrooms, a gym, swimming pool and cinema room, as well as an expansive garden. ÂŁ28m, 020 7580 2030, roskstone.com

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G L O U C E S T E R AV E N U E , N W 1

A rare opportunity to buy a freehold family home in Primrose Hill has arisen. This six-bedroom townhouse is arranged over six floors and offers a balance of contemporary and period features. A double height glass extention to the property’s rear opens out onto a spacious private garden.

POA, 020 7724 4724, astonchase.com

S H AW F I E L D S T R E E T, S W 3

Practically perfect in every way, this Chelsea townhouse was once the home of Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers, who lived here from 1962 until her death in 1996.

It was frequented by Walt Disney during the making of the iconic film, and more

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recently played a starring role in the 2013 biopic Saving Mr Banks. Now, the Grade II-listed family home is up for sale, comprising four bedrooms, three bathrooms, three terraces, five entertaining spaces and a well-sized garden. ÂŁ4.85m, 020 7225 0277, russellsimpson.co.uk

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A PLACE IN THE SUN B E AT T H E J A N U A R Y B L U E S W I T H A H O L I D AY H O M E I N WA R M E R C L I M E S

THE LIMING LUXURY VILLAS, BEQUIA ISLAND

There are few places better suited to relaxation than the Carribean, and at the Liming Resort in St Vincent and the Grenadines a range of private residences offer seclusion and tranquillity on another level. Ranging from one- and two-bedroom cottages to six-bedroom villas, each property benefits from a private pool, as well as access to the resort’s state-of-theart spa and sporting facilities.

POA, realestate@thelimingbequia.com SAMUJANA VILLAS, KO H SA M U I

Located on the tropical island of Koh Samui in Thailand, Samujana is a luxury estate comprising 27 villas, each boasting unrivalled ocean views and award-winning architecture. Five-star, personalised service is at the disposal of owners and rental guests, who also benefit from nearby

beaches, restaurants, and shopping areas.

Conveniently located just 10 minutes from the airport, you can savour every last minute of paradise before having to catch your flight home.

Four new villas are for sale for less than approx. £2.3m, with resale villas from approx. £934,000.

Villas can also be rented from approx. £374 a night, property_sales@samujana.com

O N E & O N LY P R I VAT E H O M E S , KEA ISLAND

The closest Cycladic island to mainland Greece, Kea Island is soon to be home to the second One & Only resort in Europe. Alongside hotel rooms, suites and villas, a collection of private homes will be located on the tranquil beachfront when it opens in 2021.

Residents will have access to the Beach Club alongside a multitude of amenities available at the hotel, including three restaurants, two bars, a spa and fitness centre.

From approx. £2.5m for a two-bedroom turnkey private home, info@oneandonlyresorts.com

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L I V E P O S I T I V E AT B AT T E R S E A P O W E R S TAT I O N

Battersea_ad_Luxury_London_Magazine_v02.indd 1

Discover a place like no other, now open, with exclusive spots to dine al fresco and endless views of the River Thames.

Unique and luxurious homes designed by world renowned architects with a selection of apartments from studios to penthouses.

• Studios 1, 2, 3 & 4 bedroom apartments and penthouses available • Zone 1 tube station opening in 2021 • Direct River access to the City and West End

by MBNA Thames Clippers River Bus • Residents’ club including bar, business centre and lounge • Gym, pool and spa • Investment guarantee available • Leasehold 999 years • Prices start from £510,000

Limited availability Call +44 (0) 20 3797 1883 or email sales@batterseapowerstation.co.uk to make an appointment.

Search Battersea Power Station

14/08/2019 17:45

AT H O M E W I T H … DSQUARED2 T H E M A I D A VA L E M A N S I O N O F FA S H I O N D E S I G N E R S A N D T W I N S DA N A N D D E A N C AT E N I S A L E S S O N I N I TA L I A N C R A F T S M A N S H I P

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talian fashion designers and founders of DSquared2 Dan and Dean Caten have put their unique stamp on this Grade II listed townhouse in Maida Vale. Built circa 1830, the interiors of this stucco property have been designed by Dimore Studio, the same company which fashioned DSquared2’s Milanese restaurant and celebritymagnet Ceresio 7. ‘Traditional London’ was the design directive, although the result is more an ode to the twins’ Italian heritage than their British home.

With the plan to create a space reflective of two welltravelled aesthetes, Dimore Studio founders Britt Moran and Emilano Salci carefully considered every detail, from the Boiserie with integrated mirrors that envelops the living room to the bespoke abstract upholstery and wall coverings that are peppered throughout the property.

An opulent colour palette of deep blue, green and burgundy encases the walls, where Andy Warhol portraits of David Bowie and Elizabeth Taylor hang, alongside an original Jean-Michel Basquiat. The furniture is mid-century inspired, with new pieces juxtaposed with antiques by Italian modernist designers Gianfrano Frattini and Luigi Caccia Dominioni and design legends Charles and Ray Eames.

Interiors aside, the building has good bones: the semi-detached house mirrors the grand proportions of its neighbours, measuring 3,783 sq ft and benefitting from four reception rooms, four bathrooms and a garden. Located in a quiet corner of Maida Vale, it is just moments from Regent’s Canal. The property is for sale via Knight Frank, and comes complete with furnishings. £11.75m, 020 3811 2013, knightfrank.co.uk

ALL IMAGES PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL RAESIDE, PAULRAESIDE.COM

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NEW YORK

Paris Forino Designed Sublime 5,444sf Full Floor Five Bedroom Masterpiece/ 66 Ninth Avenue Residence 6 - New York City After years of dreaming, designing and constructing, this breathtaking masterpiece has come to life and is simply stated, extraordinary. Sublime, contemporary, tailored beauty at every turn, residence six is a dream home in every detail, in every square inch and is the new definition of an ultra-luxurious, tailor-made private residence.

Discover. Explore, adore. Acquire. 5,444 square feet full floor, 5 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, separate library and den, private terrace. $29,000,000

Jessica C. Campbell 1-917-621-7815 jessicac@nestseekers.com

Grand European Villa 13319 Mulholland Drive Beverly Hills Hidden behind gates & down the private cobblestone driveway is Villa Soigni with commanding views of the San Fernando Valley. On over 2/3 of an acre & apx. 7,900 sq. ft the home is distinguished by over sized rooms with abundant natural light and 30 ft. ceilings. Stunning marble floors, exquisite moldings & an 8 ft fireplace, pool and spa. Upstairs are 4 ensuite bedrooms, extremely large master suite with room like walk in closet, grand remodeled bathroom, fireplace & 2 terraces complete. Main floor includes guest suite and library. Three car garage & large motor court complete this wonderful private mini estate. $8,490,000

Marisa Zanuck 1-310-913-1741 Marisa@nestseekers.com

NEW YORK | HAMPTONS | GOLD COAST, LI | NEW JERSEY | MIAMI | SAN FRANCISCO | BEVERLY HILLS | LONDON | SEOUL Nest Seekers International is a Real Estate broker. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and has been compiled from sources deemed reliable. Though information is believed to be correct, it is presented subject to errors, omissions, changes or withdrawal without notice.

Harrington Gardens, South Kensington Modern living in a classic London location. A bespoke, 2500 sqft, three bedroom triplex apartment in the heart of South Kensington, with cool design touches throughout.

The space would suit those looking for a turn-key, one-off¬ place, just moments from world class amenities around South Ken, Chelsea and Knightsbridge. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 floors and terrace. Tenure: leasehold, 135 years. £5,250,000

Solly Strickland +44 7702 669 647 SollyS@NestSeekers.com | Daniel McPeake +44 7809 351 114 DanielMc@nestseekers.com

Burns Road, Battersea

The Observatory Penthouse, Fulham

A completely bespoke property which forms part of one of London’s finest loft developments, Southside Quarter, just moments from Battersea Park and only 1 mile from the new American Embassy. The ground floor features a wonderful reception room, with double height ceilings, vast period windows and beautiful stone floors. This 2036sqft property is perfect for those looking for a completely unique home with great security and off-street parking just across the river from Chelsea.

Tenure: Freehold. £1,600,000

Iconic West London Penthouse. Located in the heart of Munster Village, the penthouse at Brandon House is the perfect marriage of post-industrial warehouse living with striking modern architecture, with over 3000 sqft of internal space. 3 bedrooms , 2 bathrooms, 60ft living room, glass observatory, huge roof terrace with panoramic London views, direct lift access, double garage.

Tenure: leasehold, 978 years. £2,850,000

Solly Strickland +44 7702 669 647 SollyS@NestSeekers.com Daniel McPeake +44 7809 351 114 DanielMc@nestseekers.com

Solly Strickland +44 7702 669 647 SollyS@NestSeekers.com Daniel McPeake +44 7809 351 114 DanielMc@nestseekers.com

NestSeekers.com

Halsey Street, Chelsea SW3 £4,500,000

Freehold

A beautifully refurbished Grade II Listed four-bedroom freehold family house, offering well balanced accommodation, leading onto an attractive west-facing garden.

2,287 sq ft (212 sq m) Four bedrooms | Three reception rooms | Three bathrooms | Garden | Residents parking | EPC rating exempt Chelsea 020 3504 5588 | Chelsea@struttandparker.com

Canning Place Mews, Kensington W8 £2,950,000

Freehold

1,878 sq ft (174.5 sq m) Entrance hall | Kitchen/dining room | Drawing room | Master bedroom with en suite bathroom | Bedroom two | Bedroom three | Bathroom | Study | Kitchen two | Bathroom | Bedroom four/ additional reception room | Garage | EPC rating C Kensington 020 3813 9477 | Kensington@struttandparker.com

@struttandparker

Freehold

An elegant five-bedroom family house located in the Artesian Village, moments from Westbourne Grove.

2,447 sq ft (227.3 sq m) Two reception rooms | Kitchen/dining room | Four bath/shower rooms | Office | Boot room | Cloakroom | Garden | EPC rating exempt

Notting Hill 020 3773 4114 | NottingHill@struttandparker.com

A well presented four-bedroom townhouse with a laterally adjoining apartment comprising approximately 1,878 sq ft.

/struttandparker

Sutherland Place, Notting Hill W2 £3,750,000

Smith Street, Chelsea SW3 £4,650,000

Freehold

A super family house in the heart of Chelsea with a south-west facing garden and terrace, benefitting from a classic first floor drawing room and flexible bedroom accommodation offering four/five bedrooms.

2,460 sq ft (228 sq m) Five bedrooms | Four reception rooms | Kitchen/breakfast room | Four bathrooms | EPC rating D Chelsea 020 3504 5588 | ChelseaSW10@struttandparker.com

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

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Walham Grove, Fulham SW6 £3,395,000

Freehold

An exceptionally wide, four-storey property that has been meticulously rebuilt and fully furnished to create an outstanding family home.

2,626 sq ft (224 sq m) Reception room | Kitchen | Dining room | Master suite | Three further bedrooms | Two shower rooms | Further bathroom | Utility room | Cloakroom | EPC rating C

Queen’s Gate Gardens, Kensington SW7 £1,475,000 Leasehold

A bright and spacious two-bedroom apartment with high ceilings throughout, situated on the second floor of this stucco fronted building with access to communal gardens. The building has a lift and is located directly opposite the gardens’ entrance.

1,289 sq ft (119 sq m) Two bedrooms | One reception room | Two bathrooms | Communal gardens | EPC rating D

Fulham 020 8023 6671 | Barclay.macfarlane@struttandparker.com

South Kensington 020 3504 5901 | SouthKensington@struttandparker.com

Chester Street, Belgravia, SW1X £6,950,000

Gloucester Road, Kensington SW7 £995,000

Freehold

A rare opportunity to acquire a south-facing, unmodernised Grade II Listed freehold house in the heart of Belgravia.

3,778 sq ft (350.99 sq m) Five bedrooms | Three reception rooms | Terraced | Garden | Balcony | Period | Unmodernised decoration | EPC rating D

Knightsbridge 020 3504 8796 | Knightsbridge@struttandparker.com

Leasehold

Located in the heart of South Kensington, this outstanding twobedroom, two-bathroom flat benefits from having been totally refurbished by the owner with no costs spared. This would make an ideal investment or first time buy.

634 sq ft (58 sq m) One reception room | Two bedrooms | Two bathrooms | Leasehold 134 years 9 months | EPC rating D South Kensington 020 3504 5901 | Knightsbridge@struttandparker.com

Strutt & Parker is a trading style of BNP Paribas Real Estate Advisory & Property Management UK Limited, which provides a full range of services across the residential, commercial and the rural property sectors.

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First Street, Chelsea SW3 £2,800 per week

Furnished

A superb newly refurbished three-bedroom period house offering bright well planned accommodation leading onto an attractive patio garden.

Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill W11 £2,750 per week Furnished or Unfurnished

A modern and bright four-bedroom house situated in the very heart of Notting Hill with off-street parking and a large garden.

1,297 sq ft (120 sq m) Three bedrooms | Two reception rooms | Three bathrooms | Patio | Residents parking | EPC rating E

2,304 sq ft (214.1 sq m) Three reception rooms | Kitchen | Four bedrooms | Three bathrooms | Conservatory | Off-street parking | Garden | EPC rating D

Chelsea 020 3504 5588 | Chelsea.Lettings@struttandparker.com

Notting Hill 020 3773 4114 | nottinghilllettings@struttandparker.com

Limerston Street, Chelsea SW10 £2,500 per week

Victoria Road, Kensington W8 £5,750 per week

Unfurnished

Unfurnished

A wide fronted four-bedroom freehold Chelsea villa with a contemporary feel and stylish interior that has been completely rebuilt and reconfigured.

Located on one of Kensington’s most sought-after streets, a fantastic family home occupying 3,914 sq ft which has just undergone extensive refurbishment.

2,011 sq ft (186.82 sq m) Four bedrooms | Two reception rooms | Four bathrooms | Garden | Residents parking | EPC rating D

3,914 sq ft (363.63 sq m) Drawing room | Dining room | Kitchen/breakfast room | Study | Five bedrooms | Four bathrooms | Utility | Garden | EPC rating D

Chelsea SW10 020 7373 1010 | ChelseaSW10Lettings@struttandparker.com

Kensington 020 3813 9477 | Kensington.Lettings@struttandparker.com

*After an offer is accepted by the Landlord, which is subject to contract and acceptable references, the following charges and fees will be payable before the commencement of the tenancy: Preparation of Tenancy Agreement £222 (Inc VAT),

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

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Gloucester Road, South Kensington SW7 £4,250 per week Furnished

Bramber Road, Fulham SW6 £1,195 per week

A newly refurbished triple aspect lateral apartment with wooden floors throughout with lift access.

An excellently presented five double bedroom, three-bathroom family house offering contemporary and practical accommodation.

2,538 sq ft (235.8 sq m) Entrance hall | Reception room | Dining room/kitchen | Four bedrooms | Three bathrooms | Two balconies | Storage room | EPC rating D

1,899 sq ft (176 sq m) Reception room | Kitchen | Five bedrooms | Three bathrooms | Garden | EPC rating D

South Ken 020 3504 5901 | SouthKensington.Lettings@struttandparker.com

Fulham 020 8023 6671 | Fulham.Lettings@struttandparker.com

Petersham Place, South Kensington SW7 £1,950 per week Furnished

Wilton Row, Belgravia SW1X £3,400 per week

Spacious four-bedroom, three-bathroom house minutes away from Kensington Gardens and South Kensington.

An immaculately presented mews house available on a fully furnished basis.

2,250 sq ft (237.05 sq m) Four bedrooms | Two reception room | Kitchen/dining room | Three bathrooms | Residents parking |Garage | EPC rating D

2,506 sq ft (263.83 sq m) Three bedrooms | Two reception rooms | Three bathrooms | House | Off-street parking | Period | EPC rating E

South Ken 020 3504 5901 | SouthKensington.Lettings@struttandparker.com

Knightsbridge 020 3504 8796 | KnightsbridgeLettings@struttandparker.com

Unfurnished

Furnished

References per Tenant £54 (Inc VAT), a deposit – usually between 6-10 weeks of the agreed rent. Any rent advertised is pure rent and does not include any additional services such as council tax, water or utility charges.

Strutt & Parker is a trading style of BNP Paribas Real Estate Advisory & Property Management UK Limited, which provides a full range of services across the residential, commercial and the rural property sectors.

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Holmead Road, Fulham SW6

ÂŁ2,250 per week Flexible Furnishings

A fabulous Victorian terraced house, situated in this sought-after location and immaculately refurbished to an exacting standard throughout.

2,313 sq ft (214.88 sq m) Reception/dining room | Kitchen | Drawing room | Master bedroom with bathroom suite | Three further bedrooms (one en suite) | Family bathroom | Gym | Utility room | Garden | EPC rating E

Fulham 020 8023 6671 | Fulham.lettings@struttandparker.com *After an offer is accepted by the Landlord, which is subject to contract and acceptable references, the following charges and fees will be payable before the commencement of the tenancy: Preparation of Tenancy Agreement ÂŁ222 (Inc VAT),

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

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Cresswell Place, Chelsea SW10

£6,950,000 Freehold

A stunning house that has been beautifully refurbished by the current owners to an exacting standard.

3,141 sq ft (291.82 sq m) Reception room | Kitchen | Master bedroom suite with dressing room | Three further en suite bedrooms | Study | Large private roof terrace with hot tub | Wet bar area with day room and sauna | Gym | Access to communal gardens | EPC rating C Chelsea 020 3504 5588 | ChelseaSW10@struttandparker.com References per Tenant £54 (Inc VAT), a deposit – usually between 6-10 weeks of the agreed rent. Any rent advertised is pure rent and does not include any additional services such as council tax, water or utility charges.

Strutt & Parker is a trading style of BNP Paribas Real Estate Advisory & Property Management UK Limited, which provides a full range of services across the residential, commercial and the rural property sectors.

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