SNOW Magazine Winter 2016

S K I I N G A M O N G T H E S TA R S : M I C H E L I N ’ S S L O P E S I D E S TA N D O U T S

PAINT IT BRIGHT S PL A S H Y SK I ST Y LE

A NEW HAMPSHIRE SONATA MAD ABOUT MICA VIKING TAKEOVER

Bode WINTER 16/17 EIGHT DOLLARS

tonisailer.com

tonisailer.com

bogner.com bogner.com

One moment when nothing else matters. One place that makes it possible.

MIND

|

BODY

|

SPIRIT

Discover for yourself at aspensnowmass.com/mindbodyspirit

P: Jeremy Swanson

A: Colter Hinchliffe

L: Aspen Highlands

www.sportalm.at

WINTER 16/17

CONTENTS 8 4 PA I N T I T B R I G H T

Roses are red, violets are blue; 2017 ski fashion is bold, beautiful, and brightly colored; you will be, too.

10 0 S K I I N G A M O N G T H E S T A R S

Join us, won’t you? As we ski to a seriously good slopeside lunch in Switzerland or France. The Alps are alight with Michelin-starred restaurants.

10 8 A S O N A T A O N S N O W

Can you hear them? From North Conway to Cranmore, Cannon, and Attitash, the White Mountains of New Hampshire are calling all skiers.

It’s a sonata on snow.

ON THE COVER Milena wears a jacket and pants by Authier, scarf by Chaos Lux, shades by Eyefly, and POC goggles and helmet. Jake’s jacket, vest, and pants are by Mountain Force, sweater by Armani Exchange, Moncler boots, Vuarnet sunglasses.

THIS PAGE Milena (left) is in a Kru jacket and pants, Alp-n-Rock tee, Maaji bikini, POC helmet, and Spy goggles. Chloe wears a Kjus jacket and pants, WoolX baselayer, Goldbergh softshell, and eskyflavor cap.

Photos: Daniela Federici Stylist: John Martinez See Paint It Bright Page 84 10

Unparalleled performance, for all of life’s roads.

Bentayga.

Introducing the extraordinary SUV. Visit BentleyMotors.com to discover your nearest retailer.

The name ‘Bentley’ and the ‘B’ in wings device are registered trademarks. © 2016 Bentley Motors Limited. Model shown: Bentayga.

WINTER 16/17

78

SNOW FLURRIES 27 Austrian expansions, Vail mergers, elevated art, and luminous mountain décor.

34

SNOW STYLE 34

Red, White & Pucci, Cozy Cabin Chic, and Color-furr.

# MOUNTAINART 40

Trolling the internet for mountain art? Instagram never looked so good.

SNOW GEAR 42

Frontside skis and where to ski them.

VIKING STYLE 44

From the land of ice and snow: Norwegian ski wear.

BOT TLE 50

Warming up with American-made, après‑ski whiskeys.

APRÈS 54

40

Québec City’s cocktail scene reaches new elevations.

SNOW SUITES 56

Defining cowboy culture inside Jackson Hole’s Four Seasons.

100

ART 60

Andy Warhol dishing from Aspen.

SNOW CULT URE 6 4 How killing Sherlock Holmes popularized skiing.

BOUTIQUE 68

Megève’s house of AAllard, home of le fuseau.

60 44 74 12

46

HE L I 74

Pillow skiing with Canada’s Mica Heli.

SNOW KINGS 78

Bode Miller on James Bond, Bomber skis, and pushing limits.

L A S T RUN 12 0

From St. Christoph: The world’s highest concert hall.

DEAR GRAVITY, RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. With legendary terrains and trails, Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, Vail and Whistler are your ideal winter destinations. And with award-winning spas and hyper-local dining, the après ski scene is well worth coming off the mountain for.

Book today by contacting your Travel Professional, calling (800) 819-5053 or visiting fourseasons.com/mountainresorts

P U B L I S H E R Barbara Sanders

C r e a t i v e D i r e c t o r Anne-Marie Boissonnault annemarie@thesnowmag.com E d i t o r- i n - C h i e f Lori Knowles lori@thesnowmag.com

A r t D i r e c t o r Laura Doherty D i g i t a l D i r e c t o r Julius Yoder D i g i t a l C o n t e n t C r e a t o r Carol Breen S p e c i a l E v e n t D i r e c t o r Joan Valentine C o p y E d i t o r Melissa Long F a s h i o n S t y l i s t s Lulu Fiedler, Kimberly Mann, Shifteh Shahbazian, Joan Valentine

C o n t r i b u t o r s Leslie Anthony, Daniela Federici, Mattias Fredriksson, Shinan Govani, Jen Laskey, John Martinez, Audrey Mead, Hilary Nangle, Tim Neville, Gerald Sanders, Jonathan Selkowitz, David Shribman, Leslie Woit W o r l d C u p A l p i n e E d i t o r Michael Mastarciyan

ADVERTISING SALES S a l e s D i r e c t o r Barbara Sanders (970) 948-1840 barb@thesnowmag.com S a l e s M a n a g e r Debbie Topp (905) 770-5959 debbiejtopp@hotmail.com A d S a l e s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e Jenny MacArthur (970) 309-0282 jennyjmac@comcast.net

B r a n d P u b l i s h e r www.yqbmedia.com P r e s i d e n t a n d E d i t o r Anne-Marie Boissonnault E d i t o r i a l D i r e c t o r Dominique Laflamme P r o j e c t M a n a g e r s Jennifer Campbell, Kathleen Forcier A r t D i r e c t o r Julie Boulanger G r a p h i c D e s i g n e r s Laura Doherty, Audrey Geoffroy-Plante, Stéphanie Langlois A d m i n i s t r a t i o n Flavia Pereira

This product is made from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources.

Montval

A AA

AA

INTRODUCING THE SNOW SKI AND WINTER FASHION MARKETPLACE

1 click to SKI FABULOUS. 1 click to WINTER CHIC. Shop our curated online boutique featuring elite brands and designers from around the world.

FEATURING

A SNOW Magazine Style Editor’s Picks A Custom Style Boards and Pairings A Brand Pages with Collection Galleries

COMING WINTER 2016/2017

Visit thesnowmag.com/shop for more information

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

Barbara Sanders (second from left) flanked by Olympic gold medalists Jamie Anderson and Julia Mancuso, as well as filmmaker/ freeskier Lynsey Dyer (far right).

August in Portillo is the melting pot of the ski world. It’s hard not to run into the biggest stars on the white planet, either in the lift line at Roca Jack or in the Chilean hotel’s broad, relaxing living room.

This summer I was lucky to be skiing Portillo when GoPro was in the house with Olympic gold medalists Julia Mancuso and Jamie Anderson, as well as big mountain skier and filmmaker, Lynsey Dyer. The energy of these women combined is enough to power the world a few times over. There’s a reason these girls have had so much success in their careers at such a young age. Our meeting in Portillo was a total love fest; I couldn’t help but coax them to model with me in vintage Portillo ski sweaters. Luckily top photographer Jonathan Selkowitz was close at hand to capture the fun. For more, check out our ski sweater fashion story on page 36.

In this edition of SNOW, Tim Neville’s On Edge (page 78) lends insight into what fuels Bode Miller’s passion. I had the good fortune to be a part of a film shoot last summer with Bode and Bomber Skis in Portillo. I had an opportunity to get to know Bode a little more personally. He is hyperintelligent; when he speaks on a subject, he knows what he’s talking about. Keeping up with him at the dinner table was almost as hard as keeping up with him on the mountain.

Neville writes about Miller’s joint venture with Bomber Skis investor and luxury real estate guru Robert Siegel. I have no doubt the partnership will be a huge success. Both bring heartfelt passion for skiing to this enterprise. That, combined with Bode’s expertise and perfectionism, will only allow truly amazing products to carry the Bomber name.

Shooting fashion for SNOW is a yearly adventure; one that feels a bit like childbirth when it’s all said and done. This year we headed to California, to an oasis in the desert. We asked top brands to send us the best and the brightest looks for this winter season. Our only requirement: No brand could send black. “If you send black,” my email stated, “we’ll send it back.” Black is for funerals, the streets 22

of New York, and the Sundance Film Festival. Skiing is about fun and expression. Photographer Daniela Federici captured the sport’s color, esprit, and glamour in a badass way — one that could only work in the world of ski fashion.

David Shribman’s A Sonata on Snow (page 108) left me longing for New Hampshire. Did I just write that? How could a soft-snowloving California girl pine for skiing in New Hampshire? Hard snow and ice aside, the White Mountain State is filled with history of the sport. Thanks to its European roots, New Hampshire witnessed the start of skiing in the U.S. The names and the stories in Shribman’s piece are the stuff of legends. I loved getting a peek inside this secret society.

It is Hamlet who ponders: “To sleep, perchance to dream …”

But it is Leslie Woit in Skiing Among the Stars (page 100) who dreams “to ski, perchance to eat!” If you can read this story about slopeside Michelin-starred restaurants and not start making bookings and reservations, then you are not among the set that lives to eat. As good as skiing is in Europe, the dining is that much better.

At least when skiing to lunch you have a calorie deficit when you arrive, and surely your leisurely ski down after lunch must burn a few calories! If you are planning to retrace Leslie’s tracks this winter, you may want to chose the size 6 over the size 4 stretch pants.

Let it SNOW!

Barbara Sanders, Publisher barb@thesnowmag.com P.S. Sending perfect powder turns and love to those we lost recently: skiing friends Matilda Rapaport and Hansi Brenninger. #inspirelikematilda

P H OTO : © J O N AT H A N S E L KO W I T Z / S E L KO P H OTO

Sweater Girls

CONTRIBUTORS

SNOW TALENT LESLIE WOIT

TIM NEVILLE

Writer

Writer

Stylist

Skiing Among the Stars Page 100

On Edge with Bode Miller Page 78

Paint It Bright Page 84

Q:

Would you do your Michelin ski tour all over again?

A : Would I? Are you mad? I am

counting the seconds — if not the calories or pennies — until I’m seated comfortably once more in any one of those beloved alpine restaurants, menu in one hand, flute in the other. And while I consider my Michelin Tour de France and Switzerland 2016 to be a personal culinary, logistical, and map-reading triumph, it’s arriving at these temples of tastiness both on skis and in good company that really makes my soufflé rise.

24

Q:

JOHN MARTINEZ

Q:

If you could ski with any Olympian, past or present, whom would it be?

What do you love most about SNOW style?

A : Bill Johnson. I’m fascinated

of elements to create images that shine with elegance. Style is all about the mix: high and low, real and faux.

I love that SNOW Magazine allows us to discover designers and brands we don’t often get to play with while working on couture fashion editorials. SNOW features designers and brands by mixing technology and fashion like no other publication.

with people who refuse to give up when they probably should and William Dean Johnson took that to an extreme. He drove too fast, talked too much, and probably would have punched me in the mouth at some point. If I could choose when and where to ski with him, it would have been right before his historic ‘84 Olympic downhill run in Sarajevo.

An athlete and a place, both in their prime, both unknowingly destined for tragedy. And yet, wow, what a wild time that must have been.

A : Mixing so many different kinds

Follow your passion www.skealimited.com 800.338.6303

handmade in kashmir

SNOW FLURRIES St. Anton’s New Super Lift Taos Debuts The Blake Hotel Gstaad’s Art Installations The Vail-Whistler Connection Oh, She Glows!

P H OTO : B Y B O G N E R

The Bogner handsewn LED Lights Jacket: $15,000 www.bogner.com

27

M e r g e r s, c r o w d f u n d i n g , a n d a c q u i s i t i o n s u n d e r a n A u g u s t s k y.

by LORI KNOWLES

As the rest of us watched Perseids light up the August sky, those who own, operate, and invest in major ski areas were occupied moving their considerable assets around like kings, queens, and pawns in a high-stakes game of chess.

First came the August 2016 missive that Canada’s W H I S T L E R B L A C K C O M B H O L D I N G S I N C . was subject to a “friendly” takeover by the ski world’s other behemoth, V A I L R E S O R T S I N C . , operator of 11 resorts in Colorado, California, Utah, and beyond. The deal, worth $1.39 billion, is set up to allow Whistler Blackcomb — home of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games — the capital it needs to shore up against effects of unpredictable winter weather patterns by becoming a powerhouse during the remaining three seasons. Beyond skiing, this destination along Canada’s wet British Columbia Coast is looking to boost spring, summer, and autumn leisure offerings with its ambitious and costly Renaissance project, an expansion plan David Brownlie, Whistler Blackcomb’s president and CEO, calls “the most exciting and transformative investment in Whistler Blackcomb’s history.”

What does Vail Resorts glean from the deal? For one: exposure to foreign markets, including Canadian and Asian skiers who favor Whistler. “We are excited about what this transaction means for guests,” says Rob Katz, chairman and CEO of Vail Resorts, “and look forward to providing access to the resort for our season pass holders around the world.”

And while Whistler Blackcomb will not join Vail Resorts’ Epic Season Pass until winter 2017/18 — this season the B.C. ski resort remains a member of Epic’s rival ski pass, M O U N T A I N C O L L E C T I V E — its merger with Vail went down in August only moments before Mountain Collective dropped a bombshell of its own: the addition of Colorado’s T E L L U R I D E S K I R E S O R T and Canada’s R E V E L S T O K E M O U N T A I N R E S O R T to its 2016/17 roster.

Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the ski spectrum, Canada’s R E D M O U N T A I N R E S O R T launched some more searing news in August: The new capital campaign for this mammothsized mom-and-pop ski area will be via equity crowdfunding — a first for a major North American ski resort. With StartEngine.com “we’re rebooting the Red Mountain Ski Club Community Ownership Model from 1947,” jokes Red Mountain Ventures’ CEO Howard Katkov, “only this time the clubhouse will have wireless.”

Sweet Rides

Wyoming’s Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) will open the Sweetwater Gondola in time for the 2016/17 ski season, an eight-person Doppelmayr providing access to easy runs and the kids’ ski school facility at Solitude mid-station. Says JHMR President Jerry Blann: “The Sweetwater Gondola will dramatically improve the beginner skier and rider experience.” — LK W W W. J AC K S O N H O L E .C O M

Arlberg Interconnected

At long last Austria’s St. Anton am Arlberg is fully connected. The new Flexenbahn lift and Trittkopfbahn cable cars open this season to join St. Anton with Zürs, the final link in a ski chain that includes 190 miles of marked ski runs plus 87 lift and cable car systems. It’s now the largest interconnected ski area in Austria. Also new: a 40 mile ski circuit called the Run of Fame that circles the entire region while paying homage to Austrian skiing greats Hannes Schneider, Karl Schranz, and Mario Matt. — LK W W W.S TA N T O N A M A R L B E R G.C O M

P H OTO S : I N V I Z B K (C H E S S ) , W W W. F L E X E N B A H N . S K I (A R L B E R G I N T E R C O N N E C T E D)

FLURRIES

Suddenly, Last Summer

FLURRIES

After skiing the slopes of Vail and Beaver Creek, savor an intimate culinary experience in Colorado homesteader John Anderson’s original log cabin. Anderson, like the other six unmarried settlers for whom Beaver Creek’s Bachelor Gulch is named, logged, trapped, and farmed here in the early 1900s. Anderson’s Cabin, recently restored

by The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, can be reserved for private après-ski parties, and fondue or raclette dinners, each prepared with Colorado specialties. Afterward, indulge in the world’s most expensive cigar in the hotel’s Bachelors Lounge. — HILARY NANGLE

Iron Chef winner Jennifer Scism and her husband David Koorits are on a mission to elevate trail food with their Maine based company Good To-Go. Inspired by her own dislike for backcountry trail food options, Scism put her culinary skills and a dehydrator to work to create lightweight, delicious, healthy meals that live up to her gourmet standards. Whether you’ve just skinned up a mountain or you’re sitting around a fire pit at a ski resort, simply add boiling water, let sit for 20 minutes, and enjoy Herbed Mushroom Risotto, Classic Marinara with Penne, Thai Curry, or Indian Vegetable Korma. — JEN LASKEY

W W W.R I T ZC A R LT O N.C O M

W W W.G O O DT O - G O.C O M

The Bachelor

Above and Beyond

Mountain luxury is lifted upward with Bison Lodge, new to the powder slopes of British Columbia’s Revelstoke Mountain Resort. Crafted from an authentically Canadian mix of iron, heavy timber, and stone, the lodge includes a theater, billiards, a private chef, a concierge to arrange cat and heli-skiing excursions, and an enormous stone fireplace that doubles as a climbing wall. Bison’s collaboration this season with Caroline Furs adds warmth and sophistication to the lodge’s lush décor with a custom designed and handcrafted collection of Canadian fur blankets, floor coverings, and a monogrammed cushion that reads the fur designer’s favorite ski phrase: Bomber day.

W W W.R E V E L S T O K E BI S O N L O D G E .C O M — W W W.C A R O L I N E F U R S .C O M

Face Shots T E L L U R I D E ’ S Mountain Village Gondola celebrates its 20-year anniversary in December with a luxe new gondola cabin and month-long birthday celebrations.

30

With a nod to Taos Ski Valley founder Ernie Blake, this season’s opening of T H E B L A K E H O T E L promises art, cuisine, and décor in a fusion of Native American, Hispanic, and European cultures.

France’s Méribel brings mindfulness to the slopes with five-day S N O W G A retreats, combining skiing and yoga at the lavish, newly refurbished Chalet Les Brames.

In collaboration with the United States Forest Service and its Healthy Forests Initiative, S U N V A L L E Y R E S O R T opens up 21 acres of new glades for sidecountry skiing on Bald Mountain.

P H OTO S : TO N Y W I N TO N ( T H E B AC H E LO R) , J E S S E E R O M E R O (G O O D TO - G O) , K E R I K N A P P ( TA B L E ) , C A R O L I N E F U R S ( F U R) , TAO S S K I VA L L E Y ( B L A K E H OT E L) , C O U R T E S Y O F C H A L E T L E S B R A M E S ( S N O W G A) , S U N VA L L E Y R E S O R T/ K E R I B A S C E T TA ( S U N VA L L E Y R E S O R T )

Good To-Go

www.mountainforce.com

FLURRIES

Fireside Reads Wild Art Safari

by D AV ID S HR IBM A N

TWO PLANKS AND A PAS SION

By Roland Huntford, Continuum B o o k s, 2 0 0 8 .

SNOW IN AMERICA

By Bernard Mergen, Smithsonian Institution P r e s s , 1 9 9 7.

THE STORY OF MODERN SKIING B y Jo h n Fr y, Un i v e r s i t y P r e s s o f Ne w England, 2006.

It's not every day you encounter a sports book written by a Cambridge don and an Oxford fellow, but this volume, which begins with skiing's earliest Siberian ski myths and goes all the way to modern curved skis, is an erudite examination of the heritage of snowsports. And if your taste runs to Norwegian poetry of the late 18th century (“On smooth ski the bold Norwegians glide, / And smiling follow in their fathers' tracks”) then this is the book for you.

A George Washington University professor spent a decade examining every aspect of snow and the result is an unusually compelling work of true scholarship, from the art of snow to the sporting uses of snow all the way to airborne gamma radiation studies of snow. He takes us to the science of snow cover measurement and to some of the great snowstorms of history. And in these pages rests a word you will want to drop into conversation over fondue: chionophile. It means “snow loving”.

This book, by one of the leading sports journalists of our time, is a love letter to the sport we share.

It covers the presence of skiing in magazines, movies, and television, with a chapter devoted to skiing as a way of life, on $10 a day back in the day, and, in our time, on many multiples of that $10 note.

This may be the rare ski volume that mentions names such as Bette Davis and Zsa Zsa Gabor alongside ski pioneers Bob Lange and Howard Head.

This season’s most anticipated alpine treasure hunt takes place on skis, snowshoes, sleighs, or sleds. Elevation 1049 takes art from the traditional gallery and lifts it into the glittering mountains above Gstaad, one of Switzerland’s chicest villages.

Dozens of sculptural, music, performance, and sound installations by renowned global artists are each uniquely inspired by the power of the avalanche. The brainchild of Neville Wakefield (of Frieze London’s fame) and Olympia Scarry (granddaughter of children’s book author and Gstaad local Richard Scarry) is on show from February 3 to March 19, 2017 — an art safari of an elevated kind. — LESLIE WOIT W W W. E L E VAT I O N 1 0 4 9. O R G

Mountain View

In a fusion of light, metal, and hand-blown glass, Italian designer Dima Loginoff has designed this award-winning Mountain View LED Pendant for AXO Light.

W W W . D I M A L O G I N O F F. C O M

32

P H OTO S : S T E FA N A LT E N B U R G E R P H OTO G R A P H Y Z Ü R I C H ( W I L D A R T S A FA R I ) , G A P I N T E R I O R S / P I OT R G E S I C K I - T K A R C H I T E KC I - N ATA L I A T E I X E I R A , W W W.T K A R C H I T E KC I . P L ( M O U N TA I N V I E W )

Whether stuffing Christmas stockings or stocking the bookcase beside your ski lodge’s hearth, here are three collectible books on snow and skiing:

rossignol.com

SNOW STYLE

Red, White & Pucci Emilio Pucci’s 2016-17 ready-towear collection is inspired by snow caps and mountain beauty.

by THE SNOW FASHION EDITORS

34

SNOW STYLE

BOGNER

ROSSIGNOL

NEWLAND

M.MILLER

Cozy Cabin Chic

From Louis Vuitton to Valentino, top runway VA L E N T I N O designers put the classic ski sweater on the runway this season.

LOUIS VUITTON

by THE SNOW FASHION EDITORS

FUSALP MEISTER S P O R TA L M

36

P H OTO : P O B Y ( M . M I L L E R)

NILS

Valbruna | 100 E. Meadow Dr. Vail, CO 81657 | 970.476.3444 www.valbrunastore.com

luistrenker.com | facebook.com/originalluisworld

SNOW STYLE

FENDI

GUSHLOW & COLE JETSET

Colorfurrr

WOLFIE

Color and fur combine to captivate and keep you warm SOS this cool winter.

by THE SNOW FASHION EDITORS

TONI SAILER

COLMAR

SKEA

NICOLE BENISTI VIST

38

* S t a n d a r d W i - F i i s f r e e . P r e m i u m ( i f a v a i l a b l e ) h a s a f e e . N o t f r e e a t p r o p e r t i e s w i t h a r e s o r t c h a r g e . © 2 0 1 6 H i l t o n Wo r l d w i d e

THE STORIES BEGIN HERE

NEW YORK CHICAGO GRAND WAILEA DUBAI ARIZONA BILTMORE BERLIN JERUSALEM PUERTO RICO SHANGHAI AMSTERDAM BEIJING ORLANDO ROME CAVALIERI JEDDAH KEY WEST PARK CITY PANAMA BOCA RATON EDINBURGH RAS AL KHAIMAH LA QUINTA RESORT & CLUB TRIANON PALACE VERSAILLES THE ROOSEVELT NEW ORLEANS

P E R S O N A L CO N C I E RG E A N D CO M P L I M E N TA RY W I - F I * W H E N YO U B O O K AT WA L D O R FA STO R I A .CO M

M O U N TA I N A R T

#mountainart The art of capturing the beauty of #snow. artists from left to right

Row 1: Christian Pondella, Julie Couture, Matilde Huidobro Row 2: Tim Hall, Mark Brendon Smith, Will Wissman Row 3:Â Hansi Brenninger, Jonathan Selkowitz, Mattias Fredriksson

40

9:17AM The moment your idea of heaven finally comes down to earth.

The best ski days are a glimpse of paradise on earth. And there’s no place more heavenly than Whistler. As North America’s largest (and Whistler’s only true) ski-in ski-out luxury hotel, Fairmont Chateau Whistler is the ultimate Canadian ski experience. We continue to raise the standard with offerings like our Experience Guide, who personally leads Fairmont guests to Whistler’s most unforgettable moments. With today’s favourable currency exchange for travelers to Canada, there’s no better time to enjoy Whistler’s alpine beauty.

Sometimes, even the most heavenly moments have very down-to-earth motivations.

WHISTLER

NO.1

SKI RESORT IN NORTH AMERICA

FOR DETAILS PLEASE VISIT FAIRMONT.COM/WHISTLER OR CONTACT YOUR TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL

Gateway to your moment in over 20 countries. fairmont.com

GEAR

PERFECT RUNS A selection of 2017 frontside carving skis tested at Aspen.

by BARBAR A SANDERS

SNOW Magazine hosted its annual Ski Test last April on Colorado’s Aspen Mountain. David Stapleton, past U.S. Ski Team member, pro racer, shop owner, and Gorsuch manager, acted as test director, selecting a number of high end boutique skis new on the market for 2017. In this edition we’re presenting test results for frontside carving skis; in our next edition, we will focus on all-mountain boards.

With the help of professional skiers — all testers came from a ski teaching or ski racing background — SNOW’s goal was to find the “perfect run” for each ski. As these professionals have skied many famous resorts, we asked testers to match each set of boards with an iconic run. It’s a fun way to give our readers a quick and easy snapshot of every ski.

We also asked participants to test skis for functionality: How do they hold at speed? How do they perform in the bumps, in the trees, on smooth groomed runs, or on steep, challenging terrain? At Aspen, the team skied these frontside carvers on perfectly groomed packed powder.

SNOW’s testers included Joan Valentine, Kimberly Mann, Trent Jones, Nick Hill, P.J. McGovern, Lizzie Talenfeld, Scott Kane, Shelby Rogala, Lindsi Brandbury, and Greta Muxworthy.

Here are their findings:

Bomber AM Timberline 124 x 77 x 110 Pe r f e c t r u n : R u t h i e ’s R u n , Aspen Mountain “I can see why Bode loves them!” says tester Lindsi Bradbury, an ex-ski racer. “I felt like I could tip them up early and trust them to come around.

They have brilliant edge hold. They are stable at both high and low speeds, and they feel damp and solid.”

Tester P.J. McGovern, ex-ski pro and on skis 150-plus days per year, adds: “You can tell this ski is made the old‑fashioned way. Awesome!”

Z a i T e s ta 122 x 73 x 102 Pe r f e c t r u n : B o r n Fr e e , Va i l “These skis are ideal for medium radius cruising, with good edge hold at speed,” says Shelby Rogala, a ski pro at Aspen Highlands.

P.J. McGovern adds: “These skis are light to carry, but ride like a heavy, damp ski. They’re perfect for someone spending time on frontside groomers.”

42

Meister Centurion 1 3 5 x 76 x 1 1 6 Pe r f e c t r u n : S u n d a n c e , Ja c k s o n H o l e Meister uses a technology called “elliptical side cut” that allows skiers to switch from short to medium or long radius turns quickly and easily. Testers’ comments included: “strong edge hold,” “good for fast, aggressive turns,” and, “this ski is all about carving — perfect for frontside groomers.”

P H OTO S : J E R E M Y S WA N S O N (A S P E N M O U N TA I N ) , J AC K A F F L E C K , VA I L R E S O R T S ( VA I L) , DAV I D TO R R E A L B A P OT T S TO C K ( P O R T I L LO) , C H R I S M O S E L E Y ( L A K E LO U I S E ) , M I K E C R A N E ( W H I S T L E R) , A N D R E W S C H R U M (J AC K S O N H O L E )

Kästle MX Limited 128 x 84 x 112 Pe r f e c t r u n : Fra n z ’s Run, Whistler “Fun ski!” says Aspen Mountain ski pro Scott Kane. “It’s trustworthy, damp but lively, and works well in a variety of conditions. It is the first carbon fiber ski I've ever liked.” Shelby Rogala adds: “I'm sold. Whether your are a weekend warrior or ski 100-plus days per year, this ski won't let you down. It's responsive, solid, and good to go!”

ELAN AMPHIBIO 84 XTi 131 x 84 x 112 Pe r f e c t r u n : P l a t e a u , Po r t i l l o Testers picked Plateau in Portillo as the perfect run for this ski as it’s steep at the top, then long and rolling. Elan’s Amphibio combines camber and rocker in the same ski. Camber gives greater edge grip; rocker helps get you in and out of each turn. Testers discovered the ski’s unique design allows for precise turn entries and dynamic exits. “This ski’s 84 cm under foot is pure magic,” said one tester. “It’s not too thin and not too fat. It’s just perfect!”

S t ö c k l i S c a l e D e lta 129 x 84 x 111 Pe r f e c t r u n : L a d i e s ’ D ow n h i l l , L a k e L o u i s e “This ski’s early rise makes it want to turn,” says Joan Valentine, ski pro and instructor trainer at Aspen Mountain “But fasten your seat belt and be ready for the ride. This ski is a thoroughbred. It loves speed, it’s hard to hold back, and it has nerves of steel!”

43

VIKING STYLE

Land of Ice Snow

&

Why Norway’s ski wear is worthy of the gods.

by MICH A E L M A S TA R CI YA N

That’s the pounding soundtrack I hear in my head each time I rip down a perfect run. It’s my mountain theme, Immigrant Song, Led Zeppelin’s heavy metal Viking hymn.

As a ski fashion junkie prone to living out his hibernal dress-up fantasies on snow, the style gods of my winter universe have always been the heroes of Norway: Vikings, polar explorers, ski champions.

And so it was I traveled to this country of white mountains and majestic fjords on a fashion quest. My goal: to discover why its iconic ski apparel brands — Dale of Norway, Helly Hansen, Norrøna and more — are so adept at crafting ski wear worthy of the gods.

My Norse tour began with a visit to Oslo, Norway’s capital city, where ancient buildings and modern architectural masterpieces live in aesthetic harmony. The city itself sits like a pearl in the innermost point of the Oslo Fjord, with the frigid waters 44

of the North Sea lapping at its shores. Walking past the medieval Akershus Castle and the ultra-modern Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, breathing in the same briny ocean air Vikings inhaled 1,000 years ago, I had an epiphany: it’s the blending of tradition and innovation that’s the key element of Norwegian design, whether it’s architecture or fashion.

One of the strongest believers of this philosophy is Oslo’s Amundsen Sports, Norwegian fashion’s new kid on the block and the undisputed champion of the anorak pullover ski jacket, one of this season’s hottest pieces.

The anorak was introduced to the West by legendary polar explorer Roald Amundsen after time spent with the Inuit at the turn of the 20th century. Descendent Jørgen Amundsen and Erik Friis now have several anoraks in their Amundsen Sports collection this year, including the waterproof and breathable Peak,

P H OTO : S A R A W I N T E R

“We come from the land of ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow. Hammer of the gods, will drive our ships to new lands …”

VIKING STYLE

and the waxed linen/cotton Heroes. The latter is a head turner, one that actually looks like a museum piece; it’s like time traveling on the slopes each time you wear it.

Also for the “fanorak”: Dale of Norway’s Fjellanorakk, made with weatherproof wool and featuring pewter buttons and a fur-trimmed hood in gray or navy blue. In Norrøna’s Svalbard, made from blending organic cotton with recycled polyester, you’ll score green points for reducing your environmental footprint.

AMUNDSEN SPORTS

Bright hues have been the trademark of brands like Helly Hansen, Bergans of Norway, and Norrøna forever, but this year it seems they’re bolder than ever.

ANORAKS

D A L E O F N O R W AY

NORRØNA

B E R G A N S O F N O R W AY

BRIGHT HUES

H E L LY H A N S E N

46

NORRØNA

The next leg of my adventure was aboard the famed Bergensbanen from Oslo to Bergen, a journey that rolls through the heart of Viking country — forests, rivers, mountains, glaciers, and fjords; ice and snow as far as the eye can see. It made me think: Norway’s savage ruggedness and ethereal beauty has to have inspirational bearing on its design of ski wear.

I stopped in the seaside town of Bergen, known to many as the “gateway to the fjords”. Bergen is a city bursting with color. From the technicolor historic wooden buildings to the red and blue cruise ships parked in the harbor, everything in this town is bright. It’s no wonder the Norwegian National Ski Team’s colors are aqua blue and orange. Look no farther than the orange glow of a Norwegian sunset over the aqua blue waters of the North Sea. Bright hues have been the trademark of brands like Helly Hansen, Bergans of Norway, and Norrøna forever, but this year it seems they’re bolder than ever. Case in point: Orange is a big color this winter. Helly Hansen’s Elevation shell jacket and pant in neon orange and winter aqua will be sought after, as will Stuben and Ridge shell jackets in white, winter aqua, and neon orange.

Norrøna’s magma orange one-piece lofoten Gore-Tex ski suit and its half and half magma/mellow yellow Gore-Tex lofoten Pro Jacket are right off a French Impressionist color palette. Bergans of Norway’s koi orange hooded Norefjell and Kongsberg jackets and Gautefall ocean blue ski pants are also bold and beautiful — a North Sea sunset you can buy off the rack.

Banff Lake Louise Tourism / Paul Zizka Photography

Dave Riley

Adam Locke

Josh Robertson

Book your exclusive Sunshine Mountain Lodge vacation now and experience Canada’s first heated lift— Teepee Town LX. Located at 7,200 feet, the Sunshine Mountain Lodge provides 360 degree panoramic Canadian Rocky Mountain views and over 8,000 acres of Canada’s Best Snow. Sunshine Village Ski & Snowboard Resort is a place where perfect snowy days transform into breathtaking starry nights and a luxuryinspired setting creates the space where you and your family can truly get away from it all.

1-87-ski-banff (1-877-542-2633) · skibanff.com

VIKING STYLE

Aksel Lund Svindal in Dale of Norway

NORRØNA

D A L E O F N O R W AY

VIKING

B E R G A N S O F N O R W AY

48

From Bergen I took a short train ride to a little town called Dale (pronounced DAHL-ay). It is an early 20th-century factory mill town perched on the rocky highlands that overlook the North Sea. Dale, with its brightly painted homes and large factory building looks frozen in time. It’s not. Inside the Dale of Norway factory, designers are pushing tradition and innovation limits to new levels.

Motivated by owner Hilde Midthjell’s desire to take Dale of Norway beyond its iconic ski sweater, the company has embraced marrying tradition and innovation. Its new Viking Collection of ski jackets, insulators, sweaters, and hats is inspired by Vikings, the steamy television drama based on the sagas of Norse hero Ragnar Lothbrok. It’s worn by Norway’s alpine ski team: Aksel Lund Svindal, Kjetil Jansrud, Ragnhild Mowinckel, and Nina Løseth, who call themselves the Attacking Vikings.

“I like the Viking collection,” says Lund Svindal. “It’s a cool image and Dale is a solid traditional Norwegian brand. The last few years Dale has combined vintage style with innovation. It gives the traditional look a tech aspect.”

The standout piece from Dale’s new collection is a sexy, body‑hugging Merino wool sweater with a Viking knit design on the chest. Arrows accent the half-zip collar, and the two ancient runic symbols for victory and success adorn the back. A matching “next to skin” dual-purpose insulator-type sweater can be worn with it or simply on its own. Also riveting: a black woolen knit shell weatherproof hoodie that looks like it came from the wardrobe department of Ingmar Bergman’s 1957 film The Seventh Seal.

Think: Grim Reaper. The look is killer.

“Neo Viking” is one last trend coming out of this region.

Norrøna’s limited edition, black camouflage Tamok shell jacket matched with caviar black Tamok shell pants is so badass! Bergans of Norway’s Fonna jacket is ocean blue with koi orange lining and an asymmetrical zipper that gives it that biker jacket / heavy metal Viking shredder vibe.

All of it works so well together within the Norwegian landscape, or any ski landscape. Led Zeppelin would be proud, especially when you’re trying to be the hammer of the gods conquering pistes in the land of ice and snow.

P H OTO : T E R J E B J O R N S E N (A K S E L L U N D S V I N DA L)

“The last few years Dale has combined vintage style with innovation.”

— Aksel Lund Svindal

BOTTLE

Whiskey WONDERLAND

Warming up with American-made, après-ski whiskeys.

by JEN L ASKE Y

T

he hilly backcountry of Kentucky may not be known for its white powder, but it is world‑renowned for its brown spirits.

An ideal slopeside sipper in its own right, American whiskey is also a key ingredient in many of the best après-ski cocktails, from the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and Whiskey Sour to the Derby classic: Mint Julep.

Bourbon, rye, American single malt, and other whiskeys are now being distilled from the east coast to the west.

Tuthilltown Spirits, Kings County, and Widow Jane are producing them in New York. Out west, you can warm your bones with whiskeys from Stranahan’s in Colorado, High West in Utah, and Westward in Oregon.

But Kentucky is the motherland, particularly when it comes to bourbon. Home to dozens of heritage brands, including Jim Beam, Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Woodford Reserve, Willett, Four Roses, and Maker’s Mark, it’s also a hotbed for up-andcoming craft brands like MB Roland, New Riff, and Castle & Key. “A lot of people are mistaken in thinking that bourbon has to be distilled in Kentucky,” says Britt Kulsveen Chavanne, a vice president at Willett (aka Kentucky Bourbon Distillers), her family’s distillery. “It does not; it has to be distilled in the United States.”

To be classified as a bourbon, the whiskey must: - Contain a minimum of 51 percent corn; - Be aged in charred new oak barrels; - Not be distilled at higher than 160 proof (80% ABV); and - Not be any more than 125 proof (62.5% ABV) at the time it goes into the barrel.

50

ARE YOU ONE OF ‘US’? @NOBISINC | NOBIS.COM

BOTTLE

American whiskey is a key ingredient in many of the best après-ski cocktails.

Ta s t i n g N o t e s — A f l i g h t of American Whiskeys Approximate pricing is based on 750 ml bottles.

Delicate and full-bodied with caramelized sugar, vanilla, maraschino cherry, nutmeg, and cinnamon notes.

However, to be labeled “Kentucky Straight Bourbon,” Chavanne adds, the whiskey does need to be made (and aged for a minimum of two years) in the Bluegrass State.

And 95 percent of all bourbon is made there. In fact, there are currently more barrels of bourbon aging in Kentucky than there are people — and horses — added together, according to the Kentucky Distillers Association.

Chavanne says that after a long day of skiing, “when you’re cold to the bone and your body hurts like hell,” Noah’s Mill makes the perfect whiskey for après-ski: “It has a phenomenal nose, reminiscent of cognac. It’s a very full-bodied bourbon. And it makes a fabulous Old Fashioned.”

In addition to corn, the most common grains used to make whiskey are barley, wheat, and rye. A high proportion barley can give whiskey a creamy texture; high wheat gives it a softness; and high rye, a spicy character.

Of the whiskeys he produces, Four Roses Master Distiller Brent Elliott reveals that his go-to winter sipper is the Single Barrel Bourbon: “It’s bracing and warm,” he says. “The high rye also gives it those nice nutmeg and cinnamon notes.”

This is just a little taste of what’s going on in the world of American whiskey. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a great place to start, but don’t stop there! New takes on old classics are being produced across America. After blazing new trails on the slopes, we suggest parking yourself at the lodge bar and exploring American whiskey’s old — and new — frontiers.

52

BUFFALO TRACE KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY $35 Lush expression of vanilla, molasses, mint, and baking spices.

WILLETT/KENTUCKY BOURBON DISTILLER’S NOAH’S MILL BOURBON $48

STRANAHAN’S COLORADO WHISKEY $60

Full-bodied and surprisingly smooth with notes of toffee, dark chocolate, mint, and rye-spiced cinnamon.

Rich with notes of toffee, honey, dried fruit, nuts, and toasted marshmallow.

MAKER’S MARK’S CASK STRENGTH BOURBON $60 A balance of sweet caramel and cinnamon spice with hints of clove and white pepper.

T U T H I L LT O W N SPIRITS’ HUDSON BABY BOURBON $56 Silky with notes of sweet almond paste, vanilla, and roasted corn.

HIGH WEST RENDEZVOUS RYE $52 Opulent notes of vanilla and molasses complimenting a spicy rye backbone.

P H OTO : T R AV I S L I N C O L N ( D R I N K )

FOUR ROSES’ SINGLE BARREL BOURBON $50

A warming winter drink from Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

Sweet notes of apple, ripe fruit, and maple mingle with spicy masala chai.

by JEN L ASKE Y

Québec City’s drinks scene has risen to new elevations since Nader Chabaane began slinging his haute cuisine cocktails at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. As director of mixology, Chabaane manages the cocktail program in both the 1608 Wine & Cheese Bar, where his staff keeps the emphasis on the classics, and Bistro Le Sam, where he and his team mix up more adventurous elixirs.

But it’s not just guests of the landmark luxury hotel who are drinking Chabaane’s creative concoctions.

The self-taught bartender is also part of an elite group chosen from Fairmont outposts around the world to design the brand’s new global cocktail program. He and three other master mixologists worked together to hone the recipes and curate a select list of cocktails that now appear on the Fairmont’s “Classics. Perfected.” menu at every Fairmont bar worldwide, including Fairmont’s classic ski hotels Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Banff Springs, and Whistler.

An avid snowboarder and a veteran of the French après-ski tradition, Chabaane is quick to admit that he enjoys relaxing with a drink after a day of riding at nearby Le Massif de Charlevoix or Mont-Sainte-Anne.

And this barman turns out some of the most inspired après-ski tipples in town. His latest is an ice cidercentric version of the classic Rusty Nail.

Chabaane discovered ice cider (ice wine made with apples) when he moved to Québec. “It gets so cold here that the fermentation starts inside the apples while they’re still hanging on the trees,” he explains. In his Not-So-Rusty #2, sweet notes of apple, ripe fruit, and maple mingle with spicy masala chai. The whisky offers a hint of smoke.

“When people think about a winter drink, they want a warm drink,” says Chabaane. “The spices bring warmth to this one. It’s very refreshing.”

W W W.BI S T R O L E S A M .C O M / E N 54

T h e N o t- S o - R u s t y # 2 1 1⁄2 ounces ice cider (Chabaane recommends Neige Winter Harvest)

Strain out the spices and put the liquid into an iSi cream whipper.

3

⁄4 ounce Glenmorangie Original

Pressurize with two N2O cartridges.

Masala chai-infused foam

Let sit overnight in refrigerator. (If in a hurry, add 2 teaspoons of dehydrated egg white, and it will work instantly with no resting time.)

2 cups unflavored soy milk 5 teaspoons masala chai spices (about 5 masala chai tea bags) 1

⁄4 cup dark maple syrup

F o r t h e c o c k ta i l :

For the foam:

Stir the cider and Scotch in a mixing glass.

Warm the soy milk but do not bring to a boil, infuse with masala chai spices for 15 minutes. Then, let it sit (or refrigerate) until cold.

Add the maple syrup.

Pour into a double Old-Fashioned Glass half-filled with solid ice cubes.

Top with the masala chai-infused foam.

PHOTO: JEAN-FÉLIX DESFOSSÉS

APRÈS

Santé, Québec!

MADEFORGENERATIONS

TM

WOLFIE IS BORN OF CANADIAN HERITAGE AND SPECIALIZES IN THE MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTION OF LUXURY FUR OUTWEAR AND HOME FUR ACCESSORIES.

Wolfie is a premium fur fashion brand that appeals to a clientele that spans across genders and generations.

Wolfie is an attitude, a reflection of self-confidence, an expression of timeless elegance.

Wolfie invites you to explore its wide selection of uniquely designed and crafted quality fur products.

WOLFIEFUR.COM 1625 Chabanel West, Suite 502, Montreal, Quebec, H4N 2S7 Canada 1.514.842.5391 • service@wolfiefur.com

SUITES

Cowboy Culture Teton-style Eldorado at the Four Seasons.

L

uxury ski hotels aren’t difficult to come by these days — cast your eye westward to Whistler, Vail, Tahoe, or Aspen and you’ll find velvet carpets and slopeside ski valets lickety-split. But locating a luxe ski-in hotel that captures a keen sense of place ... well, that’s the tricky part. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole does it with grace.

The hotel rests on the bank of a hill within a stone’s throw of the lifts. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s aerial tram — the Big Red — trundles into a lifthouse only steps away. Look up and you’ll see Rendezvous Mountain rising up to more than 10,449 feet. Look back and the Teton Valley will spread long and wide and barren behind you, with ranches, split rail fences, and a two lane road that leads to cowboy Eldorado, also known as Grand Teton National Park.

Have you been to Jackson Hole? If you have, you’ll know it for its tumbleweed, steeps, and starry nights. You’ll know it for the elk that move wildly across its ranges, and for the wolves that howl at the moon as the rest of us sleep.

If you haven’t been to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR), my ski friend, you’re in for a treat. Its feral land, impossible to tame, is evident with every ski turn you take. Up on the mountain, in bowls 56

with names like Rock Springs, Cheyenne, Bernie’s, and Tensleep, there’s a gritty, hang-on-with-your-toenails kind of attitude every dude’s got to take. Corbet’s Couloir is about as close to riding a wild bronco as lift-served ski terrain comes. Sure, there’s tamer stuff, but JHMR’s reputation for rodeo ski runs is firmly in place.

It’s a fine thing, then, that a crib like Four Seasons Jackson Hole exists. Slide in after a day on these Wild West slopes and you’re ready for a break. Its rooms are roomy and wide, like the Wyoming landscape. In The Handle Bar, elk chili nachos headline the menu and beer is served in glass cowboy boots. Multiple outdoor pools are hot and hard to see when the steam is rising — in winter in Wyoming, the steam is always rising. A heated cabinet keeps your robe and towels warm; attendants serve s’mores and somehow know which whiskey you prefer.

Four Seasons Jackson Hole was built in 2003. In the decade since it has remained Wyoming’s only five diamond resort. Certainly slopeside it is Jackson Hole’s most swank, with valets as attentive as the Queen’s footmen, cowhide cushioned chairs scattered casually here and there, and HD screens showcasing Yellowstone’s boundless beauty at every take. An upgrade in 2014 had critics singin’ like Dale Evans — Vogue, Forbes and the like. Designers strove for “a mountain-style aesthetic” with stone, leather, earth

P H OTO : T R I S TA N G R E S Z KO/J AC K S O N H O L E M O U N TA I N R E S O R T

by LORI KNOWLES

SUITES

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole does it with grace.

BASE CAMP Four Seasons Jackson Hole has a full roster of “base camp” activities curated by its concierge: stargazing trips to Grand Teton National Park; wildlife safaris to view elk, moose, mule deer, bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and bison; sleigh rides and visits to the National Elk Refuge and the National Museum of Wildlife Art; evenings with the in-house astronomer gazing through a state-of-the-art Schmidt-Cassegrain 11‑inch telescope.

At the hotel’s Base Camp (ski concierge), attendants rent skis, warm your boots, and prep your boards — yes, they’ll even tighten boot buckles on your behalf. The Ski Package includes accommodations and daily lift tickets for two. Ski More, Save More programs offer savings when guests stay at all three resorts in a single season in the Four Seasons Mountain Collection: Jackson Hole, Vail, and Whistler. Bonus: Upon departure from the third resort, guests receive a custom pair of Prior skis.

REST Rooms are spacious and silent, with leather, stone, dark wood, and broad windows and terraces that let in the mountain light. In-room smart TVs with Guestek allow guests to stream music and movies from their mobile devices. Signature Cache Creek Apothecary products have been inspired by natural Jackson Hole scents of alpine meadows, lemon, dry sage, and lavender.

E AT & D R I N K The Handle Bar gastro pub by Michael Mina is boasting a new Can You Handle It Burger that pairs 30 ounces of meat with 30 ounces of beer in a boot. If you can consume the entire offering in less than 30 minutes your bill is waived. The Mountain Whiskey Ceremony is performed tableside with Wyoming whiskey infused with pine, marshmallow, and cinnamon. Ascent Lounge serves comfortable Italian fare; naturally steak is on the BBQ at Westbank Grill. Possibly this Four Seasons’ best fare, however, is its bolstering buffet breakfast: smoothies, burritos, seven types of fruit, plus sausages of elk, turkey, and pork.

tones, and Native American motifs. New in 2017: in-room iPads, Bose docking stations, desktop chargers, and Nespresso machines. Carefully curated landscape art brings the outside in.

Added to this well-groomed Western vibe is some serious ski cred. Not only is the hotel on the flanks of one of America’s toughest mountains, it also has a former pro skier and U.S. Ski Team member in its midst. Cory Carlson, Director of Sales and Marketing, can be spotted amiably roaming the halls and chatting with guests. Carlson’s longtime stint as a U.S. Pro Tour color commentator for NBC and ESPN puts him alongside Bob Beattie as guys you’d like to belly up to the bar with and ask: “Do you remember when ... ?”

W W W. F O U R S E A S O N S J A C K S O N H O L E W Y.C O M 58

SPA The spa’s Geo-Thermal Mud and Aloe Treatment aims to detox with an ancient Ayurvedic practice that exfoliates the skin, then absorbs toxins with a warm mud wrap.

In the Grand Teton Sports Recovery treatment, orthopedic massage and Asian bodywork techniques promise to put you back on Rendezvous feeling — and skiing — even better than you did on your first day reining in this raucous mountain.

P H OTO S : D O N R I D D L E I M AG E S 2 0 1 3 A L L R I G H T S R E S E R V E D ( H OT E L E X T E R I O R) , S T E V E C A S I M I R O/J AC K S O N H O L E M O U N T I A N R E S O R T ( B A LC O N Y )

SKI

ART

AN DY Loved Aspen

The ski town according to pop artist Andy Warhol.

by S HIN A N G O VA NI

For a man for whom the Who’s Who was just an extension of business hours, it would only make sense that some social climbing took place, inevitably, at high altitudes.

“Andy loved Aspen,” a trophy wife circa the first moon landing was saying recently as she leaned back on her leather chair inside the exalted lounge of The Little Nell hotel. She knew him then.

In remembering Andy Warhol — one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and certainly America’s most famous celebrity in that realm — the tableau usually shifts to New York City: Andy with Bianca and Liza at Studio 54. Andy holding court at his Factory, lost in the mists of time with Basquiat et al.

Andy moving, gazelle-like, taking Polaroids on any given night in Manhattan.

60

But for such a relentless cityphile, there was also something about the yawning landscape and endless sky of colorful Colorado that lured him during the 1970s and early ‘80s. That, and the people watching.

After all, he certainly wasn’t going to miss Sonny Bono’s third wedding in 1981 — just one of the calendar entries found in The Andy Warhol Diaries. Held in a snowy chapel in Aspen, the ceremony for Bono and model Susie Coelho was a gossiplover’s delight — and what did Warhol enjoy more than gossip?

The preacher flubbed an all-important line: “I pronounce you, Sonny and Cherie.” Warhol wrote: “The whole audience gasped and she said, “My name isn’t Cher-ie, it’s Susie.”

No doubt, Mr. Warhol dined off that tale at many a social gathering.

Brass Ranch | Cole Sport | Gorsuch | Paragon Sports | Performance Ski | Peter Glenn | Valbruna www.parajumpers.it

ART

Andy Warhol in Aspen, 1982.

62

In the Aspen portions of his diaries — pages Pat Hackett called “the canvas of an era” — Warhol dropped a lot of names, including those of the day’s it couple, Jack Nicholson and Angelica Huston. In 1984, he claimed a Miami Vice-era Don Johnson “gave the best party I’ve been to since we’ve been coming to Aspen.” He called Johnson’s partner, model Patti D’Arbanville, “the cream of the crop,” then added: “She still can’t dress, though. Never could.” Jack and Jackie’s only daughter also earned an entry: “Saw Caroline Kennedy with that Schlossberg boy,” he wrote, “They’re madly in love.”

Warhol loved Aspen so much that he wound up buying property near it — purchased by trading some paintings for land with the collector John Powers. He also created some work there — images you’ll find in the Aspen chapter of his 1985 book, America.

Perhaps Warhol’s most treasured Aspen moment, however, was his meeting with “The Dowager of Aspen,” as he dubbed Elizabeth (Pussy) Paepcke, an arbiter of the ski town’s high culture movement.

After visiting “The Grand Dame” in her Aspen home, Warhol wrote: “She’s 82, and she’s very beautiful, and looks like Katharine Hepburn.” Pussy served the pop artist ginseng tea. Of her neighbor next door, Warhol wrote: “Jack Nicholson’s not around this year. He’s filming that Prizzi’s Honor thing in L.A.” Did Warhol ever hit the slopes? It’s a question that begs, of course. According to his diaries, he did at least once, at Buttermilk: “I decided to have just simple baby instructors on the baby slope,” he wrote. “All these two-year-olds skiing with me ... but I was so tense.”

At Buttermilk, Warhol said he fell three times, yet he didn’t seem to mind too much.

“The idea of falling was more fun than skiing because you fall right into the snow, and it’s really fun.”

Indeed, Andy loved Aspen.

P H OTO : M A R K S I N K

What did Warhol enjoy more than gossip?

FRIDA - SKINSOFT MERINO WOOL

MADE IN NORWAY SINCE 1879

STRYN KNITSHELL WEATHERPROOF JACKET UNIQUE, INNOVATIVE LIGHTWEIGHT QUALITY WATER REPELLENT (8000 MM) & STAIN RESISTANT WOOL LAMINATED WITH A WINDPROOF MEMBRANE EXCELLENT BREATHABILITY (10,000 GR/M2)

LILLEHAMMER - EXTRA-FINE MERINO WOOL

DALEOFNORWAY.COM

C U LT U R E

How the death of Sherlock Holmes led to the birth of Switzerland’s ski tourism.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle skiing in Switzerland circa 1893.

P H O T O : B I B L I O T H È Q U E C A N T O N A L E E T U N I V E R S I TA I R E , L A U S A N N E , F O N D S CO N A N D OY L E

by MICH A E L M A S TA R CI YA N

exquisitely the warmest snow destination in the Canadian Rockies

Reservation: 1.800.661.1586 www.posthotel.com

Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print in 1887, and by the early 1890s had made Conan Doyle a wealthy man thanks to the serialization of the detective’s short stories in The Strand Magazine, a popular periodical. Fame and fortune were no match for frustration and boredom however, as Conan Doyle — an avid 66

adventurer — had tired of writing about literature’s first and most famous whodunnit detective. As the author told his mother in a letter detailing his desire to kill off Holmes: “He takes my mind from better things.”

Better things included the care of his wife, Lady Louise Conan Doyle, who was suffering with tuberculosis.

If Holmes was a “burden” before Louise’s illness, the character had now become an impediment in the way of her cure.

And so it was that his famous detective’s literary fate was sealed. In December 1893, much to the chagrin of Baker Street fans, Holmes was murdered in a Strand story called The Final Problem.

By then, the Conan Doyles had relocated to Davos, a town high up in the Swiss Alps with an abundance of sanatoriums, fresh air, white peaks, blue skies, and sunshine — a tuberculosis patient’s best chance for a cure in the days before antibiotics. It worked. Lady Conan Doyle’s health improved in the snowy mountains of Davos. Free of Sherlock Holmes and buoyed by improvement in his wife’s health, the author, always a keen sportsman, turned his attention again to “better things.” Namely, tobogganing, ice-hockey, and skiing.

Ski-running, as it was known in the late 19th century, had been on Conan Doyle’s mind since reading of the exploits of Fridtjof Nansen, the famous Norwegian ski

champion who’d crossed Greenland on skis and wrote about the sport with unmatched enthusiasm. In Davos, the author was even more captivated by stories of Tobias and Johannes Branger, brothers who, only one year earlier, skied the 14-mile Maienfelder Furka Pass separating Davos and Arosa.

Enthralled by the duo’s marvelous feat, Conan Doyle became determined to embark on his own epic ski adventure. He purchased a pair of eight-foot Norwegian wooden boards, recruited Tobias Branger as an instructor, and learned to ski. He wrote about the experience in The Strand: “There is nothing peculiarly malignant in the appearance of a pair of ski (sic),” Conan Doyle told his readers. “No one to look at them would guess at the possibilities

P H O T O S : B I B L I O T H È Q U E C A N T O N A L E E T U N I V E R S I TA I R E , L A U S A N N E , F O N D S C O N A N D OY L E

C U LT U R E

I

n the summer of 1893 a group of English clergymen and a Scottish doctor were contemplating the meaning of life, existence, and divinity during a holiday in the Swiss Alps, when suddenly the discussion switched to murder. This sinister shift was no random debate about the concept of taking a life. This was a cold-blooded, premeditated, homicidal strategy session with a very specific target.

“I have made up my mind to kill Sherlock Holmes,” the doctor confessed. “He is becoming such a burden to me that it makes my life unbearable.”

The doctor in question was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, one of the most famous authors of the 19th century. A global celebrity with an audience of millions in an era before radio, television, and the internet, Conan Doyle’s printed words were more than entertainment; they were the windows through which his readers saw the world.

Oddly, his plot to “murder” Holmes had a profound effect on the evolution of alpine ski tourism in Switzerland.

C U LT U R E

clockwise from left

GENTLEMEN SKI 1, 2, 3 & 6.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and friends, Davos, circa 1893.

4. Arthur and Louise, Davos, circa 1893.

5. Arthur and son Adrian skating in Switzerland, circa 1924.

which lurk in them. But you put them on and you turn with a smile to see whether your friends are looking at you, and then the next moment you are boring your head madly into a snowbank.”

Smitten by the sport, Conan Doyle soon convinced the Branger brothers to repeat their Maienfelder Furka adventure, this time with the author in tow. The three set off from Davos at 4:30 a.m. on March 23, 1894. They trudged to the top of an 8,000-foot peak on snowshoes, switched to skis, and rode down into the town of Arosa.

“We shot along over gently dipping curves,” Conan Doyle wrote, “skimming down into the valley without a motion of our feet ... it was glorious to whiz along in this easy fashion.”

At one point during a particularly steep section, the Brangers tied their skis into a makeshift sledge and slid down. When Conan Doyle tried the same, his skis slipped away and the adventurer bumped down the pitch on his tush. “For the remainder of the day,” he wrote, “I was happiest when nearest the wall.”

Style points aside, Conan Doyle made it to Arosa in one piece. When he arrived at the local hotel for an overnight stay and, perhaps, an après-ski drink, he was registered as a “sportesmann” (sic) rather than a world famous author. As Roland

His plot to “murder” Holmes had a profound effect on the evolution of alpine ski tourism in Switzerland.

Huntford wrote in Two Planks and a Passion: The Dramatic History of Skiing: It was “the first guided ski tour in the Alps, with Conan Doyle the first client.”

Experts now say Conan Doyle’s experience was pivotal in the making of skiing as a popular sport. He wrote of his Maienfelder Furka Pass adventure in an article titled An Alpine Pass on Ski (sic) for an 1894 edition of The Strand — a piece read by thousands of future skiers. “His story created an interest in skiing among the English middle classes,” says Vincent Delay, curator of the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Lucens, Switzerland.

“He played a big role in popularizing ski tourism in the Swiss Alps and surely the rest of the world.”

Today there is a bronze plaque in Davos dedicated to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It reads: “In tribute to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1859-1930. English author — creator of Sherlock Holmes — and sportsman, who on March 23, 1894, crossed the Maienfelder Furka from Davos to Arosa on skis, thereby bringing this new sport and the attractions of the Swiss Alps in winter to the world.

The perfect pattern of a gentleman.”

67

BOUTIQUE

ONLY IN MEGÈVE You must come to Megève, mon amour, for AAllard fur, fuseaux, and French sophistication.

Next to the 14th-century church and across from the horseand‑carriage stop, the AAllard boutique occupies pride of place in Megève’s cobbled village square. Not merely a trove of cashmere, wool, and fur sophistication, AAllard is a French historical treasure.

In 1926, just as Baroness Noémie “Mimi” de Rothschild was beginning to attract aristocrats to the snowy Haute-Savoie and laying the foundation for Megève as a ski destination, a polio-struck Armand Allard, unable to farm, instead mastered the trade of 68

sewing. At his small tailor shop in the town square, the stars would align four years later when the famous French ski racer Émile Allais and his handlers came to Allard for help: His billowy Tintin ski pants were slowing him down. Overnight, Allard fashioned a pair of stream-lined trousers with elastics underfoot and a sleek inside-the-boot fit. Voilà, le fuseau, the world’s first pants designed specifically for skiing. Originally in wool, later in stretch fabrics, the fuseau quickly became the iconic uniform of the chic, both on-piste and at après-ski parties.

P H OTO : W W W. A A L L A R D . C O M

by LESLIE WOIT

AVA I L A B L E E XC LU S I V E LY AT P E R F O R M A N C E S KI & A Z T EC H M O U N TA I N.CO M

BODE MILLER PHOTOGRAPHED BY BRUNO STAUB

BOUTIQUE

Voilà, le fuseau, the first pants designed specifically for skiing. clockwise from left

THEN 1. Armand Allard

“The fuseau erases all lines and gives the appearance of very long legs,” explains Armand’s grandson, Antoine Allard, from the comfort of the same shop, still in operation after 90 years.

The store, refurbished in 2012 in pale wood and plush carpeting, includes details such as a replica of Antoine’s grandfather’s cutting table — one designed in the 1950s by famous French architect Henry-Jacques Le Même.

Antoine Allard is now third-generation steward of this alpine institution, an empire that grew, only slightly, with the 1990 opening of a sister boutique for accessories, bags, hats, gloves, and shoes. (The second shop is also home to the much sought-after AAllard silk scarf; a new design is released, Hermès-style, each season.) With the exception of Bogner, a brand with which they share a long relationship, all products in AAllard’s main boutique — from ski jackets, to sweaters, hats, jeans, and, bien sûr, the iconic fuseau — are AAllard’s design, a rare independent in a world of global brands and ubiquity.

“You won’t find these anywhere else in the world. If you see someone wearing AAllard,” explains Antoine, running his gaze over curated rows of fur-collared jackets and a candy-colored rainbow of fine cashmere sweaters, “they can have bought it only in Megève.”

And how many designers are employed to occasion such riches?

“One. Just me.” Antoine declares with a smile. “All products are from the AAllard collection. I choose the design, I choose the color, the material, everything. I work with very high-quality products direct with the factory.” The collection is select: Some sweaters are 70

P H O T O S : W W W. A A L L A R D . CO M

at his cutting table designed by HenryJacques Le Même.

2. The AAllard label.

3. AAllard circa 1950.

4. Julia and Armand surrounded by staff, 1956.

BOUTIQUE

NOW

AAllard’s shelves: Defining what Megève wears next season

Tradition dictates AAllard clients come back year after year, and not only for clothing. produced only by the dozen, by the finest Italian weavers. Fabrics are washed before and after construction. And each product is designed to be customized as required; two full-time seamstresses are on-site for modifications.

“My school for creating the collection is right here,” explains Antoine as he gazes through large windows onto a cobbled square dotted with ultra-chic Megèviste and Parisienne holiday-makers.

“Here, I’m in contact with the customer and I’m in contact with production.”

72

Tradition dictates AAllard clients come back year after year, and not only for clothing. According to Antoine, they drop by the boutique for helpful advice: where to dine, how to locate a babysitter. A client once told Antoine that while wearing AAllard clothing, “I feel comfortable, safe, and quiet, as I do in my Rolls‑Royce.”

Inside AAllard’s elegant boutique, browsers find cashmere-lined lambskin driving shoes, reversible woolen and suede coats, as well as, naturally, pairs of hot pink fuseaux that catch the eye easily.

Indeed, the array of fuseaux on display runs through a kaleidoscope of color, from electric orange to cerulean blue to bubblegum pink.

Fuseaux come in three cuts: jodhpur, race, and classic.

“Le fuseau is always in fashion for us,” Antoine declares, “but these days we are experiencing a very big comeback.” The designer explains that the resurgence of slim fitting ski wear has been a boon for AAllard: “We can work without stitching and seams,” he says, “so we can put the fuseau back inside the ski boot.”

Alas, there is only one place to get this look: It’s got to be Megève, mon amour.

W W W. A A L L A R D.C O M

P H OTO S : © V I N C E N T M U R ACC I O L E /A N S O R G 2 0 1 2

Upstairs, alongside his parents’ apartment and the seamstress’ workshop, Antoine’s office is dotted with sketches and swatches that will define what Megève wears next season. With a policy of no sales or discounts, AAllard’s focus is attention to detail, quality, and a high level of service. There is, after all, tradition to safeguard.

Antoine opens a cupboard and steps up onto a chair; out comes a box of alpine fashion history. Wrapped neatly in tissue paper is a pair of fuseau once belonging to Émile Allais — the champion ski racer who popularized both the parallel turn and the first pair of stretchy ski pants.

Specializing in the Finest Luxury Rentals and Real Estate Sales in Aspen and Snowmass

Download the Aspen Signature Properties app Toll free: 844-544-8001 ~ Direct: 970-544-8001 ~ AspenSignatureProperties.com ~ inquiry@aspensignatureproperties.com

MAD ABOUT MICA Pillow skiing is now a thing. Few do it better than British Columbia’s Mica Heliskiing.

by LESLIE ANTHONY

P H O T O : M AT T I A S F R E D R I K S S O N P H O T O G R A P H Y

Mica is a field of easyangled drops in perfect powder.

HELI

I

n case you’ve somehow dodged all visual representations of skiing over the past 20 years, here’s what you missed: pillow skiing is now officially a thing.

Students of the Schmidtian steep-and-deep ethos were mildly disappointed in the new millennium when imagery for everything from hard goods advertising to helmet cam edits migrated from balls-to-the-wall Alaskan spines into fat, airy cushions, but their chagrin didn’t last long: depending on the line, pillows can be just as challenging as spines, or can provide simple low-key fun, and from an aspirational standpoint, more attainable. Those keeping track of taglines from the era well knew that the biggest and best pillows dished in magazines and movies were found at a British Columbia operation called Mica Heli Guides.

By the mid-2000s, everyone wanted to go to Mica in the way everyone wanted to go to Fernie’s Island Lake Lodge in the mid-1990s. This was no coincidence. When it launched in 2003, Mica was the latest venture of Island Lake Lodge founder Dan McDonald. Like his original brainchild, Mica spawned a media circus: Where he’d focused on redefining and elevating the cat skiing experience at Island Lake, McDonald similarly refined small-group heli-skiing at Mica, creating another legendary destination. Over several visits I remained in thrall of the 95-mile wilderness drive from Revelstoke. The scenic fly-in offered affirmation that Mica was indeed a special place; I was picked up by helicopter at the edge of sprawling Kinbasket Lake and flown across to the original wooden lodge, perched with its adjacent chalet on a bench high above the water.

On a more recent visit, that same bump to what is now Mica Heliskiing established just how much “special” had evolved: In place of the familiar lodge stood a modern slate edifice not a bit out of place in the wilderness, its interior the kind of urban chic more often encountered in a boutique hotel. Mica, it seemed, had one-upped itself.

The Mica routine has always been to arrive around noon, tuck into a satisfying lunch while being briefed, then squeeze in some skiing.

While the food at Mica’s new digs was as good as ever, the visual menu was all new. Despite a greatly enlarged dining area overhung by massive fir beams and featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, the double plank tables and low slung lamps somehow preserved a homey feel. It was bluebird out, however, so little time was wasted commenting on design miracles as we wolfed down soup and sandwiches before a test foray into the snow.

75

HELI

Just around the corner from the lodge lies the Harvey Creek drainage, home to some of Mica’s most diverse terrain. The massive diversity of runs offers something for every skier who visits, and favorites like wide-open Harvey Hound and thigh-burning Big Willy, Mica’s longest run with a 5,250 foot descent. Plus there are the pillows, the steep, stepping-stone spines, and the trees of Pillow Talk, Harvey Wallbanger, and, of course, Mr. Wiggles — featured in so many films that even if they’re not skiing in the vicinity, guests ask to be flown over to see it.

Given that it’s the only place with the proper mix of massive rockfall and super-deep snow, pillow skiing is really a B.C. thing, and those known for chopping their way down its most sacred lines are a particular breed of “slumberjack” — Mark Abma, Chris Rubens, Eric Hjorliefson, Mike Douglas, and Tanner Hall have all charted star film segments on Mica pillows.

On my first trip here a decade ago we’d been dropped in this same spot. We’d all known the statistics — a vast 300,000 acre tenure on the western side of the Rocky Mountains featuring seven drainages packed with massive peaks and glaciers — but nothing prepared us for what we saw. Looking east toward 12,001 foot Mount Clemenceau had been like staring into the heart of the Swiss Alps: 76

P H O T O S : K E R I K N A P P ( W I N D O W, R O O M ) , M AT T I A S F R E D R I K S S O N P H O T O G R A P H Y ( S K I E R , S PA , D I N I N G , B A R T E N D E R )

Mica has a vast 300,000 acre tenure on the western side of the Rocky Mountains featuring seven drainages packed with massive peaks and glaciers.

the crazy, fluted peak that hovered in front of us was pure Alaska; elsewhere were elements of the Coast Range and Himalayas. In one circling gaze, Mica’s terrain blew our fragile, back-bowlconditioned minds.

And then, as now, so did the skiing — a field of easy-angled drops in perfect powder, each of which yielded both a whoop and billowing explosion.

Day two of this trip would be spent in the Molson drainage, and it would be just as good, despite it being only mid-December; 40 to

HELI clockwise from left

1. The lodge’s cozy lake view. 2. Johnny Collinson skiing Mica powder. 3. The soft, natural tones of a Mica suite. 4. Happy hour. 5. Drawing up to the lodge’s double plank dining tables. 6. The spa overlooking Kinbasket Lake.

60 feet of snow annually makes for an earlier, deeper, drier, more stable snowpack than much of the surrounding B.C. Interior. But at Mica, powder is only the beginning. Back at the lodge, exquisite gourmet food prepared by an expert culinary team is omnipresent; an ever-evolving menu featuring internationally influenced Rocky Mountain cuisine. Liquor is decidedly high-end and includes an excellent scotch collection, B.C.’s best boutique wines, and a wide choice of locally brewed craft beers. With only 20 guests per tour, Mica provides a personalized experience with a 1:1 staff to guest ratio. Such hospitality and five-star amenities required a home, and a new lodge was it.

Vancouver-based CEI Architecture designed the new facility and was also responsible for its interior design, which features wood, stone — from legendary Mount Robson no less — and leather in a

rich, natural color palate. The 14,000-square-foot lodge wraps the remaining chalet and includes 12 luxury suites, staff accommodation, various common areas, a business center, kitchen, bar, dining room, lounge, ski shop, and fitness area. Building on suggestions collected over the years, much time and energy went toward reducing the new building’s carbon footprint and making it energy efficient. As interesting is the decoration from B.C. artists: commissioned original art, decorative local metalworks, woodworking by a longboard builder, and salvaged Persian rugs repurposed into a large, quilt-like carpet.

“The project exceeded my every expectation,” says longtime Mica investor and current owner Patrick Callahan, who dropped $14 million-plus on the new lodge. “There isn’t a single thing I would change. It is truly a magnificent piece of art.”

Waiting for weather to clear next day, we lounged comfortably around the fireplace in “the corner” until the crack of noon, at which point we bee-lined back to the Harvey drainage and the Rock Garden, a truncated ridge of pillow lines down fat, car-sized rocks. This time we worked our way from short shots to the bigger stuff. It was all in the shade by this time, but despite a stiff wind we kept warm. Poof, poof, poof. So many drops, so much effort.

Enough, in fact, to make one sleepy. But with pillows the new fashion in face-shots, who has time for sleep?

W W W.M I C A H E L I.C O M 77

Bode Miller is still pushing limits after a lifetime of ski racing.

by TIM NEVILLE

79

P H OTO : S T E FA N VO N S T E N G E L

SNOW KINGS

SNOW KINGS

After shooting his Bond-worthy chase scenes in the Andes with a trio of beautiful women, the 38-year-old Miller — long considered a maverick both in and out of the gates — casually took a seat in the sun-yellow Hotel Portillo to explain his plans and theories.

“We have to break the mold a little bit in terms of what the ski industry has been doing,” he says about Bomber. “A lot of people want really wide skis underfoot and the industry has helped solidify that. I see people on those skis at ski areas and I think, man, that would be miserable. It’s not their fault, but people are buying into the wrong stuff.”

In short, Miller says the popularity of fat skis has done little to improve skiers’ skills. Wide tips are often too soft to maintain their 80

shape when flexed in all but the softest, deepest snow. That mushiness means you sink as the ski flexes and a small wall of snow builds up in front of the tip. Inertia then carries your weight forward. The skis eventually plane and spring back into shape, which pitches you into the backseat. The result is an unpredictable ride. “It’s better to have a narrower ski with an even flex that gets you on top faster,” he says. “As you gain speed you still have that feeling of flying through the snow.”

From very early in his ski racing career, Miller’s had plenty of ideas regarding how to make skis perform under pressure; he’s also spent much of his life pushing skis to their limits. At six years old he’d walk five miles alone from his primitive home in the White Mountains of New Hampshire — no electricity, no plumbing — to ski the steep, edgy slopes of Cannon Mountain. He was caught in an avalanche at age 12 on Tuckerman Ravine. In high school, while sponsored by K2, Miller lobbied adamantly for the company to make skis in parabolic shapes that were similar to snowboards.

“People said it wouldn’t work,” Miller says now. “[They said] that they’d tried it in the ‘70s and that it only worked on snowboards because you had two feet to flex the board.”

To prove them wrong Miller strapped just one foot onto a snowboard, cast off down a hill, and still managed to make the board carve. K2’s ski designers took notice. In 1995, the manufacturer launched a ski called the K2 Four with dimensions of a shaped ski; Miller rode them to three gold medals and one silver in the 1996 Junior National Championships. After that, K2 fans wanted shaped skis. The K2 Four was an instant hit, so much so that it sold-out shortly after its mid-season release.

With his World Cup career now at its end, and with more time to enjoy high-alpine escapes like Portillo, Miller takes his mornings more slowly: relaxing over breakfast, sipping coffee from a spoon, drinking protein shakes concocted by his trainer. He is 6-foot-2, built like an armoire, and remarkably handsome, with Daniel Craig eyes and just enough stubble to merit appearing in a cologne commercial.

But mornings are the only thing Bode Miller takes at leisure.

As you might expect from a winner of six Olympic medals and 33 World Cup golds, Miller’s drive is relentless. His thoughts and conversation race through ways to make things faster or more efficient. He can expound on everything from the physical properties of composite materials, to the geology of the Andes, to the most memorable moments in his favorite book, Jonas Jonasson’s The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. “I’m going to live to be 100 too,” says Miller.

Which brings us to the mystical side to Bode Miller. He says he is willing to believe in that which he cannot explain, especially when it comes to the power of the mind and the unseen forces it exerts

P H OTO S : S T E FA N VO N S T E N G E L

L

ast fall while high in the Chilean Andes, a trio of women in skintight cat suits wanted Bode Miller.

They skied after him fast and with focus, having popped out from behind a rocky bluff a few hundred vertical feet above where he’d paused briefly to take in the view. A ski chase worthy of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ensued — the women were fast but Miller was faster.

America’s most decorated competitive skier arced long graceful turns through the thickening powder, tucked on the groomers, and homed in on a helicopter waiting to whisk him away.

It was all in good fun. The women, one Swiss and two Americans, were actually Portillo ski pros, the classically retro antipodal playground for Olympians and hard-bitten lifers alike. They’d been hired to act as James Bond-style villains decked out in Bogner, Goldbergh, SOS, and Kask for a promotional clip featuring Miller.

The real stars of the show, however, were the Bomber skis that the entire cast had clicked into.

You may have heard of Bomber before, but big changes are afoot this season and they’re largely thanks to Miller. Bomber Skis, a newcomer in the ski industry, came on the scene a few years ago and was already well-known for making some of the best and fastest racing skis when they approached New York real estate mogul Robert Siegel to invest in the three-year-old company.

He and his business partner bought it in 2013. The plan now is to transform the Bomber brand into a luxury label worthy of Gorsuch, the chic ski boutiques in which these $4,000-plus skis will appear this winter.

But unlike so many luxury brands where consumers pay handsomely for the prestige of a name, Bomber’s new line of skis are designed by Miller himself and built by people he has chosen.

It also means that now, on the cusp of retiring from World Cup racing, a ledge that many skiers have struggled to ease from gracefully, Miller is free to do what he’s always wanted to do: dump the sum total of everything he’s ever learned about the sport into crafting the perfect every-skier’s ski.

SPEED VS. STILLNESS

As a ski racer, Miller says he hit 100 miles per hour on downhill courses by letting his mind go completely still.

SNOW KINGS

MORNING RITUALS

“Bode Miller wakes up every morning and says to himself, how can I be better today?”

— Robert Siegel

over the physical world. He’s seen a healer make a ping pong ball levitate. That same healer made Miller’s own skin grow hot without touching it. As a ski racer, Miller says he hit 100 miles per hour on downhill courses by letting his mind go completely still.

Then there are Miller’s other interests: namely his work with thoroughbred race horses, where he applies what he’s learned about endurance and strength to help them increase their speed and efficiency. It’s that sort of drive that led Robert Siegel, once a dedicated ski racer himself, to approach Miller about joining Bomber. “Bode Miller wakes up every morning and says to himself, how can I be better today?” Siegel says. “That’s the same for me in business.”

At Bomber, Siegel and Miller are focused on making skis that compete on quality, not price. Bomber skis aren’t custom built, but they are handmade in a factory in Italy — one staffed by experts who’ve worked with Miller in the past. The Olympian is confident these professionals have the skills and knowledge to build groundbreaking skis. He’s also confident in Siegel’s skills in 82

the business of luxury goods — something with which Miller admits he’s unfamiliar. The fact that a company like Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot, for example, could grow into a $200 million business boggles Miller’s mind. “That’s a foreign concept to me,” he says. “That’s where Robert comes in. He understands both sides.”

Back on the sleek, treeless slopes of Portillo, it was evident Bode Miller is adept at playing both sides of his job, too. He says he hates acting, yet during the Bomber shoot there was little doubt he’s skilled at performing for the cameras.

It was also obvious that the man Sports Illustrated counts among the most gifted ski racers in history hasn’t lost his edge in retirement. After filming the chase scene, as Miller and the Bond women slid to a stop and caught their breath, Bode offered advice that seemed to apply to a far greater mission than the promotional film for Bomber: “Whatever level you’re comfortable at,” he said, “be at the edge of it.”

P H OTO S : S T E FA N VO N S T E N G E L ( L E F T PAG E ) , B A R B A R A S A N D E R S ( R I G H T PAG E )

“Bomber’s new line of skis are designed by Miller himself and built by people he has chosen.”

SNOW KINGS SPEED VS. STILLNESS

As a ski racer, Miller says he hit 100 miles RETIREMENT per hour P L A N S on downhillIn life after coursesski racing, by letting Bode has his mind also taken an go completely equity stake still. in Aztech Mountain apparel.

Milena Pants Fendi $1,050 Jacket Fendi $3,570 Hat Fendi $1,330 Boots Redemption

$1,750

PAINT IT BRIGHT

LIPSTICK REDS, SUNFLOWER YELLOWS, ICE BLUES, AND PINKY PURPLES. BRIGHTEN YOUR MOOD ON‑SLOPE AND OFF WITH COLORFUL, FEEL-GOOD SKI FASHION. p h o t o g r a p h s b y DA N I E L A F E D E R I C I st yled by JOHN M A RTIN EZ ma keup by MELISSA ROGER S ha ir by SCOTT K ING

Milena Pants Toni Sailer $629 Jacket Capranea $999 Boots Redemption $1,750 Shirt Goldbergh $550 Helmet Kask $480 Sunglasses Vuarnet $540 Chloe Pants Colmar $230 Jacket Colmar $515 Vest SKEA $349 Boots Redemption $1,750 Sunglasses Vuarnet $600

opposite page

Jake

Pants Spyder $425 Jacket Spyder $1,000 Baselayer Ortovox $269 Helmet Kask $380 Shoes Zara $59 J ay

Pants Moncler $915 Jacket Colmar $320 Sweater Dale of Norway $229 Goggles Vuarnet $240 Boots Moncler $1,050 this page

Chloe Pants SOS $549 Top Newland $200 Jacket Alp-n-Rock $379 Sunglasses Vuarnet $375 Milena Top Goldbergh $330 Sweatshirt Goldbergh $550 Pants Rossignol $400 Boots Redemption $1,887 Vest Blanc Noir $159 Sunglasses Vuarnet $600

Chloe

Jacket Nils $445 Pants Nils $220 Baselayer Ortovox $269 Jake

Baselayer Ortovox $99 Shorts Ortovox $179 Vest Ortovox $199 Baseball Cap ISVERA $38 Milena Jacket Vist $725 Pants Helly Hansen $225 Bralette Shock $70 Sunglasses Christian Siriano — The Alexa $94 J ay

Baselayer Ortovox $99 Jacket Descente $625 Baseball Cap eskyflavor $36

opposite page

J ay

T-shirt ISVERA $34 Pants Sportalm $759 Jacket Sportalm $499 Goggles POC $135 Jake

Pants Norrøna $660 Jacket Norrøna $600 Baselayer WoolX $59 Sunglasses Vuarnet $540 this page

J ay

Pants Kjus $649 Baselayer Kjus $129 Ski Boots Surefoot Lange Custom $1,244 Watch Bell & Ross $5,900 Sunglasses Eyefly $94 Mittens Astis $195 Chloe Pants M.Miller $319 Jacket M.Miller $990 Beanie M.Miller $198 Gloves Hestra $100 Tank H&M $20 Ski Boots Surefoot Lange Custom $25 Goggles Spy $200 Jake

Pants Strafe $385 Jacket Strafe $495 Sweater Alps & Meters $325 Shoes Moncler $1,050 Sunglasses Vuarnet $600

Chloe

Baselayer Newland $175 Pants Fusalp $400 Jacket Fusalp $930 Goggles Vuarnet $240 Headband Dale of Norway $50 Boots Moncler $400 Milena Pants Moncler $535 Jacket Moncler $1,750 Boots Moncler $400

opposite page

Jake

Pants Lacroix $791 Jacket Lacroix $1,584 Sweater Newland $265 Boots Moncler $1,050 Poles Soul Poles $135 this page

Chloe Pants Toni Sailer $629 Jacket Toni Sailer $2,499 Boots Redemption $1,750 Helmet Kask $480 Gloves Hestra $165 Milena Pants Rossignol $300 Jacket Rossignol $450 Boots Redemption $1,750 Helmet Kask $380 Gloves Hestra $165

opposite page

Milena

Leggings Newland $145 Shorts Ortovox $49 Jacket SKEA $856 Shoes Steve Madden $79 Purses Alp-n-Rock $99 Baselayer WoolX $75 Scarf Chaos $90 Chloe

Jacket RH+ $500 Pants RH+ $280 Sunglasses Eyefly $94 Tee ISVERA $60 Boots Redemption $1,750 Helmet POC $160 Goggles SPY $190 Purse Alp-n-Rock $99 this page

Jake

Pants Helly Hansen $300 Jacket Helly Hansen $160 Baselayer Newland $240 Helmet Kask $480 Watch Bell & Ross $5,900 Scarf Dale of Norway $100 Shoes Zara $40 j ay

Softshell Bogner $720 Pants Bogner $750 Baselayer Bogner $250 Goggles Poc $135 Boots Moncler $1,050

Skiing Among the Stars From the refined to the downright decadent, the Alps are a-twinkle with Michelin-starred restaurants. Tips down and lips poised, Leslie Woit skis straight for those Michelin stars.

by LESLIE WOIT

MICHELIN

N

o one loves me, everybody hates me, and it’s not because I’m thin, either.

My two-week ski tour through the Alps fixed that. After nearly a dozen stellar Michelin-starred meals — more than 50 courses liberally paired with corresponding vintages, varietals, and the odd Negroni to get the ball rolling — I’ve been left with a muffin top, a pervasive low grade hangover, and an off-putting air of gleeful smugness. Who says skiing to lunch is for sissies?

My cunning alpine plan whipped my friends into a frothy velouté of jealousy: crisscross Switzerland and France to ski the best resorts, stay in the most glittering mountain hotels, and gorge my carnal appetite at a different Michelin-starred restaurant each and every day. Sometimes more.

Skiing to lunch, a seriously good lunch, and rolling seamlessly into Europe’s most revered restos for a succulent dinner is nirvana for skiers like me — maybe like you, too — who love food and wine.

Life‑affirmingly magnificent food and wine. There is nothing more satisfying than a long morning in the powder or corduroy, skiing from lift to lift, past an onion-domed chapel here, through a clutch of fragrant hay-filled barns there, to arrive at the ultimate destination: a Michelin mountain temple of gastronomy. It’s sybaritic, self-indulgent, and a whole mess of fun. Champagne and caviar, lobster lollipops, flaming soufflés ... Like the Magi visiting the Messiah, join me as I follow the stars. We can make new friends later.

La Marmite

P H OTO : M AT H I S F O O D A F FA I R S

St. Moritz Michelin Stars: None (but you can’t do St. Moritz without a visit to La Marmite). www.mathisfood.ch

La Marmite: St. Moritzers come for the glamour and stay for the magic.

“I don’t give a shit about stars. A chef’s philosophy is what’s important.” This from Reto Mathis. It’s high noon and we’re swilling pink champagne at his iconic restaurant La Marmite. “They have to be good,” he declares. “The rest is B.S.” Bottoms up. My morning arrival via first class rail carriage revealed much about St. Moritz well before its impressive panoply of luxury hotels came into view.

Snaking from Chur towards the snowy heart of the Engadine, I settled in among a bounty of matching luggage, hairless dogs, and fur coats. Their various owners appeared tanned, well dressed, and serene.

But there’s always one. Breaking the silence, a troutmouthed woman hissed angrily into her phone: “I’m coming immediately to see you. My neck has fallen.”

St. Moritzers come for the glamour and stay for the magic, including the kind served on-piste at La Marmite. With the timing of Houdini, Mathis’ 101

clockwise from top left

S TA R AT T R A C T I O N S

1. Champfèr’s Ecco St. Moritz.

2. Verbier’s Le Chalet d’Adrien.

3. Zermatt’s After Seven.

MICHELIN

Ecco St. Moritz is a gold-lined jewel box located in the five-star Giardino Mountain hotel. famous Alsatian Flammkuchen — truffle pizza — arrives. “Ja, I got this tarte flambée thing going,” he laughs, “then I pimped it.”

Harry Winston and hiking boots, polo ponies and sled dogs. Pimping your way round St. Moritz is so easily done. Though long-maned Reto Mathis doesn’t have his own star, he is maestro to many. Head of the annual St. Moritz Gourmet Festival, for more than two decades he’s invited the world’s finest Michelinstarred chefs to cook at the famous ticketed event.

E c c o S t. M o r i t z

P H OTO S : G I A R D I N O M O U N TA I N , W W W. G I A R D I N O - M O U N TA I N . C H ( E CC O S T. M O R I T Z ) , DAV I D C O L L I N E T ( L E C H A L E T D ’A D R I E N )

Champfèr Michelin Stars: Two www.giardino-mountain.ch After my extended pink ‘n’ pizza pit stop, the Engadine is awash in afternoon Alpenglow and I’m late for my date. With the flick of the maître d’s finger my Michelin lunch is ended just in time for dinner.

I swoosh to the valley floor, where an immaculately dark-suited driver waits to usher my skis and me into a sleek black Range Rover and dispatches me swiftly to Ecco, a gold-lined jewel box located in the five-star Giardino Mountain hotel, tucked into the itsy-bitsy graffiti-etched hamlet of Champfèr. Out I spill onto a witty, royal purple carpet and roll to the door of an 18th-century convent school, now home to Ecco St. Moritz and Switzerland’s youngest Michelin‑starred chef, wunderkind Rolf Fliegauf.

Ecco’s chef is young, culinary-ly brave, and faultless. In a gold filigree room, I join 27 other diners. Austrian Zalto stemware, weightlessly fine, is lovingly filled and refilled by upbeat all-female waitstaff. With eight courses ahead of us, we begin with delectable bites resting on pebbles and tiny beds of dry hay. Our poetic meal also includes a garden of cress with gold-plated Victorinox scissors for self-harvest, a coin of foie gras stamped with the Ecco logo, Norwegian lobster with pumpkin and sea buckthorn ... oh, and a lovely quote from Robert Louis Stevenson: “Wine is bottled poetry.”

After Seven Zermatt Michelin Stars: One www.seven.ch The following day is a moveable feast on rails.

Over seven hours, the Glacier Express winds from St. Moritz to Zermatt through 91 tunnels, more than 291 bridges, and across a universe of

mountainscapes. When my little red train enters the canton of Valais, I’m surrounded. No fewer than 38 peaks soaring higher than 13,000 feet, including the Toblerone-tastic Matterhorn, tower above Zermatt.

So much for outside. Indoors, Heinz Julen is local boy done good — an internationally acclaimed designer and exceptional artist whose funky fixtures and furniture grace ... well, everything. His Backstage Hotel is home to a groovy dine-in cinema, and Vernissage, a trendy art-bar, as well as After Seven, a one-star Michelin restaurant. Julen’s signature chandelier, a hanging orchestra of spoons, chains, and musical instruments, dominates the airspace as we settle in for a glass of champagne. Soon, the waiter brings me the shopping list — at least, that’s how it reads. Celery, red cabbage, Angus beef, coriander, guacamole, cashew nuts ... a dozen ingredients are submitted for approval or rejection, and then Chef Ivo Adam gets busy accordingly. The high-concept surprises keep a-comin’: A hunk of dough arrives to bake in its own hot stone, timed by an hourglass, and served with kitschy, mini-Matterhorn shaped butter.

The vibe is urban baroque and so, too, is the meal itself. It’s inventive and just a little wacky, like the Switzerland we love.

L e C h a l e t d ’A d r i e n Verbier Michelin Stars: One www.chalet-adrien.ch Gateway to the largest ski area in Switzerland, Verbier (aka Verbs) rocks morning through night.

From skiing the backside of Mont Fort, to catching a flashing glimpse of local wingsuit rider Géraldine Fasnacht, to boogying under Hotel Farinet’s open roof with Prince Harry ... respite from such happy hard-living is perched at the pinnacle of the village.

Le Chalet d’Adrien, an inn of infinite charm and comfort, is home to our next starry spread.

The labor of love of “retired” CEO Brigitte de Turckheim-Cachart, one of the allures of the 29-room boutique hotel is the gastronomy. The hotel’s 31-year-old chef, Mirto Marchesi, hails from the Italian part of Switzerland and is by all accounts a Swiss terroir-iste. The lamb from Cotterg grazes only miles from Verbier, fresh perch is teased from Lake Geneva, and frogs hail from Vallorbe just beyond.

The white truffles are sourced from Alba and accompanied by my all-time favorite Corton Charlemagne; the flavors are fresh and 103

clockwise from top left

FOODIE F O R E P L AY 1. & 2.

Courchevel’s Le 1947.

3. La Bouitte in St. Martin de Belleville.

MICHELIN

La Bouitte earned the highest award possible: three Michelin stars, as well as galaxies of fans from around the world.

Mediterranean, and the effect is a welcome diversion from the rigors of big-mountain, late-night Verbier.

Sit comfy and settle in. All that dolce vita is capped with a magic box of Swiss chocolates on wheels. The day’s final accomplishment is making the climb to retire, replete and relaxed, one floor up. The wingsuit will have to wait.

La Bouitte

P H OTO S : C H E VA L B L A N C C O U R C H E V E L ( L E 1 9 47 ) , @ M A R C B E R E N G U E R ( L A B O U I T T E )

St. Martin de Belleville Michelin Stars: Three www.la-bouitte.com Poke me with a fourchette à escargot for saying this, but it occurs to me as I cross the snowy frontier at Le Châtelard that my heavenly days in Switzerland were only a pre-game warm-up — a fabulous bit of foodie foreplay — to France.

France is the home of the Guide Michelin, which was first published in the year 1900. Even then, tires didn’t wear themselves out: Michelin stars originated in the company’s desire to get Europe driving, and a Frenchman will drive a long way for a good meal. My road, of course, is white and fluffy, across Les Trois Vallées from Courchevel to Méribel, over to St. Martin de Belleville, and finally down a gentle meadow to the door of the Alps’ all-time finest ski-in restaurant: La Bouitte.

I have been skiing to lunch at La Bouitte since it was a one-star at the edge of St. Marcel. And there it remains, right where René Meilleur opened it 40 years ago: the first restaurant of a self-taught chef in his home village. In 2015, La Bouitte earned the highest award possible: three Michelin stars, as well as galaxies of fans from around the world.

“Plus de gras, plus de crème!” His words go straight to my heart, though I know they’re aiming lower.

Two white-jacketed sous-chefs approach Chef Meilleur with a new dish for his approval, a comely palm-size tin of Petrossian caviar married with omble chevalier, egg, parsley, and cream. The result is top-heavy with caviar. He passes me the creation and I help myself to as huge a dollop as propriety permits.

Possibly huger. “You are the first, you’re in luck!”

I certainly am. I lucked into morning coffee and caviar with Chef Meilleur before lunch service begins and we sit down to talk about how he celebrated his third star last February. It was, he claims, work as usual until May. “And then we drank a lot of champagne.” As always, Madame Meilleur is in front of house, and son Maxime co-chefs in the

kitchen. “Nothing has changed since the third star,” says Maxime with a grin, wielding a plate of saffron cream-filled beignets (to call them donuts would be like calling Catherine Deneuve cute). “We work hard and we deserve it.”

Many agree. The day after the three-star announcement, 600 requests for reservations arrived, many from three-star groupies. One Hong Kong couple flew into Geneva, then hopped on a helicopter to St. Marcel, simply for dinner. They jetted home the following day.

Le 1947 Courchevel Michelin Stars: Two www.chevalblanc.com The next time a date makes a face about the price of house wine, I suggest making an immediate diversion to Courchevel. Specifically, the Cheval Blanc hotel.

Here, a glass of the 2013 runs to 190 euros. Ah, to be Russian in the wintertime.

All in all, nearly 375 miles of trails link Courch’, Méribel and Val Thorens. As befits the world’s largest linked ski area, Les Trois Vallées are choc-a-block with a dozen Michelin-star restaurants. Ringing in at the uber-luxe heavyweight division, slopeside Cheval Blanc is for the luxe, by the luxe. Owned by Bernard Arnault, captain of the Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) empire, it’s decorated with striking Niedermayr prints and sumptuous furnishings, includes a Guerlain spa, oligarch-suited suites, a ski-in, ski-out Fendi boutique, and an other-worldly restaurant called Le 1947, a heavenly homage to a bumper crop of Château Cheval Blanc.

Coddled like resting babies are some 500 bottles of Cheval Blanc, 60 vintages deriving from 1940 to 2010, including the rarest, 1947, yours by the bottle for 47,000 euros, or the magnum for 127,000 euros. (We are told they sold one ’47 last year, and it’s drinking rather well.) The all-white room seats only 22 in space-age sleekness. Think: Jetsons airport lounge circa 2063, complete with sexy fur-ribbed waitresses in white go-go boots and dresses. Diners are encouraged to participate, and what better supplied kitchen party could one ask for? Begin with stand-up drinks around the service station and end, as I did, in the open kitchen browning my meringue with a blowtorch. The menu is inspired by local specialties, such as tartiflette and fondue, yet puts a distinctly haute spin on Savoyard cuisine. From gold flakes 105

clockwise from top left

HIGH ALPINE DINING 1. Megève’s

Flocons de Sel. 2. Le 1920 at Chalet du Mont d’Arbois.

3. Igniv by Andreas Caminada in Bad Ragaz.

4. Chamonix’s Albert 1er.

P H OTO S : R E L A I S & C H ÂT E A U X W W W. R E L A I S C H AT E A U X . C O M ( F LO C O N S D E S E L A N D A L B E R T 1 E R) , @ M C E L L A R D ( L E 1 9 2 0) , W W W. M A U R I C E H A A S . C H ( I G N I V B Y A N D R E A S C A M I N A DA)

lamb en cocotte, vegetable millefeuille, delicate lemon butter, and a cheese board that stops time. And as special as was our meal, I was in for further surprise ...

Albert 1er

Le 1920

Chamonix Michelin Stars: Two www.hameaualbert.fr

Megève Michelin Stars: Two www.mont-darbois.fr

Welcome to Chamonix, geological heaven inhabited by the gastronomic gods. Alpinism is religion around here — from Mont Blanc, to the birth of extreme skiing, to classic descents like the Vallée Blanche that wind through serac-dappled snowscapes. All that and there is but one true luncheon: Albert 1er.

One century, two stars, and four generations of hospitality welcome us to the Relais & Chateâux temple of elegance. Perrine Maillet, great-granddaughter of the founder, is at front of house; her husband, Chef Pierre Maillet, is at the helm. Delicate plates and glittering cutlery arrive and depart with flourishes worthy of a Moulin Rouge performance.

A surprise from the kitchen, oyster truffles, is delivered by a waitress in a sober yet elegant inkblack suit, a lick of scarlet bra strap peeking out, The overall effect whispers: “I am French, I mean business.” This is beautiful, sophisticated dining: Bresse chicken with truffles tucked under the skin, foie gras with beetroot, balsamic and green apple, plus an unforgettable — as in, I will remember forever — Chartreuse soufflé. In the shadow of Mont Blanc, Albert 1er is the ultimate refuge.

After a glorious day on the slopes of the resort that Baroness Rothschild built, we’re sumptuously settled into what was originally her own hotel, Chalet du Mont d’Arbois, high on the hill in rarefied old-world elegance. But time flies when you’re living like a Rothschild: the champagne bottle’s dry, the fire in our suite is ebbing, and the dinner bell has gonged. As we are shortly to discover, Michelin attracts Michelin. With us once more is Chef Emmanuel Renaut, paying ultimate compliment to Le 1920’s Chef Julien Gatillon.

That Chef Renaut chose Le 1920 for his birthday dinner en famille with a full complement of poised, pretty children, says it all. Who wouldn’t be impressed by game, butter, and cheese from Ferme des 30 Arpents, belonging to the Rothschild family?

The wine list also draws heavily from the family vineyards. We luxuriate in gamberoni from the Gulf of Genoa, lobster from Brittany, sole from Finistère ...

Subject of a second Michelin star in this year’s round of prizes. Baroness Mimi would approve.

Flocons de Sel Megève Michelin Stars: Three www.floconsdesel.com Skiing and great food are the yin and yang of high mountain living and there just aren’t enough days in the week for enough of both. So gourmands, take note. One of the big fromages, Megève’s Flocons de Sel, is closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the best possible reason: Chef Renaut loves to ski.

Paris-born Emmanuel Renaut’s passions show on his schedule and his plates. He earned his stars through the early 2000s, and in the same glittering decade opened the airy, pale-wood post-and-beam restaurant with rooms in the hills above town.

At front of house is Madame Kristine Renaut, the charming and capable wife of the chef, forging a formidable German-Franco match. Equally balanced are Renaut’s ingredients. From trips to the cellars of a Beaufort cheesemonger, the local baker, and the local apiarist dedicated to honey bees, Chef Renaut begins with the finest and makes it so much better. Roast

MICHELIN

floating in the consommé to flaming soufflés light as high-altitude air, Le 1947 spins rarefied fun from inspired cooking and matchless wines.

IGNIV by Andreas Caminada Bad Ragaz Michelin Stars: Three www.igniv.com After an indulgence-packed fortnight, I alight from the train for a grand finale: matching a three-star clincher with the taking of the waters at a high-tech, luxury, medical spa. This historic Swiss thermal spa resort has more than 70 doctors on-site, and hosts everyone from Roger Federer to, one imagines, a few Brides of Frankenstein.

After a slimming massage and beautifying La Prairie facial, the robes come off for the final performance. Sure, there’s a low-cal option, but there is also a delectable three-star restaurant in resort.

It’s called IGNIV, from the Rumantsch for “nest”, and I’m zeroing in on the goose liver meringue with the physique of an ostrich and the reach of an Andean condor. Too late to hold back on the tantalizing, creative and lip-smacking five-course sharing menu now. Besides, after two weeks of the world’s most gorgeous gastronomical adventurism, why should I? There’s always Bad Ragaz aqua-gym and liposuction in the morning.

107

A SONATA ON SNOW The joys of skiing the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

by D AV ID S HR IBM A N

Toni Matt dances through the slalom gates circa 1940.

P H OTO : T H E N E W E N G L A N D S K I M U S E U M

109

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NEW HAMPSHIRE P H OTO S : C S R R / DW I G H T S M I T H CO L L E C T I O N ( T R A I N ), T H E N E W E N G L A N D S K I M U S E U M ( M O U N TA I N )

“The voice of winter in this howling blast …’’

— Thomas Cole

clockwise from top left

W I N T E R ’ S D AY 1. North Conway

in winter, 1946.

2. Returning home on the B&MRR Ski Train, 1946.

3. A snowy photo of Tuckerman Ravine, 1937.

I

s it possible? Is it still possible to find a place where you can ski on trails set out by the pioneers of the sport, buy custom-made ski boots, skate in the moonlight at the center of town on the public rink the parks department floods at night, and pop into the gas station and buy maybe the very best donuts in the United States? And is that a place where there is a ski shop that treats its customers with such care and skill that a skier might drive 550 miles for a tuning and a wax job? Is it possible?

Well, every year I take that 550 mile drive, and it leads directly to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where I have skied for more than a half century and where, it might be added, everyone still knows my name, and would know yours, too, if you stopped in on a winter’s day, or for a winter. In the (very) old days, Daniel Webster and Henry David Thoreau spent time here — I’d be fibbing if I tried to tell you they made first tracks — and so did the economic theorist John Maynard Keynes, who didn’t ski, but did help set the 1944 price of gold at $35 an ounce and create the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. All that happened at Bretton Woods, which is now New Hampshire’s largest ski area.

So we’ve established that there is history here, and that I have a history here, too. My history intersects with the region’s history, for I learned the lost art of the stem christiana at the (bent) knees of the veterans of the 10th Mountain Division and, specifically, under the tutelage of the grand Herbie Schneider, whose father can be said to have founded modern American skiing when he left fabled St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria, where he established one of the world’s first ski schools in 1907, to avoid the grip of Adolf Hitler, and arrived in the tiny village of North Conway, New Hampshire. Herbie, who is pictured on that storied day wearing a sharp Tirolean ski blazer and a white beret, evolved into something of a Mozart of Cranmore Mountain: His simple but beautiful turns, grace personified as he cruised down the South Slope or on the tougher reaches of a trail called The Ledges, possessed the contrapuntal elegance of the late Baroque, a sonata on snow. He was known as “Zip”, a name that was emblazoned on his New Hampshire license plate, in big green letters right under the “Live Free or Die’’ slogan.

Herbie is gone now — so are Benno Rybizka, Franz Koessler, and Otto Lang, all part of the revolutionaries of American skiing. Gone, too, is Toni Matt, who, during the legendary American Inferno race of 1939, became the only person to have schussed the headwall of Tuckerman Ravine, up there on Mount Washington, the tallest peak in the Northeast. In the archives of the New England Ski Museum, a jewel of a resource planted at the base of Cannon Mountain, you will find a picture of Corporal Herbie Schneider and Lieutenant Toni Matt in their World War II army uniforms while in Colorado, there to train for the 10th Mountain Division.

Gone, too, is Dr. William Duprey, the versatile local physician who often, on the very same day, delivered a baby and set a few broken legs (my brother Pete’s was one of them) in the whiteclapboard hospital on North Conway’s main street.

And gone, as well, is the Skimobile, a rackety 111

“Visitors are never disappointed in these mountains, however grand their anticipations may be …” — Harper’s Monthly

NEW HAMPSHIRE

left to right

THE THIRTIES 1. Cranmore’s

“rackety” skimobile.

2. The Schneiders arrive in North Conway, 1939.

P H OTO S : T H E N E W E N G L A N D S K I M U S E U M

contraption that a local handyman and storied tinkerer, George Morton, fashioned on the side of Cranmore. For more than a half century those red-and-green cars climbed gently to the top of the mountain. You had to take your skis off, and sometimes you felt as if you might tumble off the track, but for decades there was no sturdier symbol of the ski life of the East than those Skimobile cars, the hosts of the highways of the hills. For me, as for so many others, those cars were the gateway drug to the high-speed lifts of today.

That’s what’s gone. What remains, besides the crisp cold of New Hampshire’s White Mountains, are views and vistas both invigorating and inspiring, stirring painters such as Thomas Cole (who wrote in a sketchbook of “the voice of winter in this howling blast’’) and Albert Bierstadt, along with illustrators such as William H. Bartlett, whose prints are prized today, and the printmaking firm Currier and Ives, whose images still are prominent in calendars year after year. “Visitors are never disappointed in these mountains, however grand their anticipations may be,’’ wrote Harper’s Monthly in August 1877, “and thousands of tourists of the most fashionable class, who are weary of all other pleasure resorts ... visit them again and again, and always go away satisfied.’’

(Sometimes, of course, they do not go away at all.

You’ll find me here on nearly every vacation, and imminently in retirement.)

And what remains is a tradition of skiing that dates to the days when the ski trains left New York and Boston and disgorged the gorgeous and the gregarious at the heart of North Conway for ski weekends that live on in legend. Most of them walked, skis on their shoulders, the final mile to the ski area.

That North Country tradition includes a palette of skiing that runs from the relaxing to the rugged.

There are a fistful of ski areas besides Cranmore, Cannon, and Bretton Woods: mighty Attitash Mountain, with its breathtaking views, and formidable Wildcat Mountain, where, when you turn the corner on the Polecat trail, a family favorite for generations, you might think your right shoulder could brush the summit of Mount Washington. It is only an illusion — a winter mirage, you might say — but it will linger with you for years. Follow the road through Jackson’s covered bridge, Honeymoon Bridge — perhaps the most photographed bridge in the world, maybe not counting the Brooklyn Bridge — to Black Mountain and you’ll return to a bygone era. The T-bars are gone, replaced by chairlifts, but the old-time esprit remains.

113

Herbert and Hannes Schneider together on skis, 1940.

NEW HAMPSHIRE P H OTO : T H E N E W E N G L A N D S K I M U S E U M

The rooms of Christmas Farm Inn & Spa bear the name of Donner and, for the more adventurous skier, Dasher.

That tradition includes food — and drink. The contemporary North Conway includes the de rigueur coffee shop — the Metropolitan Coffee House, known as the Met, inside an old bank building — but the difference is that outside the shop rests one of those old Cranmore Skimobiles. And yes, there is a microbrewery, and it produces a beer called Tuckerman’s, which is the name of the storied ravine on Mount Washington that Toni Matt conquered and that persists as the great springtime test of skiing mastery in the Northeast. The best burger in the area is at Black Cap Grill, which is the name of the mountain beside Cranmore; my wife and I climbed to that peak last summer, hiking across the valley in the hope we might see snow on the summit of Mount Washington. You’ll need your fat pants if you venture into Vito Marcello’s Italian Bistro in North Conway. And the donut I rhapsodized over in the beginning of this elegy?

That’s at Sid’s Valley Food & Beverage, a gas station right at the center of North Conway. I prefer the chocolate glazed. Sid’s gives new meaning to the term “fill up”.

That tradition includes meticulous attention to your ski equipment. There may be another ski shop in the United States, but to my mind the only one worth visiting is Stan & Dan Sports. Some days I’ll wander in there and spend an hour, chatting with Stan Millen about the news and watching Dan Lewis do wonders fitting my wife — veteran, or victim, of two toe surgeries — with ski boots. If mama’s feet aren’t happy, nobody’s happy. If it’s a custom-fit boot you require, a half mile away is the studio of Merlin Strolz, descended from the craftsmen cobblers of Lech, Austria, who have designed ski boots since 1921. The likely cost, which includes a two-hour, by-appointment-only fitting session: around $1,200.

And that tradition includes toasty lodges like the Cranmore Inn, right there on Kearsarge Road, which

has been playing host to visitors since the Civil War, as well as sprawling resort hotels like the Omni Mount Washington Resort, which was where Keynes (and Henry Morgenthau Jr. and Dean Acheson and scores of other global luminaries) gathered to plan the post-war economy, and where my wife and I split an unforgettable lobster roll a few months ago.

On your visit, bring a long novel for the long white afternoons in front of the fireplace, stuffed as it is with birch branches. The jigsaw puzzles are there, too. It wouldn’t be a ski lodge without them.

If you pick up the guest book at the Christmas Farm Inn & Spa, tucked on an incline in the village of Jackson, you will see, along with mine, in primitive script on January 4, 1964, some familiar names. It’s a hall of fame of (mostly) failed presidential aspirants.

That’s because no presidential campaign in the New Hampshire primary is complete without at least one night in that inn, whose rooms bear the name of Donner and, for the more adventurous skier, Dasher. (Note to potential guests: The room bearing the name of Cupid sleeps only two. But of course it does.) The place verily screams with stories, including the time, in the 1992 campaign, when an independentminded political wife in a room without a telephone sent word that she wasn’t inclined to leave her eiderdown comforter to take a call downstairs from her husband. The night manager advised President George H.W. Bush that maybe it would be best if he called back in the morning.

Years ago, former Governor Bruce Babbitt of Arizona, a devoted skier, told me of his devotion to this region. “There you are,” said Babbitt, who campaigned for president in these hills, losing the Democratic primary in 1988 but never losing his love for the Granite State, “teetering on the edge of Canada in little towns soaked in tradition, full of people with a totally independent view of life.”

There you are.

115

RESOURCES

M O U N TA I N A R T

SNOW STYLE

S K I I N G A M O N G T H E S TA R S : M I C H E L I N ’ S S L O P E S I D E S TA N D O U T S

SNOW STYLE

Resources FENDI

were granted the first license in the ked back. Even in 1850 when a malt alted barley, we stayed the course. s and change their recipe, we didn’t. ever been one to follow the crowds.

Aspen - New Hampshire - Jackson Hole - Switzerland - Norway - Canada

ANAHAN’S HISKEY

PAINT IT BRIGHT S PL A S H Y SK I ST Y LE

A NEW HAMPSHIRE SONATA MAD ABOUT MICA

Cozy Cabin Chic

WINTER 16/17

CONTENTS 84

VIKING TAKEOVER

10 0 S K I I N G A M O N G T H E S T A R S

Join us, won’t you? As we ski to a seriously good slopeside lunch in Switzerland or France. The Alps are alight with Michelin-starred restaurants.

10 8 A S O N A T A O N S N O W

Can you hear them? From North Conway to Cranmore, Cannon, and Attitash, the White Mountains of New Hampshire are calling all skiers.

It’s a sonata on snow.

Bode

10: 01

tonisailer.com 10

Contents

Cover On Jake MOUNTAIN FORCE Pants $649 MOUNTAIN FORCE Vest $449 MOUNTAIN FORCE Jacket $1,199

NILS

Bentayga.

36

2016-09-15 1:16 PM

www.chaoshats.com

WHISTLER

NO.1 38

luistrenker.com | facebook.com/originalluisworld

40

1282-SNO16-Magazine7-Winter-28.indd 36

2016-09-15 1:18 PM

File: Client: Size: Bleed:

BUSZZ-16-093_Snow Magazine Ad_v2_AW Bentley Date: 14 September 2016, 5:36 PM 8.875” x 10.87” Page: 1 0.125” Notes:

2016-09-15 1:19 PM

1282-SNO16-Magazine7-Winter-28.indd 38

2016-09-15 1:19 PM

1282-SNO16-Magazine7-Winter-28.indd 40

Cozy Cabin Chic

Color-furrr

#mountainart

Page 10

Page 36

Page 38

Page40

On Milena KRU Jacket $900 KRU Pants $740

www.newlandfromitaly.com

www.krustmoritz.com ALP-N-ROCK Long Sleeve Tee $198

www.phaxswimwearusa.com

CHAOS Scarf $90

VIST

SKI RESORT IN NORTH AMERICA

MAAJI Bikini Top $89 POC Helmet $160

www.pocsports.com SPY Goggles $200

www.spyoptics.com On Chloe KJUS Pants $549 KJUS Jacket $1,099

NEWLAND

ROSSIGNOL

FENDI

www.fendi.com JETSET

www.rossignol.com

www.jetset.ch

BOGNER

GUSHLOW & COLE

www.bogner.com M.MILLER

www.gushlowandcole.com SOS

www.mmillerfur.com

www.sos-sportswear.com

VALENTINO

WOLFIE

www.valentino.com

www.wolfiefur.com

LOUIS VUITTON

SKEA

www.louisvuitton.com SPORTALM

www.sportalm.at MEISTER

www.skealimited.com COLMAR

www.colmar.it TONI SAILER

www.tonisailer.com

www.kjus.com

www.ferastyle.com

WOOLX Baselayer $75 www.woolx.com

www.nils.us

www.nicolebenisti.com

GOLDBERGH Softshell $550

FUSALP

VIST

www.goldbergh.com

ESKYFLAVOR Baseball Cap $36 www.eskyflavor.com

NILS

www.fusalp.com

NICOLE BENISTI

www.vist.it

2016-09-15 1:19 PM

CHRISTIAN PONDELLA

IG: @Christianpondella www.christianpondella.com JULIE COUTURE

www.juliecouturephotography.com MATILDE HUIDOBRO

IG: @Matlidehuidobro TIM HALL

IG: @timhallphotography.com www.timhallphotography.com MARK BRENDON SMITH

IG: @markbrendon www.markbrendonsmith.com WILL WISSMAN

IG: @willwiss

HANSI BRENNINGER

IG: @arthaus_aspen www.arthausaspen.com JONATHAN SELKOWITZ

IG: @jonathanselkowitz www.selkophoto.com MATTIAS FREDRIKSSON

FOR DETAILS PLEASE VISIT FAIRMONT.COM/WHISTLER OR CONTACT YOUR TRAVEL PROFESSION

Gateway to your moment in over 20 countries. fairmont.com

Introducing the extraordinary SUV. Visit BentleyMotors.com to discover your nearest retailer.

VUARNET Sunglasses $375

EYEFLY Sunglasses $94 www.eyefly.com

116

Unparalleled performance, for all of life’s roads.

www.alpnrock.com

Performance Ski Aspen (970) 925-8657

The best ski days are a glimpse of paradise on earth. And there’s no place more h than Whistler. As North America’s largest (and Whistler’s only true) ski-in ski-out hotel, Fairmont Chateau Whistler is the ultimate Canadian ski experience. We cont raise the standard with offerings like our Experience Guide, who personally leads Fa guests to Whistler’s most unforgettable moments. With today’s favourable curre exchange for travelers to Canada, there’s no better time to enjoy Whistler’s alpine Sometimes, even the most heavenly moments have very down-to-earth motivations

NICOLE BENISTI FUSALP

ARMANI EXCHANGE Sweater Sold Out www.armaniexchange.com

AUTHIER Jacket $1,300 AUTHIER Pants $950

COLMAR

The name ‘Bentley’ and the ‘B’ in wings device are registered trademarks. © 2016 Bentley Motors Limited. Model shown: Bentayga.

Cover Image

www.pocsports.com

TONI SAILER

SKEA

MEISTER

Photos: Daniela Federici Stylist: John Martinez See Paint It Bright Page 84

1282-SNO16-Magazine7-Winter-28.indd 10

On Milena POC Helmet $160 POC Goggles $135

The moment your idea of heaven finally comes down to earth.

LOUIS VUITTON

S P O R TA L M

WINTER 16/17 EIGHT DOLLARS

MONCLER Boots $1,050 www.moncler.com

9:17AM

by THE SNOW FASHION EDITORS

Milena wears a jacket and pants by Authier, scarf by Chaos Lux, shades by Eyefly, and POC goggles and helmet. Jake’s jacket, vest, and pants are by Mountain Force, sweater by Armani Exchange, Moncler boots, Vuarnet sunglasses.

THIS PAGE

www.vuarnet.com

artists from left to right

Row 1: Christian Pondella, Julie Couture, Matilde Huidobro Row 2: Tim Hall, Mark Brendon Smith, Will Wissman Row 3: Hansi Brenninger, Jonathan Selkowitz, Mattias Fredriksson

WOLFIE

by THE SNOW FASHION EDITORS

Milena (left) is in a Kru jacket and pants, Alp-n-Rock tee, Maaji bikini, POC helmet, and Spy goggles. Chloe wears a Kjus jacket and pants, WoolX baselayer, Goldbergh softshell, and eskyflavor cap.

www.mountainforce.com

#mountainart

ON THE COVER

Visit blackiscalling.bushmills.com

owned by The “Old Bushmills” Distillery Company Limited. ©2016 Proximo, Jersey City, NJ. Please drink responsibly.

Valbruna | 100 E. Meadow Dr. Vail, CO 81657 | 970.476.3444 www.valbrunastore.com

Color and fur combine to captivate and keep you warm SOS this cool winter.

From Louis Vuitton to Valentino, top runway VA L E N T I N O designers put the classic ski sweater on the runway this season.

PA I N T I T B R I G H T

Roses are red, violets are blue; 2017 ski fashion is bold, beautiful, and brightly colored; you will be, too.

JETSET

Colorfurrr

M.MILLER

P H OTO : P O B Y ( M . M I L L E R))

ED A WHISKEY YEARS LATER, S MESSED WITH.

The art of capturing the beauty of #snow.

GUSHLOW & COLE

BOGNER

ROSSIGNOL

NEWLAND

IG: @mattiasfredrikssonphotography www.mattiasfredriksson.com

CHT_004_SnowMagAd_8.875x10.875.indd 1

SHOCK BRA Bralette $70 CHRISTIAN SIRIANO – THE ALEXA

Sunglasses $94 www.eyefly.com

PAINT IT BRIGHT

On Jay ORTOVOX Baselayer $99

LIPSTICK REDS, SUNFLOWER YELLOWS, ICE BLUES, AND PINKY PURPLES. BRIGHTEN YOUR MOOD ON‑SLOPE AND OFF WITH COLORFUL, FEEL‑GOOD SKI FASHION.

www.ortovox.com

p h o t o g r a p h s b y DA N I E L A F E D E R I C I

DESCENTE Jacket $625 www.descente.com

st yled by JOHN M A RTIN EZ ma keup by MELISSA ROGER S ha ir by SCOTT K ING

1282-SNO16-Magazine7-Winter-28.indd 84-85

ESKYFLAVOR Baseball Cap $36 www.eskyflavor.com COLMAR Jacket $320

Page 92

DALE OF NORWAY Sweater $229

On Jay ISVERA T-shirt $34

www.colmar.it

On Milena FENDI Pants $1,050 FENDI Jacket $3,570 FENDI Hat $1,330

www.daleofnorway.com

www.fendi.com

VUARNET Goggles $240 www.vuarnet.com

REDEMPTION Boots $1,750

MONCLER Boots $1,050

info@redemptionofficial.com

www.moncler.com

Page 86-87

Page 89

On Milena TONI SAILER Pants $629

On Chloe SOS Pants $549

www.tonisailer.com

www.colesport.com

CAPRANEA Jacket $999

NEWLAND Top $200

www.capranea.com

www.newlandfromitaly.com

REDEMPTION Boots $1,750

ALP-N-ROCK Jacket $379

info@redemptionofficial.com

www.alpnrock.com

GOLDBERGH Shirt $550

VUARNET Sunglasses $375

www.goldbergh.com

www.vuarnet.com

KASK Helmet $480

www.kask.it

VUARNET Sunglasses $540

www.vuarnet.com

On Chloe COLMAR Pants $230 COLMAR Jacket $515

On Milena GOLDBERGH Top $330 GOLDBERGH Sweatshirt $550

www.isvera.com

SPORTALM Pants $759 SPORTALM Jacket $499

On Jake NORRØNA Pants $660 NORRØNA Jacket $600

www.norrona.no

WOOLX Baselayer $59

Page 93 On Jay KJUS Pants $649 KJUS Baselayer $129

www.goldbergh.com

www.kjus.com

ROSSIGNOL Pants $400

SUREFOOT LANGE CUSTOM Ski Boots $1,244

www.rossignol.com

REDEMPTION Boots $1,887

www.blancnoirusa.com

REDEMPTION Boots $1,750

VUARNET Sunglasses $600

EYEFLY Sunglasses $94 www.eyefly.com

www.vuarnet.com

Pages 90-91 On Chloe NILS Jacket $445 NILS Pants $220

www.nils.us

ORTOVOX Baselayer $269

www.ortovox.com

ORTOVOX Baselayer $269

www.ortovox.com

KASK Helmet $380

www.kask.it

ZARA Shoes $59

www.zara.com

On Jay

MONCLER Pants $915 www.moncler.com

ORTOVOX Shorts $49 www.ortovox.com

Pages 94-95

SKEA Jacket $856 www.skealimited.com

On Jake ORTOVOX Baselayer $99 ORTOVOX Shorts $179 ORTOVOX Vest $199

ASTIS Mittens $195 www.astis.com

On Chloe M.MILLER Pants $319 M.MILLER Jacket $990 M.MILLER Beanie $198

www.mmillerfur.com HESTRA Gloves $100 H&M Tank $20

www.hm.com

SUREFOOT LANGE CUSTOM

www.ortovox.com

ISVERA Baseball Cap $38

SPY Goggles $200

On Milena VIST Jacket $725

www.vist.it

www.newlandfromitaly.com FUSALP Pants $400 FUSALP Jacket $930

www.fusalp.com

VUARNET Goggles $240 www.vuarnet.com

www.moncler.com

www.spyoptic.com

STEVE MADDEN Shoes $79 www.stevemadden.com ALP-N-ROCK Purse $99 ALP-N-ROCK Purse $99

www.alpnrock.com

WOOLX Baselayer $75 www.woolx.com CHAOS Scarf $90 www.chaoshats.com

On Chloe RH+ Jacket $500 RH+ Pants $280

www.zerorh.com On Milena MONCLER Pants $535 MONCLER Jacket $1,750 MONCLER Boots $400

EYEFLY Sunglasses $94 www.eyefly.com

www.moncler.com

ISVERA Tee $60 www.isvera.com

Page 96

REDEMPTION Boots $1,750 info@redemptionofficial.com

On Jake LACROIX Pants $791 LACROIX Jacket $1,584

POC Helmet $160 www.pocsports.com

www.lacroix-skis.com

SPY Goggles $190 www.spyoptic.com

NEWLAND Sweater $265 www.newlandfromitaly.com

ALP-N-ROCK Purse $99 www.alpnrock.com

MONCLER Boots $1,050 www.moncler.com

Page 99

On Chloe TONI SAILER Pants $629 TONI SAILER Jacket $2,499

www.tonisailer.com

On Jake HELLY HANSEN Pants $300 HELLY HANSEN Jacket $160

www.hellyhansen.com

NEWLAND Baselayer $240 www.newlandfromitaly.com KASK Helmet $480 www.kask.it

info@redemptionofficial.com

REDEMPTION Boots $1,750

BELL & ROSS Watch $5,900 www.bellross.com

KASK Helmet $480 www.kask.it

DALE OF NORWAY Scarf $100 www.daleofnorway.com

HESTRA Gloves $165 www.hestragloves.com

ZARA Shoes $40 www.zara.com

On Milena ROSSIGNOL Pants $300 ROSSIGNOL Jacket $450

On Jay BOGNER Softshell $720 BOGNER Pants $750 BOGNER Baselayer $250

www.hestragloves.com

Ski Boots $25 www.surefoot.com

www.isvera.com

On Chloe NEWLAND Baselayer $175

Page 97

www.skealimited.com

www.spyder.com

VUARNET Sunglasses $600 www.vuarnet.com

SOUL POLES Poles $135 www.soulpoles.com

BELL & ROSS Watch $5,900 www.bellross.com

On Jake SPYDER Pants $425 SPYDER Jacket $1,000

www.newlandfromitaly.com

www.surefoot.com

BLANC NOIR Vest $159

Page 88

www.moncler.com

www.woolx.com

VUARNET Sunglasses $540 www.vuarnet.com

Page 98 On Milena NEWLAND Leggings $145

MONCLER Boots $400

www.pocsports.com

HESTRA Gloves $165 www.hestragloves.com

MONCLER Shoes $1,050

POC Goggles $135

SKEA Vest $349

www.vuarnet.com

www.alpsandmeters.com

DALE OF NORWAY Headband $50 www.daleofnorway.com

info@redemptionofficial.com

VUARNET Sunglasses $600

ALPS & METERS Sweater $325

www.sportalm.at

www.colmar.it

info@redemptionofficial.com

www.strafeouterwear.com

2016-09-15 1:23 PM

Paint it Bright Pages 84-85

On Jake STRAFE Pants $385 STRAFE Jacket $495

RESOURCES

HELLY HANSEN Pants $225 www.hellyhansen.com

Milena

Pants Fendi $1,050 Jacket Fendi $3,570 Hat Fendi $1,330 Boots Redemption $1,750

www.rossignol.com

REDEMPTION Boots $1,750

info@redemptionofficial.com KASK Helmet $380

www.kask.it

www.bogner.com

POC Goggles $135 www.pocsports.com MONCLER Boots $1,050 www.moncler.com

117

SNOW SCENES

SNOW SCENES SNOW was thrilled to be a part of the 5th annual Light It Up Blue Aspen benefit, hosted at the historic Hotel Jerome.

Light It Up Blue Aspen is the signature fundraising event of Ascendigo, which raises awareness and funds for kids on the autism spectrum in the Roaring Fork Valley.

This year’s event was sponsored by Sentient Jet. VIPs included Olympic gold medalist and ski champion Bode Miller, Dr. Jennifer Berman, and Dr. Andrew Orden of The Doctors on CBS. Also making an appearance: world class ski mountaineer Chris Davenport and musicians from the Monster Allstars.

118

P H OTO S : C LO C K W I S E F R O M TO P L E F T — S T E V E M U N D I N G E R ( 2 , 3 , 9) , H A L W I L L I A M S ( 1 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7, 8 )

Scenes from 2016’s Light It Up Blue Aspen benefit.

LAST RUN

For the Vertical Virtuoso It’s not Vienna or the MoMA, but it’s close.

Scraping the sky at 1,800 meters (5,905 feet) above sea level is the arlberg1800, a high alpine concert hall and contemporary art gallery debuted last season in the snow laden enclave of Austria’s St. Christoph.

It’s housed in the Arlberg Hospiz, a five star hotel to which St. Anton skiers flee for seclusion, spa treatments, and four exceptional wine cellars. The adjoining, bunker-like auditorium and exhibition space is the realized, highly ambitious dream of Florian Werner — an artist, art collector, and third-generation managing director of his family’s hotel. For € 26 million, Werner has created the highest altitude arts center in Europe.

Tirolean architect Jürgen Kitzmüller, known for minimalistic modern form, had a hand in the arlberg1800’s design. At its core is the White Space, a 26-foot high exhibition hall for installations staged by curators from Vienna. The concert hall has seating for 150 and acoustics that near perfection. Also featured: an art lounge, a project room for smaller exhibitions, and two studios for artists in residence.

The facility, two-thirds of which is underground, opened in late 2015 to rave reviews. Andreas Grossbauer, chairman of the Vienna 120

Philharmonic, dubbed the venue in the press as “a milestone”.

Both Art Garfunkel and Chris de Burgh appeared for the center’s launch.

On any given day, St. Anton skiers can click out of their skis and wander this highly eclectic, slopeside space. Artists in residence include emerging concert pianists, painters, and purveyors of contemporary art. In past installations, a motorized wooden puppet by visual artist Markus Schinwald has greeted visitors at the gallery’s entrance; a sculpture by Gregor Graf has been devised from grand piano fragments. Through winter 2017, the large format canvases depicting mountains and flowers by Austrian painter Herbert Brandl will be on display. The concert hall’s resident Steinway was once played by solo pianist Pierre‑Laurent Airmard.

In the evenings, concerts of classical music, pop, and jazz fill the program, which is open to guests of the hotel and neighboring visitors of Zürs, Lech, and St. Anton — all newly joined this season by a labyrinth of interconnecting lifts. Next to a day’s skiing on such a grand scale, arlberg1800 is, perhaps, Austria’s highest, hautest experience.

W W W . A R L B E R G 1 8 0 0 R E S O R T. A T

P H OTO : E L I A S H A S S O S

by LORI KNOWLES

ESCAPE TO MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN LUXURY Ski into Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole, and leave the crowds behind.

Catch fresh tracks at dawn. Snuggle up fireside with an après ski beverage. Reconnect with nature’s breathtaking beauty in this ideal winter getaway.

For more information

fourseasons.com/jacksonhole

WE CREATED A WHISKEY THAT, 400 YEARS LATER, NO ONE HAS MESSED WITH.

In 1608, by order of King James the First, we were granted the first license in the world to distill. 400 years later we haven’t looked back. Even in 1850 when a malt tax drastically increased the price of malted barley, we stayed the course.

While some distillers decided to cut corners and change their recipe, we didn’t.

Fact is, we’ve never been one to follow the crowds.

Visit blackiscalling.bushmills.com

Bushmills® Blended Irish Whiskey. 40% Alc./Vol. (80 proof). Trademarks owned by The “Old Bushmills” Distillery Company Limited. ©2016 Proximo, Jersey City, NJ. Please drink responsibly.