SNOW Magazine The Alps 2020 by SNOW

Perrine Laffont, Olympic Champion W SURFUSION JACKET

ANOTHER BEST DAY rossignol.com

WINTE R 20/21

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CONTENTS THE ALPS 20/21

50 THE HAUTE ROUTE The historic Haute Route takes backcountry skiers from Chamonix to Zermatt and is a worthy "rite of passage" for any ski mountaineer.

58 THE AUSTRIAN WAY Graduating from the Bundessportheim in St. Christoph is like getting a Harvard diploma for ski pros in Austria.

66 THE HEAT IS ON

This season's ski and après ski wear is sizzling hot.

82 PYRENEES PERFECT There is a reason the king of Spain has chosen to ski in Baquiera-Beret. The charming cobblestone streets, the long steep slopes, delectable dining and après ski experiences fit for royalty.

90 TURNING JAPANESE An experiential photo essay on Ja-pow’s crowning jewel, Niseko.

THIS PAGE AND COVER PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRISTIAN ALEXANDER

Sweater SNOW SOCIETY 10

PRETTY PRETTY PRETTY GOOD GOOD GOOD SKIING SKIING SKIING

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YEAH, WE THINK YOU’LL BE HAPPY WITH IT

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accommodations, exquisite dining prepared by world-class chefs, WIEGELE.COM WIEGELE.COM WIEGELE.COM and exclusive access to the best terrain on earth, we’re ready to change the way you think about skiing. WIEGELE.COM

THE ALPS 20/21

S N O W F L U R R I E S 19 S w i t z e r l an d ’s n e w b i g V, S n o w b o ar d H e r o e s , an d Fr e n c h in dul g e n c e . PERFECT PL ACES 24 T h e A l p in e E x c l u s i v e – L i v e in y o ur o w n m o un t ain b ub b l e in t h e p r i v a c y o f y o ur o w n h e l i c o p t e r, p l an e , y a c h t , an d i s l an d . BOTTLE 30 C o r t in a , I t a l y i s t h e p l a c e t o s ip , s k i , an d b e s e e n , e s p e c i a l l y a t A l e x an d e r G u s t o A n t i c o.

90 24

S PA 3 6 H o t e l Fo r s t h o f gu t – Ve n t ur e o u t t o L e o g an g , A u s t r i a t o s a v o r p l u s h 5 - s t ar l u x ur y t h a t d a t e s b a c k t o 1617, an d 17 0 mil e s o f s k i t e r r ain r i gh t o u t s i d e t h e d o o r. SUITES 40 G o in g C o u c o u – M é r ib e l ’s 5 - s t ar s l o p e s i d e L e C o u c o u i s c o n t e mp o r ar y, s l e e k an d p r i v a t e . L u x ur y an d d e c a d e n c e a w ai t . HELI 44 E s c ap in g t h e O r din ar y L i f e -a f f ir min g d e s c e n t s in B r i t i s h C o l umb i a's S k e e n a M o un t ain s . L A S T R U N 10 4 D r o p in t o C o r b e t 's C o ul o ir in J a c k s o n H o l e , W y o min g .

30 50

www.williamsharp.co.uk

PUBLISHER Barbara Sanders C H I E F E D I T O R I A L A N D C R E AT I V E O F F I C E R Barbara Sanders barb@thesnowmag.com

ART DIRECTOR Julius M. Yoder III julius@thesnowmag.com

EUROPEAN EDITOR

A S SOCI ATE FA SHION EDITOR

Leslie Woit

Michael Mastarciyan

CRE ATI V E DIREC TOR

FASHION EDITORIAL TE AM

Julius M. Yoder III

John Martinez, Becci Wilson, Joan Valentine, Larissa Skripka

FASHION EDITOR John Martinez

DIGITA L DIREC TOR Julius M. Yoder III

ADVERTISING SALES

PRINT A ND DIGITA L C ONTRIBU TORS

Sales Director

Christian Alexander, Leslie Anthony, Daniela Federici, Andrew Findlay, Mattias Fredriksson, Antonio Cordero, Lori Knowles, Audrey Mead, Steve Ogle, Peter ‘Poby’ Pobyjpicz, Gerald Sanders, David Shribman, Leslie Woit

Barbara Sanders (970) 948-1840 barb@thesnowmag.com

Sales Manager Debbie Topp (905) 770-5959 debbiejtopp@hotmail.com

just made my first turns of the season today. Aspen Snowmass kindly offered the staff first tracks for the season. It snowed close to 10 inches the night before and was still snowing when we headed up the gondola into the clouds. I have been dreaming of this moment since last March and it was incredible. We have been dealing with a multitude of life-challenging issues lately, yet like after every yard sale, we collect our things and head back to the lift. Skiers are eternal optimists, the dream of sliding down a mountain is what keeps us moving forward day after day. I hope this issue of SNOW The Alps will set you dreaming again about our wonderful snow-covered world and what binds us all together. Our Niseko, Japan story shot by Mattias Fredriksson is a great place to start. Flip through the pages of the Turning Japanese feature photo essay, and you will feel like you are skiing side by side with Chris Davenport and James Winfield and savoring sushi almost too beautiful to eat. The experience is so other worldly that for many it has become a yearly pilgrimage and for any passionate tribe member, it’s a bucket list trip. Kari Medig and Andrew Findlay’s story about BaquieraBeret opens the door to the ski retreat of the King of Spain and spotlights the mezcla of history, culture, dining and skiing that is so unique to the Val d’Aran. Though skiing non-stop is a worthy pursuit, blending fine wine and the best jamon Iberico on the planet is an even better way to bookend the skiing. Don’t miss this pair’s adventures ski touring on the Haute Route in this issue as well. Lori Knowles' story The Austrian Way makes it very clear that there really is only one way to ski. I had the opportunity to send a week at the Bundessportheim in St. Christoph when Hoppichler was still in charge. It was the experience of a lifetime enjoying the legendary Arlberg region ripping around with the gods of skiing on the Austrian Demo Team. Leslie Woit spends her winter going above and beyond the call of duty to find the newest, most fabulous, and privatest of places to keep the fires of our Alpine dreams fanned. Decked in her new M.Miller parka, she braves the multi-starred hotels of Courch’, the wine cellars of Italy, and the spas of Austria to bring SNOW the goods. Let’s make this winter one for the books. Ski your local hill, fly (private if you can) to ski and heli-ski, go skinning, crosscountry ski. Just ski. Don’t put anything off for later. Live your ski dreams now. Let it SNOW!

PHOTO BY POBY

PUBLISHER LETTER

The Skier Tribe

TA L E N T

SNOW TALENT HOPES

WINTER

LORI KNOWLES Writer - The Austrian Way

Here is what I’m most looking forward to this season: Hunkering down in a slopeside cabin deep in BC’s Okanagan with my husband, teens, aging dog, and a game of Scrabble. We’ve got a fondue pot, new powder skis, and a family of four to fill up a quad chair without moving out of our bubble. We’ll either emerge from this season closely knit or in therapy. Maybe both. Bring on winter.

ANDREW FINDLAY Writer - Haute Route

This is the longest I’ve gone without travel in many years. And by travel, I mean getting on a plane and flying somewhere where the food is deliciously unfamiliar, and the culture fills me with questions. I look forward to those days again, but in the meantime, I’m going to savor living in one of the best places on the planet to be a skier.

LESLIE WOIT

Writer - Alpine Exclusive

Après le déluge, hope. Hope for a winter with fresh light powder and soft sunny corn. Glittering lunch tables like this one, Champagne and poke bowls on the pistes of Courchevel and steps from the heavenly hands of the masterful masseuse at Le Mélézin Aman. Planes, trains and helicopters. Zipping up in down-dappled cozy skiwear with beautiful designs from M.Miller. Learning new skills and honing old ones. (I’ve heard there’s skiing to be done after lunch, but I have my doubts.) And, if not this year, the next one’s just ‘round the corner. 18

MATTIAS FREDRIKSSON

KARI MEDIG

Photographer - Turning Japanese

Photographer - Pyrenees Perfect

I’m looking forward to a lot of ski touring with Tikaani! Our local little ski area Shames Mountain near Terrace, BC is closed two to three days per week (it's a co-op that serves the local ski community) so these days I take Tikaani with me and we go touring. Last year we got 30 days together - lots before Shames even opened for the season. It's so rad to share these days with T, he is so happy to be in the mountains and loves to run in the pow!

I'm lucky enough to live in a ski town here in southern BC, so I'm looking forward to those first big snow falls in December when I can head out with my friends and do some ski touring next to the local hill. I love the December days for the nice low light that gives everything an ethereal feel. And if all goes well, we'll get a chance to maybe head overseas for some skiing again?

- WWW.WENORWEGIANS.US -

SNOW FLURRIES

PHOTO BY JÉRÔME TANON

FLURRIES

The Big V Switzerland does nothing in half measures, especially when it comes to cultivating the highest peaks in Europe. Their latest long, tall and sparkly lift project opens this winter in the iconic Jungfrau region of Grindelwald, Wengen and Mürren. What does a half billion US dollars get you these days? A glittering high-tech V-cableway starting from a joint terminal in Grindelwald with gondolas accessing both the Eiger Glacier and Männlichen ski areas. Travel time to skiing and to the Jungfraujoch (tippy-top of the Alps and gateway to the awesome Aletsch Glacier, at 15 miles the longest icefield in the Alps and a UNESCO heritage site) will be shortened by a hefty 47 minutes—including an eye-popping stretch tracing the fearsome foot of Eiger’s North Wall. A four mile-long cable car from the resort Grindelwald-Grund, would bypass much of the train journey, cutting the round trip from the town of Interlaken by more than 90 minutes. Construction of the lifts was started in 2018 and the first lift will be inaugurated this winter. — Leslie Woit PHOTO COURTESY OF SWITZERLAND TOURISM PHOTO COURTESY OF HÔTEL DE VERBIER

Hôtel de Verbier

Beloved by a mélange of Brits and Scandos, tony high mountain guides and ragged aristos, Verbier is the spiritual Swiss home for ski bums and sunbathers alike. Hugging the busy Place Centrale roundabout, one of its oldest hotels, Hôtel de Verbier, is fresh recipient of a welcome redo. New owners, husband and wife-team Eld and Ebba Leijonhufvud (we’re thankful they operate on a first name basis) have styled its 29 rooms and three studio apartments into a high-end mix of old and new, classic alpine and art deco. Hand-wrought iron work, organic Belgian linen, mountain wool from nearby Chamonix Valley... and nearly each room comes with a balcony. Life at this reborn four-star superior boutique is rounded out with a bijou gym, hammam, hot tub, sauna and massage rooms, as well as the sure-to-be-a-hit La Nonna—an edgy Italian trattoria, cocktail bar and deli created by the brains behind other local iconic restos such as L’Étoile and Le Rouge. Once again, another bonne adresse for Verbier’s eclectic and endless meet and mingle hours, both inside and outside on a spectacular terrace with a Valais view. — LW

Shopping Prive' Like all matters pertaining to the decadent and the delicious, the French even have a word for getting settled into your own space. And bien installé – or, well installed – is precisely how one feels amid the grand creamy suites of Hotel Le Mélézin Aman perched on the perfect pistes of Courchevel. Now that you’re at ease, why go out to shop for the latest Fendi, Bogner, Toni Sailer and Cordova outfits when you can ring for Bernard? The Bernard Orcel Shopping Privé experience sees a personal shopper deliver the sleekest, sparkliest and furriest in winter fashion straight to your suite, 22

PHOTO COURTESY OF BERNARD ORCEL

allowing total privacy and supreme comfort. This personalized service, via the ipad available in your suite of Le Mélézin, is also at the ready in Courchevel’s Palace les Airelles, Palace Barrière les Neiges, K2 Palace and Strato, and in Val d'Isère at Mademoiselle and K2 Chogori, and in Tignes at Diamond Rock. Staying in your own chalet in these resorts? The new Bernard Ski Truck will pull right up to your door with not only chic skiwear and après skiwear but also skis and boots, hand-tuned, heated and ready for action when you are. — LW

LINDSEY VONN

THE SPORTS LUXURY EYEWEAR BRAND YNIQEYEWEAR.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF L'OVELLA NEGRA

FLURRIES

L’Ovella Negra Brings Style to the Pyrenees When the four-bedroom winter lodge L'Ovella Negra opened its doors in 2019 it became immediately clear what Andorra had been lacking all this time. The European microstate wedged between Spain and France, Andorra is known for the colossal, 4,759-acre resort Grandvalira, the largest in the

Pyrenean Mountains, as well as a reliable snowpack and affordable prices. Luxury lodging, not so much. Enter L’Ovella Negra, which, true to its name (The Black Sheep), became something of an outlier in this tiny nation of 77,000: a rustic-chic, warm and welcoming, eight-person luxe hideaway at the end of the remote Incles Valley, which during winter can only be reached by a 15-minute snowcat ride or helicopter. The lodge’s low-lit and stylish interiors are heavy on noble materials such as river rock, raw wood, leather and iron, and accented with velvet couches, merino wool throws, easy chairs clad in Moroccan fabrics, and a roaring fire in a teardrop chimney. Hearty yet sophisticated, Catalan-infused mountain cuisine with an emphasis on local game (the chef’s venison stew is to die for) is included in the rate, and the candlelit, wood-hewn dining ambiance encourages guests to linger well after breakfast or dinner. L’Ovella Negra’s staff organizes transportation to Grandvalira as well as snowshoeing, ski mountaineering, and heli-skiing. Travelers arrive to L’Ovella Negra by helicopter or a three-hour ground transfer from Barcelona, making for one of the world’s best ski and urban combinations. — Kristina Schreck LOVELL ANEGR A.COM

Top French photographer Jérôme Tanon has just released his latest masterpiece, Heroes. It is a photo book about the women around the world who have dedicated their life and passion to snowboarding. Jérôme followed some of the most talented and bad-ass female riders around the world for two seasons. His mission was to capture the culture and progression of women in snowboarding. Using a Pentax 6 x 7 medium format film camera he shot the images and then etched and painted on the negatives before making silver gelatin prints in the darkroom. This self-produced book comes with 288 pages full of unique images of top riders including Anna Gasser (AUT), Jamie Anderson (USA), Yuka Fujimori (JAP), Silje Norendal (NOR), Mary-France Roy (CAN), Robin Van Gyn (CAN) and many more. — BS J E R O M E TA N O N.C O M PHOTO COURTESY OF AMAN LE MÉLÉZIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF JÉRÔME TANON

Heroes

Indulge Yourself Much is written and read about the joys of spa-ing but here, a destination that truly deserves every fawning footnote. The splendidly zen Aman Le Mélézin hotel at the edge of Courchevel’s flattering Bellecote piste is all it’s cracked up to be. All suites, all calm, all sparkling five-star service—with a super-spacious wellness offering that perfects one-onone attention. Five treatment rooms are spread across an entire floor of the property. Your every wish is fulfilled in privileged privacy, be it in the Thai massage room, the authentic stone hammam and scrub room, or the most beautiful yoga studio in the Alps. Treating the mind, body and spirit (ask them about how ancient healing modalities are combined with the best of modern science) is a rewarding pursuit. Plus, there’s a raft of vintage Champagne for afters and a knock-out Japanese restaurant, Nama, that serves washoku, a UNESCO-recognised heritage cuisine. The secret to washoku lies in simplicity, and the result is pure heaven. — LW

snowst yleshop.com

PERFECT PLACES

THE

ALPINE EXCLUSIVE Now more than ever, skiing offers joyful respite from a jangled world. Here’s how to enjoy a seductively private and totally fabulous winter. by LESLIE WOIT

FLY PRIVATELY Escape into endless powder with a private helicopter at your beck and radio call at iconic Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing. Celebrating 50-plus years of pioneering and, arguably, perfecting the art of heli-skiing, Wiegeleworld has sole use of terrain the size of 283 Vails combined. The most exclusive way to play? Book a private helicopter for either four or 10 skiers and stay in one of the exclusive-use chalets such as the Bavarian Estate—with a massive great room, grand piano, private chef and doorstep heli-pad that assure sublime privacy and perfect powder.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MIKE WIEGELE HELI SKIING

WHEELS UP

PHOTO COURTESY OF SENTIENT JET

PHOTO COURTESY OF POWDER SOUTH

Sentient Jets gives silver-platter access to one of the swankiest private jet fleets in the world, whether you’re one passenger headed for a perfect powder day, or a jolly gaggle of generations with puppies and Peletons in tow. Avoid the tetchy touchpoints associated with commercial travel and, with only 10-hours’ notice, find yourself in any one of America’s finest resorts— from Aspen, Vail, Telluride and Deer Valley, to Sun Valley, Beaver Creek and Jackson Hole.

GO BEYOND BORDERS South America’s premier heli-ski outfit, Powder South, proposes a very special heliski adventure for 2021 aboard La Datcha SeaXplorer 77 expedition yacht. Sailing off Patagonia and Antarctica, the vessel is engineered with helicopter hangars, a dive center and decompression chamber, and carries a submersible, two wave-runners and two snow-scooters. Fully staffed and tricked out for up to 12 skiers, this sea-andski ship of dreams maintains autonomy on water for up to 40 days and 40 nights.

The Swiss Ski Boot skidahu.ch

PHOTO COURTESY OFPHOTO COURTESY OF ST. REGIS DEER VALLEY

PERFECT PLACES

PHOTO BY JEREMY SWANSON

DELEGATE THE DETAILS

Go for glory amidst fresh air, warming sunshine and a splash of rosé. The art of lunch on the terrace is always a joy: ever notice the world’s most beautiful patios are mountain top? (And color us lucky: outside the great urban capitals, the finest, most sophisticated catering is found in our favorite mountain towns, happy to deliver to your door all winter long.) In everluxe Deer Valley, the St Regis perfects its outdoor dining at three new venues: RIME, Brasserie 7452 and the Mountain Terrace each feature space-rich, outdoor heated and delicious tables.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHOTO OF ISOLA SANTA CRISTINA

Skirting lift queues, reserving the right table, and avoiding crowded runs is more of a priority than ever. Book a private guide or instructor for unparalleled front of the line access. From Aspen to Zermatt and beyond, a good guide steers you through everything from your private boot fitting and ski rental to heli pick-ups and secluded picnics—worth his or her weight in gold.

DINE AL FRESCO

DIP INTO LA DOLCE VITA Privacy and personal space—not concepts commonly associated with the beguilingly snaky streets and canals of Venice. Now, one of the few private islands in the bay of Venice has been lovingly restored and completely remodeled by new owners, members of the Swarovski Family. Santa Cristina’s 28

gracious villa hosts up to 16 in nine rather lavish bedrooms and includes extensive soul-soothing gardens and easy access to the sights of Venice city by boat. A snazzy private helipad allows direct flights to Cortina d’Ampezzo, pearl of the Dolomites, in just over 30 minutes.

SNOWSTYLE SHOP S N O W S T Y L E S H O P. C O M

SHOP SNOW'S TOP PICKS OF

UNIQUE BOUTIQUE BRANDS

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARULA CHALETS

What’s more joyful than sliding from your own door straight onto snow, skirting the nuisance of queues and traffic. This winter of all winters, we’ll want to stay in well-placed properties—whether it’s a chic all-suite hotel, extravagant chalet, or a nifty, fully stocked apartment. For families and parties, the modern conveniences of a private catered chalet ensure your gang enjoys your own company, your own way. Cinema rooms, massive en suites, swimming pools and full spas, knock-out cellars and some seriously top-notch cheffery are par for the course. A ski-from-your-door enclave such as Arula in Lech reinforces this Austrian hideaway’s reputation for discreet delights. From the folks behind chic Hotel Aurelio, two exclusive-use Arula Chalets offer the highest levels of service including a 24/7 butler, private chef and driver, two indoor swimming pools, outdoor Jacuzzi, sauna, steam and treatment rooms, chess and pool tables, cinema room and a knock-out wine cellar.

PHOTO COURTESY OF REFUGE DE LA TRAYE

PERFECT PLACES

SKI FROM THE DOOR OF YOUR OWN MOUNTAIN BUBBLE

PHOTO COURTESY OF CONSENSIO CHALETS

In France, super-luxury Consensio Chalets specialise in Far from the madding piste, where remote meets ultra luxury, glorious decadence. Chalet Marco Polo in Val d’Isère heads eco-sybarites head for France’s new Refuge de la Traye. Not far a world of wintery wonders, sleeping 14 in alpine-chic with from the hullaboo of Méribel, this small hamlet of authentic private chefs, firework parties, and gold-leaf swimming pool wooden barns and pint-size huts has been converted into designed by Christian Lacroix—plus hot tub, hammam, two a luxurious and secluded retreat. Seven bedrooms and one massage rooms, automatic hydro massage machine (even private chalet are complemented by full spa and cozy yet the relaxation area features a fireplace and bar), a cave and elegant restaurant. Find solitude on snowshoes and winter fromagerie, and eight-person interactive racing car game and hikes, and on ski in the heart of world's largest ski area, biathlon laser shooting game. And that pool. the Three Valleys. Accessed by snowmobile or skis, it’s cocooning, richly romantic and available for exclusive private use. PHOTO COURTESY OF CALDERA HOUSE

Jackson Hole’s newest boutique bolthole, Caldera House is an intimate eight-suite hotel with two- and four-bedroom arrangements. Each suite comes with a spacious kitchen which can be fully pre-stocked before arrival, an elegant dining room, deep soaker tubs, private patio with fire pit and cinema room. Book a solo yoga class or reserve the gym and spa for private use — next to the tram, far from the melee. 30

La dolce vita is in full swing in Italy’s timeless winter retreat.

by LESLIE WOIT

he pink and coral-hued Dolomites deliver a stunning backdrop to Cortina’s medieval village, long the favored haunt of Italy’s most stylish. Now readying to host the Alpine World Championships this winter and its second Winter Olympics in 2026 (the first was in 1956), Cortina has a rhythm of its own. The real competition is always in the ritual passeggiata - the twilight hours when soigné Italians shrouded in fur, leather and cashmere religiously parade the cobbled Corsa. For daytime, should you ski (many don’t), it’s normal to plan your route around lunch in atmospheric huts dishing up fabulous Italian cuisine and superb Sud Tirolean wines. Not to be missed: nearby Alta Badia’s celeb-chef blessed Slope Food, part of the 32

winter-long Gourmet Skisafari that has guests skiing from one refuge to another to savor Michelin-starred creations from Europe’s finest chefs. Once back from the slopes, we love to check in at the deeply traditional, always reassuring Hotel de la Poste - since 1804 a panelled cocoon of polished parquet floors, Persian rugs and white-coated waiters. This is the best address in town, where little dogs and giant shopping bags can seem to outnumber the guests themselves. It’s also the land of quality calories, from hot chocolate to stand a spoon in, to lush pillows of pumpkin ravioli and lobster spaghettini. To prepare the palate, Bar del Posta is the spot for chic aperitivo – all in the spirit of Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, famiglie Agnelli and Pirelli, even

PHOTO COURTESY OF BANDION

BOTTLE

a n i t ro

s g n i t e e G r om

PHOTO COURTESY OF CORTINA TOURISM

PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNA D'AGOSTINO

Hemingway and his typewriter called the Bar – and room 107 at the Poste – home from home. Many a merry evening here has been avuncularly administered by legendary Bar Manager Antonio Di Franco, master in situ for more than 50 seasons. Legions of beautiful people come to Cortina not only to ski, to see and be seen – but to partake in Italy’s rich wine culture. The latest must-sip is a bar called Alexander Gusto Antico, home to Italy’s best sommelier of 2019, Mattia Antonio Cianca. The bubbly 33-year-old Roman is recently returned from Australia - where he was also crowned Australia’s Best Sommelier for 2017 - and he’s the heart and soul of Cortina’s newest, most relaxed wine bar. When it comes to wine, there’s nothing Mattia doesn’t want to share, to talk and to laugh about over a good glass or two. Dedicated to local food and wine excellence (of which there’s a mountain-full in these parts), Alexander’s offers more

PHOTO COURTESY OF BANDION

BOTTLE

When it comes to wine, there’s nothing Mattia doesn’t want to share, to talk and to laugh about over a good glass or two.

S N O W S T Y L E S H O P. C O M

PHOTO COURTESY OF CORTINA TOURISM

BOTTLE

PHOTO COURTESY OF LORENZOGAMBATO-BOMBARDINO

PHOTO COURTESY OF BANDION

Sip, nibble and slurp, even ship it to your home… all in the typical spirit of Italian conviviality than 70 sublime wines by the glass. Regionals from Veneto and Alto-Adige are a priority, but the whole world is in your stemmed hand - from rare Champagnes to accompany oysters and caviar, to big and zesty Lagreins to enjoy alongside the best Dolomiti speck - hand-cured in the ancient mountain tradition, with a beautiful pink color and delicate flavor derived from an exacting wood mix used during cold smoking process. For afters, try the Blue Dessert AOC cow cheese together with a high-quality sweet wine such as a Sauternes, German Riesling, or a Hungarian Tokaji. Sip, nibble and slurp, even ship it to your home… all in the typical spirit of Italian conviviality, just as Mattia likes it.

Park City Canyons Deer Valley Vail Beaver Creek Aspen Snowmass Copper Keystone Breckenridge Steamboat Sun Valley Mammoth Squaw Santa Monica Killington New York City Whistler Verbier Val d’Isére Oslo London Denver Jackson

SKI THE SUREFOOT DIFFERENCE

COMFORT + PERFORMANCE NEVER EXPERIENCED BEFORE IN SKI BOOTS THE COMFORT IS IMMEDIATE. THE PERFORMANCE MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN EVERY TURN.

Surefoot’s proprietary fitting process fits you into the most comfortable and best performing boot you could imagine, immediately. With 3D imaging, custom fit insoles, memory foam injected liners, and an integrated heating system, you’re ready for the best skiing of your life– in just over an hour. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned expert, Surefoot has the right boot for you. Come in and experience the Surefoot difference today.

SKIER: Camilla Fraschini, Surefoot buyer (6 yr.)

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HOTEL FORSTHOFGUT

S PA

HOTEL

Forsthofgut A few of our favorite things – fine food, sophisticated drinks, a seriously superb spa – and nearly 170 miles of top-class linked pistes. by LESLIE WOIT

ki Circus? You’d be forgiven for knowing little about Austria’s second largest linked ski area. A more understated choice than Lech and St Anton, its iconic neighbors, the Ski Circus of Saalbach-Hinterglemm confidently waves the flag of quality and charm, featuring 170 glorious miles of smooth groomed runs, a plethora of more then 60 high-quality mountain restaurants, glorious alpine scenery and the Hotel Forsthofgut - a ski-from-the-door spa resort that’s worth the detour itself. The plush five-star Forsthofgut has thought of everything. 38

A family-run hotel that comes with the patina of tradition – its origins date to 1617 – the Family Schmuck has deftly steered this stylish inn into a glittering 21 century with a recent modern and lavish redesign. Arrival coincides with a knockout (and complimentary) afternoon tea served in a cosseting compound of plush, jewel-toned sofas. The scenery doesn’t hurt either: snow-clad peaks of the Steineres Meer range compliment the gentle murmur of smartly clad Euros variously wielding cashmere jumpers, cell phones and thin-stemmed wine glasses. st

Rising above Leogang in the comfort of a modern eight-person gondola, you’re quickly into the heart of the Ski Circus.

Living Well, Eating Well A shrine to comfort and elegance, living well is more than a mere abstraction at Forsthofgut. Delicious organic cuisine is served in a variety of attractively decorated rooms. Dinners are artfully creative mix-and-match menus of modern alpine cuisine, divined from organic meats and produce (much from within 30 miles), and herbs, berries and mushrooms handharvested from surrounding forests. Vegan menus, rather than being an afterthought, are a lauded hallmark of Forsthofgut hospitality. Drinks are served in the elegant book-andmagazine filled Library and amidst the sophisticated bar culture of The Botanist Bar, where in-house mixologists ply their trade with creatively stocked tinctures, locally grown herbs and shelves heaving with rare and interesting spirits. Themed on an Old World Viennese apothecary, you know their medicine must be good for you.Bedrooms are lined with oak and king beds are draped in high-quality linens. Wood, leather, stone, loden – all-natural materials from the Salzburg region – make for an elegant and deeply restful retreat. For children, there are a myriad of child-friendly features - including a dedicated family spa tended by professional child minders. (And for anyone not travelling en famille, such is the spacious and smart design, you’d hardly notice those who are.) 39

S PA

Water and Warmth Après ski in Austria means one of two things. Either steins are raised high, or massage jets pulse on full. Spa time at the Forsthofgut is as good as it comes. Over multiple floors, nearly an acre of space is devoted to the art of relaxation, rejuvenation and renewal – a fresh airy take on Austria’s wellness culture. From the edge of the knockout 25-yard-long heated outdoor pool, late afternoon skiers woosh past. Next, perhaps a little lie down alongside the large panoramic window, or warm toasting from top to bottom in the slow burn of a Finnish sauna, battling to enjoy the view over tranquil snow-covered pines and fading cerulean sky. It takes true commitment to dip, dunk and doze in seven saunas and steam baths, and bubbling whirlpool, all open to a luxuriating 10pm. Icy forest streams funnel water into bracing shower features and salt booths aid asthma and allergies. Two entirely separate worlds are dedicated to adults and to families. (The children’s club for 2 years and up is professionally supervised, 9am to 9pm and free of charge.) There’s a full gym and daily sessions such as yoga, power walking and sauna infusions. A comprehensive treatment menu covers everything from massage and facials to hay baths.

Ski-From-The-Door Ease Savouring the slopes each morning starts in the convenient ski room (snacks, drinks, padded chairs) – just a short pole and push to the base of the Asitzbahn. Predominantly blue and red pistes thread westward, glorious groomed runs looping up and over for miles. There are a variety of marked routes designed to impart direction to the outing: a whole day’s loop that’s one of the longest in the Alps and four further two-hour routes covering between 12 to 16 miles. The four villages linked by ski - Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn - are located just 50 miles from Salzburg, making the pleasures of taking the cure amidst one of the Alps’ finest spa and wellness offerings a clear winner.

V I TA AT L E T I C A .C O M

PHOTOS COURTESY OF LE COUCOU

SUITES

going COUCOU

In the heart of the Three Valleys, Méribel’s new 5-star Hotel Le Coucou makes a contemporary and sleek slope-side getaway b y L E S L I E W O I T

lick in, click out, let the ski butler assist with emeraldgreen sheepskin slippers…Life could not be easier at Méribel’s newest five-star inn, located right on the slopes in the heart of the world’s largest linked ski area, the Three Valleys. Le Coucou’s grand opening for Winter 2020 was long overdue: until now, much loved Méribel was able to offer only two further five-star addresses, while neighbouring Courchevel boasts no fewer than 20. Renowned architect Pierre Yovanovitch has worked his magic in the mountains with an assuredly relaxed, contemporary atmosphere while 42

still respecting the spirit of the traditional alpine chalet. With direct access to the gentle Rhodos slope, Le Coucou’s A-line rooflines fit firmly into the mountainscape and, though spread over 10 floors, you never feel like anywhere but inside a cozy chalet. Whether perched atop a sheepskin-draped bar stool perusing the heady cocktail list (homemade matcha and yuzu cordial aperitif, anyone?) or gazing outwards onto layers of majestic peaks, Le Coucou’s two top restaurants, Tata Harper spa, and full services for families give us a new reason to make Méribel this season’s base.

DINING AND DRINKS For each hour, for every mood, there’s a welcome reception and suitably tantalising menu to peruse. Overlooking the slopes, Le Bar is the place for any time of day, not limited to sophisticated cocktails either; afternoon features splendid “le gouter” or afternoon tea - crepes, sweets, tea in a relaxed setting. The Beef Bar, a restaurant first made famous in Monte Carlo and Paris, serves exceptional cuts matured and prepared to perfection: Black Angus from Argentina and the US, Australian Wagyu, earthy and rich Japanese Kobe. Naturally, a fabulous wine cellar is understood. Retire to Le Fumoir for cigars and sublime spirits. The Italian Restaurant offers superb southern specialities in the evening and, come morning, a lavish breakfast repast.

TATA HARPER SPA Le Coucou spa is designed for privacy and complete relaxation. For spa lovers – just as for wellness neophytes - it’s a fact that all treatments are not created equal. Happily, those delivered in the Tata Harper Spa at hands of the lovely Amelie and her colleagues are among the best we’ve found. Using all natural, organic skincare formulas from the Tata Harper line (imported all the way from her farm in Vermont), The

Serenity Ritual body scrub is a revivify experience worth the journey alone. (Its heady eucalyptus scrub is followed by a strong massage and enriching body oil application to leave a physical and mental state elevated beyond belief.) Six treatment rooms include a decadent couple’s suite with its own hamman. 43

SUITES

SUITES & ROOMS With 55 rooms in all, 39 of these are deeply spacious suites with comfy sitting areas and terrace opening onto the spectacular surrounding peaks and pistes. Décor is an inspired take on the classic Alpine repertoire, with rich wools, velvets and soft linens, stone, wood, glass and leather – a wash of ochre here, the hue of Dijon there. Above all, a sense of calm and welcome absence of formality, alongside vintage furniture and well-placed original architect-designed pieces. A note for bath lovers; be sure to request a room with a tub as, in the increasingly modern style, a number of rooms are fitted solely with walk-in shower.

YOUR OWN PRIVATE CHALET, COUCOU STYLE Independent, exclusive yet connected to the hotel via indoor passageway, Le Coucou’s two luxury-sized chalets benefit from all the five-star services. Chalet Éléonore and Églantine are rather like mini hotels over four floors, each fitted with four bedrooms, its own spa and indoor pool, kitchen, living area with splendid vista, games area and TV room, ski room with ski-in/ski-out magic door to the mountains. Chalet Églantine even has a delightful playhouse for little ones. All in supreme privacy with chambermaid, chef on request, and dedicated butler to ensure smooth runnings.

snowst yleshop.com

HELI

Escaping the

Northern Escape Heli Skiing by LESLIE ANTHONY photography by MATTIAS FREDRIKSSON

day after New Year’s, a tiny speck on the rim of a vast, glacier-etched bowl, I feel perched on the bow of a great ship. Beyond my ski tips, snowy waves ripple toward the horizon, trailing a nexus of rivers limned by verdant valleys. Like the open ocean this vista channels, it’s raw, empty beauty, unsullied by anything. A diorama in which the power of the Earth in uplifted rock, the power of water and ice in the sculpting of the land, and the power of human experience in our anticipated descent all offer connection we’ll take to the bank — or at least to a waiting helicopter. Though we’ve made a half-dozen knee-deep runs in this basin, each successive sweep has seemed more life-affirming — due in no small part to the gargantuan landscape embracing us. But finding ways to accurately express what we’re seeing and feeling seems less fruitful than simply stating this: there is nothing ordinary about British Columbia’s Skeena Mountains — a subrange of the fabled Coast Range that runs from Washington to Alaska. And that, more than anything, makes it abundantly clear why the vast tenure of Northern Escape

Heliskiing is the biggest jewel in a crown of recreational tourism worn by the town of Terrace. Like other outposts in this stretch of northern B.C., Terrace would be considered remote if you were driving from anywhere in the populous south, but with a half-dozen short flights a day from Vancouver, it’s easier than ever to access the Alaska-esque feel and superb skiing of these mountains with a trip to legendary Northern Escape. In a province with a glut of heli-operations that each come with their own set of superlatives, what sets Northern Escape apart is having it all: a monstrous 1.7 million-acre tenure of varied, mind-bending terrain; weather-day options at nearby Shames Mountain ski area or via snowcat; and, with air masses from the soggy coast and dry Interior colliding overhead, an abundance of powder that more often than not represents western North America’s deepest snowpack. Despite little chance of a total skiing shutdown that would give you no choice but to enjoy all of its homey comforts for a day instead of just the overnight hours, a new, state-of-the-art Mountain Lodge now adds to this potent draw. 47

HELI

The third lodge Northern Escape has operated from (it still maintains sprawling Yellow Cedar Lodge in town as its main base), Mountain Lodge is the first it has owned and custom built around the needs of small-group heli-skiing. The game-changing base that now offers an intimate setting for up to 10 guests is ideal for private groups and families; five-star meals prepared by Red Seal chefs and an overlook location on a lakeside bench add to its exclusivity. Only an hour’s drive from the storm-lashed North Pacific, Northern Escape’s 60-foot annual snowfall is legendary, and we’re lucky to have caught several two-foot early season days. Despite stormy weather that prohibited flying on our first day, we were still able to ski exquisite powder in the trees off the 48

“I had no idea the mountains would be that big or the runs so long. I’m just so used to having to dodge trees for powder that it’s a treat to be able to ski in such wide-open spaces behind a guide.”

plentiful ridgelines accessed from Northern Escape’s backup snowcat — fortuitously parked adjacent to Mountain Lodge. Though the lines were short and sweet, when skies cleared the next day we flew into some of the most impressive high-alpine terrain on the planet. One of the first-time heli-skiers in our group, a dedicated Whistler powderhound familiar with more quotidian segments of the Coast Range, was effusive in her assessment of the 3,000–4,000-foot drops: “I had no idea the mountains would be that big or the runs so long. I’m just so used to having to dodge trees for powder that it’s a treat to be able to ski in such wide-open spaces behind a guide. I mean, you can get a tiny slice of this kind of experience in a big ski area like Whistler, but never one that stretches out for an entire top-to-

bottom run with no interruption.” On our last run of the day, a mere five-minute flight from Mountain Lodge, founder John Forrest leads us down yet another lengthy, Euro-style run. It begins on a corniced ridge before lolling down a glacial tongue into a winding valley, turn after perfect turn, as if it could go on forever. Rounding corners prescribed by towering flutes of rock you almost expect a town to materialize at any moment. But this isn’t Europe. Only peaks, ridges, cliffs, waterfalls and forest; a metric of in-charge wilderness. An escape. And nothing ordinary in the least.

SNOW STORIES

PHOTO BY KARI MEDIG

Skiers on glaciated terrain on the long final day of the Haute Route between Cabane des Vignettes and Zermatt. 52

by Andrew Findlay photogr aphy by K ar i Medig

he Mont Blanc Express lurches to a stop in Argentière. The conductor, her black and red SNCF cap tilted at a coquettish angle, nods at Kari Medig and me as we shuffle onto the platform with skis and backpacks, then sends us into the mountains with the gift of a warm smile. Shaking the stupor of a train and bus commute that began at 5 a.m. in Verbier, I gaze upward at a stream of wind-whipped snow peeling from the summit of Aiguille du Dru, like a tattered white t-shirt flapping against the Mediterranean blue of the sky. The world-famous Haute Route ski traverse awaits. Baseball fans might make a pilgrimage to Fenway Park. Art aficionados are remiss to leave the Louvre off their Parisian itinerary, despite the crowds. Similarly, backcountry skiers want to put a check mark next to the Haute Route, which weaves for roughly 60 miles through the Pennine Alps, linking the iconic mountain towns of Chamonix and Zermatt. It has rich historic appeal. In 1911, Chamonix physician Michel Payot and a trio of local mountain guides, Joseph Couttet, Alfred Simond and Joseph Ravenal, shouldered backpacks for a predawn start in Argentière. They ascended toward the Aiguille des Grand Montets with plans to ski what was by then an already popular summer mountaineering route. It was far from a walk in the park. By our standards, their gear was rudimentary – long wooden planks, leather boots and a single ski pole each. The terrain and route-finding were challenging – high, avalanche-prone mountain passes guarded by heavily crevassed glaciers. They succeeded in their quest to ski from Chamonix to Zermatt; setting the bar for what was possible on skis and assuring the Haute Route’s global reputation. It remains a challenge, though one tempered with modern conveniences. In contrast to Dr. Payot and his fellow Savoyards, we have the benefit of high-speed lifts to help us acquire altitude at the start of the traverse. After procuring a wedge of Gruyère, a few sticks of landjäger, and chocolate at an 54

Argentière deli, Medig and I line up to load the Lognan cable car. A few days of high-pressure weather has allowed the snowpack to settle following an early April storm that deposited close to three feet of snow. The crowds have descended. After off-loading, we schuss down to the Herse Chairlift, which whisks us to the base of a planar 30-degree slope dropping from the Col du Grand Montets. Above us, a scene that could have been transposed from the Klondike goldrush – a quick head count reveals several hundred backcountry skiers soldiering 1900 vertical feet upwards in a switch-backing, knee-deep trench. Had the Grands Montets cable car not been lost to a fire in 2018, we would have dispatched this elevation without breaking a sweat. “Wow! Look at all those people,” I wonder out loud, momentarily feeling a pang of crowd angst. I force myself to check my misanthropy and Canadian sensibilities. After all, you don’t come to the Alps for solitude, you come for the mountain culture and the opportunity to travel with a light pack through spectacular and technical mountain terrain. Dangling at the end of each day, the civilized promise of a warm hut, red wine, and some hearty Alpine fare. We fall in line. A quartet of Euro ski-mo nerds in spandex glides effortlessly past us as if on a cushion of air with their ultralight gear; it’s like a knife twist to the hurt of exertion I’m feeling following four fattening days of in-bounds shredding and après skiing in Verbier. At the col, a United Nations of skiers assembles, some speaking familiar Latin-based languages, others more ambiguous, unfamiliar, and exoticsounding ones. The descent of Glacier des Rognons is a fine first reward. Uniformly angled, the slope is well skied by early day trippers on a horseshoe tour that exits via the Argentière Glacier, but we still manage to mine avenues of shin-deep, untracked powder for the entire leg-burning run. We pause in the valley bottom to skin-up, snack and drink water. The crowds that we encountered on Grands Montets

“There are a lot of tricky elements. I’m pretty shaky right now,”

1. A group of skiers gather on the first of three cols called Col de l’Eveque (3392m) on the final day of the Haute Route. 2. Portrait of a French train attendant on the way to the start of the Haute Route in Chamonix. 3. The snow covered Cabane de Prafleuri, an optional stop on the Haute Route between Cabane de Mont Fort and Cabane des Dix.

have thinned and dispersed, each group settling into their cadence. The fluted, icy north face of Aiguille Verte that rises above has seen numerous improbable descents in recent years, fitting for a place where extreme skiing truly came of age. From this angle it looks daunting, even palm sweat inducing. Thankfully, this frozen palisade of rock serves only as a picturesque backdrop to our second climb, this one up and over Col du Chardonnet. The intense sun and altitude sap strength, but I sense my physiology beginning to acclimatize, like a single cylinder diesel slowly coming to life. An hour and a half of meditative uphill slogging brings us to where the glacier steepens and abuts a barrier of snow-free rock. We meet four Norwegians, skis on their packs, clawing up a few feet of crumbling shale; it’s an unwelcome sting in the tail after a strenuous climb. We stop to chat and learn that Eir Kjørholt, a 20-something medical student, started downhill skiing just three years ago. She chose a doozy for a first ski traverse with her boyfriend, Fredrik Kolsgaard; such trips can be either relationship breakers or builders. I sense that these two Scandinavians will fall comfortably in the latter category. Norwegians have a way of making stoicism beautiful. “There are a lot of tricky elements. I’m pretty shaky right now,” Kjørholt tells us, as she tentatively assesses her first ever rappel down the steep north side of the col. One more ascent brings us over the Fenêtre de Saleina (Window of Saleina) a name as poetic as the dance of dark, foreboding clouds that have suddenly gathered around the spires of Aiguille du Tour. After crossing the Plateau du Trient, we spot a frosted wooden sign on a rocky knoll pointing toward Cabane du Trient, the outline of which materializes as if by magic in the mist before us. We have crossed from France into 55

1. A Spanish family ski touring together on the morning of the last day of the Haute Route near Cabane des Vignettes. 2. Anbjørn Svendsen on the sunny deck of the Cabane des Dix. 3. A line of skiers on the way up to the first col of the Haute Route from Chamonix. 4 Sign to Cabane Du Trient, the first hut on the Haute Route. 5. Final climb to the Cabane des Dix. 6. The final descent to Cabane du Trient across the Glacier du Trient on day one of the Haute Route. 7. Dinner time in Cabane des Dix on the Haute Route. 8. Ice tools stored at the front door of the Cabane du Trient. Tired skiers take a nap in the sun after a hard day on the Haute Route between Cabane des Dix and Cabane des Vignettes. 9. The writer makes his way up the Col des Ecandies (2796m) after a descent of the Glacier du Trient on day two of the Haute Route. 10. Austrian Alois Hechl arrives tired after a long day to get to Cabane des Vignettes.

“There are a lot of tricky elements. I’m pretty shaky right now,”

“My mother helped to lead a school trip across the Haute Route. It has a special place in my memories.”

Switzerland, a nation whose mastery over meticulous organization extends to their tidy mountain huts, where everything has its place. We step out of the wind and into the foyer. Skiers have holstered their ice axes on a rack and swapped boots for mandatory slippers. We follow suit and enter the warmth of the hut. Before making eye contact, custodian and mountain guide Olivier Genet quickly inspects our footwear. Though it’s not the cuddliest of receptions, the roast chicken, French fries and cold beer are more than compensation after a 12-hour effort. The train trip from Verbier to Argentière early this morning already seems like a distant dream. Two days of mountain travel later, it’s a frantic morning scramble for breakfast at the Cabane des Vignettes. A smorgasbord of ethnic stereotypes is on full display. I stare down a heaping plate of Swiss rösti (like a cross between a hash brown and a potato pancake) served with eggs, cheese and sausage. A quartet of stone-faced Russians are forced to share a breakfast table with six gregarious Italians, far too awake for 6:30 am. A large contingent of Germans are first up and out the door, skins on, packs shouldered with military precision. The de Zarates of Catalonia, a family of six competent skiers with 58

whom we have shared the trail since the start, occupies a corner table, chatting in their native Catalan. “First time for us,” says Ortiz, one of the sons, about their jaunt across the Pennine Alps, as casual an undertaking for them it seems, as a family picnic on the Costa Brava. Medig and I linger over coffee and allow the dining room to slowly drain of people. Last night, it was a full house at this stone hut situated on an improbable knife-edge ridge at the foot of one of the Haute Route’s classic descents, Pigne d’Arolla, high point of the traverse. Yesterday we enjoyed bluebird weather for the long ascent that weaves among crevasses and icefalls from Cabane des Dix to Pigne d’Arolla’s breathtaking 12,500-foot domed summit. From there we turned on perfectly corned snow beneath a clear, warm and windless sky that belied the tragedy that had unfolded April 2018, close to where we’re seated in the comfort of the Vignettes, coffees in Hand. That season, 13 skiers and their Italian mountain guide were pinned above an icefall by a sudden and vicious storm. It was whipped up by the Foehn, a notorious Alpine weather phenomenon that sends southerly winds slamming into the mountains. As air rises, cools and moisture condenses, climbers and skiers on the windward side can be afflicted with plunging temperatures, gale force winds and intense snowfall, while on the lee side others might be basking in t-shirts. The mere mention of the Foehn can cause a hush to descend on a mountain hut. Lost in a whiteout mere minutes from the sanctuary of the Vignettes hut, the group became disoriented and was forced to spend the night on the mountain without shelter. In the end, the guide and six clients perished. Jean-Michel Bournissen, a bear of a man with a thick salt

and pepper beard, leans on the bar clearing tabs as guests check out. He was the first to call in rescue assistance the following morning after several skiers were found hypothermic and clinging to life. He’s somber for a moment as he recalls that tragic day, but then shifts to talking about his proud family legacy in the Alps. As a fourth generation Swiss guide, he has been the Vignette’s custodian, along with his wife, for 17 years. “My great grandfather built the first stone hut here and my grandfather built the second one,” he says. We are among the last to leave the Vignettes, the pleasant weather lulling us into a complacent lazy start. Looking up toward Pigne d’Arolla, I ponder the exposed aquamarine icefall, beautiful today but terrifying for the six souls who died 1.Skiers make their way up the Col des Ecandies (2796m) after a descent of the Glacier du Trient on day two of the Haute Route. 2. A group of skiers comprised of former members of the Welsh National Ski Team enjoy a beer after arriving at the Cabane des Dix. 3. Custodians JeanMichel Bournissen and his wife Karine at the Cabane des Vignettes. 4. A view of the Matterhorn above Zermatt.

guests, Mike Wroe and Tim Lloyd, skiing the Haute Route is a pilgrimage to honor a formative experience of their youths when they skied it as teenage classmates nearly 40 years ago. “My mother helped to lead a school trip across the Haute Route. It has a special place in my memories,” Wroe says, though he admits his recollection of details is foggy at best. Our last day is a big one – nearly 18 miles of travel and three passes – ending with a grand finale descent of the Stocki and Zmutt glaciers at the foot of the Matterhorn, a mesmerizing piece of geology from any angle. By 3pm, we’re ripping the skins for the last time before dropping into the Stocki. It’s riddled with crevasses and seracs, so we’re thankful for the cloudless sky. The snow is forgiving, morphing from two-day old powder to corn as we lose elevation on our slow return to the civilization and the refinement of Zermatt. The glacier terminates in a barren, U-shaped valley of water-washed gravel that tells the story of unrelenting glacial recession. The stone edifice of Cabane Schönbiel appears orphaned on the side of the valley overlooking this wasteland. Soon we’re ducking a rope onto the piste, our segue to a busy Swiss ski resort. We follow a cat track down valley, dodging skiers as the snow becomes slushy, brown and more unappealing the lower we go. Green pastures emerge between ancient stone huts; spring’s determined push. At a bend in the track, we veer left and stop at a slope-side patio bar. Cool electronica hums from the speakers. We plunge into reclining chairs. No doubt Michel Payot and his Chamonix guides would have raised celebratory glasses of schnapps upon their arrival in a Zermatt bierstube back in 1911. Some things never change. The Matterhorn’s instantly recognizable 14,692-foot summit claws the sky above us, and it feels like we have stepped into a Swiss cliché. To complete the picture, we order a round of Zermatt Bier Matterhorn ales. I scroll through recently acquired memories of a classic mountain journey that began with a smile from a beautiful French train conductor only five days ago in Argentière. Slow travel through mountains has a way of easing the passing of time, and I have little desire to return too quickly to the rapid pace of modern life.

there a year previous. I shudder to think how quickly circumstances can change from dreamy to desperate in the mountains. Soon we’re trailing a multicultural mix of skiers winding up a canvas of white to the Col de l’Évêque. We fall in behind Welsh guide Mike Turner (Twid), and his group of five clients, friends from back home, several of them ex-Welsh national ski team champions, a designation I never knew existed before meeting them three days ago in the dining room at Cabane Mont Fort. Long after others had climbed into their bunks last night, the Welshmen were uncorking bottles of red wine and sharing laughs. “I’ve probably guided the Haute Route 25 times,” Turner tells me. And despite its popularity, he says the route offers no guarantees. Glaciers are forever changing, adding to what is already a route-finding challenge, especially in poor visibility. “I’d say your chances of completing it on any given week are around 60 percent,” he says. Weather has been our friend so far. For two of Turner’s 59

The Austrian Way

Austrain Wa Why thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only ever been a single way to ski.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EGON HIEGZEGGER

by Lori Knowles

Previous page: Formation skiing – Formation name: Mozart. Location: Slalom

slope Maiensee I at St. Christoph. 3 Skiers in the middle ski synchronised short turns in the fall line and the outside skiers cross in between the 3 skiers with long turns. Left row top down: Hannes Hausberger, Bernd Greber. Middle row top down: Rudi Lapper, Meinhard Tatschl, Christa Höllrigl (Hartmann). Right row top down: Martin Gugganig, Egon Hierzegger.

“Kruky brought about radical change to the way the world skied by promoting a twisting, pretzel-like technique. You may have heard of it; it’s called wedeln.”

here has always only ever been a single way to ski: the Austrian way. Others have tried. French, Swiss, Scandinavians, North Americans. They’ve played with technique, invented terms, shared ideas at G7-like forums called Interski. “Dip a shoulder here,” they’d say. “No, rotate your body there.” Up-unweight. Down-unweight. Skid. Stem. Flex. Edge. Glisse. The list goes on; the manuals are multiple. Films, books, diagrams, videos, heated discussions. Friendships have been lost and made over when to bend the knees or how to carve a ski. But truly, privately, when no one is listening, ask any ski school instructor of any generation at any ski area from Australia to the Andes and they’ll grudgingly admit it. Forget the French. Never mind the Swiss or the Scandinavians. And the North Americans? No idea. The Austrian way is the way, full stop; there is no other. When it comes to the best way to ski, the rest of us have always been chasing Österreich. Let’s blame a man called Kruky (KREW-kee). Full name: Stefan Kruckenhauser, a professor/photographer who, in 1934, made his way to St. Christoph am Arlberg, a small, sleepy, snow-swept ski village situated just above St. Anton. St. Christoph was home (and still is) to Austria’s state-run school of ski technique: the Bundessportheim, also known as the Bundy. In 1934, Kruky was anointed the Bundy’s all-hail leader. Time out! What we need to appreciate is the influence of

the Bundy. It is (or was) Austria’s Oxford, a place revered by Austrians—countrymen and women as devoted to skiing as Canadians are to hockey. There might be as many ski stars in Austria per capita as there are NBA stars in America. Hermann Maier. Anna Veith. Marcel Hirscher. Toni Sailer. History dictated that to be accepted as a student of the Bundy—a chance to study skiing, guiding, mountaineering— well, for an Austrian, you’d made it. To be appointed head of the Bundy? You were the next Messiah. Which brings us back to Kruky. Short. Stocky. Charismatic. Charming. Kruky had crinkly, honey-bronzed skin and his own dogmatic ideas about skiing. At 29 he’d cut teeth on the teachings of Hannes Schneider, another Austrian who, prior to World War II, was master of technique; a man whom author John Fry called “the pope of ski instruction.” As the Bundy’s new pope, Kruky was just as inventive and even more insistent. During his reign, Kruky brought about radical change to the way the world skied by promoting a twisting, pretzel-like technique. You may have heard of it; it’s called wedeln. He spread his wedeln word via films, photographs, articles, and books that he produced himself and spread around the globe. Kruky disciples gathered like moths to a bright, white light. Just ask Paul Romagna, he was one of them. “It was like getting a position at Stanford or Yale,” says Romagna, who at 22 and as poor as a Salzburg church mouse arrived at the Bundy in the winter of 1969/70 on long, straight skis and lace-up boots. His mission: to study ski instruction. “It was like arriving at a palace or the holy grail of ski teaching: 61

so much tradition, so much history. I walked through those rooms overwhelmed by a special aura. And there was Professor Kruckenhauser: choppy, old, big white hair. Every Austrian— especially every Austrian ski instructor—knew his name. If he said the snow is black, 10,000 ski instructors would nod and say, ‘Yes, the snow is black.’” To state that Kruky was revered is to make an understatement. “When he talked you could hear a needle drop,” Romagna remembers. “He was a fearful figure. If you didn’t agree with him, he’d jump out of his skin, but no one ever dared do that. What you wanted was for Kruky to put his arm around your shoulder and talk to you, really talk—the topic always ski teaching, the man was passionate about methodology. At the end of my term there he called me up in front of everyone and told me I’d topped the course, asked me if I’d join his team. I couldn’t move, it was like Christmas came early. Even now I get emotional.” What we must remember, what’s imperative to understand is that at the outset of Kruky’s tenure, says Romagna, “the world had nothing.” There was no structured ski teaching system. Kruckenhauser was mastering the way to ski and teach skiing, creating a step-by-step system, teaching it to his Bundy boys, filming and photographing everything, producing manuals, demonstrating with synchronized skiing, pushing it 62

all out to the ski world—and the ski world was watching and listening. Canadians. Americans. Eastern Europeans. Kiwis. The Japanese, especially. Starting in 1951, rapt audiences at international ski congresses (Interskis) would take Kruky’s word as if it were gospel. Everyone wanted to ski the Austrian way. Once, says Romagna, Kruky arrived at the Bundy after three weeks in Japan with a group of Japanese in tow. Their mission: to study Austrian ski technique. “But while he’d been away, we’d been partying,” Romagna says sadly. “We hadn’t trained, we were nervous. We went out there and demonstrated and we were sure it didn’t go well, that we were going to get a headwash! But at the end of the day Professor Kruckenhauser said, ‘You have made me proud; they were so impressed. Thank you for a great performance!’” Romagna sighs. “We were convinced this was the way the world has to ski.” It has to be said: Not everyone agreed with Professor Kruckenhauser. At least, not on that last bit. Other ski nations, especially the French, argued fiercely. Kruky’s jet-turn technique presented at Interski in the early ‘70s, for example, drew a lot of enemy fire. Says Romagna: “It just didn’t go down well.” Around the same time a man named Franz Hoppichler

previous page Hannes Schneider

Right top to bottom 1. Franz Hoppichler 2. Stefan Kruckenhauser

(Hoppi) married Kruky’s daughter. Hoppi, who’d already headed the Austrian Ski Team (think: NFL’s Bill Belichick) left racing to join the Bundy as his new father-in-law’s lieutenant. Hoppi was equally charismatic and equally revered, but, according to Romagna, was more open to suggestion. Taking over as the Bundy’s head when Kruky retired, Hoppichler was comparatively open minded and tolerant of opposing points of view. He ventured as far as to suggest that (gasp!) there is no Austrian ski technique. “Hoppi said ski technique is international, determined by the laws of nature,” Romagna says. Hoppichler believed a nation can have its own ski teaching method, but not a technique. Technique is determined by laws other than Austrian. Still, Hoppi will go down in ski history with Kruckenhauser as the Bundessportheim’s two greatest leaders. Reigning through the 1980s and ‘90s, Hoppi led legions of ski instructors through their Staatlicher exams—the nation’s highest level of ski certification—then on to the revered Austrian demonstration (demo) team. Among them was Egon Hierzegger, who, like Romagna, was wet behind the ears in the ‘80s when he arrived in St. Christoph at the age of 19. Hierzegger—now an MBA, business owner, city councilor, and ski examiner—describes an era of hard work and hard parties: training by day and clashing beer steins by night; a fraternity of mostly men skiing in tight formation on open slopes, Mozart on the P.A., their spectacle looking every bit like snowbound Lipizzaners, Vienna’s ballet of white stallions. Swing right, swing left. Stay in synch. Ankles, knees, hips and shoulders perfectly stacked. High-speed performances under the stars became major events complete with fireworks,

“If Kruky said the snow is black, 10,000 ski instructors would nod and say, ‘Yes, the snow is black.’” torches, and adoring crowds, with Hoppichler handsome and headstrong, greeting the masses, shaking hands. “We were his boys,” says Hierzegger. “When we did something wrong, we got a proper headwash, but when we came under attack by someone else, he’d jump in to protect us. We’d do some crazy things and he loved it. He’d say, ‘These are my boys.’” It’s the kind of camaraderie that lasts. Decades later the Bundy boys stand by their mates, attending weddings, birthdays, retirements, and funerals. Stories are told and re-told. When suggested they should write a book on the Bundy’s past, both Hierzegger and Romagna cringe. “It’d never get past the censors,” Romagna says. So, in this Bundy story, where are all the women? It’s true, in the early days the ratio heavily favored men. Hierzegger guesses 10 men to one woman in his day, and the women that were there were most often Olympians and ex-World Cup. Not so now. Zoom forward to 2021 and the school has entered the modern age. Among the women who’ve skied its hallowed halls: Nina Gigele, a ski model, freelance race coach and ski guide (skiwithnina.fun) 63

St. Christoph photo shoot. Front from left to the right: Martin Gugganig († 04.07.2003), Thomas Egger (current: Chairman of the ski instructor association of the state Vorarlberg), Bernd Greber († 27.12.2001), Egon Hierzegger. Back left: Gerald Hämmerle, Back right: Ki (Kiminobu) Sugiyama.

who arrived at the Bundessportheim in 2012 at the age of 21. Once on track for the Austrian Ski Team, Gigele’s hopes were dashed at 16 by an accident that nearly cost the up-and-comer her left leg. “Doctors told me I wouldn’t be able to ski anymore; I had to re-learn how to walk.” Climbing back from severe injury tested every ounce of Gigele’s mental strength, but she was determined to achieve a new goal: earning Staatlicher certification at the Bundessportheim. “I was eager to learn,” she says, “and I wanted to learn from the best.” Gigele’s grandfather had done the same, once a student of both Kruckenhauser and 64

Hoppichler, he became a revered Austrian race coach. “My grandfather always told me how it was in those days—what they did. There was so much power and passion in their skiing. They were visionaries, prophets.” Is it the same now? The Bundessportheim? The Austrian Way? Does the school in St. Christoph still carry that same cachet? The answer depends on who you ask. The homey, Austrian-style structure—bunk rooms, fireplaces—that once housed the Bundessportheim is gone, an ultra-modern building of metal and glass and resort-style rooms in its place since 2006. The Bundy is no longer state run; it’s now a private enterprise, a business known in English as the Ski Austria Academy. Says Paul Romagna: “To go back there breaks my heart.” But the modern structure and approach appeals to a professional like Nina Gigele, who maintains that while the Bundy has lost its Ivy League looks and some of its international revere: “If you are passionate about the technical side—how skiing works—then it’s still a place to go. I learned so much while I was there. I could focus on small

“We were convinced this was the way the world has to ski.” —Paul Romagna

PHOTOS COURTESY OF EGON HIEGZEGGER

Powder 8 World Championship 1992 at Blue River - Mike Wiegele. Team front: Martin Gugganig († 04.07.2003) and Egon Hierzegger – Vice World Champion. Background: Christa Höllrigl (Hartmann) and Marion Mößelberger. below

Austrian Demo-Team Interski Nozawa-Onsen Japan 1995. Photo location: Nozawa-Onsen Event area. From left to right: Christoph Falch, Bernd Greber († 27.12.2001), Thomas Egger, Pascal Hasler, Christa Höllrigl (former Hartmann), Georg Höllrigl, Hannes Hausberger, Rudi Lapper, Tom Rimml, Egon Hierzegger.

“There was so much power and passion in their skiing. They were visionaries, prophets.” PHOTO COURTESY OF SEPP MALLAUN

things within my technique, the mindset of skiing. It’s like going to a university. I suggest to many young people who are eager to learn and who are open-minded that it’s the place to go.” And what of the Austrian Way? If the Bundessportheim’s iconic status has faded, then so must have Austria’s control on the evolution of skiing. After all, Hoppichler foreshadowed the future of ski technique when he claimed no one nation had the patent on the right way to ski, that it’s governed instead by laws of nature. “Differences between nations were once really big,” says Egon Hierzegger, “but now we’re all much closer together. Carving skis came along and things became more standard.” 66

And, in the writing of its own history, the new Academy put it this way: “In the last decade of the 20th century, disputes about ski technology increasingly took a back seat. In the interest of the tourism industry, which wants to advertise skiing as a joyful leisure trend, the similarities are emphasized.” So, no more one way to ski? No more Austrian domination? Nations that once fought for their own technical territory are now synchronized both on the slopes and off? Nah. There’s always only ever been one way to ski: The Austrian Way. Ask anyone. We’re all still chasing Österreich.`

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAKUB SIDEVY

PHOTO COURTESY OF SEPP MORRISON

PHOTO COURTESY OF JAKUB SEDIVY 67

The He The Heat is On Shot on location at The Albion Hotel South Beach Miami, Florida Photographer CHRISTIAN ALEXANDER Stylist JOHN MARTINEZ

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Turtleneck SKEA Pants SKEA Vest SKEA Sunglasses Revo

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eat is On

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ANAIIS ztech Mountain Jacket A Moment Perfect Bum Bag he Woods T e Necklac niq Y s Goggle

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Jacket Cotes of London Hat Nobis Swimsuit Aley Swimwear Surfboard Oliver Gal

Sweater Snow Society Pants Goldbergh Goggles Blenders

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Base Layer Top We Norwegians Base Layer Pant We Norwegians Sunglasses Revo Hat Nobis

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PYRENEES PERFECT by A N D R E W F I N D L AY photography by K A R I M E D I G

o say that they do things differently on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees would be like saying Spaniards love Iberico ham. It’s obvious the moment you arrive. We’re digging in for a week at Baquiera-Beret, Spain’s premier ski resort tucked against the French border in Val d’Aran. Having barely skied off breakfast, we’re already sliding to a stop outside Cinco Jotas for a 12:30 reservation and a repast that will likely send me into an afternoon stupor. Locals from this verdant valley of old forests, pastures and soaring mountains speak Aranese, a distinct Occitan dialect. The valley lies within the province of Lleida, which is part of Catalonia, a semi-autonomous region of Spain also with its own language, Catalan, whose people steadfastly cling to the dream of sovereignty. How’s that for a political-cultural Rubik’s cube? But we’re here to ski – and eat.“This place is famous for its hombro de cerdo (pork shoulder cut),” says our guide and new best friend, Xavi Ubeira. Ubeira is perpetually cheerful and blessed with an auctioneer’s loquacity. His Val d’Aran pedigree runs deep. In 1964 his father helped build the first ski lift at Baquiera-Beret. It was the genesis of a resort first championed by Spain’s then reigning King Juan Carlos, an avid skier and frequent Courchevel visitor who posed a valid question: We have mountains, we have snow so why don’t we have an Alp style resort in the Pyrenees? I suppose when a king says it shall be, then so it shall be. Ubeira grew up skiing and racing on these slopes, before making the national team and racing super G and combined for Spain at the 1992 and 1994 Olympics. Post racing career he settled back in this valley of valleys (Aran is derived from the Basque word for valley) where he worked his way up from pisteur (ski patrol) to the resort’s head of marketing. Lunch starts with a sharing plate of pan tomate, followed by a simple green salad and a fortifying main course of melt-in-your-mouth pork shoulder roast. 84

View down Val d'Aran from the Baqueira-Beret ski area in the Val d'Aran, Catalonia, Spain.

left to right

1. Great Dane in the Refu Birreria in downtown Vielha. 2. A view down the Val d'Aran from Baqueira-Beret ski area. 3. Fresh bread delivered to a door in Vielha, Spain.

When we arrived here two days earlier, we were greeted by the opposite of the mountainous serving of pork that now lies before us. Snow cover was looking as lean as a pony in the desert, the ribs of the land poking through a thin skin of white. Venturing off-piste was pure folly if you wanted any ski base left at day’s end. However, it’s been snowing off and on for the past day and what a difference 24 hours have made. While we talk food and skiing over a lazy lunch sipping vino tinto, fresh snow piles up on the deck outside. Two hours later we extricate ourselves from our window table at Cinco Jotas. Ubeira is heading down mountain for a 2:30 meeting back at the office. We’re heading up the Mirador high-speed lift into clouds swirling around Cap de Baquiera. At 8,200 feet, this was the high point of a ski area that sprawls across a half dozen Pyrenean peaks, until 2018 when a drag lift was installed to the top of 8,600-foot Cap de Baciver. It’s golf ball visibility so we stay on-piste, using snow covered, windtwisted trees and lift towers for reference. The flat light, and fresh snow jolts us out of the post-lunch stupor, sharpening our senses and reflexes. 86

Though King Juan Carlos may have envisioned a charming Alpine village, Baquiera’s base area, with its blocky institutional aesthetic, appears as though it were pulled from the playbook of a Soviet-era architect. Thankfully, the old farming villages-turned mountain adventure towns downstream in Val d’Aran, like Salardu, Garos, and Viehla, where we’re staying, more than compensate. It’s Tuesday night in Vielha, otherwise known as “pintxo pote.” Within a one-block radius of the Gothic 12 century San Miguel church, at least 10 bars are serving up 3 Euro cervezas and pintxos, the Basque word for tapas. Consequently, by 8 pm – early by Spanish dining standards - the bars are packed with the faithful, locals and visitors. Rain-swollen Riu Nere rushes past as we tread cobblestones that glisten from a steady drizzle. A narrow winding street leads us to Vielhito’s, a living room-sized tavern. We shoehorn ourselves into a corner next to a thick roughhewn wooden bar stacked deep with pulpo pinchose (octopus), croquetas de papas (dangerously irresistible deep-fried th

“Rain-swollen Riu Nere rushes past as we tread cobblestones that glisten” mashed potato balls), and chistorra y padron (cured sausage and Padrón peppers), among more pintxo varieties than there are days in a month. Vielhito’s is packed, loud, and full of laughter and excitement. Rain down here in the valley bottom means snow up high. You can barely swivel around without sticking your nose in someone’s face, so I strike up a conversation with our neighbors, among them Roberto Cabrerra, a private ski instructor who hails from the Mediterranean city of Alicante but has lived, worked and skied at BaquieraBeret for 20 years. “I came from the sea to the mountains. It’s a great life here,” he half shouts over the din. “Tomorrow the skiing is going to be good but be careful with pintxo pote – it goes until your body resists.” Judging by Cabrerra’s eyes that are the pigment of pimento peppers, he’s been pintxo pote’ing since early in the evening. A sucker for craft beer, we pull up stools at REFU Bierria, a brewpub located up the street from our hotel, to sample the local IPA, before wisely calling it a night. The next morning, we spot Cabrerra beaming in the gondola lift line. There’s powder fever in the Spanish Pyrenees after a prolonged drought. With a deep blue cloudless sky of unlimited visibility, it’s game on at Baquiera-Beret. After a quick gondola ride, we board the Jorge Jordana high speed that shuttles us to Cap de Baquiera. On Ubeira’s recommendation, we duck ropes skier’s right toward the resort’s answer to Corbet’s Couloir, known as Escornacabres (where goats go to die), a popular backdoor north-facing chute. I pause then sideslip tentatively over a wind-sculpted lip of snow, then set an edge into 40-degree, hard snow that leaves no room for semi-commitment. I gain comfort with the steepness, and the snow quickly becomes soft and forgiving lower down where the chute fans into a broad slope. We soon find ourselves perched on the side of an idyllic valley. Snow-covered boulders dot the open spaces between stands of larch trees, a scene that makes us forget we’re skiing at one the most popular resorts in the Pyrenees. Wrapping a rounded ridge, we pause to eye steeper, even more committing lines that plunge from Cap de Baquiera and have already been well tracked. There is a certain unreserve at Spanish ski resorts – avalanche and run closures appear to be 87

“Only one other place in Ibiza sells more Moët than we do,” Ubeira says, as he fills a couple of flutes and motions for us to sit."

left to right

1. Sara Lema drinks some champagne at the Moët Winter Lounge. 2.Director Comercial (CCO) in Baqueira Beret S.A. and former ski racer Xavi Ubeira enjoying some vino tinto.

treated more like suggestions than decrees. Later, when we offload the Baciver drag lift, we watch as dozens traverse into the spiny steeps of Tuc de Bacivers, one of the rowdier side country zones, rifled with steep couloirs and pocked with cliffs and rocks. The Pyrenean sun has already transformed last night’s delivery of light powder; our cue to explore further afield. We rip a high-speed groomer, dodging beginners on Dera Reina, as the sound of barking drifts up from Beret where city tourists are enjoying dog sled rides. Thirty seconds of double-polling across the flats at Beret where several lifts converge, brings us to the Blanhiblar chairlift. Five minutes later we’re riding the Costarjas T-bar bound for Tuc de Costarjas, a treeless, moderately angled expanse of white. After off-loading we sidestep up to a notch in the ridge to see what lies on the other side. Skis off, we scramble up a few vertical feet to a natural portal in the rock. A lammergeier, or bearded vulture, circles on thermal winds. Far below Salardu appears like a make-believe toy village in the snowless valley bottom. The temptation to linger is tempered by a busy schedule; in Spain going any longer than two hours at a ski area without at least thinking of food and beverages is time wasted. We have a 2 pm rendezvous with Xavier Ubeira at the Moet Chandon Winter Lounge, situated on a sunny bench below Orri de 88

Tredos. After a three-mountain, 45-minute commute we arrive late at the lounge, which in this country of citizens who know how to live well, means we’re right on time. A DJ is thumping out tunes and the deck is elbow-to-elbow with sun worshippers. Ice-filled stainless-steel buckets filled with overturned champagne bottles already litter the tables like fallen soldiers. We find Ubeira lounging with friends on a couch at the opposite end of the deck from the DJ booth. “How was your morning?” he asks, as we recount our skiing adventures. “Crazy Canucks,” he says, seeming impressed by our adventurous Canadian spirit and fondly recalling his time on the World Cup circuit with our compatriots. “Only one other place in Ibiza sells more Moët than we do,” Ubeira says, as he fills a couple of flutes and motions for us to sit. It’s a marketing fun fact that I won’t bother to verify. Safe to say that a respectable volume of bubbly is being consumed here at this very moment. Roberto Cabrerra, apparently never one to miss an après happy hour, waves from across the lounge while I chat with a food critic from Madrid on a ski vacation with her teenaged son and daughter. She has a soft spot for Aranese cuisine and informs us that the family-owned Eth

Writer Andrew Findlay skiing fresh powder.

Plates of food and woman pouring beer: Pinchos at Vielitho's Bar.

Restihle restaurant in Garos is a must-experience for any gourmand visiting Val d’Aran. A quick call courtesy of Ubeira and we have secured a reservation for this evening. In this valley, one hedonist experience seems to lead seamlessly into another. We manage to escape this escalating slope-side party barely in time to catch last ride. Then it’s a lazy turning journey down the mountain to Baquiera. That evening it takes some strolling through Garos’s cobbled lanes among immaculately restored stone manors to find Eth Resthile, secluded in a maze of alleys off main street. Clearly these restaurateurs have no trouble filling tables, given the lack of effort to advertise their location. Inside the intimate dining room, we find owner and head chef Carlos Sanllehy doing the rounds with customers seated at nine closely spaced tables, making familiar chat with regulars and menu recommendations to newcomers, like us. The space feels more like the family home than a restaurant. In fact, some of his child’s naïve grade school art is pinned to the wall. (Why waste money unnecessarily on art when your kid produces it for free?) A weathered wooden yoke sits on the ledge next to our table, hearkening to this room’s original purpose – a main floor stable beneath the family farmhouse. “We’ve been here for nearly 40 years,” Sanllehy tells me after returning to the galley-like kitchen to carve rib steaks 90

A meal at Cinco Jotas 1800 restaurant.

from a side of German-raised beef. Eth Restihle is a celebration of rustic Aranese cuisine and Carlo’s signature dish is Olla Aranesa, a hearty soup of blood sausage, pork belly, chicken intestine and a potpourri of other local ingredients. Eating Olla Aranesa is as much a physical experience as it is a sensory one, like a gastronomic odyssey through the farms of Val d’Aran contained in a large ceramic bowl. By the time I gnaw my way through the next course, a rib steak, I am exhausted in that beautiful cup is over-flowing kind of way. We’re the last to leave. Sanllehy, his apron as crisp white as it was when he put it on six hours ago, walks to the front door and shakes our hands. A sign above the entrance reads: “Vaya con Dios, o con quien te de la gana. Pero vaya usted bien.” (Go with god, or whoever you want. But either way, go well.) Words to live and love-and-eat by in Val d’Aran. I step out into a crisp night of sparkling stars, the Pyrenees etched in dark silhouette against the light of a brilliant half-moon. Monarchs are guilty of all kinds of extravagance and excess, but six decades ago when King Juan Carlos decreed that there shall be skiing in Val d’Aran, he was onto something good, or I might even say grand.

clockwise left to right

1.Jamon thinly sliced at Cinco Jotas 1800 restaurant. 2. JamĂłn plate at Cinco Jotas 1800 restaurant on the mountain. 3. Fresh snow in the old village of Vielha, Spain. 4. Pinchos and wine at owner Emmanuel Roblesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bar Era Gripia on the backstreets of Vielha e Mijaran, Spain. 91

完璧な日本

Turning Japanese P hoto gr aphy b y M AT T I A S F R E D R IK S S O N

David Kantermo skiing with Hokkaido Backcountry Club on Shiribetsu-Dake not far from Niseko.

— Leslie Anthony 93

Pay attention to the backcountry gates to get as many freshies as possible. Long ago, Niseko did not have any gates but with the increased number of visitors over the years, it is a good thing these gates are there. Respect if they are closed - huge fines if not.

The single seater chairlift leading to the top of Grand Hirafu above Niseko is called the “pizza box lift”. With no safety bar and leg rest it’s almost as thrilling to ride as the powder run itself!

There is a reason these avalanche fences are twice as high in Japan as anywhere elseâ&#x20AC;Ś Sean Pettit captured somewhere between Niseko and Sapporo.Â 95

Classic Niseko backcountry skiing at its best; deep snow, big pillows and snowy birch trees. Canadian pro skier Sean Pettit finding his line.Â

Fancy hotels and new restaurants might have changed the town of Niseko, but one thing remains; the powder experience! Chris Davenport and James Winfield captured on an epic day with over a foot of blower pow.Â 98

Years ago, the restaurant scene in Niseko was very limited. Nowadays, you find everything from fine dining like Wakatake Sushi to traditional izakaya style restaurants like Nagomi.

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Niseko has skiing every day and every night. The night skiing gives you a unique ski experience and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often less crowded.Â

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The main strip in Niseko leading up to Grand Hirafu.Â

Ski pro James Winfield grabs a coffee at the Morning Owl, his favorite coffee spot in Niseko.Â 103

STAY Beautiful custom homes like this architectural gem, Yukihyo, are nestled in the heart of Niseko's fertile farmlands and are literally in the center of the five ski resorts with quick access to the best of Niseko's fabled powder ski runs including Hirafu and Niseko Village.

The team at Hokkaido Tracks Resort Properties, a real estate company who discovered Niseko in the early 2000's and developed some of Niseko's first western style condominiums, has you covered for rental and home ownership needs. They are the dream team that allows visitors to enjoy all that Niseko has to offer from the comfort of your luxury home and private onsen.

LATE NIGHT For a dance and drinks after dinner, the most popular spots are Wild Bills, Tamashii and Freddieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. For a more refined experience try The Powder room with table service and a jet set crowd. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; James Winfield

SHOP Located in the Odin Place building in the heart of Niseko, Zaka is the place to find the most stylish and technical brands. The store itself demands attention with its industrial alpine aesthetic and vintage artifacts. 104

SUSHI Ezo seafoods is arguably the hottest reservation in Hirafu. Serving only the freshest and finest, the dishes are prepared in a way that keeps the spotlight on the seafood. The menu changes daily based on availability, but my personal favorite is the snow crab sashimi. — JW

APRÈS Niseko is most famous for its incredible quantities of snow, but the food and party scene is world class. The bustling heart of the Niseko area is Hirafu, here you can find everything from street food to Michelin starred fine dining. Gyu is one of the most iconic bars in Hirafu, with an old vending machine cover as an entrance, it’s commonly known as ‘the fridge door bar’. It’s more than just an Instagram opportunity though, Gyu boasts a deep selection of whiskeys, innovative and delicious cocktails, and a fun vibe. Up the road from Gyu, Mick’s wine bar has an amazing range of wines, and an owner whose enthusiasm for his product is unmatched! — JW

DINE It’s impossible not to mention Kamimura, the French/Japanese fine dining restaurant, when discussing the best food in Niseko. This restaurant has been a mainstay for over a decade, and the service, ambience and food are all second to none. Check out the early bird option for a shorter tasting menu and great value. — JW 105

LAST RUN

DAVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DESCENTS

Corbet's Couloir - Jackson Hole, WY b y C H R I S D A V E N P O R T

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF JACKSON HOLE MOUNTAIN RESORT

t was a snowy, cold morning, and Doug Coombs led the way out of the tram. I had skied with Doug for a few years in Argentina and got my feet wet in Alaska's Chugach Mountains with him the year before, in 1996, when I won the World Extreme Skiing Championships, but this was my first time skiing Jackson Hole. I was getting a private tour of Doug's personal playground at Teton Village, and he wasted no time taking me to one of the most significant features on that playground, the legendary Corbet's Couloir. We pulled up to the lip. The ski patrol had just dropped the rope, and a few locals were already throwing themselves off the substantial cornice at the top. Doug showed me the easy line, traversing left, into the steep, powder-filled gully. He then promptly went for the not-so-easy drop-in, straight off the cornice. Doug had a reputation for making hard things look easy on skis, and this morning I was witnessing it. He stomped the landing and skied away gracefully. After a few deep breaths I followed suit, yet landed the ten-foot drop a little back, and slapped the snow surface with my pack, before bouncing forward into a more balanced, yet somewhat frantic, ski position. I had done it! I was in, and knew the second time would definitely be easier. My first experience with Corbet's Couloir is likely quite similar to most, except for having the Jedi-master Doug Coombs by my side. The couloir is a natural, steep gully eroded out of the cliffs at the top of the mountain. It is exposed, narrow, and often has mandatory air time to enter. Many an expert skier has experienced sleepless nights dreaming about their first meeting with the couloir, having seen such a plethora of ski movie stomps and crashes over the years in Warren Miller and TGR films. Once the first technical entrance has been executed, regardless of style, the run becomes a lovely, yet

still challenging, double black diamond. The couloir is often filled with cold, dry powder that blows over from Rendezvous Bowl and settles in the basin. I always enjoy skiing on the couloir's left side and stopping in the large cave tucked into the cliff face. Then another 20 or 30 turns take you out the bottom and into more open terrain. Skiing Corbet's Couloir is an exercise in mental toughness and physical prowess. There is no question about that. You must commit: to the drop, to the turns, to getting that poleplant way out front, and to feeling the front of your boots with every turn. The atmosphere at the top is electrifying, as veterans make their drops and newbies watch with anticipation. Many stand, watching skier after skier, looking for tips and pointers, and sometimes psyching themselves out. So, at the very least, put Corbet's on your hit-list, and don't be afraid to ski over to it and give it a good look. Oh, and maybe pretend Doug Coombs is at your side, as he was for me, and channel your inner Jedi skier!

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