SNOW High Season 2023/24

T H E W O R L D ’ S F I N E S T S K I H O T E L S AWA R D W I N N E R S

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DARK + & STORMY

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Sensational Ski Fashion

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HIGH SEASON 23/24

CONTENTS

76 DARK & STORMY

SNOW’S 23/24 WINTER RECIPE FOR EVOCATIVE SKI AND APRÈS-SKI FASHIONS.

90 VINTAGE TURNS

WELCOME TO THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF GENY HESS AND HIS OENOPHILIC PHILOSOPHY TOWARDS LIFE AND SKIING.

102 SNOW’S WORLD’S FINEST SKI HOTELS

PRESENTING THE FIVE GRAND WINNERS OF SNOW’S WORLD’S FINEST SKI HOTELS AWARDS FOR 2024.

114 KLOSTERS VIGNETTES THIS ROYAL SKI HAUNT ELEVATES THE ENTIRE RESORT EXPERIENCE.

this page Ski Kit KJUS Helmet SWEET PROTECTION Goggles SWEET PROTECTION Boots AMMANN on the cover Photo by POBY Brandon Ski Kit MONCLER Sun Glasses RANDOLPH Shoes AMMANN Jessica Ski Kit MONCLER Boots MONO

@Goldie Williams

TA K E - O F F T O T H E M O O N TA I N *

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*READY FOR TAKEOFF TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD

HIGH SEASON 23/24 50 FLURRIES 24 From the latest all-female ski movies and designer collaborations, to heli par tnerships and more.

ST Y LE 34 The forecast calls for a Warming Trend in winter fashion.

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GE AR 36 Julia Mancuso debuts Akova, her new skiwear brand with a focus on per formance.

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APRÈS 42 The wine club that is Verbier’s newest après-ski enclave.

CULTURE 50 A spenX Snow Beach delivers a rocking high-elevation après-ski par t y.

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SKI TO LUNCH 56 A Michelin chef earns his high-alpine dining pleasures in Crans Montana.

PERFECT PL ACES 60 David Shribman’s pick for Canada’s best ski town may surprise you.

SUITES 66 Chalet Blackcomb is the swankiest address in Val d'Isère.

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HELI 72 Alaska’s Chalet Sheldon crowns the Denali jewel.

SCENES 126 Snow Societ y Trip to Lech, Austria.

L AST RUN 128 Playing mind games with Julia Mancuso.

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ADVERTISING SALES Sales Director Barbara Sanders (970) 948-1840 barb@thesnowmag.com

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

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420 E HYMAN AVENUE, ASPEN 141 EAST MEADOW DRIVE, VAIL 713 MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY

PUBLISHER'S LETTER

In Gratitude I

want to share a different kind of message this time. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the amazing team here at SNOW – from our art director Julius Yoder, to our editor-in-chief Leslie Woit, and all our phenomenal writers, photographers, sales reps, print reps, and social media team without whom we couldn’t do it.

It’s not easy to produce a high-quality print publication in the modern era, especially one so niche and gorgeous. It takes love and passion and dedication. I am so blessed to have a team that wows me with every submission.

I often reflect upon what we do and wonder if we are making a difference. Are we making people’s lives better and more enriched?

SNOW is independently owned and operated. We are not a big conglomerate pumping out thousands of magazines in hundreds of markets. We do this for the love. Each of our advertising partners is integral to our success. We want to complement and showcase their brands in ways that elevate and propel them upwards. We thank you all for being a part of SNOW, our relationships make all the difference.

Magazines have a bit of a lead time to come to fruition, and when we choose snow-covered slopes to tell stories, we have a limited window to do this unless we count the Southern Hemisphere. The team pitches and curates the narrative and, once assignments are made, the journey begins.

The writers and photographers travel and investigate, and ideally the weather allows them to experience and portray each destination in a way that shows off all her beauty. Once the articles and images are turned in, we begin edit and layout, spending hours on making the right choices. We work tirelessly over every word and image so that our love for the alpine lifestyle shines though.

Back to my question. I hope you agree that SNOW Magazine truly does make your life better, revealing our glorious alpine world in a passionate and personal way. May the adventures we share become your best travel memories.

Let it SNOW!

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PHOTO BY POBY. JACKET: LUSELY GONZALEZ @LUSELYCREATIONS

SPORTALM_KB / www.sportalm.at

EDITOR'S LETTER

A Few of My Favorite Things I

’m often asked the million-dollar question.

Which ski area is my favorite? Frequently, the query comes cushioned with that moth-eaten platitude about no one having a favorite child. Bollocks. Any parent – or child – knows there’s always one you’d least like to see run over by a bus. So here I go.

It’s tough to beat skiing among the famous 4,000-meter peaks of Switzerland, and don’t get me started about the fondue. But for many years, Austria’s tradition-rich Arlberg has been my special pet. This Lederhosen, strudel and après-ski wonderland was the first European skiing I ever did. At the tender age of 18, I vividly recall stepping off the train into St Anton’s old stone train station, the cold air fragrant with sizzling schnitzel, cigarette smoke and slowfalling snowflakes. I was instantly bewitched by my first descents in knee-deep powder, and the astonishing sight of a silver Rolls-Royce with a ski rack affixed to its roof.

Fast forward a few decades and, lately, the Dolomites have been giving St Anton and Lech a run for the money and for my heart. The corallaced landscapes, the head-spinning array of superb restaurants, that magic crucible of Italian flair and Teutonic efficiency are making it my top recommendation for this season.

Soon, I’ll be heading for all those fantastic regions, as well as a few new ones. That’s the thing about playing favorites – there’s always a fresh one just over the hill.

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TALENT

TA L E N T

What's Your Perfect Ski Day?

POBY

MATTIAS FREDRIKSSON

My perfect ski day is in the Austrian Alps, in Lech to be precise, with sunny but crisp weather, just a couple of days before Christmas, when the slopes are still empty. Of course it needs also an Einkehrschwung to one of the beautiful ski huts up there with traditional home made Austrian food and a cold beer.

The perfect ski day includes fresh snow, not too many people, but a few friends who are on the same page. We ski some quality inbounds laps before slapping skins on to venture into the backcountry for a different kind of ski experience. The lunch is packed in our backpacks and at the end of the day we celebrate the day with a beer.

LESLIE ANTHONY

SHIFTEH SHAHBAZIAN

My perfect ski day is more a slice of time. When it snows a lot in Whistler my partner and I pry ourselves from bed at 5:30 a.m., don climbing skins outside the front door, and tour up pre-dawn streets onto the mountain. Following old logging roads through sunrise, around 8 a.m. and 3,000 vertical meters later we intersect a steep side-country run and ski down through untouched snow, hooting and hollering like kids all the way to the base, where a huge, surging throng awaits the lift opening. Caked in snow and sporting huge grins, we shoulder our skis and head home, another “perfect” dawn patrol in the bag and an entire day still ahead of us.

A perfect ski day would consist of fresh beautiful snow covered mountains, a killer ski outfit and a great group of friends to enjoy the slopes with followed by espresso martinis après-ski style.

Photographer

Writer

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Photographer

Stylist

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SNOW FLURRIES

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FLURRIES

Ski Couture W

hen your appreciation for French savoir faire extends beyond choice of the season’s resort and a well-cut slice of Moncler or Rossignol couture to pack for the journey, it’s time to consider whether your skis are up to the task. Enter, the famous French fashion house of Balmain (dresser to Hepburn, Dietrich, Loren and more recently Penelope Cr uz) who has collaborated with Bomber to release a new special-edition performance ski. Hand-crafted in Italy with a 78mm width underfoot, Bomber expects them to ride with stability from on-piste to off. May we all ski with the finesse these handsome beauties propose. - Leslie Woit

Modern family with benefits B

H, before heliskiing, there were only two ways to get to the top of the mountain: a slow lift or an even slower walk.

Enter the 1970s, when the Beatles broke up, the Concorde took flight, and the ski gods gave us two more choices: Canadian Mountain Holidays or Mike Wiegele Helicopter Skiing.

Now, heliskiing’s two pioneering operators, Wiegele’s and CMH, the original dynamic duo, have come under the umbrella of one owner, Alterra Mountain Company. The Colorado-based Crown Family-KSL Capital outfit is owner-operator of 17 recreation, hospitality, real-estate development, food and beverage and retail businesses including Deer Valley, Mammoth and, as of 2017, CMH. Since Mike Wiegele died in 2021 at the age of 82, his wife Bonnie Wiegele and daughter Michelle had been searching for a buyer for their iconic Blue River, British Columbia operation – a powder mecca for discerning skiers from around the globe that’s included royalty such as Princess Caroline and the Aga Khan, and such celebs as Kiefer Sutherland and John Denver.

But not just any buyer for this national treasure – they wanted the right one.

“Mike and I were always committed to an enduring future for the business,” said Bonnie Wiegele. “A future that would honour our commitments.” After consulting her staff, Bonnie determined who the next owner should be. She announced in October the intention to sell for an undisclosed amount, effectively anointing Alterra – not the highest bidder in the process – as custodian of Wiegele World.

The legendary destination was built from the ground up by Mike and Bonnie over more than 50 years, an achievement duly recognized by their historical competition. “We are thrilled and honored that Bonnie and Michelle Wiegele chose Alterra 26

Mountain Company to carry on the amazing legacy they and Mike built together,” said Rob Rohn, President and COO of CMH. “We share a deep commitment to our employees, our guests, our communities, and safety as the top priority. With over a century of combined experience we look forward to collaborating with the MWHS team as we chart the future of the best skiing experience on the planet.”

Alongside the creation of a heli-village large enough to host the nearly a dozen helicopters that ferry guests across 1.5-million-acres of Cariboo, Monashee and Rocky Mountain powder, Wiegele’s established their own guiding certification, built an avalanche research programme, and were instrumental in the development of the fat ski – saviour of the modern-day heliskier. A legacy worth safeguarding if ever there were one.

—LW

FLURRIES

An Artful Weave

S

ince the sixties, Bottega Veneta’s intricate leatherwork has been a global superstar, thanks in part to its much-admired intrecciato, that gorgeous signature braiding. Bottega Veneta has long nurtured connections with the wider arts and now its new boutique in Aspen, opening December, opens further creative doors. In an inaugural partnership with the Aspen Museum of Art, Bottega Veneta is supporting a vibrant John Chamberlain exhibition, “The Tighter They’re Wound, The Harder They Unravel”, curated by Swiss artist Urs Fischer and in partnership with the Dia Art Foundation. Chamberlain is best known for his work with discarded automobile parts, elevating Abstract Expressionism into a third dimension. Running until April 2024, this is the first comprehensive exhibition of Chamberlain’s work in more than a decade.—LW

Southern POW W

ithout winter, there’s no skiing. That means no après ski celebrations. And the après bars at ski resorts like Aspen and Vail are some of the biggest clients of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Colorado. The regional division of North America’s largest distributor of adult beverages recently partnered with nonprofit Protect our Winters (POW) to show customers and local mountain communities that they seriously care about the planet’s future.

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Southern Glazer’s has committed to donating $1 of every case of alcohol sold in Colorado up to $25,000 and hopes to double that commitment next year. That puts the shipping company on par with some of POW’s marquee brand partners, like Patagonia and Yeti. SGWS isn’t a household name like many of POW’s partners. The multigenerational, family-run company is a conduit, like Amazon, that sells other brand’s products.

“They don’t fit the traditional mold of our corporate partners, but I think it’s cool they recognize that POW can support their green initiatives and with their scale and reach across Colorado they can support ours,” says Patrick King, POW’s director of strategic partnerships. If the first year of the alliance is successful, King says he’d explore expanding it to SGWS’s other markets throughout the West.

Everet Minett, the on-premise wine consultant for SGWS in Aspen, says his team realized what’s good for the environment is good for the company. The ski industry brings in a lot of money to Colorado. Climate change effects the economy, the bottom line of the bars, restaurants, and liquor stores SGWS services, and the farmers who grow the grapes and grains that go into the wine and spirits the company sells.

The partnership is also a way for SGWS of Colorado to engage the state’s very diverse client base as well as its 300some employees. “We realized everyone cares about the mountains,” says Jeremy Barbin, spirits consultant for SGWS of Colorado. “We’re a huge corporation and this partnership personalizes the business. It’s a way for our clients and sales force to feel good, top to bottom.”— Jen Murphy

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FLURRIES

Greater than 10 A Revelstoke heli-op delivers small group powder from a funky downtown base

I

f you’ve been lucky enough to ski the powder playground of British Columbia with Kingfisher Heli, you’ll probably agree the experience is a perfect 10. The operation’s nearly 300,000-acre tenure is blanketed in an average of 60 feet of annual snowfall. Access to three distinct ski zones in the Monashees, the Pinnacles and the Valhallas combined with a 3:2 guest to guide ratio goes some distance to making sure every run is a dream run, be it untouched pillow lines or wellspaced, old-growth cedar forests. A new partnership now kicks that 10-out-of-10 up to an 11. The Colorado-based adventure collective Eleven is known for its global portfolio of over-thetop skiing and fishing lodges. “Every Eleven property has a few signatures,” says founder Chad Pike. “There’s the ultimate hang space, great food, wellness offerings, and we weave in local experiences to bring in a sense of place.”

Eleven Revelstoke, the brand’s latest addition, now serves as Kingfisher Heli’s adventure base. While many B.C. helilodges have remote settings, Eleven has redesigned an historic building one block off Revy’s main street. Exposed wood beams and original brick from 1911 give the 12-room property an industrial chic vibe. The adjacent Quartermaster Restaurant serves breakfast and, at day’s end, a locally inspired menu of dishes such as beef tartare with gaufrette potato chips and Fraser Valley duck breast with lemon sage couscous.

A disco ball spins from the boot room, where each guest is assigned a locker with boot dryer, avalanche safety gear, and snacks. By day, you’ll ski some of the deepest, driest powder in Canada. “Our tenure has the best deep powder tree skiing I know of,” says Matt Scholl, lead guide at Kingfisher Heli and global senior guide at Eleven. “When conditions are safe, we have big bowls and alpine terrain to enjoy too.”

When your legs can’t muster another turn, Scholl and his

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crew fly home where, after a short drive back to town, a massage room, rooftop hot tub and sauna await. Guests are pampered with craft beers and fondue by the firepit. An upstairs living room, anchored by a fireplace, doubles as a setting for après whiskey tastings hosted by a local distiller who highlights B.C. spirits that include a single-grain style Quarter Cask Ancient Grains from Devine Distillery in the Saanich Peninsula and The Fathers Share, a single malt from Monashee Spirits Craft Distillery. The lodge’s location makes it easy to explore town or have your own party with friends in the private speakeasy, tucked away in the old boiler room. “Eleven creates an exclusive guest experience,” says Scholl. “Kingfisher specializes in taking people heliskiing. The partnership creates a complete package.” —Jen Murphy

P: DAVID MCCOLM Naturally spectacular, Fairmont Chateau Whistler delivers true mountain luxury with 8,100 acres of the finest skiing in North America right at your doorstep.

First chair, to last call ― with Fairmont Chateau Whistler as your basecamp, Whistler becomes your backyard to explore.

FLURRIES

What We’re WATCHING Here, Hold My Kid You had us with the title. So what happens when professional big-mountain skiers Elyse Saugstad and Jackie Paaso juggle new motherhood with their serious ski habits? No going slow in this hilarious take contrasting steeps and air with the raising of diapered future athletes. Written, filmed, and directed by Adam Gendle, John Verity and Hersha Patel, Here, Hold My Kid is full of belly laughs and relatable moments for parents and children alike. All that and whole lot of the hold-your-breath skiing Gendle and Verity are known for.

Advice for Girls Inspirational advice for young women comes alongside a whole lot of banger skiing performed by a raft of role models and mentors who know of what they speak. Targeted towards the next gen of female skiers, these top snowsports athletes address the good, the bad, and the ugly that are their ski industry experiences. Written and funded in part by her $50,000 Kickstarter financing work, Addy Jacobsend celebrates girls and women changing the sport for the better. With an allfemale cast and production crew, this is a top-quality ski experience for skiers across the board.

Trailblazer Check out this sneak peek into three-time Olympian Megan McJames’ remarkable determination and headstrong love of ski racing – a six-year journey that made her one of the first independent skiers to compete in the World Cup and the Winter Games. In a revealing fly-on-the-wall mountain documentary, we witness how being cut from the U.S. Ski Team in 2012 was only the beginning for this self-motivated athlete. From ongoing fundraising to the demands of training, ski tuning and travelling alone, here's a look at what it takes to go against the odds, alone among the best in the world.

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FLURRIES

The Scent of a Skier Get a whiff of fresh flakes and a spray of spring snow with these ski-inspired perfumes certain to energize and bewitch, on-slope and off.

Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace, eau de toilette

Think retro Norwegian sweaters, peaty whiskey, and the object of your desire close as you please.

Bastille

Hors-Piste, eau de parfum Liquid poetry inspired by Italiantangerine and aromatic pine.

A modern and impertinent cologne for those who like to make their own tracks.

Diem

Off Piste, eau de toilette The crunch of crisp pinecones and the whisper of cold snow lead us on an olfactory journey, courtesy of this winter in a bottle.

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50 Shades of Blue B

lue is the ubiquitous accent to Aspen’s snow-white winter landscape: Bluebird ski days, the aqua blue lines on the Audi FIS Ski World Cup racecourse, the iridescent turquoise tiles lining the heated pool of the Hotel Jerome. So, it’s quite fitting that the Winter Selling Exhibition at Sotheby’s Aspen, This is the Color of My Dreams, celebrates blue in its myriad shades and artistic interpretations.

The show’s name is a reference to the eponymous work by Spanish artist Joan Miró, in which the words “ceci est la couleur de mes rêves” – meaning “this is the color of my dreams” – accompany a patch of pale blue. Featured works by artists such as Alex Katz, David Hockney, George Condo, Alexander Calder, and Jonas Wood pay homage to the natural complexity of the hue and explore its symbolism throughout history, representing everything from divinity to opulence.

Since its opening in the heart of downtown in June 2022, Sotheby’s Aspen has become the space for collectors of fine art, jewelry, furniture, and watches.

“We have cultivated an environment that’s more lifestyle-oriented to really feel like you’re at home,” says Christine Heller, Director of Private Sales for Sotheby’s Aspen. “We’re lucky to be able to meet our clients where they are and cultivate a more relaxed approach to a traditional white-wall art gallery. We want to be a destination for people.”

Sotheby’s team provides Aspen collectors yearround access to exceptional property across all categories, independent of the auction calendar.

“Many of our clients are active collectors worldwide, but Aspen brings a more intimate connection within the community that translates through the way local art collectors and enthusiasts approach our shows,” says Heller. “The property offered in our upcoming winter exhibition was curated specifically with our clients and the community in mind.”—JM

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A KOVA Julia Mancuso's Big Blue Crush story by M i c h a e l M a s t a r c i y a n photos by P o b y

L

ong before Julia Mancuso dreamt of winning Olympic gold – plus two silvers and a bronze – she had visions of fashion design dancing in her head. Unsurprisingly, for a woman whose nickname is “Super Jules”, her design skills are as accomplished as her alpine superpowers.

“I think it was a pretty normal fifth-grade vision, where school sort of puts pressure on you to find a passion. We got to choose our own final project, and I have no idea why I was so into clothing design because, looking back, I was not that fashionable. But I somehow decided I was going to sew my own clothes and present them, and that’s when I thought being a designer would be a really amazing job. I remember looking at going to design school when I was 16, and then flash forward to the 2010 Olympics when I debuted my Kiss My Tiara lingerie line,” Mancuso says.

Mancuso’s latest venture in the world of ice and snow takes her waist deep into the world of fashion design, as co-owner and women’s collection designer at AKOVA, one of the hottest new direct-to-customer skiwear labels on the market.

Heavily influenced by her dual passions for skiing and surfing, and more than 3,000 days on snow as a freeskier and alpine racer, Mancuso’s designs are crisp,

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GEAR

clean, comfortable, and performance oriented. As a former World Cup ski racer who knows how it feels to be out in the cold for extended periods of time, Mancuso confesses she’s spent an enormous amount of time personally testing out the warmth, stretch, durability, breathability, and impermeability of the jackets and pants she’s created.

“I’ve spent countless hours on lifts, and in lift lines, so that carried over a ton into designing the pockets, the insulation, the details. My business partner David Wise (AKOVA coowner and the most decorated halfpipe skier of all time) had the great idea to put a button on the hood because when he was flipping it would hit him in the face – but it’s actually brilliant for speedsters as well. Many people complain about hoods getting in the way on groomer days and filling with air, so this should help,” Mancuso says with a laugh.

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And what does Mancuso love the most about her creations?

“I love the fabric. The materials we make our clothing from are all cutting edge and technologically advanced. The designers I’m collaborating with have been making clothing used for Arctic hunting for the last two decades, so we know good materials,” Mancuso says.

But great fabric doesn’t always translate into great clothing according to Mancuso, and that’s why she’s taken a very hands-on approach to monitoring the fit and look of AKOVA’s women’s line.

“The most important thing for me is to be comfortable. But I want to be comfortable and look good, so I really like the fit, which is definitely more of a performance fit. I also wanted to make the pants a little more tapered than what I’ve seen on the market. Overall, the fit of an AKOVA women’s ski suit is like

GEAR

“Blues and turquoise have always reminded me of my favorite times in nature — bluebird ski days, the sky, and surfing the waters of the tropics.”

your effortless boyfriend jeans or everyday dress, that look cute and feel really comfortable,” Mancuso explains.

Fabric and fit aside, the beating heart of AKOVA’s women’s collection is color, alive in the boundless palate of dreamy, liquid blues Mancuso has drawn from her spiritual happy place to build a chic and sporty skiwear line. The AKOVA collection does include an elegant assortment of muted colors such as Gluhwein, Smoke, and Black Ice, but the true beauty of this collection springs from the “blue crush” Mancuso admits she has on the deep turquoise waters and cerulean skies around Lake Tahoe and Fiji where she lives, skis, and surfs with her husband Dylan, and sons Sonny and Brody.

“I've just always loved blue – from my signature POC helmet line, to the “Blue Crush'' colors I now use with AKOVA. Blues and turquoise have always reminded me of my favorite times in nature – the bluebird ski days, the sky, and surfing the blue waters of the tropics,” Mancuso says.

And now for the million-dollar question, what does AKOVA mean? Perhaps a Polynesian word Mancuso picked up on one of her epic Fijian Cloudbreak surf adventures? Nope, it seems the roots of the name have whispers of blue and snow, like the warm Mediterranean waters surrounding Greece and the infinite frozen landscapes of Scandinavia.

“We knew that we would have to make up a word to embody everything we wanted the brand to stand for. Our brand name weaves together the Finnish avata, symbolizing opening or unlocking, with the Greek word akourastos, representing an indefatigable spirit. At AKOVA, we stand for unlocking potential and the unyielding pursuit of excellence,” Mancuso says.

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Park City Canyons Deer Valley Vail Beaver Creek Aspen Snowmass Copper Keystone Breckenridge Steamboat Sun Valley Mammoth Palisades Tahoe Los Angeles Killington New York City Whistler COMING SOON Vancouver

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

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF 67 PALL MALL

L A SATP R UÈ SN

A Right Corker A new members’ wine club offers an elegant haven amidst Verbier’s high-test social scene. b y L E S L I E W O I T

V

erbs, darling. As the name would suggest, the place is all about action. Verbier’s link to the Four Valleys forms the largest ski area in Switzerland. With 410km of pistes, nearly 100 lifts, and a motherlode of off-piste for the vertically adventurous, Verbier dishes up what you want, when you want it. Freeriding through the lost Vallon d’Arby or clenching your way down the back of Mont Fort, Verbier is up to the challenge if you are.

Anyone who’s been knows to save some juice for the other main event. Whether it’s dancing beneath the bubbles of Farinet’s open roof or clocking wee hours at The Farm Club, Verbier’s party scene is legendary. And, for something more sophisticated, there’s a newcomer that’s perfect for wine lovers on retreat.

The stylish 67 Pall Mall is a London-based members’ club with an outpost in Singapore, and ones in Beaune and Bordeaux

scheduled for 2025. Some 3,000 carefully curated lovelies line the cellar here – a patch on the 6,000 on offer at the club’s London HQ. But still, 3,000 is 3,000.

The Alpine treasure trove also includes a by-the-glass list of 500, making it the longest, and quite possibly the deepest, international wine list in this corner of the Alps. As we know, most top-end restaurants operate on a 10-15 percent commission for sommeliers: this being a private club, wines are offered at a reasonable price point and such punitive surcharges don’t feature.

A short walk from the Medran gondola, the upstairs is members only, with superb Modern European cuisine served around a dozen or so tables, a clutch of seats around the softly lit bar, and a wrap-round balcony for sundowners under a glorious Valaisanne spring. Members also have access to a private gym on site and convenient ski locker. Downstairs, the

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“The longest, quite possibly the deepest wine list in this corner of the Alps.” wine bar is open to the public with a bistro menu and dozens of wines by the glass.

Among the glittering reasons to join is Lucy Meza Ortega, plucked from London to be the Swiss venue’s Head Sommelier.

Young for such a revered post (young even, compared to many of the wines she serves), the 28-year-old Belgian was well on her way to earning a degree in engineering when, thankfully for us, she recalibrated to her real passion: wine and hospitality.

“Red or white, full body versus light, dry or off dry?” She’s adroit at honing in on the palates of her patrons, delivering what amounts to a mini-masterclass in each tableside appearance – from all-too-secret Swiss blends and some superlative yet lesser-known Bordeaux, to the pleasant surprises that come with blind-tasting of esoterica from Israel and the Canary Islands. As she deftly pours another dollop of 1989 Clos du Marquis St-Julien into our glasses, she charges her own with a flourish. After all, she explains, this is her job. “The only thing I have to do this afternoon is order more wine,” she laughs. Part Harry Potter magician, part social scientist, this woman is not just fabulous at her profession – she revels in it. “Wine complements food and elevates experience,” she intones, sniffing, swirling and deep-breathing with gusto.

Our multi-day experiences with Lucy continue apace. Time and space between skiing and tasting wine like favored members of a royal court seem to compress like an old cork. After hours 46

doing laps on the vertiginous Mont Gelé, we perform a final, slightly hairy zigzag through a fragrant pine forest to pop out at the iconic Chez Dany. A long liquid-y lunch is punctuated with garlicky snails, croûte jambon and no small measure of LaurentPerrier La Cuvée.

The following day, we find ourselves at another Verbier classic, the end-of-the-trail Le Rouge, where Lucy has already sent a forward-mission armed with a diverse array of vintage delights. The charcuterie and fondue are a welcome feast after the morning’s mountaintop vintage picnic of Veuve Clicquot La Gra nde Da me 2012 , a 20 07 Ta it t i nger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut, and a Dom Pérignon 2012.

(Naturally, Lucy humped a box of sparkling Zalto flutes up the lift for the occasion.) Rarely has an après-ski siesta – taken in very comfortable digs at the recently refurbished Hotel de Verbier – been so rewarding.

“There’s a lot of mystique around wine and a lot of people who don’t want to share their knowledge,” says Lucy. “Simply, wine is to be shared.” And an unstuffy wine-lovers’ club in one the world’s best ski areas is a fine way to do just that.

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CABOT REVELSTOKE

for a Lifetime of Mountain Memories

P

icture it. Your own luxurious mountain address at the base of North America’s tallest ski mountain. Not only does Revelstoke Mountain Resort boast the continent’s longest skiable vertical descent, it is center stage of what is arguably the heli-skiing and cat-skiing capital of the world. It is within this alpine playground where snowfall bounty reaches an average of over 10 meters each year, where there’s a new – deliciously rare – opportunity to be part of one of the latest great real estate developments in North American skiing.

Nestled on a ridgeline between British Columbia’s Selkirk and Monashee Mountains and overlooking the verdant Columbia River Valley, Cabot Revelstoke is an exclusive enclave of 79 beautifully appointed luxury residences. The inviting mix of 2-5 bedroom homes are inspired by the flair and elegance of a classic European ski chalet. Further bonuses within the select

property include The Clubhouse, home to a spa, fitness center, and an assortment of dining and social amenities one expects in such a unique resort community. These stunning homes – magical places where remarkable memories are born – start at USD $2.5M. The projected opening in 2026 is approaching quickly.

As is the case among the impressive Cabot portfolio of properties already established in Cape Breton, Florida, the Caribbean, and Scotland, Cabot Revelstoke is an all-season resort offering world-class golf. The new knockout 18-hole golf course is designed by Rod Whitman, the acclaimed architect responsible for making magic at Cabot Links on the eastern shores of Canada.

The new Cabot Revelstoke golf course promises to be as rewarding as it is dramatic. A perfect swath of rollicking,

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wooded land leads players around cliffs, creeks, and large rock outcroppings with scenic-rich sightlines toward Mount Revelstoke National Park and across the Columbia River. Long stretches navigate striking exposed rock features, natural gorges, tall trees, babbling brooks. There are wide-open holes where drivers will be called to action as well as more technical holes that are narrow and demanding.

Whitman anticipates a very playable course – a challenge for experienced players yet an inviting prospect for aspiring novices, as well.

In the 18 years since discovering the land on which he built his first residences, founder Ben Cowan-Dewar has looked at hundreds of potential locales – choosing only a handful to begin projects from scratch. From families and friends, to active grandparents and parents with teenagers, Cabot Revelstoke homeowners will discover an idyllic place to gather amid stunning natural beauty – and with all the activities, from cruising tree-lined groomers to making first tracks, they could wish for.

With limited mountain real estate available everywhere in the world, Cabot Revelstoke presents a matchless opportunity for a very fortunate few to access world-class skiing, heliskiing, and golf combined. Will you be one?

Cabot is a developer and operator of luxury residential, resort and golf destinations.

The Cabot portfolio includes Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Cabot Saint Lucia in the Caribbean, Cabot Highlands in Scotland, Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida and Cabot Revelstoke in British Columbia.

We invite you to visit cabotrevelstoke.com to inquire.

PHOTO BY KARL WOLFGANG

C U LT U R E

Snow+ Beach =Party AspenX delivers an endless summer of sun and snow

by JEN MURPHY

I

t’s a sunny, bluebird day and we’re sipping margaritas and eating carnitas tacos from a chic red-and-white striped beach cabana. DJ beats fill the air drowning out a rowdy game of cornhole taking place to our left. To the right, a handsome guy on an oversized cherry-red lifeguard stand gives us a wave. Surfboards and beach loungers surround. The scene could be straight out of Nikki Beach in St Barts, except no one is barefoot or in bikinis. The sea and sand are miles away. Instead, we’re surrounded by sparkling snow and alpine vistas atop Ajax Mountain.

This is Aspen’s most exclusive beach party.

The brainchild of AspenX, a luxury retail and experiential company from Aspen Skiing Company and Aspen-based artist and entrepreneur Paula Crown, Snow Beach is back for its third season. Crown tapped fine-art photographer Gray Malin, known for his aerial beach photography, to conceptualize the project in 2021. After referencing his archives and studying beach clubs in South Beach, he came up with vintage red-and-white striped cabanas and chairs, produced by one of Miami’s chicest beachfurniture manufacturers.

From year one, the fantastical pop-up has been the hottest scene on the Aspen slopes. “The neverending flow of rosé and bubbles, deliciously warm nibbles paired with the pumping tunes from the best

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“You don’t have to ski to get in on the après action.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASPEN SNOWMASS

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ASPEN SNOWMASS

PHOTO BY KARL WOLFGANG

PHOTO BY KARL WOLFGANG

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DJs in town, make the beach club hard to miss,” said Fraser Olender, star of the Bravo yachting hit Below Deck. “It’s a 10 out of 10 experience and one you’ll be sure to find me at every season.”

This next season ushers in a partnership with Burgess Yachts and more exciting special guests (think fashion designers and artists), rotating DJs, and a re-envisioned menu including whimsical charcuterie platters, stacked sliders, tacos, and hot pretzels to fuel the party. Snow Beach’s always lively bar cabana is back to provide bottle service for slope-side cabanas, espresso martinis, margaritas, and more. A merchandise cabana will be stocked with AspenX beanies, hoodies, hats, and blankets.

You don’t have to ski to get in on the après action. Guests may also arrive via the Silver Queen Gondola and walk to the club. And if you schuss-in from neighboring runs on Aspen Mountain and pop one too many bottles, downloading back to town is simple. Snow Beach

This is the Color of My Dreams A SELLING EXHIBITION

20 DECEMBER – 8 FEBRUARY 534 EAST COOPER AVENUE, #102, ASPEN, CO 81611 SOTHEBYS.COM/PRIVATESALES | #SOTHEBYSPRIVATESALES CHRISTINE.HELLER@SOTHEBYS.COM | DAVID.SCHRADER@SOTHEBYS.COM JONAS WOOD, SNOWSCAPE 3, 2017 © 2023 JONAS WOOD

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accommodates 150 guests per day from noon to 3pm. Reservations are an absolute must.

If you plan to dance the afternoon away, a beachgoer pass ($50) provides club access and à la carte drinks and food from the bar. If you’re digging the beach vibes and prefer to soak in sunny 360-degree mountain views more comfortably, lounge chair reservations are $130, two-person minimum, and include a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and appetizers. For ultimate Aspen social-scene bragging rights, book one of the signature striped cabanas with seating for two at $450 (additional beach chairs can be added if you’re with a bigger crew). Cabana guests are treated to a bottle of Veuve (or upgrade to Dom Pérignon), appetizers, and two AspenX Beach Club hats. Perched at 11,200 feet, it may be the world’s highest elevation beach party and, trust us, you don’t want to miss the surf-meets-snow revelry.

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PHOTOS BY KARL WOLFGANG

“The fantastical pop-up has been the hottest scene on the Aspen slopes.”

W H I S T L E R , C A N A DA

F I N D T H E S PAC E T O B R E AT H E TA K E A D VA N TAG E O F T H E S T R O N G U S D I N W H I S T L E R , C A N A DA

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N O R T H A M E R I C A’ S # 1 M O U N TA I N R E S O R T W h i s t l e r, C a n a d a s e r v e s a s a y e a r - r o u n d m o u n t a i n d e s t i n a t i o n with unmatched alpine terrain, championship golfing, endless biking & hiking trails, world class dining, fresh water l a k e s a n d a m e n i t i e s t o s a t i s f y a n y d i s c e r n i n g n e e d – a n d a l l j u s t 1 . 5 h o u r s f r o m Va n c o u v e r. A d i v e r s e r a n g e o f r e a l estate options include luxury ski-access chalets, lakefront residences, mountainside townhomes and Four Seasons Re s o r t h o t e l s u i t e s , a l l o f f e r i n g e xc e p t i o n a l v a l u e s u p p o r t e d b y a s t r o n g U S D . Re a l e s t a t e i n W h i s t l e r o f f e r s a s a f e , robust investment year-round.

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SKI TO LUNCH

HAUTE CUISINE,

TWO WAYS A Michelin chef leads the climb to an unassuming refuge with an essential difference.

by LESLIE WOIT

“There is no gourmet food in the hut,” explained Chef Franck Reynaud with a broad smile. “After all, when I go to the beach, I don’t like to eat fondue.”

Clearly, there’s more to this Michelin-starred chef than fish knives and fine dining. With climbing skins attached to the bases of his wide touring skis he adjusts sleek sunglasses and begins a near-sprint up through the crusty melt-freeze of an early Swiss morning. Chef Reynaud’s energy level is high as his destination: Crans-Montana’s rugged, mountain-top Cabane des Violettes.

For someone as fit as Reynaud, it's just over an hour’s skin up from the glamorous village to the sturdy stone Swiss Alpine Club hut. This 80-year-old outpost — where he is co-guardian — provides the yin to a driven chef’s revered culinary yang.

Every few days, he hangs up his whites at the Hostellerie du Pas de l’Ours, the Relais & Châteaux hotel where he’s earned one Michelin star and 18 Gault-Millau points, to immerse himself in the simple alpine pleasure of skiing up to lunch.

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Behind red and white candy-cane shutters, beneath the fluttering Swiss flag, the atmosphere is relaxed and convivial, that familiar rough and tumble you’d find in most mountain huts: the small windows, the long benches, the cutlery stacked on communal wooden tables.

The menu is familiar yet exceptional in its simplicity, its components read like short-hand poetry for locavores.

There’s crispy rösti, fragrant air-dried meats, fondue made with Vacherin and Gruyère, a sublime tarte au pommes, and real whipped cream from cows with names. Chef Reynaud is a fervent defender of the rich regional gastronomic world of the Valais, and his simple dishes at altitude reflect the same respect for high-quality local produce as his linen-draped restaurants in town. Sure, you can book one of his sought-after Michelin tables for Gruyère ice cream with chestnut honey and Périgord truffles. Up here, the simple delight of homemade yoghurt served with gingerbread and Poire Williams will lift your soul just the same.

“We made a restaurant like we want to find in the mountains.”

It's downright delicious and geographically appropriate. Together with long-time friend and highmountain guide Pierre- Olivier Bagnoud, Reynaudhas been co-guardian of Les Violettes for a dozen years – the pet passion of buddies who ski and dine all around the world – from the Alps, to Norway, to Japan and beyond.

Each brings his own international expertise to the enterprise.

“When we travel in the mountains, we were always saying ‘Oh, if I had a restaurant I would do it like that. And if we had a refuge, we do it like that,’” Reynaud explained. And then the moment arrived when the guardianship of Les Violettes was ready to change hands. “Pierre- Olivier said to me, we have a very special cabane right here at home. Do you want to do it?”

Surrounded by 360-degrees of high-def peaky porn – from the mighty Matterhorn to magnificent Mont Blanc capped with its recognizable cloud hat – this is privileged terrain indeed. As the two guardians laugh together over glasses of frothy beer, their affection for the place is obvious.

But more than being merely beautiful, the enriching function of an iconic mountain hut such as this – and the reaching of it

on skis – clearly occupies a special place in their hearts.

“When I take my skis in the morning to go to the cabane, it’s like a psychiatric moment for me,” says Reynaud. “All the rest of the day is speed, speed. You arrive at the restaurant, it’s speed.

During the service, during the night, it’s speed everywhere. For one or two hours I am alone, I don’t speak on the phone or hear music, I think.”

On the south-facing terrace under glittering sunshine, there is a sense of shared magic in the air. He excitedly mentions that when one of the world’s most famous footballers, Lionel Messi, visited Crans-Montana the previous week, he ventured out to only one restaurant – Cabane des Violettes.

“We’ve made a restaurant like we want to find when we go into the mountains,” said Reynaud. “I have my work in the resort, but when we come here it’s like we are on holidays.”

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SPONSORED

Let the Olympic and Paralympic Games Begin

I

f you’ve ever been in the VIP tent at the FIS Ski World Cup at Aspen Snowmass in Colorado, you know there’s no going back to the grandstands. You can attend an event or experience an event. On Location, a company that has redefined luxury hospitality for the world’s biggest events, including the Super Bowl, the U.S. Open, and the Indy 500, has been selected as the official hospitality provider for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, creating Hospitality Experiences and Travel Packages that change the way fans can experience this global event. Paris 2024 marks the first time the Olympic Games will have an official hospitality provider. If you want a once-in-a-lifetime experience, hospitality packages make it happen with extras like exclusive access to a hospitality lounge or seats with views on the finish line of a track and field event.

The Olympic Games Paris 2024 take place July 26 through

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August 11 and tickets have been selling at record pace. When you book an official Paris 2024 hospitality package, you have guaranteed tickets to your favorite sporting event, and never have to settle for a mediocre seat. Official packages take care of tickets plus get you into private boxes and lounges. And fans have never had more exciting in-person viewing opportunities.

On the Finish Line hospitality packages, for example, engulf track and field fans in the stadium’s energy and give them exclusive access to coveted finish-line seats to witness athletes’ final critical steps in a race. Gold level perks also include interactions with athletes and access to Salon 24, an invitationonly hospitality lounge in a historic Parisian mansion.

For the first time in the history of the Olympic Games, the Opening Ceremony won’t take place in a stadium. Instead, it will be held on the River Seine. Secure prime viewing on board

© Getty Images

© Paris 2024

a boat or watch the lighting of the flame while having dinner in Trocadéro.

Officials in Paris project that 11.3 million people will attend the Summer Games. Paris 2024's comprehensive Travel Packages take the stress out of trip planning, covering tickets, plus hotels and even cultural tours. Hotel rooms will be just as elusive as tickets, but official travel packages give you exclusive access to the city’s top stays, including five-star hotels like the Peninsula Paris, Le Bristol and the Ritz Paris. Team USA packages cater to diehard American fans with two exclusive Team USA hotels and passes to the Team USA House at the Palais Brongniart.

The ultimate base for American sports enthusiasts, the Team USA House will provide unparalleled game viewing opportunities, Parisian-inspired food and drinks, plus athlete appearances and special Team USA celebrations.

If you’re going to travel to France, you might as well immerse yourself in the culture, and Discover 2024 and Explore 2024 packages weave in extraordinary cultural activities between events. Go on an after-hours tour of the Louvre. Visit some of the city’s most iconic fashion houses. Go on a tasting tour of the top patisseries. For a truly iconic Parisian evening, Explore 24 Travel Packages also includes a special event, like one planned in the Eiffel Tower, offering breathtaking views while you enjoy the festivities. Travel Packages come in a variety of durations and budgets, so you're sure to find one that suits your needs. With Paris 2024 Official Hospitality, you can do more than watch the Olympic Games; you can experience them in style.

© Paris 2024 © Paris 2024

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PERFECT PLACES

l a e r t n o O, M Pulitzer Prize winner David Shribman on how best to enjoy the distinct ski society that is Quebec

by David Shribman

T

he snow is piled high along the roads, boots squeak along sidewalks. The shops glitter in the twilight, pedestrians in their puffy winter raiments hurry by with their packages. Menus in the bistro windows are obscured by ice, diners inside are sipping white wine and dipping into their tartare de saumon. The smell of croissants is in the air and—miracle étonnant!—there is snow in the air as well. Here every element—every scene, every smell, every feel—screams: ski town.

Except for one thing: The population of this particular ski town is 1,762,949.

So it’s not Grenoble, Innsbruck, Chamonix or Interlaken.

It’s not even Bozeman. It’s Montreal, and there’s a poetry to the fact that in its official spelling—Montréal—the city has a French accent in the center of its name. Travel to the province of Quebec to ski—take advantage of that marvelous snow (82.5 inches a year on average) and that remarkable exchange rate (for the American dollar, multiply every price by about .75, and you may feel that Montreal is Bargain City)—and conjure with this radical notion: Use an urban entrepôt for your holiday while enjoying a sport that is indisputably rural.

Because there really is no ski town like Montreal, which may boast that it is Canada’s second-largest city but which also may be first in the hearts of North American skiers. It’s a city where the art of skiing actually is practiced within its borders,

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and where the artistry of the winter sport has been celebrated since the twins Rhoda and Rhona Wurtele—downhill pioneers who together comprised the entire Canadian Alpine Team for the 1948 Olympics—practiced their stem christies in the late 1920s on Westmount Hill, a ski landmark a short walk from where, a century later, amid honking traffic and crowded buses, I am writing these words.

Skiing in Quebec has its own special allure, which may be why Bryan Rempel titled his biography of the Wurteles No Limits. It’s partially the number of ski resorts—81 of them, about one for every day of winter, ranging from the minuscule (Val-d’Or, with a single lift and a vertical drop of 59 feet) to the mighty (Tremblant, with 14 lifts and a vertical drop of 2,116 feet). And it’s the vast expanse of the skiing experience within the province—666 miles of slopes serviced by 271 lifts.

But, really, at the center of the allure is the esprit of the place: Its language is French, its mood warm, its people friendly, its essence a little on the wild side of life, much like the country-music classic that bears that title—for Montreal is, as Hank Thompson crooned in 1952, one of “the places where the wine and liquor flow.”

This is, after all, a country (“This Land of Snow,” in the words of the title of a 2020 Anders Morley ski-adventuring book) that has participated in Winter Olympics since 1936.

This is a province about which the Quebecker Gilles Vigneault

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“A Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe.” once wrote, “Mon pays, ce n’est pas un pays, c’est l’hiver”. “My country is not a country, it's winter”.

If, as the great Canadian historian Pierre Berton once said, a Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe, then a Canadian skier is someone who is moved to smooch on a chairlift.

No need to rush here this very week. Take your time, as if you were sitting in one of Montreal’s alluring coffee shops, sipping a cortado and wondering how the baker was able to produce such an artful nutty pistachio-and-almond pavé with cherries. No hurry: there was skiing at the Sommet SaintSauveur, just an hour north of the city, on June 8, 2019. April will be quite terrific in these hills.

I’ve been skiing for more than half a century—and have been a devotee of Quebec skiing for about as long. I have a picture of my grandmother skiing in the Laurentians, as the far Canadian reaches of the Appalachians are called, in 1931.

My daughters are fourth-generation skiers on Hill 70, named for a First World War battle fought in the Pas-de-Calais region of France. I am friends with the granddaughter of Herman Smith-Johannsen, the Norwegian emigré to Canada known as Jackrabbit Johannsen, who skied for 104 years (he died at age 110) and who is known as the pioneer of cross-country skiing in North America.

I took a walk with Karin Austin on a wintry day last year when skaters were doing their turns and snowshoers were 64

tromping through Mont Royal Park, where renowned 19 century landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed a retreat at Montreal’s highest point. “My grandfather came here because the terrain—the rolling hills and lots of lakes—suited him,” she told me. “He lived for years in Montreal and liked the endless exploring and loved it here.”

The key to using Montreal as your holiday base—to go all Jackrabbit, you might say—is to appreciate the beauty of mixing tastes—city and country—the way the city’s Pâtisserie Rhubarbe mixes the sweet and the tart in its fabled tarte au citron. And the beauty is that you don’t have to pack separate sets of clothes.

Slopewear and citywear are interchangeable, not only along uber-trendy rue Sainte-Catherine but also in most restaurants, including Au Pied de Cochon, the classic venue for tarragon pickled deer tongue and other favorites of Quebec cuisine. (You can order foie gras poutine there, to be sure, but you might do better to order the two essential elements separately—your foie gras at Foiegwa and your poutine at Montréal Poutine on th

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rue Saint-Paul Est. Those restaurants are named that way for a reason.)

Now for the skiing. You’ll need a car, and if you travel to Montreal by auto, remember that snow tires, required for residents, are recommended for visitors. The rationale: You can’t ski on natural snow unless snow falls naturally, and it does—plentifully—in the city. The closest area is Saint-Bruno, with 18 slopes a mere 12 miles from downtown. But you’ll also want to venture farther, where the pistes are more varied and more challenging.

The key to Montreal skiing is accessibility. Mont Tremblant is 89 miles from the city—less than the distance from Denver to Vail. You’ll see several ski areas out your (inevitably frosty) windshield along Autoroute 15, and you might be tempted to stop at Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, about an hour north of the city and full of ski areas (six, depending on how you count); engaging restaurants (my favorite is Lezvos); and one of the best boulangeries in Quebec, Boulangerie Pagé, right across the street from the church at rue de l'Église. Buy a baguette there and life will seem parfaite.

The reigning regent of Quebec skiing, of course, is Mont Tremblant. Forgotten today is that there was an interregnum— bankruptcy and an abrupt fall from elegance—to the regency, a great fallow period between the era when Lowell Thomas celebrated Tremblant and now, when the resort is justly regarded as one of North America’s finest. It is the home of Erik 66

Guay, the World Cup champ who has more than two-dozen podium appearances and is one of Canada’s greatest competitive skiers ever. All’s well in those precincts today—I remember those awful years, heartbreaking vacancies everywhere in the village—and the skiing is, if anything, better than ever. Its 14 lifts include two gondolas, and the only downside to slopeside Tremblant is the temperature, which can drop as low as minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Drive in the other direction and there’s a surfeit of slopes in an area known as the Eastern Townships (the signs say: Cantonsde-L’Est), where the cheese is pungent and the ice cream is sweet (don’t miss the maple-taffy flavor produced locally by the Laiterie de Coaticook). The highest resort there is Mont Orford, with its three mountains and four hillsides providing 61 trails, including 17 glades. But if it’s glades that attract you, head to Mont Sutton, where about half the ski terrain is in the woods—and there are glades for every level of skier. I’m partial to Bromont, an hour south of town, in part because it has trails named for two of my favorite cities, Pittsburgh and Toronto. There’s no more beautiful ski experience than the one offered at Owl’s Head, with its breathtaking view of Lake Memphremagog.

Lodging is plentiful, but here’s my one-paragraph guide. In Montreal, stay at the Hotel Nelligan, dripping with francophone charm in Old Montreal. In the Eastern Townships, there’s Ripplecove, a lovely lakeside retreat and venue for perhaps the best breakfast in Quebec (don’t pass up the eggs Benedict). For a splurge, head to the Manoir Hovey, the presiding dowager of the region. And in the Laurentians, the Fairmont Tremblant has the soaring lobby and polished wood ceiling that whisper casual elegance in the mountains.

In this essay I come back to—and on your trip you’ll come back to—Montreal, to its easy urbanity, its alluring restaurants, its bustling downtown, its ski-town ambience, all the elements that prompted Samuel Butler to write in his much-loved 1890 Psalm of Montreal, “O God! O Montreal!”

O Montreal. A world apart that is base camp to the ski world.

S

For laid-back privacy and luxurious well-being, this catered Val d'Isère chalet hosts the entire clan. b y L e s l i e W o i t

ome crave quiet seclusion, others rather like the sound of penetralia. Either way, we’ve come to appreciate our own company more than ever. A possible by-product of those few recent hazy years, there are indisputable pleasures in being left – ever so slightly, of course – to one’s own devices. Enter, relaxed catering.

It’s a new concept for anyone accustomed to the traditional white-glove, high-touch luxury of a catered chalet holiday. Long the operator of choice for such cossetting weeks in the French Alps, Consensio Chalets has responded to market demand with their new and innovative Relaxed Catered chalets. Here, service is less formal by design. Yet when it comes to blending elegant amenities with permission to kick back over a Scrabble game in your cashmere socks, they’ve got the unpretentious

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tone just right.

“We’ll deliver champagne to the hot tub unless we’re told otherwise,” said Chalet Blackcomb chef-host Mikkaila Mckeever-Willis with a smile, raising a festive snow-caked bottle from a silver bucket. As with every Consensio chalet, Perrier-Jouët on tap is all-inclusive and the wares of a handsomely stocked drinks cabinet are complementary.

For a deluxe ski getaway – think gorgeous grand design, handling of all deets such as lift passes and gear, a driver to ferry you round, and top-notch chef-ing to better enjoy time together with family or friends – Chalet Blackcomb is one of Val d'Isère’s swankiest. Fully renovated for last winter season, the architectural beauty is available for exclusive use of up to 10 guests.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CHALET BLACKCOMB

SUITES

The Great French Pyjama Party

Located in the private Domain de Cacholet neighbourhood, this is a chic boutique retreat with a difference. Three floors lined with warm reclaimed pine and spruce house five stylish ensuite bedrooms awash in calming neutral tones and fine wools, linens, and throws. Well-being is the name of the game on an entire floor dedicated to a gorgeous oxygenated fresh-water indoor pool and relaxation area. Repair to the outdoor hot tub under snowflake-speckled skies with fulsome splashes of P-J cheerfully delivered by your hosts. There’s an embarrassment of living space for stretching piste-addled limbs: a large openplan lounge with crackling fireplace, dining space for a small army, and sun-catching balcony and cozy bar area. A kitchen snug with fireplace is ideal to observe the chefs in action. Of special interest to families, the clever floor-to-ceiling glass wall provides soundproofing between the two zones and there’s a full cache of games, books, sledges, and toys.

Included in a week’s stay are daily breakfast, lavish afternoon champagne tea and – five nights a week – delicious two-course dinners plus cheese, wines and spirits, all prepared and served by professional chef-hosts. (At Chalet Blackcomb, there’s a particular emphasis on, when desired, plant-based, healthy dishes.) This less-than-full board makes the Relaxed Catering plan ideal for families and independently minded groups looking to sample some of Val d'Isère’s many superb on-mountain and in-town restaurants. On our short list: the afternoon floor-show fantasies of mountain-top La Folie Douce and sumptuous Savoyarde feasts at La Grande Ourse, now under the auspices of glamorous Hotel Les Airelles next door. For reservations, a personal concierge Consensio is reachable 24/7.

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF WORLD PRO SKI TOUR

SPONSORED

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ver the years, the World Pro Ski Tour has evolved to become a true celebration of ski racing’s past, present and future. With roots dating to the late 1960s, the race series transcends current athletes on the Olympic and World Cup stages, says Jon J. Franklin, CEO of the World Pro Ski Tour. Its unique format provides athletes from all world-class competitions the rare opportunity to race head-to-head. This means a field stacked with NCAA champions, national team members, World Cup stars, Olympic competitors, and decorated former Olympians coming out of retirement. For some, the Tour is a chance to race against a childhood idol, like two-time Olympic champion Ted Ligety.

For others, it’s an opportunity to resurrect their career or simply get back out on the slopes and have some fun.

The festivities around the World Championships, which are held in Taos, New Mexico, feel like a who’s who of skiing history, featuring champions from every era, says Franklin. Last year, around 20 Olympic and World Champion medalists from around the globe attended the championship event. “It was like autograph row,” he recalls. Legends like Austrian Franz Klammer, whose accomplishments include 25 World Cup downhill wins and a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics, posed for photos during

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lunches at the Bavarian. And American ski icons, including Olympic champion twin brothers, Phil Mahre and Steve Mahre, and Deb Armstrong, who took home gold at the 1984 Olympics, signed autographs alongside current American ski sensations like Paula Moltzan. The 2024 World Championships take place March 28 to 31 and Moltzan is one of the big names who have already RSVP’d, says Franklin.

Attracting best-in-class athletes is far from the World Pro Tour’s only accomplishment. Franklin believes the Tour has a responsibility to shape the future of ski racing. To that end, men and women race the same courses for equal prize money with over $500,000 up for grabs for the season. And the Tour selected Taos Ski Valley as its World Championship venue because of its epic slopes, as well as its innovative approaches to sustainability and commitment to equity and inclusion.

The world’s first B Corp-certified ski resort, Taos is leading the way in sustainability.

The ski area employs a Net Zero director and has invested heavily in green initiatives such as electrifying its snowcats, retrofitting older buildings to reduce energy impact, and using 100 percent renewable daytime solar power to run chairlifts and snowmaking operations. These efforts have paid off in a big way. In 2022, the resort achieved carbon neutral

certification from Climate Impact Partners, a major milestone in its efforts to become Net Zero by 2030.

Achieving B Corp status goes beyond environmental stewardship. It also involves shining a light on inequity in the outdoor industry and becoming part of the solution when it comes to social justice and race equity. New diversity, equity, and inclusion leadership has helped make Taos one of the most diverse ski resort’s in the industry, with more than 35% of its workforce self-identifying as People of Color, and more than 50% of the management team identifying as female.

Recognizing the next generation will be the protectors of our winters, the resort has also launched a new initiative to provide local children of the Taos Pueblo with free skiing. “With the resurrection of the World Pro Ski Tour in the modern era, we are dedicated to embracing partners who share our values,” says Franklin. “This will be our third year hosting the worlds in Taos. We believe the resort is a model for responsible ski operations.”

The World Pro Ski Tour 2024 season will feature a race schedule starting in Aspen and ending with the Taos World Championships; for more info, visit worldproskitour.com

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with Benefits

Rugged and remote, this fly-in adventure in Denali National Park comes with a civilized touch. Story by Jen Murphy | Photography courtesy of Chalet Sheldon

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n the late 1960s, America’s wildest ski scene wasn’t in Sun Valley or Aspen. The real party was happening at a humble mountain hut in Alaska, set 10 miles from the summit of Denali (Mt McKinley), North America’s highest peak.

Every spring, a trailblazing Alaskan bush pilot known for pioneering glacier landings, Don Sheldon, would host the Mt McKinley Ski Party. Posters for the annual event advertised wolverine burgers, polka music, and professional ski demonstrations. Cocktails were served from snow bars, and costumed guests viewed the festivities from atop the wings of the Cessna 180s that had flown them to the remote revelry.

Back then, Sheldon’s 212-square-foot mountain house had more than a month-long waitlist for overnight reservations. Today, the simple basecamp still attracts a hardcore crowd who don’t mind sleeping pads, the outhouse, and preparing meals on a camp stove. But the ultimate après scene has moved about a football field’s distance south to Sheldon Chalet, the two-story, 2,000-square foot guesthouse that caters to more discerning and moneyed adventurers. The five-bedroom, exclusive-use property creates a private ski party for just 10 guests, or fewer.

During a three-night stay last spring, post-ski celebrations ranged from sledding down to an ice bar decorated with pink lawn flamingos for

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PHOTO BY MCLEOD

HELI

Alaska

PHOTO BY BURKARD

“Interiors channel glitzy chalets of the Alps rather than taxidermy-filled lodges typical of Alaska.”

peppermint schnapps-spiked hot cocoa, to glacier-ice chilled martinis prepared in a massive igloo cum night club with strobe lights and techno beats. But you don’t make the effort to get to Sheldon Chalet for the party. You come for the rare opportunity to backcountry ski in unrivaled comfort in one of Alaska’s most isolated corners.

When the chalet opened in 2018, first guests were impressed simply by the arrival. The 30-minute helicopter transfer from the little frontier town of Talkeetna whisks guests above frozen taiga and glistening cobalt blue glacier pools before the heli is engulfed by the looming snow-plastered granite walls of the Great Gorge. The heli emerges through sheer rock faces to the hexagonal-shaped chalet, which seems to float in the clouds from a 6,000-foot-perch at the head of the nearly 35-mile-long Ruth Glacier.

The combination of raw, natural beauty and lack of cell service or Wi-Fi forces even the most Type As to unplug. They can soak in views of a snow-dusted Denali from the picture window of the chalet’s cedar sauna or swaddle in blankets on deckchairs and view the aurora borealis.

The chalet’s location amid the glacier cirque and towering peaks has a special appeal to addict skiers like me. As Don Sheldon knew (Sheldon died in 1975), this is a dream playground for ski touring. His children and grandchildren built the chalet and guided ski tours were introduced in 2022, providing guests the opportunity to explore untouched terrain and nab first descents. Due to Sheldon Chalet’s high demand and its short ski season (March through June), only a lucky handful get the chance to ski tour beneath the majestic summit of Denali. Not to mention be spoiled in one of the world’s most remote and indulgent lodges.

Interiors channel the glitzy chalets of the Alps rather than the taxidermy-filled lodges typical of Alaska. Books chronicling Don’s aerial heroics and years mapping the Alaska range with celebrated cartographer Bradford Washburn line living room shelves and an open kitchen is stocked with nibbles of Alaskan 75

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PHOTO BY MCLEOD

PHOTO BY MCLEOD

HELI

salmon jerky, pickled dandelion buds, and devil’s club sourced by the chalet’s forager in Talkeetna. In five bedrooms, king-sized beds are dressed with shimmery gold pillows and vintage photos reflect Don’s glory days, but it’s the views of snow-capped peaks through panoramic windows that steal the spotlight. The chalet partners with Talkeetna outfitter Glacier View Gear Rental so you don’t have to travel with skis or splitboard, nor worry about forgotten gloves or an extra layer. On arrival, a large duffel filled with every imaginable type of outdoor apparel—ski bibs, puffy jackets, thermals, a shell—was waiting in my room.

Turrell Moore, my guide, had a laidback demeanor and years of backcountry knowledge. On our first morning she met me down at my personal locker, which was stocked with safety equipment, snacks, and hand warmers. Guests who book ski packages should have some backcountry experience. We’d be traveling on a glacier, where even low-angle terrain poses dangers such as gaping crevasses. Outside, Moore checked my beacon. After slapping skins to the bottom of my splitboard she securely roped us together—standard safety protocol—as we shuffled up the glacier, carefully zig-zagging around crevasses.

Home Run, a mellow, half-mile line viewable from the chalet’s kitchen was the perfect warm-up to find my snow legs. For every 30-minute skin up, I was rewarded with a cruisy descent in fresh

powder and a chorus of our hoots and hollers reverberating off the icy peaks.

A handful of runs, including Home Run and Cameron’s Couloir, a half-mile steep, powder-filled gully, are a short skin from the chalet. You can also go farther afield to pocket ski around the Ruth Gorge and skin up virgin ridgelines. Over the next two days we’d ski tour three to four hours in search of fresh lines. I returned to the chalet each afternoon exhausted from the physical effort and famished for meals prepared by chef Dave Thorne. Known as Delicious Dave, Thorne spent years cooking on tour for rock stars such as Neil Young and Dave Matthews. His dishes are insanely flavorful yet light enough to be able to enjoy a lunch of organic corn chowder and smoked Kodiak scallops and head out for more turns without battling food coma.

On our final evening, Thorne prepared a seafood feast of Alaskan king crab legs, Simpson Bay oysters, and spot shrimp from Prince William Sound. After dinner, we wrapped ourselves in faux-fur blankets and sipped wasabi martinis on the helipad while soft rumblings of distant avalanches echoed round the cirque. Backcountry Alaskan adventures have never felt more refined.

SNOW STORIES

SKISUIT OOSC BOOTS BOS & CO BASELAYER BURTON PANTS BURTON BOOTS AMMANN GOGGLES SWEET PROTECTION

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PHOTOGRAPHER POBY STYLIST SHIFTEH SHAHBAZIAN HAIR & MAKEUP ERIC LEONARDOS PHOTO ASSISTANT CHRIS FRAWLEY ASSISTANT STYLISTS QIMAN ZHUANG & DEONIA WILLIAMS MODELS MARINA MAZEPA, BRANDON WILLIAMS, JESSICA THOMPSON

JESSICA SKISUIT ROSSIGNOL SHOES AMMANN BRANDON JACKET TONI SAILER BASELAYER TONI SAILER PANTS TONI SAILER SHOES AMMANN

MARINA VEST HEAD SWEATER HEAD PANTS HEAD HAT HEAD SHOES BOS & CO

JESSICA JACKET ONE MORE BASELAYER ONE MORE GOGGLES YNIQ SHOES BOGNER MARINA JACKET DESCENTE BASELAYER SPORTALM PANTS DESCENTE SHOES BOS & CO

BRANDON JACKET KAPPA BASELAYER KAPPA PANTS KAPPA POLES SOLE POLES SHOES AMMANN

JESSICA JACKET ERIN SNOW PANTS ERIN SNOW SHOES AMMANN MARINA JACKET NEWLAND SKIRT/LEGGINGS NEWLAND SHOES AMMANN HAT LA PLANQUE COURCHEVEL

JESSICA PANTS NILS BASELAYER NILS HAT TONI SAILER SHOES BOS & CO MARINA JACKET SPORTALM BASELAYER SPORTALM PANTS SPORTALM SUNGLASSES RANDOLPH SHOES BOS & CO

MARINA JACKET BOGNER PANTS BOGNER GLOVES BOGNER SHOES BOGNER

BRANDON JACKET CAPRANEA BASELAYER CAPRANEA PANTS CAPRANEA SCARF CAPRANEA SUNGLASSES SWEET PROTECTION

MARINA SWEATER BLANCHE SKI PANTS BLANCHE SKI SHOES BOS & CO SUNGLASSES VUARNET JESSICA JACKET PERFECT MOMENT SWEATER COTES OF LONDON PANTS PERFECT MOMENT SHOES BOS & CO

JESSICA JACKET GOLDBERGH BASELAYER GOLDBERGH PANTS GOLDBERGH SHOES BOS & CO GOGGLES YNIQ

MARINA JACKET M.MILLER SWEATER M.MILLER PANTS M.MILLER SKI POLES SOUL POLES GOGGLES YNIQ SHOES AMMANN BRANDON JACKET FRAUENSCHUH LIGHT JACKET FRAUENSCHUH BASELAYER FRAUENSCHUH PANTS FRAUENSCHUH SHOES AMMANN

JESSICA ONESIE NEWLAND VEST COTES OF LONDON SUNGLASSES VUARNET SHOES BOGNER

BRANDON JACKET FUSALP BASELAYER FUSALP PANTS FUSALP GOGGLES YNIQ SHOES AMMANN JESSICA JACKET RH+ SUNGLASSES OAKLEY SKI BOOTS LANGE SUREFOOT SHOES BOS & CO

VINTAGE Turns Wine aficionado, foodie and freeskier extraordinaire Geny Hess lives a combination that never gets old. words by LESLIE ANTHONY photos b y M AT T I A S F R E D R IK S S O N

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The Kempinski Palace Engelberg at dusk.

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circle Grand Resort Bad Ragaz on foot, its Baroque architecture blotted out by an umbrella braced against a gusty spring rain. Passing giant California sequoias, ponds afloat with phantasmagorical Mandarin ducks and an eclectic bricolage of abstract statuary, it’s hard to reconcile the Dalí-esque dreamscape with the grounds of Switzerland’s most historic thermal baths. Yet, this odd miscellany, along with the resort’s aquatic comforts and Michelin-starred restaurants, are my base to close the circle on a ski story 30 years in the making.

Crossing a bridge over the Rhine River into Maienfeld, I follow neat public paths past 800-year-old vineyards, as much history twisted into their gnarled motherwood as into the handbuilt stone wall enclosing the town’s medieval streets. Above the last house, understated signs point the way upward to Heidialp and Heidihof.

While one might not attribute fermentation of both a children’s classic and pinot noir to the same terroir, Maienfeld is where frequent Bad Ragaz-patron Johanna Spyri set the tale of a young orphan sent to live with her goatherd grandfather.

Translated into 50 languages, Heidi created the romantic, nature-oriented image of Switzerland that the country still trades on. But I’m not among the 150,000 Heidi pilgrims who arrive here each year to pay homage; instead, because my ski story is also a wine story, I forge on through a gate into the Bündner Herrschaft, a viticulture micro-region known as “Switzerland’s Burgundy.”

Generally good and in many cases spectacular, Swiss wine remains a mystery to outsiders for a singular reason: for every 100 bottles produced, less than two escape the country. Hosting 250 grape varieties, most endemic to its vertiginous vineyards, the inscrutable Swiss imbibe almost every drop. Although pinot noir and chardonnay grapes dominate the Bündner Herrschaft, no less than 42 varieties are spread among 70 wineries packed into this single 10-kilometer bench. Here you’ll find some of the country’s most-celebrated wines—indeed, some of the best I’ve tasted anywhere. Fortuitously, such advents have always come on ski trips, and, equally fortuitously, courtesy of a friend— sommelier, chef and legendary freeskier, Geny Hess.

In the mid-1990s, few outside Europe knew of the now-heralded terrain and big snows of Engelberg, in Switzerland’s central Alps. But there were rumors, and in those pre-internet days that was as good as Instagram. When our rag-tag magazine crew of athletes and photographer followed a storm to arrive unannounced in February 1995, the only place willing to handle our mob was venerable Hotel Hess, a ramshackle century structure slowly succumbing to age and entropy. Hearing American voices in his creaking foyer, proprietor Geny emerged 94

from the kitchen in a food-stained uniform, looking for all the world like The Muppet Show’s Swedish chef and immediately assuming both ambassadorial and guide duties. Randomly being adopted by someone who knew the ropes in a place the size of Engelberg was kismet—getting a package deal with the guy who cooked your food a major bonus.

A bear of a man with a lumberjack’s beard and a shock of dark hair (he never wore a hat), Geny diligently guided us in classic, locked-leg wedeln fashion. With a carpet of knee-deep powder to cushion our jet-lag, he began on the resort’s signature Titlis Glacier, casually steering us around sneering blue crevasses.

After two mind-altering Titlis runs, Geny insisted on a break for tea-and-schnapps; with the crew impatient to finish their photo work lest the sun disappear, Geny and I soon found ourselves alone at the table. Putting his nose to the wind as if to measure everything from ski traffic to temperature, Geny announced: “It’s time to make the Laub.”

In Engelberg, the Laub is as legendary as Geny himself.

Indeed, at a sustained 35-40 degrees over its 1,195 verticalmeter drop, many ski cognoscenti labelled it the perfect slope.

Having studied a photo of it in an old ski book, I now found

myself atop this dream run with 40 centimeters of untracked snow.

Many gratifying turns later, Geny pulled up at a rock where the slope steepened. Digging a pit for emphasis, he confessed to a long-ago ignominious ride down the face. Skiing alone (foolishly, he admitted), the slope had broken loose after three turns. In seconds he was travelling 100kph in a billowing powder cloud that ran 1,000 meters to the bottom. Geny popped up buried to the chest, minus his rucksack and skis, fortunate to be alive. He’d had a guardian that day, he mused, as Engelberg— Angel Mountain—lived up to its name. There was a certain symmetry to his story, as Geny had selflessly appointed himself my own guardian.

Later, in a celebratory mood, Geny led several of us into his renowned 300-vintage wine cellar, a labyrinth hacked into limestone beneath the hotel. Many bottles and much laughter later, we staggered up from the cobwebbed catacombs hung with hunting trophies and photos of Swiss ski phenom, Erica Hess (no relation), for whom Geny was a personal mentor. A sloppy evening in the dining hall ensued, Geny’s nouvelle game dishes shattering our fondue illusions about Swiss cooking. It seemed

we’d been embraced by the town’s renaissance man.

Decades earlier, Geny had left Engelberg to attend hotel school in Lausanne, followed by a chef apprenticeship in Zermatt and years running the cellars for Bürgenstock Hotels, scouring his homeland for oenological treasures—the varietal, terroir-oriented wines that became his passion and trademark.

In 1974 he returned to Engelberg to run Hotel Hess with wife Trudi (he’d declared his desire to marry her at age six; at 22 they made it a reality), an enterprise they enjoyed until 2001 when a heartbreaking decision was taken to sell to developers in the face of a mandated structural re-fit that would have been economically untenable.

The closing of the hotel’s doors, however, threw open new ones. Geny was in demand as a wine consultant and magazine columnist, and, with his daughter-in-law scion to a winegrowing family from Valais, wine soon became the family business. In 2017 they opened a storefront—Hess Selection—on Engelberg’s Dorfstrasse, selling to the public and supplying hotels with rare wines. Though the operation is now in the hands of equally knowledgeable Geny Jr., whenever I visit, Geny insists on meeting at the shop, as if his old wine cellar has simply been 95

“Without food, it’s all academic.” clockwise left to right 1. Ski Lodge Engelberg is a melting pot where tourists, pro skiers, locals and others meet for drinks, great food and conversations. 2. Geny Hess in his true element.

3. The Titlis Rotair was the first revolving cable car in the world when it was built in 1992. Since then, it’s been upgraded to access the Titlis Glacier.

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moved above ground.

As the resort’s de facto off-piste pioneer and unfailing champion, Geny both witnessed and participated in Engelberg’s development into a global freeride mecca. Today, Engelberg is almost inconceivably changed from my first visit. Significant enterprise by ski pilgrimsettlers over the intervening years transformed the ageing town to one of the brightest global stars of alpine skiing, with boutique hotels and new condo complexes, high-end restaurants, craft coffee roasters, a monk-run deli, papeterie and book shop. Though the mountain bristles with new infrastructure and scads of tourists, there’s still a bit of plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose for Geny—his wine collection.

We’d last met at the shop in early March 2020, sipping a few favored vintages and chatting old times, Geny’s beard and shock of hair now as white as the snows crowning Titlis. We clashed goodnaturedly over a new lift whose construction was delayed because a rare snake had been found in the alp below (I was on the snake’s side) and talked about the crazy new virus that had just chased my frequent photographic collaborator Mattias Fredriksson and me from Italy.

It’ll burn itself out, we all thought, expressing little worry. A week later the world shut down and we didn’t see each other for three years.

When Mattias and I return in 2023, multifarious changes are front and center in the form of Kempinski Palace Engelberg, the town’s first five-star hotel. First opened in 1905, its languid spiral staircases, marble Corinthian columns and glass-encased winter garden highlight the iconography of the glamorous belleépoque era. Shuttered in 2016 for renovation under the Kempinski brand, I’d watched it come together over several prior visits. With the original building envelope preserved, a new wing was grafted on to increase rooms and add a spa and restaurant. A replica Swiss cabin, Chalet Ruinart, was constructed on the grounds as a dedicated fondue restaurant—smart thinking, says Geny, given that most international visitors would otherwise leave the property in search of this quintessential Swiss icon. Reopened in 2021, the Kempinski’s marquee space is the Palace Bar, with its large, wood-framed bay windows and tiled hearth discovered behind a wall during renovation. Originally a breakfast space, the room has been reconceived as a place for the public to enjoy a bustling après scene. It’s here I enjoy the trip’s first glass of Swiss wine—Blanc Palace Engelberg, a house white conceived and bottled exclusively for the hotel. It’s excellent, but the wine catalogue here runs much deeper, courtesy of Hess Selection rare vintages.

While the Kempinksi represents an apogee of sorts, we dine instead that evening where the arc of change 97

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left to right 1. Johan Jonsson takes flight in Wendelücke at sunset.

2. Sanne Mona is the creative lead at Ski Lodge Engelberg and a highly talented skier.

3. David Kantermo enjoying steep and deep conditions below Stand.

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began—boutique Ski Lodge Engelberg, the Swedish skibums-turned-financiers’ dream that kicked off the town’s makeover in 2008. The three-course “skier’s dinner” with wine pairings at the Lodge’s Brasserie Konrad is not only the best deal in town, but a logical warm-up to the next evening’s dining plan—a more-serious-than-usual attempt to inculcate Geny’s Swiss-wine gospel, beginning at Hess Selection and leading high into an alp and newly opened Villa Hundert, three-way brainchild of a Canadian and two Nordic mavericks, one of whom, Christian Brangenfeldt, cut his teeth at the Konrad. If the Kempinksi is the new acme for accommodation in Engelberg, Villa Hundert is its dining equivalent.

When we meet at Geny’s shop he’s already sipping. After hugs all around, talk turns to the bulletproof conditions of a current snow drought and Geny’s story of being hit on the piste that day by a World Cup racer; he was OK but broke his poles. Apologetic and concerned, the fellow offered to buy him new ones—and a helmet. Geny happily accepted the sticks but declined the brain-bucket; after 72 years skiing hatless he couldn’t fathom the adjustment.

As always, we start with Féchy Mon Pichet 2021, a light, fruity wine that wakes up the palate—the reason Geny unveils a wood-fired pizza of tomato, cheese and basil.

“These flavors work with the tastings we’re doing,” he intones, insisting that the counterpoint of food is the only way for the average person to understand wine. “Without food,” he says, “it’s all academic.”

Of course, for wine rubes it’s academic regardless, since we’re now sitting lesson in a one-roomed schoolhouse with 100

professor Geny. The grape, he notes, is Chasselas, the most popular in Switzerland with some 19 varieties employed only in the making of white wine. Despite such orthodoxy, the grape’s history, distribution, cultivation and use is a national affair complex enough to warrant an entire book: Chasselas—Von Féchy Bis Dézaley.

We dive into another white made with French Savagnin Blanc (locally, Paiën or Heida) grapes, the highest planted in Switzerland. Full-bodied with exotic over tones, it easily enjoins w ith the cheese, demonstrating, says Geny, the high fidelity of Swiss wine to Swiss cuisine. Then comes Les Perches, Petite Arvine de Fully 2018 from the biodynamic viticulturalist Benoit Dorsaz, an early maturing wine with a salty undercurrent. Last, a distinct Swiss red: Humagne Rouge AOC Valais 2016, Cave Ardévaz, Famille Bovin.

As far as anyone can discern, this grape has been in the country almost a millennium and tastes it—rich, fullbodied and complex. Geny’s lesson lands well.

Trudi picks us up to drive to Villa Hundert, high on the Brunni side of the valley, where south-facing ski slopes and off-season alps are drenched by sun. In all my trips to Engelberg, I’ve never been up Brunni, though I well remember a dizzying overlook.

After introducing us to the Titlis Glacier and Laub on that 1995 trip, Geny had led us down the Galtiberg—a backcountry geologic wonder of shelves and cliffs he’d pioneered with friends. At every juncture in the hourlong descent he smiled broadly, happy to share a

counter-clockwise left to right 1. Geny Hess in his true element, with his nose in a glass of wine.

2. The 2021 Pelichet Féchy Mon Pichet – Geny's choice to wake up the palate.

3. Villa Hundert’s chief and passionate snowboarder, Olle Isaksson, puts an artistic touch on a delicious dish.

4. The spa at Kempinski Palace Engelberg.

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cherished accomplishment with guests. Two-thirds of the way down Galtiberg’s 1,800 vertical meters, Geny had stopped and grown reflective, looking out toward distant Brunni. “I remember the day—June 5th, 1965. We started in powder at the top and ended in corn right here,” he said. “Then we had to walk a fair way.”

That exit would have involved the hundreds of convoluted vertical meters we’d continued down, some of which would have benefitted from the safety of a rope. More than anything on that trip, the Galtiberg descent made it clear that “Sager Geny”—a local nickname vibing wisdom and experience—was indeed Engelberg’s original freerider.

Trudi locates Villa Hundert in a scatter of nondescript buildings that might have been a village in days of yore, and we immediately know we’re in for something special. Christian ushers us to a spacious wood table in a small room with a soundabsorbing ceiling that ensures his 27 nightly diners can hear each other. An amuse-bouche signals how the multicourse oeuvre will unfold: in stone bowls filled with river gravel sit a duck croquette, onion with smoked potato and elderberries, and cucumber-horseradish-spelt cracker—food both from, and served upon, elements of Swiss terroir, artistically rendered

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with the flair of rarified Nordic dining.

Geny takes control of the wine, settling on a 2020 Sprecher Von Bernegg, Completer, a white from Jan Domenic Luzi in the Bündner Herrschaft—the first I hear of this fabled terroir. Geny finds it ‘young’ (we think it’s great but what do we know?) so he decants what’s left and we slosh what we’ve already poured between glasses to aerate; the change in taste is noticeable, and pairs perfectly with the first four courses. When I ask Geny how he’d describe the wine, he holds hands apart and moves them forward and back, a gesture I recognize from earlier to mean straightforward, not outside the lines. And so the evening goes, eye-opening dish after eye-opening dish, incomparable wine after incomparable wine, my grin reflecting the one etched all those years ago beneath Hotel Hess and resonating with a Villa Hundert credo: “No pleasure is temporary, because the impression it leaves behind is permanent.”

On our final evening, Mattias and I arrive at Geny and Trudi’s apartment for an early dinner. The building is located on property once occupied by Hotel Hess, and Trudi confides how hard it was when it all ended, how Geny kept making trips to ferret as much as possible from the old structure—wine, furniture, décor—and how she’d secretly rifle through his

counter-clockwise left to right 1. Villa Hundert is Engelberg’s latest fine-dining culinary addition. 2. The classic belle-époque features of the original hotel were retained during renovation, giving the five-star hotel its unique character. 3. The sauna at Kempinski Palace Engelberg is a (hot) piece of art.

rummagings to dispose of things she was sure he wouldn’t notice. But they saved some key mementos, like the Hess Hotel hat a concierge wore to meet guests at the train station, and the guest register, in which we find a page of pasted photos and riotous commentary from the watershed 1995 visit.

Trudi is cooking Älplermagronen (Alpine macaroni) a traditional classic that also contains potato, onion and outrageous amounts of butter and cream. For starters, she serves leek tarts as light as mini-soufflés, followed by curried squash soup with chopped fresh cilantro. Geny’s wine choice—a Pellegrin Grand'Cour Blanc 2019—bolsters both perfectly. For the main course he’s decanted a rare Frölich Pinot Noir 2019, which, in addition to perfectly matching the Älplermagronen, delivers the heartwarming backstory of Sven Frölich’s defection from East Germany to work in Swiss vineyards, eventually to become a winemaker himself. Frölich’s first go-round on the Bündner Herrschaft produced wine considered some of the best ever made in Switzerland. Without voicing it, Sager Geny—an honorific held to this day at age 77—has inspired me to visit this storied region.

On a chairlift the day before, Geny told me his main interest these days was simply “to feel good,” and he believes the combination of wine, food and skiing remains the best vehicle for doing so. He would know, and can reminisce with pride of the halcyon days in unknown Engelberg when he could cut new tracks on the Laub for a week, plucking wide-eyed acolytes from his hotel for the run of a lifetime—followed by a glass of good wine.

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SKI HOTELS

The World's Finest 104

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ere – with the red-carpet hoopla and drum-rolling rightly warranted – we bring you the five ultimate winners of SNOW’s World’s Finest Ski Hotels Awards of 2024.

Each of these gorgeous alpine auberges represents the goldstandard in their class, achieving better-than-best results for their guests at every turn, request and whim, each and every day, all winter long.

These stunning ski hotels achieve the epitome in the categories of, respectively, Cuisine, Wellness, Service, Alpine Culture, and Over the Top – our glittering see-it-to-believe-it wildcard entry. Congratulations to our winners and, of course, to us – happy guests, past and future.

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Best in Cuisine

La Bouitte St Marcel, France

We’ve been indulging at La Bouitte since way back, when a sole sparkly Michelin star illuminated the way through the sprawling Trois Vallées to our linen-draped lunch table, slippers included. And then there were two, and then in 2015 came an exceptionally rare and revered third Michelin star, a historic moment in Savoie region.

Yet the spirit remains the same.

Chef René Meilleur, a kind, self-taught chef born in this very village of St Marcel and his son Maxime whose impish grin has charmed many a diner, had earned the highest acclaim and earned a devoted ski following en route. Indeed, it is a true family affair, including mother, daughter, and their partners at the helm to deliver superb cuisine that celebrates local mountain terroir and a wine cellar that’s up to the challenge.

This mecca of alpine dining is now even more of destination, elevated as it has been in recent years by the addition of 15 cocoon-y bedrooms and a bijou spa.

So, after another fabulous ski day in the world’s largest linked area, it’s time to retreat to the wood-clad spa, cozy wine bar, and a dinner the way god intended, if god were French (and from the moment we arrive there’s an argument for that). Access this snow-dusted paradise on ski, by car, or from the handy helipad just steps away.

Chefs René and Maxime are quick to give a nod to what they call “common sense of the peasant” but their name, Meilleur, says all you need to know. They are the best.

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“Dinner the way god intended, if god were French.”

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Best in Wellness

The Chedi Andermatt, Switzerland

Dip, dive, and melt into The Chedi’s decadent universe of water and warmth – a more sleek or sophisticated wellness offering than this is hard to imagine.

The Chedi’s Alps-meets-Asia shrine brings an indulgent yin to tiny Andermatt’s yang. Located at the near-spiritual intersection of Switzerland’s great north-south and east-west traverses, this is a true journey’s end spa hotel. The pleasure palace features more than 200 fireplaces that cast a flattering glow at every turn, five chic bars and restaurants await, and there’s even a breath of whimsy in the lactose-rich 16-foot-high cheese humidor.

The star of the palace, though, is the mind-blowingly James Bond spa and its galaxy of eucalyptus, bio and Finnish saunas, scented salt steam bath, hammam, ice fountain, flower bath…. The seriously sexy pools are lit by candlelight, and the showcase 115-foot long glass-covered one is kept at a fresh 26C while the contrasting air is languidly warm, better to enjoy surrounding day beds served by waiters delivering chilled Champagne and warm towels. Massages, treatments and services are tended by a phalanx of attentive and rigorously trained aestheticians, using heavenly unguents from lines such as all-natural Tata Harper and mineral-rich Omorovicza of Hungary.

To unwind following such pleasurable pursuits, raise a glass of something luscious in The Wine & Cigar Library, or The Lobby, or perhaps in The Courtyard, at The Bar, or enveloped in the Oriental flair of the Living Room. Western and Asian cuisine of the highest orders are on the menus in The Restaurant and the aforementioned Japanese. For those who do venture outside, Andermatt’s high-alpine terrain is now linked with nearby Sedrun, a project championed by the famous Olympic ski racer and local boy Bernhard Russi. A must: The Bernhard Russi Run, nearly four miles long, is one of the Swiss Alps’ great downhill runs.

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“Who would want to leave a pleasure palace such as this?”

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Best in Alpine Culture

Hotel La Perla Corvara, Italy

Philosophers can’t get enough of mountains. Hericlitus renounced his family fortune for them, Nietzsche’s free-thinking was born wandering the Swiss ones. And now, at home in the heights of the Dolomites, we have Michil Costa – the doer and the dreamer of Hotel La Perla, the ultimate ski hotel immersed in alpine culture and intelligent luxury.

A more welcoming innkeeper would be hard to imagine, nor one who’s given the concept, the future, and the delivery of hospitality more consideration. “Our goal is to create well-being with intention, because taking care of others is a pleasure,” he explains. “It is a pleasure not only to take care of the guest, but also to care for our staff members, and for our suppliers and collaborators.”

Costa’s recent book, FuTurismo, lays out in full the tenets of his values-based vision that informs each stay – the Common Good, environmental sustainability, and community.

Yet, lucky for us, La Perla’s ethos has nothing to do with any spartan cells of deprivation.

If anything, the contrary.

Think wine (30,000 bottles’ worth, all resolutely local), song (live music in the stylish bar each evening), and celebration of the rich traditions and natural snow-dusted splendor that make our lives in the mountains so joyful. Ski from the front door deep into the glorious Dolomiti Superski linked area and return invigorated to cozy low-ceilings and wood-lined walls that envelop us like a cradle. Be warmed by crimson woven carpets, thick Sud Tirol linens, and the glow of candlelight in the elegantly dressed 17 century Stuben. Like the décor, the one-star Michelin and two further superb restaurants are a locavore’s feast.

No big-business brands, mono-culture, or plastic-wrapped anything. Since 2012, La Perla has eschewed conventional profit and loss balance sheets in favor of democratic comanagement, a policy targeted towards profit sharing and fiscal equality.

The Costa Family runs a tight ship and its sailors, universally cheerful and motivated, are the backbone of its success. Always, standards come first. “The martini must be perfect, everything must be perfect,” Costa states. You can read more of Signor Costa’s musings that we all, hosts and well-pampered guests alike, share in what the future of travel will look like. Better yet, pay them a visit. The pleasure will be mutual. th

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“No big-business brands, no mono-culture, no plastic-wrapped anything.”

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Over the Top

Badrutt's Palace St Moritz, Switzerland

Oh, if turrets could talk. The fin-de-siècle opulence of Badrutt’s has been attracting a who’s who of aristos and A-listers for more than a hundred years. Steeped in old-world maximalism, the Palace’s green-tipped towers and Grand Hall – an arcade of Gothic arches, silk settees, Persian carpets, even a Madonna attributed to Raphael – are the vault of a century’s worth of jetset outrageousness.

Indeed, the very concept of the winter holiday was conceived by Johannes Badrutt himself when, in 1864, he bet a few eccentric Brits that returning to St Moritz in winter would be worth the journey. Lucky for us, they took on the wager and never looked back.

With Badrutt’s, the more madcap the better – like the guest who had staff fill the hotel's swimming pool with a pod of sea lions, and another who ordered a live elephant delivered to the Grand Hall as a birthday present to his wife. Even today, New Year’s Eve at the Palace is the fete of the year where some 12 hours’ worth of audacious decorations cost the hotel more than one million Swiss Francs each year.

Who are these people, who sign the guest registry alongside 112

Dietrich, Hepburn, Bardot, Niarchos, Onassis, and Hitchcock?

(By the way, Suite 501 is now The Hitchcock Suite owing to his 34 stays in total.) The roster of regulars reads like a combination of a Fortune 500 List and Almanac de Gotha. Many take to the mountains by day (nothing compares to being whisked to the funicular by liveried chauffeur in a Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud once owned by Queen Elizabeth II). And many just live it up in the hotel’s 10 restaurants (from belle-époque splendor to Michelin-approved Peruvian-Japanese fusion), its three bars (a bottle of bubbly in tiny Mario’s Bar is never a bad idea), and the infamously late-night and aptly named King’s Club.

No matter how late the evening, there’s always time to select a knick-knack or two at the Palace’s own mini-mall, home to Graff, Bulgari, Cartier, and all that glitters.

Which brings us to that fabulous winter, not long ago, where the best of both world’s collided: on the menu, the “1.2 Carat Cocktail”, a delectable concoction containing a 1.2 carat Graff diamond. Just when you thought the lady had everything, there’s always Badrutt’s.

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Best in Service

Almhof Schneider Lech, Austria

Perhaps you’re unsure of what you want? Or the opposite, or even both at the same moment. The Almhof Schneider has it covered.

Here’s a for-instance from our recent stay: during dinner, one guest mentioned to another that she felt she may need fatter skis heliskiing the following morning. The ever-present Herr Gerold Schneider, caught wind of the passing concern and made swift arrangements to have two options for wider skis in her size delivered to the hotel in time for take-off.

Nothing is a problem, the impossible is possible, at the family-run five-star superior Almhof Schneider. Hospitality and skiing are the Schneider DNA. Gerold’s grandfather built Lech’s first ski lift in 1940, next to the farmhouse which became the hotel, and his brother runs the après-ski hotspot Schneggarei in town. No surprise then, to see the same families and friends return each winter, some into their third generation, mountain-loving types who drive from Hamburg, jet in from Hong Kong, and heli-over from Zurich when fresh snow falls.

Sprawling yet thoughtfully designed (both our hosts trained as architects before becoming innkeepers), the near-century-old Almhof retains a rarified Gasthof vibe – a good Gasthof is nothing if not heart-warming and conscientious. Perfectionism is a distinguishing feature here. Not a feather duvet goes unfluffed in its 53 rooms and suites elegantly appointed with fur throws, antler paraphernalia, rich wools, and crisp linens. Dirndl’d service strikes the ideal combination of exacting and personal, all wishes tended in the low-lit Herbarium Restaurant, the decadent billiard room, private cinema, sprawling spa. The somms can’t wait to talk and taste their guests through the consummate 25,000-bottle wine list. Private tasting parties in the beautiful cellar are recommended: just whisper the desire and watch the Schneiders make it so.

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The Gotschnabahn cable car from Klosters to Gotschnaboden gives access to some of the best off-piste skiing in the area, including the classic Wang face straight under the tram. After last spring's mechanical fault, the Gotschnabahn will open with a brand new lift cable for the coming season.

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Klosters Vignettes More than a haunt for rarified royals, Klosters is an alpine cradle of life’s pleasures—from the simple to the elevated.

by LESLIE ANTHONY photography by MAT TIAS FREDRIKSSON

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rom the lofty aerie of Parsenn’s Weissfluhgipfel, I see more than expected. South over the Alps’ sea of peaks, the familiar sail of the Matterhorn hoisted over distant waves. West to flat-topped Tödi, bobbing like an overturned boat. East to the Rinerhorn, Jakobshorn and Pischa ski areas breaking over Davos. And north to the Gotschnagrat, where skiers ascending by tram from Klosters first debark and Madrisahorn hovers on the horizon like an island mirage, shilling its own reputation for unhurried skiing and sun-drenched decks.

The legendary Parsenn Derby started here in 1924. One of Switzerland’s oldest ski races, it remained an important international competition prior to formation of the modern Alpine Ski World Cup. Tipping my skis into the first drop floods the mind’s eye: the long climb up; sweat and wool sweaters; heavy wooden skis affixed with leather; mad schussing and even madder crashes along the 12km run down to Küblis on the Landquart River—the same watercourse that, decades later when she lived in anonymity in Klosters, film star Greta Garbo walked beside daily, adorned in a trademark hat.

These days it’s billed as the “Nostalgia Run” — and indeed I feel myself schussing past my own memories, rife with imagery of the cosmopolitan habitués who made Klosters what it is: a place where fame and fortune have lived quietly and untroubled for decades.

For the longest time, it seems, I skim the alpine sea, eyeing alabaster waves, down troughs and over crests before finally submerging beneath them. On both sides now, forested glades and chutes recall epic days spent chasing powder here. The slope mellows at the cluster of restaurants in Schifer, decks aimed west, on which I’ve consumed many a late lunch — the first time without even knowing I’d descended to Klosters from Davos, so closely are their capillaries intertwined on Parsenn.

With no intention of gliding all the way to Küblis this early in the day, I make a quick deke to catch the Shiferbahn back to

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Weissfluhjoch, a 15-minute ride on which I was once joined by a well-known rock star whose ribald reflections seemed straight out of Spinal Tap. This is how Klosters comes to you — in vignettes as fully formed as photos and film, posters and scripts.

Cradled in a rural sector of Prättigau Region, the romantic postcard village of Klosters stands in stark contrast to the bustling alpine metropolis of Davos but a few kilometers distant. Klosters (the name means “monastery”) dates to

left to right 1. The Parson Funicular (or the Davos Parsenn Bahn as it’s referred to in German) was built in 1931.

2. Klosters is a cozy little village with immediate access to the mountains and the skiing. In just a few minutes, the Gotschnabahn takes you from the village center at 1196 meters to the mountain station at 1790 meters.

1222, when Walser farmers settling this isolated valley were inevitably followed by monks who, also inevitably, inaugurated a village to feed them around the priory of St. Jakob. The current church, dating from 1492 but with windows more recently brushed by famous 19th-century Swiss painter Augusto Giacometti, is the last remnant of the medieval monastery. Standing on the small, cobblestoned church plaza above the village, I enjoy the preternatural quiet that speaks to Klosters mien — a less-charged atmosphere than larger, ritzier resorts. Peaceful even.

Still, its hospitality equals Switzerland’s best — think Zermatt and St. Moritz without the claiming or snobbery.

Absent the spectacle, it’s every bit as luxurious, with compact

Victorian and neo-classical hotels and an easy walk to anywhere. Add in Goldilocks isolation (not too much, not too little), and you have a crucible that has attracted those looking to escape attention since the end of the Second World War: during Hollywood’s Golden Age, mucky-mucks and celebrities that literally defined American royalty could be spotted nightly in Restaurant Chesa Grischuna, to this day one of the Alps’ best with its genuine feel and impeccable service.

The chic, chalet-style town of authentic traditions and locals who made even the most rarified guests feel at home also became the favored winter playground of real royal families — the Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark, the King and Queen of Sweden, and, of course, the UK’s ever-sporting House 119

“Brits hoping to causally bump into their oncePrince tend to cluster in the Gotschna region during his usual January sojourns.” of Windsor. Newly crowned King Charles III has used überexclusive Chalet Eugenia as a winter base for years, and, in the halcyon days when they were still speaking, Princes William and Harry learned to ski here. Charles has frequented Klosters so often (he canceled his annual ski trip this past winter for the first time in 45 years fearing injury before his coronation) that the Gotschnagrat cable car was christened “Prince of Wales.” To this day, many British skiers come to Klosters simply because of the royal stamp of approval.

Of course, it also has great skiing.

It was a 10-year-old Wilhelm Paulke — later geologist, snow researcher and German ski pioneer — who, along with fellow students of the international high school in Davos, first put skis to the slopes of Parsenn back in 1883. A decade later, Johann and Tobias Branger (brothers who legendarily taught themselves to ski at night to avoid peer derision) made a successful trip 120

from Davos over the Maienfelder Pass to Arosa and back; the following year they guided celebrated British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle along the same route. Conan Doyle’s humorous send-up of his trip in the magazine The Strand proved providential to the area’s development. In 1895, four British tourists attempted to follow in his tracks; two turned back at the summit while the remaining pair took a wrong turn en route to Arosa, spending a cold night in a shepherd’s hut before descending through forest to Küblis. Fortuitously, it was recognized that if one could reach the summit from one town and descend to several other hamlets, it was clearly a crackerjack ski area.

That’s on my mind while descending off-piste under the Gotschnagrat cable car — perhaps the toughest challenge in the entire Davos-Klosters colossus. Once upon a time a marked itinerary, skiers are now largely discouraged from it. Perhaps because Brits hoping to causally bump into their once-Prince

left to right 1. The restaurant by Strela Pass, between Davos Parsenn and the private resort Schatzalp, is well worth a visit. At 2,352 meters altitude, you can find great soups, traditional dishes and tasty drinks—a bonus for a friendly atmosphere and stunning views.

2. Wang above Klosters is a bucket-list off-piste run with a consistent, steep pitch and fantastic terrain.

And look at those views. Skier David Kantermo enjoys the fresh powder snow.

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tend to cluster in the Gotschna region during his usual January sojourns, typically a snowy — and avalanche-prone — time in which this particular slope doesn’t lend itself to a Keep Calm and Carry On ethos. It’s probably best that they steer less-experienced holidaymakers toward the Köbel bump run, the gentle blues of Gruobenalp chair and Parsennmälder T-bar, or the marked off-pistes in the Drostobel and Chalbersäss valleys.

Though I can recommend them all, I also find the valley its own draw, with quiet walking paths, horse-drawn sleigh rides, tobogganing, snowshoeing and an extensive cross-country ski network that, collectively, seem to roll the clock back to simpler times.

Klosters, in fact, takes its cross-country seriously, even featuring langlauf-designated hotels. The 15km circuit that passes the village of Monbiel is charming, and the short climb to scenic Alp Garfiun always worth the effort. It’s also worth the effort, no matter where you’re staying, to poke your nose into the town’s most celebrated accommodation.

That Hotel Chesa Grishuna was conceived as a work of art is apparent to even the most uninformed sidewalk stroller, but revelatory when you examine its myriad details. Erected in 1938 and turning on classic Swiss wooden style, the many joyous inclusions by local painters and artisans was a form of conscious

left to right 1. Klosters local Mishi Petersen-Gyöngyösi doesn’t waste any opportunity to dress in old ski outfits and mohawks; this day, the theme was purple.

2. Wang above Klosters is a bucket-list off-piste zone. David Kantermo is finding fresh snow down from Weissfluhjoch.

3. Wes Anderson-inspired lift ride on Jakobshorn, one of Davos Kloster's many ski areas.

“Its hospitality equals Switzerland’s best — think Zermatt and St. Moritz without the claiming or snobbery.” resistance intended to show that some Swiss wanted nothing to do with the architecture and iconography being used by the Nazi party to enforce its ideology among Germanic countries.

No small wonder the Chesa presented as a post-war beacon of light that attracted writers, producers, directors and stars including Gene Kelly, Greta Garbo, Gregory Peck, Lauren Bacall, Audrey Hepburn, Yul Brynner, Paul Newman and a host of others.

I have the good fortune to not only stay a few nights at the Chesa, but to be guided through both structure and story by its new owner, one-time television journalist and now entrepreneur Astrid von Stockar, whose passion project is to

protect the hotel’s heritage and many salient details. With a sparkle in her eye, Astrid flies through the restaurant, pointing out original chairs, benches with cushions held by leather straps — even the first china — for each of which she has sourced people capable of doing restoration or identical replacement.

Some she has taken on herself; stressing over how to fix the aesthetic affront of too-short curtains, she discovered enough original fabric turned up in the hems to lengthen them. When she identifies King Charles’s favorite table — the round one in the corner with windows on both sides — I realize I’ve sat there with friends. Finally, she shows me the spot from which an old grand piano was moved; we follow its trail downstairs to where 123

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left to right 1. A masterpiece of local craftsmanship and 1930s design, Chesa Grischuna is an institution in the heart of Klosters.

2. The terrain and opportunities around Klosters are nothing short of impressive for the serious skier. Skier: Tobias Liljeroth 3. Klosters is clearly in the center of the universe.

it now occupies space on the legendary bar’s famous dance floor, scene of much merriment and tales of Gene Kelly tapdancing on the bar. Astrid even cracks the door to the Chesa’s famous two-lane bowling alley, added in the 1950s.

Upstairs again, sitting to dine, it’s impossible not to register the woodwork, paneled ceilings and decor as eye-drawing art intended to be seen from this angle. While the Chesa indulges diners with classic old-world service, the current incarnation is an award-winning treat; it’s hard to deny an amuse-bouche of smoked local trout on a sliver of toast, the famed Chesa salad — a sort of Caesar-meets-alpensensibility — or classic beef tartare.

For Astrid, who has come here since she was a child, the Chesa “is the heart of Klosters,” and like all hearts, in need of tending. For someone whose work once turned on storytelling, the Chesa and its guestbook represent hundreds of stories braided into a larger tale of the character of Klosters and its

nexus of history — like the small painting with which a young Winston Churchill bid adieu, adding “My only regret is having to leave this wonderful place.”

Beyond those who visited often, Greta Garbo’s longstanding residency in town became an identity statement: if the notoriously publicity-shy star felt safe here, so could anyone.

Everything was on the down-low and visitors adopted a humble demeanor; they didn’t brag, show wealth, or smash champagne bottles. Even today, Switzerland is a place where globally famous folk famously find refuge (think Tina Turner and Shania Twain), something for which Klosters in the 1950s was both bauplan and microcosm.

On the mountain again, I circle the Gotschna, rip a few of the Parsenn’s wide-open main runs (sehr schnell, of course), and tackle the Weissfluhjoch. Finally, I ascend the Weissfluhgipfel for one final Nostalgia Run to Küblis, riding the train back to 125

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counter-clockwise left to right 1. Mountains upon mountains upon mountains. The southeast part of Switzerland offers some incredible vistas and with a bit of humanpowered exercise, you are completely alone in the backcountry.

2. Dinner service at Chesa Grischuna.

3. The flags of Graubünden and Switzerland.

“In those days, skiing was as much a voyage as a sport, and that appealed to the old man.”

Klosters and hoofing it the three minutes back to the Chesa with my skis over my shoulder.

Changing quickly, I head down the street to meet a friend at Hotel Wynegg, a Klosters staple for some 140 years. A traditional place with youthful spirit, the Wynegg’s restaurant is small and intimate — but also popular and packed. It’s a place where home-style cuisine and regional specialities meet fresh, innovative ideas — like bread served with passion fruit, mango and thyme butter, “fake” snails (sautéed beef cubes with herb butter) and several variations of pizokel—a kind of local pasta made from flour, eggs, milk and yoghurt; I have the Älper version with bacon, onion and cheese, served with homemade apple purée.

Talk at dinner begins with the New Year’s Day piglet race and how much cherry liqueur was consumed before turning to how the town celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2022, with projects that included looking at skiing through historical period costumes, a theatrical take on jurisdictional evolution (apparently not as dull as it sounds), a 57-meter climbing wall

affixed to the concrete strut on Klosters’ famous bridge, and new commemorative bells for the church, hoisted into place on pulleys by enthusiastic schoolkids.

It all speaks to something visible in every corner of Klosters: enduring community. It’s a quality that attracted several Americans to settle here after experiencing the traumas of war — like the “King of Klosters,” writer Irving Shaw. Son Adam Shaw explained his father’s attraction in the opening essay of Fabrizio D’Aloisio’s 2022 coffee-table history Klosters: “In those days, skiing was as much a voyage as a sport, and that appealed to the old man. Imagine growing up dirt poor in Brooklyn before the Great Depression. Imagine landing at Normandy in 1944, and liberating Dachau concentration camp.

Then imagine standing on top of the Gotschna on skis, with [your] newly built chalet visible down in the valley.”

Klosters offered peace, solace and camaraderie to a generation. A balm that also happened to come with great skiing.

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Lech, Austria SNOW SOCIETY MEMBER SKI TRIP 2023 T HE SNOWSOCIE T Y.COM

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PHOTO COURTESY OF POBY

LAST RUN

#skigoals Olympic gold medalist Julia Mancuso makes impressive use of Henry Ford’s celebrated mantra – believe you can or believe you can’t, either way you are right.

W

hen I started competing full-time at the age of 15, I was one of the youngest American athletes on the international stage. Since then, I’m frequently asked what I would tell my 15-year-old self. The short answer: be yourself and set your goals.

Goal setting is important. Goals keep us on track and goals keep us disciplined. In those early races, I was so worried about what people would think if I came last, I set my goal to not be last. Well, I accomplished just that. I beat seven competitors that first season – yet in no way was I skiing to my potential. I learned this fast, and I learned it young.

In ski racing, just the top 30 competitors score worldranking points. In some events, they’re they only racers to even get a second run. So from the moment I stepped onto the world’s stage, that was my goal: make second run, place top 30. This magic number of 30 was stuck in my mind. Must get 130

to 30th, must get points, must make second run. Guess what places I earned that season? You got it – 31 , 32 , 33 . Ski racing is measured in hundredths of a second and I was consistently missing my goal by less than a blink of eye.

It happened over and over, until I made a career-changing decision. Screw this! I wanted to be the best in the world. I wanted to make the U.S. Olympic Team. I wanted to be first. I wanted gold.

That was the turning point in my fortunes. I went on to make the Olympic Team and win three gold medals at the Junior World Championships. Each time I second-guessed my goals or set the bar too low, I recalibrated and shot for the moon. I fully believe in the power of the mind, and that sports are 95 percent mental. Yes, we need to do the work and – first and foremost – we have to believe in ourselves on the hill and off. st

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getaway

SKI FASHION HOME

VA I L ASPEN PA R K C I T Y B E AV E R C R E E K SNOWMASS

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