From glamping in the Tetons to a film on our shared mountain culture from far afield in Afghanistan, we bring the news of the season.
STYLE 38
Try these on for size. Statementmaking ski fashion to make us look as fantastic as we feel.
GEAR 40
A magical mix of shiny new things for the season.
TRAVEL 44
Packing never looked so good.
APRÈS 46
Tasty Tipples from top Aspen, Whistler and Lake Louise restos.
BEAUTY 50
Shield your skin, the natural way.
HEALTH 54
Ski specific training from the experts.
HAPPENINGS 58
Join the Michelin chefs serving up good taste in Courmayeur.
TABLE 64
Why we’re hunting down a table at Chasing Rabbits, Vail’s rez of the season.
CULTURE 70
The simplicity of the snowflake, captured by a scientist-photographer and described by a Pulitzer Prize winner.
SCENE 126
Snow Society Members soak up the good life in Kitzbühel and get star treatment at Frauenschuh and Uschi Style.
LAST RUN 128
Ski every continent, with a combo safari in Kruger National Park and a few offbeat turns at Lesotho’s Afriski.
HIGHSEASON24/25
ICONIC STAY
Nestled amidst breathtaking mountain peaks, our iconic two-MICHELIN Key hotel offers an elevated alpine experience. Here, you will enjoy seamless ski-in, ski-out access to world-class skiing at Whistler Blackcomb, Condé Nast Traveler’s #1 Ski Resort in North America.
Off the slopes, immerse yourself in the social heart of the mountain, rejuvenating at the mountainside Spa, indulging in any of the five hotel restaurants, or exploring the vibrant pedestrian-only village
ADVERTISING SALES
Sales Director
Barbara Sanders (970) 948-1840
barb@thesnowmag.com
Sales Manager
Debbie Topp (905) 770-5959
debbiejtopp@hotmail.com
PRINT AND DIGITAL CONTRIBUTORS
FASHION EDITORIAL TEAM
Shifteh Shahbazian, Victoria Akpan, Kaela Bourne, Jason Chazinour, Nikki Labounty, Ella Preslyn, Demetria Watkins
Sales Representative
Denis Little (310) 890-6880
dennis@thesnowmag.com
Leslie Anthony, Minty Clinch, Antonio Cordero, Bianca Dumas, Daniela Federici, Andrew Findlay, Mattias Fredriksson, Lori Knowles, Michael Mastarciyan, Kari Medig, Jen Murphy, Dan Nicholl, Steve Ogle, POBY, Barbara Sanders, Gerald Sanders, Sally Sanders, David Shribman, Leslie Woit, Cameron Yarrow, David Yarrow
MountainCulture
Last month, I traveled to Tanzania to climb Kilimanjaro, the largest free-standing mountain in the world, with an altitude of 19,341 feet. I climbed with a group of 12 women. (Thanks to Middy Perkins for the best invite ever!) I only knew a few of the gals before the trip, but we are all bonded for life after our adventure in the mountains. To climb Kilimanjaro is to experience the people and the culture of Tanzania. We all made deep connections with our guides, our chef, and our porters. This shared love of the mountains became the glue that held us all together.
Right before I left for Africa, I enjoyed seeing the film Champions of the Golden Valley at Aspen Film’s 45th Annual Filmfest. This moving film encapsulates mountain culture and a love for skiing in a remote village in Afghanistan. The girls who skied on these snow-covered peaks risked their lives to slide down the mountain, and it had nothing to do with the inherent risks of skiing. To see the pure joy of the villagers sliding down the hill on the most rugged of equipment reaffirmed my love for our beautiful sport. It made me understand how interconnected we all are. Next time I worry about taking out the 78s vs the 98s, I will think of these people building skis from wood planks and cutting milk jugs apart for the bases.
“Under the Spell of Beaivi” written by Leslie Anthony, with images by Mattias Fredriksson, shares the mountain culture of Swedish Lapland. This sprawling, wild home of the Indigenous Sámi people is waiting to be explored. The light, the skiing, the touring, and the fine dining make this a perfect springtime destination.
Our fashion editorial setting is an homage to the mountain culture of Japan and China, shot at Resorts World Casino and Zouk Nightclub in Las Vegas. World-renowned photographer Poby, stylist Shifteh Shahbazian, and art director Julius Yoder turned the Casino into an otherworldly oriental dreamscape.
As a lifelong ski pro, the story of “The Renaissance of Skiing” is near my heart. Your best accessory on the mountain truly is your ski pro. They make your day in every way. It is about skiing better, but they are your concierge of mountain culture, know the best skis for your ability, and the best conditions. A great ski pro will take your skiing to the next level and give you the confidence to own the mountain. Chino Martinez is one of those top international pros. From first tracks to last call, Chino is your pro, your guide, your stylist, and your wingman.
Find your mountain culture this season and savor every aspect.
Let it SNOW!
LiftingOff
This time last winter, I was shaking off the rotor wash, readying for my season’s first, seriously charmed, run. As our glossy red helicopter arced downslope into the shade of the Coast Mountains, a trail of fairy dust glittered in its wake. That familiar flutter of nerves – How does this whole thing work again? – was crossed with an unmatchable sense of being in the clouds. A whole new calendar year, yet it only takes one lift, one landing, one breath, to feel that feeling. High on diesel at 10 o’clock on a Tuesday, I was powder punch-drunk again.
With 675 square miles of off-piste eye candy, Whistler Heliskiing is a fine spot for winter whoopee – whether in December when two feet can fall overnight, or into April when the days are long and the stable spring snowpack delivers runs that have been untouched all season. Combine a day or two of this with Whistler-Blackcomb’s sprawling in-resort terrain and you’re set.
Like Heraclitus, we never ski the same run twice – and every season starts differently. A new ski area, new skis, a new outfit? Will it be worth the journey, will they turn, how does my bum look? What will your start look like on your Day One of 20, 40, or even 100 to come? For those in the measurement game – and heliskiing is populated by devoted vertical footmen – let’s raise a pole to the owner of the World Record Heliskiing Habit: 18 consecutive weeks at CMH in one winter. Basically, the entire winter, only heliskiing. No concessions to frugality there!
No matter how you start your ski season, may the best be yet to come.
TALENT
What qualitiesdo you most appreciate in a ski buddy?
LESLIE ANTHONY Writer
It depends on the situation; I’m looking for different kinds of knowledge, experience, and energy on a backcountry adventure than an in-bounds day. That said, I mostly ski alone, benefitting from a wealth of both experience and intolerance—movements around the mountain are efficient, line-ups avoided, arguments non-existent, mental tasks accomplished, and fun always had.
LORI
KNOWLES Writer
I imagine many moms consider their greatest feat as mothers was to nurture kids who are kind, thoughtful, curious, and self-reliant. I can look you straight in the eye to tell you mine was to nurture ideal ski buddies: keen, uncomplaining, talkative on the chairlift, willing to ski steeps, skilled in bumps, and perpetually hungry for a big, beautiful lunch.
MATTIAS FREDRIKSSON Photographer
I like to ski with people, but some days I prefer to be alone. It depends on my schedule. I also love to ski with our Siberian Husky, Tikaani. In a ski buddy, I appreciate good conversation, someone ready to ski their ass off, be in tune with conditions and potential hazards, and be organized. I can’t stand people who show up with their gear spread all over their vehicle, or even worse, late.
DAVID SHRIBMAN Writer
Since, at age 16, I tried to pick up a woman who was the girlfriend of the ski school director, I’ve shied away from meeting new people on the lift. I used to love skiing with my marvelous little girls. And when we were on the chairlift and witnessed a colossal faceplant, one of those daughters would always say “Nice job!”.
SNOWFLURRIES
Upwardly Mobile
Look up, way up… while we shine a little deserved love on the workhorses of our alpine pleasures. First in Courchevel, a new dawn for the venerable Saulire. The world’s largest cable car when it fired up in 1984, it ferried millions to its mythical peak and the rather hairy Grand Couloir beneath until, during safety tests in 2021, the cabins crashed into tangled heaps at the terminal station. Enfin, this winter two sparkling new cabins with floor-to-ceiling glass windows give us more space and superlative views onto Mont Blanc, each a $5 million car with a difference. Across the pond, a new celestial being floats over the beautiful Canadian Rockies. The Super Angel, Banff Sunshine Village’s six-person chair is blessed with cozy bucket seats, stylish tangerine-hued bubble covers and – best news of all – heated seats. When the up is nearly as good the down.—LW
Jackson, with Benefits
Embrace your inner cowgirl and cowboy at this stylish new glamping camp, nestled at the base of the spiky Teton Mountains and the entrance to Grand Teton National Park. Step inside these sophisticated private geodesic domes – there are 11 to choose from, in a variety of configurations –to discover a glorious king-sized bed, bunks for families, tiny kitchenette, heating and A/C, and a rather indulgent en-suite bathroom in each. Through the domes’ panoramic windows, and from the comfort of your fresh linen-draped bed, peaks are close enough to touch and a panoply of stars paints the night sky. (For a real up-close, there’s even a telescope.) In warmer months – think long silvery evenings after a day of spring skiing – camp hosts are happy to rustle up some s’mores by the open fire, crank up the soul-warming sauna, top up the heart-stopping cold plunge pool, and even fire up e-bikes for a modern-style ride across the plains. Critically for us, Tammah is also only five minutes from the first chair at Jackson Hole Ski Resort – offering up some seriously plush comfort deep in one of North America’s wildest locales.—Leslie Woit
Making a Beeline to ZIGZAG
French chic, meet Colorado cool. Your table awaits at Aspen’s new cross-Atlantic hotspot. ZIGZAG weaves Parisian chic with Rocky Mountain cool, the ideal setting for everything from allsacred apéro with the girls to what will doubtless be some of the most extravagant soirées this side of Versailles. Chef Sam Talbot, a culinary favorite of the can’t-name-names Hollywood elite, brings his custom approach to the table, fusing refined French techniques with bold American flavors. The vibe? Think
baby bistro meets alpine chalet—dim, moody, and dripping with style. Plush leather banquettes, statement wood-burning oven, and a menu as adventurous as a hike up Highland Bowl. Co-owner Romain Pavée has poured passion into a space where “chalet casual” is the battle cry of the sophisticated tippler. For lunch, après-ski, dinner or private events with Gallic flair that’s unmistakably Aspen.—LW
Skiers without Borders
Typically, it’s generals and presidents who decide where one country stops and another begins. Now, ice and snow are getting in on the act, too. Large sections of the Swiss-Italian border that follow glacier ridgelines and perma-snow have melted, causing natural boundaries to shift. To help both countries determine which is responsible for the upkeep of specific natural areas, Switzerland and Italy have agreed to redraw part of their Alpine border beneath the Matterhorn – some of the world’s most iconic ski terrain connecting Cervinia and Zermatt. Make turns, not war LW
Champions of the Golden Valley
Winner of the Grand Prize and Audience Choice Award at the 2024 Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival.
In a remote Afghan village near Bamyan – a name made notorious when the Taliban exploded its sixth-century Buddhas in 2021 – a human drama is about to unfold. With a newfound passion for skiing, and access to minimal gear and skis fashioned from planks of wood, local children and teenagers take the sport to their hearts. Hiking up and hurtling down, a winter of competition and practice culminates in a hard-fought ski race, an event that also includes a team of young women. Without giving too much away, Champions of the Golden Valley begins as a happy story.
“This is a story of peace through sport,” explained Colorado filmmaker Ben Sturgulewski, “and skiing was a way to open the doors to understanding these people.” He and his crew spent weeks documenting the characters, many of whom are subsistence farmers whose interest in skiing developed after an initial donation of old equipment by an NGO. “I found more than I ever expected,” he said.
the Taliban. Everything changed.
In the shadow of the destruction of the Buddhas and death threats from Taliban, Sturgulewski and his partner, the film’s producer Katie Stjernholm, were contacted to help people escape. They would help to evacuate more than 200 Afghans. The girls’ ski team fled the country and, together with his wife and young children, so did the village’s devoted Afghan ski coach, Alishah Farhang.
Inevitably, Sturgulewski was forced to reconsider the project: “Was the film anything anymore?” Undertaking a full remake, the short film turned into an 80-minute rollercoaster of laughs, tender emotion, and calamity.
“It’s the ultimate underdog story.”
Weaving in the challenges faced by Coach Farhang’s displaced life in Germany reflected a new reality. On the face of it, Champions of the Golden Valley is about skiing, yes. But it’s also a window into the human condition.
Following nearly two years of production and just before the short film was due for release in the United States, the launch was overtaken by events – the collapse of Afghanistan to
“The film was about connection and snow bringing people together,” he explained. “Now it’s also about the refugee experience.”—LW
|| Solstice Jacket & Sella Jet Bib
The Mothers of Jackson
Do it all and do it rad? There’s proof it’s possible when the world of elite skiing collides with the chaos of motherhood in Rad Moms. This short documentary provides a moving glimpse into the world of five pro skiers amidst their ultimate challenge: balancing having children with the adrenaline and dangers of skiing at their peaks. See the passions, strengths, and family bonds these women cultivate – not only with their young children but, critically, between each other. Among the unstoppable moms on show are big-mountain skier and co-founder of the non-profit SheJumps.org Lynsey Dyer, and Resi Stiegler, daughter of Olympic champion Pepi Stiegler, and professional mountain guide Jessica Baker. Legendary heart-stopping Jackson Hole descents contrast with tender moments between the mothers and their young children, parenting in a role-model-free-zone that is bigmountain life. “At the end of the day, the mountains are still there and we’re still rad moms.”—LW
Guaranteed Fresh Tracks
We all dream of fresh tracks. Filmmaker and Aspen resident, EJ Foerster has created a version that will be there every morning, weather or not –the new Fresh Tracks Espresso by MAMU Coffee. An ex-ski pro and filmmaker, EJ has directed many films throughout his career, including “Gringa” and the action sequences for the cult ski classic, “Aspen Extreme”. EJ and his nephew Richard Masino (MAMU stands for Me & My Uncle) have turned their daily ritual into a perfect blend that celebrates the high-mountain life and is as smooth as T.J. Burke linking beautiful turns in the Powder 8s.—BarbSanders
Comfy, Cozy
Fubuki
Moncler
Hunter & Cooper
Aspen Jewels
Garmin
Gordini
Toteme
Overland
We Norwegians + Mono
Goldbergh
Frauenschuh
Ski in Cotton*
*ORGANIC COTTON 3-LAYER FABRIC
O ur new ski touring kit –made in a light and durable 3-layer cotton shell. A highly breathable and water resistant fabric that is bonded with nanoporus membrane. Featuring smart details and functionality for long days on the mountain and everyday adventures that will age full of stories and memories.
Move with Nature
› 3-Layer cotton shell layer that offers flexibility and movement
› Electrospun Nanoporus Membrane that delivers water resistance
› PFAS Free water repellent treatment
› Waterproofness: 6K mm watercolumn
› Breathability: 5K g/m2/24h
› Water resistant taped seams on zippers
GearfortheYear
A skier’s compendium of the season’s most wonderful implements and innovations.
By Michael Mastarciyan
CARV Carv 2.0
The cutting-edge ski technology company that pioneered the use of AI to help skiers improve their technique has just made virtual coaching simpler. Carv’s latest innovation – Carv 2 – is a state-ofthe-art, six-axis motion sensor that clips onto the bootstrap. Gyroscope and acceleration data capture the movement of your skis, then send it to a coaching app on your smartphone. Compact and portable, Carv 2 is intended to be waterproof, snow-proof, and fall-proof. No inserts, wires, or installation required, this is plug-and-play ski tech that will fit every boot, even rentals.
LEKI Pretty in Pink
If you’re a fan of the uber-stylish pink Spitfire Vario ski poles that debuted last winter, you’ll adore Leki’s new matching pink WCR Venom SL 3D mitts and gloves. Just as hot, they’ve been developed and tested in close cooperation with Italian World Cup superstar Marta Bassino. The avant-garde design features textured triangular tops (like a flutter of I. M. Pei Louvre pyramids) and ceramic protection technology to keep hands guarded, warm, and dry – whether smashing race gates or raising a glass of champagne at La Folie Douce. These pink beauties also feature the Leki Trigger System technology that conveniently connects hand to pole.
TYROLIA Protector Bindings
Knees, forever a worry. With them in mind, during the 23-24 winter season some intrepid engineers at Tyrolia, one of the ski world’s oldest and most trusted equipment manufacturers, developed an innovative “Protector” line of bindings – and a year on, the findings are in. According to the safety number crunchers at Tyrolia, the breakthrough fullheel release technology allows for both vertical and horizontal release in falls, resulting in a 50 percent reduction in serious knee injury. A good thing, to be sure.
Marcel Hirscher Nation, and just about every other World Cup alpine junkie on the planet, have eagerly awaited the Austro-Dutch GOAT’s latest line of Van DeerRed Bull Sports skis and equipment. And the wait is over. Available at your local alpine sport emporium, Van Deer’s full line of racing, high-performance, backcountry, and freeride skis fills every quiver. This season’s collection also includes a selection of poles, travel bags, streetwear, and some very racy-looking ski boots created in collaboration with Lange. Our favorite ski, the H-POWER 78, is a fabulous all-mountain ripper that crushes groomers and ice like a race ski, with all the nimbleness of a deer when it scampers off-piste.
ROSSIGNOL Game-changing “Vizion”
How cool would it be to slide your foot in and out of a traditional, high-performance four-buckle ski boot like a pair of slippers? The dream is reality thanks to the genius R&D folks at Rossignol. Their new line of Vizion ski boots features a gamechanging, hands-free entry system based on an ingenious hinge that allows the back of the cuff to open wide so you can slink your hind paws in and out like butter. When the ground-breaking “Spine Link” mechanism is locked, it holds the boot’s steel spine in a traditional ski position without compromising control, flex, or performance.
APRÈS SKIED Recycled Ski Belt Buckles
Have you ever wondered where old skis go to die? Thanks to a couple of eco-conscious, crafty Canadians from Kimberley, British Columbia, some are getting a new lease on life as belt buckles, cribbage boards, and drink coasters. The brainchild of Brett and Michelle Saunders, their company, Après Skied, has become an under-the-radar sensation, with ski-holics from across the world ordering oneof-a-kind, handcrafted, and beautifully repurposed gems. The Après Skied collection is available for purchase online.
VAN DEER New Skis on the Block
Travelin Style
Ghurka
Oliver Thomas
SteamLine
Luggage
SlopesideSips
With so much to celebrate, we share a few of this season’s tastiest tipples.
THE ICONIC PEAK
Fairview Bar at Fairmont Chateau Whistler
The Vibe: Very rich and just a tad bitter.
Untamed Signature Rye Whisky 2 oz
Lapsang Souchong tea syrup (equal parts tea & sugar cane) 0.25 oz
Dash of aromatic bitters
THE SNOW GLOBE
Betula Aspen
The Vibe: Snowflakes on your tongue...only the beginning.
Snow Tequila Cristalino Reposado 2 oz
Fresh lime juice 0.75 oz
Toasted coconut demerara 0.75 oz
PURPLE RAIN
Wayan Aspen
The Vibe: Step into the purple haze, sip the magic of Purple Rain.
Snow Tequila Cristalino Reposado 2 oz
Suze 2 oz
Fresh pineapple juice 1 oz
Agave 0.25 oz
Muddled fresh blackberries
THE WHITE OUT
Mallard Bar at Fairmont Chateau Whistler
The Vibe: When you can’t see your hand in front of your face.
Absolut Juice Pear & Elderflower Vodka 1.5 oz
Cointreau 0.5 oz
Lime juice 0.5 oz
Simple syrup 0.5 oz
White cranberry juice 0.5 oz
Frozen cranberries for garnish.
AspenAesthetics
Two botanical beauty brands are plumping for healthy skin, the natural way.
by Jen Murphy
Katia Bates Interiors paves the way for timeless sophistication, which includes authentic Italian and European design, implemented with a passion for excellent craftsmanship, and a clear understanding of the client’s lifestyle and vision. Lead designer, Katia Bates, a native from the area of Venice, Italy, brings a wealth of knowledge and resources that allow for a smooth design process.
Our goal is to guarantee that each project is a showcase of elegance and comfort for long-lasting enjoyment. We work with architects, builders, and clients directly, taking a project from preliminary plans to final design and turnkey.
Direct: 954-646-0947
Katia@KatiaBatesInteriors.com
KatiaBatesInteriors.com @katiabatesinteriors
ANTEDOTUM
Founder Karina Perez Marconi grew up in Puerto Rico and knows first-hand the damaging effects of the sun on skin. When the former Chanel exec moved to Aspen, the high altitude, intense sun, cold and wind exacerbated her hyperpigmentation and melasma. She wanted a natural fix, so she turned to her backyard. Aspen trees are the hero ingredient in her five-yearold CBD skincare line, Antedotum. The tree’s chalky white bark is a natural SPF with antimicrobial properties. Like Perez Marconi, I grew up by the ocean overexposed to the sun before moving to the moisture-sucking mountains of Colorado. Antedotum’s serum, oil, and sunscreen have become my daily three-step ritual to heal and protect the skin.
Vital Face Oil is loaded with alpha-hydroxy acids to remove dead skin and with vitamin E to help repair UV damage, while vegan squalane provides a moisture boost. I use it every morning, but it’s also my favorite to reduce redness after a cold day on the slopes. Elixir Firming Serum, made with 500 milligrams of full-spectrum CBD, evens skin tone, minimizing dark spots. But if stranded on a mountain or island and only permitted one skincare product, it would be Essential Daily Sunscreen. Many zinc-based SPFs feel thick and goopy but this one is silky and light. Key ingredients include Aspen bark, amino-rich pea protein, and vitamin C. It’s reef-safe and offers blue-light protection.
LEAF PEOPLE
The ingredients in Leaf People products read like a list of superfoods for your skin: ashwagandha, Amazonian acai, goji berries, pumpkin seed oil. Many are hand-harvested by founder Julie Williams, a medical herbalist who sources aspen bark and arnica from the Rocky Mountains and forges for juniper in faroff Buddhist lands. Leaf People’s extensive line has a remedy for everything from a teetering immune system (try the Immunity Aromatherapy) to breakouts (the Blemish Spot Treatment is a lifesaver). The ultra-hydrating Green Tea Helichrysum Radiant Mask is my secret weapon on planes. Unlike most masks, you don’t wash this one off, but let its healing ingredients melt into the skin. It goes on clear, so your seatmates won’t notice and
you’ll arrive with dewy, fresh skin.
During ski season, the Herbal Sports Balm, crafted from high-alpine arnica and turmeric, is excellent for soothing muscles. The Essence of Colorado collection makes great gifts for outdoorsy friends. Curated beauty packs include the Back Country Buddy, a trio of invigorating mint and wheatgrass soap, herbal sports balm, and a roll-on bug bite relief remedy made from tea tree and calendula oils, and the Colorado 14er, which includes mint soap bar, sports balm, plus the best-selling arnica and turmeric hand and body lotion, a hydrating recovery serum for the face, and a soothing arnica and frankincense face cream with plumping hyaluronic acid.
Get Fit, Fast
Adopt this professional approach to effective ski conditioning – designed for top skiers and amateurs of all levels.
How to get fit for ski season? In search of the quickest possible fix, we asked the experts at Ajax Fitness in Aspen, Colorado. Physical therapist Bill Fabrocini, CSCS, is known for his work with Olympic ski and snowboard athletes, and Roman
Garcia is head personal trainer and NSCA-certified. Together, they pinpoint five essential areas — mobility, stability, strength, agility, and endurance — that build a solid foundation for onslope performance.
HowcanIimprovemystability and balance on skis?
What to target: Mobility and Stability
Improve your skiing posture and range of motion with exercises that help build a strong foundation. Bridges boost hip mobility and glute activation and bird dogs enhance coordination and core strength. Planks build core endurance, essential for maintaining balance and control while skiing.
Afteragoodlunch,I’mdone. Isthereanyhope?
What to target: Endurance
Interval training combines high-intensity bursts with recovery periods, building stamina and resilience to carry you through to après. By incorporating plyometric exercises that replicate skiing motions, we can enhance both cardiovascular fitness and explosive power.
The Assault Bike Ride as hard as you can for 45 seconds, rest for 30 seconds. Repeat for 4 rounds.
Jump Squats Do 30 seconds of explosive jumps, followed by 30 seconds of rest. Repeat for 3-4 rounds.
Lateral Bound Intervals Mimic ski turns by bounding sideto-side for 20 seconds, rest for 10 seconds, and repeat for eight rounds, Tabata style.
Mountain Climbers Engage your core and elevate the heart rate with 40 seconds of work followed by 20 seconds of rest. Repeat for 4-5 rounds.
Box Jumps Jump onto a sturdy surface and step down, working for 30 seconds and resting for 30 seconds. Repeat for three rounds.
Develop power, balance, and coordination by combining bodyweight exercises with resistance training. Squats, skater jumps, and lunges improve agility, endurance, and stability, while loaded exercises such as kettlebell swings build strength and explosiveness, essential for skiing. Bulgarian split squats strengthen each leg individually for improved symmetry and power, and Russian lunges boost dynamic leg strength and coordination.
Diningwiththestars
On this Italian weekend, celebrated chefs serve up a mountain of memories.
by Minty Clinch
Adecade or so ago, a food fantasist met a man with the drive to make fantasies come true. The outcome was the Mountain Gourmet Experience, celebrating its 10th edition in March 2025 in Courmayeur, on the sunny side of Mont Blanc. The culinary wizard was Heston Blumenthal, world-renowned creator of bacon-and- egg ice cream and of snail porridge. The golden ticket du jour was a reservation at The Fat Duck, his Michelin three-star restaurant just outside London.
The enabler was Amin Momen, shorter than Napoleon and as irrepressibly expansionist. He’d already convinced City of London hotshots that rubbing shoulders with celebrities over a weekend of ski racing, good food, flagons of Italian red wine and clubbing till dawn would boost their prospects. Of what, he didn’t specify – but they had a wonderful time. The City Ski Challenge is still the highlight of many winter diaries.
Heston, invited as a celebrity guest, also had a wonderful time. He’s a man who likes an awesome amount of what he likes. That includes skiing like Lewis Hamilton on speed and
ping pong, aka table tennis. As an insomniac, Heston rules the night – a nice fit for Amin, a Deep Purple aficionado and adept air guitarist.
Their arrangement was simple. Heston would line up three of his Michelin-starry mates – TV-chef Marcus Wareing, Roux-blessed Northerner Sat Bains, and the straight-speaking Frenchman Claude Bosi – to cook at the inaugural Gourmet Festival. He would meet and greet 60 guests. He would prepare a chocolate concoction fired up by liquid nitrogen to drink when it was time to say goodbye to them. Otherwise, he would rise late, ski, lunch long and well, play ping pong, and party till daybreak. By the time I arrived at the Hotel Royal y Golf, he’d persuaded the local police to release their table into its basement. The click of hollow balls smashing into concrete walls reverberated through the ground floor of the five-star hotel into the wee hours.
Courmayeur has always been Amin’s stamping ground. Half Italian, half Iranian, wholly British, his favored theatre is this smart Italian resort steeped in agricultural tradition and
Wednesdays 4pm-6pm at the Snow Lodge
draped in furs. Chamonix, at the northern end of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, is a French town that guards centuries-old first ascents under the surly gaze of Western Europe’s highest mountain, grimly capped in its trademark cap of cloud. In Courmayeur, a southern sun shines on an open mountainside, its tangled ranks of seracs and crevasses glittering with menace. Skiing among these is magical but deadly. Take a guide. Do exactly as he says. If you pick the right one, you’ll be at lunch.
Further down the Aosta Valley, the resort slopes opposite Courmayeur are mellow, with welcoming pit stops tucked into the forest. At lunchtime, no one looked beyond La Maison Vieille where host Giacomo cooked and served his piping hot handmade pasta choices to slavering devotees. First time around, he allowed Marcus, Sat and Claude to cook one course each for the gala dinner in his very basic kitchen. Top chefs never share, but Heston asked and they complied. At the after-
Chefs Wareing, Blumenthal, and Bains Michelin-ing up a storm.
“Ski, lunch long and well, and party till daybreak.”
party Marcus, as self-contained as Heston is wild, danced alone on the bar, eyes closed in his zen world. For the guests, the down-mountain snowmobile blast through a blizzard to Checrouit, the top station for the cable car back to town, was almost as memorable as a weekend of sybaritic menus designed to shock your doctor.
A decade on, the 10th Mountain Gourmet Experience vibe is more inclusive, with an open cooking demo on the Sunday in the streets of Courmayeur. The key cooks are as celebrated as ever. For 2025, the headliner is Jean-Philippe Blondet,
executive chef at Alain Ducasse, the eponymous Michelin three-star at London’s Dorchester Hotel. He is joined by Angelo Sato, exported from his native Japan to London’s Soho. He won his first – long overdue – Michelin star in 2024 for Humble Chicken, the flaming twirling yakitori counter he developed into a tasting showcase. Together, they will fire the opening salvo with an up-mountain Friday-night feast. On Saturday, they will prepare an après-ski BBQ. Both events will be supported by Amin’s trademark all-night DJ-led music extravaganzas. Buon appetito.
DowntheRabbitHole
We find a rather magical place to explore, where stumbling on a good time is on the menu.
by Jen Murphy
Vail’s Bavarian-inspired village and legendary Back Bowls have made it one of America’s top winter playgrounds. But when the lifts stopped turning, skiers didn’t have many options for ritzy nightlife or tony culture à la Aspen or Sun Valley. A modern-day wonderland, Chasing Rabbits gives skiers a new reason to visit Vail.
Thea Knobel, the young, stylish vice president of boutique real-estate development Solaris Group, changed that when she opened the wildly whimsical, Alice in Wonderland-inspired entertainment venue in 2022. “Vail attracts a very international crowd, and we wanted to give people a taste of London or New York City in this beautiful mountain setting,” she said.
Housed within a former movie theater in Solaris Plaza, the inimitable 13,000-foot venue designed by the Rockwell Group (responsible for making hotels stylish across the globe) takes guests on a fantastical journey through four unique spaces. Arched walnut portals and antique mirror ceiling panels give the Restaurant an air of elegance. The white-tablecloth destination has become the toughest reservation in town thanks to a light, flavorful Mediterranean menu of dishes such as citrusy ceviche, grilled whole branzino, and signature braised rabbit Bolognese. A meal there is just the prelude. After dinner, guests choose their own adventure.
For an intimate evening, tuck into the Library, a cozy
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF CHASING RABBITS
“Cocktail lovers, follow the glow.”
nook with 16-foot-high ceilings, exotic tiger print rugs, towering bookshelves filled with tomes from Knobel’s globetrotting grandmother’s book collection, all anchored by a large, neonhelmeted astronaut painting at the room’s center. It’s the perfect space to sink into a rich, velvet banquette for a nightcap, like the popular Beans to Nuts, a riff on the espresso martini. The full restaurant menu is also available for those who prefer to dine away from the see-and-be-seen crowd in the always-bustling dining room.
Cocktail lovers, follow the glow. The crimson-lightbulb patterned hallway is illuminated by red marquee lighting, creating an illusion of reflection as it unfurls to a secret panel door that leads to Moon Rabbit. East and West collide at this moody speakeasy decorated with Chinoiserie sconces and eggplanthued velvet club chairs. More than a cocktail lounge, the space delights with an artistic, interactive experience. For example, the tequila-based Sage Advice is accompanied by a tarot card. And the Cosmonaut, a vodka and sake concoction, is served in a playful coupe held by a tiny astronaut with bunny ears. “Every drink tells a story,” said Knobel.
The final path is a dizzying hallway that transports you into a video game with neon Pac-Man and bunny-printed black walls. An 11-foot-tall magenta breakdancing bunny sculpture awaits,
on guard at the entrance to the Rabbit Hole. Be warned, it’s hard to pull yourself out. By night, dance into the wee hours to tunes spun by international DJ artists, like American star John Summit and Mexico City duo Tom & Collins. During the day, it’s a lively, family-friendly arcade filled with oldschool video consoles playing Super Mario Brothers and Pong, electronic Twister, and pop-a-shot basketball, set against a loud soundtrack of Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa.
Knobel continues to expand the programming, with the goal of creating a community-driven, cultural clubhouse. The venue hosts comedy shows, film screenings, and streams live HD performances from the Metropolitan Opera. Last summer,
in collaboration with Vail Valley Theatre Company, Chasing Rabbits hosted six sold-out performances of Cabaret. On New Year’s Eve, it was an over-the-top Moulin Rouge-themed celebration, complete with seven-piece big band, can-can dancers, burlesque, and a DJ. “The sky is the limit with what we can do,” said Knobel.
Few places manage to be everything to everyone, but Chasing Rabbits has truly reinvented the multiplex concept. And for those who really fall down the rabbit hole, there’s always membership, with private events, secret menus, and your own liquor locker.
Magnifying the Magical
When a Pulitzer Prize writer meets a quantum field theorist on a snowy day, the heavens sparkle with possibility.
by DAVID SHRIBMAN photography by NATHAN MYHRVOLD
Snowflakes that look like doilies on a tea tray. Snowflakes that shimmer like stars in a distant galaxy. Snowflakes that have the look of bony, calcified starfish left behind by a receding tide. Snowflakes that seem to have the pitch-filled blisters of a fir-tree branch. Snowflakes, snowflakes, everywhere.
Snowflakes, in this case, caught as they sparkle, just before their incontrovertible, irreversible, and inevitable descent into a formless puddle. Snowflakes transferred onto a microscope by a very fine brush, the kind you might use for a watercolor painting — for what we are describing here is the creation of a work of art. Snowflakes eventually captured by a bespoke camera. Snowflakes whose images were shot at Fairbanks, in Alaska, and Yellowknife, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, two places where snowflakes are plentiful, but displayed and offered for sales in New Orleans and La Jolla, where they are not.
The visionary — the man whose vision sees beauty in the feature of nature that produces blizzards, snarls automobile traffic in cities, cancels school and, not so incidentally, creates the surface for our esteemed winter sport — is Nathan Myhrvold, a polymath who has not been on a pair of skis for a
third of a century.
Rather, Myhrvold has been the chief technology officer at Microsoft, cofounder of a software company, did pathfinding research with Stephen Hawking on quantum theories of gravitation, advised nine startup companies, was a pioneer in computational epidemiology, created a culinary-research laboratory, published a 2,438-page cookbook — and then decided that what he really wanted to do, where his true, untapped passion lay — was taking photographs of snowflakes.
Not cellphone snaps. Not casual shots while the flakes melted into watery blots. Not pictures of snowbanks that displayed a hazy shade of winter or were souvenirs from a walk on a winter’s day. But stunning, beautiful, granular closeups of snowflakes produced with a custom camera he spent 18 months designing himself and has the capacity — the power — of transforming nature into art.
Many of Myhrvold’s other pursuits weren’t incongruous for a man who entered college at age 14, studied math, economics and geophysics at UCLA and Princeton, and earned a Ph. D. with a dissertation on "vistas in curved space-time quantum
“Snowflakes are remarkable examples of nature’s art.”
field theory”. But snowflakes? He hasn’t been on a pair of skis since Good Will Hunting was on theater marquees and Celine Dion first sang “My Heart Will Go On”. He doesn’t do winter camping. He doesn’t have to scrape the ice from the windshield of his automobile; he lives in Bellevue, WA for gosh sakes. But he has discovered that there is something special — something romantic, something poetic, even — about a snowflake: something that the English poet William Blake might have celebrated, had he lived at Lake Louise rather than in London, by speaking of “To See a World in a Flake of Snow”.
“Snow is art, but there is no artist,” Myhrvold told me. “A billion brilliant pieces of art can be easily produced within an hour and no one will see and really appreciate them, because you need to see them at high magnification.”
Kenneth Libbrecht, a physicist at CalTech who is the Ansel Adams, or perhaps the Yousuf Karsh, of the snowflake world, has estimated that 315 billion trillion snowflakes fall annually, enough for creating seven billion snowmen every 10 minutes, every day of the year. He and Myhrvold met a decade and a half ago. It probably was the right contact for Myhrvold, for the subtitles to Libbrecht’s books have a lyricism to them: One is Winter’s Frozen Art. Another is Winter’s Secret Beauty. A third is Winter’sFrozenArtistry
“Snowflakes are remarkable examples of nature’s art,” Libbrecht writes in the opening of The Art of the Snowflake, a coffee-table book that occupies an unusual niche: a salute to an outdoor phenomenon that is meant to be read inside, a
celebration of the cold meant to be appreciated by the warmth of the hearth.
“They are born within the gray winter clouds, where the simple act of freezing turns formless water into spectacular crystalline ice sculptures,” he writes. “How amazing it is that these elaborate, symmetrical, and sometimes something stunningly beautiful appears quite literally out of thin air.”
How amazing, indeed. Very cool, in both senses of the word.
A few feathery flakes are scattered widely through the air, and hover downward with uncertain flight, now almost alighting on the earth, now whirled again aloft into remote regions of the atmosphere.
—Nathaniel Hawthorne
Snowshoers tramp on it, toddlers play in it, trucks plow it, people courting heart attacks shovel it. Dogs revel in it, poets celebrate it, Dartmouth Winter Carnival sculptors shape it, children add a corncob pipe and a button nose (and two eyes made out of coal) to it. And this, too: philosophers ponder it, and scientists study it.
In his 2019 Snow: A Scientific and Cultural Exploration, Giles Whittell reminds us of the similarities between snow and religion. “It comes from heaven,” he writes. “It changes everything. It creates an alternative reality and brings on irrational behavior in humans. There is a difference, though.
“315 billion trillion snowflakes fall annually, enough for seven billion snowmen every 10 minutes, every day of the year.”
Unlike religion, snow asks searching questions about the mysteries of nature.”
Those questions have been around for centuries. More than 400 years ago, Johannes Kepler, otherwise known for his theories of laws of planetary motion — there! finally an unanticipated straight line from Myhrvold’s Master’s degree in space physics! — expressed astonishment at the signature geometric characteristic of snow, writing, “There must be some reason why, whenever snow begins to fall, its initial formations invariably display the shape of a six-cornered starlet.”
There they go again, as Ronald Reagan might say: an expression of wonder when it comes to snow, in this case the employment of the word starlet. The answer is more prosaic. The 108-degree angles formed by the merger of two hydrogen atoms and a single oxygen atom — think H2O — doesn’t change when that molecule is frozen. But, Whittell explains, the process of freezing forces water molecules into “a three-dimensional hexagonal lattice as they lose energy and surrender to the cold.” We’ll stop there. A glossy magazine of fun and fashion is not the place to share more science — how many water molecules needed to form a stable frozen lattice, for example (answer: 275) — and, besides, that might rob the snowflake of its artistic properties in a brutal surrender to its scientific ones.
Myhrvold isn’t the first to photograph snowflakes. That may have been Wilson A. Bentley (1865-1931), a Vermont farmer known, inevitably and poetically, as Snowflake Bentley whose more than 5,000 photographs of snowflakes were studied around the globe and published in such publications as Scientific American and National Geographic. “From the beginning,” said Bentley, believed to be first person to assert that no two snowflakes were alike, “it was the snowflakes that fascinated me most.”
Then there was Libbrecht. Much of his work has been done in the laboratory, where he creates ice crystals. His photographs are stunning, full of pastels and countless shades of blue, all enhanced by colored lighting that, he explains, exploits the refractive property of the ice crystals. On occasion he digitally stitches together several photographs, sometimes adjusting brightness and contrast for effect. “Nature,” he writes, “provides so much to see and ponder, even in the cold winds of winter.”
And now, Myhrvold. He had, of course, seen photographs of snow before, but they mostly were of snowbanks. No great inspiration there. But gradually he was struck by the beauty of individual snowflakes. “At some point in life, most people who experience winter,” he and Charles Krebs, an award-winning photographer, wrote in the scholarly journal Microscopy Today, “develop a fascination with snow and admire the intricate, seemingly innumerable patterns of snowflakes.”
Myhrvold had a serious case of Snowflake Fever. He, Krebs, and electrical-optical systems specialist 3ric [cq] Johanson fashioned a portable microscopy system designed to take images of snowflakes in the field. This allows Myhrvold to undertake snowflake photography in a manner that allowed them to avoid the challenges that stymied Bentley, who in 1922 explained that “the utmost haste must be used, for a snow crystal is often exceedingly tiny, and frequently not thicker than heavy.”
The key was to find a way that evaded the swift evaporation that frustrated Bentley’s early efforts in Vermont.
Myhrvold’s technique involves catching snowflakes with a piece of black cardboard that he holds as snow is falling. He then transfers the snowflakes onto the microscope, fitted with a cooling system that he developed. The sable-hair brush he employs in this process gives the snowflake a static charge, allowing him to transfer it to a microscope slide. He’ll take from 10 to 100 photographs of a single snowflake, put them together in a software program, and make high-resolution prints.
In the gallery, as in these pages, are images that carry names such as Ice Queen, No Two Alike, Yellowknife Flurry, and Indigo Gradient. They remind us that there is enchantment in the ordinary, charm in the commonplace, allure in the unremarkable, magic in the mundane, and art in the familiar.
“Snowflakes are incredibly beautiful,” he says. “They’re an example of where a natural phenomenon creates beautiful patterns not only in one place — and maybe a billion at a time.”
“Myhrvold did pathfinding research with Stephen Hawking on quantum theories of gravitation, published a cookbook — and then decided that what he really wanted to do…”
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Beauty East and the
PHOTOGRAPHER: POBY
STYLIST: SHIFTEH SHAHBAZIAN
ASSISTANT STYLISTS: JASON CHAZINOUR, DEMETRIA WATKINS, KAELA BOURNE, NIKKI LABOUNTY, VICTORIA AKPAN, ELLA PRESLYN
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SHOT ON LOCATION AT RESORTS WORLD - LAS VEGAS
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Making
by Leslie
tracks in Swedish Lapland
Anthony | photography by Mattias Fredriksson
Mountain guide Johan “Jossi” Lindblom, Nova Crawford-Currie and David Kantermo enjoying April blower powder at Vistasvagge on the Kebnekaise massif.
Like a vista from a fantasy novel, clouds magically part to reveal an opening through the wall of rock on the horizon, its symmetry improbable—like some celestial geologic knife has carved an entranceway to a hidden world. As the mountainous scale of the gap becomes apparent, you can’t avert your eyes; it seems entirely surreal.
Yet what you’re seeing is as real as it comes. Looking south from the tiny ski area of Björkliden across Sweden’s Abisko National Park, some 125 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the wind-blown remnants of a retreating storm have uncloaked one end of an enormous U-shaped valley gouged by ancient continental glaciers. Considered the gateway to Sápmi, land of the indigenous Sámi people, the incongruous formation known as Tjuonavagge (Goose Valley) in Sámi—and Lapporten (Lapland Gate) in Swedish—has long been a symbol of this unforgiving but fragile land. Recently, it has also become a waypoint for adventurous skiers willing to make their way north of the 68th parallel.
There’s certainly abundant reason to do so. Not only is the sprawling, heavily glaciated landscape of Swedish Lapland home to spectacular and iconic scenery like Tjuonavagge, but some of Europe’s wildest remaining spaces. In and around these are scattered an eclectic constellation of unique ski experiences,
from charmingly authentic ski hills to luxurious lodges and backcountry cabins, from the world’s original ice hotel to more heli-skiing and ski-touring options than can be imagined. Running October to June, the lengthy ski season also spans a celestial shift from northern lights to midnight sun. If that weren’t attraction enough, benchmarks for accommodation and food are far beyond what you’d expect for such an isolated and unpopulated area. Call it adventure skiing in comfort.
Since prehistoric times, the nomadic Sámi herded reindeer across the Arctic, their territory stretching from Norway through Sweden and Finland to western Russia. Today, through a transnational parliament, the Sámi work with the governments of those countries to maintain ease of movement across their traditional lands, minimize encroachment, and preserve a rich culture that remains prominent in regional art and iconography. Though early summer’s midnight sun isn’t often mentioned specifically in Sámi mythology, it sees occasional reference as the sun-god Beaivi. And for visitors, being able to ski long into the night through May and June seems as much a gift from the gods as the land’s long turn away from winter darkness must be for its inhabitants.
The region’s modern history began when iron was discovered in the towns of Kiruna and Gällivare at the end of
The gateway to Sápmi – land of the indigenous Sámi people – is a formation known as Tjuonavagge, or Goose Valley, east of the village of Abisko.
“A symbol of this unforgiving land and a waypoint for adventurous skiers.”
the 19th century, leading to roads and an influx of workers in need of winter recreation. The Swedish and Norwegian governments collaborated on a rail link through the mountains to transport Sweden’s ore to the ice-free harbor in Narvik, Norway; to this day, a dozen daily trains move thousands of tons to the coast while the families of those who mine the ore continue to recreate on the infrastructure erected to serve their needs.
In Kiruna, the small mining mountain of Luossavaara was shuttered in 1967 and converted into the ski area of Luossabacken, from whose 530foot summit skiers overlook the town to the east and, looming on the western horizon, Sweden’s highest mountain range, the Kebnekaise Massif. Luossabacken’s three lifts are open for night skiing on weekdays and regular hours on weekends; its four slopes include one of Sweden’s best terrain parks, designed by an Olympic slopestyle-course builder. There’s also a lit cross-country track. In winter, everyone in town gathers at Luossabacken as if it were Kiruna’s living room. Here, while their kids are occupied in race or freeride programs,
Ex-pro skier and long-time freestyle coach Jan Aikio runs the café and rental shop at Luossabacken, a lively ski hill in Kiruna.
folks catch up on neighborly news, with no small amount of talk doubtless concerning the huge project, ongoing now for a decade, to move the entire town of Kiruna so the ore body beneath it can be mined. (This enterprise could last five to 10 more years; last time I visited, the town looked completely different from two years prior, with an entirely new downtown in a different location.)
On spring evenings, with the sun waxing toward its solstice acme, Luossabacken is packed, the energy of its young skiers and snowboarders uplifting anyone caught in the vibe. Indeed, the hill’s cold, dark winter mien inspires dedication, producing many notable top-flight athletes who went on to cinematographic notoriety or World Cup heroics—film star Jesper Rönnbäck, progressive freestyler Niklas Karlström, and a litany of snowboarders among them. Many of these luminaries are now parents whose kids represent the next generation of town rippers.
Janne Aikio, longtime local freestyle coach and proprietor of Luossabacken’s restaurant café, remains the only alumnus who can claim a cover of Powder magazine on his résumé—a dream come true for any hinterland skier. Quarterpipe hits were unheard of among skiers when an image of Aikio suspended 20 feet above one appeared in a 1996 issue, shot during a skibumming sojourn in the legendary ski area of Riksgränsen, a couple hours north. For many Luossabacken skiers and riders, spending a season at Riksgränsen remains a ritual to this day.
With its customs shed and roundhouse, the Sweden-Norway iron railway’s border post— Riksgränsen—became a busy middle-ofnowhere with a handful of inhabitants. Enough that in 1952, a ski lift was installed which,
2. Elle Cochrane takes a fika break at a shelter
3. Living proof of Sweden’s majestic mountains.
4. Crawford-Currie skis powder between Yahtzee sessions at Låktatjåkka Mountain Lodge.
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1. All trails lead to Låktatjåkko Mountain Lodge.
near Riksgränsen.
“With 360-degree skiing off the top, most people ski off-piste.”
followed by more lifts, cabins and a hotel, made it the world’s northernmost ski resort—a title held to this day. With 1,200 feet of vertical, Riksgränsen isn’t huge, but its draw as a de facto Arctic destination and its outsized global impact are significant.
Despite not opening until February each year, when light returns to the land, Riksgränsen became instrumental in the development of Swedish skiing from the 1970s to 1990s, and continues to host the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships—world's longest-running freeskiing event, now in its 33rd year. The treeless alpine terrain is steep and playful, made more so by heaps of snow, storms that deposit 60 inches at a time, and ferocious Arctic winds that form natural gullies and lips all over the mountain; the pistes are wellmaintained, but with 360-degree skiing off the top, most people ski off-piste. Views toward the Norwegian coast might tempt you to ski neighboring Narvik, a short drive or train ride away, with a view of the ocean between your tips. Almost improbably for a small-town ski area far above the Arctic Circle, Narvik will host the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2029.
Just south of Riksgränsen is the even wilder Nuolja–Abisko ski area, where the Swedish Tourist Federation (STF) Abisko Turistsation provides great food and access to a mountain whimsically referred to as Sweden’s La Grave. Tenuous comparison to the legendary French freeride Mecca holds for two reasons: a single dilapidated 1960s chairlift that takes 20 minutes to get skiers to the top, and no grooming whatsoever. Regular-style pistes cut through the lower trees, but the higher you ascend into the alpine the more the mountain’s 1,640-foot vertical reveals steep chutes and long canyons. It’s well worth a day of skiing when local heli-ski operations are shuttered by weather or if you’re road tripping Lapland ski experiences—the best way to do so as mobility allows for weather-watching and last-minute decisions.
While skiing can be good here, there are relatively few takers, and Nuolja–Abisko makes most of its money from northern-lights tourism. As one of the world’s premier places to reliably catch the aurora borealis, late fall and winter see tourists bundle up for the dark ride to the top, where they’ll find viewing areas and a little café at the Aurora Sky Station,
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1. David Kantermo skis Arctic powder in Björkliden.
2. Lindblom, Crawford-Currie and Kantermo dancing down Vistasvagge on the Kebnekaise massif.
which also happens to be a great place to start ski-touring missions in spring.
The summit also offers a sweeping view over massive glacial Lake Torneträsk, home to ice-fishing, snowmobiling, crosscountry skiing and ski-sailing. Past the lake in the distance at Jukkasjärvi, sits the world-famous (and much-copied) Icehotel. Inside this unique structure are an Icebar, Ice Rooms, individually sculpted Art Suites, and even an Ice Church (where, presumably, one prays for warmth). Not only can you stay the night layered up in reindeer skins, but over cocktails learn the fascinating process behind the annual design and creation of this ephemeral architectural wonder.
While small, traditional ski areas like Riksgränsen, Nuolja–Abisko and Björkliden are the literal opposite of luxury ski resorts like St. Moritz or Deer Valley, a unique form of northern luxury (think candles, Scando design and more reindeer skins) is to be found at all.
Abisko Mountain Lodge, just down the road from the town of Abisko, is the base from which legendary globe-trotting skiers Stefan and Pia Palm run their ski-touring and heli-ski franchise, Heli Ski Guides Sweden, from March to May each year. The lodge is typically booked out for northern-lights tourism until heli-ski season begins in the spring-winter crossover period known as vårvinter. Food is first class (slow-cooked moose, anyone?), and contra the dining room’s airy Nordic chic is a lounge of soft couches and plush chairs where guests relax after a memorable
ski day with Stefan’s coterie of powder-sniffing pilots and guides.
One advantage of heli-skiing in Abisko is that this is the only operation based there, while nearby Riksgränsen has several outfits that often vie for the same terrain. Nevertheless, if luxury is your thing, Riksgränsen is the place to kick it up a notch at the exquisite 14-room heli-ski and ski-touring base of Niehku Mountain Villa, an innovative, award-winning property built around the ruins of the old stone roundhouse and featuring Michelin-level food under Chef Ragnar Martinson. Founder and head guide Johan “Jossi” Lindblom grew up in Sweden’s north and has been on the scene in Riksgränsen since his days as a young ski bum.
Even some of the most remote mountain cabins in Swedish Lapland boast front-country charm. Take Låktatjåkkastugan, the country’s highest mountain station at 4,000 feet. A rustic, cozy affair accessed only by ski-touring, it sleeps 18 and features fantastic three-course dinners, Sweden’s highest bar, and worldrenowned waffles with lingonberries, cloudberries and Västerbotten cheese (so popular with backcountry trippers that the waffle list now exceeds the food menu). Surrounded by large mountains and small glaciers, here is a base for ski tours to 5,000-foot peaks that yield 3,300-foot runs to valleys from where you tour right back up to the hut.
But if backcountry is truly your thing, there’s one place in Swedish Lapland that can’t be missed: Kebnekaise.
An hour west of Kiruna, across slowly wrinkling land, lies a
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2.
1. Lindblom guides clients on a spectacular descent on the Kebnekaise massif.
The mountains near Kebnekaise Mountain Station demand a plan. Here, you are on your own.
3. Riksgränsen on a sunny powder day, the world’s northernmost ski resort is Arctic paradise.
4. Best waffles in the world at Läktatjåkko Mountain Lodge, crowned with cloudberry jam, a Swedish delicacy.
“As if ice sheets that carved these mountains retreated only days before.”
string of villages with tongue-twisting Sámi names. Between each, cabins with moss-covered roofs huddle in a leafless birch forest, secrets bared by winter’s revealing hand. When a large lake looms, boathouses join the parade. Where the lake meets a river in a wide alluvial valley, the road ends at Nikkaluokta.
A large A-frame next to a frozen parking lot is the staging area for snowmobiles ferrying people and supplies the final 12 miles to STF Kebnekaise Mountain Station, a 218-bed facility set below the eponymous massif. A Sámi family—once famous for its Farmer’s Almanac-style weather predictions made each spring on national TV—operates the transport. Inside, walls are hung with colorful portraits of Sámi elders. Living portraits unto themselves, silver-haired matriarchs shuffle between serving coffee, manning the cash register, staffing the gift shop, and leaning out the front door to shout instructions to snowmobile drivers.
Eventually, you find yourself huddled on a bench-fitted sled behind a snowmobile, following a trail as twisted as the surrounding birch until you exit the woods to cross a barely frozen lake and skirt bogs and streams swelling with meltwater. The landscape screams Pleistocene—as if the ice sheets that
carved these mountains retreated only days before—yet the peaks remain large enough for serious skiing, with Kebnekaise topping out over 6,500 feet. The Swedish Haute Route, a weeklong tour that includes the easily accessed Tarfala and Nallo huts, also starts here.
The “station” anchoring Sweden’s vaunted mountain hut system is more hotel than hostel. A large dining hall in which smorgasbord breakfasts, lunches and more formal dinners are served backstops a smart, bright common area of fireplaces and comfortable chairs whose focal point is a hand-crafted wooden ice axe commemorating the winner of the annual Keb Classic—a ski-mountaineering race in which teams tour and ski some of Sweden finest backcountry.
Before you know it, it’s long after dinner and you, too, are climbing the slope behind the lodge, after an hour or so to sit contemplatively with the golden rays of Beaivi swimming in the snow around you. Gazing out and across this magical land, you’ll think of all the places you skied and know one thing: though you can’t see the towering spectre of Tjuonavagge from here, you have surely passed through its gate.
Perpetual Revival
The
renaissance of skiing’s private outdoor classroom is just one way our sport is evolving – for the good.
by Lori Knowles
PHOTO BY SAM FERGUSON
BY SAM FERGUSON
Renaissance. Rebirth. Revival of “classical learning and wisdom.” Over centuries it has referred to that period of blossom, the one following the Middle Ages when the revival of classical learning and wisdom followed a long cycle of what Britannica calls “cultural decline and stagnation.” Reflective of art, philosophy, politics, commerce, rarely is renaissance thought of in terms of skiing. And yet, there it is: evidence through the ages of renaissance on snow. It’s not always classical or wise, but rebirth is there. We see ski renaissance in the 1930s when Harriman invited Hollywood to Sun Valley; the 1940s when the men of 10th Mountain emerged from foxholes in Europe to build future Aspens and Vails; and in the 1960s when Friedl Pfeifer launched
the ski-for-cash pro racing circuit.
Then came the '70s, that hedonistic decade with arguably one of the best rebirths: hot dogging. It was raw and unbuttoned — pot-smoking, back-scratchers, a stunt called the deep-crotch christie. Such fun, so badass! Folks called it “getting it on” and “monkey business.” We call it a renaissance, yet another example of skiing re-inventing itself over and over.
And what is today’s example? In the winter of 2025, how is skiing re-tooling itself next?
Is it in the re-proliferation of smaller, quieter, more private ski areas — the Yellowstone Clubs and the Wasatch Ranches and the Powder Mountains? (In 2024, The New York Times asked: “Can Reed Hastings Disrupt Skiing?”) Perhaps it’s in
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the re-emergence of slim-fitting '70s-style skiwear. Or Maria Bogner’s '50s-era stretchies. Or Oakley’s framed neon goggles and the classic Wayne Wong sunnies, mirroring the handsome fella or babe sitting next to us on the chairlift. There must be wisdom in the comeback of that phenomenon.
Or maybe, more classically, today’s revival is less joke, more serious. Perhaps it’s the comeback of narrower skis, or renewed interest in carving a groomed run instead of seeking out a powdered face. Or maybe it’s the return of the old ways of ski teaching — the private ski instructor, the one-on-one, the close attention paid to technique and fundamentals, and the level of determination and dedication it takes for a novice skier to go from zero-to-hero in the outback of a challenging mountain.
“The sport has been pushed to new levels.”
Maybe those trends constitute this decade’s renaissance?
Let’s unpack this notion. First, the private lesson.
“Since the pandemic, there seems to be an insatiable demand.” This from Eric Lipton, member of the PSIA National Demo Team from 2008-2021 and director and head coach of Destination Ski Camps in Park City. Lipton spends his winter days focused on private groups devoted to improving their ski technique, of which there is no shortage. “There has been more wealth creation since the pandemic for business owners and investors,” he says. “Spending on curated skiing experiences seems to have increased.”
Curated. The term takes us back to old days and old ways. We see barrel-chested ski pros standing by a fireplace at Stowe or Tremblant with names like Stein, Chip and Rudi. They’re offering finite progression from snowplow to stem christie by way of focused attention. Military-grade drills on repeat, over and over. Proper stance and balance on skis are paramount. Add in pressure control and edging, a well-timed pole-plant or two… perfect those and you’re golden. Reward is lunch at 1pm in a roundhouse. Menu may include glühwein.
But in 2025 there’s more — much more — than “rapid wealth accumulation” that is responsible for returning skiers to private outdoor classrooms. “The sport,” Lipton says, “has been pushed to new levels.” Boots fit better and offer enhanced performance. Skis are designed for specific terrain — there are boards for bumps, powder, ice and groomed, you name it. Outerwear is warmer, dryer, better fitting. And new chairlift technologies carry us farther faster and more comfortably. The result, Lipton says, is that high-performance skiing has become more nuanced, more desirable — but not necessarily easier. “Many [skiers] need specific coaching in order to achieve the highest levels of performance.”
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RENAISSANCE OF THE STUDENT
Here are five characteristics shared by private-lesson-takers, according to Lipton: 1. Demands a personalized coaching plan. 2. Interested in a customized resort experience. 3. Seeks outstanding quality of coaching. 4. Wants to develop a longterm client-instructor relationship. 5. Expects to visit a variety of ski areas and countries and wants to bring their instructor.
Let’s meet Christine Heller, an ideal example. Ms. Heller hails from New York City and (in winter) Aspen. Now in her 40s, she is VP and director of private sales at Sotheby’s Aspen. She’s also a very keen skier. At approximately $1000 per day, every single day of the season, Heller hires a private ski instructor from Aspen Skiing Company.
Why?
“To my core I’m a ski bum,” she explains. “I have a love for the mountains, the skier lifestyle, a passion for skiing. It’s something I want to improve on. I want to become the best skier I can possibly be.”
An Aspen ski instructor called Chino Martinez is Christine’s go-to. Every winter day for the past several years, Chino and Christine meet at the base of Ajax, Snowmass or the Highlands —location dependent on snow conditions, the day’s lesson plan, what’s for lunch, who’s around, a multitude of changing factors. And while sometimes an alternate private instructor is subbed-in for Chino if he’s double-booked, the scenario never changes. “Having a coach dedicated to improving my skiing,” says Heller, “well… you build a friendship, a sense of trust. He
pushes me and I trust him. He conveys a message to me in a way that I receive well.”
Heller was an intermediate skier when this cycle started. “I could do diamonds but not confidently,” she says. “I was intimidated by runs in Temerity (Highlands), and if there was a dump of snow on Aspen, I was fearful.” She set a goal long ago to ski 100 days with a private instructor every season to reach a higher level. She claims that by focusing with Martinez on skiing’s fundamentals — balance, stance, edging, timing — she’s doing it.
Today, in 2025, Heller can ski most terrain, in most conditions, confidently. She won’t label herself an “expert” due to an ongoing, self-imposed requirement (aka need) for finetuning. Says Heller: “There’s always room for improvement.” But she describes Martinez as patient, positive, and fun. “He’s very good at positive reinforcement but also quick to let me know when something is wrong, usually because I’m lazy. He’s great at getting to the point, but it’s not like school, he makes it fun. He cares. Everybody loves Chino.”
It’s true, $1000 per day over 100 days is a sizable investment. To Heller: it’s worth it. “Skiing is my number-one sport, I want to give more to skiing than anything else, and everyone around me sees that it makes me happy. Besides,” she says, “Aspen is a skier community. It’s like living in a fishbowl with a strong current. There are a lot of things normalized here that wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
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SAM FERGUSON
RENAISSANCE OF THE INSTRUCTOR
Chino Martinez’s livelihood depends, in part, on people like Christine Heller. Private ski instruction is his living, has been since his early days — a kid from Buenos Aires smitten by the sport after a family ski vacation, one driven to better himself as a skier. In the ’90s he replied to a newspaper ad for work at Snow Ridge Ski Resort, New York, despite speaking marginal English. He got the job, flew to NYC, took a taxi four hours and 59 minutes to the ski area in what he calls “the middle of nowhere,” and spent the next four seasons learning English, learning to ski, learning to teach skiing, and learning nearly every aspect of the ski industry: ski school, snowmaking, grooming, food and beverage. Zoom forward to 2025: he’s one of the most requested private pros on the snow school at Aspen.
Martinez likens private ski instruction to tennis camps by Rafael Nadal or Nick Bollettieri. “We’ve learned from them, the way they set up camps. People go for three or four days and learn the fundamentals. At the end of it, they’re killing it.” In tennis, fundamentals include grip, serve and stroke. On snow, it’s similar. Private ski instructors micro-focus on what Martinez calls good, old-fashioned basics: athletic stance, footwork, pole usage, pressure management, and the timing and blending of movements. Martinez and Heller might spend an entire afternoon playing with balance in the bumps, or simply growing comfortable with getting the hands in front. Together they have the time to slow things down, get it right, seek perfection. “Technique evolves,” he says, “but the more specific we are the more success we have. That’s the bottom line.”
And let’s not forget the add-ons. Like a personal concierge or an assistant, a private ski pro can arrange transportation, book a lunch table, or arrange for extra instructors for kids or guests with varying abilities. Martinez frequently facilitates ski trips to Europe and heli-ski adventures to South America for private clients. He’ll also assess equipment, suggest adjustments, recommend wider or narrower skis depending on the demands of the conditions and the mountain.
Which leads us to another trend evolving on the slopes this decade: the re-emergence of narrower skis. Also known as shrinkage.
“Private ski instruction is like a tennis camp by Nadal.”
TOP AND BOTTOM PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALEX JACKSON
PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANK SHINE
PHOTO BY JOERG MITTER COURTESY OF VAN DEER SKIS RED BULL
RENAISSANCE OF THE NARROW SKI + CARVING
Elan introduced us to those clownish parabolic skis in the 1990s: 40 centimeters shorter than the average ski of the day, and much, much wider, with a pronounced, hourglass sidecut. Since the Slovenian company took that leap, skis have been getting fatter. Standard widths have expanded to 80 millimeters underfoot and greater. That is, until recently. Ski pros, manufacturers, the industry, everyone this season is touting the Ozemp-ification of skis to achieve better carve, greater versatility. Fischer, Rossignol, Stöckli — they’re all in on the trend, re-introducing skinny skis to a market accustomed to excessive waist sizes. Case in point: the Van Deer brand by World Cup skier Marcel Hirscher. The H-Power’s racy 67 millimeter-width underfoot is downsized considerably from the generous girth underfoot last season on most skiers in Colorado. It’s an old-school trend, indeed. We haven’t seen these narrow numbers on boards since the ‘80s, and private ski instructors like Martinez are all over it, recommending better carve and solid edge hold.
As with private ski instruction, the question must be asked: Are more classic, narrow skis making a comeback? Companies like Van Deer are banking on it.
All this leads us to one final renaissance: carving. Skiers have been sniffing out powder since the beginning of ski time. Steep ‘n’ deep. Face shots. Freshies. They are the ultimate experience. Yet, in our society’s deep dive into deep-snow skiing, we may have lost our grip on mastery of the fundamentals: balance, pressure control, edging — the very basics Pied-Piper pros like
Martinez and Lipton have been touting.
Indeed, the art of carving is experiencing a renaissance. We’re seeing a comeback of gadgets and specialty clinics returning to fundamentals. The CARV system is a fine example. Using a sensor that fits under the liner of your ski boot, it’s a tool and digital application that closely analyzes your movement and, as a result, your performance. Motion and pressure are measured 20 times per second; the data is transmitted via Bluetooth to an app which breaks down details of your technique and feeds it to you through your earbuds, talking to you while skiing. Too far back? C’mon man, get forward. Hey, your timing is off, roll on edge sooner to stop that weak-ass skidding. CARV offers drills and games to help you improve. And best (or worst) of all: your technique is compared to other users. Like a scorecard in golf or a match in tennis, you can no longer hide your weak layers.
Aspen’s Thomas Roennau was an early adopter of the CARV system. With 33 years of experience as a ski instructor and as a former Denmark demo team member, he scored the highest rankings in the CARV system ever. Now he’s running Aspen clinics to help private clients perfect their CARV scores. Roennau’s CARV Performance Institute uses CARV technology (and loads of video) to provide “immediate, precise feedback,” transforming “each run into a step toward mastery.”
Ah, and there we have it. Back to those classic words again: Curation. Wisdom. Precision. Mastery. A return to basics may be the skiing comeback of the decade. It’s back to fundamentals. Renaissance. Revival of the classic old ways.
World’s Finest Private Chalet Awards s s
Sometimes, only a private chalet will do. Big, beautiful, and just like home only better, we proudly present the winners of SNOW’s World’s Finest Private Chalet Awards for 2025. Yours, and only yours, for the taking.
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Chalet 1551 Lech, Austria
Up a winding snow-covered lane, high above the peerlessly idyllic Lech am Arlberg, lives a little Schnitte (as they say in these parts) of heaven. Many a pine tree gave its life and limb to the cause, hewn and stacked forever more into the gentle A-formation that characterizes a traditional Vorarlberg chalet.
Some traditions are born to be enhanced, of course –and Chalet 1551 makes a grand success of that. By the time you reach the door of 1551 – courtesy of the chauffeur or led by your private ski guide straight off the slope – it’s clear that 1551 occupies rarified terrain.
At the ready, a discreet team includes a 24/7 butler, chef, waiter, housekeepers, and aforementioned driver (equipped with alpine-appropriate vehicles that include a jazzy Polaris 4x4). Mountain views across the Lechtal spill from a panoramic suede-and-fur-lined lounge anchored by a large open fireplace. A bevy of bedrooms welcomes families and parties of all configurations, from a few to
14. Each has a spacious en-suite bath and private terrace, ensuring utmost comfort and privacy for friends and loved ones. Indeed, all types find themselves well accommodated while skiing Lech-Zürs – from the manicured slopes to the renowned off-piste extending far into the neighbouring province of Arlberg. This snow-crowned status makes the region an annual pilgrimage for the freeride fraternity, as do the refined schnapps-and-champagne Stubes that speckle these slopes. All fine appetite stimulants for 1551 guests whose breakfasts, dinners, and afternoon teas are events in themselves, crafted by Michelin-worthy private chefs. Between feasts and revelries, there’s an oasis of a spa, lavishly equipped with an indoor swimming pool, Jacuzzi, Finnish and infrared saunas, hammam, and a treatment room with state-of-the-art hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Toss in a snazzy games room, a gym with all the trimmings and, here in the heart of the Austrian Alps, is a snow-kissed sanctuary of one’s own.
Octola Private Wilderness, Finland
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer?
Don’t be surprised if they do appear during your stay at the wintry wonderland of Octola. Indeed, reindeer in their hundreds are the only neighbors in this Lapp-ofluxury retreat not far from Santa’s North Pole. No elfin kitsch here, though: Octola obtains a level of stealth-wealth that would have the cast of Succession drawing blood for a booking.
This sleek uber-private camp, available for exclusive use only, is designed to reflect traditional Lapp laavu buildings which typically give shelter to nomadic peoples who roam the frozen Arctic. A winning choice for 21st-century nomads like us, it comprises a lavish 10-bedroom lodge, a super-suite two-bedroom villa, and a glass igloo that offers a sexy setup for one seriously charmed couple. Whether rolling in pristine snow after a massage, enjoying a swim in the beautiful pool, or sizzling in the wood-lined sauna,
privacy is prime: “The exact location of Octola is discreet,” says founder Janne Honkanen. “We advise all the guests not to share the location.”
For your sole enjoyment, then: the sumptuous lounges, lavish wine cellar, impressive hand-built barbeque party house. Dozens of activities are rolled out on command: from dogsledding, cross-country skiing (the national passion), ice skating, ice floating, to taking a spin on the private ice drifting circuit. Among the many toys for boys and girls include natty LYNX electric snowmobiles, and much more. Five ski resorts – Levi, Luosto, Pyhä, Ylläs and Ounasvaara – are between 20- and 90-minutes’ drive or, by helicopter, as close as five minutes away. Indeed, a heli-tour is a fine way to get a sense of this frosty under-the-radar 400 acres of hypnotically beautiful wilderness. Octola proudly flies the flag of “dream fulfilment” and, with zero light pollution, the magic of the Northern Lights is visible more than 200 nights per year.
Finally, North America is catching up. The catered-chalet approach – all-in mountain properties that deliver privacy, spaciousness, and a degree of luxury that can be as modest or as magnificent as you please – has been making magical memories in the Alps for a century. And now, Whistler.
A stellar new example of the private chalet has launched at Whistler-Blackcomb. Its tall double-width doors sprung open last winter, spread over three levels and occupying a castle-worthy 12,000 square feet – nearly the size of three NBA courts. Ten spacious bedrooms accommodate up to 20 guests, each with ample room to swing a cat and have it prowl around a king-sized bed, large en-suite with rain shower, fluffy towels and heated floor. Prone to inviting new ski friends round for drinks? The Wedge has elbow room for receptions as large as 50.
And therein lies the USP of a catered chalet: it’s like home,
but better and more of it. All needs are nurtured, all privacies protected. Fully staffed with housekeeping, wait staff, driver, and chef, before arrival at The Wedge each preference, all menus, even music lists, are teed up by the three charming Holdsworths – Keltie, Dan and Anna, co-owners transplanted more than a decade ago from the UK. Indeed, the concept for The Wedge was born of many animated family discussions about what the perfect Whistler holiday chalet would look like. And they nailed it.
Perhaps, after exploring the slopes of Canada’s largest ski resort, the group favors an evening of popcorn and champagne in the sumptuous surround-sound theatre where two dozen red velvet, exceedingly comfy recliners buzz back to nearflat at the touch of a button. Maybe a delicious multi-course dinner around the long, polished, and wild-edged wooden table, anchored by a floor-to-ceiling live plant wall . Or more
casually, a rolling assortment of delicious canapés and bowl food for a mix ‘n’ mingle evening around the crackling fireplace. So many more options than conventional and, by comparison, rather isolating hotel living.
Each visit is customized, but a lovely way to kick things off is with a Champagne-sabering toast as coats are taken and slippers fitted. There’s time before dinner for an afternoon foray to one of the premier attractions: a gorgeous wellness zone with sauna, steam room, over-size hot tub, swimming pool, cold-plunge pool – and this being Canada, a whole lot of snow to roll in should that appeal. There are treatment rooms, a yoga studio, gym, a billiards room, and children’s play zone. But if you prefer, you needn’t lift a finger at all – unless it’s for a swirl-and-sip cocktail class, your shaker keeping tune with your personal playlist.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WESGE MOUNTAIN LODGE & SPA
Whare Kea Lodge, New Zealand
High above the shores of New Zealand’s Lake Wanaka – only the fourth largest lake in a country awash in grand natural gestures – Whare Kea Lodge seems to inhabit a space between earth and heaven. A masterclass in restraint, with perhaps a whiff of Japanese minimalism in the clear air, it blends sleek architectural lines with wild, dramatic surroundings.
No economies of space, here. There’s ample room for 12 guests in six spacious bedrooms, each featuring super-king beds, large walk-in showers, and deep baths cleverly oriented to frame views onto the glittering waters and Southern Alps’ peaks. Large communal areas — the combined dining and living space, billiards room, outdoor hot tub — are speckled with the private art collection of the owners, art lovers and, quite rightly, keen heliskiers.
And this is where the Lodge comes into its own.
Right from the garden of Whare Kea Lodge, in fact. Lift off from the doorstep into some of the world’s most exceptional heli-skiing terrain – from sheltered bowls to those oft-photographed steep, technical descents, with vertical drops of up to 4,000 feet. Excellent warm-up opportunities are nearby, as well, at the ski fields of Treble Cone, Cardrona, and The Snow Farm.
Can there ever be too much privacy? There’s a chance to dial up yet more remote adventure at Whare Kea’s little sister property, the Mountain Chalet. This tiny retreat is perched at 1,750 meters, a romantic two-bedroom chalet that’s solar-powered, self-sufficient, and a mere hop, skip, and a short heli-ride from the Lodge. The ultimate first-track insurance policy, with near-pornographic panoramas of glorious Mt. Cook and Mt. Aspiring in the distance.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF WHARE KEA
LODGE
Kitzbühel
SNOW SOCIETY EXTRAVAGANZA 2024
SlopingofftoAfrica
Experiencing the home of the original ski safari.
by Dan Nicholl
As ski season takes hold across Northern Hemisphere, the usual après debates play out in bars from Aspen to St. Moritz, Morzine to Whistler: Is skiing or snowboarding the true art form? What’s the perfect drink after a day on the slopes? And, of course, which is the ultimate ski destination? There’ll be plenty of familiar suggestions and a few exotic ones – but it’s almost guaranteed there won’t be much mention of Lesotho.
A tiny mountainous nation at the bottom of Africa, landlocked Lesotho is entirely surrounded by South Africa. It occasionally makes the front page when Prince Harry visits the children’s charity he co-founded, or after a significant diamond find. But Lesotho holds a unique distinction: it’s Africa’s only ski resort south of the equator.
So, what does an African ski resort look like? If you’re used to winters in the Alps or the Rockies, Afriski may be a little underwhelming. When natural snowfall is scarce, the resort’s machines generate a bright white ribbon suggesting an overturned truck has spilled a cargo of vanilla ice cream down the brown scrub of the Maluti Mountains. But Afriski does get regular snow thanks to its elevation of over 3,000 meters, and the resort’s history dates to the 1960s when the Maluti Ski Club was founded.
Some 60 years later, it’s still a modest affair. The lone run isn’t much more than a kilometre of gentle descent – the accomplished skier will be down in a flash. But Afriski isn’t targeting a preseason Mikaela Shiffrin, nor is hosting the Winter Olympics likely. In a part of the world more commonly associated with safaris under the African sun, few people have first-hand experience of snow sports, thus even a relatively short run makes for a unique holiday. For Lesotho locals and neighbouring South Africans, it’s the perfect warm-up for a maiden visit to a European resort.
Afriski is still a worthy pilgrimage for visitors from further afield. The Basotho people are famously warm and friendly, there’s a well-stocked ski shop, and accommodation ranges from backpacker simplicity to serviced apartments. The sixhour drive from Johannesburg also provides the opportunity to combine skiing with a classic African safari, swapping ski gear for khakis in between.
But perhaps the best reason to visit Afriski is the aprèsski conversation. After a day on the slopes, as stories of great adventures gather momentum, you’ll be able to wait for just the right lull in conversation. “I skied in Africa.” And that’s a trump card that’s hard to beat.
