While I love a good work-out, I'm also all about that après-ski life - restorative, warm, cozy, tasty pursuits. I actually don't know how to ski (yet!), but I fully appreciate the appeal of being atop a spectacular mountain breathing in fresh, clean air before whooshing down its slopes.
High-altitude lifts are already running at resorts in Zermatt, Engelberg, Andermatt and Saas Fee in Switzerland, Tignes and Les Deux Alpes in France, Cervinia in Italy, Ruka and Levi in Finland, and Idre Fjall in Sweden to name a few. Hotels, restaurants and bars will require proof of vaccination or a recent negative test, like most places these days do. Everywhere, ski resorts are ready to welcome you back!
If you're trying to decide between a European ski adventure or staying in the U.S., I recommend Courchevel, France or heading to Telluride, Colorado - or visiting both!
Excerpt of Virtuoso Traveler Dec. 2016 article by Susan Hanson can be found HERE.
Courchevel, France
Stay: In 1946, Courchevel became France’s first ski resort to be built from the ground up, its Trois Vallées perch chosen for its prime access to 370 miles of pistes. Today, the hamlet is home to upscale boutiques, Michelin-starred restaurants, and celebrity-beloved accommodations, including the 36-room Cheval Blanc Courchevel, a sophisticated, art-filled chalet with a dedicated ski-concierge team that heats up your skis and leaves them waiting on the slopes. Unpack in the bilevel Duplex Suite, which has a loft bedroom and a library. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and 150 euro hotel credit. Plus: Curl up in a cashmere blanket and set off through the Courchevel countryside on the hotel’s dogsled excursion. Souvenir: The eclectic home furnishings at concept shop Lilie Lifestoreinclude a sleek Altiligne metal and wood lamp sure to stir up memories of the slopes.
Telluride, Colorado
Stay: The stories of Telluride’s gold-mining past remain (Butch Cassidy robbed his first bank here), but travelers come today more for top-notch terrain than Wild West drama. A quick walk from the Mountain Village gondola (which connects guests to the town of Telluride below), the rustic, 32-suite Inn at Lost Creek has ski-in/ski-out access and a rooftop hot tub. Dine on crispy duck hand rolls and grilled elk at Siam’s Talay Grille, then warm up some hot chocolate in your Junior Suite’s kitchenette and settle in by the gas fireplace. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 hotel credit. Plus: Gear aficionados will love the tour of the Wagner Custom Skis & Snowboards factory in Mountain Village. Souvenir: Stop by the Telluride Distilling Companyfor a bottle of Chairlift Warmer, the first craft peppermint schnapps produced in the U.S.
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