Go hard or go home – our customers did both. But where would they return to next year? You voted these resorts as the top places for advanced skiing, snowboarding, off-piste and terrain parks. So if you know your off-piste from your backcountry and your iron-cross from your misty-flip, then this is the blog for you. Read on powder hounds and park rats…
Off-Piste
These are two of the most beautiful words a skier or a snowboarder will ever hear, especially when it’s just you and your mates, with knee deep powder. For most, it doesn’t get better than this.
Whistler is world famous for its incredible powder
1st - Whistler, Canada
Michael: Whistler got the number one spot this year (2nd in last year’s awards) and we can’t think of a resort that offers more “off-piste” style skiing than Whistler Blackcomb. We use inverted commas because technically it isn’t off-piste. Whistler (like all USA & Canada ski resorts) works within a bounded area, so even if you’re skiing bowls or between runs you’re still within the patrolled and controlled ski area – so you’re getting off-piste terrain within the ski boundary. This makes it so much more accessible. There are bowls for blue run skiers, but if you’re more adventurous then there’s plenty for you too. In total there are 16 alpine bowls, 3 glaciers and a massive amount of tree skiing (or glades as they call it out there). Add to this the 12m of snow it gets in an average season and you have all the hallmarks for a resort that, I think, should be number one in our awards every year.
2nd + 3rd- Nendaz & Verbier, Switzerland
Kevin: When you’ve got 400km of ski area it’s a relatively safe bet that the off-piste is there to be found and it’s going to be extensive; Nendaz and Verbier don’t dissapoint. There are a few well known key areas of off-piste but hire a guide or befriend a local and there are so many hidden places in the expanse of the ski area. You could easily spend a season there without skiing it all. The most famous of the areas is Mont-Gelé which is accessible by cable car, and is the steepest of the off-piste skiing in the region. This is not a time for bravado, as this terrain means business and is only for advanced skiers. Other areas like Les Ruinettes and La Chaux make this unbeatable for off-piste for the experienced skier.
4th - Gressoney, Italy
Vanessa: It comes as no surprise that this hidden gem has been voted in the top 5 for off-piste resorts for the second year in a row. Part of the Monte Rosa ski region which is the second highest ski area in Europe means that Gressoney is a safe bet for good snow. It’s the perfect place to try a bit of off-piste skiing thanks to its many untouched slopes, extreme descents and top views. Boarders love the free-riding on offer here, whilst those keen to go heli skiing can enjoy breathtaking descents into all three valleys with verticals more than 2000m possible.
5th- Chamonix, France
Kevin: Chamonix sits at the foot of Mont Blanc and, unsurprisingly, it’s known for its fantastic off-piste. There are four distinct areas to choose from; Tête de Balme is fairly low down at 2185m but still provides excellent off-piste. La Flegere is better for the beginner off-piste types as it’s a little easier going and usually quiet. Les Grands Montets is best when it has snowed a lot and is one of the places to find spectacular views. The most famous of them all is the Valley Blanche, which runs from the top of Augille du Midi back to the centre of Chamonix. It’s a 24km non-pisted, non marked and fairly dangerous off-piste area. Take it safe – you’ve been warned.
Best for Advanced Skiers
If you fancy yourself as a bit of an epic skier or snowboarder then this is the list of resorts you need to start ticking off.
It’s not just parks that entice skiers to Winter Park
1st – Winter Park, USA
Michael: We love the Crystal Awards for exactly this kind of winner. Winter Park is the underdog here – it doesn’t have the name of Whistler, Vail or Breckenridge, but what it does have is an absolutely killer ski mountain. Crowds are not something you need to worry about – during the week you’ll have the mountain to yourself, and it’s a big mountain to explore with 3,000 acres of terrain. Of that, 19% is marked as ‘advanced’ terrain including the blue/black tree runs. This is brilliant for even the aspiring advanced skier. But it’s the impressive 53% of the terrain which is designated as ‘most difficult’ that we love. Most of that is in the Vasquez Cirque area; don’t let the piste map fool you, that area is much, much bigger than it looks. If you’re not familiar with North America’s grading system then a black is a red run and a double black is a black run. Although, in Winter Park they have one higher – the dreaded double black EX runs. If you like your advanced skiing or boarding then, boy, are you in for fun. A further 3% is marked as “expert only” – we haven’t asked to be shown this bit of the mountain and are quite happy never to find out how tough it gets.
2nd - Whistler, Canada
Michael: After being in the top spot last year, and dropping a place, will Whistler be happy with that result? Definitely not – they’ve spent the last twenty years picking up more awards for their terrain than any other resort we know. Last year alone they got #1 awards for their terrain from SKI Magazine and Freeskier Magazine. We hardly feel like we need to tell you about the number of bowls, runs, moguls and jaw-dropping amount of snow it gets. If you want double black diamond, extreme terrain then there’s Spanky’s Ladder and the other tough stuff in the Blackcomb glacier. Plus, over on Whistler you’ve got Flute Bowl and some vertical runs off the peak chair. Can you beat this for advanced terrain? Well, actually, you can. Next season Whistler is investing in a couple of lift changes which will mean considerably less queues (you do get them sometimes at weekends) so you can access the tough stuff even easier than before. Will your legs be able to cope, though?
3rd – Vail, USA
Michael: Another repeat offender in this category, taking the third spot last year too. Although Vail has got a bit of a reputation for being a more luxury-end resort, the mountain panders to no one. The front side, which runs back down into Vail’s numerous villages, is a fun mountain with some whizzy black and blue runs but we love to head into the back bowls where the proper fun starts. There are four absolutely massive bowls. It’s not just for the advanced skier – a lot of it isn’t even that steep a pitch. But, when Vail has had one of its frequent big dumps of ’it’s-so-light-I-can’t-make-a-snowball-out-of-it snow’ then we think there isn’t a better place on the planet to be. Knee-deep skiing, through talcum powder snow, and the area is just so big that you always make fresh tracks. Fancy a bit of tree skiing? Well go that little further to Blue Sky Basin. If you ever tire of this area (which you won’t) then next door is Beaver Creek – very much underrated for advanced terrain too.
4th – Banff, Canada
Michael: The final resort making it in from North America, with lots of bits and pieces of the above resorts all available from your base of Banff. First of all if you want the ultra steep, crazy terrain then Sunshine Mountain has Delirium Dive. You’ll need an avalanche transceiver, shovel and buddy (you can’t go in alone) to even be allowed through the gate to this area. Not quite that extreme? Well Sunshine still has some pretty hairy runs on Goat’s Eye. Head to Mount Norquay, which is the closest resort to Banff Town, and there are some surprisingly testing runs for a reasonably small resort. But the ski area is not called “Ski Big 3” for nothing; Lake Louise has back bowls that almost rival Vail. It’s a complete mix of pitch, from easier stuff to very extreme. On a good powder day, get up early and head to Louise – you will not be disappointed.
5th - St Anton, Austria
Chris: Work hard, play hard is the perfect way to look at one of Austria’s most popular ski resorts. St Anton has a well deserved reputation for being a party town but it’s the challenging dynamic slopes that pull in a loyal following of advanced skiers each season. The huge Arlberg Ski area represents a playground of deep snow and un-groomed runs, such as Schindlerkar and Mattun. Expect steep terrain and plenty of moguls to get your legs working. Those with a head for heights can try tackling the dizzying Valluga summit descent. Standing on the edge is about as close as most skiers come to this run. For those brave ones, the first challenge is figuring out where the slope has disappeared to as you try to descend. After a tricky (and gravity-defying) start, you’re instantly faced with cliffs and bare rock to navigate through. With runs like these it’s no wonder that skiers in St Anton need a beer at the end of the day.
Best for Snowboarding
Ditch your planks and poles for a boarder’s paradise in Banff
This is always a bit of a tricky one. What does a snowboarder like? Pretty much everything a skier does. We’ll look at some core things that tend to be more popular with snowboarders than skiers.
1st - Banff, Canada
Michael: What’s this all about? For the second season running Banff has got the top spot here – knocking out major rivals including Whistler, Winter Park and Breck – all of which are legendary resorts for snowboarders. Did something go wrong with our stats? Absolutely not – the terrain around the Banff area is often massively underrated. Sunshine Mountain has one of the best mixes of terrain with great groomers, steep steeps off Goats Eye, bowls and the ultimate backcountry style ski experience – Delirium Dive which is an experts-only affair. It’s also got 15 acres of park, but if it’s parks you’re after then Lake Louise’s is the place. It’s right at the base of mountain, plus it has some of the best back bowls we’ve found. Both resorts get pummeled with perfectly light Alberta snow and there’s very few drag lifts. We haven’t even mentioned the other skiable mountain on the ‘Ski Big 3’ pass – Mount Norquay (OK, we have now). Plus, from Banff you can pop over to Kicking Horse for the day where you will find some of the toughest on mountain bowls to be found in all of Canada.
2nd – Whistler, Canada
Michael: It’s hardly surprising that Whistler makes it high up this list; it was 3rd last year and is the only resort to make it on every category on this post. Read the ‘best for snow park’ bit and you’ll see why it’s great for parks – the superpipe and the snowcross always popular with boarders. Add onto this the massive “off-piste” terrain, superb advanced terrain (yep – rated in this post too), insane amounts of snow, 200+ runs, Crystal Awards winning après-ski (read the last Crystal Awards post for this) and hardly any drag lifts. That could mean a lot of reading, but maybe just take our customers’ word for it – it’s really good for snowboarders.
3rd - Avoriaz, France
Kevin: What doesn’t Avoriaz have that a snowboarder would want? 650km of piste, 5 snow parks, and 266 pisted runs with very few long flat blues leaving you looking longingly at every skier’s poles as they glide effortlessly past you. There’s a great variety here whether you prefer long wide pisted runs, playing in the trees or getting down in the powder. What stands out most of all though are the selection of 5 snow parks.
4th – Winter Park, USA
Michael: Dropping a couple of places from 2nd last year, but to be in the top five. Winter Park is probably not as well known as places like Whistler and Breckenridge, but it should be. The third largest resort in Colorado, this place means business. It only misses out on one award on this page, being voted the best for Snow Parks and Advanced terrain, and beating Whistler both times. There’s 29ft of snowfall in an average season here, and Colorado snow is some of the lightest to be found anywhere in the world. Add to that the 143 runs across 3,000 acres of terrain and a peak of over 3,600m, and you start to get a picture of what a phenomenal mountain this is. Of its 25 lifts only 5 are pull lifts. There is a bit of flat around the peak of Mary Jayne, but that’s pretty much the only way to fault Winter Park for snowboarders.
5th – Breckenridge, USA
Michael: Making the top 5 for the second year running. Breckenridge is the most popular US resort for UK skiers and snowboarders. The terrain was spread across 4 mountain faces, but next season it’s seeing the biggest expansion it’s ever had – another entire mountain face opening which increases the ski area by nearly a third. The 4 terrain parks and superpipe will be there, as before, but this will add even more bowl skiing and some great tree runs. The old mining town of Breck sits at 3,000m, so pretty high, and by mountain maths means lots and lots of snow. With the increased terrain this is a great excuse to get back over to Breck.
Snow Parks
Every resort nowadays seems to have one – with far more skiers and snowboarders wanting to try their luck and bang out a few tricks.
Practice your jibbing, grabs and rail slides in Avoriaz
1st – Avoriaz, France
Kevin: Retaining its place at the top of the pile, for a second year, Avoriaz has five separate parks in resort. The most famous being the Stash, which is sponsored by Burton. It’s a freestyle ride park through the forest, which is pretty unique and is a totally amazing experience. Avoriaz also caters for the youngest market too, with the invention of little Stash which is especially for children wanting to try out the park. You’ll find some great park and pipe instruction there – so if you’ve always want to try, then this is the place. Or, if you just want to keep going bigger, then this is the place to learn with proper instructors so you don’t break anything important.
2nd - Chamrousse, France
Kevin: Moving up 1 place from last year, Chamrousse continues to overshadow some of its bigger rival resorts in France. The Snow Park has a huge amount on offer, especially considering the size of the resort. It’s known for being un-crowded and very pretty. A lot of the jumps, boxes and rails are in the tree lines, so just make sure you keep your eyes on what you’re doing. This free style park is south facing, making it sunny too, so you can top up on the tan while you grind – superb. As with most areas there are features for all abilities, so even those who are new to airtime will be catered for.
3rd - Livigno, Italy
Vanessa: Livigno has the largest number of snow parks in Italy and is arguably one of the best places in Europe for throwing yourself over jumps and rails. It has two main parks – Mottolino and Carolsello 3000 – which between them offer a freestyle zone, kid’s fun park, giant airbag and the chance to jump over a plane. For the novices and youngsters, Livigno has another three parks dedicated just to them. The most recent of the three is the Cable Park, built in 2012 and perfect for learning the tricks of the park. This flat park in the middle of the village has a unique system of cables pulling you along, rather than being reliant on gravity.
4th – Winter Park, USA
Michael: Let’s face it, a resort called “Winter Park” you’d expect to appear in this list. Winter Park is a superb resort in every way, but for parks it really excels with a superpipe and six terrain parks with over 85 features. It’s a great place to learn freestyle skiing or boarding. There’s an easy park called “Starter and Bouncer” where you can start to learn boxes, rails and jumps. You can then progress up through a range of difficulties until you hit the infamous “Dark Territory” park – experts only.
5th -Whistler, Canada
Michael: Whistler just missed out on this award last year, which is surprising when you look at what’s on offer. Whistler likes being the biggest and best, and their parks are no different. There are 6 terrain parks across 99 acres with over 150 features between them – 40 plus of which are jumps. Oh, then there’s a superpipe and (our personal favourite) the snowcross course. This is one of the best we’ve done, and you have to give it a go if you’re a proficient rider. There’s a phenomenal park school too – so if you haven’t done it before then this is the place to learn. There’s features rated from S (small) to XL which, as you can imagine, are pretty big.
So our customers and destination experts have spoken. Do you agree with the award winners? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook or Twitter.
The post Crystal Awards 2013 – Best for Advanced Skiing & Snowboarding appeared first on Ski-buzz.