Where and when to go skiing and snowboarding?
This is always the question on everyone’s lips.
When to ski is a bit of a gamble, as any time between December and April could bring fantastic snow conditions in the northern hemisphere. Equally you might be very unlucky whenever you go. As a general rule, Jan, Feb and March are the months you can be most sure of great conditions, with March and April being generally warmer and sunnier, though there is still a great chance of fresh snow. For powder hunters we suggest you wait until the last minute and follow the snow forecasts.
Where to ski or board is an equally hard question, and really comes down to personal choice. Different ski resorts cater for different tastes and budgets, and different terrain will of course appeal to different types of skier or snowboarder. It is well worth reading up more about this before you choose where to go. We highly recommend the Ski Club resort guide for an in-depth overview of ski resorts all round the world.
We think you should consider going to the muchbetter resorts. Ski resorts have a big impact on their local environment, and use a huge amount of resources. The first detailed environmental audit of 263 of the worlds ski resorts (excludes Asian resorts) found the following to be leading the way when it comes to minimising their environmental impact. They are all great ski resorts, and by choosing to go to greener ski resorts you are sending a clear message to the rest that they should follow suit.
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Europe Arosa, Switzerland Flims, Switzerland Laax, Switzerland Saas Fee, Switzerland Les Gets, France Les Menuires, France Megeve, France La Tania, France Avoriaz, France Kaprun, Austria Tux, Austria Werfenweng, Austria Zurs, AustriaLech, Austria |
Oberstdorf, Germany Tryvann, Norway USA and Canada Jackson Hole, USA Jiminy Peak, USA Moonlight Basin, USA Sugar Bowl Ski Resort, USA Sunday River, USA Winter Park, USA Sun Peaks, Canada
Australia Falls Creek.
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The following resorts came out at the bottom of the survey.
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Europe Argentiere, France Crest Voland Cohennoz, France Les Orres, France Risoul, France Fieberbrunn, Austria Filzmoos, Austria Bansko, Bulgaria Borovets, Bulgaria Pamporovo, Bulgaria Levi, Finland Bormio, Italy Clavière, Italy Cortina, Italy La Thuile, Italy Livigno, Italy Macugnaga, Italy Passo Tonale, Italy Pila, Italy Santa Caterina, Italy
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Sestriere, Italy Poiana Brasov, Romania Glencoe, Scotland Glenshee, Scotland Lecht, Scotland Kopaonik, Serbia Kranjska Gora, Slovenia Sierra Nevada, Spain Lenzerheide – Valbella, Switzerland
North America Cannon Mountain, USA Sun Valley, USA Silver Star, Canada Attitash, USA
South America Valle Nevado, Chile
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The resorts were all reviewed on the following criteria to create a 1-5* rating: Climate Policy, Building Policy, Use of Cleaner Fuel, Sewage reduction, Traffic Reduction, Recycling, % of renewable power generated, % of renewable power used, Heat Recycling, Accessible by rail, and whether they are working for or have obtained ISO14001 Environmental certification.
We would like to thank Patrick Thorne at saveoursnow.com for providing this information. There is also an excellent visual review of this report for every resort here on the Ski Club of Great Britain website
Getting there
Unless included in your ski package, you will need to arrange your travel too. Why not consider getting the ski train or ski bus to European resorts, for a hassle free, efficient, enjoyable and good value alternative.
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