Ski off the beaten path

Sure, Zermatt and Aspen are fantastic, but sometimes you feel like something a bit less polished, where it's about the journey and not just the destination. Over the years we have dedicated lots of time to skiing slightly weird places - here's our pick of the bunch.

1. Arolla, Switzerland

   
   

   

   Fighting through the crowds in Arolla

   
   

   How can a Swiss ski resort be considered off the beaten path? Well, when it's the smallest ski resort in Europe we have visited (in fact we worked in a hotel there for a season back when skis were long and straight). Let's look at some stats: permanent residents: 50, hotels: 3, lifts: 6, slopes: 30 miles, uplift per hour: 480 skiers - the 3 Vallées this is not.

   But throw in some other stats and you'll start to get the appeal: village altitude: 6,500 feet, top lift: 10,000 feet, top heli drop, 12,500 feet.

   The real draw of Arolla is that it is skiing before the age of mega-resorts. Platter lifts older than my parents run on diesel and set off at such a pace they launch smaller riders into the air. The limited groomed runs are often deserted - in January it's not uncommon to have them entirely to yourself - and outside of that you have huge areas of untracked snow and tree skiing lower down.

   At the top the one mountain restaurant dishes up homemade soups and fondue, white vin chaud and a glimpse of the Matterhorn which is just over the other side of the range. It's safe to say you don't come to Arolla for high-octane Euro-après, but for an authentic mountain experience in a pristine location we don't know many places better.

   
   

2. Las Vegas, Nevada

   On a trip to Vegas I was lucky enough to take a chopper to the Grand Canyon, and as we flew back to Vegas the pilot steered over some snow-capped mountains, and told me that the Vegas ski resort had just had a big dump of powder. As soon as we landed I put on all the clothes I had in my suitcase, jumped in my rental car and sped the 50 miles to Lee Canyon. Dusty desert gave way to pines laden with fresh snow, and soon I was in an alpine winter wonderland I was completely unaware existed just a short time before. It was the most perfect little ski resort - a handful of lifts and runs, but serious, with talented locals ripping the mountain. By far the most wholesome thing about Las Vegas I have come across.

   
   

3. County Durham, England

   
   

   

   America2Alps founders Carey and Will enjoying a rare English powder day

   If you don't know too much about England's weather and topography you might assume it would be a good place for skiing. After all, the major city in the northeast of the country, Newcastle, lies on the same latitude as Novosibirsk in Russia's Siberia and the Alaska Peninsula. The problem is that much of the weather comes direct from the steamy Gulf of America, laden with tropical moistness, which cools down to around 40F by the time it hits what are optimistically called the 'mountains'. There is a hardy bunch of northerners (who won't take no for an answer) that run a handful of ski clubs in the hills that run down the centre of England. With the help of a few fences to stop any snow that falls being blown off by the often hurricane force winds and some second-hand lifts they are ready to ski at the first sign of temperatures dropping below the magic freezing mark. On a good year they have skied as many as 40 days. A2A co-founder Carey comes from this area, and one Easter when up visiting family, the snow gods smiled upon us and the ski fields, so we drove out. Reaching the parking lane at 2,000 feet, we promptly got our car stuck in a ditch but decided to ski first and worry later. After a 10 minute hike across farmland, we were treated to two Doppelmayr platter lifts and a foot of fresh snow. Four hours of grass-hopping and stream jumping later, we got back to the car tired but happy, where a regular who'd seen amateurs like us many times before pulled us out with his truck.

   
   

4. The Auvergne, France

   France is a country blessed with natural wonders at every turn. It has somehow managed to convince the world it has Europe's highest mountain - despite the fact that Italy shares it, and it's not even the highest (losing to Mt. Elbrus in the Caucasus by several thousand feet). It has also convinced the ski world that it has the largest interlinked ski area - the 3 Vallées - although Italy's Dolomiti Superski is about twice the size. We can overlook all of this, however, because France really does have awesome skiing which we have enjoyed on countless occasions. The best-known French resorts are slick - high, snowy, massive, ski-in, ski-out - but for an authentic French mountain town try the Auvergne's Massif Central. Sitting to the west of the Alps, this huge upland region is made up of extinct volcanos reaching close to 6,000 feet. The beautiful town of Laguiole is where the characterful knives with a bee on the handle that you'll find in steak houses across France originated. It's a cute place with great restaurants, many, many places to go knife shopping and a small ski area.

   
   

   

   Laguiole steak knives make steak taste better

   The most serious ski area is found on the Puy de Sancy, a 6,000 foot volcano with the spa town of Mont Dore on the north side (and the ski area 3 miles outside town) and the purpose built resort of Super Besse on the south side. With 50 miles of slopes between the two areas you can ski between them when conditions are good (sadly less frequent these days), a bit like a miniature Val d'Isère-Tignes, and there are some extremely gnarly volcanic chutes to play in on the north face. We hit Mont Dore just after their first snowfall of the winter, so it was still a bit grassy, but enough to give us a flavor of how cool it is. We even managed to ski back to town via various thickets.

   
   
   
   
   
   

   What it must be like to have your own private ski resort

   The original Sierra Nevada, Spain

   Way down south, at the bottom of Europe, you'll find Spain's highest skiing in the Sierra Nevada. Reaching almost 11,000 feet, you can see the Mediterranean and across to Morocco in Africa from the top. You might think that would mean a small operation and limited season, but there are actually 70 miles of slopes with huge potential for touring across the undeveloped neighboring mountains. You can stay in the purpose built base for ski-in, ski-out convenience, or you can stay in nearby villages, or in the city of Granada, 25 minutes' drive away. We stayed in Güejar Sierra, ten minutes from the slopes. This town follows the Granada custom of giving you tapas with each drink ordered - you will honestly not need to buy a single meal if you are drinking - and is full of quirky bars. You can be in Granada in 15 minutes, enjoying the magnificent Moorish palace, the Alhambra, or soaking in a Moorish hammam before going on a tapas crawl.

   The skiing is either sun-soaked or snowbound. These are the highest mountains for miles and they receive snow from different weather patterns to the Alps, seeing long periods of drought followed by mega-dumps. Some seasons see skiing until June, but others can be very dry. Aside from the skiing and tapas-based attractions, this is one of the few places worldwide where you can do the holy grail of ski and surf in the same day, with the ski area being just over an hour from the coast, and temperatures at the beach regularly in the 70s in April. Below is the day I ticked this one off (no surf photo for decency reasons).

   
   
   

   
   
   

   Off the beaten path places don't guarantee you great (or indeed any) snow, often don't have the latest facilities and you need fairly patient traveling companions, but they are exciting, and always memorable.

   
   

   If you like the sound of any of the stranger places to ski - or have some to share yourself - please reach out. If you want to stick to tried and trusted ski areas then we understand - we love those too.

   
   
   
   

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