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Hope
you enjoyed staying at the finest
hotels around the world. Few things in life beat
the luxury and amenities of fine hotels, except perhaps
a visit to some choice ski
destinations around the world. So bundle up and
make some cocoa because we're about to embark on some
crazy vertical drops...
10.
Aspen,
Colorado,
Western United States
Want to ski with the rich and famous? If yes, then Aspen
is the place to be. Aspen is known for its steeps and
its four mountains that are not linked. This Colorado
ski resort accommodates all by featuring excellent
terrain for all skier levels.
Filled
with steeps and bumps, Aspen Mountain has fantastic
groomed intermediate runs as well. The mountain is also
a great choice for experts, who can access hundreds
of acres of terrain off the backside of the mountain.
As the resort-of-choice for the "better off,"
Aspen has a tendency to get slightly expensive.
9.
Cortina, Italy
Perhaps this is where Alberto 'la bomba' Tomba got his
start. Cortina matches any resort in the Alps and served
as the host of the Olympic games in 1956. Similar to
Zermatt in Switzerland, life revolves around a trafficless
street. One of the world's first ski resorts, Cortina
is also Italy's most stylish.
8.
Mont-Tremblant,
Quebec, Eastern Canada
French Canadian joie de vivre meets North American service
standards. Tremblant, Eastern Canada's best-known resort,
has been given a facelift thanks to a $1 billion investment
(that's Canadian currency, so roughly $13 American dollars).
Open
since 1939, Tremblant was the first resort to open in
Canada and the second in North America. What makes Tremblant
even more special is that it is an hour away from Montreal.
An alternative would be Mont-Sainte-Anne, which is a
nicer mountain and a short trip away from Quebec City,
perhaps North America's most historic city as the gateway
into the "New World."
7.
Stowe,
Vermont, Eastern
United States
One of the most renowned and picturesque ski resorts
on the map, Stowe offers traditional New England charm
and the biggest vertical drop in the area. Stowe's two
ski areas are Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak.
The
latter actually backs onto Smugglers' Notch's terrain.
As a result, Stowe is amongst a handful of American
resort that has a lift-link to another resort. Stowe
offers over 90 shops and 60 restaurants to make sure
that visitors do not trek too far away.
6.
Chamonix
Mont-Blanc, France
Host of the world's first Winter Olympic games in 1924,
Chamonix ranks among the elite of contenders for the
title of "world's most famous ski resort."
Located at the foot of Mont-Blanc, it's the highest
peak in the Alps and the second highest in Europe (top
elevation 4,810 m/15,771 ft).
Chamonix
Mont-Blanc holds bragging rights both for its lift-served
vertical drop of 2807 meters (9209 feet) and for having
one of the world's longest runs (Vallée Blanche),
at 22 km (13.7 miles).
5.
Banff/Lake
Louise, Alberta, Western Canada
Located in the heart of Canada's Banff National Park,
Lake Louise ranks as one of the most scenic mountain
resorts in North America, if not the entire world. Banff/Lake
Louise has three different ski areas (Mount Norquay/Mystic
Ridge, Sunshine Village, and Lake Louise) that are roughly
50 km apart (yes, they use km outside of the US).
The
Insider's Guide to the Best Canadian Skiing has labeled
Norquay as "an unforgiving brute legendary for
its unrelenting vertical and monster moguls."
4.
Vail,
Colorado,
Western United States
Legendary Vail markets itself as "America's favorite
resort" and deserves to be ranked amongst the world's
top five all-around ski resorts. As the largest single
ski area in the United States, Vail offers roughly 5,300
acres of skiable, terrain.
Let's
not forget the fastest high-speed detachable quads on
one mountain. No small feat, I'm sure. Vail offers much
more with several art galleries, museums, ballooning,
dog sledding, ice skating, hockey, snowmobiling, and
much more.
3.
Zermatt,
Switzerland
While neighboring Gstaad is one of the world's top resorts
with its three five-star hotels and St. Moritz is more
popular, most rank Zermatt as Switzerland's top resort.
A remarkably peaceful getaway, the village is peaceful
thanks to its car-free environment. Amazingly picturesque,
Zermatt holds the world's second biggest lift-served
vertical drop and receives huge snowfalls thanks to
its altitude (and some help from snowmakers on the lower
slopes).
2.
Kitzbuhel, Austria
While St. Anton holds the crown of "Europe's liveliest
ski resort," and Innsbruck is home to one of Europe's
liveliest and most beautiful cities (the International
Olympic Committee must have thought so as well, as the
city hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976), Kitzbuhel
is considered the "Pearl of the Alps" and
is the most famous holiday resort in the Austrian Tyrol.
This 700-year-old village offers visitors the charm
of an alpine village. Skiing began in the winter of
1892.
1. Whistler/Blackcomb,
Canada
These two towering mountains provide the best skiing
in North America, with the biggest vertical drop. It's
funny what a difference 30 years and $600 million can
make. Yet there was not much there but a mountain for
courageous hikers.
Whistler's
charming village offers everything snowboarders and
skiers crave; cafes, international stores and over 100
restaurants that cater to all tastes including Chinese,
French, Greek, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, and
Thai cuisine.
Food
is key after partaking in the activities that really
make Whistler legendary. Whistler quickly rose through
the ranks to become one of the strongest contenders
for the much-disputed title of "world's greatest
ski resort." Over the past decade, Whistler was
consistently voted "Best North American Ski Resort"
by North Americans. The Japanese repeatedly rank it
as their favorite international destination.
By
Harry Marks
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