Everything you need to know about skiing and other Alpine winter sports
There’s a Swiss guy called Laurent Vanat who does comprehensive analysis of ski industry trends every year. The data from 2021/2 is illuminating:
Small resorts make up 87% of resorts but only 26% of attendances.
Many years ago, my wife and our two youngest children were going through security at Paris Nord en route to the UK via Eurostar. As we descended an escalator I noticed my son, aged around 5 or 6, in animated discussion with a stranger. Although not such a stranger, for it was Gwyneth Paltrow.
The actress and entrepreneur is in the limelight at this time for a different chance encounter. Apparently a retired optometrist and she collided on the slopes of Park City, Utah some years ago. In his version of events the chance encounter with the star of “Sliding Doors” resulted in “permanent traumatic brain injury, 4 broken ribs, pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life”. He claims she knocked him out, she counterclaims that he skied into her from behind.
Whatever the truth of the matter, ski collisions are sadly all too common. My wife, my kids and I have all been hit at one time or another by skiers either out of control or ignoring signage. Fortunately none of us experienced the life-changing injuries the retired optometrist claims to have experienced, but it put my wife off ever skiing again.
But what is the legal position? Keith Dean, at Pennington Law outlines this in an article at his company’s web site. He notes that the situation will differ from country to country , but that FIS guidance is always relevant. He states that, from a lawyers or an insurers perspective, the most useful FIS rule is:
The full FIS rules are available here.
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I’m a long-standing member of the Ski Club of Great Britain. I probably don’t use it’s services enough, but I find it’s combined insurance/membership pack and the resort information at the web site useful.
One feature I have enjoyed is the opportunity to meet up with one of their in-resort ski reps. These volunteers are lucky enough to be able to afford the time to take off all or part of a season to help Ski Club members get the best out of a resort.
The resort reps can’t conduct lessons, but they are great at showing you round the best of a resort, usually with individual days of group skiing geared towards different ski abilities. They also organise social activities and know everything you might need to know about a resort.
I often find myself lone in a resort for a day or two, and enjoy the company of the ski rep as well as the opportunity to get some insights for my web site.
Unfortunately the service is only available in a couple of dozen resorts – see below for 2022/3 season.
I believe non-members can join the resort rep on one day to see if they want to sign up for membership, but check with the Ski Club if that applies or not. Sadly, due to local regulations, no French resorts feature.
Over the years I’ve been fortunate to ski in St Moritz several times, but it is a few years since my last visit. If you are planning a ski trip in mid-December this limits you to a handful of resorts, and – faced with that prospect – I plumped for the oldest of winter vacation destinations.
St Moritz sits in the heart of the Upper Engadin, a valley whose river becomes known as the Inn in Austria before flowing into the Danube. The town itself comprises a section known as Dorf and one known as Bad. It’s in a pretty setting and has a small mostly pedestrianised centre in Dorf which is characterised by a couple of very upmarket hotels and a number of luxury goods stores.
The main railway station, with its narrow gauge railway lines of the Rhaetische Bahn, connects the town to Chur, Landquart and Tirana (in Italy). The train to Tirana also stops at Celerina, which has valley runs off the main Corviglia ski area, Pontresina, with access to extensive cross-country skiing, and Diovalezza and Lagalb, which offer limited but worthwhile downhill skiing.
A reliable bus service connects St Moritz Dorf with the main Signal Cable Car and the Funicular Railway for the Corviglia ski area, as well as the aforementioned ski areas, additional cross country skiing and the Corvatsch downhill slopes at Surlej.
Another notable stop on the bus network is the new sports complex, Ovaverva. This comprises a number of pools, a spa, a restaurant and a cross country ski facility.
One of the great things about St Moritz is there is so much to do apart from downhill skiing. The town became the first winter tourism destination in the world back in 1864, before downhill skiing became popular, and winter tourists have been able to enjoy a wide range of distractions ever since.
Aside from the world famous hotels such as Badrutt’s Palace, the Kempinski and the Kulm, St Moritz has a wide range of mid-priced and affordable accommodation. My favourite is the wonderful youth hostel in Bad, on the end of the #9 bus route from the station. It has a bar and a cafeteria and a wide range of rooming options – from dormitory and family rooms through to en suite.
The resort report is here: St Moritz