Any traveller of distinction knows that skiing is the only way to get away during the winter months. Read on for a bang up-to-date snow report on the top people’s resorts, what to wear while you’re there and the best off-piste experiences.
The St Regis Aspen Resort, Colorado, USA
Perfect for: Celebrity spotting
The Resort: The St Regis is a definitive Aspen resort offering contemporary luxury, and it’s open year-round. It has its own spa and outdoor swimming pool, while the beds and desks in the rooms come custom-designed by Ralph Lauren.
The vibe: Aspen is heaven, essentially, and in recent years high season has become like Coachella with snow (Katie Perry and Orlando Bloom were holed up there at the time of writing). It’s the perfect destination for younger skiers without families, offering luxurious spaces, fantastic nightlife, Michelin-starred restaurants and peerless pistes.
Off-piste activities: Aspen can match many major cities for nightlife, and even live music – Snoop Dogg, John Legend and Was, to name but a few, have played at the Belly Up concert venue. Enjoy microbrews and top DJs on the terrace at Ajax, or for city-style partying, head to club Escobar, or the seriously chic Bootsy Bellows lounge bar.
Ski style: Perfect Moment’s retro-style salopettes and quilted jackets from Farfetch.com. And a bit of Chanel never hurt.
L’Apogée Courchevel, Courchevel 1850, France
Perfect for: Winter hedonism
The resort: It’s a space that brings the finest metropolitan hospitality standards to the super-exclusive Jardin Alpin district of Courchevel’s highest outpost. What’s more, L’Apogée offers doorstep skiing with a 40-metre private conveyor belt that transports you directly to the pistes - very civilised. The best view is from the penthouse where you can recharge in a rooftop hot tub, and know you’ve truly arrived.
The vibe: Put it this way – the signposts are in Russian. But no one knows how to party in sub-zero temperatures like our oligarch friends, so if it’s the hedonistic, high glamour experience you’re after, then ‘Courchevelski’ is really the best choice outside of the US. Equally, when the snowfall is on form, the runs are among the best in Europe, with the Trois Vallées’ 600km of pistes on your doorstep.
Off-piste activities: The otherwise understated Piggies bar sells bottles of Rémy Martin for €10,000, and you can mingle with the nouveau-riche at nightclubs Funky Fox or Les Caves. Looking for some retail therapy? There are several specialist furriers, plus Hermès has a boutique in Courchevel. The drink of choice in Courchevel? Try the Lemongrass and Chili Martini to warm the cockles during a blizzard.
Ski style: Flex some fashion muscle with Fendi skiwear’s monogram jacket from Net-a-Porter.
Four Seasons Hotel Megève, France
Perfect for: Alpinistes and aristos
The resort: It’s a collaboration between Four Seasons itself and the Edmond de Rothschild Heritage hospitality brand. There are 55 rooms featuring cool, contemporary design, while to add a touch of nostalgia, a horse-drawn sled will whisk you the 600 metres to the legendary pistes of Mont D’Arbois.
The vibe: It’s said that ‘if new money heads to Courchevel, old money is found in Megève’ and indeed the resort is synonymous with the Rothschild family who essentially founded the latter in 1920. Despite its elite status, it’s not over-priced or over-populated, and the pistes are magnificent, plus there’s trekking and ice skating to be enjoyed for the hardcore French winter holiday-makers who appreciate a rounded alpine sports experience. Megève is a bit like Zermatt in the noughties, before it became popular again.
Off-piste activities: Risk the late snow by combining your trip with the Megève International Jazz Festival at the end of March. Enjoy some mountain-top bubbles at La Folie Douce, located at the summit of the ski lifts, where champagne is famously served by miniature zip lines, or sip the cocktail of the moment, the Élixir Végétal de la Grande-Chartreuse, which comes in a handy little wooden box that would fit neatly into your Gucci purse. If you need a break from the powder, stay in and lap up all the Four Seasons has to offer, like the two-starred restaurant Le 1920 restaurant; the hotel’s sauna and steam, cigar room, indoor-outdoor pool and the kids club, which offers snow-scooter excursions.
Ski style: The fashionable Moncler is in fact a heritage ski label that outfitted Ardito Desio’s expedition up K2 in 1954. Its wool and cashmere-blend hoodie, bearing the legend ‘Megève,’ is a holiday essential.
Hôtel Le K2 Palace, Courchevel, France
Perfect for: Flawless service
The resort: It’s made up of a main building and its adjoining chalets, nestled into the mountainside and manages to integrate seamlessly into the surroundings. The chalets are ultra-lavish, with up to seven bedrooms each that feature home cinemas, swimming pools, hot tubs, hammams, and the services of a personal cook and butler. The individual ski lift in front of the hotel provides access to the world’s largest ski area, and Quintessentially members are can tap into a series of benefits as guests.
The vibe: Hôtel Le K2 Palace feels like a peaceful hamlet, albeit it an upscale one. Epicureans are well served with the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Le Kintessence, and Black Pyramid that’s known for its modern and inventive cuisine. For a night cap, head to The Winston Klub, which boasts an impressive collection of spirits and cigars.
Off-piste activities: Pamper yourself with some sumptuous spa treatments if you’re looking to reboot for the new year. The Goji Spa by Valmont takes wellness to a whole new level with science-led, high-performance, anti-ageing products.
Das Mooser Hotel, St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria
Perfect for: Competent skiers (and competent drinkers)
The resort: Boutique chalet Das Mooser offers an upscale retreat from the intense bars and pistes. There are 360-degree views of the Austrian alps; doorstep skiing (now called ‘ski in, ski out’) is a given and all the rooms are sound-proofed.
The vibe: St Anton is as notorious for ‘après-ski’ boozing as it is for its challenging pistes. But at heart it’s a traditional Tyrolean town with old world European charm, so the bucolic setting is ideal for both.
Off-piste activities: Das Mooser overlooks the Mooserwirt outdoor revel that practically invented après-ski. Thrown back too much Schnapps or Heineken? Venture to neighbouring St Christoph resort to patronise its newly-opened Arlberg800 concert hall and underground contemporary art gallery.
Ski style: The Bomber Alpine Ski Jacket for women and men will keep you looking chic on and off the slopes. Featuring high-tech, four-way stretch fabric, it’s super flexible for beginners and advanced skiers. Shop it at bomberski.com
Elevate your Alpine Experience with Bomber Ski
Luxury brand Bomber Ski, in partnership with Quintessentially, has introduced BEYOND by Bomber, a VIP membership offering highly curated experiences and events hosted by the famed Olympic ski racer Bode Miller. Tailor your package from three tiers of membership – Diamond, Black Diamond and Double Black Diamond – designed to provide once-in-a-lifetime ski experiences with Bode Miller and the ski world’s elite explorers, guides and athletes, complete with state-of-the-art equipment and luxury chalet accommodation.
Beyond by Bomber 2019 global ski experiences:
USA – Caldera House, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
25th – 27th January
ITALY – Paganella, Trentino
31st January - 3rd February
SWEDEN – Åre, FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
6th – 10th February
JAPAN – Niseko/Hokkaido
26th February - 3rd March
AUSTRIA – Kitzbühel
22nd – 26th March
Contact your lifestyle manager to learn more about Beyond by Bomber. To learn about the benefits you can enjoy as a Quintessentially member in a selected range of ski resorts, don’t hesitate to contact our travel specialists or get in touch on [email protected].
