KILLIAN FORDEhas the latest ski news
Resort of the week
BORMIO, ITALY
Lying on the shoulder of Italy’s lake district is the 16th-century town of Bormio. It’s more stone, piazzas and paving than what we think of as a traditional alpine town. That’s part of the attraction – Bormio’s 5,000 residents have more than just tourists on their mind. But the town is a serious ski resort, having hosted the World Championships and Ski World Cup events (above).It’s a little too far for the weekenders of Milan to pop up to, so Bormio suffers little from the crowds that descend on resorts near Turin and Verona. The town is peppered with thermal baths and newer specialist spa facilities, and for non-skiers Bormio is one of the best Italian resorts. Snow arrives late in the season, from mid-March onwards, and can be unreliable, but snow-sure Livigno, an hour away, is included on the lift ticket.
- Resort height1,225m.
- Range1,225-3,010m.
- Lifts31.
- Total runs100km.
- Longest runSix kilometres.
- Best runCima Bianca, a rolling top-to-bottom cruise. Leap off high above the treeline, passing down the mid station at Bormio 2000; the last leg breaks off to blue and red runs through the forest and back to town.
- SnowparksOne.
- Season lengthDecember to late March.
- Snow reliability***
- Who goesThe great and good of Italy, who have second homes on the shores of Lake Como, will have their third in the Bormio's Valdisotto region. Having been on and off the major tour operators' brochures for the past 30 years, it has just a healthy smattering of foreign loyalists.
- Value€€€€ As a living town in its own right, Bormio has restaurants, bars and hotels with a year-round clientele. Prices are correspondingly low, even by Italian standards. Expect to pay €20 for a three-course pasta meal with wine.
- Insider tipsTake the short, and free, bus to the cutesy local village of Santa Caterina to sample its wooded pistes and mountain restaurants. Included in the Bormio lift ticket.
- AirportsMilan, Bergamo.
- Tour operatorsDirectski.
Snow Report
Dry subzero temperatures across the continent this week kept the pistes crisp and fresh, though for some resorts the mercury stayed as low as minus 20. Tyrolean snow cannons have being working flat out, ensuring the lower valley runs are skiable. The good base left by the recent dumps of snow mean that, barring some sort of freak weather, the European resorts are sufficiently covered well into January. Eastern US resorts, although bitterly cold now, are reporting areas fully open, and the annual pattern of superb early conditions in the Rockies continues, with fresh powder being topped up every other day.
The website snow-forecast. com provides free forecasts for more than 2,200 resorts worldwide. You can check the snow status of some 250 popular resorts on skiclub.co.uk or have a peek at your mountain of choice on snoweye.com.
Kitwatch
Outdoor adventure store 53 Degrees North (53degrees north.ie) has a wide range of snow-suitable jackets, pants and accessories, including the revamped, redesigned Columbia label. Our favourite pick is the Black Ice II model. Fully waterproof, with a “media pocket” to protect phones, iPods and other gadgets, it’s suitable for wet Irish weather as well as Alpine cold. At €225 it’s a stylish buy that will last.
Get your skates on
How about a week based in the highest ski resort in Europe, with access to the world’s biggest lift-linked area, for only €349? The price is based on four sharing a self-catering apartment in Val Thorens, departing on January 16th. The deal includes return flights from Dublin and return transfers. inghams.ie.
AOB
It’s the little touches that can make all the difference to your holiday. The Irish luxury-chalet specialist Highlife (highlife.ie) has added valet parking at Dublin
Airport to its services. Be met at the airport departure area by your chauffeur, who will drive your car to a secure car park while you stroll to check in. Another welcome change in its new-season programme is fully complimentary wine and beer in the chalet lounges and dining room. Highlife runs some stunning chalets in Morzine, Val d’Isère and Méribel, in the French Alps.