Italy
Ben Hobden discovers exceptional skiing and delightful après-ski rewards well earned on a trip to the Italian ski resort of Courmayeur.
There are ski resorts that exist purely for sport. Courmayeur exists for comfort and beauty, and for the deep satisfaction of earning every indulgence. Here, skiing is not about relentless mileage or après excess, but about balance between effort and reward, wilderness and refinement.
PHOTO: valgardena.it, Diego Moroder
Val Gardena will be hosting one of the winter’s sporting highlights on 28 and 29 March when Seceda will once again become the stage for the Südtirol Gardenissima – the longest giant slalom in the world.
With the Winter Olympics 2026 drawn to a close, those that are already missing the excitement and eager to experience a bit of Olympic history on the slopes themselves, the Ikon Pass includes nine resorts that have played host to incredible Olympic talent through the years, from the legendary mountains of Chamonix, which hosted the first Winter Games in 1924, to the newly expanded Deer Valley Resort in Utah, a 2002 host set to welcome Olympic talent again in 2034.
Cortina d’Ampezzo. Photo by Betty Subrizi on Unsplash
By Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are being held in Italy, from 6 to 22 February with Milano (Milan) and the popular ski holiday destination of Cortina d’Ampezzo serving as the two core hubs for the competitions. The Games will include more than a dozen winter sports over 17 days involving athletes from all over the world.
On Wednesday during Stage 52, the Olympic Torch will pass through Val Gardena.
The selected torchbearers will start at 8am in Ortisei, at the “Lokomotive” on Plaza dla Stazion, and proceed through the pedestrian area.
With spring fast approaching, high‑altitude resorts across Europe and North America offer reliable snow, longer days and sunshine‑filled slopes for an Easter getaway.
Whether you’re travelling as a family or seeking reliable runs, Easter provides the ideal combination of great snow conditions and a relaxed late‑season atmosphere.
Fancy a free ski holiday to Pila in Italy’s incredible Aosta Valley? For up to 4 people? Of course you do!
Well Interski have launched a competition to make this possible and it’s completely free to enter! This ski holiday includes the following:
As temperatures drop in the UK and our minds turn to winter, ski package holiday provider Sunweb has revealed its top 10 family-friendly ski destinations.
For families, convenience is still king with a third of Brit parents prioritising finding accommodation close to the ski lifts (33%) when booking their family ski holidays, with family-friendly restaurants (26%) and ski alternatives for kids (24%) close behind.
In the world of ski travel, where chairlifts and après-ski parties often dominate the narrative, a new name is redefining what it means to experience winter in style.
Wildtrack Nordic, founded by former Olympic biathletes Lee Steve Jackson and Tom Clemens, is a luxury travel company dedicated exclusively to cross-country skiing.
PHOTO: Gorilla – stock.adobe.com, © Wojciech Gajda
Yesterday Iglu Ski, the UK’s largest ski travel agent, launched ‘The Great Lift Pass Giveaway’ – when skiers or boarders buy one lift pass for up to £450, the second lift pass is free. In total that means there’s a potential of 1 million lift passes to give away.
Mark Nicholls heads to the Monterosa Ski Area and discovers a little corner of the Himalayas.
As you near the top of the Alpe Mandria chairlift, the colourful pennants fluttering in the breeze catch your eye. Nearer still, they take on the familiar pattern of Nepali prayer flags.
This summer season, Val Gardena will introduce “mountain rangers” to the valley.
Four Dolomites Rangers, who are tasked with protecting Val Gardena’s unique nature, will take turns to work across the valley’s locations to raise awareness on how to behave, give safety tips to hikers and cyclists, provide information about the paths, weather, and other relevant topics as well as monitoring illegal camping practices. Rangers can also perform first aid in the case of an emergency.
On Saturday 29 March top athletes will once again compete against ski legends and amateurs on the six-kilometre-long course for the 27th edition of the Südtirol Gardenissima.
The Südtirol Gardenissima is all about sport, competition, fun, emotions and challenges, as it is the longest giant slalom in the world.
With spring in full swing, there is still plenty of opportunity to get out onto the slopes and enjoy some sunshine in the mountains.
It’s becoming increasingly popular to book a last-minute ski trip, with Ski Solutions seeing a strong increase in passenger numbers across many of their resorts.
Vialattea enjoyed a successful Audi FIS Ski World Cup in Sestriere last weekend, a competition which saw American skier Mikaela Shiffrin claim her 100th World Cup victory in a history-making moment, with Italian Federica Brignone also claiming two victories throughout the weekend.
Vialattea has announced that it has been selected to host an additional Giant Slalom race during the Audi FIS Ski World Cup in Sestriere, scheduled to take place on Friday 21 February. The new race joins an exciting schedule of events and races, with a packed programme for winter sports lovers to look forward to from 21 to 23 February.
Vialattea, the leading Italian-French international ski region and one of Europe’s largest ski resorts, is pleased to announce the renewal of its partnership with Trenitalia – the primary train operator in Italy – following its successful launch last season.
Le Massif PHOTO: © Aosta Panoramica
Perfect for those seeking a quick escape without sacrificing comfort, Ski Solutions has curated a specialised list of luxury ski weekends that offer a refreshing dose of winter magic in Europe’s finest Alpine landscapes.
At Trentino’s two large ski areas, Dolomiti Superski and Skirama Dolomiti–Adamello Brenta, the season is guaranteed from December to April due to the programmed snow networks covering over 90% of the slopes.
Interski are doing it again… they’re giving away an incredible ski holiday for up to four people! This year’s prize is for a short break to ski in Pila in Italy’s incredible Aosta Valley. This amazing ski holiday includes: