Alf Alderson describes how he went about choosing his 100 ‘favourite’ ski spots for his new book ‘Ultimate Ski Experiences’.
“We’d like you to write a book about your hundred favourite ski resorts – around 500 words on each,” said my publisher Tim. “Oh, and can you provide pics too…”
Simple, hey? Just another day at the office.
The first question that comes to mind – assuming you’ve had the great good fortune to actually visit a hundred or more ski areas – is can you actually have a century of ‘favourites’?
Because let’s face it, the ‘best’ ski resort in the world is gonna be a disappointment if you arrive there and the snow and weather conditions are crap – in fact the best ski resort is really the one you’re skiing at any given moment since you can only be on one place at a time.
To be fair, what Tim was really looking for was a selection of 100 ski resorts/areas that would provide a great experience for as wide a range of skiers as possible.
Kamchatka
As I say in the intro to Ultimate Ski Adventures, ‘…one skier’s amazing ski experience may not be another’s. If you’re just getting into this marvellous sport then your first blue run will probably and quite rightly be an amazing experience, whereas if you’ve been at it for decades it may require a helicopter drop on some remote Kamchatkan volcano for you to describe your ski experience as amazing.’
So, with a blank computer screen sitting in front of me one summer morning in 2019 how did I go about choosing those 100 resorts? Why, for instance, does Whistler not make the cut but Les Arcs does? And why did I choose the eclectic little ski hill of Brundage Mountain, Idaho instead of the state’s much better-known resort of Sun Valley?
Well, let me answer those two questions and it may give you some idea of the biases and reasoning behind all my choices…
As far as Whistler is concerned, I am not disputing that it is a world-class ski resort, but on the two occasions I’ve skied there it was rainy/overcast and hideously busy – so I’m really not in a position to wax lyrical about the great riding it has to offer.
St Anton
Les Arcs on the other hand is where I’ve spent the last eight ski seasons so I’ve seen it in all its guises and have naturally had some epic ski experiences there, so much so that it simply had to feature in the book (and it too is a world-class ski resort of course).
On to the Idaho contenders… yes, Sun Valley is pretty special – it has glitz and glamour, some great slopes and as you might expect given the name lots of sun – so much so that on the numerous times I’ve skied there the snow conditions couldn’t compete with the featherlight powder I’ve had the three times I’ve skied Brundage. It’s not that Sun Valley isn’t worth a visit, but in my experience you have more chance of scoring great pow (and no lift queues, friendly locals and a genuine hometown feel) if you head to Brundage.
And that latter comment reveals the inevitable bias in any book like this – I particularly enjoy discovering small, out-of-the-way ski hills so you’ll find a good number of them in 100 Epic Ski Experiences (Bonneval-sur-Arc, Scuol, Tetnuldi, Silverton, Castle Mountain etc.); but you’ll also find a wide selection of mega-resorts (Three Valleys, Davos/Klosters, St. Anton, Monterosa Ski, Breckenridge, Revelstoke etc.) because I know a lot of skiers revel in them for the very sound reason that they offer the size and variety to be able to suit pretty much any skier of any ability.
Another dilemma I faced was how to get a reasonable global spread – clearly France, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Canada and the USA have more than enough great ski hills to fill all 100 vacancies without the smaller ski nations such as Georgia, Argentina and New Zealand even getting a look in.
Heliskiing in British Columbia
Once again, a certain amount of personal bias came in – those lesser-known destinations in which I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy some great skiing were inevitably going to feature, so Voss, Norway and Kamchatka, Russia were in while, for instance, Park City, Utah and Beaver Creek, Colorado didn’t make the cut because they’re too corporate for my tastes (which isn’t to say you can’t enjoy some great skiing at both).
It’s also nice to throw in a curve ball every now and again – for instance, few skiers would rank the Nevis Range in Scotland or Poiana Brasov in Romania as ‘world class’ ski destinations, but they each have their own charm (if you’re a Brit you’ll revel in skiing in Scotland if – and admittedly it’s a big ‘if’ – you catch it in perfect conditions, and if you’re a beginner, cheap and cheerful Poiana Brasov provides everything you need for your first ski trip).
And there’s one entry which I can guarantee no one on Earth has skied, nor ever will (you’ll have to buy the book to find out where it is).
In the end, writing and researching ‘Ultimate Ski Adventures’ was all about balance – I was aiming for a mix of big and small, readily accessible and far flung, challenging and easy, upmarket and budget – essentially all the things we take into consideration when booking a ski holiday.
Whether I got that balance right isn’t for me to judge, but I can at least reveal which is my own personal favourite ski resort.
It’s the one I’m skiing in right now…
Ultimate Ski Adventures – 100 Epic Experiences in the Snow is published on Nov 3 and can be pre ordered on Amazon by CLICKING HERE
Whitewater
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