• 2. Rosa Khutor, Sochi, Russia. After the Sochi Olympics, Krasnaya Polyana, the resort we came to know over a white-knuckle fortnight in February, joins the holiday skiers’ world. Most visitors will stay in Rosa Khutor, a village on the banks of the Mzymta River at the head of the valley. Fourteen lifts, including six gondolas, open up the mountain that basked in sunshine as it hosted Alpine and freestyle events during the Games. Rosa Peak has dramatic views over the Caucasus to the Black Sea 40 kilometres away. Below it, the tight curves and alarming jumps on downhill courses converge on the Rosa Stadium. A stash park, inspired by those in Jackson Hole and Avoriaz, invites derring-do. In the evening, guests stroll through the Italianate piazza across the Romanov Bridge to the Red Fox. Best give way to Vladimir Putin, keen skier and local resident, if he’s waiting to pick his oysters and scallops from the fish tank at Golden Tulip., Doubles from Dh712 a night (007 862 243 1300 or 0033 170 986 118; www.goldentuliprosakhutor.com). Clive Rose / Getty Images
    2. Rosa Khutor, Sochi, Russia. After the Sochi Olympics, Krasnaya Polyana, the resort we came to know over a white-knuckle fortnight in February, joins the holiday skiers’ world. Most visitors will stay in Rosa Khutor, a village on the banks of the Mzymta River at the head of the valley. Fourteen lifts, including six gondolas, open up the mountain that basked in sunshine as it hosted Alpine and freestyle events during the Games. Rosa Peak has dramatic views over the Caucasus to the Black Sea 40 kilometres away. Below it, the tight curves and alarming jumps on downhill courses converge on the Rosa Stadium. A stash park, inspired by those in Jackson Hole and Avoriaz, invites derring-do. In the evening, guests stroll through the Italianate piazza across the Romanov Bridge to the Red Fox. Best give way to Vladimir Putin, keen skier and local resident, if he’s waiting to pick his oysters and scallops from the fish tank at Golden Tulip., Doubles from Dh712 a night (007 862 243 1300 or 0033 170 986 118; www.goldentuliprosakhutor.com). Clive Rose / Getty Images
  • 3. Avoriaz, France. In the 1960s, high-rise blocks with jagged roofs that mirror the line of the mountains were a novelty that the French were quick to love., A one-bedroom unit designed to squeeze in six close friends or family members was the cheapest, if not the most cheerful, base for a self-catering holiday. Who needed more when the mighty, Portes du Soleil, a dozen or so outlying villages with a great network of lifts, was waiting right outside the door? Even before it celebrates its, half-century in 2015, Avoriaz has reinvented itself, replacing those trademark rabbit hutches with spacious three- and four-star apartments that enhance its position as the focus of the, Franco-Swiss circus. The Sibuet dynasty, the creators of the four hotels that underpin Megève’s reputation for luxury, reopen the des Dromonts, the resort’s only hotel, as a niche boutique in December. Doubles at des Dromonts from Dh936 per room based on twin sharing (0033 456 445 700; www.hoteldesdromonts.com. P. Doignon / Hôtel des Dromonts
    3. Avoriaz, France. In the 1960s, high-rise blocks with jagged roofs that mirror the line of the mountains were a novelty that the French were quick to love., A one-bedroom unit designed to squeeze in six close friends or family members was the cheapest, if not the most cheerful, base for a self-catering holiday. Who needed more when the mighty, Portes du Soleil, a dozen or so outlying villages with a great network of lifts, was waiting right outside the door? Even before it celebrates its, half-century in 2015, Avoriaz has reinvented itself, replacing those trademark rabbit hutches with spacious three- and four-star apartments that enhance its position as the focus of the, Franco-Swiss circus. The Sibuet dynasty, the creators of the four hotels that underpin Megève’s reputation for luxury, reopen the des Dromonts, the resort’s only hotel, as a niche boutique in December. Doubles at des Dromonts from Dh936 per room based on twin sharing (0033 456 445 700; www.hoteldesdromonts.com. P. Doignon / Hôtel des Dromonts
  • 4. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, United States. In the years since the millennium, Jackson Hole has imposed streamlined 21st-century sophistication on the rawness of the Wild West. Rendezvous Mountain, home to the legendary Corbet’s Couloir challenge, retains its savage appeal for skiers who love chutes and bumps, but the Bridger gondola has opened up an intermediate paradise with easy routes back to the resort and Apres Vous is perfect for never- evers. In this new family-friendly guise, Jackson is a home away from home for Hollywood stars and Texan vacationers, two categories of people who like nothing better than extracurricular activities off the mountain. Top of the list is a 100km snowmobile blast along the broad ice highway into Yellowstone National Park. En route, massed bison crowd the forest fringe, seeking sustenance in deep snow, while journey’s end is Old Faithful, the iconic geyser that erupts impressively every 45 minutes. Ski in, ski out means the Four Seasons in Teton Village, but The Wort, in Jackson town 20km down the road, has history on its side., Doubles at The Wort from Dh870 per night (001 307 733 2190; www.worthotel.com. Courtesy: The Wort Hotel
    4. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, United States. In the years since the millennium, Jackson Hole has imposed streamlined 21st-century sophistication on the rawness of the Wild West. Rendezvous Mountain, home to the legendary Corbet’s Couloir challenge, retains its savage appeal for skiers who love chutes and bumps, but the Bridger gondola has opened up an intermediate paradise with easy routes back to the resort and Apres Vous is perfect for never- evers. In this new family-friendly guise, Jackson is a home away from home for Hollywood stars and Texan vacationers, two categories of people who like nothing better than extracurricular activities off the mountain. Top of the list is a 100km snowmobile blast along the broad ice highway into Yellowstone National Park. En route, massed bison crowd the forest fringe, seeking sustenance in deep snow, while journey’s end is Old Faithful, the iconic geyser that erupts impressively every 45 minutes. Ski in, ski out means the Four Seasons in Teton Village, but The Wort, in Jackson town 20km down the road, has history on its side., Doubles at The Wort from Dh870 per night (001 307 733 2190; www.worthotel.com. Courtesy: The Wort Hotel
  • 5. Revelstoke, Canada. Ten years ago, a remote truck stop midway between Vancouver and Calgary turned its simple town hill into a wilderness honeypot. Revy, as it’s known to its international powder clientele, is the one place where lift, heli and snowcat skiing are available under the same management. On snowy days, patrons cruise the rolling pistes on a big beast of an empty mountain or ride the snowcat into dense forests to take tight lines through glades and trees. And that’s before the big bird flies, opening up untracked British Columbian powder far beyond what the eye can see. The centre of operations is Sutton Place, a condo hotel with restaurant, rental shops and snack bar at the base of the lifts, but the connoisseur’s option is Bighorn, a haven of sybaritic luxury on a nearby hill. With gourmet chef, helipad, swimming pool and pool table, this is the ultimate backwoods hideaway., Rooms at Chalet Bighorn from Dh46, 016 per person (for a group of16), including meals and five days’ heli skiing (0044 203 432 0726; www.bighornrevelstoke.com. Courtesy Bighorn
    5. Revelstoke, Canada. Ten years ago, a remote truck stop midway between Vancouver and Calgary turned its simple town hill into a wilderness honeypot. Revy, as it’s known to its international powder clientele, is the one place where lift, heli and snowcat skiing are available under the same management. On snowy days, patrons cruise the rolling pistes on a big beast of an empty mountain or ride the snowcat into dense forests to take tight lines through glades and trees. And that’s before the big bird flies, opening up untracked British Columbian powder far beyond what the eye can see. The centre of operations is Sutton Place, a condo hotel with restaurant, rental shops and snack bar at the base of the lifts, but the connoisseur’s option is Bighorn, a haven of sybaritic luxury on a nearby hill. With gourmet chef, helipad, swimming pool and pool table, this is the ultimate backwoods hideaway., Rooms at Chalet Bighorn from Dh46, 016 per person (for a group of16), including meals and five days’ heli skiing (0044 203 432 0726; www.bighornrevelstoke.com. Courtesy Bighorn
  • 6. Courmayeur, Italy. In an increasingly foodie world, it was only a matter of time before gourmet festivals swept through the Alps. St Moritz celebrates 150 years with a week featuring headline British chefs in late January, but Heston Blumenthal (pictured), as daring on skis as he is in the kitchen, pre-empts it with an epicurean fiesta in the smart Italian resort on the sunny side of Mont Blanc. His partners in haute cuisine are Marcus Wareing, Sat Bains and Giacomo Calosi, the owner of Rifugio Maison Vieille. Each will host a dinner over a weekend of magical gastronomy, with Blumenthal taking an executive role that will leave him with plenty of time to enjoy Courmayeur’s extensive pistes, stunning views and delectable mountain lunches., Mountain Gourmet Experience from January 9 to 12, 2015, from Dh20, 780 per person for three nights at the Grand Hotel Golf & Royal, two dinners, ski guiding, transfers and Swiss flights from London (0044 207 371 9111; www.momentumski.com. Courtesy Red-photographic. Com
    6. Courmayeur, Italy. In an increasingly foodie world, it was only a matter of time before gourmet festivals swept through the Alps. St Moritz celebrates 150 years with a week featuring headline British chefs in late January, but Heston Blumenthal (pictured), as daring on skis as he is in the kitchen, pre-empts it with an epicurean fiesta in the smart Italian resort on the sunny side of Mont Blanc. His partners in haute cuisine are Marcus Wareing, Sat Bains and Giacomo Calosi, the owner of Rifugio Maison Vieille. Each will host a dinner over a weekend of magical gastronomy, with Blumenthal taking an executive role that will leave him with plenty of time to enjoy Courmayeur’s extensive pistes, stunning views and delectable mountain lunches., Mountain Gourmet Experience from January 9 to 12, 2015, from Dh20, 780 per person for three nights at the Grand Hotel Golf & Royal, two dinners, ski guiding, transfers and Swiss flights from London (0044 207 371 9111; www.momentumski.com. Courtesy Red-photographic. Com

Top 10 luxury ski holidays around the world — in pictures

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It’s snowing! So say the images that crowd the internet as November gets into gear. They come from both sides of the Atlantic, the Alps competing with the Rockies to present the fluffiest front to addicts planning their annual ski breaks. Not that easy-come, easy-go early snow is the best way to identify pleasures in the pipeline. It’s much better to check out the options at the buoyant luxury end where the fight for excellence is most intense.

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