This was published 5 years ago
Ten of the world's best upmarket ski resorts
Winter resort: Davos, Switzerland. Credit: Shutterstock
ST MORITZ, SWITZERLAND
This uber-fashionable resort is peppered with swanky boutiques and five-star hotels. February's social highlight is White Turf, when beautiful people congregate in art-hung tents around the town's frozen lake to enjoy horse racing on snow. When you're done skiing, soak in the waters of Heilbad Zentrum spa. Dine on foie gras and beef tournedos at celeb-favourite Chesa Veglia or enjoy an indulgent seven-course degustation at Talvo by Dalsass. See stmoritz.ch
BEAVER CREEK, USA
Klosters in Switzerland became a favourite of film stars in the 1950s.Credit: Marcel Giger
Movie stars strut in Aspen and Vail, but Beaver Creek is for those avoiding the limelight. Complimentary services include guided ski tours, roaming ski ambassadors to provide sunscreen or carry skis, and hatted chefs to hand out warm cookies. Sleigh ride to Zach's Cabin for Colorado game, or to Beano's Cabin for seafood flown in from New England. Stay in rustic luxe at the Ritz-Carlton, which has an expansive spa. See beavercreek.com
MEGEVE, FRANCE
A dozen five-star hotels, six Michelin-starred restaurants, boutiques crammed with fashion bling, and top-class alpine spa retreats have seen the vision in 1914 of Baroness Noemie de Rothschild – to give France a first-class ski resort that could match St Moritz – come true. Take a scenic flight over Mont Blanc, buy a cashmere sweater at Aallard and wallow in the wellness waters at Lodge Park. Le Chalet Zannier takes rustic ski lodge to another level. See megeve.com
APPI KOGEN, JAPAN
Appi Kogen in northern Honshu gets eight metres of superb powder snow a season. Stay at ski-in ski-out Hotel APPI Grand, a striking, art-filled, urban-style hotel by Yusaku Kamekura, where Nanashigure restaurant showcases local seafood in kaiseki haute cuisine. Spend a day at nearby Hachimentai, where there are runs for advanced skiers. Matsukawa Onsen provides a plunge into hot springs as you gaze over Hachimantai National Park. See appi.co.jp
LECH, AUSTRIA
Glamorous Lech is favoured by quiet sophisticates for serious skiing and heli-skiing, upmarket dining and luxe shopping. Buy your custom-made ski boots at Strolz. Take a horse-drawn carriage into the forest for fondue at ice-encrusted Gasthaus Alpele. Stay at plush Kristiana, a family-run hotel whose impeccable service includes a ski valet, butler and ski nanny. Not a skier? The river walk along the valley is lovely. See lech-zuers.at
JACKSON HOLE, USA
Movie and pop stars ski at this Wyoming resort but, despite its million-dollar ski lodges, it retains a rugged cowboy flavour that lures ski bums, too. Check in to the oh-so-chic Hotel Jackson or the stately, art-draped Wort Hotel, or retreat into the hills to the uber-opulent Spring Creek Ranch. Browse a dozen art galleries and tuck into venison fillet at Spur, which showcases organic local ingredients. See jacksonhole.com
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, ITALY
Hit Corso d'Italia, the main street of Italy's most glamorous ski resort, to buy ultra-fashionable ski clothes and parade in your best furs. Then join well-heeled locals at fashionable Al Camin restaurant for Venetian cuisine, and check into Miramonti Majestic, where rustic old-world charm meets stately Austrian luxe. Private accommodation includes the likes of Cortina Luxury Chalet, with its fabulous Tyrolean decor, three independent apartments and panoramic balconies. See dolomiti.org
COURCHEVEL, FRANCE
To get exclusive in this already-exclusive French alpine resort favoured by sports and music stars, arrive by private jet and book into a villa such as Chalet Eidelweiss, which comes with butler, personal chef, masseuse and ski instructor. Air Courchevel whisks you aloft for fabulous views of Mont Blanc. For apres-ski wine, hit upscale Les Caves de Courchevel before a meal of fish in champagne sauce at Michelin-starred L'Azimut. See courchevel.com
KLOSTERS, SWITZERLAND
This resort became famous in the 1950s when movie stars such as Gene Kelly, Paul Newman and Greta Garbo made the Hotel Chesa Grischuna a regular haunt. Later it was a favourite of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Celebrities come here to avoid paparazzi and the nouveau-riche. Stay in Haus Alpina, penthouse of the jetsetters, or ultra-plush Chalet Eugenia, which has a swimming pool in its basement. See davos.ch
ZURS, AUSTRIA
This exclusive ski resort is tiny, but sits on one of world's largest ski fields, with 305 kilometres of runs – plus generous cross-country ski trails. It has luxe, rather genteel hotels such as the legendary, family-run Zurserhof, with its ornate woodwork, fine dining and muscle-soothing spa. Dine at Die Ente, awarded two toques from Gault & Millau, or on classic Austrian and Mediterranean dishes at Hirlanda. See lech-zuers.at
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