The best Old World ski resorts
The craggy peaks of Switzerland, Austria, France and Italy have cradled ski resorts for more than 100 years, but these days, the old, traditional ski towns of wooden chalets and narrow streets are harder and harder to find. The demands of more visitors for more apartment housing have changed the quaint atmosphere of skiing in many places.
Some of the most extensive ski and snowboard regions in Europe are modern creations that resemble Battleship Galactica crash-landed in a mountain valley; others are a concentration of square apartment blocks like those you might see on the outskirts of Milan, Frankfurt, Barcelona or Paris. Yes, the skiing and riding are wonderful and the expanse of the slopes is enormous, but if you are a romantic looking for a blend of rugged, snowy nature and Old World charm, you will be disappointed by most of these modern-day mega-resorts.
Still, every Alpine country has its handful of resorts that have retained their traditional look and manners. These are some of the best-known resorts in the sport, and they have managed to balance growth and modern construction with excellent lift access to hundreds of kilometers of cruising trails, hair-raising chutes and steep moguls.
Switzerland
Switzerland is where it all started. The English arrived there at the turn of the 20th century and began to develop skiing as a sport of the elite, who loved the healthy combination of mountain air, occasional hot springs and active sport.
Arosa was one of the original resorts and it hasn’t changed much. Sitting at the end of a winding mountain road that rises from Chur, as well as at the end of a chugging cog rail line from the same city, Arosa is nestled in a small, high mountain valley that provides isolated access to plenty of wide-open intermediate terrain above tree line. Its grand old hotels are some of the most luxurious in the Alps.
Klosters is a tiny dorf just down the road from the bustling sports metropolis of Davos. Though Klosters shares the Manhattan-sized Parsenn ski and snowboarding area and a lift ticket with Davos, it shares little else. Where the Davos architecture is square and utilitarian, Klosters exudes mountain flavor with a definite chalet style and a smattering of old restaurants and hotels. The skiing into town from the Parsenn can be steep, but you can also take mellower trails that loop through the trees.
In the Jungfrau region, Wengen and Mürren are both car-free towns accessed by a cog railroad that is the epitome of quaintness and grace. Wengen is the larger of the two. It sits amid the massive ski area beneath the towering Jungfraujoch and its glacier. The village is tightly huddled at the base of a sheer cliff where the famous Lauberhorn downhill race ends. Above the town, the skiing in the Kleine Scheidegg area (overlooked by the brooding Eiger) is excellent for intermediates, and there is more interconnected skiing here than can be handled in a week. Mürren, on the other side of the Lauterbrunnen Valley, sits beneath the towering Schilthorn. Most nonskiers, and perhaps most skiers, know the Schilthorn and its mountain restaurant as the headquarters of the evil villain in the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.†The town has only a handful of hotels and appears to be little more than a remote farming community. But the skiing is world-class, especially down the 007 Run, which has a harrowing drop down steeps and through narrow chutes that take a skier’s breath away.
Perhaps the king of all traditional Alpine resorts is Zermatt, settled in the valley beneath the Matterhorn. Though Zermatt has expanded over the past 20 years, it has maintained the look and feel of a humble mountain town. Of course, there is nothing humble about it, and the hotels are some of the most luxurious in the world. This village is car-free; all guests arrive by train and then either walk to their hotel or are whisked through the snow-covered streets by a horse-drawn sleigh. The skiing and riding are dramatic in the three giant areas looming above the chalets. The descents provide every level of challenge for skiers from beginner to super-expert.
Austria
Austria has perfected the fun of skiing and snowboarding. In fact, winter at Austria’s resorts is a nonstop party. Virtually every skier and snowboarder who visits Austria returns exhausted by the partying and skiing.
The grandfather of all Austrian resorts is St. Anton, which has somehow maintained the look and feel of the olden days. A few years ago, the town moved the train station behind the town, opening the village directly to the slopes. While the town has definitely spread out over the last decades, the old-time atmosphere has been well preserved. Steep trails drop from the top of the crenulated 9,220-foot-high Valluga peak. The sister resort of St. Christoph is even smaller and quainter. And across the Valluga ridge lie two other Old World resorts, Lech and Zurs. Though both of these towns are isolated, their rustic souls have been surrounded by modern-looking hotels.
High in the Oetztal beyond Solden and up a twisting narrow road above tree line, skiers will find Obergurgl, a tiny town surrounded by big skiing. Though a few cars and trucks ply the town lanes, there is virtually no traffic in this town that time seems to have forgotten. Stay at the old post-and-beam Hotel am Hof and take time to dine in the religious setting of Restaurant Dominic, where the light filters in through stained-glass windows.
At its core, Kitzbühel, is still a walled medieval town where royal flags and noble banners adorn the streets. It is surrounded by fabulous skiing and riding through lush trees and along a long ski circus that winds its way up the valley then back to the town walls. Kitzbühel is the site of the Hahnenkamm, one of the premier downhill races of the year. It is also one of the après-ski centers of the world, where the skis come off and the skiers belly up to the bar, then dance in their ski boots until dinner is served. Then they go out for more later in the night, singing and dancing into the wee hours.
France
France has Europe’s largest interconnected ski areas with the Trois Vallées connecting Courcheval, Meribel, Les Menuires and Val Thorens, the massive areas of Tignes/Val d’Isère and La Plagne/Les Arc. These trail networks are certainly unmatched, but when it comes to quaintness in the French Alps, one has to search a bit.
Megève still has its peaked roofs and wooden chalets, and the Old World town center has a steepled church. Though many hard-core skiers pooh-pooh the skiing and riding, the dining and lodging are some of the best on the continent. The on-mountain restaurants provide exceptional meals as well.
La Clusaz, which is tucked into a narrow mountain valley, hasn’t changed much over the last century. The parish church anchors the main square, and the town surrounds a skating rink. The lifts rise up to a steep ridgeline that drops back into the appealing town. This is not a touristy town filled with foreigners, but rather a town mostly visited by the French for a time-honored ski or snowboard vacation. Of the most famous resorts, Val d’Isère provides perhaps the most old-style village experience, and it is linked with seemingly endless slopes. Though the hotels are new and the resort was in danger of losing its Alpine flavor about a decade ago, the town changed direction just before the Albertville Olympics, when it installed an Alpine façade. That restoration of the old village style still influences the building codes and zoning of this town, thus maintaining its appeal. The skiing and riding are extensive and has something for everyone.
Finally, Chamonix is still, at its heart, a mountain city with a very French flair and wonderful hotels and restaurants. It is not one of my favorite ski destinations because of the patchwork trails and the inconsistent shuttle buses, but the springtime tradition of skiing down the Mer du Glace is an experience that every skier should try to enjoy. Also, spring skiing in the mid-morning and early afternoon here can easily turn into drinks and dinner at a city sidewalk cafe — a combination that is magical in good weather.
Italy
Italy contains more of the Alps than any other country and, more importantly, it is home to la dolce vita or sweet life. Here, enjoyment is the rule of the resorts. No one expects the Italians to ski themselves into exhaustion. Of course, they do not expect you to ski yourself into exhaustion, either. What Italians do expect is for skiers to take long lunches at mountain restaurants, stop for espresso regularly, enjoy a bit of grappa at a mountain hut and then prepare for a feast in the evening. No other country has perfected pampering the pleasures of the flesh as has Italy. If you want to enjoy life — really enjoy life — the Italians will find a way to help you suck as much pleasure from the day as possible.
Courmayeur, on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, takes fine Italian dining to heart from its mountain restaurants to its small trattorias, which are tucked into the narrow streets of the old town center. The original town is as cute as can be and is surrounded by far more modern buildings and hotels.
At the other end of the Italian Alps, Cortina d’Ampezzo has been a center of skiing and fashion for decades. This Olympic city is surrounded by skiing and snowboarding trails that link seamlessly to the other resorts of the Dolomites. But for visitors to Cortina, the skiing is secondary to the fashion show that strolls the pedestrian streets of the old town. The latest in ski and snowboard fashion is on display during the afternoon stroll, and the town is filled with some of the best — and most expensive — restaurants in the Italian Alps.
Take your pick. Every Alpine country has its resorts that can transport you back to once-upon-a-time. It is always nice to add that extra, dreamy dimension to any winter vacation.