SNOW STAMPEDE
Snow Stampede - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Snow Stampede | |||||
| By: Hilary Doling & Jenny Caspersonn, Issue 27 – Winter 2006. | |||||
| (Skiing in North America) | |||||
| NORTH AMERICA HAS SOME OF THE BEST SKIING ON THE PLANET. WE EXPLORE COWBOY COUNTRY, CELEBRITY CENTRAL AND THE BEST OF CANADA. | |||||
| Cowboy Country | |||||
| Steamboat, Colorado, USA When two people ski past you in large Stetsons and nobody thinks it unusual, you know you’re in John Wayne territory. Steamboat Springs, Colorado prides itself on its Western heritage, the historic cow town turned serious ski resort loves a hoedown. The resort’s Director of Skiing, ex- Olympian, Billy Kidd, is rarely seen with out his signature Stetson. Steamboat is also the home of the Cowboy Downhill where over 100 Pro Rodeo stars are invited to the mountains for a ski rodeo to prove they are as good on snow as they are on horseback. Run names like Tomahawk, Quick Draw, Buckshot and High Noon also reflect the character-filled resort’s western soul. However there is more to Steamboat than jeans and beans. This is the place renowned for its spectacular champagne powder. The term was coined in Steamboat back in the 1950s and technically this is the only resort entitled to use it. It means the snow here is particularly light and airy, like champagne bubbles and so dry that it never sticks. Skiing on Steamboat snow is certainly a five star experience. On one magic morning we awoke find that over 30cm (12 inches) of snow had fallen the previous night. We had booked a ticket for first tracks – a special early morning ski experience before the lifts are officially open. That day we glided down the mountain as if we were floating through clouds not snow. The world was pure white, the sky was platinum and the ghostly Aspens gleamed. Coming down one endless run, I looked up to find that the only tracks on the slope behind me were my own – a scalloped frill in the snow like a line of lace on a petticoat. The resort always has an impressive snowfall; last season there was more than 10 metres (36 feet) of snow. Often overnight falls are so heavy that snow collects on the morning chairlifts like vanilla icecream on a cone. Add this to the fact that there are six peaks, sweeping runs and more than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of terrain and that adds up to a pretty impressive destination. Special touches such as tissues at lift lines, free hot drinks in the afternoon, ambassadors and complimentary tours make this a great resort to ski. It also helps that the Steamboat Grand Resort Hotel & Condominiums has fabulous fireplaces in many of its rooms and sink-into-me sofas. The main lobby has a grand western feel with hanging cow horns and rancher motifs and leather couches fit for a trail boss at the end of long hard day. The premier restaurant, the Cabin, is decorated with Aspen tree sculptures and serves a steak to make a cowboy proud. The masseurs at the spa at the Steamboat Grand are well practised in the art of de-knotting tense ski muscles and it’s a popular place to be after a hard day on the slopes, but by far the most scenic way to ease those aching limbs is to head for Strawberry Park Hot Springs. This is a series of deep green pools ranging from seriously hot to frankly freezing. The bravest in our party actually leapt out of the skin-tingling cold pool to make snow angels in the surrounding white but then they were the same ones who had kamikaze down the slopes early. The more sedate amongst us simply admired the icicles hanging like silvery decorations from the surrounding trees and the snow, which miraculously collected around the edges of the hot pool like foam on a steaming cappuccino. Without doubt one of the most upmarket (and unique) places to stay in the area is Home Ranch – a Relais & Chateaux property. The ranch is about a 30-minute drive from Steamboat Springs, but is the kind of place that will chauffeur you to and from the slopes. The day we drove out to Clark County it was what they call a ‘five wire winter’. The snow was so deep it reached the top of the fence wires so that the posts were no more than dotted lines of black stitching on a pristine white quilt of fields. We journeyed through a winter wonderland of white with historic barns cake-like in their frosty icing and horses stomach-deep in snow. In summer and fall, Home Ranch is a dude ranch of the highest quality, in winter it becomes a centre for cross country skiing – with 26 kilometres of private ski and snowshoe trails – and a place from which discerning downhill skiers venture forth. Accommodation is in luxury cabins, set amongst the trees furnished with antiques and western-style rugs. Driving back from Home Ranch we stopped off at Steamboat Springs to buy a souvenir in FM Light & Sons, cowboy outfitters since 1905. After all the spectacular skiing and the spa-ing and the shopping I’m left with one big question – will my newly purchased cow gal hat really look cool back home? | |||||
| Luxe List Eat: | |||||
| - Cottonwood Grill, www.cottonwoodgrill.com | |||||
| - Café Diva, www.cafediva.com | |||||
| Stay: | |||||
| - Steamboat Grand Hotel, www.steamboatgrand.com | |||||
| - Home Ranch, www.homeranch.com | |||||
| Celebrity Central | |||||
| The Canyons, Utah “Fur suits you darling,” I said to my friend Sue as she stood in front of a mirror swathed in mink. I was at the time standing in some exotic white floor length number myself complete with ermine boots, so my opinion clearly counted. Sue’s jacket was a bargain at a mere $US3,000, so for those who are happy to pay the price tag and who don’t object on moral grounds, Park City, Utah is the place to come and buy. If this is not a name you immediately associate with luxury shopping let me remind you that Park City is the home of the Sundance Film festival, which means once a year it is celebrity central. Which explains why a tiny town nestling in the Utah mountains has more than its fair share of very ritzy furriers, a dozen or so upmarket art galleries, and a whole wardrobe of designer clothes shops. It also has a restaurant, Zoom, owned by Robert Redford, which is one of many great places to eat and drink in this designer town. Park City sits in the centre of a ring of ski resorts. Park City Mountain Resort is where the US ski team train. Redford has his own resort, Sundance, which is more a hardcore skier’s mountain and art craft centre than an upmarket resort for the pampered classes. Lovers of luxury tend to head for Deer Valley, with its private condominiums, or The Canyons. Up at The Canyons ski resort they claim film festival fortnight is a great time to come and ski – if only you can find a place to stay – because the stars come to see and be seen, rather than just to have a ski. Nevertheless a fair few of them do find their way onto the slopes at one time or another. They still tell tall tales of the time Paris Hilton’s then boyfriend was rumoured to have appeared naked in the lobby of the Grand Summit hotel or when Courtney Love supposedly insisted on learning to snowboard with a minder on hand to give her puffs of a cigarette between turns. I stayed in Sundial Lodge, a quiet hotel where rooms have a couch and gas-generated fireplace but I wouldn’t call it strictly five star. The Grand Summit hotel is a little more, well, grand but for those who want to stay in some of the impressive private ski lodges an outfit called Resorts West can help. This small company has concierges to help plan your vacation. They can book your accommodation, supply a butler, stock your fridge with gourmet food, book your ski passes and organise transport. Many of the properties on their books are ski-in ski-out with stone fireplaces, western style wood beams, and hot tubs and surround sound theatre systems. All the time we stayed at The Canyons we had what are known on the slopes as ‘bluebird days’ – days of amazing cobalt blue skies and bright sunshine. What better spotlight for the real stars of the Utah ski resorts, which aren’t the celebrity visitors but the mountains themselves. The Canyons is a vast resort with 3,500 metres of terrain. Everything starts with a fast gondola ride up to Red Pine. From there the lifts fan out and you ski in and out of various bowls connecting eight mountains. Many of the runs wind through fir trees heavy with snow that makes it a very pretty resort to ski in. Sitting at the outdoor café at the bottom of the Dreamscape lift in brilliant sunshine, it was hard to believe that skiing could get any better than this. The steam off our hot chocolate curled up into the crisp air as we watched other skiers glide down the mountain, their jackets rainbow bright against the snow. You get a real feel of the mountains at night. On an evening sleigh ride up to the Viking Yurt tented restaurant to the left of the Saddleback express lift we slid over snow made silvery by moonlight, the sky was inky blue and polka-dotted with stars. When we left the sleigh for a snowshoe walk though the trees, all was silence except for the muffled sound of shoe on snow. What a perfect setting for a movie. | |||||
| Luxe List Eat: | |||||
| - Zoom, www.sundanceresort.com/zoom.htm - Shabu, www.shabuPC.com | |||||
| - Chimayo, www.chimayorestaurant.com | |||||
| Stay: Resorts West, www.resortswest.com | |||||
| Snow Drifters | |||||
| Ski Canada Bucket and spade holidays are all very well, but just how much sun and beach can you take? With a yawning seven weeks of December/January school holidays facing many of us, taking off to Canada for a burst of white powder is a compelling attraction. Post-Christmas Canadian ski-field occupancies are low, as North American kids return to school in early January, so filling the Canadian resorts with Aussies is a match made in ski heaven. No crowds, no lift-lines, no restaurant reservations required, small groups for ski lessons and, most important, great snow. The only downside is bumping into the other savvy Australians who are already there. Canadian resorts have the obvious simpatico between Canadians and Aussies to preserve their Australian market share, despite Japan’s emerging new ski-fields and a strengthening Australian dollar meaning the American resorts are again within financial reach of many Australian skiers. The countries share similar culture and history, their currencies roughly equate and there are no language difficulties. So happy is the relationship, in fact, that numbers of Australians are now finding property there to call their own. Sure, it’s a long way to go for weekends, but for those who can afford it, buying property makes sense. Real estate at the smaller resorts is well priced; it’s appreciating, provides solid rental returns and, of course, ensures a place to stay next time. Beyond their obvious winter charms, these places are gorgeous in summer. Golf, wineries, magnificent lakes, fishing, mountain biking and hiking entice a thriving summer holiday market, ensuring year-round occupancy. The resorts, with their friendly, unpretentious atmospheres, are working especially hard to differentiate themselves from the larger, more glamorous Whistler experience by offering intimate, family-oriented holidays. With skating and tube parks, kid-friendly restaurants, family movies, recreation centres and every snow-related activity imaginable – including ski-team race training programs for Aussie schools – they offer a safe, fun time for everyone. And happy kids mean happy parents. Here are four Canadian resorts doing a great job: Big White Along with its smaller, colourful cousin SilverStar, Big White is owned by Australia’s Schumann Resorts. An hour’s drive from Kelowna, at the foot of the Monashee Mountains in British Columbia’s beautiful Okanagan Valley, Big White boasts Canada’s largest ski-in, ski-out accommodation for some 15,000 guests. Although made up of predominantly intermediate slopes, thoughtful planning means that from the top of the runs there’s a choice between greens, blues and more challenging blacks all merging at the base of the trail. Olympian wannabes can test their skills, while the sensible ones take the easy way down. Meanwhile, kids can ski and board up a storm at the Telus Terrain Park on its impressive half-pipes, rails and boxes. Stereo music and night lighting add to the choice of adolescent enjoyments. Accommodation ranges from hotels, ski homes and high-end apartments, such as the impressive Stonebridge Lodge condominiums. This three-block resort and spa, with fitness centre and heated swimming pool, is a 100-metre stroll from the village’s main street, where ticketing, ski rental, kids’ club, eateries and ski school operate. As with SilverStar, kids under five ski free and lift passes are interchangeable between the two resorts. Details, www.bigwhite.com | |||||
| Silverstar SilverStar Mountain Resort, 18 kilometres east of Vernon and an hour’s drive from Kelowna, is a Victorian-style village with brightly painted homes dotted across the mountain, many with ski-in, ski-out facilities. Cleverly avoiding the cheesy, it’s a cheery kaleidoscope against a pristine white backdrop. Although considerably smaller than Big White in terms of occupancy (3,500 beds), SilverStar offers splendidly varied terrain. Day-trippers from the nearby lakeside town of Vernon swell the numbers slightly, but lift-lines seem unimaginable with the Comet six-pack chair and high-speed quad chairs whizzing skiers uphill. The new Silver Woods Express Chair has provided more than 146 hectares (360 acres) of additional terrain, with 10 new runs and beautiful glade skiing. More lifts are planned to access recently released housing lots. Here, too, property is moving fast, much of it into Australian hands. The up-scale Snowbird development, open in the Northern Autumn of 2006, has ski-in, ski-out access, concierge facilities, a gym and games rooms ideally positioned at the end of main street. Like Big White, SilverStar has a Telus Terrain Park, tube and skating park, movies, indoor rock-climbing, nightskiing and a spa – if there’s any time left for pampering. Restaurants are casual and generally kid-friendly, but grown-ups should not miss the night snowcat ride to Paradise Camp to sample chef Leonard’s creative dinner fare. Details, www.skisilverstar.com | |||||
| Sun Peaks Sun Peaks is 45 minutes from Kamloops, four and a half hours’ drive from Vancouver and two and a half hours’ drive from Kelowna. Formerly Tod Mountain, it became known as Sun Peaks in 1993 when extensive development began. These days, the village is somewhere in size between Big White and SilverStar. The appropriately named Sun Peaks doesn’t disappoint. Canadian Olympic skiing legend and Sun Peaks local Nancy Greene notes that Sun Peaks enjoys 2,000 hours of sunshine per year. Its charming, well-planned village evokes European styling with a cobbled main street and pitched roofs. There are extensive mountain activities, including snow-mobiling, snow-shoeing, sleigh rides, dog sledding, back-country snowcat adventures, a kids’ adventure park with tobogganing and mini snowmobiles, and an impressive sports centre with pool, ice-skating rink and fitness centre. Completion of the 18-hole golf course has added to Sun Peaks’ appeal as a flourishing summer destination and there’s talk of a second village being built. Accommodation includes the signature property, Delta Sun Peaks, and Nancy Greene’s ski-in, ski-out Cahilty Lodge, while property management groups such as Bear Country Lodging also offer a wide range of impressive condominiums. Details, www.sunpeaksresort.com | |||||
| Red Mountain Red, as the locals simply refer to it, is three and a half hours’ drive from Kelowna and five minutes from the historic goldmining town of Rossland. Once a private ski club, Red is known locally as a true skiers’ mountain and here development is catching up with an established, challenging ski environment. While it does not yet have the international recognition and trappings of other resorts, Red enjoys cachet as a place for serious skiers (Nancy Greene learned to ski there). What Red presently lacks in glamour it makes up for in spirit, plentiful powder and magnificent runs on its two mountains, Red and Granite. A few lodgings, such as the charming 1970s-built Rams Head Inn remain. However, more high-end developments such as the impressive Silvertip condominiums are under way and improvements to facilities are planned. Red is an exciting new/old resort coming onto the radar, so watch this space. Details, www.redresort.com | |||||
| Luxe List Packages: Travelplan and Air Canada offer combined land and ground packages to Canada's leading ski resorts of British Columbia including Silver Tip Condos at Red Resort, Stonebridge at Big White, Starlight Vacation Homes at Silver Star and Bear Country Lodging at Sun Peaks. For pricing and packaging and a free brochure call 1300 130 754 or visit www.travelplan.com.au | |||||
| Flights: Air Canada 1300 655 767 or visit www.aircanada.com.au. For general information on skiing in Canada log onto www.skicanada.info. Air Canada offers a daily direct same-plane service from Sydney to Vancouver, via Honolulu. Flights arrive in Vancouver early morning, enabling same day connections to more than 70 destinations across Canada.www.mthutthelicopters.co.nz | |||||
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