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The Best Ski Resorts in North America

Skiing in Canada

Whistler

This Canadian ski resort gives you access to over 200 individual pistes and 37 ski lifts. Whistler firmly places its hat in the debate of the which resort is the ‘World’s Greatest Ski Resorts‘, competing with many of its neighbours in the US and of course, Europe’s elite.

Whistler can keep you on your toes whatever your level of skier you are, there are plenty of runs here for everyone.

Beginners have access to easy runs and learning areas which sit above the village.

Over half of the terrain is at intermediate-level. If you’re an intermediate skier, you have the most choice out of the bunch. If it is your cup of tea, you can go on amazing heli-skiing excursions, where you’ll be rising up to the 2500-3000m high slopes where you are able to enjoy the most breathtaking views in the whole area.

Whistler is a fantastic resort. You have a huge variety of challenges and stunning views.

Ski-Lifts offer shuttles from Vancouver Airport to Whistler.

© Photo by Kris Arnold (www.flickr.com/photos/wka/3346018264/) 

Skiing in the USA

Aspen

With access to 337 individual pistes and 43 ski lifts, Aspen should not be overlooked when you decide to go skiing in the USA. It is extremely hard to pinpoint just one ski resort as being the best in the world and I’m sure everyone would have their own opinion on which is the best. However, one thing that is undisputed is that Aspen is certainly amongst those top ski resorts across the world, maybe even within the top 5.

Altogether, Aspen has four mountains. These four mountains combined give you an offering of very diverse skiing which is suitable for all levels of skier/snowboarder. One downside of Aspen is that the mountains are not linked by ski lifts. That being said, there is a shuttle service between these mountains, which is available from 8am-5pm.

If you’re a beginner, your best bet is to start your day on Buttermilk, which is an area with wide, quiet and gentle slopes… Perfect! Buttermilk stretches for a few kilometres, heading away from the town. For the intermediate and expert skiers, get yourself over to Aspen Mountain, which stands 5km away from the town. Aspen has something for everyone, from beginner runs, all the way to the demanding and exciting black runs and off-piste runs which are a challenge for any level of skier.

Ski-Lifts offer shuttles from Denver Airport and Eagle County Airport to Aspen.

Beaver Creek

This family-focused resort is definitely one which you should look to tick off your ski bucket list! Whatever level of skier you are, you will find something to suit your ability here at Beaver Creek. It is also one of the highest ski areas around, so natural snow is almost guaranteed throughout the season. This top-of-the-range resort also invests in cloud-seeding technology. Cloud-seeding is designed to make it snow more than it would naturally.

Strawberry Park, with its own gondola lift, is the perfect place for beginners to start their journey into skiing. Further up the mountain, you will also find a number of gentle beginner slopes. Intermediate skiers have plenty to occupy themselves with at Beaver Creek. There are over 100 intermediate runs for you to fill your boots with, some are up to 4.5km long. Not forgetting all you expert skiers, for a real challenge, head to the black diamond and double-black diamond runs, including the famous World Cup Birds of Prey downhill course. You may, or may not be happy to know that some of the runs here in Beaver Creek are so extreme, they have their own special rating – ‘EX’. If you’re looking for these runs, get yourself over to Stone Creek Chutes, Royal Elk Grade and Talon’s Challenge.

Ski-Lifts offer shuttles from Denver Airport and Eagle County Airport to Beaver Creek.

© Photo by Jeff Gunn (www.flickr.com/photos/jeffgunn/6576477881/) 

Copper Mountain

Staying with the theme of all the best ski resorts in North America, Copper Mountain provides runs for all levels of ability. The 142 runs are neatly-divided over 1800 ha. Runs which are located in the west, start out easy, however, once you head further east, you will notice they gradually become steeper and much more challenging. If you’re looking for some wide-open green runs, then head over to Union Creek chair in West Village. In Central Village, you will find a number of green and blue runs. While East Village is set up for more experienced skiers, with challenging 600+ metre runs, including; blue runs, a black diamond and a double diamond, which are all situated below the mountains 3600m peak. Here’s a good fact for you, the US ski team trains for its speed events on the runs near East Village.

Other than skiing, Copper Mountain offers snowboarding, zip-lining, tubing, show-shoeing, ice-skating, and much more.

Ski-Lifts offer shuttles from Denver Airport to Copper Moutain.

Vail

Vail is the self-proclaimed favourite ski resort in North America and you know what, we somewhat agree! One thing that we can definitely confirm, is that Vail is the USA’s biggest ski resort. With over 5,289 of ski-able acres and 7 infamous back bowls which span over 7 miles, you certainly won’t find yourself skiing the same run twice during your time in Vail. Free buses and heated walkways connect all the four base areas in Vail.

Vail is huge!! You won’t find skiing on a scale like this anywhere else.

There’s no doubt that experts will gravitate toward the legendary Back Bowls – which feature plenty of black runs and off-piste routes. It’s worth noting that intermediates can safely handle some runs in the Back Bowls.

Ski-Lifts offer shuttles from Denver Airport and Eagle County Airport to Vail.

© Photo by Rudi Riet (www.flickr.com/photos/rudiriet/2419178572/) [/vc_column_text][vc_cta h2=”Heading to any of these resorts this winter? Don’t forget to book your hassle-free transfer!” style=”flat” add_button=”bottom” btn_title=”Click here to get an instant quote” btn_style=”flat” btn_color=”juicy-pink” btn_link=”url:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ski-lifts.com|||”][/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The Best Ski Resorts for Christmas

Are you dreaming of heading to snowier climates this festive season? It’s time to turn those dreams into reality. Christmas Ski transfers to popular resorts during the busy season are already getting booked up, so, to make the decision easier, we’ve put together a list of our favourite resorts to spend this Christmas.

Courchevel, France

Just a 2 hour, 30-minute transfer from Geneva Airport, Courchevel is located at one end of the world’s largest lift-linked ski area, the Three Valleys. You’ll have access to 600km of pistes and over 70 lifts! The snow in Courchevel is usually some of the best in the whole of the Three Valleys, thanks to the local slopes facing north. There’s terrain to suit everyone from beginner to expert, making Courchevel a perfect family getaway for Christmas.

Wengen, Switzerland

If you’re looking for a truly festive Swiss break, then Wengen will delight you.  The streets are decorated for Christmas and Christmas Eve. If you want to take in some local culture, join the local Swiss families and attend Midnight Mass, then get together afterwards to share homemade doughnuts and hot chocolate. Sharing a ski area with Grindelwald, Wengen sits on a sunny shelf and most of its slopes sit above its neighbour, under the north face of the Eiger.  If you purchase a Jungfrau lift pass then you can ski in both resorts, as well as next-door Mürren.

Wengen is perfect for families, just a 2 hour, 30-minute transfer from Geneva Airport. The resort is virtually car-free and in the centre, there’s a snow-covered field that serves brilliantly as a nursery slope and a playground.  The main way up the mountain is the cog railway, which gives any progressing children the chance to access the village from Lauterbrunnen down in the valley.

Megeve, France

Megève was originally created to give France its very own St Moritz. As the story goes, in 1914 the French set about transforming the original farming village into what it is today, a resort with expensive boutiques, fancy restaurants and hotels all lining the town square and the cobbled streets. The Swarovski Christmas tree in Megève is a must see!

If you’re looking for a lavish Christmas break, just an hour and twenty-minute transfer from Geneva, then Megève is the place for you. Altogether there are seven 5-star hotels, one 3-Michelin-star restaurant and four that have 1-Michelin-star. Megeve has its brilliant share of accommodation, including hotels, private rentals, residences, chalets, and guestrooms.

Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt is Switzerland’s most famous resort. Approximately a 2hrs, 30 minute transfer from Geneva Airport – Think horse-drawn sleighs, glowing shop windows and chestnut and glühwein stalls, that’s exactly how Zermatt is at Christmas. The world’s most photogenic mountain, the Matterhorn ensures that Zermatt is loved by many and known all around the world, so it’s time to book your Christmas ski transfers ASAP!

If you’re worried about early-season snow at Christmas, well, you needn’t worry about Zermatt’s snow-sure slopes from late November. Its high-altitude top stations (all the way up to 3,820m), a modern and slick lift system and the fantastic mountain restaurants, ensure Zermatt is a cut above the rest. There are links to Cervinia over the Italian border from here, so you can even pop over for a pizza.

Val Thorens, France

Val Thorens is the highest resort in the huge Three Valleys ski area, Val Thorens is actually the highest resort in Europe. The high-altitude of Val Thorens slopes means that this resort is snow-sure from November onwards, so there’s no need to worry about snow cover over the Christmas period.

The terrain around Val Thorens suits everyone from beginner to expert, however, intermediates are those who Val Thorens suits the most.  If you’re up for some long, cruising runs over the Christmas period, then head over to Les Menuires and St Martin de Belleville.

he closest airport to Val Thorens is Chambery, but there are plenty of other nearby airports that the big airlines fly into. The journey from Geneva may take longer at 3hrs (than Chambery at 90 mins), but Geneva airport is preferred by some skiers for its relatively faster luggage processing and other facilities.

Kitzbuhel, Austria

This amazing alpine village is nestled in Tyrol, it’s a beautiful picture-perfect Austrian resort. From the 26th November, you’ll find a festive filled Christmas market with local handicraft stores, fir trees and plenty of konditorei (a cafe selling pastries). Spend your days skiing and enjoying pony rides and a petting zoo. Each evening from 6 pm, the central square is filled with singing from the local choirs. Transfers from Innsbuck to Kitzbuhel take around 1 hour and 30 minutes, you can also fly to Salzburg and Munich, which takes about 2 hours to Kitzbuhel.

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Where is The Snow?

Which resorts have snow already? Which don’t? Where’s opened early?

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Tignes

Tignes is always one of the first French resorts to open first.  It’s clear to see why this season especially.  Conditions early on in the season are looking brilliant.  Our very own Financial Controller, Fran has been up in the mountains this past week and the words from his mouth are “there’s so much snow and barely anyone here, so there are no queues for the lifts”.  What more could you possibly ask for?!

With 33/77 lifts already open and ongoing temperatures of below -10 degrees, Tignes seems like the perfect choice for some early season skiing/snowboarding.

Avoriaz

Unfortunately, being based in Manchester, we get slightly envious when our colleagues based in Morzine send us pictures of them enjoying the glorious snow in Avoriaz. Due to the great early season conditions in Avoriaz, this Portes du Soleil resort is due to open for the weekend of the 2nd-3rd and 9th-10th December (if you fancy a last minute weekend away, here’s a great excuse!) With the entire Avoriaz ski sector opening fully on the 15th December. Avoriaz is a fantastic resort and we’re extremely pleased (if not slightly envious that we won’t be there) to see it’s opening early.

Zermatt

Although this Swiss resort hasn’t quite seen the levels of snowfall as some of the French resorts, it’s still a fantastic early season choice at this stage. The snow on the pistes is fresh and best up high and off-piste.  Heavy snow is forecast within the next 6-9 days, so we’re only seeing the already good conditions in Zermatt improving. With 17/52 lifts already open, we wouldn’t blame you for looking at last minute flight deals to Geneva or the other surrounding airports to get onto the slopes in Zermatt.

Ischgl

Although the snow hasn’t been as plentiful in Ischgl as the previously mentioned resorts, it still deserves its place on this list as one of the resorts to shout about in the next couple of weeks.  Already on-piste has some fresh snow (off-piste is slightly varied) and in the next 6-9 days, there’s over half a metre of snow predicted to fall. 35/45 lifts are open to date in Ischgl, we don’t see it being long until the other 10 lifts are open for business for the season.

The influx of snow over the next 6-9 days is pretty much the same story for many other resorts across Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland. At this rate, I’ll be booking a last-minute deal to one of these resorts!

Val d’Isere

Val d’Isere is officially open for the season and the snow has not let anyone down! The snow is fresh on and off-piste and 31/77 lifts are open.  57cm of snowfall is predicted over the next 6-9 days, so a last-minute flight to Geneva is looking like an extremely tempting choice right now. Val d’Isere is plenty of peoples first choice when it comes to their favourite resort and it’s easy to see why once you’ve been there.  A day skiing with a few drinks at La Folie Douce sounds like the recipe for a perfect early season getaway to me!

Val Thorens

Val Thorens has always been an early season favourite amongst ski/snowboard lovers and this year has proved to be no exception.  The popularity of this French resort is at an all-time high. In fact, they won The World’s Best Ski Resort at the World Ski Awards last week (where we also won the prize for the World’s Best Transfer Operator). The piste conditions are looking very good and there’s fresh powder off-piste. 24/32 lifts are already open, so if you’re not already heading out to Val Thorens for an early season break, we’d seriously recommend that you do!

Solden

I’ve already mentioned that it is pretty much the same story across the majority of resorts across the Alps with a tonne of snow due to fall in the next 6-9 days. Solden is no exception to that prediction. In fact, Solden has taken things 1 step further, there is 90cm of snow predicted to fall in the next 6-9 days. If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will! Conditions on-piste are looking good at the already open Solden, with 23-33 lifts open and no doubt not too much longer until the last 10 are opened.

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The World’s Best Transfer Operator – 2015, 2016 & 2017!

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”2/3″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1537444182219{margin-bottom: -1px !important;}”]We’re incredibly proud to announce that Ski-Lifts have won the award for the World’s Best Transfer Operator, at the World Ski Awards.  The World Ski Awards are held once a year and they are voted for by members of the public and fellow industry professionals.  You may or may not know, but this is the 3rd time in a row we have won this award and this means a huge amount to everyone here in the Ski-Lifts team.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/3″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1511176176646{margin-bottom: -1px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”][/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]It’s amazing to not only receive recognition from our industry peers, but also from our loyal customers.  We’re constantly striving to provide the very best, unrivalled service to our customers, so to get recognition through the World Ski Awards that we continue to do this, is fantastic.  The award truly is a testament to the hard work that everyone at Ski-Lifts has put in over the last year.

There’s been a number of changes here at Ski-Lifts (some large, some small) in the past year and in particular in the past few months.  Our business has continued to grow and we’re always searching for new ways to keep our customers as happy as they can possibly be, before, during and after their transfer.  We’ve opened an additional office to Morzine, in Manchester, which is our new HQ.  We’ve added new staff and we’ve worked extremely hard to make everything better for our customers and we will continue to do this in the future.

We would be nothing without our customers, clients and hardworking staff.  We’d like to send a huge thank you to our loyal and amazing customers and clients.

The added bonus of being nominated for the award was that we headed out to Kitzbuhel, Austria for a couple of days of skiing, eating, catching up with fellow professionals and maybe enjoying a few too many glasses of wine and schnapps.  The days skiing came to a close and we put on our evening attire.  The Ski-Lifts team actually scrubbed up quite well for the awards evening.  It was a fantastic weekend, made all the better by bringing home the winners trophy.

The winter season is almost here, so it’s now Monday and back to work for us guys.  One thing we will not do is rest on our laurels.  Although we have won the award for a third consecutive time, we will continue to do everything we can possibly to do improve our service for our loyal customers.  2018 will be our best year yet, the work never stops here at Ski-Lifts!

Keep an eye out for our upcoming giveaway to celebrate our 3rd consecutive win, it’s going to be our largest yet!

Here are some shots from the weekend…[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]