Holidays in the winter snow

Take to the slopes in lesser-known places, in Europe and additional afield.

Snowboarding in Crete

Consider Crete, and likelihood is that “idyllic seashores and charming seaside villages” will come to thoughts. Go to from late February to April, nonetheless, and you’ll not solely get to get pleasure from these, but in addition a few of the most “thrilling” snowboarding in Europe, mentioned Louis Supple in The Guardian. The island has dozens of mountains of over 2,000 metres and, in winter, sirocco winds sweep in from Africa, choosing up moisture over the Libyan Sea and blanketing their higher slopes in deep snow. And sometimes, that is lined with a layer of crystals generally known as corn snow – which is nice for skiers. Guests are few (there aren’t any ski lifts or marked pistes); the sky is continuously blue, the ocean at all times in sight, and the surroundings is just “magical”.

Crete’s mountaineering membership was based in 1930, but it surely was not till the Nineteen Seventies {that a} small group of locals began snowboarding right here. With no ski resort (a mission to create one received beneath method in 1977 however by no means reached fruition), it’s important to climb or cross-country ski as much as the peaks, earlier than racing down by way of the “untouched” terrain, a follow generally known as ski mountaineering. You solely want some expertise of off-piste snowboarding to deal with most slopes, however a information is significant. I went with Akis Parousis, of the Hellenic Mountain Guides Affiliation, and stayed on the Delina Mountain Resort, a resort with “panoramic” views, “snug” rooms and a spa, sauna and hammam. It’s near the village of Anogia, on the foot of Mount Ida, the supposed birthplace of Zeus and the best peak in Crete, at 2,456m.

For our five-hour ascent of Ida, we connected artificial “skins” to our skis to grip the snow, and used crampons in icier locations. On the way in which up, the views have been “spectacular”, whereas the descent by way of untouched snow was chic. The subsequent day, I eased my aching limbs by taking a dip within the sea close to the attractive medieval harbour city of Chania.

A six-day journey with Akis Parousis prices from €1,370 (olympus-guiding.gr).

Snow and town

As a time to go to New York, winter has its benefits. Even after Christmas, one thing of town’s festive “twinkle and glow” stays – after which there are the January gross sales, discounted tickets on Broadway and, better of all, the relative lack of vacationers. Mix a protracted weekend there with just a few days’ snowboarding in New England, and you’ve got a “win-win”, mentioned Adrian Bridge in The Instances – the “final pick-me-up” for the darker, colder months. After my very own twirl round Manhattan, I caught the prepare as much as Burlington in Vermont (a “snug” seven-and-a-half-hour journey with “majestic” views of the Hudson River). The state’s Inexperienced Mountains (within the Appalachian chain) do not provide the “dramatic panoramas” of the Alps, and the snow “could be a bit icy” – however they’ve a “uncooked magnificence” of their very own, and comparatively uncrowded slopes. I loved all three of the resorts I checked out. Killington, the “largest and greatest recognized”, has 150 ski trails and loads of bars blasting out rock classics from “the period of Led Zeppelin”. The “genuinely quaint, old-style” city of Stowe sits beside Mount Mansfield, the state’s highest peak, at 1,340m. Close by, the Sugarbush was generally known as “Mascara Mountain” within the Sixties for its chi-chi clientele (together with Yoko Ono and the Kennedy clan), and nonetheless exudes a “cool, laid-back vibe”.

America As You Like It has an eight-night journey from £2,285pp, together with flights and prepare.

An Arctic archipelago

With comparatively low snowfall owing to its dry local weather, Svalbard is “not generally known as a vacation spot for powderhounds”. However this large archipelago within the Arctic Ocean is a “superb” place to ski even so, mentioned Simon Usborne within the Monetary Instances. Its important island, Spitsbergen, is roughly the dimensions of Switzerland, however has simply 3,000 residents and receives fewer than 150,000 vacationers a yr. However with peaks rising to 1,713m, this Arctic wonderland now sees ski teams exploring by yacht. I selected a much less romantic however extra speedy vessel, MV Villa, a former naval expedition ship with six cabins. We moored in deep fjords the place glaciers tumbled in the direction of the “midnight-blue” sea. Crampons and ice axes have been wanted on the best peak we climbed, and the potential for polar bear encounters added an additional edge.

Elemental Journey has a six-night journey from €9,500pp, excluding flights.

Two new Swiss motels

Grace La Margna St Moritz

This artwork nouveau grande dame lay empty for years earlier than its latest renovation. It is a breath of recent air in stuffy St Moritz, mentioned Davina Chelsea in Tatler, with large home windows commanding fabulous views and flooding its “stripped-back” interiors with mild. I liked the “stylish” Scandi chairs in my room, the “impeccable” beef tartare within the restaurant, and the ethereal spa and pool – the right respite from this little mountain city’s relentless social whirl.

Doubles from £858 b&b; gracehotels.com.

The Brecon Adelboden

Adelboden is a “blissfully bucolic” village with good snowboarding and a “laid-back vibe”, mentioned Liam Hess in Vogue – and The Brecon, owned by a Welsh financier, is the right base from which to get pleasure from it. Interiors are “a research in muted mid-century stylish”, with pleasing touches (flagstone flooring, lambswool blankets). The beds are monumental, as are the showers, and there is a good restaurant serving seasonal, native delicacies, and a spa with sauna, steam room and heated out of doors pool.

Doubles from about £650 all-inclusive; thebrecon.com.