- an old friend is better than two new ones
- Highest ski resorts in the Southern Hemisphere
- Argentine motives
The Alps mountain system stretches for more than 1200 kilometers across Europe. The Alps have long become an international center for winter sports, hiking and mountaineering, and it is here that the chain of the highest ski resorts in the Old World is located. For example, the tracks in the Austrian Otztal valley are laid at an altitude of two kilometers above sea level, and French Courchevel invites athletes to start from a mark of 1850 meters.
No less famous in the ski world are Chilean winter resorts - the highest in the Western Hemisphere. The starting points on their tracks can be located far beyond the three-kilometer mark.
an old friend is better than two new ones
Russian active travelers prefer to spend their holidays in European ski resorts. Everything here is familiar and familiar: the mechanism for obtaining a Schengen visa has been worked out to the smallest detail, the euro can be bought at any bank, and the flight does not take much time, effort or money. And therefore, with the onset of the season, the slopes of the Alps are filled with athletes who speak, among other things, Russian.
The Austrian winter resorts located in the Otztal valley are most popular with lovers of the highlands:
- Sölden is popular not only with skiers, but also with mountain climbers. The resort is located at an altitude of 1377 meters in a valley at the foot of three peaks - "three thousand meters". Sölden's pistes are marked mainly in blue and red and are suitable for experienced and fairly confident skiers. The resort is also famous for its nightlife. Sölden has many clubs and bars.
- The Obergurgl resort positions its slopes as quite difficult and is recommended for those whose skiing level is significantly above average.
- At 1900 meters, there is a ski area in the resort of Vent. There is definitely nothing for beginners to do here, but for advanced ones, Vent has been offering ideal snow slopes since mid-November.
Among others in Europe, Hochgurgl is famous - the highest ski resort in the Otztal valley. It is quite expensive and the facades of almost all of its hotels are decorated with 4 * and 5 *. Infrastructure is no longer represented and all evening and nightlife takes place in the bars and restaurants of the hotels.
The season on the slopes of Hochgurgl starts in early November, when a stable subzero temperature is established at night, in the daytime the thermometer readings rarely exceed the positive five-degree mark. There are not too many guests at the highest ski resort in Europe, and therefore lovers of solitude, quiet rest and ideal alpine landscapes prefer to come here.
Useful information:
- You can get to the resorts of the Otztal Valley by plane from Moscow to Innsbruck. S7 aircraft fly directly from Domodedovo airport. The ticket will cost about 180 euros round trip. The road will take just over three hours.
- From the airport to the resorts of the valley just over 50 km. From Innsbruck in the direction of the Otztal Valley, special tourist shuttles make several bus routes during the day.
- The season in the resorts of the valley lasts from the first days of November to the end of April. Sometimes a decent snow cover persists until the May holidays.
- If you do not have your own ski or snowboard equipment, rental offices in all Alpine resorts will provide it for rent.
Highest ski resorts in the Southern Hemisphere
As you know, when summer comes in the Northern Hemisphere, skiers fanatically devoted to their favorite sport rush to the South, where resorts only meet winter and the slopes are covered with ideal snow for skiing. The highest ski resorts in the Southern Hemisphere are located in Chile - a country of blue glaciers, snow-white peaks and an ultramarine sky.
Chilean Valle Nevado, 60 km from Santiago, is a young but very promising resort. Its tracks lie at an altitude of more than three thousand meters above sea level, and the most difficult "black" ones are even higher than four kilometers. Skiers are transported to the starting points in such places by helicopter. Valle Nevado has 40 lifts and many recreational facilities.
The Portillo resort is 140 km away from the capital of Chile, and its excellent skiing conditions make it one of the most popular winter destinations in South America. More than half of the slopes are suitable for beginners, but Portillo also has tidbits for professionals. For example, the "black" track Roca de Jack, which is legendary even among professional athletes.
A large valley and 14 different trails combine the three resorts - Farellones, El Colorado and La Parva - into a single ski area 40 km from Santiago. The infrastructure of the region is developing rapidly, but today five hotels and 17 ski lifts provide comfortable accommodation and transfers to the starting points.
You will not find direct flights from Moscow to Santiago even during the "high" ski season, but with transfers in Paris, Amsterdam or Madrid, Air France, KLM and Iberia fly to the capital of Chile. The ticket price starts from $ 1000, and the journey will take about 19 hours, excluding the transfer
Argentine motives
Argentina, no less popular among skiers of the Southern Hemisphere, offers a ride with the breeze along the slopes of the Las Lenhas resort. Its upper station is located at an altitude of 3400 meters above sea level, and almost half of the tracks here are classified as difficult. A special feature of the resort is night skiing. Its slopes are the only ones in South America that are illuminated at night. Las Lenhas is also popular with snowboarders. The resort has built a snow park with figures of various difficulty levels on an area of 1500 sq. m.
Argentines offer the services of instructors and lifeguards, rent equipment and organize safe off-piste skiing for virgin lovers.
