Top 10 places to Ski & Snowboard off-piste in Europe
Where are you skiing or snowboarding off-piste this season?
1 – Chamonix, France
Home to the most famous off-piste run in the world,The Vallée Blanche, every expert skier or snowboarder has to ski it Ride the Aiguille du Midi up to a tremendous 3842m and follow the unforgettable 24km trail weaving across the Colle del Gigante and Mar de Glace glaciers. In the Brévent-Flégère région, you can carve through waist deep powder with panoramic views of Mont Blanc and out across the peaks of France, Switzerland and Italy, it’s important you carry an Avalanche Safety Kit when skiing in these areas. At Brévent, wind through the collection of steep couloirs above the Charles Bozon piste and make fresh tracks in the Flégère bowl where you’ll find awesome natural pipes and table-tops. The Grand Montets area is the gateway to long verticals and exceptional snow.New off-piste skiers or boarders should head to the Balme and Les Houches areas to taste their first powder, dip on and off the pistes and into the treeline.
2 – Verbier, Switzerland
With more lift services than any other ski resorts on the planet, thousands of powder heads make a yearly ritual to ski or board Verbier. The magnificent Montfort has just one heavily mogulled piste, making the rest of the mountain yours to ride.The classic route down the backside can’t be missed, Gems include the Stairway to Heaven from Col des Gentianes, the Rock Garden and the Brevet Couloirs. Verbier offers more trees and powder than you can imagine, you should take the route from La Chaux to Le Châble. Sail the powder of Barry’s Bowl and straight into the forest above Bruson for spectacular trees, chutes and drops. If you conquer the Bec des Rosses you’ll be in an elite group made mostly of freeriding professionals, you should not attempt this without the correct equipment, Airbag, Transceiver, Shovel and Probe.
3 – St Anton, Austria
St. Anton may have the biggest name for après ski, but this it’s known for the finest, steepest and deepest runs out there. Instructors and guides aren’t hard to find here and they’ll ensure you have the correct skill set and Equipment before heading out in backcountry terrain.The ABS Airbags have a popular reputation in St Anton.East of the town, off the Kapall lift, where Schonegraben – ‘The Beautiful Grave’ – features steep glade runs and bowls (just remember to traverse out back towards the Kapall to avoid a mighty hike). For the less experienced is one of the gentler options is the Rossfall, reachable via a short climb and traverse to the right of the Riffle 1 chair, where the rolling stretches and stashes are a dream to ski.
4 – Val d’Isere, France
Val d’Isere is well known for its trickier descents, paired this with some of the best quality powder in the Alps.The Spatule and Banane are two of the most established routes on either side of the Bellevarde area, cliffs and bumps to trees and stumps there is a lot to keep you occupied. Over on the other side of town, take the Fornet cable car, followed by the surface lift to the left, and then head forwards to glide your skis or board on Le Grand Vallon. A maze of different routes opens up for you at Val d’Isere, each leading down amazing backcountry and tree sections.
5 – Zermatt, Switzerland
Where do we start with Zermatt, the Matterhorn maybe? Zermatt’s off-piste is a feast for the eyes and the lines.
36km of the area is hazard protected but left wonderfully ungroomed, including two unforgettable itineraries from the Rothorn to Tuftern, both featuring gullies and pockets of deep snow that you dream about.Spend hours on the Stockhorn, where the powder is the order of the day and the most notable descent through intense, high-gradient moguls to Triftji.Then the carving starts, from the gilded glory of the Schwarzsee to the Theodul glacier and air-accessed verticals of Monte-Rosa.
6 – Andermatt, Switzerland
Andermatt has a unique microclimate and a happy knack of catching storms arriving from almost any direction.The 2965m Gemsstock is rightly regarded as one of the snowiest mountains in the Alps and popular status for powder heads.7 – La Grave, FranceLa Grave is unusual among alpine ski resorts in offering almost entirely off-piste terrain. This ensures that the resort is never mobbed by masses, and the high north facing slopes offer a good chance of finding untracked powder.
Great place to learn off-piste.
8 – Monterosa Ski, Italy
Monterosa Ski has the most erratic snowfall.However, the sheer scale of off-piste possibilities (both within and away from the lift)combined with good altitude and lack of crowds, you will have a better chance to venture off-piste than most resorts.
9 – Lech/Zürs, Austria
Lech and Zürs have the highest average snowfall of any major ski area in the Alps, and more than their fair share of powder days.What more do you need, there are more north-facing slopes than in nearby St Anton and they don’t get tracked out so quickly. The nearby Albonagrat area above Stuben is even less crowded and equally snowy.
10 – Engelberg, Switzerland
Close to the northern edge of the Swiss Alps, the Engelberg area gets a lot of precipitation. whilst this can fall as rain in the village, heavy snow is reached higher up in the mountain, and the Titlis has more than its fair share of powder days.
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