Telluride, Colorado is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever ski …It’s not often that I am lost for words. But when we alight from the Revelation Chairlift at the top of Telluride for the first time, I can’t speak. The friends with me are equally mute, staring wide-eyed at the mountain vista that unwraps around us. The Wilson Range rears up ahead, Bear Creek to the back, the Gold Hill Bowl to the right. Just beautiful. We all snap out of our reverie for a quick photo op to capture this moment. Just wow.There are two Tellurides, the historic mining town that squeezes into the bottom of a box canyon, and Telluride Mountain Village, which is home to a swag of condos, private homes, lodges and hotels. Telluride is a designated National Historic District, streets lined with beautiful Victorian era wooden houses painted in an array of pastels. The main street is western chic, with galleries, boutiques, outdoor gear and cafés cosying up to the New Sheridan Hotel, which has a western vibe, an antique bar and a moneyed clientele. It’s quite easy to picture someone like Butch Cassidy moseying in here. He did come to Telluride – he robbed his first bank here and there is a plaque in the spot where it happened. 
The Mountain Village sits over the ridge and is the base for the Telluride Ski Resort. The plazas are trimmed by ski gear shops, restaurants and bars; there is even a Starbucks.So where is it best to stay? Wherever you like - the two towns are linked by a free gondola, which makes it easy to go either up or down to some of the fantastic restaurants and bars. We stay in Telluride at Cimarron Lodge - 30 metres from the Coonskin chairlift - so we can be up and at ‘em quickly in the morning and ski to our door as the sun starts to set behind the San Juans in the afternoons. Wherever you stay, you will be entranced by this hidden secret, a place that has won the hearts of many a celebrity, including Oprah, who bought a place here last year, Tom Cruise, Darryl Hannah, Jack Nicholson, Dennis Quaid and a whole host more. White goldThe skiing and snowboarding at Telluride is some of the most spectacular you will ever do. It’s guaranteed that many times during the day you will stop, simply gobsmacked by the ring of peaks circling the Resort. Telluride Ski Resort has over 2000 acres of skiable terrain and there are 18 lifts carrying riders up to access over 120 trails. The highest lifted point is the Revelation Lift at a heady 3831 metres, but if you want to go higher, hike to Palmyra Peak, which soars to 4059 metres. You can also hike to the Black Iron Bowl and the numerous Gold Hill Chutes – there is even a staircase here to make it easier for hikers. Talk about a stairway to heaven.Skiers and boarders of all levels shine at Telluride, so don’t be scared of its reputation if you haven’t skied much, or at all, before. The ski and snowboard instructors will have you sliding in no time, with the beginner area large and uncrowded. Beginners needn’t fret about missing the opportunity to see those views from on high, with a green run down from the top of the Prospect Bowl – albeit a long one – the Galloping Goose is the longest run here at a thigh-scorching 7.4 kms. It’s worth doing, as it takes you past many of the beautiful homes that are dotted around the mountainside. 
On our first day, we take a free guided tour of the mountain with a Mountain Ambassador and for the next few hours follow him all around the mountain, learning some history about its mining past and working out how to get around the various areas of the mountain. It was well worth it.We explore far and wide over the next few days. We hoot and holler down Sandia and Magnolia in Prospect Bowl, sweep down Alta and Silvertip off Polar Queen and tackle Majestic and Silver Cloud off Revelation. While here, visit the Bear Creek Overlook near the bottom of the chairlift and take photos of the view - looking across to thousand foot cliffs and down along Bear Creek. Magnificent.Gold Hill Chairlift is wonderful because it links you up with the Revelation Bowl and also See Forever, a run that lives up to its name following the ridge line. Drop off See Forever down a range of challenging blacks and double blacks, or keep going until you reach Guiseppes Restaurant and choose whether to go back to the Mountain Village or drop down towards the town of Telluride. It is these runs that are my favourite. Zip down The Plunge or Lookout or Bushwacker, and meet up with The Plunge chair or take Bail Out to Telluride. As you ski down, the views over the town far, far below are breathtaking, and many times we stop to take another photo. Later in the day we scoot down Coonskin, Pandora and Milk Run, doing laps up the Coonskin Chairlift until our legs won’t work anymore and we just ski to our door and collapse.Wine and dine The on-mountain dining at Telluride is out of this world. Alpino Vino, accessed by the Gold Hill Express, is the highest restaurant in North America with more of those incredible views from the deck, or sit inside the quaint and cosy cabin. Choose from a large selection of wines by the glass and enjoy traditional Italian and alpine dishes. For something really special, it’s open for dinner, with snowcoach transfers. Bon Vivant, at the top of Polar Queen, is also outstanding, with French cuisine, fine French wine, hand-crafted cocktails and local beers all under a huge retractable umbrella and outdoor heaters. Then there’s Guiseppe’s, with New Orleans-inspired fare such as black bean sauté and crawfish gumbo, and Gorrono Ranch, with its sun-drenched deck chairs, live music and delicious burgers, bbq and chilli. For apres, stop off at Smak Bar at the Hotel Madeline – terrific food and a firepit. Stay long enough and have a Smak Mary – a Bloody Mary with a mini hamburger attached. Tomboy Tavern is another great spot with plenty of boutique beers. Allreds is one of the best for apres, with outstanding views over Telluride from its perch on the lip of the ridge, the lights of the town twinkling below like jewels on the sea floor. 
For dinner, there are so many excellent places in Telluride. Rustico is traditional Italian and this is the only place you can order steaks from Ralph Lauren’s Double RL ranch which is nearby. Cosmopolitan at the Hotel Columbia is elegant and divine, Honga’s Lotus Petal has a swish interior and serves fresh sushi and traditionally eclectic Eastern fare, and the New Sheridan Chop House is a cut above. The one place everyone kept raving about was a tiny restaurant called ‘there’, which rates its socks off on Yelp and Trip Advisor. We walked past it every night and peered into its uber-trendy interior of cow-patterned bench seats, tractor bar stools and timber tables. It’s cleverly cool. When you phone to beg for a booking, they answer “Hello there”. Sadly, it was too busy and we couldn’t get in. Next time …Ghost ridersWe signed up for a two-hour sunset tour to the Alta ghost town with Telluride Snowmobile Adventures, and after a quick briefing at their base out of town, we are off on our trusty mechanical steeds on the groomed trails. There are hair raising moments, steering around trees, tight corners and over bumps, but the thrill of driving through stands of aspens, snowy glades and open sections with nothing but the mountains, is liberating. We stop off at the Alta mining camp and hear tales of what it was like back in the day, then start back, stopping to watch the sun set on the back side of Palmyra Peak. The jutting peaks, the wrap of snow, and the golden glow of the sun presented another one of those moments. We all watch in awe and can’t really believe we are here, now, in this most beautiful of places. Speechless? Yep. •
With four mountains to ski and snowboard on, legendary shopping and dining and star-clad après ski, Aspen/Snowmass, sitting pretty in the Roaring Fork Valley, really does have it all…
Four magnificent mountainsAspen Mountain, referred to as Ajax by the locals, looms up front and centre from the town. The gondola and seven chairlifts service 76 trails, all for intermediates and advanced skiers and boarders. Highlights are the runs around Ajax Express and Ruthie’s, with the run down Copper, which leads down to the Silver Gondola, delivering gobsmacking scenery over the town. See how many of the 27 plus shrines you can find tucked away on the mountain, to people such as Jerry Garcia, John Denver and Marilyn Monroe. Have lunch at the Sun Deck and at the end of the day, settle in for drinks and truffle chips at The Little Nell’s Ajax Tavern.Buttermilk, just five minutes from town on the free shuttle, is perfect to ease yourself into your ski holiday, with the majority of runs for beginners and intermediates. The mostly groomed runs are super smooth, and for terrain park hounds, the two parks, including a fabulous one down the Teaser run, give excellent thrill value. The trails down Tiehack are more challenging, while there are some fun runs off Summit Express. Buttermilk is home for the X Games, which bring the world’s best to Aspen, along with the crowds. Aspen Highlands is a serious mountain for seriously good skiers with ‘The Bowl’ heaven for those who are willing to hike up it. With 122 trails accessed by five lifts, there is ample room to play. Spread your wings on the runs off Exhibition chair then branch out to Cloud Nine chair, which has a spread of blue runs off it. Go up Loge chair and you are committed to a raft of advanced runs – double black diamond - or the trek up the narrow neck to the Highlands Bowl. Thunder also leads to a phalanx of blacks and double blacks.Snowmass has more terrain than the other three mountains put together, so plan to spend more than one day exploring it. Better still, stay over as Snowmass has plenty of excellent ski-in, ski-out accommodation. This is skiing nirvana with 94 trails, 21 chairlifts and access to whatever your heart desires - cruisers, glades, steeps, terrain parks and a halfpipe. Head up the Village Express gondola then explore the terrain around Alpine Springs, Sheer Bliss, and the Big Burn, before thoroughly challenging yourself on the advanced runs, which are mostly off the Cirque and High Alpine. Stop for lunch at Sam’s Smokehouse, and when your legs can’t carry you anymore, relax into the evening at the New Belgian Ranger Station, which has a great vibe and happy hour from 3-6pm.
Four of the best … dining experiencesMatsuhisa is part of Nobu Matsuhisa’s empire and is one of Aspen’s top restaurants. Book ahead for the restaurant downstairs or enjoy the more casual upstairs lounge, and be blown away by the exquisite seafood and sushi on offer. The restaurant is also known for its saké, brewed exclusively for the Nobu group by Hokusetsu Saké Brewery in Japan. Who knew there were so many different types of saké? L’Hostaria exudes that happy feeling of dining with friends, with the interior welcoming and homely. Chef Tiziano Gortan’s culinary career began at the age of 13 in a little family restaurant near Udine. By 19 he was working in a three-Michelin star restaurant in Milan. Tiziano opened L’Hostaria in 1996 with designer Italian chairs, terracotta vases, Tuscan antiques, soft lighting and stucco walls. He takes great pride in his traditional style of cooking, and it shows in each and every bite.Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro is an experience like no other. Located on the slopes of Aspen Highlands, this cosy European-style cabin is extremely popular for lunch thanks to its fondue, raclette, hearty schnitzel, black truffle gnocchi to name just a few. Then there are the views of the incredibly picturesque Maroon Bells and surrounding peaks. This is a lunch like no other – don’t plan on skiing afterwards. On Thursday nights you can book a snowcat dinner to the Bistro – magic. Eight K at the Viceroy Snowmass serves innovative comfort food with southern flair, thanks to Executive Chef Will Nolan. The glamorous restaurant has a glittering display kitchen at its heart as well as a stunning 25-metre-long glass bar. Make sure you leave room for sticky toffee pudding – it’s to die for.
Four of the best … experiencesSnowshoeing tours are a great way to get off the trails and learn a thing or three about the area. The tours are run at Snowmass and Aspen Mountain by the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, and really are informative and interesting. The views from Aspen Mountain are exquisite and just admiring them gives you a chance to get your breath back. ACES also do a snowshoe tour to the historic ghost town of Ashcroft with lunch at the picturesque Pine Creek Cookhouse.Après ski is almost as important as the skiing itself and you will need a few days to try the best places to see and be seen. Don’t miss the J-Bar at the Hotel Jerome, which has a colourful western history and a celebrity list that would impress any paparazzi. Bunker down at the bar and try the signature Aspen Crud, or sit at a table and tuck into a J-Bar burger. The Sky Hotel’s 39 Degrees base is always jumping and has a good array of dishes, cocktails and drinks. At Snowmass, Wildwood’s sports bar is great for letting the hair down.Ullr Nights, held every Friday from late December until the end of March, are popular with families but don’t let them have all the fun. Take the Gondola up to Elk Camp Meadows and try snowbiking, while kids have a blast tubing, ice skating, sledding or skiing. After you have mastered the bike, have dinner and boogie to the live band. First Tracks is good anywhere, but even more so in Aspen. You get to head up the Silver Queen Gondola before the mountain opens, and follow an instructor down tracks that are pristine – not a snowflake out of place. Slide down the smooth corduroy run towards the base and take in the wonderful views over this town that in many ways paved the way for a luxury ski vacation.
Four of the best … hotels The Little Nell is the only ski in/ski out hotel in Aspen and is legendary for its service and style. It is ridiculously convenient, sitting at the base of Aspen Mountain with the Silver Queen Gondola just steps away. The ski concierge can organise everything for you, and even give you hot chocolate and fresh-baked cookies when you finish skiing for the day. The rooms and suites are opulent and spacious and the service? Well, it’s perfect. Hotel Jerome offers a unique blend of contemporary luxury and historic heritage, thanks to a major refurb in 2012. It is elegant, relaxed and luxurious, yet still has that indomitable mountain spirit complemented by an impressive array of western artefacts and artworks. Viceroy Snowmass is in the heart of the base village, with sophisticated rooms and suites, a year-round pool terrace and superb dining options. Its Ute Indian-inspired spa is just what you want after a day on the slopes, then sit in the elegant bar and enjoy the refined, intimate surroundings.Westin Snowmass guests can step outside and ski straight down to the Village Express chairlift and up, up and away to the delights of the mountain. It’s just as delightful inside, with a new modern design, an excellent restaurant and bar and it is steps from the shopping and nightlife in Snowmass Mall. •
As a destination for skiers and snowboarders, Utah often gets overlooked – which is a shame, because the state is home to some of America’s best winter resorts, not to mention incredible slopes.For a long time, Utah was the U.S. state most Antipodean skiers flew over on their way to Colorado resorts such as Aspen and Vail and Canada’s Whistler. But over the past five years, Utah has been stealing some of the limelight with its upgraded lifts, expanded ski terrain and entirely new communities, created by resort owners keen to inject fresh life into the three major resorts: Park City, Deer Valley and The Canyons. Add inspired new businesses such as the world’s only ski-in, ski-out whisky distillery, opportunities to heli-ski right from the resort, and world-class music acts, and you have all the ingredients for a cool winter break. It’s hard not to feel glamorous skiing in Park City – visit in January when the Sundance Film Festival hits town and you’ll share the slopes with a star-studded cast. Aside from the famous faces, much of Utah’s allure is in its accessibility: Park City is around a 35-minute drive from Salt Lake City airport; Deer Valley is directly next door and The Canyons ski area is also in the neighbourhood. 
Want to ski the steeper slopes of Alta and Snowbird, long-time favourites of more experienced skiers? Just book a shuttle through Park City transportation or Alta Shuttle and you’ll be whisked from your lodge to the adjoining valley, where the two are located, in an hour or so. Staying in Park City means you’ll have some of Utah’s best restaurants (Robert Redford owns one of them), bars and nightclubs on your doorstep. As a bonus, the town is on the U.S. tour schedule of major musical acts including LMFAO and Ice-T, both of whom performed here recently. Small wonder, then, that Paris Hilton and other “celebrities” often drop into town for the weekend. As for the slopes, the three resorts offer a smorgasbord of options for both skiers and snowboarders, though ’boarders are still not allowed at Deer Valley ski area. Intermediate runs dominate the resorts but there are plenty of options for beginners as well. Fans of high-speed cruisers will find themselves in heaven at Park City, which has some of the widest runs you’ll come across – think the ski-run equivalent of an eight-lane highway, perfectly groomed, and you’ll begin to understand the offerings. But don’t be fooled into thinking there is nothing steep: a quick hike around the higher elevations of the Jupiter Peak area will reveal expert-only terrain leading to a lovely steep pitch below.Deer Valley is a stone’s throw from Park City’s boundary. But despite their proximity, the resorts share no facilities, and skiing between them is against state law. Indeed, the two resorts couldn’t have more different atmospheres. Deer Valley is essentially a ski field built around a beautiful mountain community. Its runs are dotted with clusters of log cabins, condos and lodges including the historic Stein Eriksen (a favourite with Tom Cruise) and the new, five-star Montage. Both places are welcoming and friendly and are great places to refuel between runs. There’s plenty of slope-side accommodation in Deer Valley but with the bulk of visitors choosing to stay in Park City, guests rely on the regular shuttles that link all the resorts. If you do decide to bed down, you’ll have access to great food: Deer Valley has a reputation for serving up some of the best on-mountain meals, not only in Utah but in North America. Breakfast and lunch buffets overflow with fresh seafood and meats including wild boar, a local specialty. 
Deer Valley is also famed for its powder snow, and many visitors find its tree skiing the main attraction. Here, Utah’s light, fluffy snow – promoted on licence plates across the state as the greatest on earth – turns Deer Valley’s steeper slopes into exactly what thrillseekers are looking for.No visit to this area would be complete without taking in The Canyons. One of the newest commercial ski resorts in North America, The Canyons sparkles with brand-new condominiums, dramatic modern buildings and an array of stunning resorts and high-speed lifts. Initial infrastructural problems have been ironed out, which makes getting around smoother than ever: the Red Pine Gondola has been repositioned to drop skiers right into the village; another new lift offers heated seats in a glass bubble; and lounge chairs have been strategically positioned to soak up the sun. Advanced skiers will love the fact that Wasatch Powderbird Guides can land on a helipad in the middle of the resort, making it all too easy to ski over to the hut, hand over your credit card and fly away for some runs in untracked snow.Advanced skiers should include a trip to Alta and Snowbird on their itineraries. It does involve travel but you’ll be rewarded with some of the steepest and most dramatic terrain in Utah. Snowbird is enormous – one of those places where even the locals are still discovering new runs – and it is linked with Alta via a high-mountain tunnel. Alta has unbeatable terrain for advanced skiers and offers some of the best views in Utah: from the top of its ridges you can see Salt Lake City shimmering in the distance. While most people come for the snow, many linger for the shopping. The Park City area more than delivers in this field, with a wide array of shops complemented by an enormous factory outlet centre, TangerOutlets Park City, a 20-minute drive out of town. Be sure to take a roomy suitcase, as discounts are available on brands from Coach to Calvin Klein, not to mention all that cheap ski gear… •
If you thought that skiing in the United States was limited to Colorado, think again. Here, three alternative American states that are proving to be rather cool. IDAHOThere’s a saying among skiers in Idaho: Movie stars go to Aspen but the people who pay the movie stars go to Sun Valley. And they fit right in. Enjoying a shimmering setting in central Idaho, Sun Valley is one fancy snow resort. It’s skiing minus the hassles – there are no queues to use chairlifts; clouds don’t seem to settle on wide, blue skies; ski lodges dazzle with floor-to-ceiling windows, open fireplaces, stone walls; and the snow is first-class. Upon opening the resort nearly 75 years ago, the man behind the project, Union Pacific Railroad chairman W. Averell Harriman, declared: “When you get to Sun Valley, your eyes should pop open.” He wanted haute cuisine, perfect service and nightly orchestral performances to complement the pristine snow action. All that, yet Sun Valley doesn’t feel at all precious; in fact, it’s extremely convivial. The region of Idaho Sun Valley calls home was built on mining and, to this day, an air of blue-collar wholesomeness overrides all the gold-plated taps in the bathrooms. The town Sun Valley’s built around – Ketchum – still looks like a mining village, with wide streets and preserved historical buildings. Granted, most mining towns don’t have billboards advertising Flexjet – a private jet company that promises customers they can save themselves the hassle of public air travel – but you can still get a steak here for US$10 at some diners, with a beer thrown in if you go on the right nights. In Ketchum, even Hollywood hipsters have to wait for tables at favourite local restaurants. Unless, of course, they own said restaurants.
Bruce Willis owns a bar on the main road in Hailey in Sun Valley (and has been spotted playing gigs there on occasion); Tom Hanks has a holiday chalet here; and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s soon-to-be-ex-wife Maria Schriver specially requested that a short but particularly challenging Sun Valley ski run be named after Arnie for his birthday in 2001. The locals don’t pay much attention: they’re used to seeing stars around town. In 1936, Harriman enlisted a hotshot New York publicist to spread the Sun Valley word. What followed was arguably history’s most successful public relations stunt. The publicist offered the biggest Hollywood stars of the day no-expense-spared invitations to enjoy Sun Valley. The likes of Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman took up the invitation, attracting an ever-increasing circle of Hollywood starlets. The cooler Sun Valley got, the more the stars lined up for invites. The Hollywood beeline became such a swarm that Sun Valley was documented on the cover of Life magazine in 1937. Before long, Harriman saw his vision realised: Sun Valley had become the most glamorous ski resort in the United States. All the stars are still there today – black-and-white photographs on the walls of the Sun Valley Lodge show a young Marilyn Monroe (who filmed the movie Bus Stop in Sun Valley) alongside Clark Gable, Janet Leigh, John Wayne, Lucille Ball and the Kennedys. Writer Ernest Hemingway liked Sun Valley so much he chose to live in nearby Ketchum; allegedly, he wrote several chapters of For Whom the Bell Tolls in a suite at the Sun Valley Lodge. Still, gold trimmings and chandeliers only count for so much. A ski resort should always be about one thing: skiing, and that’s where Sun Valley’s strength lies. Many regard Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain, with its windless, steep slopes that drop more than one kilometre, as the best single-ski slope in the world. Fringed by picturesque pine trees, the runs are not for the faint hearted; even the green runs here will have your adrenalin pumping. But the terrain is stunning, and the views from the top of the ridges seem to stretch forever. Less experienced skiers are also catered for, as Sun Valley consists of two mountains and the other – Dollar Mountain – might have been designed for beginners and intermediate skiers – its vertical pitch is just 191 metres and it’s treeless, making it ideal for those who are new to the snow.CALIFORNIACalifornia may be synonymous with beaches and sunshine but it’s also one of the best ski destinations in North America. There are ski resorts stretching all the way from the north of the state to its Mexican border, and some, such as Mountain High, are easily accessible from major cities like Los Angeles. There are more than 30 ski resorts to choose from across California, and many of them – especially those located near Lake Tahoe – are close together, making it quite possible to sample a different resort every day. Best of all, because of California’s unique topography and climate, you can surf before breakfast and watch the sun set over the snow the same day. A 3.5-hour drive east of San Francisco, Lake Tahoe – America’s largest alpine lake – is the stunning centrepiece to the largest concentration of ski resorts in the country, most of them receiving more than 10 metres of snow in a typical season. Heavenly Ski Mountain, on the south bank of the lake, offers the best tree runs in North America, paired with lively Vegas-style entertainment options including casinos open around the clock. Mammoth Resort is popular for its elevation: it sits atop California’s highest mountain and boasts the state’s longest ski season – indeed, people have been spotted on Mammoth’s slopes in June. The resort, with some of the world’s best terrain parks, is a mecca for ski and snowboard pros. Just down the road, Squaw Valley offers equally impressive runs, with six peaks in a ski area that stretches across 1,619 hectares of mountainside.UTAHUtah is known as the powder capital of the world – the snow is so dry and deep here that you’ll need to master a whole new way of skiing. Each ski season, Utah receives more than 12 metres of the white stuff, making it the United States’ snowiest state after Alaska. Apart from its legendary powder falls, one of Utah’s biggest drawcards is the fact that its best resorts are easy for interstate and international skiers to access. Of the 13 world-class ski resorts in Utah, 11 are located within an hour’s drive of the state’s international airport. Touch down at Salt Lake City International Airport and you can be at Park City Mountain Resort, which sprawls over 1,335 hectares of skiable terrain, within 45 minutes of clearing customs. And the Canyons ski resort – the biggest of its kind in Utah, with nearly 1,500 hectares of terrain across eight mountains and five bowls – is less than 50 kilometres from the international airport. Both ski resorts are close to Park City, a former mining town that’s become one of the world’s premier après-ski villages, housing some 100 bars and restaurants, dozens of boutiques and a host of upscale hotels and inns including the world’s only ski-in, ski-out whiskey distillery.•
