AJM
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
And we would welcome you with open arms !! We could have a ski together, now go buy that lottery ticket
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Ski trip to … somewhere in the world, where would you go?
- Thread starter Rashika
- Start date
AJM
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Just over the river and down the road from me.
elemmac
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
So, to answer the question in your title...my personal choice would be Japan or Canada.
Japan because it's one of the most snow-sure places on this planet. And I absolutely love the Japanese culture. I love the terrain there too...specifically tree skiing between perfectly spaced trunks of beech trees is dreamy, where the tiniest branches hold up the biggest puffs of weightless snow. There are so many little ski areas with nostalgic vibes. It's such a treat leaving behind the "Disney-like" experience that big resorts in the US seem to be trending towards.
Canada, because I've never skied there. I'm currently planning a trip to BC, and there just simply isn't enough time in a week to go everywhere I want to.
Now, based on what you and your partner are looking for...if snow quality is #1 priority, I don't think Japan can be beat. But, given that you're from New Zealand, that might be an attainable trip anytime, rather than this "once in a lifetime" trip you're looking at...something to consider.
I'll leave you with a final thought about Austria/Europe...it's such a unique experience that I'm not sure you can compare it to many other places in the world. Skiing from town to town, stopping at mid-mountain restaurants for lunch, leisurely apres scenes, staying in small inns that have 1/2 board (breakfast and dinner included), and the mountains themselves...they just go on forever. I'll always remember my first time looking out into the sea of mountains that seemed to stretch all the way to horizon...absolutely mind blowing.
santacruz skier
Angel Diva
Rashika
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Wow I love your description! I think I'm going to have to read that out to partner, cos I'm tending to agree with the Europe idea.
I loved Europe a long time ago and it would be something very new for him, whereas he has been to both usa and Japan.
Lol every time I think I'm heading one direction I get turned around again!
Eera
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
^^^ this!
Prior to going to France we had always skiied either Japan or New Zealand where the fields we went to overall were small with all the pistes pointing in roughly the same direction.
France, yeah, not so much: take a wrong turning and you'd end up in another country so that caused a bit of a pause for thought with the kids who were at that adventurous-but-stupid age. Airtags are marvelous turns out.
Husband's mind was a bit blown taking the gondola up to the top station and figuring out he was actually about to ski a whole kilometer higher than the tallest point in Australia. And a 16km run at that.
snoWYmonkey
Angel Diva
Snow quality, if powder is the goal, is probably Japan then Canadian or US rockies such as Jackson Hole.
Off piste in europe is very different as anything that is not groomed is technically out of bounds and not mitigated for avalanches, unlike the US where ungroomed runs between groomed runs in bounds are mitigated for avalanche.
Culturally I adore Japan and Europe has the true charm, but even there do your research as many French resorts were developed in the not so charming 70s out of concrete.
Off piste in europe is very different as anything that is not groomed is technically out of bounds and not mitigated for avalanches, unlike the US where ungroomed runs between groomed runs in bounds are mitigated for avalanche.
Culturally I adore Japan and Europe has the true charm, but even there do your research as many French resorts were developed in the not so charming 70s out of concrete.
Rashika
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We do have a slight advantage in that a friend of ours is married to an Austrian and is a skier and really keen to go back, so will have to quiz him this weekend about the options.
Loving all these stories though, makes me want to wish the next couple of years past quickly!
Loving all these stories though, makes me want to wish the next couple of years past quickly!
santacruz skier
Angel Diva
Agree with the post about the French purpose built resorts… except chamonix!
AJM
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
This ^
Sadly some local families found this out the hard way.
Magnatude
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
If neither of you have skied in Canada, you should investigate that as an option. Over three visits, we've generally had decent to fantastic snow there. When we went in January, it was the better of the North American destinations to spend NZ$ -- US was crazy expensive. Vancouver is
Fernie, where we went this year, has heaps of (steep/tree/powder) skiing for adventurous/expert types, but it might be intimidating for others. I'd probably recommend somewhere like Silver Star, which has a bit of everything for everyone. It's half an hour's drive from Vernon, and not far from Kelowna, where you'd potentially fly to from Vancouver, and is possibly also close enough to Revelstoke for a day trip (or better still, a couple of days) if you're feeling adventurous. It's also pretty close to Big White, which might be another good option for you both.
The Banff resorts are also worth considering -- you fly into Calgary, and it's a short car or bus ride up to Banff from there. Truly stunning scenery, and Banff itself is a proper, lovely alpine resort town. Sunshine Village and Lake Louise both have varied skiing for everyone. When we were there they didn't have as much snow as the powder highway resorts in the middle of BC, but still plenty by our standards.
Re Japan, we've only skied in and around Furano, in central Hokkaido. Some of that was touring outside the ski area and on the volcano across the valley. The ski area is a lot more extensive than I expected, and anyone would be happy there. The snow was great. The town is nice, and the food is fantastic. For a New Zealander, it's a very different cultural experience than Canada, especially if you can organise a few days in Tokyo en route.
Anywhere in Europe is also going to be a cultural experience, and the skiing comparatively affordable (although cheap accommodation might be harder to find) and varied. We skied in Val d'Isere and Tignes (France) in 2019, which was great fun. Food was obviously a bonus, especially if, like me, you like cheese. Downsides are longer flights and potentially greater overall expense. I spent a winter working in a nightclub in an Austrian resort in my youth, and would love to go back there too.
Where did your partner work in Japan and the US?
Fernie, where we went this year, has heaps of (steep/tree/powder) skiing for adventurous/expert types, but it might be intimidating for others. I'd probably recommend somewhere like Silver Star, which has a bit of everything for everyone. It's half an hour's drive from Vernon, and not far from Kelowna, where you'd potentially fly to from Vancouver, and is possibly also close enough to Revelstoke for a day trip (or better still, a couple of days) if you're feeling adventurous. It's also pretty close to Big White, which might be another good option for you both.
The Banff resorts are also worth considering -- you fly into Calgary, and it's a short car or bus ride up to Banff from there. Truly stunning scenery, and Banff itself is a proper, lovely alpine resort town. Sunshine Village and Lake Louise both have varied skiing for everyone. When we were there they didn't have as much snow as the powder highway resorts in the middle of BC, but still plenty by our standards.
Re Japan, we've only skied in and around Furano, in central Hokkaido. Some of that was touring outside the ski area and on the volcano across the valley. The ski area is a lot more extensive than I expected, and anyone would be happy there. The snow was great. The town is nice, and the food is fantastic. For a New Zealander, it's a very different cultural experience than Canada, especially if you can organise a few days in Tokyo en route.
Anywhere in Europe is also going to be a cultural experience, and the skiing comparatively affordable (although cheap accommodation might be harder to find) and varied. We skied in Val d'Isere and Tignes (France) in 2019, which was great fun. Food was obviously a bonus, especially if, like me, you like cheese. Downsides are longer flights and potentially greater overall expense. I spent a winter working in a nightclub in an Austrian resort in my youth, and would love to go back there too.
Where did your partner work in Japan and the US?
Rashika
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Partner worked at mammoth for quite a few seasons and shiga in Japan. He's not that keen to go back to that area of Japan but thinks Hokkaido would be good.
Lol I love cheese and I remember that from my youth days and big OE in Europe.
I'm loving all these thoughts from u all!
NZfarmgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Jumping in here to agree with Magnitude about Silverstar and Big White in BC. You said your partner wants powder, but you need to learn how to ski it.
You need to consider a resort that can accomodate both of you. Prioritise somewhere that takes care of their grooming, but has easy in bounds access to off piste and trees. You need to have decent groomed slopes to enjoy, while getting used to deep snow. look for somewhere that has blue zone gladed trees, so you can get the hang of it gently. The smaller resorts feel safe to split up for the afternoon, and meet up for a drink later. You won't lose each other.
Revelstoke for example, sounds really exciting on paper for an advanced skier, however, the grooming there is not the priority, and is really more about access. (this is always a mental challenge for my groomer driver husband) I called Revy -leg day everyday. We just stayed off piste all the time. Fun, but probably too much of a challenge your first time on a trip in that kind of snow.
Silverstar and Big white, have excellent grooming, the back side of SS has long, step, groomed black runs, which are great on a powder day, but also plenty of black off piste options over there, the frontside is more mellow, so I think it caters to a mixed group.
Big white, has a few more open areas, good grooming, and really good snow.
Whistler over priced and very busy -better snow inland.
It's true that once you are up in one of these resort villages, there is no where else to go. But personally I'm there just to ski everyday regardless of conditions.
Ski in Ski out is such a game changer, from skiing in NZ, and important for energy reverses after lots of travel. Make sure you book accomodation accordingly. Silverstar has slightly better dining. Big white has more varied terrain. direct flight NZ to Vancouver, then 1 hour flight to Kelowna, good set up with shuttles going straight to the resorts. You can leave Auckland on Sunday night, arrive Vancouver Sunday lunch time, fly to Kelowna that afternoon, shuttle to resort by evening. Skiing from your door on Monday.
You could do 1 week at each. Last time we shuttled back to the airport from Big white, then got a car, drove to Red Mountain, Revelstoke, Silverstar loop. 4 weeks.
This time we have 3 weeks, (going back to visit daughter who is working at BW) 8 night BW, then are still deciding whether to get ourselves over to Fernie or go back to Red -which we loved! and is close. Thus being able to visit the daughter again before leaving.
Europe is such an experience. You would personally love it, long trails going places, skiing over to Italy for lunch etc, (from Zermatt eg.) But your partner would need to consider doing some off piste stuff with a guide to get that fix. We loved Switzerland, but got some ice. -no powder. The food, grandeur and general vibe made up for it. If you had time to add on somewhere warm too it would make a great trip.
There is no perfect match for a once in a life time trip. I think you should think of winter in Canada as purely a skiing trip only. We find it really easy to get to and think of it as an easy ski trip for my summer ski fix. Great skiing, not so fussed on the food. (please stop putting sugar in everything North America -especially the bread xx)
Think of Europe more as special travel with the added bonus of skiing.
I found taking all my gear to Europe quite a major -with trains etc. (I was doing instructor training so needed my own skis) Also factor in jet lag, and length of travel hours. Getting skis to Canada feels much easier, because we are't trying to visit cities, jump on and off trains and do heaps of other stuff.
In saying that, you can leave your gear at Vancouver airport, and stay in the city with a backpack-go to some hockey etc.
Our first trip overseas skiing was to Utah. That was also really easy to get to via SF or LA , then flight to Salt lake city. lots of great skiing options. Very pretty, plenty grooming. I haven't been post covid so I'm not sure about cost.
You need to consider a resort that can accomodate both of you. Prioritise somewhere that takes care of their grooming, but has easy in bounds access to off piste and trees. You need to have decent groomed slopes to enjoy, while getting used to deep snow. look for somewhere that has blue zone gladed trees, so you can get the hang of it gently. The smaller resorts feel safe to split up for the afternoon, and meet up for a drink later. You won't lose each other.
Revelstoke for example, sounds really exciting on paper for an advanced skier, however, the grooming there is not the priority, and is really more about access. (this is always a mental challenge for my groomer driver husband) I called Revy -leg day everyday. We just stayed off piste all the time. Fun, but probably too much of a challenge your first time on a trip in that kind of snow.
Silverstar and Big white, have excellent grooming, the back side of SS has long, step, groomed black runs, which are great on a powder day, but also plenty of black off piste options over there, the frontside is more mellow, so I think it caters to a mixed group.
Big white, has a few more open areas, good grooming, and really good snow.
Whistler over priced and very busy -better snow inland.
It's true that once you are up in one of these resort villages, there is no where else to go. But personally I'm there just to ski everyday regardless of conditions.
Ski in Ski out is such a game changer, from skiing in NZ, and important for energy reverses after lots of travel. Make sure you book accomodation accordingly. Silverstar has slightly better dining. Big white has more varied terrain. direct flight NZ to Vancouver, then 1 hour flight to Kelowna, good set up with shuttles going straight to the resorts. You can leave Auckland on Sunday night, arrive Vancouver Sunday lunch time, fly to Kelowna that afternoon, shuttle to resort by evening. Skiing from your door on Monday.
You could do 1 week at each. Last time we shuttled back to the airport from Big white, then got a car, drove to Red Mountain, Revelstoke, Silverstar loop. 4 weeks.
This time we have 3 weeks, (going back to visit daughter who is working at BW) 8 night BW, then are still deciding whether to get ourselves over to Fernie or go back to Red -which we loved! and is close. Thus being able to visit the daughter again before leaving.
Europe is such an experience. You would personally love it, long trails going places, skiing over to Italy for lunch etc, (from Zermatt eg.) But your partner would need to consider doing some off piste stuff with a guide to get that fix. We loved Switzerland, but got some ice. -no powder. The food, grandeur and general vibe made up for it. If you had time to add on somewhere warm too it would make a great trip.
There is no perfect match for a once in a life time trip. I think you should think of winter in Canada as purely a skiing trip only. We find it really easy to get to and think of it as an easy ski trip for my summer ski fix. Great skiing, not so fussed on the food. (please stop putting sugar in everything North America -especially the bread xx)
Think of Europe more as special travel with the added bonus of skiing.
I found taking all my gear to Europe quite a major -with trains etc. (I was doing instructor training so needed my own skis) Also factor in jet lag, and length of travel hours. Getting skis to Canada feels much easier, because we are't trying to visit cities, jump on and off trains and do heaps of other stuff.
In saying that, you can leave your gear at Vancouver airport, and stay in the city with a backpack-go to some hockey etc.
Our first trip overseas skiing was to Utah. That was also really easy to get to via SF or LA , then flight to Salt lake city. lots of great skiing options. Very pretty, plenty grooming. I haven't been post covid so I'm not sure about cost.
Rashika
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That's an awesome post, so much to think about really. But it's great having info from those who have been there before, much easier than relying on the adverts about the different places.
We are kinda leaning towards the Europe idea but have put it off until the year following the winter Olympics... So maybe a trip elsewhere couple be an option yet.
AJM
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I second this, Its just so blimmin easy getting to Canada from NZ.
Christy
Angel Diva
Were you planning on Cortina but want to avoid the winter of 2025-2026? That's what everyone thought about Whistler, too, in 2010. Everyone stayed home (until the actual Olympic dates). It was great for those of us that went! Apparently that's how it always goes.
Rashika
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That interesting, I would think like everyone else lol
