World Ski Tour

By Author: Groshan Fabiola
Total Articles: 2678
Comment this article

This is an idea I've been toying with for a while now. Rather than doing a one week ski trip each year should I put away some of my hard earned for a round the world ticket? And if I did what destinations would be on the top of my list?

Everyone dreams of skiing somewhere different but I hope my day dreaming can shed some light on the main considerations to planning a round the world ski trip.

My main consideration is where is good when? You don't want the last stop on your global expedition to be melting spring snow.

My second consideration is what do I want to ski? Do I want to spend the whole time at ski resorts or maybe try a guided back country trip or some heli skiing or snowcat skiing? If the later where is the best spots heli skiing and guided back country?

This will take some careful planning as there are many things to organize. Airfares, visas, travel insurance, what should I pack, will my hairdryer work overseas?

Before we put it in the too hard basket lets think for a second. A full lap of the globe skiing the best powder this planet has to offer, doesn't sound too tough?

Here ...
... is my ideal trip I hope it can help inspire you to plan your own.

Canada

Arguably the most reliable destination for powder anywhere in the world and some of the best resort, cat skiing and heli ski. My round the world adventure will have to start here.

I would head straight to Whistler to get my ski legs back. Only 2 hours from Vancouver and some of the best snow I have ever ridden spread over 2 enormous mountains, Whistler would be an excellent first stop. A few days early January would be perfect as the Christmas rush has died down and the snow is at its best.

Northern Escape Heli Skiing: Terrace B.C

Now that we've warmed up lets head to the Skeena ranges that run from Northern British Columbia to Alaska. Northern Escape is true Alaskan style heli skiing but much more reliable with fewer no fly days. With varied terrain and abundance of deep dry powder snow together with their vast ski area and exceptional lodging Northern Escape would have to be part of my trip.

France

France is an exceptional ski holiday destination. Whether you want to ski hard on some of best terrain in the world or take in the famous culture, food and wine is up to you. But since this is my holiday I'm going to do both. Now I'm hungry for powder. I've sampled the best of Canada now let's get stuck into some guided off piste skiing at the highest mountain in Europe. Chamonix is considered to have some of the best off-piste skiing in the world. Much of this is accessible from the lift systems and includes descents of over 2000m. Definitely arrange a professional guide to access what is considered to be the best off piste skiing in the world.

France often has great snow well into March but keep in mind you can also do the famous Haute Route traverse from Chamonix to Zermatt in April and early May when condition stabilise and the days are long.

India

Is the ultimate travel destination and Gulmarg in Northern India is its top ski resort. Anyone who has been will tell you that as soon as you hop off the plane you are thrown in to a world of rich smells, sights and culture like nowhere else. That together with possibly the deepest lift accessed powder anywhere in the world make it the perfect conclusion to my round the world trip.

Skiing in this exotic location with the Himalayas in the background is truly unique. The powder snow is as deep as you can imagine and the terrain is a great combination of gladed tree runs and alpine bowls. There are fantastic professionally guided tours to ski Gulmarg's epic backcountry terrain that run from early January to late February.

For more resources about snowcat skiing or about cat skiing or even about heli ski please review these pages.