New Year Getaways

Posted on - Thu 13th September 2012

With Christmas and New Year fast approaching, many skiers are now focusing their attention on where to ski over the holidays. There are some fantastic ski resorts out there, offering lively ski weekends for over the Christmas period, but selecting the perfect destination for your New Year celebrations is a slightly harder choice. To help you on your way, let’s take a look at some of the resorts that provide just that.

St. Anton, Austria
Not only does the St. Anton ski area boast some of the finest slopes in the world, the après ski is top notch too, with a great range of traditional and modern bars, clubs and restaurants. Spend the day rocketing down the slopes or take advantage of the resort’s excellent transport infrastructure to explore the nearby villages, before partying the night away at the infamous ‘Krazy Kangaruh’. A great location when choosing where to ski on your New Year getaway.

Verbier, Switzerland
This luxurious Swiss resort is home to the kind of skiing that dreams are made of. Sitting above the Rhone valley in the Swiss Alps, this resort is a great place to take family or friends for a New Year ski weekend to remember. New lifts and an eight-seater gondola have cut waiting times to get to the slopes, and its increasing popularity with skiing Britons is making it one of the top après ski resorts in Europe. For a truly unforgettable New Year party, take a trip to the Farinet Bar - home to live bands and once voted the “Best Après Ski Bar Worldwide” by Which? magazine.

Val d’Isére, France
When the British begin thinking about where to ski on their next ski weekend, the French slopes are often the first port of call, and Val d’Isére offers a great combination of the best all-round ski area in the world (Espace Killy) and an après ski offering that is the envy of its French siblings. Dick’s Tea Bar is a particular highlight on the après ski trail, and La Folie Douce provides an excellent atmosphere over the New Year period, with live music and all night dancing commonplace.

Whistler, Canada
No top list of ski resorts in any category would be complete without the jewel in North Americas skiing crown, and Whistler certainly does not disappoint when it comes to après ski. This ski area's pistes are a delight for intermediate skiers who can take in the majestic scenery whilst travelling down the many bowls and gullies. Post slopes, head off to the Garibaldi Lift Company, a lively bar and restaurant at the Whistler Blackcomb section, ranked as North America’s best mountain bar by SKIING magazine. The nearby village is also home to live music, buzzy bars and exquisite restaurants, making this a top destination to spend your next New Year.