The GX guide to the world's emerging ski and snowboard destinations

With Vancouver and Whistler counting down the days to the XXI Winter Olympic Games in February, the snow sports season is in full swing. And with more destinations, resorts and routes opening up, the opportunities for snow enthusiasts are growing by the year.  So from North America in the west to the depths of Asia in the east, GX brings you its guide to the world's emerging ski and snowboarding hot spots for you to check out before packing your skis, boards and thermals and hitting the slopes.

NORTH AMERICA

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Las Vegas doesn't just cater for the entertainment and casino-loving crowds as between November and April it also accommodates a growing number of skiers and snowboarders.

Just 35 miles north-west of the city, snow sport fans can get away from the Nevada valley floor and enjoy the slopes at the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort.

Although not for advanced skiing, the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort is perfect for intermediates or beginners. The resort offers eleven runs, four lifts and an average annual snowfall of 120 inches. The skiing goes up to more than 9,500 feet and covers more than 40 acres. It also has a host of jumps, rails and bars to allow freestylers to perform their tricks.

As you drive away from the desert and into the forested mountainside, you'll enjoy temperatures of up to 30 degrees cooler than the city. And with only a 45-minute drive between the Strip and the mountains, it's possible to enjoy the slopes during the day before heading back to the hotel in Sin City and hitting the tables during the evening.

Park City, Utah, USA

Home to three world-class ski areas - the Park City Mountain Resort, Deer Valley Resort and The Canyons Resort - Park City is a wonderful snow sport destination. Situated only 35 minutes away from Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah, Park City gets nine metres of dry, light powder annually and was home to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.

Park City Mountain Resort is located in the heart of the town and is the only property that provides ski-in/ski-out access to the historic Main Street. Park City Mountain Resort offers more than 1,300 acres of skiing with bumps, eight peaks, nine bowls, four terrain parks, and the largest superpipe in North America - the Eagle Superpipe.

With 99 runs, the Deer Valley Resort is nestled in Utah's Rocky Mountain Wasatch Range and caters to all ages and abilities. It is purely a ski resort however, so snowboarders should take note.

The Canyons is one of the largest resorts in the US with more than 3,700 acres and 163 trails spread over eight mountains and includes five bowls, six natural half-pipes and two terrain parks. For those eager to try all three destinations, the resorts offer a single pass for international visitors. The city also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars.

Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada

While Vancouver and Whistler are in the limelight, their lesser-known British Columbian cousin Revelstoke is quietly becoming a hit with ski, snowboarders and travel professionals alike.

The city of Revelstoke is located in south-eastern BC and offers all types of skiing - backcountry, heli and cat, downhill or Nordic. With accommodations to suit all needs, the top place to stay is The Revelstoke Mountain Resort, which opened for the winter season on December 6^th, and boasts the longest ski run in North America at 1,713m high.

The newly-expanded resort first opened in 2007 and will ultimately see more than twenty lifts and 100 runs. The $1-billion, four-season Revelstoke Mountain Resort will also include a pedestrian village, shops, restaurants and an 18-hole championship golf course.

With lift, cat, heli and backcountry skiing all in one Kootenay Rockies playground - it is the only resort on the planet to offer all four to powder-hounds. The region encompasses four national parks, five different mountain ranges, valleys, rivers, lakes, forests and alpine meadows.

EUROPE

Glenshee, Scotland

With 25 miles of downhill runs and 23 lifts over four mountains, Glenshee offers the largest ski lift system in Britain. A total of 36 runs are on offer for ski and snowboarders of all abilities with the longest run on offer being Glas Maol at 1.25 miles.

Glenshee takes its name from the Gaelic 'Glen of the Fairies' and covers an area of more than 2,000 acres across three valleys. Depending on snowfall, the ski season at Glenshee can last from December until April and the resort is open seven days a week from 8.30am-5pm.

Accommodation options include top hotels and farmhouse B&B's. Apres-ski offers a lively atmosphere and feature regular ceilidhs and parties during the winter.

Kanin, Slovenia

The ski season in Slovenia begins at its earliest in November and in resorts such as Mount Kanin - the highest in the country - the snow remains well into the spring.  If you fancy a two-country trip, Kanin has joined forces with the Italian ski resort Sella Nevea to form the first international ski centre in the region, under the name Kanin-Canin. The two ski resorts will be joined together as a single skiing venue by new cable cars and pistes, with a single ski pass valid for all facilities.

Just a two hour flight from London, Slovenia is one of the cheapest skiing destinations in Europe. Its ski resorts are world class but also include plenty of gentler slopes suitable for beginners. About 40 per cent of Slovenia is mountainous so skiing is unsurprisingly one of the country's national sports. The country hosts the men's and women's World Cup slaloms every year at Kranjska Gora and Maribor-Pohorje respectively.

Visitors can take full advantage of their surroundings by trying some of the other popular winter activities on offer: snowboarding, cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, dog sledding, ice-skating and ice-climbing.  In the main tourist resorts, horse drawn sleigh rides are also available.

The country's compact size (Slovenia is slightly smaller than Wales) means that you can be on the top of a mountain within 45 minutes of leaving the airport in Ljubljana.

Mount Olympus, Troodos Mountains, Cyprus

While Cyprus is renowned for being a sea and sun destination it can also offer snow sports on the slopes of Mount Olympus. The Troodos Mountains' alpine setting and lush green forests can offer an unusual contrast to Cyprus' golden beaches. During the short snow season from January to March, visitors can soak up the sun in the coastal resorts before skiing or snowboarding in the mountains later in the day as it's only an hour by car.

Mount Olympus, the highest peak in the Troodos Mountains at 1,952m, offers six runs on four main slopes - two on North Face and two on Sun Valley. The North Face centre has two lifts, Zeus and Hera, and Sun Valley has Aphrodite and Hermes. Aphrodite and Hera slopes are suitable for beginners and Hermes and Zeus are suitable for intermediate and advanced skiers. The Cyprus Ski Club offers pre-bookable lessons and equipment hire on a daily basis.

South Tyrol, Italy

Located in the Italian Alps between Verona and Innsbruck, South Tyrol is every winter sport enthusiast's dream with 80 3,000m-high peaks in the Dolomiti Superski and Ortler Skiarena resorts.

The region offers 300 days of annual sunshine, downhill and cross-country options for skiers and snowboarders of all levels, and for less experienced snow bunnies South Tyrol has 63 ski schools.

Most valleys boast easy access to the world's largest ski network, Dolomiti Superski, which features twelve skiing areas and 1,200kms of pistes, with many interlinked circuits all available on one single pass. The circuits offer several panoramic viewpoints as well as traditional mountain refuges where visitors can sample the culinary specialities of the region.

After a day on the slopes, skiers and snowboarders can enjoy après ski fun in cosy log huts or drop in at events organised on and off the slopes. With only two per cent of visitors coming from the UK, South Tyrol is a secret ski spot, waiting to be discovered - so this is definitely the place to come to escape crowded slopes and lift queues.

Tatry Mountains, Slovakia

Slovakia's Tatry Mountain is fast becoming one of the most talked about new ski destinations in Europe. New air routes are opening up from Luton, Manchester and Dublin direct to Poprad-Tatry, which is located only fifteen minutes away from the main Tatry Mountains ski areas of the High Tatras and 45 minutes from the Low Tatras Mountains.

The High Tatras range is 28kms long and is made up of a number of smaller ski resorts.

Jasna is Slovakia's largest ski area and is in the Low Tatras, which also has the best snow record in the area.

Lift passes are a third cheaper than in mainstream European resorts - and the third cheapest on the continent. Ski equipment hire and tuition is inexpensive and the two mountain ranges can be skied on one lift pass

Ylläs, Finland

Ylläs is the largest resort in Lapland and Finland and boasts 61 slopes and 29 lifts. Located north of the Arctic Circle in Finnish Lapland, it is home to the longest downhill runs in Finland. It's also one of the most popular destinations among telemark skiers and off-piste skiers who love the wealth of untouched snow.

With the only eight-person lift in the country - the Ylläs1 Gondola - Ylläs has snowpark areas and an FIS-approved Giant Slalom Slope. Aside from snow sports, travellers can try husky, reindeer, Icelandic pony or snowmobile safaris, snowshoe hiking, kick-sledding, ice-fishing and several other outdoor winter activities. A visit to the Snow Village is an unforgettable experience.

Cross-country skiers return to Ylläs year after year for obvious reasons: Ylläs boasts a larger network of trails than any other Finnish resort. A total of 330km of maintained trails are available and 38 km of these trails are illuminated. Ylläs has two ski schools which can teach provide slalom, cross country, telemark skiing, off-piste and snowboarding lessons.

MIDDLE EAST

Faraya Mzaar, Lebanon

Only one hour away from the Lebanese capital Beirut, the Mzaar ski region near Faraya is located at one of the top mountain resorts in the Middle East. As one of the best equipped resorts in Lebanon, skiiers and snowboarders can enjoy more than 80kms of tracks and 42 slopes. With the ski season lasting four months, beginners and advanced winter sports enthusiasts can also enjoy views over Bekaa valley from the peaks situated at 1,850m.

Slopes operate from 8am-3.30pm (weekdays) and 8am-4pm (weekends and holidays) and the resort has three major ski areas: Refuge, which is accessible from the Mzaar InterContinental hotel; Jonction and Wardeh. After hitting the slopes, the InterContinental Mzaar Lebanon Mountain Resort & Spa offers a spa and wellness centre providing relaxing services such as hydrotherapy, massage and detox wraps.

If you prefer to mix city fun with your ski trip, Mzaar is only 29 miles from Beirut, which has some of the best nightlife, restaurants and clubs on the Mediterranean. The drive from Beirut to Mzaar will take you through the villages of Jeita, Ballouneh, Feytroun and Faraya village.

SUBCONTINENT

Gulmarg, Kashmir

If you are looking for adventure, then look no further than Gulmarg - the best ski resort in the Himalayas. First established in 1927 by two British Army officers, Gulmarg is widely acknowledged as the final frontier amongst the skiing fraternity.

Gulmarg is the northern hemisphere's highest ski area boasting some of the best off-piste skiing in Asia. Nestled at 2,650m on one of the six ranges of the Himalayas it is regarded as India's premier ski resort.

Sporting the northern hemisphere's highest gondola ski lift, which ascends to a heady 3,980m, it provides lift-served access to 1,330 vertical metres of snowriding terrain with uncrowded slopes and amazing stretches of untouched powder. The skiing season in Gulmarg commences in the middle of December and continues until mid-April. 

ASIA

Hakuba, Japan

Hakuba - located 300kms northwest of Tokyo - is one of Japan's undiscovered secrets.

Hakuba's ski season runs from early December to late April each winter, receiving eleven metres of snowfall on average each year.

The valley features a total of ten resorts, more than 200 runs, 139 lifts, a local village, ski/snowboard shops and a number of après entertainment outlets. From the southern end of the valley, Sun Alpina incorporates three ski areas to the linked resorts of Hakuba 47, Goryu-Toomi and the Olympic ski resort Happo-One - situated in the heart of Hakuba.

Towards the northern end of the valley, Iwatake, Tsugaike, Norikura and Cortina resorts are all impressive and rate highly amongst skiers and boarders alike

Hakuba is part of the region which played host to the 1998 Winter Olympic Games; hosting the ski jumping event as well as the super G and downhill skiing events. The Games gave the area a top-class infrastructure for travel and lodging and also left a thriving après ski scene.

Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, South Korea

You may not have heard of the Korean county of Pyeongchang, but soon enough the world may be focussing in on this winter sports destination. Despite narrowly missing out on winning the 2010 and 2014 bids, Pyeongchang will be aiming to make it third time lucky by bidding to host the 2018 staging of the Winter Olympic Games.

Pyeongchang, in the Gangwon-do province, is pulling out all the stops in an attempt to finally fulfil its dream of hosting winter sport's biggest spectacle. Investment in the winter sports industry is evident -the biggest development being realised is the Alpensia Resort. Costing more than $1.8billion, the Alpensia Resort includes Olympic-standard ski facilities, three- and five-star hotels, three golf courses and an alpine-style village.

Mountainous Gangwon-do is the most popular destination for skiing in the country. The province has eight of the country's fifteen main ski resorts and the most popular are Yongpyong Resort, High 1, Vivaldi Park and Phoenix Park. Korea's first ever modern ski facility was Yongpyong Resort, which opened in 1975. The internationally-renowned resort attracts foreign visitors with its excellent snow quality and 31 ski slopes.

FURTHER AFIELD...

Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica

For the snow lovers out there with some cash to splash, a trip to ski the Seventh Continent should be the next on the list.

Skiers have an exciting new opportunity to get off the beaten track and ski among the stunning Ellsworth Mountains on Antarctica. The Ellsworth Mountains have some of the most extraordinary ski touring in the world and skiers can explore the hidden peaks. Whether travelling through the amazing Connell Canyon, enjoying the stunning panorama from the top of Charles Peak, or getting first tracks on the West face of Mount Rossman, skiers can experience mountain exploration at its finest.

The journey to the end of the earth: Antarctic operator Adventure Network International has developed a new Antarctic Adventure Skiing programme for 2010 which includes: flights from Punta Arenas to Antartica and airport transfers; meals and accommodation while in Antarctica; group camping and mountaineering equipment; expedition guide and staff physician throughout the journey.

OUTSIDE, INSIDE - A LOOK AT INDOOR SKI SLOPES

Ski Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The 'ski slope in the desert' has five runs - the longest is 400m. With an area of 22,500sqm covered with real snow all year round, Ski Dubai also offers a Freestyle zone and a 3,000sqm Snow Park with a snow cavern.

Text by: Mike Starling

Mike Starling is editor of Sports Travel News (sportstravelnews.info) and he specialises in writing about sports travel destinations. Are you on Twitter? Follow his tweets @sportstourist

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