Skiing is one of the best winter adventure sports with guaranteed bouts of adrenaline rush. Imagine gliding your way through the slopes of the Swiss Alps or the American Rockies and just experiencing that rush and feeling of acceleration power through your body. Dreamy, right? As the sport grew in popularity over the years, ski resorts grew in numbers across the world, offering the best of the best infrastructure, equipment, training instructors and rescue facilities.
Skiing in the Indian Himalayas has also significantly picked up over the years with places like Gulmarg and Auli offering stunning slopes and good powder conditions. However, these destinations are still new and growing. What’s more out there, you ask? Well, here are some of the best skiing destinations in the world to help plan your next big skiing adventure!
1. Zermatt, Switzerland
Nestled in the Swiss Alps with Matterhorn and other towering giants covering it in all directions, Zermatt is considered as one of the best places to ski in the world. Zermatt offers cross-country skiing, freeride skiing and heli-skiing with its massive interlinked ski area spread across Zermatt-Matterhorn in Switzerland and Breuil-Cervinia in Italy. Ski resorts here have the best ski-lifts, trainers, equipment and rescue teams that make it an attractive destination overall. Zermatt also has an old town charm with cozy restaurants and numerous options for accommodation for you to choose from!
2. Chamonix, Mont Blanc
Chamonix is a popular French ski-town with Mont Blanc in its backdrop and five main ski-areas. It is considered as the home ground for a number of winter adventure sports given that it also did host the first winter Olympics in 1924. The ski areas in Chamonix have varying difficulty levels but it is best known for its freeriding opportunities.
3. Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is open for nearly six months in a year and offers endless terrain for adventure enthusiasts of varying skill levels! Whistler Blackcomb, the town’s biggest ski resort has 8171 acres of terrain with 200+ marked runs! This alone makes it the biggest ski resort in all of North America. If you are looking for the best après-ski scenes in the world, look no further than Whistler!
4. Verbier, Switzerland
A favourite in the international skiing community, Verbier has massive ski areas, challenging runs for professional skiers and powder-filled bowls. The Alps surround this little town and the views are nothing short of mesmerising.
5. Niseko, Japan
Located on the coast of Hokkaido, Niseko is best known for its top-notch backcountry skiing and premium quality dry powder snow. A single lift ticket gives skiers access to four interlinked ski resorts that offer more than 2000 acres of skiable terrain along with close to 30 miles of trails! When you have skied to your heart's content, Niseko also has hot springs to relax your body and mind.
6. Aspen, United States of America
Aspen is one of the best known places for skiing in the USA with four mountains together offering more than 5600 acres of skiable area. And the best part? A single lift ticket lets you access all of it. It is also known for being beginner friendly and offering top-notch powder on the slopes of Colorado Rockies, which also make for stunning views.
7. St.Anton, Austria
Known for its rich après-ski culture and challenging slopes, St.Anton in the Austrian Alps is another favourite in Europe. It offers an expansive ski terrain and slopes that suit skiers of varying skill levels.
8. Jackson Hole, United States of America
Ever heard of night skiing? Snow King Mountain, the first ski resort in Wyoming is one of the places where you can take up night skiing! This region consists of three ski resorts with Jackson Hole Mountain being the biggest one offering more than 2500 acres of skiable terrain. The region also receives 450 inches of snow annually, creating ideal skiing conditions.
9. Cortina D’Ampezzo, Italy
Located in the Italian Dolomites, this is one of the most picturesque ski resorts in the world. The Dolomites around offer both gentle and challenging slopes for skiers of different skill levels. The town is also home to excellent food and captivating sceneries.
10. Mammoth Lakes, United States of America
Located in California, Mammoth Mountain Resort offers more than 3500 acres of skiable terrain and 175 trails that vary in terms of their difficulty. Mammoth Lakes has a ski season that lasts more than six months, making it accessible for longer periods. The town also provides numerous options of food and accommodation. A local hot spring is also a favourite among skiers to unwind after a long day.
Now that we know the top 10 skiing destinations in the world, the question is:
How Does Gulmarg fare against these International Destinations?
Well, Gulmarg has grown as a popular skiing destination over the past few years and offers some of the best infrastructure and facilities in India. There are five international-level poma ski lifts on the lower slopes along with the Gulmarg Gondola which ferries people to the top of Mt.Apharwat. The six bunny slopes in the region accommodate both beginner and professional skiers with good powder conditions. The safety protocols here are of the highest level in the country with trained rescue specialists and a high-end avalanche warning system. Gulmarg also offers a range of options for accommodation and other winter activities to enjoy during your time there. It is also accessible given its proximity to Srinagar, which is well connected by road air to the rest of the country.
While this may not be up to the world-class standards that some of the above destinations have set, Gulmarg is still comparable given that it is a relatively new and growing skiing destination. The infrastructure abroad is more far-reaching and expansive, a variety of brands offer equipment along with the best of safety and rescue mechanisms. However, given the trajectory of the sport in India, it is only a matter of time before Gulmarg grows to reach these international standards with a variety of options, multiple ski lifts and state of the art infrastructure.
To conclude, there are many more ski resorts that fare comparably well to the 10 mentioned above and the facilities only seem to be getting better! You have a lot of options to choose from and turns out you can’t go wrong no matter what you pick!
