The best ski and snowboard festivals for 2012-13
As the golden hue of autumn drifts gently into winter whiteness in the mountains, ski and snowboard enthusiasts perk up at the prospect of attending one of the many snowboard and ski festivals that combine the exhilaration of the sport with some great entertainment. Club Direct has shared some of their top winter festival tips for this coming season.
Wintersköl - Aspen Winter Festival -Aspen, Colorado - January 11 - 13, 2013
If heading off to one of the most famous winter resorts in the world at 7,908 feet above sea level seems like a great way to kick off the new year, then the Aspen Winter Festival is a perfect opportunity to experience some invigorating snow-driven mountain activity, combined with four days of frenetic festival fun. Well into the Aspen winter season, you can expect plenty of the 300 inches of annual Aspen snowfall to come down in January and provide you with ideal sporting conditions.
With emphasis on an eclectic mix of entertainment to suit all tastes, in addition to the mountain activities, the festival itself boasts a parade, a canine fashion show, the Soupsköl competition, live music, fireworks and a lot more besides. Highlights include the Wintersculpt competition that judges the use of snow as a creative medium and the fireworks that turn the snowy canvas into a kaleidoscope of reflected colour as the amazing display explodes into the night sky overhead.
Snowbombing – Mayrhofen, Austria April 1st – 6th 2013
For a last taste of the winter season, Snowbombing is one of the biggest and best Alpine festivals. Taking place in April, the weather often graces this festival with some of the biggest snowdrops of the year; allowing skiers and snowboarders to take some great runs off the mountain under the clear blue skies and stunning visibility of spring conditions. The area is a chocolate box perfect rendition of the idyllic Alpine resort, and when wrapped in its blanket of snow, provides ski and board runs that make for some fantastic sport for all capabilities.
With cold, crisp days in the mountains and hot party nights featuring top entertainment from international acts, the Snowbombing festival experience cannot be beaten. Entertainment venues include a mountain-top igloo and the forest clearing party. Described as an eclectic and archaic mix of DJs and performers, the party atmosphere runs through the night and spills out into a new day of sport and mountain-top music. This well-attended festival tops the nominations for the best winter festival every year, and the organisers pride themselves on introducing new and distinct themes that keep things fresh and innovative for regular attendees.
World Ski & Snowboard Festival – Whistler, Canada - Apr 12 - 22, 2013
Whistler and Blackcomb are two side-by-side mountains which together offer over 200 runs, 8,000 acres of adventure terrain, 16 alpine bowls and three glaciers. They are also home to the renowned king of winter festivals.
The World Ski and Snowboard Festival is another late-season extravaganza that celebrates everything related to the world of skiing, snowboarding and mountain culture. Over 10 days and nights, the festival features the latest trends in the skiing and snowboarding world. Combining arts events with Canada’s largest free outdoor concert series and the best spring snow conditions has got to be a winner. Don’t expect to see much of your bed because the grand schedule of award-winning artists down at Skiers Plaza will keep the night-time party rocking for the entire 10 days of the Festival.
These are three top celebrations of winter sport and with any one of them guaranteed to give you an unforgettable taste of mountain life combined with a fantastic mix of entertainment; it is time to start making plans to head for the party on the piste.
