KILLIAN FORDEweekly winter report
Resort of the week
SAAS-FEE, SWITZERLAND
Sitting at the base of the Feegletscher – or Fee Glacier – and ringed by a dozen towering peaks of 4,000m or more, Saas-Fee sits in one of the Alps’ most striking landscapes. The village complements the natural setting with its traditional architecture, narrow winding lanes and ban on cars. The resort is one of a small number of European resorts that stay open all year round. This ensures it retains a community feel, as staff can live here permanently. Everyone seems to know everyone else, and the resort is very friendly.
The skiing, which is mostly above 2,500m, is snow-sure; the glacier skiing is on gentle gradients and largely unchallenging – perfect for beginners. If you fancy learning to ski or board in the late spring sunshine, there is no better place to go than Saas-Fee in mid April.
Nightlife is good, with a smattering of small, atmospheric pubs around the village.
For nonskiers there are some spectacular walks and one of the world’s longest railed toboggan runs.
Resort height1,800m.
Range1,800-3,500m.
Lifts22.
Total runs100km.
Longest runNine kilometres.
Best runGletschergrotte, a tough blue run that starts above the tree line on the glacier and swings down through forest before finishing with a long gentle run to the village.
Snow parksTwo.
SeasonAll year.
Snow reliability *****
Who goesPopular with families from Ireland and Britain, honeymooners and Wham!fans – the video for Last Christmaswas shot in Saas-Fee.
Value €€€Switzerland is not as expensive as you think, and better value for eating out than the French resorts. As it is the only Alpine country not using the euro, price comparisons involve a bit of mental calculation.
Insider tipsFile a visit to the village museum as a must. Located in a preserved wooden house, it contains clothing, tools, other artefacts and incredible photographs that capture the challenge and isolation of living in the Alps in the 18th and 19th centuries.
AirportsGeneva.
Tour operatorsCrystal and Inghams.
Onlinesaas-fee.ch.
Snow report
Fresh snow fell on the Alps and Pyrenees this week, topping up the deep bases all over the Continent. It remains colder than usual, and long-term forecasts indicate the freeze will continue. With midterm and peak season kicking in until the end of February, the snow-friendly conditions will ensure maximum ski areas, so reducing, with luck, the queues at lifts.
Snow-forecast.com provides free forecasts for more than 2,200 resorts. Check the snow at 250 resorts on skiclub.co.uk or take a peek at your mountain of choice on snoweye.com.
Get your skates on
Bargains can be scarce in February, as it’s high season, but Directski has a very appealing offer this week. Departing from Belfast next Saturday, and staying at the three-star self-catering Résidence Cybèle, a week
in the French resort of
Méribel costs £219 (about €250). The price is based on four people sharing and includes accommodation, flight and transfers. directski.com
Kitwatch
Bollé makes some of the most comfortable goggles you can buy. It also makes them in some of the funkiest – or most hideous – styles, with luminous colours to the fore. One of its more conservative models is the high-performance Quasar, which has a wide field of vision and is double lensed, to prevent fogging. The goggles cost about €70 from Great Outdoors and Snow + Rock, in Dublin, and in Sunglass Hut outlets around the country.
AOB
The next couple of weeks is the time to pick up cut-price skiwear. Big sports retailers will be trying to offload last season’s unsold stock. Expect to see 50 per cent off – and remember to haggle.