Top 5 Best Ski Resorts in Europe - A Guide to Great Food, Drinks, Fun, Luxury, and Value

[Music] [Music] this is the eat ring fun top five list of the best ski resorts in Europe if you're new to the channel my name name is Chris Miller and I'm the founder and chief fund officer at e drink fund I'm also a certified somier a lifelong ski addict and I've been very fortunate to have skied all over the European Alps for the past four decades I don't know if you're like me maybe you too are a little disappointed by some of the videos you see on YouTube that rank the best resorts in the Alps I love AI I think it's a great tool but I'm not going to watch an AI generated video to inform my decision on where to go skiing my analysis is based on some actual lived truth someone had to get up early get first tracks make frequent stops for yagate and heiton eat the Schnitzel dance and pound the flugal at aisy and then pass out in a comfy feather bed I assess the 13 categories you see on your screen which highlights food drinks and aisy in addition to the terrain lodging and value a more detailed explanation is at the eat drink fund Blog the article is linked in the video description if you find this video helpful interesting please give me a thumbs up sub subscribe and click the Bell to get alerted when new content drops it's an easy and free way to support the growth of the channel but without further delay let's get into it coming in at number five is zbak hinter glem Zach is a great all-around Resort for just about everybody families couples and it's a great time for small groups if you're guys or a ladies weekend if you've only ski to North America it can be kind of hard to get your head around skiing in the culture in Austria first of all you stop a lot more for drinks and chilling out the views are totally stunning and the mountain huts and Chalet are so quaint and adorable you sort of feel like you're at Disneyland if such a thing existed the lift lines are practically non-existent and the lift technology is state-of-the-art but I'll spend more time comparing North America and Europe in a different video for now let's talk about the pros at salok first thing to mention is the lift technology and the size and the diversity of the terrain like all the resorts in this top five list sabach offers access to more lifts and more terrain for normal skiers than any single Resort in North America saach is known for its she circus or ski circus which is a huge Loop that takes basically an entire day to do it's sadly also the justification for its regrettably creepy clown mascot sorry about that but if you want even more terrain of course you can get it you can get this Alpin card which combines three regions that's s hter Glam leogang and fun with shitu in the Zam Z region and finally with the kin horn which is above the village of cin that expands your total terrain to 408 km or 253 Mi and 121 lifts so as a frame of reference Veil which brags to be the largest ski resort in Colorado operates only 31 lifts a second thing to highlight about salbach is that it's got one of the best aisi scenes in the Alps I've survived several guys weekends in salbach and it's pretty crushing it's basically a pub crawl on skis and snowboards you start at about 2: in the afternoon you end after midnight and you make this steady progression downhill both literally and figuratively the Highlight in true Austrian fashion is usually coming out of one of the Apper ski Huts at night and you're still on the hill so you ski down in the dark which is only illuminated by the twinkling lights of the village below you I do not recommend f foll ing your crazy German friend out the back of the Apper ski bar and trying to ski down the back roads in a snowstorm and playing chicken with a snowplow it's just not a good idea now any authoritative analysis must mention any weak points or cons but to be honest in this top five list the cons are really few and far between that said salbach gets an 8 out of 10 for snow shy which is still great but I have to admit I've been there in March and found some heavy snow near the valley floor under unfortunately global weather trends aren't doing skiers any favors but fortunately sabach maintains really excellent peace preparation and snowmaking Technology to keep you on the hill up next at number four is kitb Austria kitb has been a famous destination since the beginning of recreational skiing in the Alps kitel is also home to the hanen ren which is the world's most dangerous World Cup Downhill race Germans call it drife which means the streak or the stripe the course is so Steep and treacherous that if a racer crashes they're usually extracted by helicopter you can ski the race course in all of its groomed and ungroomed glory after race day which happens in mid or late January kitp is also where I learn to ski as a munchkin so it holds a very special place in my heart the vast majority of the slopes are actually for beginners and intermediates kid Spiel has also earned the name glitzy kits because it's always been popular with rich and famous people in fact you could say the kits is the Austrian relative of luxury resorts like Corel San maritz and gashat fortunately normal people can also enjoy kidp as the most expensive day pass during the top season is about €72 that's about $78 us right now or about a third the price of a day pass in Colorado let's Dive Right into some pros and cons on the pro side we have to mention again an amazing ski infrastructure and the amount of terrain kidp just recently invested 23 million EUR in an already modern Fleet of lifts and in keeping with current trends you can expand your ski pass by adding 284 km or 176 Mi by getting the adjoining Shelt ski region pass that's one of Austria's largest second kidp is a great destination for eating drinking and excellent lodging you can get top International wines on many lists but you also have access to these superb Austrian wines made from the red grapes zelt and BL Frankish and the white grape gruna fat Lina gruna fat Lina is affectionately called groovy for short and it's a beautiful refreshing white wine that is absolutely perfect for an afternoon ski break the Hotes Hotel group is a top player in kids spiel's luxury Market having acquired some of the most prestigious hotels and restaurants their portfolio includes the VIS Roo the schatza adla the schlo Leen and the gold Agri they also manage outstanding restaurants including gust house Diesel and B gustof zonen bu if you like Italian food the zonen bule is an absolute must for an amazing lunch on the mountain kits bu also gets a perfect score for architecture and style kits has grown in size over the years but it remains This Charming trolian medieval Oldtown Center that has beautiful multicolored Stone buildings and Chalet cobblestone streets and upscale shopping as for cons it's got to be said kits bule lies at only 800 M or 2,624 ft above sea level that means it does not always have great snow early or late in the season even in January when the hancom race is coming on they have a hard time sometimes getting snow so if you're planning a trip I recommend February as the best month for guaranteed snow as for the APPA scene it's there but it's not as big loud or crazy as in other Austrian ski Villages that said The Londoner Pub established in 1976 is a legendary venue that you have to experience if you're in kitel quada in the altaba region comes in at number three UNESCO designated the Dolomite mountains in Northern Italy is a world heritage site back in 2009 that should set the scene for how amazing it feels to ski in this region these Alps are simply unlike anything else in Austria Switzerland or France combine that with a unique mix of Italian Austrian and local Lain Cuisine beverages hospitality and flare and you've got yourself a perfect recipe for an unforgettable ski holiday let's highlight some of the pros the most significant of which can be summarized in two words The Cellar Rhonda this is the largest continuous ski circuit in the world it's a 43 km or 26 miile loop around the enormous cell massive you ski it either clockwise or any clockwise and it takes about half a day if you want to go hard but if you just want to take it easy make a full day of it you're in Italy kick back sit in the Sun have a bombardino the sellaronda is part of the larger dolomiti super ski Regional pass which is the largest ski region in the world it includes renowned Resorts like Cortina Depo cron flats and the dren in total a single ski pass gets you access to 12 Resorts over 1,200 km or 745 Mi of groomed slopes and 450 lifts all on a single pass for just €75 or about $80 a day and that's in High season corvara is also heaven on Earth when it comes to food and drink the Michelin guide recognizes 51 restaurants in the dolami ski area that includes one three star 10 onestar and five biib Gourmand restaurants when you visit you have to try Regional Specialties like the spinach dumplings barley soup suc which is basically like dried pork think Pudo but smokier kasuni which are ravioli stuffed with pumpkin or spinach and Penta and what's amazing is you're in Alto ad which is Italy's northernmost wine- making region the wines are as beautiful as the mountains and for their exceptional quality they're still an amazing value because they're still relatively undiscovered there is a fantastic event that happens in late March every year it's called the wine Ski Safari you can learn more about that at the eat drink fun podcast there's a link in the description finally normally when you stop in the mountains you have a hot beverage like a glue Vine or a yagate but in suol you're going to have have a bombardino it will transform your concept of Spike degnon it's amazing the final thing I have to mention in the Pro colum are the incredible lodging options in corbara they're diverse and of high quality you can stay at a luxury hotel like hotel laera which is a leading Hotel of the world but you can also rent these beautifully renovated privately owned apartments for unbelievable prices I did this a few years ago and we spent €450 or about $475 for a two-bedroom apartment for the entire week not per person not per night it was 450 for the entire week fully stock kitchen living area dining area balconies gorgeous check out residence kiasa calada in lavilla finally I got to mention some cons but really this is getting harder and harder corvara is not really known as an aisi destination it's more situated for families and couples that said if you want to shake your booty there are three good options first there's biria lur which is the base of the calto lift there's Club Morino which is the top of the Petz Laila lift and that's at the start of the grand Rea World Cup route there's some pretty bouncing parties there actually it's a fun time finally there's shuta Las Vegas that's right it's called Las Vegas and it hosts a very special aisi party for the heartier among us because basically people are skinning up from the village of San casano at night they party and then they ski back down in the darkness pretty fun santon I'm adag say that three times fast actually our British friends don't they tend to just say Stanton anyway San Anton comes in at number two and it is the Alpine source of a free endless and natural supply of dopamine and serotonin it is true San Anton is great if you are a serious powder Hound looking for a big Challenge and then you want to end the day with a huge AER ski party so getting into that there are two key things I want to highlight in the Pro column the first is a common theme that's the quantity and quality of terrain and the second is San Anton is the home of the world's best AER ski parties so going to the terrain first San Anton is part of the larger arlberg ski Network that's over 300 km of Groom terrain I've heard San Anton criticized for being only for experts but I don't agree I think the terrain is actually pretty varied and even beginners can find a good place to get around there's some really beautiful long blue runs that go for miles intermediate skiers are going to love the red piss and the challenging blacks and for that I would highlight the World Cup giant slom slope it's called Kandahar for the freestyle Brothers and Sisters You've Got Stanton Park take the renle gondola and you've got three different terrain parks that cater to different ability levels finally if you're an off- pieced expert skier the opportunities are endless I would recommend going with a guide and you're going to remember this for a lifetime at as to the world's best AER ski San Anton is truly a legend they keep it classy there was a challenging couple of years in the 9s and early as when busloads of Scandinavians would just unload and go crazy but to me that's more a story of poor Scandinavian policy and starving their people of alcohol than it is anything to do with San Anton today the AA scene in San Anton remains at the top of the charts offering substantial diversity based on whatever objectives you have guests can chill in the sun hang out out at umbrella bars enjoy great live music on the mountain or in pubs and of course dance and sing to their hearts content in the larger aiskki venues the topic of aisi and St Anton actually merits its own video but I'll mention a few places here number one of course is the most R and if you're interested in that you can dive into the EDF podcast where I interview its founder oan scallet other places I highly recommend include the Zen huta the crazy Kangaroo and Taps all of which are on the mountain when you get down to the Valley it's base camp or the mermal bar for me when we get to the topic of cons in San Anton we are really starting to split hairs so it doesn't have the most famous restaurant scene but that doesn't mean you can't get a great meal I highly recommend the museum restaurant or The alpen Gourmet stuba elegant trendy creative food you should also check out the restaurant Obin at the Moser hotel that is just an easy walk from the aeri party and finally we come to our our number one best ski resort in Europe and it's Le am arlberg Perfection is an ideal that people can never achieve but should always strive for that said I think the residents of Le have come closer than anyone to creating the perfect ski Village from the eating and drinking perspective Lex stands alone unique Regional Cuisine sourced with local products outstanding restaurants exceptional Austrian and international wines the best German beers and Austrian micro Brews and unique local Spirits if you like Spirits I highly recommend a local schnaps made from Red pears it's made by the ski club actually Ski Club arlberg just order a roto Williams or a red Williams as for a village aesthetic Le is one of the most beautiful and stunning villages in the Alps everything here is privately owned and run and they are very proud of that fact hospitality is personalized and generous and families in small groups book year after after year after year Lex simply has it all it is nearly perfect I want to highlight four significant Pros the first of which is probably no surprise it's the quantity and quality of terrain Le is a founding member of the arlberg ski region the arlberg mountains are known as the home or cradle of Alpine skiing one of the first ski lifts ever was installed in the next door Village of sewers the ski club arlberg was founded in 1901 and it's the oldest Ski Club in the Alps these people know what they're doing slope grooming and preparation is better than anywhere I've ever skied main highlights include the Run of Fame this is a full day ski loop that stretches across the arlberg region from Bart to San Anton takes about 6 hours it's 53 M long or 85 km you get three High Alpine mountain passes and a change of vertical elevation of 59,000 ft or 18,000 M second is the white ring or dead of iing this is a 13 1/2 mile or 22 km loop with over 3 and 1/2 mil or 5,500 M change in vertical elevation throughout the circuit if you bomb it takes about an hour and that's why they made a race out of it the long train or dangat is a 3M 4.7 km ski run from the top of the rufy C Mountain back to Le it incorporates one of the steepest slopes in the Alps with an 80% G for a nice beautiful portion of it the second thing to highlight is Lex's modern ski infrastructure it's the best I've ever seen hands down it seems like every year a brand new modern lift is brought into service for decades the lifts and Le have featured heated seats and plastic bubbles to keep snow off you these slow fixed cable chair lifts they're a thing of the past some tech exist that I've never seen elsewhere like three cable cars coming into a single station and doing doing changing or a single cable that Services both 10 person gondolas and an 8 person chair it's mind blown best of all even during peak season you're never waiting long in a line if at all it's got terrain parks jumps ski race courses panoramic selfie spots it's all here and being a small village everything in town is walkable but you've also got ski buses that are frequent and free buses will also connect you to neighboring Villages like sewers or take you all the way to S Anton which is great if you want to stay there late and party one night the third thing to highlight is Lex's outrageous food and beverage scene in L exceptional Cuisine is everywhere both on the mountain and in the village many hotels have excellent Wine sellers and skilled someon AIS on staff to give you a hand two great events are worth quickly noting the first is the arlberg vine bag or the arlberg vineyard that's a 10-day winter Wine and Food Festival that has special wine taste with renowned experts master classes and Gala dinners the second is called the Cur lier ring or the delicious ring that is hosted by four of Lex's five-star hotels and it's basically a food Safari featuring two wineries at each location the fourth and final thing I need to highlight is Lex's architectural style and the lodging options the chalets are charming and beautiful combining traditional features with every conceivable modern convenience and comfort do you like heated floors and Tower Racks I do so you won't find an ugly building or mega hotel in this place yes I'm looking at you France the lack of commercialism distinguishes Le from most other famous ski resorts in the Alps there are no big chains here Le is still private and exclusive and there's a clear reason why royalty ski here but we mere surfs can also enjoy reasonable prices at 2 three and fourstar pension hotels and apartments quality is exceptionally High throughout the range of lodging options and you'll find yourself spending about 50% of what you'd spend in North America for a hoom chain hotel 10 Mi away from the slopes Le is truly walk out ski in with lots of ski in and ski out options so there you have it the top five best ski resorts in Europe I know some of you may be a little mythed that your favorite French or swiss Resorts did not make the list of course they're outstanding resorts in France and Switzerland the blog article Linked In the description explains a bit why value and infrastructure remain perennial challenges I'd love to hear from you regardless so please leave a comment please also suggest topics for future videos click like subscribe and smash that Bell button to be alerted when new videos Drop you can also follow eat drink fun on Instagram Twitter X and Facebook and you can buy me a beer or a glass of wine at coffee.com or buy meac coffee.com I'll toast you for helping me educate like-minded people on how to eat well drink better and always have fun pra oh

Channel: Eat Drink Fun

Views: 5,406

Keywords: Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Kitzbühel, Kitzbuehel, Corvara, St. Anton, Lech, Vorarlberg, Dolomites, Austria, Italy, Après Ski

Id: _gyEwC0iYPI

Length: 21min 5sec (1265 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 01 2024