Where Should You Ski This Winter?

So you want to find the best powder in the world? Get in line—behind the Aussies who have already discovered Niseko, that is. Japan’s top ski resort, on the island of Hokkaido, is gaining global traction thanks to its incomparably soft snow—along with the opening of the area’s first five-star hotel, Kasara Niseko Village, two years ago. Last year, the resort saw a 106 percent rise in winter visitors. Kasara’s room stock is also set to quadruple over the next two seasons; the resort is expanding from eight townhouses to 40, and all will be duplexes with three bedrooms, wooden soaking tubs, and heated gear storage rooms. Right in step is the mountain’s own evolution, with two new lifts and two new magic carpet lifts for beginners coming online this winter.

No trip to Japan would be complete without some cultural and culinary indulgence. So while you’re in town, be sure to taste some Japanese whisky, indulge in some soba and yakitori, and a soak in a traditional onsen. It’s the authentic Japanese twist on aprés ski.

Don’t force yourself to choose between the Swiss and French alps. Pick both of them—and add in the Italian alps while you’re at it. From your home base in the Aosta Valley, it’s easy to ski three countries over the course of a week. Stay at the Grand Hotel Billia, says Andrea Tassini, co-founder of Allure Alps, and you’ll have a whopping 22 resorts at your fingertips. The highlight reel includes runs down the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc, which recently introduced a rotating gondola that offers 360 degree views of the Italian-French border. (Adding to its cool cache is the fact that it literally straddles the border, so you can take it up the Italian side and down into Chamonix.)

If that doesn’t prove that the Italian Alps are all about maximizing your options, consider the apres ski and day-off possibilities. Milan and Geneva are both two hours away. Turin is even closer. Which means that Tassini can just as easily hook you up with a personal shopper as she can put you in a helicopter for picnics and champagne on a Swiss glacier. Ice climbing, ice karting (the winter equivalent of Formula One racing), and heli-skiing are all available here, but stargazing and winetasting are equally valid ways to unwind. After all, you’re in Italy, which means you’re never too far from an amazing vineyard.

This world-class resort has often been seen as too remote and inaccessible (compared to Vail or Aspen, anyway). But the Colorado town where Tom Cruise and Oprah own homes is opening up, thanks to new airlift on Allegiant and Great Lakes Airlines connecting the city with Denver. It’s also joining the Mountain Collective, which gives season pass holders access to 14 resorts worldwide. Even in the company of such respected mountains, Telluride holds its own—it gets great snow, has incredible scenic intermediate and advanced runs, and is largely crowd-free (for now).

By the time the first snowfall hits, the destination will also have a stunning new property from hoteliers that created Dunton Hot Springs, a Colorado ghost town resorts that has hosted Ralph Lauren fashion shoots. Their latest opening, Dunton Town House, will be just as chic. It’s a modern bed and breakfast with five rooms in a little green Victorian house right on the main street of the historic mining village, just two minutes from the nearest gondola. The intimate, design-driven property will be a departure from the larger resorts up in the European-style Mountain Village—and an opportunity for guests to check out the more interesting restaurants and bars in the heart of town. The best one is 221 South Oak, a New American spot by a Top Chef alum who casts a spotlight on Colorado ingredients. Conveniently, it’s just across the street from Dunton, in a wood-sided cottage that’s nothing if not charming.

You appreciate the traditional trappings of a European ski holiday, and why wouldn’t you? They’re fabulous. Luckily for you, Courchevel will be even more magical this year thanks to the December opening of the Hotel Barriere Les Neiges, a spinoff of the iconic Cannes hotel whose 42 plush rooms are decked out in amber wood from wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Each has a private terrace and ski-in ski-out access from a prime spot on the Bellecôte piste, near the tony village of Courchevel 1850. And with a Patagonian-inspired restaurant run by acclaimed chef Mauro Colagreco, it may well become a gathering spot for Courchevel regulars like David Beckham and the British royals.

Also buzzy this season: a glimmering renovation of Aman’s only European ski resort, Le Mélézin, and ski lessons with a three-time Olympic medalist at L’Apogée Courchevel.

You’re an adventure junkie and you’re willing to go to the ends of the earth for a good thrill—even if you’re not a double black diamond skier. So this year, make Arctic Canada your destination of choice.

For the first time, Weber Arctic Expeditions—the same company that runs Nunavut’s most luxurious lodges, Arctic Watch and Arctic Haven—is offering public bookings for his exclusive ski trips in Clyde River, on the northeastern shore of Baffin Island. Here, 6,000-foot-tall mountains jut out from the edge of Baffin Bay, many of them completely undiscovered and unnamed. Weber gets you to the summits by helicopter, then guides you down trails that have likely never seen skiers before. (What footprints they see belong to polar bears and foxes.) “This is exploratory skiing at its purest,” CEO Tessum Weber told Bloomberg. “It’s the farthest reaches of the world, but you’re still really well supported with really good food and in a comfortable place.”

About that comfortable place: Weber takes out a community-run hotel for the last two weeks of April and first two weeks of May (the entire ski season in this extreme environment) and makes it available for up to eight guests per week. He brings in a sommelier and chef from one of his two other properties—all considered among Canada’s top culinary talents. And if they want real community experiences, Weber takes guests to experience community events that center around native arts, like throat singing and drum dancing. “This is a real, authentic Arctic adventure,” Weber explained.

Weber’s previous ski trips, which were only made available to guests by special request, have typically drawn “people who are inclined to risk.” (Finance execs make a strong contingency, no matter where in the world they hail from.) But he insists that this experience is fair game for intermediate skiers, and not just experts.

“There’s more challenging heli-skiing in British Columbia than in the Arctic,” he said. “As long as you have that desire to go into exploratory mode,” he elaborated, “you’ll be totally fine.”

You’re one with nature, and ready to conquer the elements—sun, snow, water, and sky. So this winter, you’re thinking that heli-skiing and Northern Lights could come together in one over-the-top dream trip. Make it happen in Norway, where the oh-so-trendy Scandinavian design is just icing on the cake.

There, the boutique adventure operator 62 Nord is offering action-packed trips out of Ålesund, a west coast town known for its fishermen, fjords, and unusual concentration of Art Nouveau buildings. It’s not a traditional ski destination—the only conventional resort with groomed trails nearby is quite small by European standards—but the heli-skiing here is straight out of a GoPro ad campaign, with rugged, plummeting terrain that’s completely untouched. To help you navigate the intense conditions, 62 Nord has recently hired Karsten Gefle, one of the best freeriders in the world, to guide its guests. He’ll take you to the most scenic alpine spots and on runs that lead straight to the fjords.

Make sure to reserve some time for other adventures, too. Ålesund considers itself one of Norway’s adventure capitals, and there’s no shortage of things to do. Get on a boat and sail the fjords to smaller, colorful fishing towns along the coast. Visit with communities of puffins, eagles, seals, and whales. Stuff yourself full of local seafood. And then stay up late to watch the ultimate aerial display: the northern lights. This is a trip you won’t soon forget.