The National Geographic Traveller (UK) team have been carving up pistes from Colorado to Switzerland this season, participating in skiing press trips that uncover the best destinations and coolest openings in the world of winter sports. The trips were commissioned for the annual Winter Sports guide by National Geographic Traveller (UK), to be released on 7 November with the December 2024 issue. Here’s what they got up while taking part in some truly intrepid adventures. 

Megan Hughes, deputy branded content manager: Colorado, US 
“In January, we hopped across the pond to explore the backcountry offerings of southwest Colorado’s San Juan mountains. Most visitors to Colorado make for the well-known names of Vail and Aspen — the latter of which opened over 150 acres of terrain this winter — but our trip saw us head off the beaten track to discover the state’s more extreme offerings. Highlights included a picture-perfect day heli-skiing with expert guides in Telluride, hiking and heli-skiing on the infamous Silverton Mountain, cat-skiing at the beautiful resort of Purgatory and ski touring to the remote Thelma Hut, where we spent the night. A week of true bucket-list-ticking backcountry.”  

Pat Riddell, editor: Sölden, Austria 

“At 10,000ft above sea level, Sölden’s Ice Q is the much-photographed glass and steel restaurant that featured in the 2015 James Bond film, Spectre. Of course, it goes without saying the skiing is as exceptional as the food served at the top of the mountain — the Austrian resort has 615 acres of runs and nearly 90 miles of pistes, most of which are above 2,000 metres, making it relatively snow sure. And, in early February between peak periods, the slopes were blissfully quiet.” 

Sam Kemp, assistant editor: Avoriaz, France 

“As something of a novice, I was delighted — and not a little apprehensive — to join a beginner’s ski trip to Avoriaz. Perched atop the pine-girdled crags of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the car-free resort was the ideal playground for a bunch of Bambi-legged first-timers, not least because we were able to glide straight onto the nursery slopes from our apartments.  

Over the course of three days, our instructor — the infinitely patient Stephen — took us from the indignity of the Village des Enfants to some pretty gnarly blue slopes, picking us up when we fell (I was distracted by the smell of toasting cheese) and high fiving us when we nailed our parallel turns. By the final day, I was weaving alongside proper skiers — all the while dreaming of the wheel of Reblochon cheese waiting for me in my fridge back at Résidence Pierre & Vacances Electra.”  
 

Berkok Yuksel, content strategist: Laax, Switzerland 

“Laax is the place to be for freestyle skiing and snowboarding in Europe. Besides the top-notch slopes, it’s got amazing freestyling areas with massive half-pipes. I had a go at the half-pipes myself and fell with style a few times but made it through in one piece! What really made the trip special was getting to learn about the resort’s eco-friendly practices and zero carbon goals from the visionary founder of the resort, Reto Poltera.” 

These anecdotes provide a glimpse into the extraordinary trips regularly undertaken by our National Geographic Traveller (UK) editors at APL Media. Discover more at: nationalgeographic.com/travel