{"id":11525,"date":"2024-03-22T15:44:50","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T15:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aplmedia.co.uk\/?p=11525"},"modified":"2024-07-29T09:45:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T08:45:30","slug":"apl-media-team-hit-the-slopes-for-national-geographic-traveller-uk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aplmedia.co.uk\/apl-media-team-hit-the-slopes-for-national-geographic-traveller-uk\/","title":{"rendered":"APL »ÆÉ«ÊÓƵ team hit the slopes for National Geographic Traveller (UK)\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
The National Geographic Traveller <\/em>(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<\/em> guide by National Geographic Traveller<\/em> (UK), to be released on 7 November with the December 2024 issue. Here\u2019s what they got up while taking part in some truly intrepid adventures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Megan Hughes, <\/strong>deputy branded content manager<\/em><\/strong>: Colorado, US<\/strong> Pat Riddell, e<\/strong>ditor<\/em><\/strong>: S\u00f6lden, Austria<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt 10,000ft above sea level, S\u00f6lden\u2019s Ice Q is the much-photographed glass and steel restaurant that featured in the 2015 James Bond film, Spectre.<\/em> Of course, it goes without saying the skiing is as exceptional as the food served at the top of the mountain \u2014 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam Ke<\/strong>mp,<\/strong> assistant editor<\/em><\/strong>: Avoriaz, France<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs something of a novice, I was delighted \u2014 and not a little apprehensive \u2014 to join a beginner\u2019s ski trip to Avoriaz. Perched atop the pine-girdled crags of Auvergne-Rh\u00f4ne-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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the course of three days,\u00a0our\u00a0instructor \u2014\u00a0the infinitely patient Stephen \u2014\u00a0took 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 \u2014\u00a0all the while dreaming of the wheel of Reblochon cheese waiting for me in my fridge back at R\u00e9sidence Pierre & Vacances Electra.\u201d \u00a0 Berkok Yuksel, c<\/strong>ontent strategist<\/em><\/strong>: Laax, Switzerland<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLaax is the place to be for freestyle skiing and snowboarding in Europe. Besides the top-notch slopes, it\u2019s 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\u2019s eco-friendly practices and zero carbon goals from the visionary founder of the resort, Reto Poltera.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn January, we hopped across the pond to explore the backcountry offerings of southwest Colorado\u2019s San Juan mountains. Most visitors to Colorado make for the well-known names of Vail and Aspen \u2014 the latter of which opened over 150 acres of terrain this winter \u2014 but our trip saw us head off the beaten track to discover the state\u2019s 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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