Ski Resorts with a Difference by Catherine Cooper

Relax in the spa

The Üebergossene Alm Alpin Resort and Spa in Dienten am HochKönig is a great place to go to relax. It offers a huge range of saunas and steam rooms, including a Devil’s Sauna for those who like it really hot and a mountain crystal steam bath, herbal baths and a salt water grotto for those who prefer their heat a little less intense. A wide range of massages, wraps and other beauty treatments are available and in between you can relax on heated waterbeds and enjoy the free tea bar.

If you do feel like skiing, on your doorstep are 150km of pistes plus cross-country tracks. For night-owls the hotel organises regular torch lit snow hikes – all this less than an hour from Salzburg airport.

Sleep in an igloo

Zermatt in Switerland is one of the most beautiful of the Swiss resorts, dominated by the Matterhorn and with a vehicle-free centre – only horse-drawn sleighs allowed. The skiing is extensive and challenging but non-skiers won’t be bored – as well as visiting spas you can swim, snow-shoe, paraglide, ice-skate or visit the world’s highest glacier palace, 15 metres under the ice’s surface.

If you feel like a break from your hotel or apartment you can spend a night at the Igloo Village halfway up the mountain. After a 15-minute walk from the last lift up you will be served dinner, have time to relax in a Jacuzzi and then settle down in a sleeping bag in your igloo for a good night’s sleep followed by breakfast in a nearby mountain restaurant. The “romantic igloo” even comes with a double sleeping bag, sheepskin rugs, a heart carved into the wall – and an ensuite bathroom.

Go duty free

Andorra is good budget option as it has the great advantage of being duty free – and is also a great place for shopping. In the resort of Soldeu as well as having 193km of pistes served by 63 lifts you can take a ride on a dog-sled, go on a skidoo safari, learn to build an igloo or even see the region from the air in a helicopter. There are also several great spas - the Ahotels Piolets has an impressive spa with indoor and outdoor jacuzzis, a swimming pool and sauna plus beauty treatments – and a gym if you are feeling more active. The Sport Wellness Mountain Spa has five floors devoted to well being and relaxation including its impressive fifth floor “water circuit” network of pools and jacuzzis. In nearby Andorra de Vella, Caldea has an impressive array of indoor and outdoor thermal pools and is worth a visit just for the architecture – it looks like a giant glass church.

Scare yourself

La Plagne in the French Alps offers the chance for amateurs to experience an Olympic bobsleigh run. There are three different types of sleigh – you can either travel alone or as a foursome and with or without a professional “pilot” at speeds of up to 100km per hour. Other adventurous activities in the area include ice-climbing on natural waterfalls (or on an indoor wall if you prefer), skidoo-driving, dog-sledding, paragliding, outdoor swimming, ice skating and snow-shoeing. La Plagne is made up of several villages – many purpose built but some, such as Monchavin and Champagny, are old, traditional and pretty. La Plagne is part of the enormous Paradiski region with 420km of downhill pistes as well as a huge network of cross country tracks and for snowboarders, half pipes and snow parks – including one for beginners.

Try ski-jöring

Metabief is a small resort made up of nine historic villages which offers the chance for novices to try ski jöring – being pulled along on your skis by a horse – during a three-hour lesson. If that sounds too much like hard work you can also opt for a ride in a cart pulled by horses or dogs – a moonlit ride is almost an option. Horse-riding is also available as well as ice-skating, hot-air balloon rides, snow-shoeing and even fishing all year round. There is also a tree-top adventure park, a tourist train you can take to admire the scenery during peak holiday periods, bowling, a cinema and thermal baths. It has 200km of cross-country tracks and 40km of downhill pistes – it may not suit expert skiers but Metabief has a great deal to offer away from the slopes and is around an hour from Geneva.

City-break skiing

Just an hour north of Prague in the Jizerské mountains there are several ski small ski resorts. Jested has just 12.5km of pistes served by six lifts as well as cross-country trails with all resort facilities – five restaurants, six bars and accommodation including the unusual Hotel Jested built in a tower. Prague has everything as sightseer could want – castles, palaces, chapels, museums and galleries, a new and old town, the Jewish Quarter – as well as buses to many local ski resorts. The resorts around Prague are very small and are not the place to go for challenging or extensive skiing but offer easy access to the city and can be a great base for a city break with a difference.