Skiing down under
There may be lush green slopes in Europe (although in some only just), but the snow is falling in the Southern Hemisphere and the various ski seasons are just getting underway. And whilst not many people would fly halfway around the world just to get some skiing in, combine it with some travelling and you can sightsee, ski and surf all on one trip.
New Zealand The ski season runs from June to September/October depending on the snow conditions. To combine skiing with a visit to a bustling town, head to Queenstown on the South Island where you can reach the ski areas of Coronet Peak (25 minutes away) and the Remarkables (45 minutes away). One of the most the lively towns in the country, the food and nightlife are well worth sampling (
www.nzski.com). On the North Island, the popular resorts of Turoa and Whakapapa (pronounced 'Fakapapa') are great fun for skiing and boarding in. Both resorts have just one side of a mountain to work with but have invested heavily turning the available space into a jibbing playground (
www.mtruapehu.com).
Australia If you're in Sydney or Melbourne, the Snowy Mountains are an attractive option for nearby (in Australian terms anyway) skiing. Perisher Blue is located about 500km from Sydney and with 1245 hectares of ski area, is the most extensive in the country. Spread over seven peaks, it is an amalgamation of four separate ski areas: Perisher, Smiggin Holes, Blue Cow and Guthega. The local airport at Cooma runs daily flights throughout the ski season (
www.perisherblue.com.au)
Argentina From June to October, you can ski in the diverse and stunning mountain ranges of Argentina. The established and chic resort of Catedral Alta Patagonia has been the destination of choice for well-heeled Argentinians and Brazilians for decades. Although the ski areas in South America are not as well developed as European ones, Catedral offers 600 skiable hectares, and reaches from 1030 metres to over 2000 metres. Excellent food and accommodation can be bought for next to nothing, and lift passes will seem ridiculously cheap.
Chile Valle Nevado, El Colorado and La Parva make up the Three Valleys of the Andes; the largest ski area in South America. There are pistes up to 3670m but, if you need extra adrenaline, then try the extensive heli-skiing opportunities
www.gochile.cl.
