Skin Up - Five Great Ski Tours To Tick Off This Winter
It's time to go under the topes and skin up; we have listed below five full day ski tours in the Alps for skiers who want to enjoy without retracing their tracks.
- The Giro delle Cime is a lovely 35km day ski tour in the 3 Zinnen Dolomites ski region of Italy’s Sud Tirol, accessible to confident intermediate skiers and above. Connecting five mountains (Monte Elmo, Stiergarten, Croda Rossa, Kreuzberg and Val Comelico) using 11 lifts, with 5600m of elevation change, it leads skiers away from the main piste network into the peaceful and panoramic UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites site with unforgettable views of the iconic Tre Cime di Laveredo. www.dreizinnen.com/ski
- Austria’s Skicircus is a full-on challenge that takes six hours to complete – seven if stopping for lunch. The 65km circuit involves an ear-popping 12,400m of elevation change and all 32 lifts in the interlinked Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn ski areas. Before embarking on the trip, download the skiline app, register for the competition and show your QR code at one of the main ticket offices. All skiers completing the challenge qualify for a reward and entry into a prize draw at the end of the season. First prize is a week’s stay including lift passes for two. www.leogang-saalfelden.com
- The Königstour (King’s Tour) connects the resorts in the Hochkönig area of Austria’s SalzburgerLand and takes in six magnificent ski summits. Enjoy 35km of uninterrupted skiing (7500 elevation change) on predominantly red runs, ideal for good intermediate skiers. The circuit is marked with yellow or orange arrows depending on your direction and punctuated by tempting pit stops and glorious views of the mighty Hochkönig and Steinernen Meer (Rocky Sea) peaks. www.hochkoenig.at/en
- The Tauern Circuit is an invitation to discover Obertauern’s entire ski area, never skiing the same piste twice, whatever your ski level and starting anywhere in the resort. The red circuit travels clockwise over 12km (4000m elevation change), via nine lifts, suits steady intermediate skiers and takes around two hours to complete. For the less confident, the green circuit travels counter-clockwise and uses seven lifts. And for little skiers Bobby Circuit is a modified version especially suited to youngsters with the option of detours through the ghost train and the wave course. Older children can tackle the MyTrackRound which incorporates a slalom and speed course. www.obertauern.com
- The 3-Cable Car Tour (3-Bahnen tour) in Switzerland’s Graubünden connects the historic resorts of Davos, Arosa and Lenzerheide via a safari of thrilling off-piste descents, and should only be tackled by experienced freeriders in safe snow and weather conditions, with a local guide. After an early start on the Parsennbahn from Davos Dorf and a cable-car ride to the summit of the Weissfluh, the beautiful long descent to Langwies is an alpine classic. There’s more powder to enjoy, from Arosa’s Hörnli cable car to hideaway Tschiertschen and on from there to Parpan and Lenzerheide, before a restful return to Davos by Postbus. A single ticket covers all lifts and transport for an epic day in Switzerland’s freeride mecca. www.davos.ch
Always tour in a pack and take avalanche gear !
