For outdoor adventure fans, there are few more exciting times of the year than winter, when snow has blanketed some of the country’s and the planet’s most stunning locations.
Whether it’s legendary winter locales in the U.S. like Jackson Hole and Park City or somewhere more far-flung such as Switzerland, the getaway options offering immersive, high-adrenaline winter activities abound this time of year.
At resorts across the globe you’ll find unique experiences and opportunities involving everything from snowshoeing and winter hiking to heli-skiing.
If some of those activities on your agenda, the good news we’ve rounded up five of the top experiences from around the world, where the winter wonderland setting is just as jaw-dropping as the high-octane adventure. If haven’t booked a winter getaway yet, or are game to book another, read on for our picks.
Snowshoeing and winter hiking are among the activities available at Six Senses Crans-Montana in Switzerland. (Photo Credit: Courtesy Six Senses)
Snowshoeing and winter hiking, Six Senses Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Six Senses properties are legendary for many reasons, including the opportunity they offer guests to reconnect with nature. And winter is a prime example of the brand’s efforts on this front, particularly at Six Senses Crans-Montana (in Switzerland, not the U.S. state).
This high-altitude playground known for its champagne skiing and world-class sporting events offers a variety of immersive outdoor experiences, including two particularly noteworthy options: “Gourmet Snowshoeing Discovery Trail” and a “Return to the Roots” winter hiking journey.
“Snowshoeing and winter hiking at Six Senses Crans-Montana provide a serene, immersive way to discover the Alps beyond the ski slopes,” says Barthelemy Deslarzes, experience supervisor at the luxe property. “These guided outings take travelers through quiet forests, panoramic ridgelines, and untouched snowfields, allowing them to connect with the landscape at a slower, more mindful pace.”
Both options sound so appealing, it’s hard to know where to start. Let’s first discuss the gourmet snowshoeing discovery trail, shall we?
As part of this immersive, two-hour nature offering, guests (along with a guide) explore the beauty of Crans-Montana’s winter wonderland during a magical snowy daytime or evening outing. You’ll traverse on snowshoes through the mountains or nature surrounding the resort on a variety of trails.
If all the activity in the crisp winter air leaves you feeling a little famished, not to worry. Guests can request that Six Senses Crans-Montana’s Experience Team bring hearty snacks, lunch or dinner.
The property’s Return to the Roots experience, meanwhile, involves hiking to learn about animal tracks in the region and listening for the sounds of nature awakening after skiers have left the slopes. This nearly three-hour experience also offers the chance to warm up with homemade hot chocolate and local gingerbread after exploring the trails.
Both activities are available from mid-December until the end of February, with the potential for longer depending on weather.
Heli-skiing is among the activities available at The Lodge at Blue Sky in Park City, Utah. (Photo Credit: Courtesy The Lodge at Blue Sky)
Heli-skiing, The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Collection, Park City, Utah
Park City has long been one of the top places in the United States for outdoor enthusiasts and that includes during winter.
One of the most memorable places to take it all in is The Lodge at Blue Sky, a getaway located on a 4,000-acre private ranch in the Wasatch Mountains. The Lodge offers an array of immersive seasonal experiences, from guided snowshoeing through quiet alpine forests to winter fly fishing, snowmobiling, and other curated outdoor pursuits designed to showcase the serene beauty of the surrounding landscape.
For those seeking the ultimate thrill, The Lodge at Blue Sky offers world-class heli-skiing. After breakfast and a safety briefing that takes place at a mountaintop yurt, you’ll get to lift off toward untouched powder in the Wasatch and Uinta ranges, exploring everything from rolling intermediate terrain to steep, technical descents. No lift lines, no crowds, just pristine alpine bliss.
Rounding out the experience, participants enjoy access to some of the finest skiing in North America at Park City Mountain Resort.
Blue Sky’s private Ski Lounge, designed in partnership with Arhaus and located at the base of the naturally quiet Silver Star chairlift, offers personalized fittings, pre-warmed boots, freshly tuned skis, and a cozy space for warm drinks and gourmet snacks between runs. There’s also complimentary shuttles connecting the Lodge to the slopes, ensuring a fully curated mountain experience from start to finish.
“Taking guests heli-skiing for the first time is always unforgettable,” says Mike Phillips, owner of The Lodge at Blue Sky. “And just before Christmas, I always make time for a trip into Old Town Park City. Watching ski patrol and instructors descend the mountain in Santa suits, torches in hand, is something you’ll never forget. The Silver Star Café at the bottom is the perfect place to warm up and meet the Santas afterward.”
The heli-skiiing experience at The Lodge at Blue Sky is available from December 5 until April 20.
Black Diamond Club guests at Alyeska Resort in Alaska have access to exclusive backcountry skiing in the Chugach Mountain range. (Photo Credit: Courtesy Alyeska Resort)
Backcountry skiing, Alyeska Resort, Girdwood, Alaska
Do you find yourself daydreaming about having access to a helipad from which you’re transported to one of the most legendary and breathtaking mountain ranges in Alaska? And once there, you spend blissful days of solitude skiing back-country skiing?
If the answer is yes, here’s the good news: That’s exactly what’s available when you’re a guest of the recently opened Black Diamond Club at Alyeska Resort. For those with a desire to get away from it all and truly immerse in a winter wonderland, there’s a helipad from which helicopter and cat skiers can be taken to explore the legendary Chugach Mountain range. The range features everything from alpine bowls to colossal mountain faces, towering glaciers, sheltered trees, and steep powder skiing.
Chugach Powder Guides, who have expert knowledge of mountain skiing in the region, are also available to ensure that guess have unforgettable and safe backcountry experiences.
“Our single day skiing adventures access some of the best ski and snowboard terrain in Alaska,” says Mountain Communications Manager Bayne Salmon, adding that “Heliskiing with Chugach Powder Guides is a great option for a first-time bucket lister or a seasoned heli skier.”
Guests can also enjoy Alaska’s first-ever Nordic Spa, a perfect après-ski experience, with a Twilight Soak available in the evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Cabane Tortin, in Verbier, Switzerland, offers compete isolation and many types of extreme winter sports including heli-skiing. (Photo Credit: Courtesy Cabane Tortin)
Heli-skiing, snowshoeing, and ski-touring; Cabane Tortin, Verbier, Switzerland
Imagine a private James Bond-esque cabin perched high above a millenia-old Tortin glacier in Switzerland, where you’ll have unparalleled vistas and total, serene isolation. And from here, you can engage in all manner of adventure activities including heli-skiing, tandem paraglider flights, snow-shoeing, and ski-touring.
At day’s end, a private chef makes your meal, while you take in the star-filled skies. All of this is on offer at Europe’s highest private-use mountain retreat: Cabane Tortin, which is located Verbier, Switzerland.
A stay at Cabane Tortin blends adventure, gastronomy, and rare seclusion at 9,800 feet. The exclusive-use property is accessible only by gondola, skis, or snowmobile, and once you’ve arrived and settled in, the staff can organize the adventure activity of your choice, whether its private ski instructions, heli-skiing, snow-shoeing, or something else.
“Having redefined one of Switzerland’s most enduring traditions with exceptional luxury and a deep respect for the environment, Cabane Tortin has expanded its apres offering with mountaintop saunas, glacier sundowners, and immersive encounters with local cheesemakers, further elevating what it means to experience the Alps in contemporary style,” says Tobias, Director of Cabane Tortin.
The property accommodates up to six adults and four young adults for exclusive private buyouts only.
The Sylvan Lodge at Snake River Sporting Club in Jackson Hole, Wyoming offers high mountain heli-skiing. (Photo Credit: Courtesy The Sylvan Lodge at Snake River Sporting Club)
Heli-skiing, snowshoeing and hiking, The Sylvan Lodge at Snake River Sporting Club, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Jackson Hole is famous for its steep chutes and legendary powder. But that’s not all there is to do here.
Sitting on 1,000 private acres along the Snake River and Bridger-Teton National Forest, The Sylvan Lodge at Snake River Sporting Club, offers the opportunity chase adventure all day long with front-door access to high mountain heli-skiing, carving up to 15,000 vertical feet across 305,000 acres of untouched terrain.
Or, for a slower paced experience, there’s also snowshoeing and hiking.
“Adventure is right outside your door at The Sylvan Lodge,” says Jennifer Williams, director of sales and marketing at The Sylvan Lodge. “Hop in a helicopter and soar over our terrain, which spans ranges south of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort—including the Snake River, Palisades, Wyoming, Teton, and Gros Ventre Mountains—landing in untouched powder for a backcountry run with High MTN Heli-Skiing,” says. “Or take a guided snowshoe tour or winter hike across our 1,000-acre private grounds and soak in the peaceful beauty of a Wyoming winter.”
By night, after you’ve enjoyed these activities, unwind in one of the property’s rooftop hot tubs or gather at the Dark Sky Bar for après-ski cocktails. The property also offers such activities as Stargazing Fridays, Saturday night sleigh rides, and nightly rooftop S’mores.
Adventure winter activities, which are available exclusively to guests at the 38-room lodge, are on offer from December through the end of March.
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