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Welcome to the Winter Wonderland edit of Mountain Porn, whereby The Aficionados explore beyond the Alpine slopes and from truffled fondues, steaming pools, ski-me slopes, ice inspired art culture and iced lakes.
Explore Europe’s wonderlands of winter from the Norse dog sleighing to the best of do-nothing haybaths found in the Dolomites, including the rundown on where to hit the slopes and where to just sit and take in the Mountain majesties.
Let Zaha Hadid’s den in the clouds inspire or chill-lax in utter style, our Wonderland has more than just ski, spa and everything delicious, we also know where you should stay, be seen and wearing what.
And if you only seek to hit the slopes, then check out our round-up of the Best Ski including the best Ski Hotels.
Norway’s Husky-sledding hotspot in Jotunheimen National Park is the perfect winter adventure across the ice packed snows of nature pure, here's why.
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Unapologetically vivid, this preferred pad of intellect and creativity is awash in Art Nouveau flamboyance tamed with clever 1950s-inspired design interventions. A stylishly cool home of the arts, brushed with boldness.
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Looking for a luxury little guesthouse this winter? Check-in to these wintry favourites for a spot of chill time wrapped in blankets of fresh snow, frosted webs, dewy mornings, hot stoves, cracking fire pits and doorstep nature.
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Zaha Hadid's architectural masterpiece atop Kronplatz in South Tyrol, the Messner Mountain Museum, is a concrete designer ode to the history of mountaineering.
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Located in one of our favourite regions South Tyrol, in the far reaches of northern Italy, Ahrntal is around 70 kilometres from altitudinous hub Bolzano – the gateway to the UNESCO-protected Dolomites.
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Revered for its sublime beauty and ethereal landscapes, Norway is graced with natural phenomena and vistas so stunning that they could easily belong within the pages of a fairy tale.
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Enjoy the white stuff at the Gitschberg Jochtal Ski and Almen region, where life is geared towards enjoying the best of the mountains. Gourmand meets cool skier probably best describes the kind of person that fits right in here, although families are also drawn to the easy-going lifestyle and good time ski resorts.
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Bad Gastein is renowned as a centre for incredible Austrian skiing - as well as being a beautiful valley full of age-old healing springs - but did you know it also holds the biggest art festival in the Alps, too? From the January 29 to February 4, 2022, Bad Gastein’s famed ski areas and picturesque town centres will come alive to the sound of ice being expertly chiselled.
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Located in the Hohe Tauern National Park in the heart of the Salzburgerland province, Bad Gastein’s ski playground is made up of 200km of groomed pistes scattered over four different mountains, part of the Ski Amadé area, with over 1,000 metres of altitude which offers superb long downhill runs.
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Located in eastern Switzerland’s Engadin Valley within the Graubünden canton, the quality of skiing is extremely high – hence why the Winter Olympics have been hosted here twice.
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An unfussy architectural gem that floats above a bed of the greenest and most delicate fauna like a scene from the latest Hobbit epic, this is total immersion in nature from your spectacular viewing pods – here, less is definitely more.
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Truly a highlight for any ski fanatic is the prospect of enjoying the vast area of the Zillertal Superski, where even the name sounds totally epic. Stretching from the Hintertux Glacier (hello skiing all year round) to Hochzillertal/Hochfügen.
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Wonderfully humble, this authentic exclusive-hire farmstead hideaway dating back to 1885 comes with the mandatory choc-box appeal of a rural Alpine chalet besieged by the hush rhythms of lush green pastures, ancient forests and hum of the mountain waters.
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St. Anton is also serious about ski. The entranceway to the Arlberg ski region, which includes St. Anton am Arlberg, St. Christoph, Stuben, Lech, Zürs, Warth and Schröcken, consists of 305 km of marked slopes and 200 km of off-piste trails serviced by 88 state-of-the-art cable cars.
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Drenched in Tirol originality and crafted by a setting of mountainous vistas. This luxury ski & spa hotel is all about boutique personality, passion, delicious food and a perfect location that hugs the snow-capped plateau, with windows that frame endless Austrian mountain eye-candy.
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A legendary crash pad of royalty, celebs and lovers of Arlberg, this is the chic chalet hotel and spa of consummate five star style. Interiors are dedicated to Alpine heritage and modern luxe running through the hotel’s family history.
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A lair of nature wrapped by the mountains and forests with perhaps one of the best nature-inspired spas in Austria, all overlooking the Leogang Rockies. This design hotel hugs smooth modern interiors that brush up to loveliness of the Alps, complete with its own lake.
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As well as skiing and hiking the Silvretta glacier at 3,000 metres, winter hikes are popular as are snowshoe tours and cross-country skiing. The region has over 74 cable cars and lifts that connect the 297 kilometres of ski slopes, perfectly designed to ensure speedy runs and perfect days on powder.
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With the Norse god of ski giving his namesake to the hotel, Ullr is a signifier of winter sports and ski which seems appropriate here. The son of Sefi and stepson of Thor, he was also known as a skilled hunter - imagery depicts him on skis with a bow, the Northern Lights spraying out in his wake.
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Bordering Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, Austria’s western Vorarlberg region is famous for its incredible skiing prowess, fantastic alpine views and also for holding the oldest and most influential ski club in the world.
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East of Bolzano is the long heralded as Europe's largest alpine plateau in the Dolomites of South Tyrol, the pastures and ski region of Alpe di Siusi, or Seiser Alm in German, spans almost 60km2 has to be in your wander travel bucket-list for winter ski and cross-country sports
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