Many Bytown Ski Club members happily returned from one or two weeks at two world-class ski resorts in the European Alps, the massive Trois Vallees in France and the iconic resort of Zermatt. With over ninety percent of this year’s registrants having participated in one or more previous ski weeks, a strong bonding of members is growing whether over phenomenal buffet breakfasts and four course dinners at both resort hotels, skiing in small groups together or sharing apres-ski experiences in places such as the Hennu Stadl.
After escaping the arrival chaos of Geneva airport, we were treated to six days great skiing at both resorts with many blue-bird ski days and periodic snow overnight that allowed us to play in some powder days.
A non-ski highlight of the Trois Vallees excursion was our witnessing the burning down of a premier hotel in Courchevel 1850. Over the years this Deux Alps Hotel had patrons of the rich and famous, including Russian oligarchs, that paid up to 1200 Euros ($2000 CDN) per night, slightly above the Bytown trip budget. Fortunately, there were no casualties in the fire. On the positive side, many of us did an early evening outing to see the arrival of the Olympic rings, watch a ski-jumping exhibition and drink malt-wine at one of the host sites of the 2030 Olympics.
The Zermatt ski week memory for most was many of our group achieving a ski visit to the Italian side of the mountain range on a beautiful sunshine day, into the village of Cervinia. Our Zermatt ski tour ended with an afternoon and evening in Geneva where most of our cast of characters enjoyed a farewell dinner together at a restaurant that featured Swiss fondue!
While it will be a massive challenge to equal the two resort experiences of this winter, planning will begin shortly to research some ski-week gems for 2027. At this early stage my thoughts of major interconnected ski areas include Ischgl Austria, Lech (St. Anton) Austria, Kirchberg (Kitzbuhel) Austria, Cortina (northern Dolomites) Italy, and the Via Lattea ski region of Italy bordering Italy and France. I always welcome any member suggestions.
On behalf of Lauralea and I, thank you to everyone who joined our Bytown Euro-ski experience this winter and letting us live our continuing dream of skiing the Alps with such an amazing group of mountain friends.
We hope to have the 2027 Euro-ski program outline to members by mid-July & registration in August. If you might be interested, mark your calendars for the last week of January and first week of February.
Don Singer
Bytown Ski Club