X-Games
(
noun) x-gayms
The Olympics of
the ski and
snowboard
world, from 20-22
March in Tignes,
France. There’s
nowhere better in
Europe to gawp
at the spectacle
of awe-inspiring
tricks and
competition by
the best freestyle
skiers and
boarders. If
there’s one thing
these extreme
sports folk do
better though,
it’s party. Expect
a big one off the
slopes.
xgames.
tignes.net
ard sale
(
noun)
yard sayl
Strange outfits, arcane
vernacular, a bizarre
social code – but enough about golf.
Winter sports also has some perculiar
terms and this one – when a person falls
over and loses their gear in the process
–
is among the most evocative. There are
ways of protecting your tackle though, like
the new Nokia X Burton Insulator case
(
€20;
nokia.com
),
a down jacket for your
phone that increases battery life by 50%
and attaches to your trousers. Or grab
one of this year’s key trends – jackets with
asymmetric zips to keep snow well away
from you, however harsh your tumble, like
the Arc’Teryx Sidewinder Jacket (£480
[
€615];
arcteryx.com
).
x
Y
Zermatt
(
noun) zer-mat
The posh resort straddling the Italian-
Swiss border, Zermatt is everything a
Swiss ski destination ought to be. Its
chocolate-box centre is dominated by that
4,478
m giant Toblerone of a mountain, the
Matterhorn. Celebs including Madonna
and Nicole Kidman love its rock-star
hideaways and 360km of paparazzi-free
slopes. For star spotting, eat at Chez Vrony
(
chezvrony.ch) –
Robbie Williams is a fan –
and see who you spot over cocktails at the
Snowboat (
snowboat.ch
).
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A - Z S K I I N G
