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via the Klein Ma erhorn cable car, which
is, at 12,500 feet above sea level, the highest
of its kind in the world.
Equally impressive, but in an under-
stated Japanesemanner, is
Hotel Jogakura
inHonshu’sHakkodamountain range. The
Jogakura takes tranquility so seriously
that it employs a team of specialists in
aromatherapy, diet andyoga tohelp guests
de-stress—which isn’t a bad idea, given the
locale. The Hakkodas boast some of the
most challenging terrain on the planet,
including an array of backcountry slopes
that promise variety, adventure and dan-
ger. Luckily, the Jogakura has guides to
ensure everyone gets back to the hotel in
frostbite-free condition.
There’s also wilderness aplenty at
the
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
.
Situated on the edge of a glacier-fed
lake in the Canadian Rockies, this large
and luxurious hotel stands amid a dra-
matically beautiful landscape. While the
skiing isn’t as white-knuckle as in the
Hakkodas, the environment is every bit as
untamed (in some parts there be grizzlies,
whomight be rubbing the sleepout of their
eyes just about now). Evenwithin the con-
fines of the hotel, with its algae rubs and
evening canapés, youneed only turn to the
nearest window and the exquisite desola-
tion beyond to be reminded that the best
things in life aren’t always so hospitable.
For a truly away-from-it-all experience,
try
Riksgränsen
. A ski resort located
in the northernmost part of Sweden,
75 miles or so inside the Arctic Circle,
it’s a place where even reindeer feel the
chill. While the resort’s hotel is modest,
the surrounding area is glorious. By May,
there’s 24-hour sunlight, meaning you
can hit the slopes for a midnight run. If
that’s not adventurous enough for you,
there are authentic Swedish dishes on
offer, some featuring animals that previ-
ously sported antlers.
If you’ve been blessed with the oppor-
tunity to ski in a T-shirt, you should do it
for as long as you can. For truly devoted
holidaymakers, there’s the
Snow Creek
Resort
in California’s Sierra Nevadas, a
450-acre resort still under development
(there’s a five-star hotel in theworks), with
850 properties available for rent or pur-
chase. Looming over it all is aptly named
Mammoth Mountain, whose 3,500 acres
of trails range from stomach-churning
gullies to pu ing-green straights. To get
to Mammoth’s peak, you can take a nice,
relaxing gondola ride. As for ge ing back
down, that will be a far more whooshy
proposition—which is what you’re here
for, a er all.
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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
PEAK OF LUXURY
Switzerland’s Grand Hotel Zermatterhof, with the famed Matterhorn in the distance,
offers old-world elegance in a spectacular setting
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