HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
NOVEMBER 2013
93
BEST PLACE TO SLEEP
BENEATH THE STARS
“The
OBSERVATOIRE DU PIC DUMIDI
DE BIGORRE
is an imposingly fortified
astronomical observatory high above
La Mongie in the French Pyrenees,
best reached by cable car. You have to
book a room here well in advance—it
can host only 19 guests. Once in, you
can observe the stars and then ski
down to La Mongie the next morning.
There’s a choice of three routes—and
even the easiest makes you feel like
James Bond. Not being 007, however,
you may need a guide.”
ArnieWilson,
former
Financial
Times
ski correspondent, editor of
Ski+board
magazine
BEST PLACE TO EXPERIENCE
THE HIGH LIFE
“Try the
EAGLE’S EYE RESTAURANT
at
Kicking Horse, B.C. From the top of
the resort’s only gondola, at 7,700 feet,
you’ll enjoy ‘Canada’s most elevated
dining experience,’ with floor-to-
ceiling windows offering a panorama
of the Selkirk and Purcell mountains.
The viewmay, in fact, eclipse the
food. Try the salmon po’ boy, oysters,
Alberta lamb or, if very hungry, the
bison hash. Be very afraid of the Ice
Wine Martini.”
Neil English,
ski correspondent for
The
Mail on Sunday
BEST PLACE TO KEEP IT SIMPLE
“I ignore the obvious merits of the
Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix or the
Télécabine in La Grave. I eschew
their iconic mountains and extreme
terrain. When it comes to French
peaks, I plump for the prosaic. The
SOLAISE EXPRESS
in Val d’Isère has
a vertical drop of 2,300 feet, which
is not enormous, but you can access
the best variety of skiing in the area.
Choose from groomed pistes, powder
bowls, steep chutes and moguls. The
only downside is that the trusty
chairli is to be replaced with a new
gondola, so from now on we’ll have to
take our skis off at the bo om.”
Giles Lewis,
a director and coach for
the Development Center Val d’Isère
ski school
“The Solaise Express in
Val d’Isère has a vertical
drop of 2,300 feet, which
is not enormous, but you
can access the best variety
of skiing in the area.”
SKI POLL
PIC DU MIDI (OBSERVATORY)
