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Using your Epic or Ikon pass for a trip to Europe
The advent of the Epic and Ikon passes have changed the face of access to ski areas since Vail Resorts' original multi-ski area unlocker bounced onto the scene over 15 years ago. For a pretty reasonable outlay versus a day ticket there was suddenly the option to ski a full season at various cool places and in mountain ranges other than those close to home. Since then the list of names added to the roster has increased exponentially, with exciting additions around the world now included.
When you bought your chosen pass you may have noted, alongside the big hitters in North America, there are several ones dotted around Europe. Maybe now you're starting to think this should be the year when you make the trip across the Atlantic to see what the skiing culture is like over there - but where do you start? This guide aims to help you start thinking about using your Epic or Ikon pass for a trip to Europe.
The ski areas
Each pass has different options, spread across different Alpine nations, some of which may trip off the tongue more easily than others. The first thing to do is work out which ones there are and what they have to offer.
Ikon starts strong in Switzerland with Zermatt, home to Europe's highest lift and best-looking mountain, with extensive slopes, gnarly terrain and a seriously fancy town.
St. Moritz is the second Swiss inclusion, winter playground of the rich and, er, richer, but also a place with high, extensive slopes.
Italy is anchored by the gigantic Dolomiti Superski area which spreads across a dozen ski towns (including the one I started off in at the age of seven, Kronplatz), with gently undulating slopes watched over by sheer pink cliffs - for my money the prettiest skiing in the Alps.The big surprise here is that despite the Italian passport stamp, mostly you’ll hear German because this is the South Tyrol, previously part of Austria.
Lastly in the Alps, Chamonix Mont-Blanc Valley is crowned by the highest peak in the range. A magnet for ski mountaineers and freeriders, it also allows even those with limited backcountry experience to enjoy high-altitude glacier skiing.
As a side note, because it’s in a different mountain range, Grandvalira is the Pyrenees’ biggest destination. Made up of extensive, sunny slopes that get occasionally massive Atlantic snow dumps, Grandvalira is in micro-country Andorra, which is sandwiched between France and Spain.
The Epic Pass has another strong Swiss line-up, kicking off in Verbier 4 Vallées. Where I did my ski instructor training, Verbier is a boisterous, high-altitude, steep terrain ski area, attached to several more family-friendly towns which stretch across, unsurprisingly, four valleys.
Crans-Montana is a sun-seeker's area which goes high and commands sweeping views across the Rhone Valley, a massive trench bisecting the Alps.
Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, over in the east, has benefited from lots of investment to increase its appeal to the upscale visitor, but it retains the feel of a skier’s mountain, with steep slopes and lots of snow.
In Italy again the Dolomites feature (although possibly the second division areas), headed up by Madonna di Campiglio.
In Austria, Ski Arlberg can in no way be described as second-rate, with some of the deepest snow, cutest towns and hardest partying on offer in the Alps.
Rounding off the Alpine offering, the 3 Vallées is the largest fully-linked (i.e. no need to get on a bus at any point) ski area in the world. It has pretty much everything within its giant expanse.
Combinations
As we all know, mixing things up adds flavor, so while you could stick to one European destination, it's equally valid to try and get a few into one trip (and then possibly add in some sightseeing on top). The Alps spread for 750 miles, or roughly New York City to Chicago. While this might be the sort of thing you could normally knock off before lunch driving in the USA, Alpine roads are steep, winding, wet, icy and snowy. Depending on the time of year, month and day you are traveling you will have to variously share the roads with trucks, tractors, motorcoaches carrying northern Europeans on their vacations, locals who drive fast, visitors who drive slow and police who want to enforce chain requirements, so it invariably takes longer to get places than you hope.
East vs West
One way to limit your travel time is to break things down into east versus west. This works best with the Epic Pass. West starts in Geneva (or Paris), heads to Verbier and Crans-Montana (there’s also some awesome heli-skiing around here), before hitting Andermatt and surrounds. From here you can head home from Zurich.
The eastern version of this sees you kick things off in Zurich (or Munich) and moving on to Andermatt region, then hitting the Arlberg before finishing in Skirama Dolomiti. From here you can get home after a few days in Verona, Lake Garda and/or Venice.
With the Ikon Pass the west is more limited, and you might be best off exploring the many different areas of the Chamonix Valley. These ski areas are spread out over several miles, connected by efficient ski buses, and all have very different characters, from low and tree-lined to high and glacial. There are also several full day adventures to be had, such as skiing the Vallée Blanche, a descent from the top of Europe down as low as the glacier is that year. There is also great heli-skiing just through the Mont Blanc Tunnel in Courmayeur.
Over in the east you could arrive in Zurich and backtrack a little to Zermatt before moving on to St. Moritz. It’s then a hop over to Austria to Kitzbühel before heading south to Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Dolomites in the Dolomiti Superski area. Finish this route off with a few days in Venice, or another Italian destination.
This is a very brief summary of what’s possible, when in reality anything is possible depending on your budget and how much time you have – for a more thorough run through of your options and how we can make them reality reach out:
How to do it
Now we know what’s out there it’s time to start thinking about how it will work practically so that you get the most fun and memories out of your trip.
Multi-stop road trips
Road trips are awesome fun and wholeheartedly recommended by me, but you have to accept it means less slope time and more travel – the focus is the journey, seeing new places, eating new food, drinking new drinks and meeting new people just as much as the skiing. The snow conditions will vary according to how far west or east you are and what altitude you’re at. This might have an impact on your ski quiver – you will always miss your fat skis on a powder day. There is also the time spent on ‘admin’ tasks to consider – picking up cars, checking in for flights and so on.
The relaxing way
To be totally relaxed it’s worth thinking about private transfers between destinations. Highly experienced Alpine locals are used to navigating the roads and their comfortable vehicles come equipped with snow tires, chains, ski carry capacity and full insurance. What you do lose is a little bit of flexibility because times would be booked.
The flexible way
Driving yourself gives you more control over your journey. If you know a storm is coming in you can get ahead of it. You can explore side areas if somebody on a chair passes on a bit of local knowledge. You can use the car to store various bits of kit. The drawbacks are the time it takes to pick up and return vehicles and navigating the roads. I have driven all over the Alps in both my own vehicles and rental, so I can advise on pitfalls, tips, tricks and how to get the best road trip.
Flights
Don’t ignore the option of a flight if wanting to explore both ends of the range. A flight day might not be the most exciting, but it gives you the chance to catch up on emails, watch a movie, upload pictures and rest the legs and mind. Flights from Geneva in the West to Munich or Vienna in the east are direct and little more than an hour. Add on short-ish transfers and it’s probably comparable to driving, but with more chance to decompress.
There are also private jet options, combined with helicopters, if time and convenience is the most important factor.
Trains
The network of trains around and through the Alps is excellent, but not always the fastest. There are definitely routes which are useful, and also help reduce the environmental impact of your trip, so where they are an option we would recommend them.
Summary
To round things up, there are many ways to put together your trip, and we can customize a trip for you based on what your and your traveling companions' needs are. This guide is just a starter - we haven't even got into ski areas not on the Epic or Ikon passes (and you might be very pleasantly surprised at the price of Alpine lift tickets compared to those in the USA) or what other destinations combine magnificently with a ski trip - so reach out to starting working on something you can really look forward to.
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