Anyone who watched a snowboard video in the 1990s will be familiar with Riksgränsen, even if they’ve never heard of this outpost on the Norwegian border in Sweden’s far north. It’s a funny old place, which started in 1903 as a station for the trains carrying iron ore from the mining town of Kiruna to Narvik on the Norwegian coast – and the industrial train still rumbles through most days. Gradually, the train workers realised they were next to an almost unlimited trove of skiable peaks, and when a road finally arrived in 1984 it started to become an open secret among Europe’s best powder skiers and especially snowboarders. Today, the cluster of red barns overlooking the Vassijaure Lake (frozen in winter) is a freeride and heli-ski paradise, with the latter much more of a free-for-all than most European resorts.
Where to stay: The longstanding Hotell Riksgränsen is comfortably utilitarian, with a spa and sauna, but the smartest place by far is Niehku Mountain Villa, a cool heli-oriented lodge in a former industrial train building, run by charismatic sommelier-restaurateur Patrik ‘Strumpan’ Strömsten and experienced ski guide Johan ‘Jossi’ Lindblom.
Bad GasteinGetty Images
Bad Gastein, Austria
The ‘Wes Anderson’ one
This Belle Epoque ski and mineral spa town, built into the slopes of the Hohe Tauern mountains a 90-minute train ride from Salzburg, was once known as the ‘Monte Carlo of the Alps’ before falling on harder times. Now, though, it’s making a comeback built on creatives, especially from Berlin, giving new life to faded hotels and putting on festivals like the sommer.frische.kunst art festival. There are usually good snow conditions somewhere along the valley, especially up at the Kreuzkogel peak.
Where to stay: Hotels run the gamut from the Salzburger Hof, a canary-yellow grand dame, to modern design-driven hotels like the Miramonte, a 1950s bank building made over by local hotelier Ike Ikrath, who also runs the cool Haus Hirt. The pick of the stays, though, is The Comodo, a place of crisp lines and mid-century touches that might just be the most exciting Alpine opening of 2023.
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