The Good Skiing and Snowboarding Guide 2003
Edited by Peter and Felice Hardy
Scotland's moment of glory on the the ski slopes may have been tarnished earlier this year when Alain Baxter's Olympic bronze medal was withdrawn after a misunderstanding with a Vick inhaler, but now the country has struck gold. Cairngorm Mountain in Aviemore has won the the Golden Ski Award for the most improved resort of the year from The Good Skiing and Snowboarding Guide 2003 . It's the first time a Scottish resort has won.
Les Arcs in France is the resort of the year and boasts the best resort restaurant. Indulgence off-piste is also recommended in Zermatt, which has the best mountain restaurant and aprés-ski venue, while self-improvers should check out the winning ski schools for children and adults in Val d'Isère.
Gongs apart, the guide itself is clear, imaginative and user-friendly. There are country-by-country sections for established destinations and such offbeat places as China and Argentina. Each resort has a star rating for suitability for different abilities and snowboarders, with a summary of key facts and prices.
Reuters' Where to Ski and Snowboard Worldwide 2003
Edited by Chris Gill and Dave Watts
At a thumping 700 pages you might expect twice as much information as in the Good Skiing Guide, and while there are 100 pages on the United States alone, for example, compared to the rival's 50, much of the space in Reuters' guide is taken up with photographs and an avalanche of ads. The editors' boast that it has the most in-depth information on each resort is largely true, however. They are fanatical about lifts - provision of, price of passes and queues for. They claim that using the latest publishing technology enables them to print more up-to-date information than the competition, so if knowing that the jumbo gondola in Verbier is having its capacity increased by 25 per cent matters to you, for example, this is the book for you. It uses in-depth readers' reports for added detail and conviction.
Its extras include a clear über-table of resorts, showing 11 key factors such as snow records, convenience and queues. And there is a cost rating for each resort.This is a busy, thoroughly researched book, packed with detail .
Top Ski Resorts of the World
By Arnie Wilson
If you'd secretly rather sit on the sofa than a ski-lift, this could be the book for you. The large, lavish hardback with stunning photographs is by veteran skier and writer Arnie Wilson, who has visited more than 570 resorts in more than 20 countries, and once made it into the Guinness Book of Records by skiing daily for a year to cover 240 resorts in 13 countries.
Wilson aims to describe the diversity and excellence of the world's best resorts, from Alaska, which offers 'arguably the steepest most fearsome and ultimately the most satisfying skiing on the planet' (helicopter essential), to Zermatt and the savage beauty of the Matterhorn. The result is low on consumer information - just a basic panel for each resort - but it's high on inspiration.
If you are passionate about snow and mountains, Wilson will get you in the mood, and if you're not but love someone who is, this book would make a great Christmas present.
