Exciting news from the world of skiing are here. World Ski Awards – the global initiative to recognise and reward excellence in ski tourism – has unveiled the winners of its 10th annual programme.
Launched in 2013, World Ski Awards aims to drive up standards in the ski tourism industry by rewarding the organisations that are leaders in their field. Votes are cast by ski industry professionals (senior executives, travel buyers, tour operators and media) and by the public (ski tourism consumers) in a range of categories, including best resorts, hotels, chalets and tour operators. Votes are submitted online via the World Ski Awards website.
The results follow a year-long search for the world’s leading ski travel, tourism and hospitality brands. Votes were cast by ski industry professionals and ski consumers, with the nominee gaining the most votes in a category named the winner.
So, who were the winners? Well, as is the case with most awards, and well-known and prestigious ones at that, there are different categories. And accordingly, here are some winning resorts, chalets, indoor ski resorts and more.
Verbier’s superb skiing, state-of-the-art lifts, fine chalets and thriving après-ski proved a winning combination, as it was named ‘World’s Best Ski Resort’ for the second year running. The Swiss resort made it a double celebration with W Verbier collecting ‘World’s Best Ski Hotel’.
France took double honours in the newcomer categories, with Bear Lodge, Les Arcs named ‘World’s Best New Ski Hotel’ and Val-d’Isère’s ski-in, ski-out Chalet Abade recognized as ‘World’s Best New Ski Chalet’.
Chalet Zermatt Peak, with unrivalled views of the Matterhorn, claimed ‘World’s Best Ski Chalet’, whilst Utah’s sumptuous Stein Eriksen Residences took ‘World’s Best Ski Boutique Hotel’.
Switzerland’s LAAX, with its unlimited freeriding opportunities, was named ‘World’s Best Freestyle Resort’. Ski Dubai, home to a superb array of snow-based activities, picked up ‘World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort’.
Leo Trippi was named ‘World’s Best Ski Travel Agent’, with Sunweb winning ‘World’s Best Ski Tour Operator’. Tesla Transfers collected the title for ‘World’s Best Ski Transfer Operator’.
The harmonious mix of architecture and nature helped LAAX’s rocks resort to the title of ‘World’s Best Green Ski Hotel’. Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, operating in British Columbia’s vast Skeena Range, collected ‘World’s Best Heli-Ski Operator’. The pan-European dominance of Compagnie des Alpes helped it gain the award for ‘World’s Best Ski Resort Group’. The state-of-the-art facilities of Bergbahn AG Kitzbühel led to its recognition as the ‘World’s Best Ski Resort Company’.
Sion Rapson, Managing Director, World Ski Awards, says: “Our winners represent the finest brands in global ski tourism and my congratulations to each of them. The 10th annual World Ski Awards programme received a record number of votes from ski consumers across the world, and serves as a barometer on the eve of the upcoming season. This shows that the appetite for ski tourism has never been stronger.”
Awards were also announced on a country-level, featuring the best resorts and hospitality providers from the world’s best ski tourism destinations.
For a full list, visit here, and in a nutshell, here are the winners for you.
– Chalet Zermatt Peak claimed ‘World’s Best Ski Chalet’.
– Stein Eriksen Residences in Utah took ‘World’s Best Ski Boutique Hotel’.
– LAAX in Switzerland was named ‘World’s Best Freestyle Resort’.
– Ski Dubai picked up ‘World’s Best Indoor Ski Resort’.
– Leo Trippi was voted ‘World’s Best Ski Travel Agent’.
– Sunweb won ‘World’s Best Ski Tour Operator’.
– Tesla Transfers collected the title for ‘World’s Best Ski Transfer Operator’.
– LAAX’s rocksresort took the title of ‘World’s Best Green Ski Hotel’.
– Northern Escape Heli-Skiing, from British Columbia was ‘World’s Best Heli-Ski Operator’.
– Compagnie des Alpes gained the award for ‘World’s Best Ski Resort Group’.
– Bergbahn AG Kitzbühel was named ‘World’s Best Ski Resort Company’.
If you are interested in all things skiing, have a look at some of our features and stories on skiing, including best places, resorts and deals. We also had a very interesting one on ‘ski envy’ holiday season, and if you’re wondering what that is, have a read here.