There are more things happening in the Alps than simply skiing – so it is well worth booking flights to Geneva even if the chalet-girl shimmy is not quite your thing. From fast-paced polo on ice, to full throttle music festivals and dare-devil ice climbing the mountains are certainly alive with more than just the sound of music…
Snowbombing – Mayrhofen, Austria
9th-14 April 2012
Music festivals are a ten a penny these days, however, there is only one festival that catches the imagination on the slopes and that’s Snowbombing. Taking place in Mayrhofen, Austria every April the festival brings dance music to the mountains and an up-for-it crowd who go crazy on snowboarding and trance music. 2012’s line up sees the likes of Example, Mr Scruff and Groove Armada hit the decks, while during the day some of Europe’s finest on-piste talent show off their tricks. The festival includes a Backcountry Party in the middle of nowhere and an igloo-based Arctic disco. Search and compare: cheap flights to Innsbruck (nearest airport)
Polo on Ice – St Moritz, Switzerland
26-29 January 2012
What could be more glamorous than being wrapped in fur, a glass of Champagne in hand, with a spectacular alpine backdrop framing some of the world’s elite high-goal players competing for the World Cup. St Moritz is one of Switzerland’s finest ski resorts and is home to a global jet set who love their socialising as much as they love their skiing. And if its one thing the jet set know about its polo. Every January four teams come to battle through eight matches spread over four days for the most prestigious prize in winter polo. 2011 saw the French team triumph over Great Britain in the final and this year the British will be looking for revenge. Search and compare: cheap flights to St Moritz
Ice Climbing Championships – Saas Fee, Switzerland
20-21st January 2012
The lead and speed leg of the Ice Climbing World Cup circuit hits the little mountain town of Saas Fee in late January 2012. For those of you not quite in the know ice climbing is the sport of ascending frozen waterfalls (or something comparable) in the winter months – this version of it is a speed climbing event where competitors must race against the clock up a vertical and uneven pillar of ice. Ice climbing takes enormous strength and bravery – so the two day event is a sight to behold as racers scramble gecko-like up and down frozen pillars. Search and compare: Geneva (the nearest airport)
Inferno – Murren, Switzerland
18-21st January 2012
The Inferno is the bad boy of ski races – 1,800 amateurs tackle the 9km long course that drops almost 2,000 vertical metres and takes in the region of 10 minutes to complete. Racers go every 12 seconds throughout the day clad in cat-suits, competition skis and helmets trying to gain precious seconds and a moment of fleeting glory. The race festival starts with a cross-country race around the town on the Wednesday evening, then on Thursday is the giant slalom, on Friday they parade the devil through the streets and Saturday is the big race, after which the whole town converges on the sports hall to drink themselves into the early hours, swapping stories of missed opportunities, high-speed crashes and stunning victories – all to the sound of souped up oompah band playing pop classics. Search and compare: Zurich
Alta Badia Skikjorings competitions, Alta Badia, Italy
5th January-7th February 2012
An extraordinary series of events that takes place in the small mountain town of Alta Badia, in the Dolomites, throughout January, the horse races reflect the heritage and traditions of this small agricultural community. Sleighs were the mainstay of the farmers who needed to transport hay to their farms, move between villages and were the only mode of transport – they became experts in building beautiful, yet practical sleighs. In the mountains there is a need to fill the days and long winter nights – so they developed a series of races that range between horse and sleighs competing around an oval track to ridden horses pulling skiers. There are thrills, although not too many spills, but it is a wonderful insight into the quaint mountain traditions and way off the beaten tourist track. Search and compare: cheap flights to Verona (the nearest airport)
