At Ski.com, we don't guess. We go. The year, our team of Mountain Travel Experts visited everywhere from Jungfrau, famously known as "Top of Europe,” to the legendary Hahnenkamm course in Kitzbühel, Austria. They crossed the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise on skis from Switzerland into Italy and devoured raclette while rafting in Interlaken, Switzerland. They hopped on long plane rides and flew all the way to Hakuba, Japan, where they experienced the country’s legendary Japow.
Building that knowledge and having those firsthand experiences is the whole point of a FAM trip. Short for "familiarization," these are trips our travel agents take so when you ask, "Which resort should I choose?” they have an informed answer.
This year, our team fanned out across five regions, Switzerland, the Italian Alps, Austria, the French Alps and Japan, covering more than 20 resorts, 50 hotels and more vertical than we care to count.
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This trip started not on a ski slope but on the water. The group of travel agents embarked on a raclette rafting experience, where they drifted along the Aare River with melted cheese and wine. It's the kind of moment that sets the tone for a destination like Switzerland.
Over three nights in Interlaken, the group kayaked Lake Brienz, paraglided above the valley and made their own chocolate before heading up to the Top of Europe at Jungfraujoch and touring properties in Grindelwald and Wengen, including the Fire and Ice Spa at Bergwelt Grindelwald and the five-star Romantik Hotel Schweizerhof.
From there, they were off to Verbier. The three nights were hosted by Verbier Tourism, with two full days at Les 4 Vallées, the largest ski area in Switzerland, along with paragliding and ziplining. The group explored the W Verbier and Hôtel de Verbier and got a feel for what makes this resort the choice of skiers and après seekers.
The final leg brought everyone to Chamonix, France. Their three days were based at Les Aiglons Resort and Spa. Thanks to Chamonix Tourism, the team explored the slopes and took in stunning views of Mont Blanc.
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On this FAM trip, our Experts were reminded why Japan has become one of the most exciting ski destinations in the world.
The team flew into Tokyo and took the Shinkansen bullet train into the Japanese Alps, arriving in Hakuba for three nights at Phoenix Chalets with lift passes covering all 10 Hakuba Valley resorts. Days were spent skiing Happo One and Iwatake with local guides, and evenings were hosted by Hakuba Hospitality Group at some of the valley's best restaurants. In between, the group visited the Snow Monkey Park, where Japanese macaques soak in hot springs, and explored the 7th-century Zenkoji Temple in Nagano City.
They also visited Shiga Kogen, Japan's largest ski area, which included 19 interconnected zones on a volcanic plateau. Then they were off to Myoko Suginohara in Niigata Prefecture. It’s a smaller, intimate resort with deep culture and deeper powder.
The final ski stop was Naeba, with a guided morning on the mountain with Sherpa International Snow School before a Shinkansen ride back to Tokyo. A day of Tokyo sightseeing with Asahi Travel Group rounded out the trip.
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Few ski itineraries can match this one for sheer drama. Our travel agents spent six days in Zermatt, a car-free, iconic Swiss village, followed by a ski crossing into Cervinia, Italy.
In Zermatt, the team rode the Gornergrat Bahn, Europe's highest open-air cog railway, on day one. They had an outdoor fondue dinner in the forest above the village, guided ski days with Matterhorn Diamonds Ski School, a winter hike from Blauherd to Fluhalp and site inspections at some of Zermatt's finest properties, Relais and Chateaux Schönegg, Beausite, Hotel Mirabeau, the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof and more.
Then came the crossing. Skiing from Switzerland into Italy over a glacier at 3,300 meters is one of those moments that stays with you. The group arrived in Cervinia for a site tour of Hotel Bucaneve, dinner at Gargantua, a full guided ski day with Cervinia Tourism's Luca and an unforgettable dinner at Saint Hubertus restaurant.
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For the Austria FAM trip, our travel agents kicked off the trip in Kitzbühel, one of the world’s most famous ski towns and home to the legendary Hahnenkamm downhill course. The group skied with a local guide, toured eight properties, including Hotel Tennerhof and Schwarzer Adler, and had dinner hosted by Kitzbühel Tourism.
Next up, they traveled to Innsbruck, where they explored the ski areas of Kühtai, one of Austria's highest ski villages, and Axamer Lizum, the site of the 1no 964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. Plus, the group had a private city tour of Innsbruck’s historic center and a full slate of hotel inspections.
They arrived in St. Anton by train and spent two nights at the Sporthotel and Tannenhof, with tours of the Post Hotel, Schwarzer Adler and more. Of course, they also squeeze in some skiing.
Then, they headed to Lech, where they stayed at the Hotel Kristiania with visits to Zürs and Oberlech before a transfer to Zürich for a last evening dinner at Hotel Seidenhof.
Les 3 Vallées is the world's largest interconnected ski domain and our team experienced its scale firsthand.
The group moved methodically through all four valleys, staying in each: Courchevel first at Hôtel Écrin Blanc and Fahrenheit 7, then Méribel at Le Mottaret, then Les Menuires at Hotel Higalik and finally Val Thorens at Le Fitz Roy.
In Courchevel, mornings were for skiing with instructors, afternoons for tours at Six Senses Residences, Le Chabichou, Hotel Le Strato, Les Airelles Palace, Ultim, and more and evenings for impressive dinners.
Méribel brought a morning with ESF ski school, lunch at La Folie Douce and a jacuzzi-with-champagne moment that perfectly captured the Méribel spirit.
Les Menuires added a snowshoe outing, high-altitude lunches and visits to properties including M Lodge Hotel and Chalet Coco Marcel. Then, the group transferred up to Val Thorens, Europe's highest ski resort, for snowtubing, skiing to the Orelle valley and hosted dinners.
The journey ended with a chocolate tour in Geneva and Swiss cheese fondue at Bains des Pâquis. Not a bad way to say goodbye to the Alps.
When you book with Ski.com, your Mountain Travel Expert has been to the ski destination. They've skied these runs, slept in the hotels and dined at the restaurants they suggest. They know which Zermatt property has the best Matterhorn view from the spa, which Courchevel restaurant is worth booking ahead and why the Snow Monkey Park detour is non-negotiable on any Japan itinerary.
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