Tom Robbins

Battery-powered skis, a new law making helmets compulsory and Vail’s record prices

Deep in the British Columbian wilderness, Battle Abbey is pioneering a new, more comfortable version of ski touring 

Super St-Bernard closed in 2010 — so why are skiers still flocking there?

From Arkansas to Zambia — and art to adventure — FT travel writers offer 12 months of holiday inspiration

Wealthy incomers are driving up house prices — but the real riches await those discovering the wild Tetons on skis

When Christmas, Easter and February half-term guarantee crowds and price gouging, could autumn be the answer?

North Face’s colourful new look, Faction’s new boot brand — and a ski lift that fits in your backpack

Direct flights from Dubai to Bhutan, a pop-up ski contest in London, and Bangkok claims the ‘world’s best’ hotel

Tom Robbins selects his best mid-year reads

On Wednesday morning last week, Heathrow’s Terminal 2 was busy with passengers departing for summer breaks everywhere from Stockholm to San Francisco, but I think I was the only one carrying skis. Skiing, as I’ve written before, is a slippery slope. It starts as an innocuous, one-week-per-year family holiday but can quickly become an obsession, driving you to obscure places and extreme lengths in search of snow. Social media has made it worse — from December until Easter, feeds are full of shot…

La Plagne in France is known as a giant, beginner-friendly ‘ski factory’ — but a new lift could change perceptions

We peered over the top of a perfect-looking slope — sparkling, never-skied powder snow, rolling over the shoulder of the mountain, then dropping out of sight. Dan Loutrel, my guide, stamped his skis in the snow, then dug in his poles, trying to discern any weak layers that, combined with our weight, might trigger an avalanche. He moved forwards and back, obviously weighing up a decision on whether we should go ahead and ski the slope, or retreat. The situation was, as they say in the mountainee…

Stockholm The world’s first electric “flying” passenger ferry has completed testing and entered production in Rotebro, just north of the Swedish capital. The Candela P-12 uses computer-controlled hydrofoils to lift it above the water’s surface, reducing energy consumption and minimising wake. Candela claims that the vessel, which seats up to 30 passengers, has a top speed of 30 knots, a range of 50 nautical miles and cuts operational costs in half compared with conventional diesel boats. It is d…

In the Spell of the Barkley: Unravelling the Mystery of the World’s Toughest Ultramarathon by Michiel Panhuysen (Bloomsbury) In the mad, masochistic world of ultra-marathons, one bizarre event stands above all others. The Barkley Marathons in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee, was established in 1986 but to date only 17 people have successfully finished the 100-mile course. Peculiarities include the fact that, rather than using a starting pistol, the race begins when its director lights a cigar…

Given that he is a French ex-professional skier, son of a celebrated climber and co-founder of the hottest brand in the mountains, you might expect an interview with Camille Jaccoux to take place in a snow-covered chalet in one of the deep-powder meccas where his products are so lionised — probably Chamonix, perhaps Engelberg, Alta or Revelstoke. In fact, I find myself walking along a traffic-clogged road in Battersea, south-west London, passing barber shops and off-licences before turning off t…

Last year’s bumper snowfalls in Colorado have given a boost to an already thriving ski industry there. At least 14.8mn skiers visited the state’s resorts in the 2022-23 season, a million more than the previous record and up 18 per cent over the five-year average, according to the trade association Colorado Ski Country. For the start of the new season, two of its largest resorts are unveiling major expansions. Aspen Snowmass is opening a new lift that will whisk skiers to a high, north-facing po…

Interlaken The Swiss have always been uniquely enthusiastic about their cheese. Last summer Gstaad began installing giant wooden fondue pots on the mountainside, in which guests could cluster together and enjoy cheese-feasts created with special portable fondue kits. This month adventure operator Outdoor Switzerland is launching its own cheese-themed innovation: the floating raclette party. Several times a week during the winter season, up to eight people will board an inflatable raft at Bönigen…

Whitehall’s former War Office is reopening as a £1.4bn temple to luxury, and FT travel editor Tom Robbins was its first guest. What does the biggest hotel launch in a century mean for the city?

The charity steps in to save a crumbling concrete ruin, while Sky Alps prepares to launch UK services

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