Vail | Victoria JungfraU GRAND HOTEL AND SPA | Game Creek RESTAURANT

Fun Beyond the Slopes

Jackson Hole, Wyoming: Despite fantastic ski terrain and the long-est continual vertical in the United States, Jackson is the rare ski town that’s even busier in summer, thanks to two of the world’s best National Parks — Grand Teton and Yellowstone. Both are much less crowded in winter, when they can be explored on snowmobile, cross-country skis, snowshoes, or on guided snowcoach tours to Old Faithful. The unique National Elk Refuge is only open in winter, with horse-drawn sleigh rides among the nation’s largest elk herd. Finally, there is the charming Old West town of Jackson itself, worth a day of exploration.

Vail, Colorado: The largest single-mountain ski resort in the U.S. is also the most heavily developed, with numerous spas, fitness centers, two public skating rinks, and — new last winter — both a gourmet movie theater and an upscale bowling alley/cocktail lounge. The shopping and dining options in Vail and nearby Avon are unrivaled, and dinner at the mountaintop Game Creek RESTAURANT, reached only via a private snow-cat, is unforgettable. Also atop Vail is the nighttime Adventure Ridge complex, with lift-served tubing, lighted ski biking, and children’s snowmobiles. By day, the Vail region offers every outdoor winter diversion imaginable, from guided snowshoe tours to dog sledding to hot-air balloon rides.

Hidden Gem: Interlaken, Switzerland: Ride the cable car to the famed Piz Gloria revolving mountaintop restaurant, visited by James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, with hard-to-fathom panoramic views of the snowcapped Alps. Back in town, luxuriate at the world’s first Sensai Select Spa, located in the grand Victoria JungfraU GRAND HOTEL AND SPA.