Quirky Guide

When it comes to booking a ski holiday, most skiers prefer to head for the more established mainstream resorts, such as those found in places like Calgary in Canada and the Alps in Europe. There are a number of good reasons to do this. For starters, these established resorts have some of the best maintained slopes you will find anywhere, and the facilities are second to none.

Also, with companies such as Alpine Elements offering skiing trips to destinations such as Chamonix and Mont Blanc, it can be quite cost effective to stay on the beaten track (visit their website for ski deals). However, if you fancy a truly unorthodox ski holiday, there are a number of resorts dotted around the globe that range from the slightly quirky to the outright zany. Here are a few of the best.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tram is a popular filming location, and has been used in such films as the original Mission Impossible and Bikini Destinations, and has seen more than its fair share of famous faces over the years, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan. The tram was converted into a giant sit and spin back in 2001, with the whole 80 passenger car rotating through 360 degrees to allow for some spectacular panoramic views. The tram takes you from the desert to the snow capped mountains, where you can throw on the skis and thunder down the famous slopes in classic Hollywood style.

You might think that a desert nation with one of the hottest average temperatures in the world would be a terrible place to put a ski resort, but you’d be wrong. Ski Dubai is the biggest indoor ski resort in the world, with 74,000 square feet of snow and slopes of over 1300 feet in elevation. It’s the perfect antidote to the searing desert heat, and a great skiing experience in its own right.

Some people will tell you that if you want a great skiing experience, you need a nice empty mountain covered in fresh fallen snow. These people have obviously never been to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, which features some of the tallest sand dunes in the world. Wet sand is generally better for skiing on than dry sand, and you should avoid waxing your skis, as dry ski bases work a lot better in the sand.