Snow sports festivals in 2010
Snow is falling all around, children playing, having fun.
Yeah but it melts to slush and now everyone’s wet and miserable, so why not grab your gear, a car and head for the winter festivals for snow, music and good times.
Altitude Festival, 20th March – 26th March 2010.
Altitude was co-founded by two English comedians, Andrew Maxwell and Marcus Brigstocke, both committed snowboarders.
On the slopes there will be “big air, boarder-cross, slope-style, classic GS, snowball fights, 3-legged ski races, expression sessions, sister session and even skydiving displays.”
In the venues there will be bi-lingual comedy from Maxwell and Brigstocke, Phil Jupitus and more soon to be announced.
Headline acts announced this year Newton Faulkner and the Cuban Brothers and more is sure to follow along with some top quality DJs.
One of the big selling points is that Altitude does its best to be carbon neutral.Meribel is a very green resort and as the Altitude boys explain “combating global warming does not mean we all need to go and live in a cave and give up on everything we care about. It’s a question of responsibility.”
Snowbombing, 5th April – 10th April, Mayrhofen, Austria.
Mayrhofen may be bit of a drive but it’s worth it – snowbombing is the undisputed Ice Queen of winter festivals.
There’s some of the very best dance acts, DJs and bands already announced. This year Fatboy Slim, Editors, Doves, the Enemy, 2manydjs, Friendly Fires, Vitalic, De La Soul, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip and the Scratch Perverts, among many others will be bringing their beats.
Most accommodation is within 10 minutes walk of the venues, and there will be Jacuzzis, seven different types of saunas, spa-centres, pools “and enough steamy sauna type behaviour to make you forget you’re British” according to the organisers.
The Zillertal ski area slopes are beyond belief with 157 km of runs, 49 lifts, “sunny and treeless summit slopes, broad carving areas and challengingly steep north slopes, fantastic deep snow areas with cornices, humps, powder runs and fun slopes.”
According Dizzee Rascal “It’s like Ibiza in the snow”, and if it’s good enough for Dizzee it’s good enough for me.
The Big Snow Festival, 14th March – 21st March 2010, Arinsal, Andorra.
Headliners include Calvin Harris and Eddie Halliwell and the rest of the acts are strictly towards the DJ/dance end of things – not one for the indie kids.
The snow will be thinning out as the season comes to a halt, but that also means emptier slopes.
If you felt like really making a party of it you could also leave Big Snow and head on over to Altitude, of course you would have to love music and snow.
Yeah thought so, grab your board and let’s get gone.
Ferries are a great way to get there – you can take your own car and more importantly don’t have to faff about with hiring gear and paying through the nose for it.
Image Credit: Matt Biddulph
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