For the second year in a row, the highest ski resort in Europe and the largest ski area in the world, Val Thorens in France, has been named the World’s Best Ski Resort.
At the second edition of the World Ski Awards, held at A-Rosa Kitzbuhel in Austria over the weekend, Val Thorens took the coveted title, as voted by executives, travel buyers, tour operators, media and consumers around the world.
The World Ski Awards are organized by the same group that holds the World Travel Awards, pitched as the ‘Oscars’ of the travel industry.
Other big winners of the night include the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City Utah, US, which was named the World’s Best Ski Hotel; Canada’s Bighorn in Revelstoke, British Columbia, which was named World’s Best Ski Chalet, and the InterContinental Davos in Switzerland, which took the title of World’s Best New Ski Hotel 2014.
The win came on the same weekend the ski resort opened its doors for the 2014/2015 winter season, which started November 22 and stretches until May 10.
The opening also follows a major €40 million upgrade to ski lifts and slopes, including the construction of the highest zipwire in Europe.
Also new this year is the opening of a Club Med-affiliated village, the Val Thorens Sensations, a contemporary 800-bed village.
As the world capital of ski cross, Val Thorens will also be hosting two World Cup events this season in addition to debuting an expanded program offering that will include freestyle, freeride, telemark, splitboard and even ice diving activities.
With more than 600 km of runs, 99 percent of which is situated above 2,000 meters, Val Thorens in the French Alps is also located at the highest point of the 3 Vallees, offering sweeping views of more than 100 Alpine summits spanning France, Switzerland and Italy.
Here are the major winners of the World Ski Awards 2014:
World's Best Ski Resort 2014: Val Thorens (France)
World's Best Ski Hotel 2014: Stein Eriksen Lodge (USA)
World's Best New Ski Hotel 2014: InterContinental Davos (Switzerland)
World's Best Ski Boutique Hotel 2014: The Vale Niseko (Japan)
World's Best Ski Chalet 2014: Bighorn, Revelstoke (Canada)
World's Best New Ski Chalet 2014: Chalet Quezac (France)
World's Best Ski Resort Company 2014: Bergbahn AG Kitzbühel
World's Best Ski Tour Operator 2014: Crystal Ski
Source: Relaxnews