Skiing and snowboarding tend to get most of the attention once winter comes around, but the reality is that there are many active pursuits to enjoy as temperatures drop.
If you’re trying a winter sport for the first time, you’re going to want to find a place that offers consistent, cold conditions, scenic terrain, and no crowds so you can enjoy learning a new skill without an audience. For your next trip, try one of these winter sports destinations for a cozy, crowd-free getaway.
1. Québec, Canada
- Sport to try: Night sledding
- Best for: Thrill-seeking night owls; families looking to tire out their kiddos before bedtime
Be honest, when was the last time you went sledding? If your memories involve elementary school, it’s time to rethink the notion that sledding is just for kids. Screams of all ages echo through the night at Le Massif de Charlevoix, a ski resort just northeast of Québec City, where visitors don headlamps before racing down Mount Liguori on a 4.6-mile trail filled with twists and turns. There are no giant slabs of plastic here. Your vehicle of choice is an old-school, European-style wooden sled with runners, giving a luge-like ride that hits speeds up to 50 mph.
Where to stay: Club Med Québec Charlevoix
- Book now: clubmed.us
Most think of sun and sand when it comes to all-inclusives, but what could be easier than a winter vacation that includes all your gear, lessons, equipment, meals, and activities? Club Med’s first North American mountain resort offers a prime mountain location, elegant Québecois gastronomy, and Exclusive Collection suites with separate living rooms and balconies overlooking the St. Lawrence River.
People who like to rock climb in the warmer months may want to try ice climbing.
Photo by jackbolla/Shutterstock (L); photo by Roberto Caucino/Shutterstock (R)
2. Valle d’Aosta, Italy
- Sport to try: Ice climbing
- Best for: Those looking for a good workout while on vacation; that classic Euro-Alpine vibe
A two-hour drive north of Turin is the charming village of Cogne, Italy, a favorite spot of ice climbers from across Europe. Though the region draws a diverse crowd, you won’t be fighting for space because there are more than 150 sparkling, frozen waterfalls to climb throughout the Valnontey and Lillaz valleys. Because of its popularity among this niche bunch, there are 142 well-mapped ice routes you can try, but if it’s your first time, you will want to book a one-day excursion that includes a guide who will help you find rental equipment and the best falls to climb based on your skill level.
Where to stay: Bellevue Hotel & Spa Cogne
- Book now: hotelbellevue.it
If you’re going to work hard scaling frozen waterfalls during the day, indulge in some luxury at night. This Relais & Château property offers one of the best spas in Italy to soothe tired muscles after hours on the ice, including Turkish and Roman baths, saunas, clay baths, and a massive heated mineral salt pool.
The exhibits at Lake Placid Olympic Museum will tug at your heartstrings.
Photo by Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock
3. Lake Placid, New York
- Sport to try: Ice skating
- Best for: Olympics enthusiasts, history buffs, ice skaters who prefer a natural surface
We’ll admit that skating at an Olympic-level venue is a pretty cool experience that may draw a crowd, but a short wait will be worth it so you can brag about gliding on the same ice as five-time gold medal winner Eric Heiden. Lake Placid in the Adirondack Mountains hosted the 1932 and the 1980 Winter Olympics, and the town is now a bit of a time capsule to the famed events.
Overlooking the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval (where there are daily public skating hours) is the Lake Placid Olympic Museum, where you can take a close look at the different medal designs for past winter Olympics. In the same building, you can skate at the USA rink, where the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” gold medal game between the U.S. and Soviet men’s ice hockey teams took place. However, if the day is perfectly snowy, get outside on some natural ice at Mirror Lake, a frozen lake surrounded by pine and balsam fir trees.
Where to stay: Grand Adirondack Hotel
- Book now: grandadirondack.com
Although it has a perfect location on Main Street right in the heart of Lake Placid village (and steps from the Olympic Speed Skating Oval), the Grand Adirondack Hotel has a fancy, sleepaway camp vibe with plush leather couches and fireplaces in gathering spaces, tartan upholstered headboards, patterned quilts, and a moody, cool kids ground-level bar and restaurant.
Dogsledding is great for people who don’t want to break a sweat during their winter sport.
Courtesy of Ricky Beron/Unsplash
4. Big Sky, Montana
- Sport to try: Dogsledding
- Best for: dog lovers
Big Sky’s piles of powder are a veritable playground for Alaskan huskies, and they love nothing more than driving squealing families through Montana’s rugged wilderness. Spirit of the North takes guests on a serene, two-hour journey through snow-draped Moonlight Basin, making a stop halfway along the route for hot cocoa and cookies. You can choose to sit back and chill on the ride, or join your guide to “mush” the pups along the trail.
Where to stay: Summit Hotel
- Book now: bigskyresort.com
You literally cannot sleep any closer to Lone Mountain, the main mountain of Big Sky Resort, than the Summit Hotel unless you slept outside. Wake up every morning to gorgeous views of the peak from a cozy queen studio with a fireplace and kitchen.
5. Kainuu, Finland
- Sport to try: Snowshoeing
- Best for: Active adults, those who want to soak in unspoiled views of frozen landscapes
Here’s good news: If you can walk, you can snowshoe. That said, the way to make this different than a typical snowy hike is to find a destination where you can be alone in the powerful silence of a snow-covered landscape. Head southeast of Finnish Lapland to the remote Kainuu region near the Russian border, and you can walk among virtually untouched frozen lakes and ancient forests. Choose to take beginner paths, like the 2.2-mile Kaupunginlampi Snowshoe Trail or get cozy with the occasional evening sauna on a trip with Upitrek.
Where to stay: Hotel Kalevala
- Book now: hotellikalevala.fi
This lakeside hotel is the perfect jumping-off point for all the winter adventures to be had in Kainuu. It offers several guided winter activities, including fat biking, ice fishing, and snowmobile safaris, but if you’d rather relax in the outdoor Jacuzzi or peat and infrared saunas, we don’t blame you.
