BEAUTY OF IMAGES AND ART FOR YOU

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Beautiful ski slopes

My dear friends

At the beginning of the cold season (north of the earth), I was looking for you, the most beautiful ski slopes in all the countries of the world.

I hope you will like them and you will find pleasure:

Photo author: TRAILSOURCE.COM. Source: flickr.com

Verbier Ski Resort, Les 4 Vallees, Switzerland

The 4 Vallees is Switzerland’s biggest linked ski area with jet-set favorite Verbier at its heart.
Stretching to 412 kilometers of linked runs, the area also encompasses the smaller resorts of Bruson opposite Verbier, and Nendaz, Veysonnaz, Thyon and La Tzoumaz overlooking the Rhone Valley.
The high point of the lift system is Mont Fort at 3,330 meters with its far-reaching views of the Matterhorn, the Grand Combin and Mont Blanc.   [.cnn]

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Photo author: Johnfmh. Source: commons.wikimedia.org

St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria. As seen from the Galzig slopes

The Arlberg has long been one of world skiing’s crown jewels but took on an extra shimmer in the 2016-17 season with a new lift forming the final link in the chain to make it Austria’s largest connected area. The flash Flexenbahn gondola joins Stuben with Zurs to provide 305 kilometers of linked ski runs stretching from St. Anton, through St. Christoph, Zurs, Lech and the recently linked area of Warth-Schrocken.
The White Ring ski route and recent Run of Fame circuit are good ways to see the area, from challenging skiing and hard-partying in St. Anton — with its infamous beer halls like the Mooserwirt or the Krazy Kanguruh — to refined, leisurely Lech, a haven for royalty and rock stars.    [.cnn]

Photo author: Henning Leweke from Germany. Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Croix des Verdons, Trois Vallees, France

The titanic 3 Vallees is the world’s biggest ski area with 600 kilometers of runs spread between the three main resorts of Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens.
There’s even a fourth valley — above Orelle — leading to the region’s highest lift-accessed point at 3,230 meters below the summit of Pointe du Bouchet.
The area covers 105 square kilometers — that’s as big as Paris, France — with 328 runs, 166 high-performance lifts and 2,200 snowmaking machines covering 49% of the pistes.
Each resort has its own character: there’s uber-upmarket Courchevel 1850, plus the down-to-earth satellites of Moriond (formerly 1650), Village (ex-1550) and Le Praz (1300); attractive Meribel, wooded and chalet style, with Mont Vallon at its head; and lofty Val Thorens, at 2,300 meters the highest resort in Europe, purpose-built in a treeless amphitheater but snowsure and extensive.    [.cnn]

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Photo author: PeteysHead. Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Overlooking Park City, Utah, USA

Utah’s Park City and Canyons Resort combined in 2015 to create the largest ski area in the United States.
The Quicksilver Gondola crossing Pinecone Ridge is the conduit between the two areas, creating a 7,300-acre playground with more than 300 trails and 41 lifts in the Wasatch mountains about 48 kilometers from downtown Salt Lake City.
Schrahe has measured the ski area at 265 kilometers of runs, with a vertical rise of 975 meters to a high point at the top of Jupiter Bowl (3,055 meters). Only 8% of terrain is rated as beginner.
Park City, which hosted events during the 2002 Winter Olympics, was founded in the 19th century silver mining boom and its Main Street retains its historic feel. [.cnn]

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Photo author: Ruth Hartnup. Source: flickr.com

Dave, Min and Catrin on Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada

The biggest ski area in North America and Canada by area, Whistler-Blackcomb north of Vancouver in British Columbia has grown to be one of the world’s most visited resorts.
It claims a skiable area of 8,171 acres with 37 lifts and more than 200 trails across a variety of glade skiing, open bowls and three glaciers, stretching from Whistler Creekside at 653 meters to 2,284 meters on Blackcomb mountain.
Schrahe has measured a skiable extent of 253 kilometers, which includes a certain amount of avalanche-controlled but ungroomed inbounds terrain, unlike European resorts, which only measure trails.  [.cnn]

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Photo author: MIKI Yoshihito . Source: flickr.com

The ski resort Niseko on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan

It is near the city of Sapporo. It is also the biggest ski resort of all Japan. With a summit reaching 260 meters, it offers 48 kilometers of tracks and the longest reaches three kilometers. Here you can ski on volcanoes covered with plenty of snow. Skiers of all levels will have a good time with its many slopes.  [.cnn]

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