Ski resorts that "steal" tourists' hearts

Travel blogger Lamtom: Skiing on the roof of Europe

I embarked on a special trip to Switzerland with a journey to explore the peaks of the Alps. In the mountain map, the trail from Schynige Platte will lead to higher mountains and peaks such as Grindelwald, First, Kleine Scheidegg, Eiger, Mönch and finally Jungfrau - the roof of Europe and the pride of Switzerland, with all levels for climbers from easy to difficult, from amateur to professional.

I gradually got used to the altitude, the cold of the monsoon winds and most importantly the signs with symbols for climbers. At the beginning of each mountain route, there will be signs indicating the length of the route, the time to complete the route and the symbols. Depending on the ability, health and equipment, climbers will choose to participate in the route according to their ability and appropriate time.

Schynige Platte is attractive because it has a vegetation that gathers more than 600 species of natural flowers typical of the Alps and Switzerland. At the same time, Schynige Platte is also the ideal high point to admire the panoramic view of the "three mountains" Jungfrau (4,158 m), Mönch (4,107 m) and Eiger (3,970 m).

From Schynige Platte to the top of First, it takes 5 hours and 20 minutes to go through a green carpet, the landscape is like a fairyland with flowers and grass everywhere, creating a background for the snow-capped Jungfrau mountain peak on the horizon. Of the 23 mountain routes in the Grindelwald - First area, there is 1 route for professional climbing groups (First Schwarzhorn Via Ferrata) and 16 other options of average difficulty. First is also the peak that concludes a day of sightseeing, we return to Interlaken to prepare for a "greater" day when joining the route to the legendary Jungfrau peak.

The altitude of the route gradually increases, which is also the time when the green patches of grass and flowers disappear, replaced by the cold gray of the cliffs, the melting ice blocks forming waterfalls like hairs along the mountainside. For skiers, Jungfrau peak is a "paradise" where they can satisfy their passion for skiing even in the summer days. The journey to this peak also stops, I have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of sightseeing next to the snow-capped mountains, hearing about the legend of the climbers Hieronymus Meyer, Johann Rudolf Meyer, Alois Volken and Joseph Bortis conquering Jungfrau peak on August 3, 1811, especially the project of opening the cog railway to Jungfraujoch initiated by Adolf Guyer-Zeller in 1893, which now welcomes an average of 5,000 people/day, bringing in more than 1 million USD in transportation costs for the Swiss railway and tourism industry. Standing on the top of the mountain, looking around, closing your eyes and listening to the sound of the wind and snow, feeling the piercing cold of the ice, opening your eyes and feeling what is called freedom like birds spreading their wings and flying in the blue sky, isn't it wonderful?

Tour: You can experience the journey up Jungfrau Mountain with Saigon Tourist's France - Switzerland - Italy tour (10 days), departing from Ho Chi Minh City. Price: from 86,990,000 VND. Hotline: 1900 1808.

Travel blogger Hoang Thi Mai Linh: Snow season in Hokkaido

I arrived in Hokkaido - the northernmost island of Japan during the first snowfall of the season. The locals call this place the paradise of love. Because of the cold and the gloomy atmosphere, it seems that everyone wants to share the warmth and get closer to each other.

Skiing is the most enjoyable activity in Hokkaido when you go there in winter. Snow falls early here, from mid-November to January is the heaviest snowfall time. Hokkaido's powdery, dry snow is a distinct advantage compared to snow in other regions around the world. If you are going with your family, you should choose a suitable ski resort, with a good view, a playground for beginners like Sapporo or a resort complex like Niseko.

For young and experienced skiers, you can choose Otaru Tenguyama area with a longer and more challenging ski run. Here, you can sip some wine to warm up, and together watch the white city shimmering with colors at night.

The Sapporo Snow Festival takes place annually in February in Sapporo City. Here you can admire the vivid and sophisticated snow sculptures. The snow sculpture themes change every year or according to the featured events.

Tour: You can ski in Hokkaido in winter with Topten Travel's Hokkaido - Otaru - Sapporo tour (4 days), departing from Ho Chi Minh City. Price: from 25,900,000 VND. Hotline: 0901 330 019/ 0912 921 525.

Travel blogger Huyen Chi Bui: The ancient town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Having visited the ancient town that “born” skiing, I was truly impressed by its picturesque beauty. 80 minutes by train from Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a great place to relax and fully explore the beauty of the Bavarian mountains in southern Germany, in the heart of the Alpine range. During the winter, the slopes surrounding the town are covered in snow, which is also the ideal time for those who love skiing or snow-covered landscapes. The ski season runs from December to April, but one thing to note is that Zugspitze is open until early May. You should buy a combined ski pass, such as the Top Snow card, which includes a ticket to the Tylorean region of Zugspitze.

In addition to the fresh, peaceful air and dreamy scenery of a mountain town, Garmisch-Partenkirchen also attracts visitors with unique houses with flower-filled windows, built in the old Bavarian architectural style. Visitors should take the time to visit the village of Garmisch-Partenkirchen to participate in activities other than skiing in the Bavarian style. Garmisch also has many other interesting activities such as tobogganing, ice skating and sporting events that attract large audiences.

Tour: Tourists can satisfy their passion for skiing with a special 9-day, 8-night tour through 5 European countries: France - Luxembourg - Germany - Belgium - Netherlands by Trang An Travel with prices starting from: 45,990,000 VND, departing on December 26, 2018. Hotline: 0901 700 500/ 0982 140 909.

Travel blogger Rosie Nguyen: Skiing in the desert

Ski Dubai - the only artificial ski park in the Middle East and the largest in the world - located in the heart of the Sahara Desert, is an indispensable destination if you are in the "City of Gold" Dubai. Ski Dubai has 5 slides with different levels of difficulty, height and slope. The longest slide is 400 m with a drop of about 60 m.

Coming here, you will not need to worry about clothes or equipment for skiing. Ski Dubai not only has these, but also provides you with winter clothes, skis. If you have children with you, you can choose Snow Park located right on the premises of Ski Dubai. This park has an area of ​​​​about 3,000 m2, including sledding tracks, toboggan hills and a snow cave with countless interesting games for children, making them unable to leave here. Visitors should not miss the free parade and performance of the penguins in the park.

Especially, if you visit during the festival season, visitors will feel like they are experiencing skiing in a fairy tale with sparkling flashing lights, reindeer and Santa Claus pulling a sleigh between the paths, extremely eye-catching.

Tour: Visitors can experience the only artificial ski park in the Middle East with YoloTravel's 6-day Dubai tour, departing from Hanoi on November 28 and December 5. Tour price: VND 22,900,000. Hotline: 024 7309 6828/ 028 7309 6828

Travel blogger Nhi Dang: Playing in the snow in Val D'Aran

Bordering France to the north, Val d'aran with 5,000 inhabitants is a land covered by majestic nature and white snow every winter. After 4 hours of departure from Barcelona, ​​the car stopped in front of Hotel La Pleta, the clock struck 10pm (4am Vietnam time). The bone-chilling cold started to hit my face as soon as I opened the car door and stepped out. Oh my god, snow covered my feet... all I remember was eating some soup, something else and climbing into bed to sleep in the jet lag of the second day in Spain. As if in a dream, the next morning, the three Vietnamese girls trotted off to go skiing at Beret Ski Resort. The first basic exercise was learning how to balance and slide down a gentle slope of about 100m. I felt a surge of confidence because this was my second time skiing, after the trip in Iran.

After that, we continued to feel the speed of the Husky sleds. Each sled can hold a maximum of 3 people, I sat in front to hold the camera to record all the images. About a dozen extremely adorable Huskies, excessively energetic, just need to hear the driver's long whistle to signal them to run like rockets, when tired they lie down on the snow and play like children.

The next day, we continued with Snowmobiles to Banhs de Tredos, the highest spa in the Pyrenees, where you can bathe in hot mineral water in winter.

I was looking forward to the last day because it was forecast to snow. But even if it didn't, the super expensive Caviar in Vielha tonight would calm me down. On the last day, we were each equipped with a pair of special shoes, like rackets, called snow rackets, used to walk on snow (to increase the contact surface and grip the snow without sinking). We continued walking and taking pictures, falling over and over, the camera fogging up like a frozen water bottle but still working. It, like me, was looking with my own eyes, touching a world to know its existence, a country called Val D'aran.

It finally started to snow as we stopped at a bend and looked out over the town. The snowflakes were now fluttering in our faces. A beauty we could all look at in silence and without worry for a moment.

Tour: You can experience skiing in Val D'aran or celebrate Christmas in Western Europe with many different tour options, departing from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. In particular, to get to the Val d'Aran ski area, you can seek help from the Catalonia Tourism Board, Torisme Val d'Aran and Singapore Airlines.

Facebooker Nguyen Thu Huong: Gangwon, Korea's skiing paradise

Known as the winter sports capital of South Korea, Gangwon is home to the 2018 Winter Olympics and most of the country's most prestigious ski resorts are located here. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, you'll find a ski slope that suits you in Gangwon.

I heard that Gangwon is beautiful in all four seasons, but I have only seen the white snow of Gangwon. The first time I came here was also the first time I touched snow. It was a very interesting feeling, especially when I tried skiing. My two young companions and I could not help but exclaim in admiration at the huge snow slopes and the happy crowd wearing colorful ski suits gliding down the mountainside. The strange scenery was extremely attractive to most tourists from tropical countries.

My parents and I chose Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort, which has ski slopes for beginners and offers short ski courses. And after only 15 minutes of instruction and half an hour of practice, I mastered the basic moves to start enjoying the fun with the white snow. Besides the interesting experiences with the snow, we also spent time walking through traditional hanok villages, visiting the ancient Sinheungsa temple hidden on the legendary Seorak mountain range, Woljeong Temple which is over a thousand years old or Ojukheon Literature House... and especially did not forget to enjoy the typical dishes of the kimchi land.

Elysian Gangchon Ski Resort is open from 9am to 4am the following morning. Lift tickets range from 12,000 to 70,000 won. Ski rental fees vary by season and are charged separately.

Tour: Tourists can experience the skiing paradise in Korea with the Korea tour with Hanoitours, departing from December 29 - January 2, 2019, flying Eastar Jet airline. Price from only 11,500,000 VND/person. Hotline: 093 439 9009.