The Sundarban
This text changed into produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Sooner, Higher, Stronger, Together. No longer the title of a hitherto unreleased Daft Punk remix, but the unique Olympic motto. Announced with substantial fanfare rapidly forward of the remaining Winter Games, the addition of the note ‘Together’ to the century-old Latin formulation Citius, Altius, Fortius changed into intended to emphasise the International Olympic Committee’s dedication to public participation.
Of route, for operational and security causes, the ski slopes hosting the upcoming Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will doubtless be largely off limits during the Games itself. Nevertheless the lead-up and instantaneous aftermath of the Olympics are substantial events for the skiing public to focus on over with. An expanded Verona Airport will indicate more flight solutions. New roads will in the reduction of transfer events. And unique investments in lifts, snow cannons and grooming machines will doubtless be certain the pistes are in tip-prime shape.
To manual certain of costly white elephants and retain the environmental affect down, the Italian organisers are reusing and revamping existing services wherever doubtless. This has intended spreading the events across eight various destinations and greater than 22,000sq km, making Milano Cortina the most geographically various Winter Games ever.
In addition to Milan (which will host the ice skating and hockey) and Verona (which will host the closing ceremony in its 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre), there are six ski resorts staging ‘on snow’ events. The sheer vary of solutions for enthusiasts who want to ski the Olympic slopes themselves is staggering. Most of the host resorts are already fully booked for the Olympics (6-22 February) and the Paralympics (6-15 March). Nevertheless out of doorways these weeks, prices are kind of same old.
Of route no longer all of us can jump as excessive as snowboarder Mia Brookes or ski as swiftly as slalom racer Dave Ryding. Nevertheless must you’re feeling inspired and want to note in the footsteps of these Crew GB medal hopefuls, learn on.
Lake Anterselva in South Tyrol will host Olympic biathlon events, which combine harmful-country skiing and shooting.
Describe by Getty Photos
Antholz/Anterselva
Location in a steep-sided valley in the German-speaking South Tyrol space, Antholz/Anterselva (which is continuously referred to by both its German and Italian names in official Olympic literature) is largely unknown amongst British skiers. Except, of route, they happen to be gargantuan fans of biathlon. Originally designed as a take a look at of winter hunting talents, this idiosyncratic sport, which combines harmful-country skiing and rifle shooting, has been contested in a dedicated arena right here since the Seventies.
The resort is made up of three main villages — lower, center and better Antholz — unfold ribbon-care for alongside the avenue that runs up the valley. Whereas it would get crowded during the Games, it’s assuredly a aloof, sleepy space. Think wood chalets with vibrant, gentian-filled balcony boxes clustered around veteran, Tyrolean churches.
The biathlon arena is found near better Antholz, but there are harmful-country skiing tracks in every single space — greater than 60km of them in total. Except for one button steal there don’t seem to be any downhill skiing services in the valley (even despite the indisputable truth you can also catch a bus to shut by Kronplatz). Nevertheless must you care for Nordic skiing, and specifically must you care for combining it with target shooting, there’s no better space to reach.
Ski it your self: SnowTrex offers seven nights half board at Sporthotel Wildgall in better Antholz from £593 per individual, in keeping with shuttle 28 February to 8 March 2026.
There are dedicated hiking trails for mountaineers to explore the terrain around the Forni Glacier, near Bormio.
Describe by Giacomo Meneghello
A resort metropolis for over 2,000 years, Bormio seen Romans flocking right here to bathe in its natural hot springs — including the creator and admiral Pliny the Elder — and, centuries later, Leonardo da Vinci. Nevertheless more only lately, Bormio’s reputation has rested on its place as a world-class skiing space.
Its Stelvio Slope, which will host the men’s Olympic downhill, tall G and large slalom races, is a perilously steep dark, with a most gradient of 73%, and 1,000m of vertical tumble. It’s famously one of the hardest and most technical stops on the World Cup circuit yearly. Whereas mere mortals can ski it out of doorways of competitions, it’s no longer for the faint-hearted.
Fortunately, that’s no longer the most productive thing Bormio has to offer. There are plenty of more uncomplicated blue- and crimson-graded pistes amongst its 50km of slopes. The snow-obvious ski space, which tops out at over 3,000m, additionally has plenty of solutions for of us that care for venturing off-piste. In truth, Bormio has been chosen to host the first-ever Olympic ski mountaineering contest. Scrutinize out for Crew GB’s Iain Innes, who’ll be amongst these skinning uphill on touring skis, using technical mountaineering talents and choosing a direction to ski down.
Ski it your self: IgluSki offers seven nights self-catered lodging at Santa Lucia Apartments for £237 per individual, in keeping with shuttle 6-14 January 2026.
Cortina d’Ampezzo
A lengthy-favoured winter getaway for well off Italians and visiting luminaries, Cortina hosted Hemingway in the 1920s, while Frank Sinatra and Sophia Loren adopted suit in the post-struggle duration. Then in 1981 Roger Moore’s James Bond escaped sinful henchmen by racing down the resort’s bobsleigh song. Cortina has Olympic pedigree, too. Each its ski jump and bobsleigh song had been constructed for the 1956 Winter Games. And, as the countdown clock in the main sq. ticks towards the first events of Milano Cortina 2026, the buzz in metropolis is palpable.
The resort’s Olympia di Tofane piste will host bobsleigh, Para Alpine skiing and girls folk’s Olympic Alpine skiing events, while its ice arena will welcome the curling. This implies some of the most talked-about athletes of the video games will doubtless be competing right here: US slalom huge title Mikaela Shiffrin, local hero Sofia Goggia and unstoppable former Lindsey Vonn, who’s aiming to invent an Olympic comeback at the age of 40,
