If you tend to choose your ski holidays based on the destinations that are most loved by your favourite celebs – or those where you are most likely to see them – then the ski resorts of the Alps have plenty of options. Whether it’s politicians you’re after, pop stars, sports stars or European royalty, during the annual ski season, The Alps is most likely where you will find them. If you’re looking to do some celebrity spotting at the Alps most exclusive ski destinations, try a few of these for size:
Zürs am Arlberg
Zürs am Arlberg
Zurs in the Austrian Alps is one of the most exclusive resorts in the whole area and has managed to retain a small and exclusive feel to it that made it a favourite haunt of Princess Diana. You are unlikely to find the flashier celebrity crowd here and you will have to work hard for a celeb spot as most of the resort’s famous visitors – such as Princess Caroline of Monaco – have come for some incognito skiing rather than strutting ostentatiously around in a Chanel ski suit.
Klosters
Klosters
Klosters in the Swiss Alps is the place to be if you want to see some royals on skis. Wills and Kate had their first public snog on the piste here and Prince Charles has also been a regular visitor, alongside royal ‘chums’ like Tara Palmer Tompkinson. Perhaps because of the popularity with the royals, it has also attracted some celeb wannabe princesses of the slightly less salubrious variety, such as Katie Price aka Jordan. The resort is quite small and is considered a more elegant spot than some of the flashier resorts in the Alps, but shares it’s main ski area with nearby Davos, which is much more lively.
Gstaad
Gstaad
Gstaad has a reputation as the most expensive resort in Switzerland and so of course it has its own celebrity following. However, autograph hunters are unlikely to be welcome here as the likes of Roman Polanski, Bernie Ecclestone and Ursula Andress tend not to court the same kind of publicity as other celebrities in the more ostentatious resorts. If you’re on the look out for ‘serious’ celebrities from the worlds of politics or finance then this is where you are likely to find them enjoying a luxurious lifestyle away from the prying eyes of the paparazzi.
Courchevel 1850
Courchevel 1850
For footballers and pop stars, there is no better Alpine resort than Courchevel 1850, probably one of the only spots in the world you can buy a 15 litre bottle of champagne half way up a mountain. There are nine five star hotels in this resort so plenty of room for the likes of Victoria and David Beckham, Peter Andre, Robbie Williams, Chris Evans and a whole gaggle of Formula 1 drivers, including David Coulthard and Jacques Villeneuve. Royals are rarer, but not unknown, as Courchevel tends to attract the glitzier side of the celeb market.
Zermatt
Zermatt
Zermatt attracts celebrities of all sorts, from the Class A glamour of Madonna, to the not quite so exciting appeal of Mick Hucknall and Phil Collins. The resort has an intensely high density of gourmet restaurants, which tends to draw in celebrity food lovers – particularly as you can have truffle on pretty much every dish.
St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz in the Swiss Alps has what is known as a ‘champagne climate’ (sunshine and dry air obviously…) and so it is no surprise that it tends to appeal to those with rather more decadent persuasions. You might find yourself watching the Cartier Polo Tournament side by side with Liz Hurley or spotting Kate Moss, Robert De Niro or Claudia Schiffer across the dance floor at the King’s Club – you can guarantee that you will be surrounded on all sides by some serious money during a trip to this resort.
Celebrity spotting at the Alps’ most exclusive ski destinations is easily done, as it is a hugely popular destination with skiers of all sorts during the winter months. In fact, in resorts like Courchevel during peak season celebs are in such high density that by the end of your trip you’ll probably be sick of them!
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John wrote this guest post on behalf of Alpine Action who offer great deals on meribel ski chalets. Check out Alpine Action for a Meribel Piste Map
