{"id":64011,"date":"2025-12-24T12:21:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T12:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outthere.travel\/?p=64011"},"modified":"2025-12-24T12:21:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T12:21:58","slug":"the-layover-downhill-fast-alternative-winter-escapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outthere.travel\/the-layover-downhill-fast-alternative-winter-escapes\/","title":{"rendered":"The Layover:
Downhill fast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Everest\u2019s Rainbow Valley is a grim reminder of what cold weather can do to the unprepared \u2014 a fact Zack Cahill has taken firmly to heart. An avowed non-skier, he proposes three alternative winter escapes that don\u2019t require risking life, limb, or Lycra in the latest edition of The Layover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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High on Mount Everest, 8,400 metres up the north ridge, lies Rainbow Valley. Dotted across this stark white vista are lurid, eye-catching flecks of red, green and blue. These are people \u2014 the frozen bodies of failed climbers \u2014 and there are about two hundred of them. If you die on Everest, you stay there. It\u2019s dangerous enough to ascend; no one\u2019s risking their own skin to bring you down. So there you remain, your brightly coloured expedition suit preserved by the cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some even become landmarks, like Green Boots<\/strong><\/a><\/em>, who lay in eerie repose, clad in striking 1990s climbing gear, passed by every climber en route to the summit until 2014, when he was finally removed. He remains unidentified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think of Rainbow Valley every time someone suggests a skiing holiday. Because while donning Lycra, strapping blades to your feet and flinging yourself down a mountain while hungover might not quite be inviting death, it\u2019s certainly flirting with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My own experience with the skiing holiday is admittedly limited. Strapping a snowboard to my feet on a Swiss mountain, I quickly worked out the basic mechanics: turn sideways, you stop; point downhill, you approach light speed. After several bouts of rocketing toward the horizon \u2014 eyelids peeling back, cheeks a ballooning windsock \u2014 I\u2019d turn sideways, lose contact with the earth, and land with the sound of things cracking inside me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but there\u2019s only so many times you can listen to a friend\u2019s post-holiday roundup that goes something like, \u201cYeah man, Chamonix was amazing this year. Apr\u00e8s-ski was a blast, I hit some killer black runs. Chloe sheared her leg off below the knee, but hey ho, omelettes, eggs\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the kind of story told with the blas\u00e9 pride of someone describing a car crash as character-building. And the thing is \u2014 they mean it. Among a certain set, skiing isn\u2019t just a hobby; it\u2019s a badge of vitality \u2014 a way of proving that your body, your job, and your bank account are functioning at maximum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a certain moral superiority baked in, too. You\u2019re not just on holiday \u2014 you\u2019re doing <\/em>something.<\/em> Add to that the class markers, the pantomime of ruggedness and wealth, and the overriding Ralph Lauren #sponcon of it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is: I\u2019m not a skier. Call me crazy, but when someone says \u201cwinter holiday\u201d, I don\u2019t immediately think \u201clet\u2019s reenact the more harrowing sections of \u201cTouching The Void\u201d. So what are the alternative winter escapes to the cult of the slope? How about a few out-of-the-box recommendations for winter getaways\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
\"Kite<\/a><\/figure>\n
Talk about alternative winter escapes that look rather alluring when temperatures drop in Europe: kite surfers in Essaouira, Morocco, swap Alpine pistes for Atlantic waves.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The winter wonderland option: Lake Inari, Finnish Lapland<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Finns, as they so often do, have it right. Winter isn\u2019t an obstacle \u2014 it\u2019s a vibe<\/em>, and a season-long sauna break punctuated by the northern lights and occasional heavy drinking. While the rest of Europe straps on skis and insurance policies, the Finns simply get naked, get a sweat on, and occasionally roll in the snow to remind themselves they\u2019re alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lake Inari sits far above the Arctic Circle, richly wild and scattered with more than 3,000 islands: a white expanse so still you can hear your thoughts freezing. The S\u00e1mi people have lived around it for centuries; the lake\u2019s islands hold sacred significance, and there\u2019s a feeling that nature, not you, is in charge here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to do: Ice-fish, snowmobile, or ride a sledge across the frozen surface until your eyelashes freeze together. Stay in a floating \u201caurora hut\u201d and watch the sky change colour like an indecisive screensaver. Or do the most Finnish thing of all: nothing. Sit in the heat, drink something clear and flammable, and wait for the world to thaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The storybook option: \u010cesk\u00fd Krumlov, Czech Republic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you like your winters to look like the inside of a snow globe, \u010cesk\u00fd Krumlov is your town. A Baroque fever dream: cobbled streets, turreted roofs, and a castle perched above a bend in the river as though posing for a Christmas card or waiting for a vampire to take up residence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In winter, the crowds vanish, leaving you to wander the medieval lanes and imagine you\u2019ve time-travelled. You can drink mulled wine in a cellar bar so old it probably predates Coronation Street, or just watch the Vltava River creep past under a crust of ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to do: Skip the ski lifts and climb the castle tower for a view that\u2019ll make you forgive humanity\u2019s architectural sins. Warm up with goulash and beer thick enough to chew. Or just sit by the fire in a tavern, feeling smug that your idea of winter sport involves gravity only when you stand up too fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The sun-drunk option: Essaouira, Morocco<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not everyone wants to spend their holidays resembling a Michelin Man. Some prefer their winter with a hint of salt air and camel traffic. Essaouira, a wind-whipped port city on Morocco\u2019s Atlantic coast, is where European winter refugees go to defrost their souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s got whitewashed walls, blue shutters, gulls that sound like broken hinges, and a sea breeze strong enough to exfoliate you. Hendrix came here in the sixties, as did every other man who has owned a poncho. But the bohemian patina has mellowed into something gentler now \u2014 a mix of artists, surfers, and others who wear linen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to do: Sip mint tea on a rooftop while the muezzin’s call drifts through the sea air. Wander the souks, get lost, then pretend it was intentional. Eat grilled sardines straight from the dock, and congratulate yourself for choosing one of those alternative winter escapes where the only thing you might break is a New Year\u2019s resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Illustration by Martin Perry, photography via Unsplash<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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