You have to feel sorry for our grandparents. The most they had to look forward to at winter was a lump of coal in one of dad’s socks and four days of going cold turkey. Literally.
Now you can simply never come down from your summer high by chasing the festival dragon and getting piste at some of the craziest skiing and snowboarding parties you’ll find on the white stuff.
Of course, whether you’re a seasoned expert or a novice hungry for a slide on the ice, it could be difficult for you to find out the cold-blooded lowdown on which of these parties you might warm to…
That’s why we’ve put together a real avalanche of information in this article, burying you in a flurry of all the facts you’ll need to pick out the one to suit you best.
BERGFESTival – December 4-6 2015, Saalbach Hinterglemm, Austria
This blazing Rock festival takes you to 200km of slopes based in Saalback Hinterglemm, Austria. Combining the very best in snow covered action, sweep down from the pistes during the day and ride the lightning at night. Sleep is clearly for the week… After the event.
With a mix of indoor clubs and outdoor stages that will host The Subways, Fettes Brot and Sportfreunde Stiller this is an action packed weekend that will provide the perfect start to your Christmas month.
Tickets and more information here.
Rave On Snow – December 10-13 2015, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria
No it’s not that sort of Rave on Snow. If you like your action big, booming and rated at the very best then you might want to check out this party that gives you a chance to combine some of the best downhill action in the game with a selection of the finest names in Euro House and Techno.
Ski or snowboard then jump up to the likes of Sven Vath, Oliver Koletzki, Matthias Kaden and Andhim to a backdrop of over 270km of the finest runs you’ll find on the continent at Saalback-Hinterglemm in Austria.
Tickets and more information here.
Rise – December 12-19 2015, Les Deux Alps, France
This week long celebration of everything snow sport related together with a musical selection that promises a UK touch takes place on a very slow moving glacier. You can slowly slide into this pre Xmas bash in Les Deux Alpes at Grenoble in France.
With a line up that combines acts like High Contrast, Skream, Jackmaster, Blonde and Alex Boman you can be sure to get your shuffle on. Find acts from right the way across the spectrum of dance including House, Dubstep and Bass DJs. With huge slopes including the longest vertical available in the world this is sure to be a week you’ll simply never forget.
Tickets and more information here.
Transition – December 13-19 2015, Avoriaz, France
If you’ve heard of Snowbombing then this is a good place to start a discussion on the brand new Transition festival, which has been created by the very same minds behind the original. This week long event takes place in Avoriaz, France giving you white knuckle snowboarding fun centred in the French Alps.
With a slightly Dance-centric mainstream music policy, expect pumping sounds from the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Wilkinson, Bonda, B. Traits and Huxley. Mix it up with mountain top BBQs and raves, a proposed 2000 people snowball fight and even pool parties, hopefully without the ice.
Tickets and more information here.
Garosnow – January 8-10 2015, Les Angles, France / January 29-30 2015 Cauterets, France
This twin event takes place across the dual destinations of Les Angeles and Gourette in France. These two snow covered sites form the perfect backdrop for this combination of sound and ski fun. Wherever you choose to take in this glorious event you can expect a ton of fun from the Underground Electronic music policy that veers on the House and Techno side of things.
Lined up for this year’s party are Vitalic, Feder, DJ Pone and Mawimbi Crew, blasting out their sonic wares amongst the mountains where you’ll find pistes suitable for all levels of snowcarving skill.
Tickets and more information here.
Horizon – March 12-18, Bansko, Bulgaria
Now in its fourth year, Horizon is enjoying a growing reputation with fans of the central European party scene. Taking place in Bansko, Bulgaria you can skid and slide down 70km of secluded slopes in the day whilst taking in a musical line up that starts at noon each day and winds up at 6am.
Amongst this year’s highlights are Levon Vincent, Goldie, Gentleman’s Dub Club, KiNK and Craig Charles, who’ll be heading up a listing of over 100 international DJs who’ll be set alight by some breath-taking 3D mountain projections. If you want to stay out of the cold at night there are 15 staged venues and a host of secret parties to explore.
Tickets and more information here.
Snowboxx – March 12-19, Morzine, France
The 2016 edition of the much loved Snowboxx festival sees the party move from its budget home in Andorra to the new village location of Huez, set in the sunny French Alps. This completely pedestrianised town gives you the chance to ski straight you your down and opens up a new wold of apres-ski entertainment including tropical waterparks.
When you’re done speeding down the 650km of superb piste action here then you can wrap your ears round the likes of Sigma, Blonde, Grandmaster Flash, Mike Skinner and Stormzy. With six snow parks and countless club locations, you’ll need the entire week to get round everything.
Tickets and more information here.
Snowbombing – April 4-9 2016, Mayrhofen, Austria
One of the classic events of the cold season, Snowbombing is perhaps the best known of all ski and snowboard parties. Now entering into its 17th year it has become the standard by which all other winter festivals are judged and it’s the closest thing to a full blown festival on ice.
The event returns once again to a select bunch of venues across Mayrhofen in Austria for a ton of hedonistic adventure headlined by the likes of The Prodigy, Andy C, Groove Armada, Mark Ronson and Bastille. If you want to have guaranteed fun with fancy dress, extreme sport and even spa relaxation days on the cards, you’ll be hard pushed to beat Snowbombing.
Tickets and more information here.
Caprices Festival – April 2016 (Dates TBA), Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Taking place at Crans-Montana in Switzerland, Caprices festival combines 140 km of snow with six stages of Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop and Electronica. You can find some of the biggest names in the business here with the likes of Robert Plant, Fatboy Slim, Iggy Pop and Lou Reed gracing the slopes here with their sounds.
We’re still waiting for more information on this year’s line-up, but one of the stars of the show will definitely be the pistes, with something suitable for every skill level. Experts will relish the chance to try their luck at the slopes that were used for the 1987 Ski World Championship when they’re not taking in some of the brilliant venues on offer here.
Tickets and more information here.
Main image: Ride & Seek, Andrew Whitton
