The best ski towns revealed

Want a bit of hustle, bustle and street life? Russ Henshaw knows the liveliest places surrounded by mountains, thanks to a decade travelling the world on the freeskiing tour

1. Jindabyne, Australia

Five hours south of Sydney, this is by far the best ski town of them all – purely because it’s my home. And it’s only 20 minutes away from my favourite resort, Perisher. I don’t get to spend as much time here as I’d like (it changes every year, but I’m usually away from December until May), but if you ever have the chance to visit during winter you won’t be disappointed. Best thing? Definitely try Clancy’s bar, which has live music on busy nights.

2. Breckenridge, USA

I put Breck in here because it’s my home away from home. I’m usually here for the first two months of the northern hemisphere winter, and have grown to love it, despite it being freezing cold! My favourite parks? Freeway (the big park and sooo much fun) and Park Lane (more intermediate, so I usually ski that in the afternoon). If the weather’s bad there is always something to do, like the outlets in Silverthorne, or Woodward (at Copper Mountain) for trampoline training and skateboarding.

3. Innsbruck, Austria

Innsbruck isn’t really a ski town, it’s more of a ski city – around which plenty of the European ski scene seems to orbit. I spent my first two winter seasons away from home skiing the resorts around Innsbruck and it was a lot of fun. You are in the heart of the Alps with epic mountains surrounding you and unreal parks just down the road at Mayrhofen. But I suppose the real reason I like it here so much is catching up with all the friends I made.

4. Aspen, USA

Just like Breckenridge, this is another fun ski town in Colorado which I have been fortunate enough to spend time at. I have been there during the hustle and bustle of X Games (with thousands of people around, and all the hype) and also at the end of the season when things are starting to quieten down. If you’re in Aspen and you like sushi, I highly recommend checking out Kenichi. Snowmass and the park there is super, really really fun, and Highlands is the place to be on a pow day…

5. Chur, Switzerland

Once again, not really a ski town in the traditional sense as it’s so big. Over the past few years I’ve spent quite a bit of time in or around here due to the fact that Laax is so close. Like Innsbruck, you are spoilt for choice with where you want to go skiing, as Chur is surrounded by mountains such as Laax, Arosa, St Moritz and more. Definitely worth checking out! I like the old town and Nooba, an Asian-style restaurant, too. FL

Russ Henshaw is sponsored by Völkl, Red Bull, Leki, Marker and Adidas Eyewear.