What’s New on the Slopes: Indagare’s International Ski News Report 2026-2027

Lake Louise | On Mountain: Lake Louise has focused primarily on terrain improvements this year, adding glade skiing at the new Grove Glade and completing two new connective trails to improve overall skier flow between the Paradise and Richardson's base areas. In keeping with trends across the continent, the mountain also invested in new snowmaking to improve condition consistency.

Banff Sunshine| Dining: Goat's Eye mid-mountain is upping its après game with the return of the open-air lounge GOAT Club, featuring fire pits, daybeds and live music. New inside is the Coco Lab Coffee and Hot Chocolate Bar—a necessity at this notoriously chilly ski resort. Right next door, Coco Lounge is back from its first full season with expanded cocktail offerings. And over on Sulphur mountain, the Sky Bistro at Sunshine Village (the top of the gondola) has been renovated and reopened, serving high-quality Canadian cuisine with excellent views.

Hotels: After an extensive $115-million renovation, Rimrock Banff has reopened, with all 320 guestrooms redesigned and a 9,600 square-foot bathhouse, including a mountain-facing infinity pool. The property comes with three new dining concepts, including Parker's Table, a restaurant experience driven by its commitments to the land and history of Canada.

I just returned from a scouting trip in Lake Louise and Banff. Check out our new Canadian Rockies guide, including new hotel reviews for the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and Fairmont Banff Springs.

Hotels: Indagare's Sam Doran recently checked into the new Eleven Revelstoke, the latest lodge by Indagare-favorite brand Eleven Experience. This intimate, 12-room property is right in downtown Revelstoke and, as befits the Eleven brand, has excellent heli-skiing access in the Selkirk, Monashee and Valhalla backcountry. Expected in late 2026/early 2027 is the opening of a new four-star, ski in/ski out property, Cabot Revelstoke Mountain Lodge, which will have 155 rooms, extensive spa amenities and the new Chop Steakhouse, a modern and upscale restaurant that will lean into après energy.

Dining: Mornings are being revamped at Whistler Blackcomb. Not only is breakfast returning to Whistler's original après bar Dusty's, at the base of the Creekside Gondola, but the village has also instituted a new reusable coffee cup program, whereby participating locations give out reusable cups at no charge (unless you fail to return them in five days), with return sites around town. Up on Whistler Mountain, Pika's just got a new coffee bar. These morning highlights are coupled with patio expansions at both Steep's and Christine's, potentially a bright spot this year, as they will make those periodic warmer days brought on by El Niño a little less painful (if the snow is going to bake, you might as well mourn on a sunny patio).

On Mountain: British Columbia has gone the way of Alberta and Saskatchewan, doing away with daylight savings time, meaning opening hours on-mountain have shifted later by half an hour to 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. In lift news, a new fixed-grip quad chair has replaced the Showcase T-bar on Blackcomb, with a slightly adjusted position to offer easier glacier terrain access.

Hotels: Courchevel has seen a slew of new luxury hotel openings, upgrades and announcements this past year. Cheval Blanc Courchevel will be debuting two private, ski in/ski out chalets in Jardin Alpin this season, one nine-bedroom and one five-bedroom, each designed by Peter Marino (of Cheval Blanc Paris and Hotel Cipriani in Venice). In addition to access to the private spa amenities, a stay here comes with full board, ski passes, laundry, a vehicle and a First Tracks experience on the mountain. Courchevel 1850 will welcome three new five-star hotels, including La Sivoliere on December 3, which will open after a significant renovation and expansion and will now house the longest indoor pool in Courchevel and the only one with mountain views. It will be joined by two properties on the 18th: the 31-room Bourbon Hotel, designed to feel like a moody English club, and the ski in/ski out Hotel Saint Roch Courchevel, designed by Friedmann & Versace to feel like a winter datcha—or Russian country home.

Over in the sunny and more relaxed Courchevel Moriond, December should see the opening of two luxury apartment-style properties: Steamboat, with residences and penthouses accommodating between four and 14 guests and embracing a modern alpine aesthetic, and Sundance, with apartments housing up to 12 guests and a similar aesthetic—both nice options for larger groups seeking a quieter, more private escape with hotel amenities. Two four-star, ski in/ski out properties are coming to the more laid-back Courchevel la Tania and Les Menuires areas as well: the 51-room, family-friendly Bârma Hôtel & Spa and Farenheit Seven, the brand's third in Les Trois Vallées, with a younger, contemporary feel—both opening in December.

On the horizon, wellness property Lily of the Valley, designed by Phillipe Starcke (of Le Meurice Hotel in Paris and Palazzina Grassi in Venice), is expected to open in December 2027 in Courchevel 2000. One&Only also reported that it will be opening a property in Courchevel 1850 in 2030, and only a day later Raffles Courchevel was announced with a more palatable expected opening of 2028. These will join the Rosewood Courchevel, the most recent big brand to debut here, which is now out of its infancy and heading into its first full ski season.

Dining: New hotels mean new restaurants. One of the most exciting is Simonetta at the Bourbon Hotel, an Italian mountain trattoria created by chef Simone Zanoni, of Le George at Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. Sundance is also embracing Italian with its festive La Bokka restaurant, serving pizza and pasta starting in December. And opening at Le Sivoliere is yet another Italian restaurant—though one with an existing following. Zia is bringing its Italian-Mediterranean menu from Monaco to the slopes, with a selection of experiences throughout the day including an afternoon tea and The Negroni Club beginning at 6:30, during which the bartender builds a negroni based on the card you draw. A bonus, Courchevel dining has earned another Michelin star as L'Altitude at K2 Altitude received the honor this year for its excellent modern French cuisine and impeccable high alpine atmosphere.

On Mountain: The gondolas across Les 3 Vallées are getting a facelift, including the new eight-seater La Tania gondola, which will improve traffic from the La Tania base to the other mountain peaks. The stations at the Rhodes Gondola out of Méribel have been fully upgraded with a new dedicated ski school area. And, through a collaboration with artist Lucas Beaufort, the Plattières Gondola connecting Méribel and Les Menuires now features a handful of cabins that are pure artwork, making it worth the ride just for that. The sun-seekers will love the new 3,230-square-foot wooden terrace at Les Chenus on Courchevel's summit and, for early ski birds, the Brides-les-Bains lift will be opening a week earlier than usual, allowing access to all three valleys on December 5.

Dining: The Taste for Ski initiative is back with a special focus on plants and vegetables. Joining an impressive roster of chefs from one-, two- and three-Michelin starred restaurants across the mountain is chef Marco Verginer from Ristorante Porcino in the South Tyrol region.

Events: For the first time, AltaBadia is hosting a men's nighttime giant slalom during the FIS Worldcup on December 21st—a must-see event for World Cup fans and casual viewers alike, as this is one of the most challenging courses in the world. Visitors should also keep in mind that the FIS World Cup will be traversing the resort from December 17 to January 19, with a two-week break for Christmas and New Year's.

On Mountain: The Dolomiti Superski area invested $113 million dollars across the mountains going into the 2026/27 season, including four new gondolas (each eight- or 10-person) and five lifts, new beginner and intermediate terrain at AltaBadia in the Arlara area, expanded snowmaking and water storage facilities prioritizing sustainability.

Dining: Restaurant CESI, the latest debut from the Julen family (effectively Zermatt royalty) opened in late August serving modern Alpine cuisine—think fondue, gnocchi, spare ribs, etc.—with Matterhorn views. And a changing of the guard sure to spark talk this season: pizza spot Casa Mia by the Bregy family—who has owned the building since the '50s—just got new management, being taken over by Rudi Bindella's Santa Lucia, a 60-year-old concept that has never before left the urban hubs where it made its name. Time will tell if the new pizza stands up to the old, but the Bregy family is optimistic.

On Mountain: Last year, Zermatt almost broke its winter season revenue record (a record set by the previous season) due to its strong snowmaking and beautiful days—something to note for those seeking a more reliable European ski vacation (or for those looking to avoid crowds generating that revenue). The summer season was a different story, as unseasonably high temperatures forced an unusual closure of the Theodul Glacier, which thankfully reopened in October and is set for the season. The mountain also upgraded its fixed-grip quad Patrullarve to a high-speed six-seater, which should reduce wait times in a high traffic area of the mountain.

Flights: United is winning skiers' hearts with two new direct flights: one from Chicago to Tokyo and one from San Francisco to Sapporo, which is only a two-hour drive from Niseko, making Japan's dreamy powder that much more accessible to the U.S.

Hotels: The high-energy Moxy Niseko Village opened in December, bringing a playful new aprés experience with craft cocktails and local beer to the scene.

On Mountain: Uphill capacity is nearly doubled with a new gondola connecting the base to the mid-station, which will include VIP cabins and sky-view cabins with glass floors.