Ten of the best ski area summer festivals

The world’s best ski and snowboard areas don’t shut down as soon as the snow melts. For many the best times are yet to roll. Enter the northern hemisphere summer festival.

Paleo Festival in Nyon Switzerland

Aspen Food and Wine Classic

Best to starve yourself for days before this stomach stretching weekend of gourmet goodness. Enjoy eighty inspired cuisine seminars, five Grand Tastings, a plethora of Aspen foodie parties and more from June 20 to June 22 at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic. Book in for a detox retreat afterwards, you may need it.

Telluride Blues and Brews Festival

Get your blues and beer at the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival on from September 12 to 14 in the uber hip mountain town of laid back Telluride. Fifty six breweries present over a hundred and seventy beers. Oh, and there’s blues too, good blues. The full schedule is yet to be announced but former names include BB King, Melissa Etheridge and Jim James.

NOTE: The Blues and Brew Festival is not to be confused with the  Telluride Bluegrass Festival from June 19 to June 22 where former performers have included Elvis Costello, David Byrne, Lyle Lovett, Counting Crows and Mumford & Sons.

Squaw Valley Wanderlust Festiva

It’s all green smoothies, downward dogs and bliss balls at Wanderlust from July 17 to July 20. The three day Wanderlust festival bows down at the feet of the world’s best yoga teachers, all fifty of them! There’s a full live music line up including DJ Drez, Happy Happy James and the Mark Sexton band plus speakeasy talks, workshops, expeditions and even SUP yoga on the lake.

Telluride Film Festival

Some towns are just built for festivals, the box canyon of Telluride is one of them, hence not one but two listings on our best ski area summer festival list. From August 29 to September 1, Telluride triples in size with film buffs descending upon the main street. The Telluride Film Festival doesn’t reveal the program until the festival starts. Yes, you read right. Don’t worry though as festival goers were the first in the world to view Juno, Brokeback Mountain, The Crying Game and Blue Velvet so you know the program will be stellar.

Crankworx Freeride Mountain Bike Festival – Whistler and Les 2 Alpes

The Whistler Crankworx mountain bike festival is THE freeride festival for those who get their groove on two wheels. From August 8 to 17 at Whistler Mountain Bike Park and Whistler Village, the festival attracts the world’s best riders for downhill, enduro, trials and pump track. Add some music and street art and another festival in Les Alpes from July 2 to July 6.

Banff Mountain Film Festival

Ok this isn’t summer but it’s not in the ski season either. From November 1 to November 9 the Banff Mountain Film Festival welcomes the best mountain films, images, books and speakers from around the world. Past Festival guests have included David Suzuki, Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Sir Edmund Hillary, Jon Krakauer, Aaron Ralston, David Breashears, Reinhold Messner, Alex Lowe, and Royal Robbins so prepare to have your thoughts provoked.

Deer Valley Music Festival

Deer Valley Music Festival is held throughout summer from July 4 to August 9 with a series of concerts in the Deer Valley Snow Park outdoor amphitheatre, St Mary’s Church and private homes in Park City.  Kenny Rogers, Ben Folds, Mary Chapin Carpenter and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir will feature alongside the Utah Symphony in 2014.

Fuji Rock Festival in Japan

Madness (in a good way) descends upon Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata from July 25 to July 27 this year. Expect Arcade, Jack Johnson, Franz Ferdinand, Basemant Jaxx, Manic Street Preachers and Outkast as just some of the explosive line up of live acts to hit the Fuji Rock Festival stage deep in the mountains.

Musilac in the French Alps

Settle yourself in and camp out to Aix Les Bains in the French Alps from July 11 to July 13 for the live tunes of London Grammar, Placebo, Motorhead and more to come at Musilac.  You can guarantee it will be grand as previous artists have included Chemical Brothers, LMFAO, Santana, Indochine and Florence and The Machine.

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