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Ski Events one
Superstar songstrels Leona Lewis and Aussie Gabriella Cilmi will be headlining Ischgl's infamous season start-up concert, following in a long line of spangled names including Lionel Ritchie, Pink, and The Pussycat Dolls. You'll recognise Gabriella Cilmi from her chart-topping hit 'Sweet about me'. Ischgl is one of the best resorts in the Alps for shaking your booty, with a classy club scene.Tignes Airwaves, France, 4-9 Jan
The European answer to the X Games, Tignes Airwaves is a 5 day event with ski and snowboard freestyle, freeride, skiercross and even four-cross ski-bike comps. Attracting the cream of talent, there's a 150,000 Euro cash pot for the winners. New for this year are the mogul air event and a 'Riders' Cup' team event: French v American freestylers in the half-pipe and big air. See tignes.netUllr Fest, Breckenridge, Colorado, US, 4-9 Jan
The snow-worshipping residents of Breckenridge adopted Ullr, the Norse God of Snow, and as early as 1963 started the tradition of celebrating Ullr with bonfires, parades and parties. Legend has it that Ullr blanketed the world with snow in winter to protect it and that he was a keen skier and skater. This winter, there will be an ice skating party, the Ullr Dating Game and Ullympics. See breckenridge.snow.com Inferno Ski Race, Murren, Switzerland, 21-24 Jan
The oldest, biggest and best amateur ski race in the world, competitors take part in cross-country, Grand Slalom and downhill elements. The course is 15.8km long. Entries are limited to 1,800 contenders. Good skiers can compete the course in 35 minutes, but the winner usually finishes in 15 minutes – and must have thighs of steel! Enter on muerren.chWinter X Games, Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado, US, 22-25 Jan
Watch the spectacle of the X Games, back in Aspen for the eighth year showcasing the extreme thin wedge of international skiers, boarders and snowmobilers. Legends such as Shaun White and Hannah Teter pitch themselves against the best, performing more rotations and gaining height, to win a prestigious title and a whole wad of cash. Warning: Don't come back saying 'stoked'.Nissan Outdoor Games, Chamonix, France, 20-21 Feb
Head to Chamonix to see pro athletes performing daredevil stunts film and screened in the town square during the day on the Saturday. The athletes will push the boundaries of their sports: mountaineering, skiing, snowboaring, paragliding, hang-gliding, base jumping and wingsuit flying. Spectators can get involved in ice climbing, avalanche talks, slacklining, live gigs and watching aerial displays. See outdoorgames.fr The Brits, Laax, Switzerland, 28 Mar-4 Apr
Glastonbury meets the FA Cup on snow,' says Ski Sunday presenter Ed Leigh of The Brits. There's major excitement to be had both watching the best of British freestylers on one plank or two battling it out for the coveted top spot and revelling till the early hours with live bands and DJ sets. Past headliners have included Scratch Perverts, Dub Pistols and DJ Yoda. See britishsnowtour.comAltitude Festival, Meribel, France, 28 Mar-3 Apr
The ultimate (and only) comedy fest in the Alps, Altitude is a giggle-filled long weekend of standup comedy, live music and DJs. Some of the comedians featuring are: Lee Mack of The Sketch Show fame; Rich Hall, an American comedian who loves nothing better than taking the piste out of his fellow yankees; the razor-sharp witted Ed Byrne, and many more. See altitudefestival.comSnowbombing, Mayrhofen, Austria, 29 Mar-4 Apr
Fatboy Slim headlines this year's Snowbombing, alongside the likes of Fabio & Grooverider, Grandmaster Flash & Scott Nixon. Snowbombing is the Bestival of the Alps, replete with a lot of dressing up and fantasy party locations – you can boogie in an ice igloo bar at the top of the Ahorn, in a cavernous barn in the backcountry, in the street parade, or just in plain old clubs and bars in Mayrhofen. See snowbombing.comPond Skimming, Vail, Colorado, US, 13-19 Apr
Pond-skimming is an infamous ritual – to the uninitiated, it is when various crazy characters in fancy dress plough down a slope and aim to gather enough speed to literally skim 100 feet across man-made Lake Golden Peak at the bottom of the hill on their skis – often with hilarious results. Getting a freezing dunking is not all there is to it, of course. There's a great deal of feasting and partying going on too. See springbacktovail.com