Armenia

"I'm going skiing in Armenia" is probably up there with "Wasn't that a lovely traffic jam?" for phrases you don't hear an awful lot. But if you're looking for something a little different, Armenia could be the place for you.

Nestled in the Southern Caucasus Mountains and neighbouring with Turkey, Iran, Georgia and Azerbaijan, Armenia is officially in Europe, but kind of has a foot in Asia as well.

You might not go for the skiing or snowboarding alone - at least not for an entire week. But with Yerevan (the capital of Armenia) only thirty minutes from the slopes, you're not going to be short of things to do once you've hung your boots up to dry. As one of the oldest civilisations in the world, the place is brimming with culture.

At the moment, there's one main ski resort in Armenia (the impossibly-sounding Tsakhadzor), and that only has four lifts. But you can at least be certain of having the mountain to yourself, especially if the lifties open it up just for you (which they will, if you ask nicely). There's plenty of snow too, wide open spaces and a monstrous vertical of nearly 1400 metres (4,593 feet).

The Soviet Olympic ski team used to train here, which should tell you a thing or two about the extent of the terrain. New hotels are starting to crop up in the area. And the recent installation of an Italian-built Leitner lift gives you an indication of the intention of this little ski resort.

If you value your own space, go now. It's only a matter of time before the hoards find out about Armenia ...

Cost

A one-day adult lift pass costs around US$20.

Getting here

There are direct flights to Yerevan from a number of major European cities. Your easiest option for getting to Tsakhadzor ski resort is to hire a car.