ski

THERE aren’t too many places where your ski run can be interrupted by a singing troll taking a poop, or by a giant snowman slaloming past.

But this is just part of the regular experience in Sälen, Sweden.

I’ve skied in numerous places across France, Austria, Italy and Andorra but have never seen anywhere even close to what the biggest resort in the land of Abba has to offer for beginners of all ages.

Sälen (pronounced either Say-learn or Sah-learn by locals) is like skiing on easy mode.

The snow is consistent, with few moguls or icy patches, the slopes are wide, mostly not too steep or too long, and it’s rare you have to wait for other skiers or don’t have room to manoeuvre.

For kids (and adults, who’ll want to visit at least once for novelty value), there’s the Troll Forest, with troll figures both large and small lurking in the trees to murmur and croon at you.

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The main ski school is Northern Europe’s largest — and the relatively cheap kids’ ski school, for ages three and up, has its own mascot, Valle the snowman, who regularly comes out on the slopes with the instructors to lead a trail of nippers down.

I’m told Valle did once fall over mid-run and his head came off, which must have traumatised a few pre-schoolers.

And talking of unique experiences, there’s even a world-first ski-through McDonald’s for when you get peckish.

All this is spread across Sälen’s four ski areas — Lindvallen, Hundfjället, Högfjället, and Tandådalen — and they are each covered by the same ski pass. which includes free ski-bus access between the different areas.

We stayed in the smallest of these areas, Högfjället, at the ski-in, ski-out Högfjällshotell — a 20-minute transfer from the refreshingly small and relatively new Scandinavian Mountains Airport, where it’s snow-covered as soon as you land.

If you pre-book, you can even hire a husky sled to transfer you and your luggage.

The hotel contains everything you could need, including a Skistar ski shop to get your gear, adjacent nursery slopes — and even its own cavernous nightclub in the basement, where the Swedish youth congregate for nights of excess.

I heard one young businessman racked up a tab of about £35,000 for vintage champagne a couple of nights before our arrival, and his group didn’t even finish the bottles.

Overall, my limited experience of aprés ski in Sweden was notable for the good-natured boisterousness of the locals, who were soon linking arms with us to sing Swedish songs and pulling us up to conga round the room to I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers.

So, any downsides? Well, if you’re an advanced skier, there are only a few slopes that will offer much of a challenge (I would normally steer well clear of black runs but comfortably managed three here and they felt more like moderate reds elsewhere).

Also, the lift network is fairly old-school compared with better-known European rivals — there are quite a few button lifts and T-bar lifts involved in getting from area to area.

The main thing you need to be prepared for is the toe-numbing levels of cold that are the norm in Sälen.

During our days there it was -13C to -15C, with temperatures expected to dip to -20C the weekend after our departure.

I would recommend thermal gloves within your ski gloves, and maybe wool-lined socks and regular stop-offs for hot chocolate.

As well as the skiing, there is snowmobiling, which was great fun if a little scary (driving licence required).

We motored along, through falling snow, up to a remote mountain cabin where we enjoyed local-style waffles and hot chocolate.

The next evening saw us take a horse-drawn sleigh deep into the forest, warmed by reindeer skins on our laps and with flaming torches on the back of the sleigh.

We eventually arrived at a cluster of teepees, in one of which we enjoyed a dinner of blueberry soup (delicious) in an edible bread bowl and moose stew (soft and tasty) — with a home-made knitted beer mitt to cradle my drink.

The final mode of transport the next day was husky-driving, and after I got used to standing on my narrow perch at the back of the sled and controlling the speed on the narrow track by hopping on a large plough-style brake, I was able to admire the trail the eight yelping hounds were so excitedly pulling us along.

As is par for the course on the ski slopes, there are tall, skinny Norwegian spruces everywhere, and if you talk about a ski resort being blanketed in snow, this is more the full, heavy-tog duvet of snow.

The forests look, to a tree, like they’ve been liberally sploshed with icing sugar — giving wintry vistas unlike anywhere else I’ve seen.

However much Sälen might chill your fingers, its easy, freezy, trolls-in-treesy fun will leave you with a warm glow inside.

Projected season opening date: Nov. 27

What makes it special: Sugar Bowl is an independently-run resort with an old-school, European vibe. Its terrain stretches over four peaks on Donner Summit near Lake Tahoe, varying between steep tree skiing, wide-open groomers, terrain parks and beginner-friendly zones. Season passes and lift tickets are limited here, so the slopes aren’t crowded.

What’s new this season: Sugar Bowl Resort continues a multi-year, $100-million resort development project with major improvements debuting this winter, including a new Village Gondola, a reimagined main lodge and beginner experience, expanded terrain parks and snowmaking on the mountain and enhanced snowmaking at Sugar Rush Tubing.

Lift ticket prices: Dynamic lift ticket pricing, with midweek tickets starting at $99. Sugar Bowl is also introducing new 2-, 3- and 4-day packs. Mountain Collective and Ski California Gold passes honored.

Pro-tip: Sugar Bowl opened with the backing of Walt Disney in 1939, making it one of the oldest ski areas in North America. At the resort, look out for Mt. Disney, along with the Donald Duck run, off the Disney Express chairlift.

WINTER is coming – and it’s bringing a whole host of scenic travel destinations with it. 

France’s Strasbourg is top of holidaymakers’ hotlists, according to the latest Tripadvisor Travel Index, while Tromsø in Norway is creeping up the popularity scale. 

The travel report revealed the most up-and-coming holiday spots for this season, based on search data for breaks between November 1 this year and February 28, 2027. 

Here Sophie Swietochowski shares her pick of the most popular holiday packages this winter. 

STRASBOURG, FRANCE 

SO much for Paris — the Notre Dame Cathedral in Strasbourg is just as glorious.

It was named among the top experiences in France in the 2026 Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards.

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The city’s Christmas market is one of the oldest in Europe, founded in 1570, and is home to more than 300 traditional wooden stalls.  

Strasbourg’s Franco-German cuisine is just what you would fancy during the colder months — hearty and comforting.

Think casseroles and lots of potatoes. 

GO: Five nights’ room-only at the 4* Okko Hotels Strasbourg Centre is from £559pp including flights from Luton on December 27.

Save £100 now with code BLKFRIDAY. See easyjet.com/en/holidays. 

TROMSØ, NORWAY 

THIS area, AKA the Gateway to the Arctic, was crowned second most popular spot for this winter.

While its location means that during winter, the sun never rises above the horizon, that doesn’t mean you need to hunker down inside — far from it. 

Among popular activities to try are dog or reindeer sledding, whale watching, snowmobiling, ski touring and fishing in the icy fjords.  

It’s also one of the best spots in the world to catch the Northern Lights in all their colourful glory. 

GO: Five nights’ room-only at the 4* Moxy Tromsø is from £909pp including flights from Gatwick on January 17.

See loveholidays.com. 

GHENT, BELGIUM 

THE nearby hotspots of Bruges and Brussels typically steal the limelight when it comes to winter getaways. 

And that’s just why Ghent should be top of your list.

The fact it is less crowded means you can explore its Gothic and medieval architecture at leisure, although it’s best to do so at night when the intricate alleyways and twisted spires are illuminated by spotlights, giving the spires an even more dramatic appearance against the night sky. 

Ghent’s winter festival, which operates throughout December and into early January, is magical, with a mini ice rink, ferris wheel and rows of stalls that lead from the canal to the central square. 

GO: Seven nights’ room-only at the 3* Hotel Gravensteen is from £489pp including flights from Heathrow on November 26.

See loveholidays.com. 

SAARISELKA, FINLAND 

IF Tromsø’s coastal location doesn’t tickle your fancy, then Saariselka, where earthy pine woodlands are buried in deep powdery snow, just might.  

Make sure to stay in a glass igloo — after all, this is the place where they were popularised. And what a spot for them.  

From your bed, you have high chances of spotting the aurora borealis painted across the night sky.  

Make sure to test out the longest toboggan track in Europe, which stretches 1.8km from the summit of Kaunispaa mountain.

Then warm up those chilled bones in a traditional Finnish sauna. 

GO: Three nights’ B&B at the 3* Holiday Club Saariselka is from £914pp including flights from Gatwick on November 29.

See tui.co.uk. 

CHAMONIX, FRANCE 

A COSY and typically French resort town, Chamonix has maintained its traditional charm, despite having sparked the big ski boom. 

And unlike the purpose-built ski resorts, this town is vast and sprawling, with lots of wooden chalets dotted around.  

While it is a destination that is known for its skiing, there is still plenty else to do in winter.  

Le Pas Dans Le Vide is an awesome glass skywalk, suspended at an altitude of metres, at the summit of Aiguille du Midi.

It gives visitors the thrilling sensation of floating above the spectacular Bossons Glacier.  

There are also ice caves and ice sculptures and you can dig in to some of the best cheesy raclette in the country. 

GO: Seven nights’ self-catering at the 3* Residence Pierre & Vacances La Riviere is from £551pp, including flights from Gatwick on January 2, plus 20kg luggage per person.

See crystalski.co.uk. 

It’s the worst ski resort nightmare: hillsides of shaggy yellow grass streaked with slush under a leaden sky that’s coughing up sleet. Parts of Europe – places previously accustomed to crisp snow fields and pristine blue skies – are now facing this calamity, something meteorologists might describe as a British winter.

Not everywhere, of course. Only lower altitudes are seeing such disasters. Higher up, normal service continues. I’m in the Swiss resort of Laax, where most of the slopes are at about 2,000 metres, lofty enough to be snow-secure, for now. The halfpipe is busy with dudes in baggy trousers and headphones nonchalantly practising their double corks. On the traditional pistes there are four-year-olds who could probably ski before they could walk. And then – Switzerland has its wacky side – three young men in first-world-war greatcoats on antique wooden skis propel themselves with rough-hewn quarter-staves.

Is all this destined to disappear, perhaps in our children’s lifetimes? To put it in stark, white and black terms: are ski resorts in the same predicament as oil-dependent desert states, watching their one key source of wealth dwindle and disappear?

If so, Laax is not going down without a fight. This unusual Swiss resort, close to the Austrian border, is making a bold attempt to be carbon neutral by 2030, a goal that requires cutting out all oil use, making all energy generation sustainable, and reducing food waste to zero. Stung by climate crisis criticism levelled at the ski industry, this community is now far ahead of most. What I have come to see may turn out to be the future of winter sports.

Down in Laax, I meet Reto Gurtner, 71, CEO of the Flims Laax resort. His father built the first ski lifts back in 1962. “Although there had been summer visitors since the 19th century, Laax was a poor village back then,” says Gurtner.

In the 1970s, something significant changed. Gurtner went to study at UCLA and, under the California sun, discovered skateboarding. Even now the memory makes his eyes light up. “They were inventing new sports and I loved the style: no nationalism or militarism. Skateboards, mountain bikes, snowboards – if you did a good run, everyone applauded. It didn’t matter who you were. There was a freedom about it.”

He came home with a degree in economics, but more importantly perhaps, a snowboard and a mountain bike. “We went up on the glacier and built the first halfpipe with shovels.”

At first, there was a lot of resistance. Local ski outfitters refused to stock snowboards, while in summer, farmers were outraged at the sight of cyclists pelting down mountain tracks. “We made every cyclist wear a bib,” says Gurtner with a chuckle. “Then the farmers thought it was a race and were fine with that.”

Conversation with Gurtner is a wild ride. We cartwheel through Steve Jobs, the German poets and the Wu-Tang Clan, as he describes how his visionary approach evolved into something he calls “greenstyle”, an optimistic and well-designed future.

That vision is found in all the new buildings around the resort, nowhere more so than the ski lift in the neighbouring village of Flims, where I head with local guide Doris Rellstab. “The new gondola system does away with unoccupied ski gondolas going up and down the mountainside,” she says. A complex algorithm allows skiers to choose one of five destinations up the mountain, despatching individual gondolas, which balances energy efficiency with passenger demand. As we are lifted smoothly up over the fir trees, the quiet efficiency of this on-demand system becomes immediately apparent.

Rellstab tells me how things have changed in the half century since she began teaching winter sports. “Yesterday, I taught my first Arab group. They were a lot of fun.”

Our destination is Segnes, high above the treeline at 2,100 metres. Having left the gondola, we don snow shoes and head into a bowl-like snow-filled valley. A couple of miles ahead, the valley ends in a sheer rock face topped by a jagged range of peaks. “That’s the Tschingelhörner,” says Rellstab. “Can you see the line in the rock below the peaks? That was once a geological mystery.”

In 1848, the celebrated geologist Roderick Impey Murchison arrived here with a local expert, Arnold Escher von der Linth. Older rocks were overlaying younger, a puzzle for which there was no explanation. It took more than a century for scientists to solve the problem: the ancient African tectonic plate was riding up over the younger European one. The world was indeed upside down.

In summer, this area is covered in rare Alpine flowers and there’s a mountain hut to stay in. Next to us are the tracks of a snow hare. “Wildlife is doing well here,” says Rellstab. “The wolf and lynx have both returned.”

In fact, climate change appears to be assisting wolves in the Alps. The first Alpine pack was recorded in 1993, and by 2021 there were more than 250, with an annual growth rate of about 25%. Switzerland, once entirely wolf-free, now has about 40 packs. Rellstab shows me a website where sightings are monitored. There are conflicts with farmers and hunters, but the numbers keep growing, an indication that parts of the ecosystem are doing well out of retreating snowlines.

Perhaps more surprising is that lack of snow is not a big worry to the resort. As Gurtner points out: “Laax is not snow-dependent. A halfpipe or a snow freestyle playground doesn’t need a lot, and we make it with hydro power. And we’ve got mountain bikes and amazing hikes.”

Later that day, I am up on the mountain with my skis, wandering around on blue runs. Conditions are a bit icy and I’m playing safe, finding myself on a less frequented route that dips down into the valley. And then I come over a ridge and the snow on either side is gone – only the piste remains, a broad band of white curling down through green pasture dotted with lovely old barns. Cannon snow is more durable, surviving longer when the “real” stuff melts. Most Alpine ski stations are already reliant on it, but unlike many, Laax does not add any chemical or biological additives to the water in its cannons. With sustainable power sources and electric piste-grooming machinery now becoming available, cannon snow is not as environmentally destructive as it may appear.

At the foot of the hill, I reach the village of Falera, neighbour to Laax. There is one old chair lift, clanking and squeaking, and as I approach it comes to a halt. “Sorry,” says the attendant, “we are closed now.”

I wander into the village, all hand-hewn barns with neat log stacks. I can’t see any cars. If Laax is taking the technological solution, its neighbour appears to have chosen a less frenetic and more traditional route to net zero. After 20 minutes, a bus (electric, naturally) appears. As I ride back to Laax, I check the wildlife website that Rellstab recommended. And I get a shock. According to a CCTV report from a few hours earlier, a wolf had walked within a mile of me. Outside my hotel, I jump off the bus. Evening is falling. I wait for a line of silent cars to go by. With electric motors everywhere, the town is hushed. Climate change, I reflect, is nothing if not unpredictable. When the wolves howl, you will hear them.

The trip was provided by Flims Laax and rental equipment by Ecoski . Trains run from Zurich via Chur and the Rhine Gorge to Ilanz, where there’s a bus service to Laax. Inghams offers a seven-night trip to Laax from £1,618pp B&B, including flights

Speeding effortlessly towards the slopes by train, you might wonder why you ever flew to a ski resort. On paper, it seems a short hop by plane; in reality, airport queues, cramped flights and long transfers can mean the journey eats up a whole day.

Measured door-to-door, daytime rail travel from London can be as fast as flying, while taking a sleeper train gets you extra time on the slopes. And with Alpine glaciers suffering significant loss of snow cover as global temperatures rise, rail travel constitutes the biggest emissions saving a skier can make.

An exciting recent development is the arrival of a dedicated sleeper train for skiers, the Travelski Night Express (TNE), launched last winter and with an additional new route for the coming one. Each carriage has couchette berths, but the train’s crowning glory is its large, speakeasy-cafe-bar-restaurant, with retro decor, soft lighting and music – you get the romance of overnight rail travel with the potential for two extra days’ skiing thrown in.

The TNE has two routes: one from Paris, the other from Amsterdam and Brussels, going out on Fridays and returning on Saturdays. Both routes access Moûtiers, Aime-la-Plagne and Bourg-Saint-Maurice – stations in the popular Tarentaise region of the French Alps. UK-based skiers can connect to the TNE by Eurostar to Paris or Brussels.

Overnight journeys to Austria are also possible, with a Eurostar to Paris or Brussels and then a Nightjet sleeper train to the Salzburgerland region; or, for Innsbruck and the Tirol, a Nightjet from Amsterdam and Cologne.

An array of resorts in France and beyond can be reached every day of the week by taking the Eurostar to Paris Nord, getting a taxi or the RER for the short transfer to Gare de Lyon, and from there catching a fast TGV train south.

The most direct daytime option is Eurostar’s flagship ski service, Eurostar Snow, which carries snowboards and skis free of charge on top of the usual luggage allowance. Skiers take it from London to Lille, then switch to an adjacent platform for the onward train to Bourg-Saint-Maurice.

Unfortunately, the final outbound departure for this coming season is on 20 February, leaving the ski industry frustrated. Eurostar’s explanation is that it needs to “deploy rolling stock to where it best meets customer demand. Historically, March has not always been the strongest period for Eurostar Snow.”

Iain Martin, founder of sustainable ski-travel campaign Ski Flight Free, says: “It’s ridiculous for Eurostar to curtail their flagship service and blame lack of demand. If Eurostar worked effectively with the ski industry and ski tour operators to market the train, they could sell it out many times over.”

Ski tour operators are certainly hungry for more train seats. “We’re keen on promoting rail travel to the French Alps and we know clients want this,” says Alison Willis, managing director of French ski specialist Peak Retreats. “While changing in Paris is straightforward, we know that direct services are an even more compelling alternative for those who usually fly. March ski holidays, with longer days and excellent conditions, are really popular. So, we’d welcome more direct rail options across as much of the ski season as possible.”

It’s a view echoed by ski tour operator Inghams, which has increased its range of rail-inclusive packages to include 75% of its French destinations, as well as some in Switzerland, Italy and Austria. “There’s a genuine appetite among skiers to travel to the mountains by train,” says head of sustainability Krissy Roe.

Here are 12 resorts you can reach easily by rail.

St Anton am Arlberg, Austria

“The cradle of skiing”, St Anton is consistently ranked among the best resorts in the world. While its slopes are known for being challenging and exhilarating (the mighty Valluga being the pinnacle), there are plenty of gentler areas, too. St Anton isn’t just about skiing, either: this delightful village offers a host of activities, including swimming, bowling, indoor rock climbing and some of the best toboggan runs in the Alps. Completing its ski-hard, party-hard image, the resort is renowned for its après-ski, with a long list of celebrated terraces where visitors can dance to live music while knocking back schnapps.

By train: 10h 30min

Depart London St Pancras on the 07.31 Eurostar to Paris Gare du Nord; transfer to Paris Gare de Lyon and take the 12.22 TGV to Zurich; then the 16.40 Railjet to St Anton, arriving at 19.01.

Where to stay

Ski Solutions offers seven nights at the Hotel Post from £1,870pp half-board, including return rail travel.

Alpbach, Austria

Comprising antique, chocolate-box chalets, Alpbach is perhaps the prettiest village on this list, with fantastic skiing to boot. Despite its low altitude, the resort’s north-facing slopes protect fresh powder, with the best off-piste and snowboarding terrain being on the far side of the Wiedersbergerhorn. Alpbach has gone to great lengths to preserve its rustic character. The main lifts are a short shuttle ride away from the village, and you’ll find gorgeous Tyrolean dishes at mountain hut restaurants such as Böglalm, torchlit walking trails, horse-drawn carriage rides and an Alpine coaster. Pick up a free Alpbachtal Card for access to local activities.

By train: 16h 49min

Depart London St Pancras on the 15.04 Eurostar to Brussels-Midi; then catch the 18.25 ICE to Cologne; get on the 21.45 Nightjet to Jenbach, arriving at 08.53. From there, it’s 20 minutes by bus or taxi.

Where to stay

STC Ski offers the four-star Hotel Alphof, with doubles from £955pp for seven nights’ half-board.

Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, France

Free travel to a Salzberg gem

Bad Gastein is a relatively unknown gem. The Austrian state it sits in, Salzburg, offers free local transport (the guest mobility ticket) if you are staying in the state, so you can travel to the resort via train for nothing. The slopes are directly next to the station, too.

Rob Owen

Family fun in the French Alps

Puy-Saint-Vincent in France is a wonderful, small, child-friendly resort. Our grandchildren learned to ski each morning with great instructors on the gentle slopes under amazing azure skies. Three generations then made memories of a lifetime, skiing the wide quiet slopes together each afternoon. We enjoyed dog sleds and cosy hot chocolate in the slopeside cafes. A wonderful trip.

Barbara

A historic railway and superb skiing in Norway

Gausta, Norway, is such fun. Stay at Gaustablikk, the hotel built by Kirk Douglas’s stuntman, a wonderfully quirky piece of local history. Explore Vemork, the historic heavy-water plant where British and Norwegian resistance fighters carried out their daring sabotage during the second world war. For families, the on-piste skiing is friendly and accessible; while the cross-country trails are simply stunning. Then there’s the real adventure: an old US military train climbs Gaustatoppen, opening up spectacular off-piste skiing with views and terrain that rival much of mainland Europe. It’s a brilliant mix of history, skiing, scenery and adventure, and somehow remains a wonderfully under-the-radar destination.

Fiona

Markets and gluhwein in the Austrian Tirol

As a family of four, we loved St Johann in Tirol. It’s a comfortable Austrian village with Christmas markets, picturesque churches and gorgeous frozen valley walks – with little marmosets and weasels to look out for along the river. Wherever you stay, you can walk to a gondola. It’s really near to Salzburg airport, too. In Austria, kids get all-day lessons, which is a big bonus. Parents can just kick back or wander around and have a gluhwein or two. Prices were very reasonable in the Christmas holidays.

Nick

A locals’ favourite on the Italian border

Tarvisio-Monte Lussari on the Italian-Slovenian border covers 24km (15 miles) of skiable terrain interconnected across two main sectors: the historic and stunning Monte Lussari pilgrimage peak and the Priesnig area. Used by local people and those in the know, it offers sufficient ski runs and good value ski passes and restaurants, and is much cheaper than neighbouring resorts in Austria.

Neil

Magic in the air at La Rosière, France

Stay in the attractive resort of La Rosière in France, in the foothills of the Mont Blanc region. Enjoy the short forest walk to the village, with wind chimes and magic in the air, for an après-ski drink and a cheese fondue in a local tavern with the kids.

Oliver

Off-piste heaven in the Norwegian Alps

About 50km (30 miles) from Ålesund, Strandafjellet has excellent pistes, but also some of the best off-piste skiing in Norway. Strap on a pair of randonnée skis and you can use the lifts to access spectacular backcountry skiing in the Sunnmøre Alps. The views down to the fjord make this truly special. Pistes are illuminated for evening skiing.

Graham

A charming village in Les Trois Vallées

Saint-Martin-de-Belleville, in the French Alps (Les Trois Vallées), is low at about 1,500 metres, so go mid-season. The single run ends smack in the centre of the village, which has retained its historical features along with small, friendly bars and places to eat. Plus, it gives access to the whole of the Trois Vallées ski area – absolutely amazing from one small but beautiful village. There are plenty of choices for accommodation, both expensive and cheap.

Russell Walker

Queue-free skiing for all in Italy’s Dolomites

Brunico is tucked away in the Dolomites, just a 90-minute transfer from Innsbruck. I had a great week at the beginning of March. Unlike bigger resorts, queues were nonexistent here. There are runs for beginners through to experts. Great snow and plenty of opportunities to use it.

Ian B

Winning tip: Bavarian charm and quiet slopes

Oberstdorf in Germany continues to be my go-to for a quiet and restorative ski week away. There are 130km (80 miles) of pistes for all levels, stacks of Bavarian restaurants, a wide variety of mountain huts, plenty of hotels for all budgets and family sizes, and the novelty of skiing into and out of Austria daily. Neuschwanstein Castle is a short hop away for a day off. Unbeatable value.

Daniel Stephens

SACRAMENTO — He made millions playing an indestructible action hero in the movies, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sounded altogether mortal as he talked for the first time Wednesday about the pain and frustration he has felt since his holiday skiing accident.

At a news conference where he released his new budget, Schwarzenegger told reporters that since his surgery two weeks ago he has been in continuous pain.

“The operation was a very complicated operation,” he said, “and I don’t think I can ever remember having had pain — ongoing pain, 24 hours a day — like after this operation.”

In a statement put out last month after the Dec. 23 accident, the governor’s doctor described the surgery planned for Schwarzenegger as routine.

Schwarzenegger had previously said nothing publicly about his accident, and his staff had refused to confirm reports that the governor tripped and fell while standing on a mountain slope in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Adi Erber, a ski instructor who was with the governor at the time, said Schwarzenegger’s pole got caught in one of his skis, causing the fall. Schwarzenegger was then carried down the slope on a toboggan and taken to a hospital.

Asked for his own account of how the accident happened, Schwarzenegger offered a few details about his complicated medical history, which has included steroid use, a heart valve replacement, a torn rotator cuff and broken ribs. He said that he has also had an artificial hip put in — a procedure that, he maintained, helped cause the leg break.

Schwarzenegger said that because he was moving “at a very slow speed,” his ski stayed on.

Had he been moving fast, he said, the ski would have popped off, probably sparing him any real injury.

“I had an artificial hip that was replaced around five years ago,” he said. “Because it was vulnerable, the ski torqued the leg, and it broke the femur because of that. If I were to have that accident at 50 mph — and many times I’ve crashed at that speed — nothing happens.

“So this is what the unfortunate thing was.”

Soon after the injury, speculation bubbled up that the governor’s steroid use might have left his bones weakened, making him more susceptible to a break. Schwarzenegger has admitted using steroids when he was a champion bodybuilder.

The governor’s office released a statement from his orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kevin Ehrhart, addressing the steroid question.

“Any suggestion that Gov. Schwarzenegger’s injury was sustained as a result of anabolic steroid use is wrong and has no basis in fact,” Ehrhart said. “His bone was completely healthy and rock solid.”

Normally upbeat in his public appearances, Schwarzenegger said the accident has left him shaken. He has looked thinner and somewhat drawn since the surgery.

At his inauguration last week, First Lady Maria Shriver clutched the governor’s arm as he took the oath of office — as if holding him up — and handed him bottled water afterward. Shriver also attended the governor’s budget address.

Schwarzenegger suggested Shriver has been at the receiving end of his darkened mood.

“So it’s really annoying to me, and believe me, there’s nothing I hate more than having an obstacle like this. So this is very frustrating to me. It’s very tough on my wife.

“When I get frustrated and have those obstacles, I’m very angry a lot of times,” he said, “and so I’m working through all of this and trying to get rid of this problem as soon as I can.”

peter.nicholas@latimes.com