ski and snowboard resort review

Jackson Hole, USA review

Our rating: 88%

Jackson Hole has more spirit than any other ski resort in North America. Is that a reflection of its fantastic, super-steep skiing? You bet.

Verbier, Switzerland review

Our rating: 88%

If you love to ski or board off-piste, you'll love Verbier. We can't think of another ski resort which offers the same quantity and quality of easily-accessed, go-anywhere, off-piste terrain.

Agence Nuts/OT Val dIsere

The essentials are all in place: a vast off-piste playground, lots of scintillating pistes, and some superb ski schools. Now all Val d'Isère needs to do is drop its prices - and get its fun-loving atmosphere back.

Chamonix, France review

Our rating: 85%

One day, if you ski or snowboard long enough, and well enough, you'll end up in Chamonix - unable to resist the lure of its hard-core terrain, and stunning glacial scenery. Don't rush to get here, though. It's far better to wait until you've got the skills, and the courage, to do it justice.

Aspen, USA review

Our rating: 84%

If money's no object, then Aspen is the best resort for intermediate skiers, bar none. It's one of the best for beginners, too. We think it's a shame the town has become a bastion of the super-rich. But there are compensations: in particular the fact that the slopes are never crowded.

Randy Lincks/www.whistler.com

Whistler, Canada review

Our rating: 83%

Whistler is the leviathan of the North American ski scene. Big and bustling, it's home to a superb variety of terrain, as well as lots of innovative ski school programmes. Make full use of them: it's the best way to distract yourself from the weekend crowds and the occasional bout of iffy weather.

St Anton, Austria review

Our rating: 82%

St Anton is home to the best après-ski bar in the Alps. Some would say it's the home of the best off-piste, too.

Tignes, France review

Our rating: 82%

On a sunny day, the high valley of Tignes is so beautiful it'll make your eyes bleed: it's only when the clouds come down that you'll notice it's full of ugly buildings. Thank heavens it's beginning to change - a ski resort with world-class terrain like this deserves much better.

Courchevel, France review

Our rating: 81%

Having a reputation as the playground of the super-rich hasn't helped Courchevel during the recession. But the pistes are as good as they always were - and there are signs that the resort is reaching out to ordinary skiers again.

Jack Affleck/Vail Mountain Resort

Vail, USA review

Our rating: 80%

Some will find it too tame. Others will hate the fact the town lies in the shadow of a freeway. But most will love what Vail has to offer, which is miles and miles of beautifully-groomed trails, superb entry-level off-piste, and lots of child-friendly features.

Meribel, France review

Our rating: 80%

Méribel sits in the middle of the famous Three Valleys ski area, and is billed as one of the world's best ski resorts for intermediates. But you need to be organised and informed to enjoy your skiing here: otherwise it'll drive you nuts.

G. Lansard/OT Saint Martin

St Martin-de-Belleville, France review

Our rating: 79%

Small, low-key and traditional, St Martin-de-Belleville is part of the enormous Three Valleys lift system, but offers a radically different experience from neighbouring resorts. It'll bore the pants off party animals - but that's exactly how its growing band of fans like it.

Klosters, Switzerland review

Our rating: 79%

Don't be put off by the connection with Prince Charles. The Swiss resort of Klosters is a cutey, and boasts a good snow record and plenty of skiing at every level. Its lifts connect with those of neighbouring Davos too - making for a big, if bitty, area.

Val Thorens, France review

Our rating: 79%

Purpose-built Val Thorens is part of the vast Three Valleys lift system, and is the highest of all its resorts. In fact, it's the highest resort in western Europe, and guarantees its snow cover from November to May. All this snowsure convenience comes at a price, though. Despite a programme of prettification, it's a bleak spot on a cloudy day.

Telluride, USA review

Our rating: 79%

Nowhere else do architecture, atmosphere and scenery come together quite as seductively as in Telluride. So it's a shame the ski area is so small - much too small for a week of bombing about on terrain you can already handle. Come here for a short break, as part of a road trip, or to learn a new skill instead.

Snowbird, USA review

Our rating: 79%

Snowbird and its neighbour Alta should be places of pilgrimage for any powder-snow addict - and the combined lift pass they offer just deepens the appeal. We just wish Alta would wake up to the last 20 years of wintersports history and open itself to boarders, too.

photo © Oliver Ritz

Zermatt, Switzerland review

Our rating: 79%

Zermatt may be home to some awesome terrain, but we think you'll enjoy it most when skiing hard has slipped a notch or two down your list of priorities - to be replaced by eating out in the superb mountain restaurants, soaking up the view, or chasing your loved one round the bedroom.

Les Menuires, France review

Our rating: 78%

Abramovich and his pals wouldn't be seen dead in Les Menuires. More fool them. Much of the best on-piste skiing in the Three Valleys is to be found here, and the eyesore architecture has kept prices far, far lower than they are in neighbouring Méribel and Courchevel.

Revelstoke Mountain Resort

Revelstoke, Canada review

Our rating: 78%

Revelstoke is the world's newest ski resort, and one of the most exciting developments in wintersports we've seen for years. It may only have four proper lifts, but it's already home to one of our favourite pistes, as well as top-notch cat and heli-skiing operations.

welove2ski.com

Selva Gardena, Italy review

Our rating: 78%

Stunning scenery comes as standard at Selva - which deserves to be much better known by the Brits. The food and the on-piste skiing are both pretty sensational, too.

Fernie, Canada review

Our rating: 77%

A good-value but remote resort with uncrowded slopes, extensive piste grooming, a friendly atmosphere and a good snow record.

Dmitry Zaltsman/Vail Resorts

Breckenridge, USA review

Our rating: 77%

Confidence-boosting trails, Alpine-quality nightlife, and world-class terrain parks - all that's missing from Breckenridge are some sustained challenges for the experts

Big Sky, USA review

Our rating: 77%

Wide-open trails, dry snow and a proper, pointy mountain at its heart: Big Sky is Montana skiing just as you imagined it.

Kitzbuhel, Austria review

Our rating: 77%

Don't be put off by the hair-raising reputation of the Hahnenkamm. Aside from its World Cup course, Kitzbühel isn't scary at all. The town is cute and luxurious, the slopes mostly easy-going, and the scenery soft and pretty. Just remember to save your visit for a good snow year. Like this one is shaping up to be...

La Tania, France review

Our rating: 77%

Nestled amongst the trees at the bottom of Courchevel's lift system, La Tania is a small, easy-going village that works well for families - and anyone in search of cheap access to the Trois Vallées.

Davos, Switzerland review

Our rating: 77%

Glorious pistes amid spectacular scenery. The large town shares the Parsenn ski area with Klosters.

Sainte-Foy-Tarentaise, France review

Our rating: 77%

Ste Foy is the little resort with a big reputation - for good-quality snow, some very agreeable groomers, and the kind of off-piste that can tempt skiers away from Val d'Isère. What people really like about this place, however, is the laid-back atmosphere.

Kicking Horse, Canada review

Our rating: 77%

It's a seductive combination: rugged terrain, a ski-in, ski-out village, and a top-notch restaurant, all set in a location which, to us Brits, seems like the end of the earth. If you feel the call of the wild, but don't want to sacrifice your creature comforts, then it's a great choice - provided you've got somewhere else to go after three or four days.

Banff-Lake Louise, Canada review

Our rating: 76%

Banff National Park is home to some of the most stunning scenery we've ever seen - and three self-contained ski resorts. Taken together, they offer an unusually varied skiing/boarding experience - provided you don't come expecting thigh-deep deep powder.

Champoluc/Monterosa, Italy review

Our rating: 76%

Italy's very own Three Valleys are home to the most underrated skiing in the Alps - both on-piste and off. It's a pity they don't get more consistent snowfall.

Vail Resorts/Jeff Affleck

Beaver Creek, USA review

Our rating: 76%

Vail's posh neighbour isn't just a refuge for the super-rich. There's some fantastic fall-line skiing to be had here too.

swiss-image.ch

St Moritz, Switzerland review

Our rating: 76%

Squirreled away in the south-eastern corner of Switzerland, St Moritz feels like the capital of another country altogether - one in which everyone wears Prada. But don't let all the glitz distract you from the quality of the skiing. There are some gorgeous, intermediate-friendly pistes here.

Peter Mathis

Lech-Zurs, Austria review

Our rating: 76%

Lech and Zürs are about as posh as they come. They're about as snowy as they come, too - much snowier, in fact than their near-neighbour St Anton. So why aren't they better known by the powder pigs?

Ischgl, Austria review

Our rating: 76%

Ischgl is overlooked by the Brits - which is baffling, given its full-throttle nightlife and high-quality intermediate pistes. Some may find it a bit too, well, Germanic, but if you like your après as much as your skiing, and think you might be too old for St Anton, then put it on your hit-list.

Baqueira-Beret, Spain review

Our rating: 75%

Spain's smartest resort, set amid dramatic Pyrenean scenery and patronized by the Spanish Royal Family.

Les Arcs, France review

Our rating: 75%

It may be another of those fractured, purpose-built French resorts, but the high-quality terrain around it means Les Arcs is very far from being awful. Intermediates, experts and freestylers will all like it - the experts most of all. The half-baked "villages" are improving, too.

www.campiglio.to

Madonna di Campiglio, Italy review

Our rating: 75%

Madonna di Campiglio has a lot to offer for a resort of modest-size: top-notch mountain restaurants, award-winning grooming, classic black pistes and Italy's best terrain park. The town is a charmer too.

Engelberg, Switzerland review

Our rating: 74%

Tall, steep and narrow, Engelberg's ski area is home to two of the best off-piste runs in the Alps. Not bad for a resort nobody's heard of.

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy review

Our rating: 74%

Italy's top ski town is rich in old world charm and reigns supreme against the backdrop of craggy peaks.

Keystone, Colorado review

Our rating: 74%

The largest floodlit ski area in North America

Guy Miller

Avoriaz, France review

Our rating: 74%

The highest, most snowsure resort in the giant Portes du Soleil ski area, Avoriaz has a kooky charm - and a superb array of terrain parks. It's a great destination in a good snow year: much less so when the snow's thin on the lower slopes.

Saas-Fee Tourismus

Saas Fee, Switzerland review

Our rating: 73%

Saas Fee is one of the most charming and snow-sure resorts in the Alps. It's also home to one of the world's finest intermediate descents. A shoo-in, then, for our top ten? Not quite - because if you're an expert or a high-mileage cruiser, you'll get bored here after three or four days. For most of us, it'll only ever be a short-break destination.

www.altabadia.org

San Cassiano, Italy review

Our rating: 73%

Plush hotels, and even better restaurants, make little San Cassiano one of the best ski resorts in Europe for a lush and lazy break. And when you're done eating, there are some lovely, intermediate-grade pistes to try, which link into the massive Sella Ronda circuit.

François Maire

Alpe d'Huez, France review

Our rating: 73%

Set on a sunny plateau south of Grenoble, Alpe d'Huez is home to the world's longest black piste, as well as skiing's largest area of nursery slopes. The resort itself is a long way from being beautiful - but at least the nasty apartment blocks are dirt cheap.

Scott Markewitz/Heavenly

Heavenly, USA review

Our rating: 73%

A quirky resort straddling the California-Nevada border, with spectacular views from the top, and four stonking great casinos at the bottom. It suits all standards, and there are 14 other ski areas nearby to explore.

Serre Chevalier, France review

Our rating: 73%

Think of it as the laid-back, country cousin of the A-list resorts further north - a bit smaller, and a bit less high-tech, but also friendlier, more relaxed and with bags more Gallic character. It's just a shame the accommodation is so widely scattered.

OT Flaine/C. Arnal

Flaine, France review

Our rating: 73%

It's been stuck in a time-warp for forty-years, but now everyone's woken up to how snowy Flaine is, and how much intermediate-friendly skiing is to be found here. As a result, the builders are back in town, and the ageing infrastructure is beginning to improve.

www.saalbach.com

Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria review

Our rating: 73%

If only Saalbach-Hinterglemm's circuit of pistes were a little higher, it would rank as one of the classics. The variable condition of the snow doesn't seem to bother its fans however. They come to party as much as to ski.

Gasteinertal, Austria review

Our rating: 73%

The ancient watering-hole of Bad Gastein sits on a giant reservoir of bath-temperature thermal water. The skiing is mainly intermediate and it's popular with snowboarders.

Furano, Japan review

Our rating: 73%

This is one of the major resorts on the Northern Island of Hokkaido, and it's set around one large hotel. The Hokkaido resorts have the best off-piste conditions in Japan and some of the greatest powder in the world.

Courmayeur Tourism

Courmayeur, Italy review

Our rating: 73%

Lively old town on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, with dramatic scenery, but limited piste skiing. We love it - but only for a short, sharp weekend, which includes several stops in its superb restaurants.

www.altabadia.org

Corvara, Italy review

Our rating: 72%

An attractive, sophisticated village with great hotels and restaurants, and superb scenery. The intermediate-level skiing is extensive, and underrated.

Alessandro Trovati/Südtirol Marketing

Ortisei, Italy review

Our rating: 72%

The lowest and one of the most attractive of the Val Gardena villages, with links into both the Sella Ronda and the scenic Alpe de Suisi ski areas

Alessandro Trovati/Südtirol Marketing

Santa Cristina, Italy review

Our rating: 72%

The on-piste skiing is sensational in the Val Gardena - and Santa Cristina is set slap bang in the middle of all the different sectors. But it's quiet at night. Don't come looking for apres-ski action.

Tremblant, Canada review

Our rating: 72%

Tremblant is a rarity in North America: a ski-in, ski-out resort that has lots going on in town. The village is pretty and has real character, with a French je ne sais quoi, while the skiing caters for all levels.

Steamboat, USA review

Our rating: 72%

Colorado's snowiest resort is also the best for anyone who wants to burnish his or her tree-skiing skills. Families will love it too.

Les Deux Alpes, France review

Our rating: 72%

Gorgeous scenery and a large ski area with a snow-sure glacier served by a modern lift system. The resort is a no-frills sort of place but the nightlife is lively.

welove2ski.com

Moena/Val di Fassa, Italy review

Our rating: 72%

Moena isn't a ski-in, ski-out resort. But it is a short drive from several separate areas of superb pistes, set amidst stunning scenery in the Val di Fassa. For those who don't mind day-tripping to the slopes, it's a canny choice. The pistes are every bit as good as they are in A-list resorts, but the prices are much lower.

Murren, Switzerland review

Our rating: 72%

If the mountains move you, then go to Mürren. The views from its slopes are the most stunning you'll see in Europe or North America. It's just a shame there isn't more skiing here - it's best visited on a short, three or four-night break.

Roberto Besana

Canazei, Italy review

Our rating: 72%

One of the main bases for Sella Ronda skiers, Canazei is an attractive little ski resort set amidst stunning Dolomite scenery. Posh, it ain't - but who needs posh in the current economic climate? What's more, the Fassa Valley in which it's set offers plenty of less crowded pistes than those girdling the Sella massif.

Saint Lary, France review

Our rating: 72%

Compact, traditional and very friendly, Saint-Lary Soulan is a firm favourite (in other seasons, too) with French and Spanish families. Something of a well-kept secret among Brits, but when the snow's good so is the skiing - much better than it looks on the piste-map.

Wengen, Switzerland review

Our rating: 71%

A car-free traditional resort with a large intermediate ski area linked to Grindelwald. A good place for beginners and intermediates but not for families with small ski-age children.

Südtirol Marketing

Kronplatz, Italy review

Our rating: 71%

Kronplatz is a big up-turned pudding of a mountain in the South Tyrol, served by of the most sophisticated network of gondolas in the world. The Germans love it, and many Brits will too - provided they're not looking to party as hard as they ski.

La Rosiere, France review

Our rating: 71%

The French half of an intermediate ski area shared with La Thuile in Italy's Aosta Valley.

La Thuile, Italy review

Our rating: 71%

La Thuile shares its slopes with La Rosière on the French side of the Col du Petit St Bernard. The road over the pass is closed in winter, but the ski link is easy, though potentially windy and chilly.

Les Carroz, France review

Our rating: 70%

A traditional chalet-style resort that is part of the vast Grand Massif ski area (along with Flaine) and is a good weekend destination

Laax, Switzerland review

Our rating: 70%

Laax is one of Switzerland's largest and most snowsure ski areas with a big vertical drop, and a good choice of hotels and mountain restaurants. For years it languished in the B-list, but lately has become a powerhouse of the international freestyle scene. Now every young gun worth his or her bullets wants to be seen here.

Ötztal Tourismus

Obergurgl/Hochgurgl, Austria review

Our rating: 70%

Obergurgl has been popular with families since the 1960s. It's a charming, high-altitude resort with magnificent scenery, a long ski season and cheerful (but not hectic) après-ski.

Sierre Anniviers Tourisme

Grimentz, Switzerland review

Our rating: 70%

Grimentz is the skiing hub of the Val d'Anniviers, the hanging valley set high above the town of Sierre. It's not as secret as people make out, but it still has lots of rustic charm - and some awesome off-piste skiing, too.

Solden, Austria review

Our rating: 70%

Sölden is in the same long valley as Obergurgl and offers similar, high-altitude, intermediate-friendly skiing. It has two glaciers to boot. What's strikingly different, however, is the nightlife - which is younger and wilder than its neighbour's - and the lack of Brits.

TVB Mayrhofen

Mayrhofen, Austria review

Our rating: 70%

It's by no means the most convenient resort in the world - but Mayrhofen's top-notch terrain park, intermediate-friendly pistes and throbbing nightlife ensure a loyal following. Bizarrely, given all the après action - which can get pretty rowdy at times - it also has a family-friendly reputation.

Soldeu-El Tarter, Andorra review

Our rating: 70%

Soldeu and the adjoining village of El Tarter have considerable charm and provide the most agreeable base in the principality. It suits those in search of creature comforts and good, easy skiing.

Les Houches, France review

Our rating: 70%

A family-friendly resort in the Chamonix Valley, with good tree-skiing and a revered World Cup downhill course. Ski area linked by lift but not by piste to St-Gervais.

OT Samoëns

Samoens, France review

Our rating: 70%

Samoëns may share its ski area with purpose-built Flaine, but it couldn't be more different. This is, officially, one of France's "Monuments Historiques" - a pretty and ancient village surrounded by magnificent cliffs and mountains, which just happens to have a ski area attached.

Megeve, France review

Our rating: 69%

Megève used to be the poshest ski resort in France - and it still has more than its fair share of luscious hotels and restaurants. It has a some great, intermediate-friendly skiing too, and a helpful micro-climate influenced by Mont Blanc. We just wish it was a little higher.

Sun Peaks, Canada review

Our rating: 69%

It's like a mini-Whistler: small, well-designed, and offering something for (almost) everyone. Beginners and ambitious intermediates in particular will have a ball. Sybarites too - thanks to the Delta Sun Peaks Resort.

OT La Plagne

La Plagne, France review

Our rating: 69%

La Plagne is a big but bitty resort - made up of ten mainly purpose-built villages, linked by an ageing lift system. Thankfully, both buildings and lifts are now being updated, and the recent cable car link to Les Arcs has added an extra dimension. The skiing ranges from bland to bloody terrifying.

OT Vaujany

Vaujany, France review

Our rating: 69%

Vaujany is a rare and special thing: a small, relaxing village which is linked into a big, modern lift system (courtesy of neighbouring Alpe d'Huez). If you like your skiing action-packed, but your evenings quiet, it'll fit the bill perfectly.

Cervinia, Italy review

Our rating: 69%

Man, it's ugly. But that's only if you keep an eye on the architecture. Look up, and there's the mighty southern face of the Matterhorn, towering overhead. The skiing can be impressive too, so long as you're an intermediate, and the weather holds...

Les Orres, France review

Our rating: 68%

A longstanding favourite with locals - and about to be discovered.

foto tonina Archivio Apt

Andalo, Italy review

Our rating: 68%

Andalo is big with the Italians - and almost no-one else. But this modest ski resort, perched on a cliff above the Val d'Adige, deserves wider recognition, both for the quality of its intermediate pistes, and its family-friendly atmosphere.

Val Cenis, France review

Our rating: 67%

Traditional working villages which know how to make visitors feel welcome

Pila , Italy review

Our rating: 66%

Yes, it's small. But it's high and north-facing too - and the lift company keeps the pistes in superb condition. Nobody comes here, except school parties and locals, and the accommodation is cheap. In other words, this is a great place for a bargain-basement three-day break.

Pas de la Casa, Andorra review

Our rating: 66%

Andorra's frontier town is suitable for anyone looking for raw partying with piste-bashing, also for bargain-hunting shoppers

Big White, Canada review

Our rating: 66%

The attractive little village has doorstep skiing and great powder, but it's better suited to families than party goers.

Westendorf, Austria review

Our rating: 66%

A lovely Tyrolean village with the best and highest terrain in the SkiWelt, as well as links to Kitzbühel. It's a shame you have to ride the bus to reach its neighbours, though.

Soll, Austria review

Our rating: 65%

Söll is the uncrowned capital of the SkiWelt - Austria's largest interconnected ski area. It's heaven for early intermediates in a good snow season and, during high season, party animals too. Others may find its appeal more limited.

Alpbach, Austria review

Our rating: 65%

Everyone's dream of how a village in the Tyrol should look. The skiing is low-altitude and limited in extent, but is good for laid-back intermediates and families.

Hintertux, Austria review

Our rating: 65%

The best all-year downhill training ground in Europe - national teams spend much of the summer here.

OT Morzine Avoriaz

Morzine, France review

Our rating: 65%

Morzine is a low-lying bustling market town close to Les Gets within the giant Portes du Soleil region. In a good snow year, you'll have a ball here. In a bad year, you'd better bring your wellies.

Les Gets, France review

Our rating: 65%

Les Gets is a traditional Savoyard village close to Morzine in the vast Portes du Soleil ski area, which is popular with families.

Are, Sweden review

Our rating: 64%

Scandinavia's only truly world-class downhill ski resort, suited to all standards of skier and snowboarder, as well as families.

Le Grand Bornand, France review

Our rating: 64%

Accessible, relaxed and very authentic, Le Grand Bornand is much-loved by generations of French family skiers. Of those Brits who know of it, many learned to ski here, on safe, reassuring terrain which is just ideal. Long upstaged by nearby La Clusaz, the resort is nevertheless steadily raising its game.

Pal-Arinsal , Andorra review

Our rating: 64%

Friendly area with good nightlife, an excellent ski school, easy intermediate slopes, and some of the best snow-cover in the principality.

Neustift + Stubaital, Austria review

Our rating: 63%

A cute village in a stunning valley, Neustift is tailor-made for first-time families. But the only other people who'll warm to it are those who want to ski out of season, on the nearby glacier.

Trentino S.p.A./Ronny Kiaulehn

Cavalese/Val di Fiemme, Italy review

Our rating: 63%

Cavalese is more medieval town than ski resort - the biggest town in fact in the wide-open, sunny Valle di Fiemme. But it just so happens that there's some good skiing at Alpe Cermis, next door, and four other modestly-sized ski areas nearby. All are part of the vast Dolomiti Superski region, and if you don't mind commuting, then this is a cheap and attractive base from which to explore it.

Passo Tonale, Italy review

Our rating: 63%

Good-value village with snowsure skiing from late October until early May, as well as year-round skiing on the glacier.

St Johann in Tyrol, Austria review

Our rating: 63%

An unpretentious Tyrolean village with an attractive medieval centre - but sprawling suburbs. The lift system is a good one and the slopes are flattering and unchallenging.

Montgenevre, France review

Our rating: 63%

Montgenèvre lies at French end of the Milky Way lift system. It's snowier and a lot more charming than its Italian neighbours, but rather cut off from the bulk of the Milky Way pistes. It's best skied by beginners, less confident intermediates and families as a result.

Resort reviews