Skiing
European ski resort guide: The best snow resorts in Europe
Wondering which ski resort is best for you this winter? You’ve come to the right place…
Winter has officially arrived, which can only mean one thing – it’s time to slide down some snowy mountains. But which snowy mountains are you going to choose?
There are over 1,700 ski resorts in Europe, and some of them are better than others. Some are good for freestyle, some are good for keeping pennies in your pocket, some are good for beginners, or for more experienced riders, and some are good for, well, partying.
Here are some of the best. No matter what your experience, budget or speciality, you'll find a ski resort for you below.
Best ski resorts for beginners
Les 2 Alpes, France
Some resorts have all their learner and beginner runs down at the bottom of the mountain, which – while sensical and convenient – means beginners can miss out on the views. This is why we love Les Deux Alpes. The beginner runs in L2A, at the top of the Jandri Express 1 ski lift, are at the top of the mountain, giving stunning views out over the area, and there’s plenty of runs to graduate onto once you’ve aced your lessons.
There are also a handful of nursery slope lifts in L2A that are free, so you can get your footing and learn the absolute basics instead of paying for a lift pass right way.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: €255
Saas-Fee, Switzerland
Saas-Fee is another resort where the beginners don't miss out on the scenery. Here, the secluded nursery slopes look out onto 4000m-plus peaks, and are served by T-bars exclusively for beginners, so don't worry if you fall off the tow – someone else is probably about to do the same. There are easy blue runs to graduate onto on the main piste area at Felskinn too.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: approx. 365 CHF
Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, Austria
The only thing that makes Obergurgl-Hochgurgl ski resort a little difficult for UK beginners is the fact that it’s an incredibly hard name to say out loud if you don’t speak German. Apart from that, it’s a great resort for learning. You can make your way around the majority of the 112km of pistes on easy runs, enjoying glacial slopes going up to 3,080m, which make the resort incredibly snow-sure. If you weren't sold, the town itself is very cute as well.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: €293.50 (and any ski pass over three days automatically gives you for the valley-wide Ötztal Super Skipass)
Best ski resorts for advanced skiers
Verbier, Switzerland
Verbier is a bit of a ridiculous place. It’s expensive. In fact, it’s so expensive that it was once featured on 'Made in Chelsea'. These are the kinds of people who have been known to go and snowboard or ski – let’s be honest, it’s probably ski – in Verbier. But there’s also the other side to the mountain. The side that offers some of the fiercest descents, drops and routes not only in Switzerland but in all of Europe. It didn’t get that ‘Xtreme’ tag for nothing, and the annual comp held there as part of the Freeride World Tour is the perfect example of just what Verbier can offer advanced skiers.
It's just one part of the 400km of pistes under the banner of les 4 Vallées area, which includes the resorts of Nendaz, Thyon, Veysonnaz, Bruson and La Tzoumaz. If you want to save some cash, staying a bit out of town isn’t a bad option.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: 340 CHF
Chamonix, France
The centre of Chamonix isn’t the prettiest in the world. But it is a big town with big après, and importantly is surrounded by big, famous mountains – namely Mont Blanc.
Chamonix’s elaborate valley lift system and five resorts accommodate all sorts of riding, but for the best of the tough stuff you’re going to want to leave the pistes, so safety equipment, training and knowhow is essential.
Probably the most famous off-piste route in Chamonix, or Europe for that matter, is the Vallée Blanche, down the other side of the Aiguille du Midi lift. It's long, insanely beautiful, and a challenging ride too.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: €265
Zermatt, Switzerland
We’ve talked about Mont Blanc, so it's only fair to talk about the resort beneath one of Europe’s other truly great mountains, the Matterhorn.
Zermatt is an incredibly beautiful resort. The inimitable Matterhorn will stick around in the background of your breakfast, lunch and family photos, and brings a special air to the skiing; the ever-present giant in the background.
The off-piste in Zermatt is fantastic, provided you've got the gear and are experienced enough to take it on. There are 28km of official freeride routes, and the Freeride World Tour are no strangers here either. You can even get a day's heli-skiing on Monte Rosa for about £250 – an experience you won't be forgetting soon.
The Matterhorn Ski Paradise pass also allows you to cross the mountaintop and ski Cervinia, where there’s great freestyle options and a beautiful little town. Grab a pizza lunch and shred for a bit in Italy before heading back to the pistes in Switzerland to end your day.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: 338 CHF
Best ski resorts for freestyle
Laax, Switzerland
Laax has four terrain parks, a mini pipe, superpipe, 43km of freeride routes and has been home to the Burton European Open/Laax Open for years. All of this means that it's probably the best place for freestyle in Europe.
There’s an enormous variety of features in each park that are tailored to accommodate every level of rider, and dedicated freestyle pistes where the features and hits change daily.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: 310 CHF
Livigno, Italy
Livigno isn't the easiest resort to get to, snuck away on the Italian-Swiss border. In fact, the quickest journey in is from Innsbruck in Austria, but it's definitely worth the effort.
The main park on Mottolino – where Team GB Park and Pipe have their set up – has kickers for days and a hell of a Superpipe.
There's a second huge park at Carosello that's more suited to intermediate riders and several other parks for beginners, so it's great to head to if you're still getting the hand of freestyle and aren't quite at the stage of sending yourself down an Olympic pipe.
Another huge bonus of Livigno? A special tax dating back to Napoleonic times means that there's no VAT (don't question it!), making the food, goods and drink some of the cheapest in Europe. That long transfer doesn't seem so bad now, does it?
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: €242
Best ski resorts for après
Les 3 Vallées, France
Between Meribel and Val Thorens alone, the mammoth of European skiing that is Les 3 Vallées has enough après to seemingly contain half the world’s skiing student population at any one time. And for good reason too.
The saxophone-wielding, house music-playing, table-dancing, riotous après bar La Folie Douce has set ups in both Meribel and Val Thorens, Bar 360 in VT is as close a rival to La Folie Douce as you’ve got in France, attracting household DJ names, and Le Malaysia club in Val Thorens is famous for its wild parties – for the right and wrong reasons.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: €306
St. Anton, Switzerland
Ask any group of skiers or snowboarders where the best après in Europe is and there’s a good chance that at least one will softly whisper 'St. Anton' under their breath, slowly shaking their head as they do so.
Not only is St. Anton a dreamland for advanced skiing – probably a solid reason why the après got so big there in the first place – but it’s a party haven too.
The Mooserwirt calls itself the 'world's baddest' après, and is everything you want from an oompah après. Tapletop dancing, large amounts of beer, cheesy tunes and a DJ who, if he lived in Britain, would struggle to get hired for a high school disco. What's not to love?
Krazy Kanguruh provides a slightly cooler après meanwhile, and Underground on the Piste normally has live music.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: €289
Mayrhofen, Austria
There are two main kinds of après in Mayrhofen. There’s the Snowbombing après – the après inspired by and including the biggest snow festival in the world, with some of the biggest names in house and rap playing in the small Austrian town every year – and there’s the more traditional Austrian ski resort après, inspired entirely by cheesy oompah and europop. So whether you prefer Fatboy Slim or Eurovision – we won’t judge either way, don’t worry – you’re all sorted here. And the skiing and snowboarding isn't half bad either.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: €256.50
Best ski resorts on a budget
Bansko, Bulgaria
Quickly becoming a staple resort for the British rider travelling on a budget, Bansko has invested heavily in resort lifts and features in recent years and is popular for a good reason.
When the snow comes here, it won’t be a quiet day on the mountain, but leave the piste and you should find fresh lines as easily as you’ll find a £2 pint at the bar later in the day.
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: 340 Bulgarian Leva (about £151)
Jasná, Slovakia
OK. Nobody panic, but you can get a pint – yes, of beer – in Jasná, Slovakia for about 65p.
Right. You’re still calm? Oh. You’ve already packed your bag and are leaving for the airport? OK. Well, on you go. You'll find a bunch of awesome tree runs when you get to Jasná. Huge investment in recent years has the resort pretty well connected too, and who doesn’t love a goulash to end a day of skiing?
Price for 6-Day Adult Ski Pass: €199
