Our Top Five Skiing Destinations Worldwide

Do you choose where to ski based on proximity to home? Or do you prefer to weigh up factors such as weather, scenery, powder, skiing all day without using the same lift, après-ski and entertainment?

These are our top five resorts across the world:

Courchevel

Courchevel, in France, is very glamorous. It’s part of the Trois Vallees in the Tarentaise valley which means, among other things, that it offers skiing and snowboarding across a famously expansive and very well interlinked area, in fact the most extensive in the world. This of course also means that one can ski in this part of France all year round. Courchevel has carved out a niche in the elegant ski market and certain parts are extremely expensive but it’s most certainly worth a visit … it’s quite unique really.

Kitzbühel

Skiing is a 125 year old tradition in Kitzbühel and the ski area is extensive, stretching across the states of Tirol and Salzburg as well as seven municipalities. Skiers can choose between 57 cable cars or chairlifts and 230 kilometres of slopes covering all levels of difficulty. The medieval car free walled town of Kitzbühel forms the centre of what is probably the most charming and beguiling ski town in the world. It seems that nowhere else can quite match it for a sense of history and tradition.

St Moritz

Prestigious St. Moritz is true winter playground of the international jet set. The St. Moritz village is situated at the centre of the elongated Engadin valley, which the Inn River passes through. The resort incorporates 5 ski areas and their combined 350 kms of terrain is serviced by 56 lifts. As host to the Engadin Ski Marathon, Nordic skiing is quite popular, and the resort offers 185 kms of cross-country trails around the town as well as non ski activities such as winter horse racing, snow cricket, bobsledding and snowshoeing; both shopping and après-ski are marvellous too.

Vail

Vail resort is unsurprisingly the single largest ski resort on the American continent and boasts three very distinct mountain areas, each with their own features and fortes, including three terrain parks, seven bowls and over 5,000 acres of skiable terrain. It’s very easy to find fresh tracks and actually on average there are only two skiers for every one acre. Many people are concerned about weather especially in other parts of this country and skiing can be varied but Vail boasts the enviable combination of more than 300 days of sunshine and about 10 metres of snow, on average, each year. In terms of where to lay your head, you’ll find some of the best accommodation from the top end of luxury to practical condos. terms of your culinary expectations, you will not be disappointed.

Zermatt

The Matterhorn is possibly the most perfect and iconic mountain on the planet, so why wouldn’t you want to ski beneath it. Zermatt is certainly one of Switzerland’s top resorts, along with Verbier but only Zermatt and the linked Italian resort of Cervinia have the Matterhorn as an awe-inspiring backdrop. You will find world-class skiing here, an excellent snow record, great hotels and incredible restaurants, the majority with an German-Austrian influence. While a tad expensive, it should be skied at least once in any self-respecting skier’s life.