VAL THORENS, FRANCE
At 2,300m Val Thorens is the hightest resort in Europe (slopes 1,260m-3,230m) – and with 99 percent of its ski area above 2,000m, the white stuff is guaranteed. It’s part of the vast 600km Three Valleys area, but Val Thorens offers skiing for all levels across a 150km pistes. The majority of runs are intermediate blues and reds; there is also some fantastic off-piste to be found. The powder is reliably good here, too. Try the famed Lac du Lou, 1,400m of vertical easily accessed from the Cime de Caron.
This year a ski-cross course is opening, and two new ski schools have opened offering ski touring for beginners and ‘ski fitness’ at reasonable prices. Last year Val Thorens also opened the highest zip line in the world at 3,200m, offering a two-minute, 1,300m flight 250m above a glacier for €50. It was also one of the first to offer a drone camera: you hire a flying camera and its operator to film you on the slopes, and take home the 10-minute video (from €50).
Val Thorens is home to a number of Michelin-starred chefs and luxury hotels, including the Koh-I-Nor and the Altapura. As for nightlife and après? La Folie Douce is here (valthorens.com).
ST. ANTON, AUSTRIA
The Tyrolean resort of St. Anton has a reputation as a ski party resort, and with good reason – the Krazy Kanguruh and Mooserwirt are perennial favourites and not for the faint-hearted. But this resort is also famed for the world-class ski area it shares with Lech, Zurs, Sonnenkopf, Klosterle and , as of last season, Warth-Schrocken. For this reason, powder hounds need sit up and take note. Warth is Europe’s snowiest resort, accruing an exceptional 36 feet of the stuff each year – almost as much as the snowiest resorts in North America.
You don’t have to travel to Warth for off-piste, though; the opportunities in St. Anton are plentiful. Choose runs from Rendl, Albona and the Valluga. The majority of its 340km of slopes are blues and reds, so plenty for intermediates to enjoy - particularly in the Rendl area. There’s not quite so much for beginner, but Nasserein is good if you are learning and want a quiet break.
Austria being Austria, the après-ski isn’t confined to the pistes. The entire town will have kicked off by 4pm, particularly Base Camp at the bottom of the slopes. Expect live music and traditional bars, and skiers and boarder eating in their kit later in the evening. The best thing about Austria is that you can ski, party, eat and head to bed early enough that you can wake up reasonably fresh to do the same thing again tomorrow.
NISEKO, JAPAN
An average season in Niseko, on the island of Hokkaido, brings a incredible 11m of snow; no wonder Japan enjoys cult status among skiers. It’s a rough journey: you fly for hours into Tokyo or Osaka, then another two to Sapporo, followed by a couple of hour in a bus.
The rewards, however, are handsome. The best time to go is between December and the end of February, and you can almost guarantee waist-deep powder. The Japanese don’t really ski off-piste and Niseko is one of the few resorts where it is permitted, so you won’t be competing for fresh tracks. Hiring a guide will help you to stay safe and get the most out of it.
There’s a huge night-skiing operation in Niseko, all three areas of slopes are open until around 9pm every evening. The lift system is quite mixed and includes some rather interesting varieties. Lodging is a mix between ski-in, ski-out hotels at the Annupuri and Niseko Village bases. You could try the town of Hirafu, which has free buses to the mountain base every 20 minutes.
LES DEUX ALPES, FRANCE
You can rely on Les Deux Alpes to have good snow. It has a glacier open during the summer and autumn for skiing; if all else fails, you can bank on brilliant, natural snow above 2,200m. The resort has 203km of pistes, but it’s not all about downhill and powder; Les Deux Alpes is home to one of the best terrain parks in the Alps, Freestyle Land, with sections for beginners and families as well as slopestyle, a halfpipe, big air and snowcross.
Another generous innovation is the beginners’ area. Whereas most resort have little piste free for children at the base of the mountain, there are five here that are free to use – great for beginners to learn without breaking the bank.
Les Deux Alpes has a 2km main street, with lifts and pistes arranged fairly evenly from one end of the village to the other, so lots of the accommodation is properly ski-in, ski-out. There’s a choice of greens, a fairlynew red and some blacks back to the resort, but these can get a bit busy and bumpy. Good news, then that a blue is currently being built; although it won’t be open until the 2015/16 season.
One more bonus: if you buy a six-day lift pass, you can ski in La Grave (seriously steep, expert terrain with cult status), and have two days in nearby Alpe d’Huez and Serre Chevalier. A free bus runs to Alpe d’Huez twice a week, but if you’re feeling flush you can do a day return heli trip for 70 euro.
WHISTLER, CANADA
Though based in North America, Whistler has an almost Alpine charm. It’s relatively easy to get to, you fly into Vancouver then it’s a two-hour drive. Whistler Village’s two mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb, combine to form the biggest ski area in North America, covering 4,200 acres of pistes, with huge variety – from the high black diamond bowls and glaciers to lovely long tree-lined runs.
A 2010 Winter Olympics throwback is two fantastic terrain parks: one on each mountain, with an Olympic-standard halfpipe in Blackcomb. There are different areas to try out, from the beginner’s Big Easy Terrain Garden to the XL Highest Level Park, in which helmets are mandatory.
It’s fun to take the peak-to-peak gondola from Blackcomb to Whistler, but only if you have a head for heights. The journey is around two miles, and some cabins have glass bottoms.
Off the mountain, there is a big range of accommodation, including a fair few ski-in, ski-out options – unusual for the area. It has a pretty lively nightlife as well.
ALPE D’HUEZ, FRANCE
Set above the treeline on a sunny plateau, Alpe d’Huez has a big ski area (250km) that knocks the socks off some others. This year, 72 snow cannons have been installed on the 16km Sarenne black down the back of Pic Blanc, in the hope of keeping it open for the whole season.
Alpe d’Huez enjoys more than 300 days of sunshine and fantastic views: on a clear day you can see one-figth of France from the Pic Blanc. Being sunny has its downsides: some sections of the resort’s four distinct areas (Pic Blanc, Signal de l’homme, Signal and Vaujany/Oz) can be susceptible to ice.
Alpe d’Huez axcels for biginners, with a vast network of greens just above the village. And the arrival of La Folie Douce last season was big news. The legendary high-actane open-air club sits at the top of the Plat de Marmottes at 2,300m; it also offers fine dining in its La Fruitiere restaurant.
The resort base is huge, with plenty of accommodation options; there is a wide range of self-catering options, too, with an equally good choice for eating out.
OBERGURGL, AUSTRIA
There are plenty of reasons why this high Tyrolean resort is such a firm favourite. It’s reliably snow-sure; within easy reach of Innsbruck airport, has quiet, traditional village with fabulous après-ski on the mountain; and offers plenty for beginners, lower intermediates and families. The lift system is quick, and the compact village is home to some excellent four-star hotels offering half-board accommodation.
Obergurfl has a compact 110km of skiing over three topographically different areas all linked by lifts, with plenty of gently rolling reds set above the treeline on Festkogl and Hohe Mut. Catch the Top Express gondola over the slightly higher Hochgurgl, and enjoy stunning views of the Dolomites from the top and runs through the trees at the bottom.
Obergurgl has few challenging blacks – they make up just 18 per cent of the ski area – so it’s not somewhere expert skiers would flock. But therein lies the key; there are some great off-piste, and when conditions are right you can get fresh tracks all day.
Its other selling point is its party scene, it not too rowdy and begins at the Nederhutte at the Hohe Mut mid-station.
COURMAYEUR, ITALY
A brilliant option for short breaks, at only an hour and a half from Geneva, Courmayeur has a charming, car-free village that oozes Italian sophistication. It can get busy at weekends, and some people might find its 39km of pistes fairly limiting, but Megeve and Chamonix are both only a short drive away.
Courmayeur is home to a stage of the Freeride World Tour, the annual freeride competition for both skiers and snowboarders, which speaks volumes about what there is to do off-piste here. The Couloir de Dolone and Cresta d’Arp are a couple of goodies, and if your budget stretches to heli-drops there is a wonderful 20km run from the Ruitor glacier that finishes up near St. Foy in France.
For those in search of a more leisurely pace, food is king here, and you would be hard pushed to find a bad meal on the mountain. There are rustic restaurants aplenty, with dining moving a little more upmarket in the village.
Being spoilt for choice isn’t limited to the food – there are more than 50 hotels, from simple three-stars to top-end five-stars such as the Royal e Golf, bang in the town centre.
COURCHEVEL, FRANCE
Four different villages make up this iconic resort in the Three Villeys: each with a different character and all with something special to offer, not least fabulous accommodation. The villages have been rebranded in recent years, but most people haven’t yet got to grips with the new names. What was Courchevel 1850 is now just plain Courchevel; it is where most people choose to stay, and plays host to the main lift hub and no fewer than six two-Michelin star restaurants.
There is plenty of ski-in, ski-out accommodation here. Some of the pistes can get crowded, but for a good reason – the skiing is lovely, with something for everyone.
If you do find it a bit busy, head to Courchevel Moriond (formerly Courchevel 1650). In bad weather, there is tree skiing down to La Tania at 1,350m, with easy greens and blues and a new six-man chair out offering quicker access back up to Courchevel valley. If you are after more testing stuff, head high to La Saulire. There is lots of off-piste at La Vizelle, too.
VERBIER, SWITZERLAND
Verbier is home to some world-class off-piste, much of it easily reached from the lifts with or without a short hike. It has extensive pistes: 412km across Les 4 Vallees of Nendaz, Bruson, Veysonnaz and Thyon, with which it shares a lift pass. And, in recent years, it has upgraded the routes back down to the town.
Off the slopes, Verbier has it all. After a rash of luxury hotels opening in recent years (W, Nevai, Chalet Adrian and Cordee des Alpes), this year the three-star Hotel Montpelier reopens, promising better value in pricey resort. The chalet market in Switzerland is taking a hit this year after changes in employment law, which has impacted the smaller more budget end of the market. There will be less of this on offer.
For après-ski, Les Ruinettes wil be the place to go for on-mountain partying after a change of ownership – or head to Le Rouge at the foot of the slopes if you prefer an easier trip home. Party until dawn at the W, Twin Peaks or the Farm Clud.