Which destinations make it on the UK’s favourite ski resorts list?
The Ski Club of Great Britain checked in with UK skiers and snowboarders over a five-year period. They have voted on their top five favourite ski resorts for holidays in France, Austria, Italy and Switzerland. Find out if your favourite ski destination make the cut?
The UK’s favourite ski resorts
Results were published in the SkiClub’s Snowsports Analysis. We’ll summarize the results for you here.
Top 5 favourite ski resorts in France
France has long been a favourite among British skiers. A big reason for this is convenience: once you take the ferry or Channel Tunnel to Calais, there are plenty of French blockbuster ski resorts within 8-12 hours. See “Best ski resorts to drive to.”
The winners: La Plagne, Les Arcs, Meribel, Tignes, Val d’Isere
Besides that, says Marion Telsnig from Crystal Ski, “Lift-linked ski areas are what our customers really like – lots and lots of available pistes.” Well France has no shortage of large lift-linked ski areas with plenty of snow and a variety of runs – something for all the family.
Paradiski area
La Plagne and Les Arcs in the Paradiski area both make it into the UK’s top five French resorts. Telsnig says, “This ski area has become the favourite for British skiers as they find all they want in these resorts.”
The extensive, varied pistes of the 425km ski area are largely above 2,000 metres. This means snowsure conditions. Other highlights include easy-to-reach, powder-packed off-piste and plenty of ski-in/ski-out accommodation. La Plagne is the livelier of the two, offering an enormous choice of restaurants and bars catering to the young crowd.
Telsnig adds, “Another advantage is that we offer direct flights from 13 UK airports to Chambéry. This makes the journey to and from resort shorter and more convenient.”
UK skier Tim Baker says, “The high-altitude skiing and great conditions in the Paradiski area are hard to beat, especially on a clear day. If the weather takes a turn you just head down to the lower, wooded runs which are also fun to explore.”
Three Valleys ski area
Meribel is slap-bang in the centre of the 600km 3 Valleys. Of the eight resorts that make up this vast ski area, Meribel is the only one to make it into the UK’s top five French resorts. It beats neighbouring Courchevel and Val Thorens.
Meribel’s local slopes are plenty big enough on their own (150km) with a highly efficient lift system to boot. It is a particular favourite with British snowboarders for its good, varied terrain, snowparks and number of tree runs.
The resort is also one of the more tastefully designed purpose-built French resorts. It features high-quality accommodation, gourmet restaurants and an excellent après-ski atmosphere with regular events such as live bands and shows.
Tignes and Val d’Isere together make up the 300km Espace Killy ski area. It’s no surprise to see them both on the UK’s favourites list. The high-altitude slopes make the area one of the best alpine bets for snowsure skiing and ski-in/ski-out accommodation.
The extensive, varied terrain has some of the best expert skiing around and plenty of lift-served off-piste. Val d’Isere, the prettier of the two, offers a wider choice of après-ski. But keep an eye on the prices – this is one of the most expensive resorts in France.
UK skier Robin Young says, “Val d’Isere is hard to fault for my family. We’ve been coming here for five winters now and we’ve always had excellent snow. Last year my wife and I took off-piste lessons which was a whole new experience and one we’ll definitely be repeating this year.”
Top 5 favourite ski resorts in Austria
Austria is a major lure for UK skiers and snowboarders with its picturesque ski towns, abundant night life and terrific ski and snowboard schools.
The winners: St. Anton, Kaprun/Zell am See, Kitzbühel, Mayrhofen, Obergurgl
St. Anton am Arlberg is a worthy victor. St. Anton is lift-linked with St. Christoph and Stuben. But the Arlberg Pass also covers you for skiing in Lech, Zuers and Oberlech for a combined 260km. The varied terrain, and particularly excellent off-piste, make it a big hit with experts and adventurous intermediates.
Fresh powder here is common, particularly in spring. St. Anton gets more snow than a lot of resorts the same height as weather systems tend to move in from the west, dumping straight on the Arlberg.
The car-free centre offers a lively après-ski scene. In fact it got so raucous that they introduced a ‘no drinking in ski gear’ policy after 8p.m. to discourage drunken behaviour.
Ski the Schmittenhöhe mountain at Kaprun/Zell am Zee. The skiable area is approximately 138 km, including the pistes on the Kitzsteinhorn and Kaprun Maiskogel glacier. The ski pass covers the whole area including transport to and from the glacier which is usually open most of the year, dependent on snowfall. Zell am See is rather unusual in that it’s a low-altitude ski area. Kaprun has plenty of fun off-piste skiing off-piste skiing as well as groomed slopes for intermediates and Austria’s biggest half pipe.
Kitzbühel is a medieval town with an international reputation as one of the world’s favourite ski areas. The global skiing community always comes alive when it’s time for The Hahnekamm – one of the most famous downhill race. Kitzbühel buzzes with life throughout January, even when the big race isn’t in town.
Top 5 favourite ski resorts in Italy
Italian ski resorts are known for being relaxed, family friendly and value for money destinations.
The winners: Cervinia, Courmayeur, Sauze d’Oulx, Selva Gardena, Sestrière
Sauze d’Oulx and Sestrière, the so-called Milky Way villages, are both in the UK’s top five Italian resorts. They belong to the 400km lift-linked Via Lattea ski area which straddles the Italian-French border. The uncrowded slopes, with a mix of tree-lined and open runs, make it ideal for intermediate skiers and there’s good-value accommodation close to the slopes.
Sauze d’Oulx made a name for itself as the “Benidorm of The Alps” for its boisterous nightlife, and you’ll probably hear more English voices here than Italian. Having said that it’s still easy enough to find a quiet family-run restaurant within the pretty cobbled streets of the old centre. The Milky Way resorts are also easy to reach, the closest (Sauze) being just 90km from Turin Airport (a 60-minute drive).
UK Skier Hannah Price says, “We like the small-town friendliness of the Milky Way villages, we’re on first-name terms with a lot of locals, but at the same time it offers a huge and varied terrain.”
Courmayeur is a secretive gateway guarded by Mont Blanc, the highest mountain of the Alps. The resort is well-known and popular with UK visitors. Served by a unique tramway up the mountain, the resort is a centre for fine Italian food, along with exciting sport activities, superior relaxation and prime shopping.
Top 5 favourite ski resorts in Switzerland
When UK holiday-seekers dream, it’s probably beautiful Switzerland that engulfs their unconscious.
The winners: Davos-Klosters, Saas Fee, Verbier, Wengen, Zermatt.
Verbier, in the UK’s Swiss top five, is part of the 410km 4 Valleys ski area. The local ski area is best known for its serious off-piste and each year hosts the finals of the Freeride World Tour. Highlights include the Tortin snowbowl with its huge bumps, the extreme couloirs below Les Attelas, the steep skiing around Mont Gele, and the legendary Col de Gentianes run.
Verbier sits at one end of the extensive 410km 4 Vallees ski area, linking it to Nendaz, Veysonnaz, Thyon and other resorts. The local gondolas and chairs are excellent, but the wider ski area can seem a little sprawling at times and there are a few tedious links.
The sizeable village gets plenty of sun and the lively, varied nightlife is hard to beat, although look out for high prices in bars and restaurants. Be warned, that ski holidays in Switzerland are notoriously expensive.
Top 5 favourite ski resorts in USA and Canada
The Ski Club’s Snowsports Analysis also listed these top five resorts with UK skiers in the USA and Canada:
Winners in USA: Aspen, Breckenridge, Heavenly, Jackson Hole, Vail
Winners in Canada: Banff/Lake Louise/Sunshine, Big White, Fernie, Tremblant, Whistler
Across the whole of North America, Whistler consistently ranks as number one for UK skiers. Telsnig says, “The resort gets huge snowfalls every season and everything here is built for convenience. It has a modern lift system with new Peak 2 Peak gondola to its incredibly wide choice of restaurants on and off the mountain. Vancouver as a city add-on option is also very popular with our customers.”
November 10, 2024
