Best Ski Areas

This 'best of' category actually encompasses ski areas as well as individual large ski resorts. It's about the mileage you can do on the slopes! Our top 10 is actually about 14 and we've focussed on the ski areas - we've even split some out into country for you! Ski areas usually possess a mixture of large villages and smaller villages at the heart of a large ski area. So from the Three Valleys to the Arlberg, the Milky Way to the Graubünden, check out our top 10 below.

Top Ski Areas & Resorts

So that you don't get stuck in one resort with one set of slopes, large ski areas allow you to enjoy and explorte vast areas of mountains all interlinked by lifts and pistes. Our top ski areas are all in Europe where the mountains are close together making it perfect to interlink. That doesn't mean there aren't big resorts in the US / Canada, in fact think of Vail and Breckenridge and Snowmass for starters!

Ski Areas in Austria

Check out the top 4 ski areas of note

Arlberg Ski Circus

260km of piste linking St. Anton, St. Christoph, Lech and Zürs: 134 runs, 1 snowboard park all linked by 83 lifts
SkiWelt

The largest ski area in Austria, linking Soll, Scheffau and Ellmau. A total of 250km of piste with 128 runs, 1 fun park and 93 lifts
Zillertal Superski

The interlinked ski resorts of Hippach, Mayrhofen, Finkenberg and Tux make up the 225km of ski runs connected by 62 ski lifts
Ski Juwel

New for 2012/2013, Ski Juwel links Niederau, Oberau and Auffach with Alpbach. 145km of piste and 47 lifts and is ideal for beginners.

Ski Areas in France

Check out 7 Ski Areas of Note

Portes du Soleil

Abondance, Avoriaz, Chatel, Morzine, Les Gets & Champery linking France & Switzerland - 650km of piste, 14 resorts, 288 slopes and 209 lifts
Les Trois Vallees

Courchevel, Meribel and Val Thorens are the 3 main resorts with total of 600km of piste, 293 runs, 2 snowboard parks and 185 ski lifts
Espace Killy

Tignes and Val D'Isere make up the Espace Killy ski area. Made up of 300kms of piste with 137 different runs to choose from, 9 slalom stadiums, 2 mogul fields, 2 halfpipes, 2 snowparks and 97 lifts
Domaine de la Foret Blanche

Risoul and neighbouring ski resort Vars combine together to create the largest ski area in the Southern French Alps. Offering 180km of piste, 104 runs, 1 snowboard park and 57 lifts
Espace San Bernardo

The Espace San Bernado links la Rosiere in France with La Thuile in Italy giving you a choice of 73 runs, 2 slalom stadiums, 1 ski jump, and 1 snowpark spread over 150km with 37 lifts
Le Grand Massif

Flaine, Les Carroz, Morillon, Samoens and Sixt, together make a total of 265km of piste, 133 runs, 78 lifts and 1 snowpark, known as Le Grand Massif ski area
Paradiski

425km of piste shared between les Arcs and La Plagne make up the ski holiday area Paradiski: 238 slopes, 143 ski lifts, 4 snowparks and 2 half pipes

Ski Areas in Italy

Check out Two Great Ski Areas

The Milky Way

5 ski villages form the Milky Way ski area in Italy; Cesana, Claviere, Sansicario, Sauze d'Oulx and Sestriere. Offering 400km of piste, 140 ski slopes, 93 lifts and 1 board park
Dolomiti SuperSki

Over 1200 kms of pistes it's the largest ski area in the world, but not all resorts are linked! Resorts include Selva Val Gardena, Val Di Fassa, Madonna di Campiglio, Alta Badia, Arraba and Cortina and the Sella Ronda circuit.

Ski Areas in Switzerland

Check out A Great Ski Area and Region

Graubünden

Over 1,000 peaks sit in this beautiful Swiss canton - but the resorts are not lift-linked. Including the resorts of Davos, Klosters, Laax, Lenzerheide, Savognin and St Moritz it's an area famed for choice and all-round excellent skiing
The 4 Valleys

400km of piste including the resorts of Nendaz, Thyon, Verbier and Veysonnaz. 100 runs, 1 snowpark, and 95 lifts, this area is well known for its extreme terrain