You can lug your skies and enthusiasm to Les Trois Vallees, Lech, Zurich or Zermatt for a guaranteed high altitude hoot. The ski resort classics rarely disappoint – from the impeccably groomed and snow cannon-blasted pistes to the treacle glow of the Alpine villages, lethargic on fondu excess and génépy. You’d be wise to head here in time for any powder dumps, but you wouldn’t be original.
You also risk, particularly in school holiday spots, choked up pistes where spontaneous twists and turns are thwarted by Fendi-clad Bambi beginners and chaotic pole and ski traffic from all angles – the Champs Elysees sort. For the delicious sound of skies carving through a silent, glistening winterscape, it’s worth taking resort decisions off grid, to unsung corners of the Alps (often curiously close to the hot tickets) or further afield – north to Scandinavia’s frozen fjords perhaps, or east to Bulgaria’s regal Rila mountain range.
As chalet roofs grow plump with snow and mountain pit stops replenish their wood and wine reserves, why not consider one of Europe’s most underrated ski resorts for this winter season?
