With a certain cruel irony, the first Covid lockdown coincided with epic powder dumps across the Alps. Here’s hoping for more this ski season, except that possibly we can get out there at some point – because surely nothing will blow away the winter blues like time in the snow. We’ve picked 10 ski resorts in Europe, from comforting old favourites to more off-radar picks and spots that are on the up. We’ve tried to cover different ways of skiing and staying – from lifts to skins and snowcats, and from Wes Anderson-worthy grandes dames to deep-nature escapes. Whichever way you want to do it this winter, here’s to just getting out into the mountain air and feeling truly alive again.