5 Resorts For Savvy Skiers

If you count down the days until the first snowfall, you probably can’t wait to pack up your kit and hit the slopes. A ski holiday is the perfect way to celebrate the winter season; and with only a few short months to enjoy it, it’s important to know exactly where to go. Europe is blessed with a surplus of fantastic ski resorts. With so many resorts, it can become overwhelming when finding the right one for you. Whether or not you are a serious skier or just go for the alpine air, we've listed our top 5 favourite resorts for every kind of ski bunny out there.

Swanky Ski

If you’re ski kit is as fancy as you taste in wine, then there’s nowhere else for you then Italy’s ultra deluxe Cortinia d’Ampezzo. This ravishing resort is known as the ‘Queen of the Dolomites' and it is a hub for Italian celebrities. Cortina is on the same calibre as Courchevel 1850, Zermatt, and St. Moritz but what sets it apart is its impeccable Italian style. In Cortina, skiing is only half the story. The Italian affection for designer shopping and long leisurely lunches is proudly on show here. Enjoy the posh apres ski spots, eat, drink and oh yea, ski too. Cortina’s stunning scenery is home to plenty of pistes for beginners and intermediate skiers.For more information on Cortina and photos, click here.

Family Ski

The Wengen ski resort in Switzerland offers families a variety of runs and entertainment the kids will love. Located in the idyllic Jungfrau region, the charming Alpine village of Wengen has been welcoming British families for decades. The resort offers a nice nursery slope in the centre of the village and kids under five enjoy a free lift pass. For young children that aren’t ready to hit the slopes, there are two kindergartens to care for them while parents ski. The village also has a nice ice rink and a movie theatre that shows films in English, perfect for evening entertainment.For more information and photos on Wengen, click here.

Extreme Ski

If you’re an experienced skier then the challenging, nearly vertical slope of the Harakiri run at Austria’s Mayrhofen resort will definitely get your adrenaline going. Only advanced skiers should take on the Harakiri a run. Harakiri has a 78% incline, making it Austria’s steepest slope.And even if you’re not ready to tackle the skill-testing, physically demanding challenge that the Harakiri presents, Mayrhofen offer over 136 kilometres of pistes.For more information and photos on Harakiri, click here.

Party Ski

Skiing is great at all but if you’re more interested in the apres ski, then there is only one name you should know. Forget the slopes and start wining and dining at the mountain top parties at Val d’Isere, France. These high energy apres ski soirees will satisfy the party animal in you. Apres ski are those brief but treasured hours between 3:30 pm and 6:30 PM where you and your mates celebrate a great day out on the slopes with a few tasty libations. Some resorts keep it low-key, with the action dying down in the early evening, but not Val d’Isere. The countless bars, pubs and nightclubs in town provide all sorts of ‘buzzworthy’ venues for drinking and dancing well into the night.For more information and photos on Val d’Isere, click here.

Shoestring Ski

If you think budget-friendly and skiing don’t belong in the same sentence, then booking your holiday at a satellite village like Nendaz, Switzerland might just change your mind. Staying in one of the traditional apartments in Nendaz gives you access to the many excellent pistes of Four Ways, without paying the budget-breaking prices of nearby Verbier. Nendaz provides breath-taking mountain vistas, exceptional ski runs and comfortable accommodation, all for a very reasonable price tag.For more information and photos on Nendaz, click here.Some great ways to cut costs include:

• Going in December or January when the weather and snowfall are unpredictable.
• Monitoring websites like igluski.com for huge discounts on packages.
• Opt for a fully catered holiday so there aren’t any surprise costs.
• And lastly, if you’re not a slave to ski fashion ask a buddy to borrow their ski gear.