The world's best ski resorts can be rated on many factors, whether it be towering mountains boasting exceptional conditions, length of trails and vertical drops, fabulous apres-ski with exclusive glamour factor or all-round international appeal and popularity. The places that often get voted as the world's best ski resorts, for whatever reasons, all promise the same thing - an amazing ski experience with the most spectacular winter sports scenery in the world.
Here's the Top 10 of the world's best ski resorts, in alphabetical order, chosen by Snow Menu. You won't regret a visit to one of these!
Are - Sweden
Are village is the only ski resort in Sweden with a genuine Alpine atmosphere. The cable car takes to directly up to the top of the mountain and you can ski all the way down to the square. The range of pistes covers everything from advanced skiing on demanding slopes to relaxed skiing on easy slopes. If you are a keen shopper you can find all the latest trendy gear and the ski service here is top class. There are many restaurants, some ten on or around the square alone, offering delicious and characteristic food from all over the world. There is nightlife for any taste, every night and one of the largest stages in the mountains presents the best Swedish artists.
Aspen / Snowmass - USA
Aspen/Snowmass, anywhere else this would be four separate vacations. It's not just one mountain - it's Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk. With four choices and 5,303 acres, decide which mountain fits your passion. Snowmass, so many runs, so much variety - cruisers, steeps, glades, off-piste, terrain parks, superpipe and the longest lift-served vertical rise in the United States. Rising out of the heart of downtown Aspen and famous for its steeps, bumps and incredible views, Aspen Mountain and its double-black and tree runs are fun for skiers and snowboarders alike.
Chamonix Mont-Blanc - France
High mountain scenery, the sheer beauty of which will take your breath away, majestic ice falls and glaciers, one of Europe's highest cable cars, cog railways that take you on a journey through time, a beautiful alpine town, witness to 250 years of mountaineering history, traditional villages and hamlets scattered along the 20km long valley and above all a heart and soul, beating to the rhythm of all those that live and love Chamonix!
Cortina d'Ampezzo - Italy
Cortina d'Ampezzo is the most charming ski resort in Italy, near the north-eastern border with Austria. The village, boasting a thousand-year old remarkable historical background, has nearly 7,000 inhabitants. It attracts visitors from all over the world for its lively international atmosphere, its fashionable shops, and excellent restaurants. It is surrounded by forests and wide ski slopes, below the towering craggy red rock mountains. It offers something for everyone and most keen skiers will be willing to visit it.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen - Germany
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is located at the foot of the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany (2,962m / 9,724ft), and is both one of the principal climatic health spas in the Bavarian Alps and Germany's premier winter sports metropolis. The city hosted the 1936 Winter Olympics and the 1978 World Championship and offers pristine nature, secluded spots, cultural and culinary highlights, new experiences, relaxation, wellness, and upscale shopping. A wide range of sports is available in both summer and winter. You can also pamper yourself with spa treatments such as ayurveda, thalasso, natural hay baths, and numerous health therapies.
Lillehammer / Hafjell - Norway
Lillehammer hosted The Olympic Winter Games in 1994, and is known for old farms, a modern town centre and surrounding alpine skiing resorts. Lillehammer is one of Norway's oldest winter sports destinations. The Olympic town is surrouned by good alpine and cross-country possibilities. The wide variety of alpine slopes at Hafjell provide a diverse range of skiing challenges. The alpine facility is not about crisscrossing slopes, but about long and fast continuous runs. Due to the advanced and comprehensive on-site snow-making facilities, Hafjell is a resort with reliable snow and skiing conditions throughout the entire winter ski season. All the slopes at the resort lead to the same final destination at the bottom of the hill - simple and easy.
Portillo - Chile
The Portillo ski and resort experience is unlike that of any other commercial ski resort in Chile and abroad. There is no neighboring town, meaning Portillo is totally self-contained, much like a cruise ship nestled in the magnificent Andean peaks. Your skiing experience in Chile will surely be unforgettable. But Portillo is not just for skiing or snowboarding, socializing and relaxing, it is also for renovating and restoring the body and mind in a natural environment that is nothing less than spectacular. Portillo has been South America's premier destination ski resort for more than 50 years, internationally famous for its majestic, Andean setting and powder snow. If there is a temple for ski sports in Chile, Portillo is it.
St. Anton am Arlberg - Austria
Tourism on the Arlberg dates back to the 19th century. But it was not until the advent of Alpine skiing, pioneered to a large extent by men from the Arlberg, that the region acquired the outstanding reputation it still enjoys today as a winter sports centre. St. Anton am Arlberg is a truly unique recreation paradise for the whole family. The cozy little town with 2,500 inhabitants has still maintained its genuine ambiance and charming atmosphere. Relax and unwind at the elevation of 1,300m where crisp and clean mountain air is guaranteed! Experience genuine Tirolean hospitality and spend the most beautiful days of the year among friends.
Whistler Blackcomb - Canada
You have read the articles in the magazines, seen glimpses in the ski and snowboard movies, heard all about it from your friends. Now it is your turn to experience the magic of Whistler. Get ready for the vacation of a lifetime! Whistler is a friendly ski town located in British Columbia, Canada and is home to almost 10,000 residents. One of the many things that makes Whistler so special is two unbelievable mountains - Whistler and Blackcomb. Side by side, they represent over 8,000acres of skiable terrain, rising a mile above the valley of Whistler. Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains offer unforgettable skiing, snowboarding, and unlimited winter and summer activities. Find something for everyone year round.
Zermatt - Switzerland
The village and the mountain: Zermatt and the Matterhorn. Both are legendary. The Matterhorn is the most beautiful mountain in the Alps, perhaps even in the whole world. And Zermatt (1,620m), a car-free health resort and mountain village with international flair offers relaxing and at the same time action-filled holidays whatever the time of year. There's probably nowhere better to experience a high altitude mountain landscape so intensively as here. In international terms, we hardly need to point out that Zermatt is one of the most famous holiday destinations, as fascinating in summer as it is in winter.
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