Some people prefer snow and scenic beauty to food and partying, while some others prioritize child care over doing something unusual or unconventional. If you have an adventurous soul and want to include a ski resort in your bucket list, consider the following places for your next winter holiday.
Meribel, France
It is a world-class linked ski area and it offers great skiing experience for people of all levels of proficiency. The family-friendly resort also offers fantastic night life. Val dIsere and Tignes ski resorts are equally good and very popular among the visitors. However, 3 Valleys is bigger with 600 kilometers of piste as compared to 300 kilometers of Escape Killys. Meribel is located in between Val Thorens and Courchevel, which makes it easy for you to ski in any of those in the 3 Valleys area without rushed feeling. Another plus point as far as Meribel is concerned is that it has been sympathetically developed on a low-level chalet style as high-rise apartments often spoils the French mountainside.
Riksgransen, Sweden
Riksgransen made it to the list because the season goes on till June in this resort. When the rest of the ski resorts in Europe are closing down, you can head 200 kilometer north of the Arctic Circle to ski at midnight. Riksgransen gets tons and tons of snowfall and it actually opens only late February because the place is far too dark and cold before that.
The best time to visit the place is between April and May when the days are longer and the seasonaires of Scandinavia have returned from mainland Europe after the end of the season party. Another reason is the free skiing competition, Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships, which is held here in May every year.
The pistes in Riksgransen are not necessarily very long. However, they are varied and offer good off piste. Further, it offers world class ski tour. In the true wilderness in this place, you may even meet a few reindeers beyond the boundaries of the resort.
Zermatt, Switzerland
If you are looking for a good ski resort to be included in your bucket list, you should consider Zermatt. It is at Matterhorn, which is perhaps one of the most iconic and perfect mountains on this planet. Verbier and Zermatt are the top resorts in Switzerland without any doubt. However, the awe-inspiring backdrop of Matterhorn is available only for Zermatt and Cervinia, the linked Italian resort. Zermatt offers world-class skiing and in-resort facilities and has a good record of snowfall. It may be a little bit expensive, but any self-respecting skier should have skied here at least once during his/her life.
St. Anton, Austria
St. Anton is a great place to ski, but the party in the night is absolutely crazy. In fact, Austria’s Après skiing is a different experience altogether. It may be bad for each organ in your body and a little painful, but definitely great fun. You will enjoy the phenomenal skiing experience that St. Anton has to offer if you are the type who could pull yourself up from the pit in the morning after starting off in the afternoon and enjoying a long night oompapa music, huge sausages, jagerbombs and congaing with Dutchmen wearing ski boots around the bar.
Cortina dAmpezzo, Italy
This ski resort is for people who are less experienced and those that love long lunches. No resort anywhere is typically more Italian than Cortina. The place may not have the best snowfall in the world, but it does offer you some serious skiing runs. The impressive Dolomiti Superski pass allows you to take advantage of the links to Lagazuoi, a lovely hidden valley, Sell Ronda and possibly the most beautiful red run of Europe. However, the real appeal of Cortina is the town, cuisine and the culture. This is the place to enjoy the cobbled Corso Italia and Dolomites scenery which gives a pink hue to the town.