BEST SKI RESORTS
The world's best ski and mountain resorts
Top-ranked resorts across the Alps, Rockies, and beyond — organised by country.
Argentina
Las Leñas
Mendoza, Argentina
A remote resort in the Andes of Mendoza province, Argentina, operating in the Southern Hemisphere winter. It is known among advanced skiers for extensive steep and off-piste terrain.
Austria
St. Anton am Arlberg
Ski Arlberg, Tyrol
An Austrian village in the Tyrol and part of the Ski Arlberg area, one of the largest linked systems in the country. It is known for demanding terrain, deep snow, and a long-standing après-ski culture.
Kitzbühel
Tyrol
A medieval walled town in the Austrian Tyrol. It hosts the Hahnenkamm downhill race on the Streif, one of the most demanding courses on the Alpine World Cup circuit.
Ischgl
Silvretta Arena, Tyrol
A high-altitude Austrian resort whose Silvretta Arena links across the border to Samnaun in Switzerland. It is known for a long, snow-sure season and a prominent nightlife and concert scene.
Canada
Whistler Blackcomb
British Columbia
Two connected mountains in British Columbia's Coast Range, linked by the Peak 2 Peak Gondola. Among the largest ski areas in North America, it hosted Alpine events for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Lake Louise
Banff National Park, Alberta
A large ski area within Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, set among glaciers and peaks. It regularly hosts the opening speed races of the Alpine World Cup season.
Mont Tremblant
Quebec
A resort in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec and one of the leading ski destinations in eastern Canada. It is known for its pedestrian village built in traditional French-Canadian style.
Chile
Valle Nevado
Santiago, Chile
A high-altitude resort in the Andes within reach of Santiago, running during the Southern Hemisphere winter. It connects to neighboring areas to form one of South America's largest ski domains.
France
Val Thorens
Les 3 Vallées, Savoie
The highest ski resort in Europe, purpose-built above the treeline in the French Alps. It anchors Les 3 Vallées, the world's largest linked ski area, and is known for snow-sure high-altitude terrain.
Courchevel
Les 3 Vallées, Savoie
A cluster of villages in the French Alps forming part of Les 3 Vallées. Long associated with luxury tourism, it offers wide groomed pistes and terrain suited to a range of ability levels.
Val d'Isère – Tignes
Espace Killy, Savoie
Two linked French Alpine resorts sharing the Espace Killy ski area. Known for a long season, high-altitude glacier skiing, and a history of hosting Alpine World Cup and Olympic races.
Chamonix Mont-Blanc
Haute-Savoie
A historic town at the foot of Mont Blanc that hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924. It is a mountaineering hub known for steep, challenging terrain including the Vallée Blanche off-piste descent.
Italy
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Dolomites, Veneto
An Italian resort town set among the dramatic peaks of the Dolomites. It hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and is a co-host of the 2026 Games, and connects to the wider Dolomiti Superski network.
Selva Val Gardena
Dolomiti Superski, South Tyrol
A village in the Val Gardena of South Tyrol, part of the vast Dolomiti Superski area. It sits along the Sellaronda circuit, a full-day tour around the Sella massif on linked lifts and pistes.
Livigno
Lombardy
A high-altitude Alpine town in Lombardy near the Swiss border, holding duty-free status. Its snow-sure elevation and sunny terrain have made it a training base and a venue for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Japan
Niseko
Hokkaido
A resort area on Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, world-renowned for consistent, light powder snow driven by Siberian weather systems. It draws a large international, particularly Australian, following.
Hakuba Valley
Nagano
A valley in Japan's Northern Alps grouping several linked resorts. It hosted downhill, jumping, and Nordic events for the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and is known for steep terrain and heavy snowfall.
Nozawa Onsen
Nagano
A traditional hot-spring village in Nagano that combines a ski resort with historic public bathhouses. It preserves an old-Japan atmosphere and is known for its annual fire festival.
Furano
Hokkaido
A resort in central Hokkaido known for dry powder snow and a quieter, more local feel than the island's larger destinations. It has hosted Alpine World Cup races and sits near lavender-field farmland.
New Zealand
Queenstown (Remarkables + Coronet Peak)
South Island
A lakeside resort town on New Zealand's South Island serving two nearby ski fields, The Remarkables and Coronet Peak. It runs in the Southern Hemisphere winter amid dramatic mountain scenery.
Treble Cone
Wanaka, South Island
The largest ski area in New Zealand's South Island, above Lake Wanaka. It is known for long runs, off-piste chutes, and expansive views over the surrounding mountains and lake.
Norway
Lofoten
Nordland, Norway
An Arctic archipelago in northern Norway where mountains rise straight from the sea. Rather than a lift-served resort, it is a ski-touring destination combining backcountry descents with coastal scenery.
Sweden
Åre
Jämtland, Sweden
The largest Alpine ski resort in Sweden, set on a lakeside mountain in Jämtland. It has hosted Alpine World Championships and is one of the leading winter destinations in Scandinavia.
Switzerland
Zermatt
Valais
A car-free Swiss village beneath the Matterhorn in the Valais Alps. Its high-altitude glacier terrain links to Cervinia in Italy and supports skiing across much of the year.
Verbier
Valais, 4 Vallées
A Swiss resort in the Valais and the main gateway to the 4 Vallées ski area. It is widely regarded as a freeride destination and has hosted stops on the Freeride World Tour.
St. Moritz
Engadin, Graubünden
A resort town in the Engadin valley of eastern Switzerland and one of the birthplaces of Alpine winter tourism. It has hosted the Winter Olympics twice and is known for its lake setting and sunny climate.
United States
Aspen Snowmass
Colorado
A Colorado destination spanning four mountains: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. A former silver-mining town, it hosts the Winter X Games at Buttermilk each year.
Vail
Colorado
One of the largest single ski mountains in North America, in the Colorado Rockies. It is known for its expansive Back Bowls and the pedestrian village modeled on Alpine towns.
Jackson Hole
Wyoming
A Wyoming resort in the Teton Range known for steep, rugged terrain and a large vertical drop. Its aerial tram and the Corbet's Couloir chute have given it a reputation for expert-level skiing.
Park City
Utah
The largest ski resort in the United States, in Utah's Wasatch Range near Salt Lake City. It hosted events for the 2002 Winter Olympics and is home to the Sundance Film Festival.