Tignes, France
It felt very odd heading off on a flight from Heathrow last July with my ski gear, while others were dressed in flip-flops and T-shirts. It just felt wrong. And as I drove towards the resort, it got even stranger. The sun was beaming in the French Alps. The scenery was verdant. Hikers strode along mountain paths in shorts. Cyclists in skimpy Lycra zipped by. Was I really about to go skiing? An afternoon’s sunbathing by a pool seemed more in order.
But there was snow aplenty on Tignes’ glacier, which is reached via a wonderfully fast seven-minute funicular. I could hardly believe it. Up on the mountaintop, skiers and snowboarders were queueing for lifts and filling wide-open slopes covered in white stuff — many wearing T-shirts because the sun was out and it was really quite warm.
The snow is so good — so “sure” — at Tignes that you can ski all year round. The trick, as I found, is to try to catch one of the first funicular rides, which start just after 7am. The reason for this is that the snow, although extensive, gets quite slushy on the mountain as the day goes on. By far the best skiing is in the early morning, when the snow is crisp and there are fewer people about.
In the summer there are obviously far fewer runs open than in the winter, when Tignes is one of the most reliable places to go for decent snow cover. Its high altitude is the reason for that. The resort itself is at 2,100m, and is usually covered in snow in the winter.
It is connected to L’Espace Killy ski area, which links to Val d’Isère. Although the resort may be a little bland and lacking in the Alpine charm of more traditional places, the certainty of knowing that there will be snow makes up for it. Avoiding brown patches of mud on lower slopes is rarely a problem at Tignes ... even if you go in July.
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Highest lift 3,456m Vertical drop 1,900m Total pistes 300km When to go Until May 9; re-opens summer High old time Veronica Snowcaf? is OTT, with dancing on tables on some nights and Eurotechno music.
Book it Thomson Ski (0871 9710578, thomsonski.co.uk) has a week’s self-catering from £385 in Hameau du Borsat apartments.
Obergurgl, Austria
This old-fashioned resort is in the highest parish in Austria. Renowned for reliable snow, its slopes are best suited to beginners and intermediates. It’s popular with families, and lift queues are not too long. Few snowboarders.
Highest lift 3,082m Vertical drop 1,152m Total pistes 110km When to go Until May 2 High old time Nederh?tte (nederhuette.at) is a raucous bar on the slopes with live music every Thursday.
Book it Neilson (0845 0703460, neilson.co.uk) has a week’s self-catering in Pension Hohenfels from £489.
Hintertux, Austria
The glacier pulls in the punters here, and the Where to Ski and Snowboard 2010 guidebook says it is “simply one of the best places to go for guaranteed snow”. The villages here are small, but it is linked to the lively Mayrhofen by fast lift.
Highest lift 3,250m Vertical drop 1,750m Total pistes 225km When to go Open all year High old time The Mayrhofen Ice Bar claims to serve more Grolsch beer than any other in Europe.
Book it Skiing Austria (020-8123 7817, skiingaustria.co.uk) has a week’s self-catering from about £400.
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Saas-Fee, Switzerland
Great for beginners and intermediates (but not experts) and described as having “arguably the most beautiful village in the Alps” by the Ski Club of Great Britain (skiclub.co.uk) — quite an endorsement. There are no cars allowed in the centre.
Highest lift 3,500m Vertical drop 1,700m Total pistes 100km When to go Until May 3; re-opens for summer High old time Popcorn (popcorn.ch) doubles as a ski shop and a lively bar.
Book it Inghams (020-8780 4447, inghams.co.uk) offers a week’s self-catering in the Allalin apartments from £395.
Les Deux Alpes, France
Suits all level of skiers and has a particularly good terrain park for freestyle skiing and snowboarders — plus lots of good off-piste. Very popular with families but can get busy on the slopes at peak times. The resort is set in a high valley with a glacier.
Highest lift 3,568m Vertical drop 2,298m Total pistes 225km When to go Until April 24 High old time Many British skiers go to Pub Le Windsor (perhaps missing out a bit on local culture in the process).
Book it Mark Warner (0871 7033888, markwarner.co.uk) offers a week’s half-board at the ChaletHotel Berangere from £695.
Kaprun, Austria
It’s a short bus ride from the lakeside village of Zell am See to the glacier slopes of Kaprun, a charming traditional Austrian village. It is not really for experts, but is good for beginners, intermediates and cross-country skiers.
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Highest lift 3,029m Vertical drop 2,272m Total pistes 132km When to go Open all year High old time The Baum Bar is, apparently, the après-ski hangout.
Book it First Choice Ski (0871 6640130, firstchoice-ski.co.uk) offers a week’s half-board at Hotel Antonius from £499.
Alpe d’Huez, France
Huge selection of slopes with lots to challenge experts, plus a glacier. From this, there is the longest run in the Alps, at more than 16km (or 10 miles), with many tricky black sections at the top. Normally quite sunny; most people fly to Grenoble.
Highest lift 3,330m Vertical drop 2,230m Total pistes 249km When to go Until April 26 High old time The Underground has live music and, at certain moments of abandon, dancing on tables.
Book it Crystal (0871 2312256, crystalski.co.uk) offers a week’s half-board at Club Hotel L’Hermitage from £799.
Mammoth, California
This is a six-hour drive from Los Angeles and is on a sleeping volcano above a desert. It is known for its excellent terrain parks, which are spread over more than 90 acres and include many jumps. Amazingly, more than 30ft of snow falls here each year.
Highest lift 3,369m Vertical drop 945m Total pistes 3,500 acres When to go Until early May High old time Grumpy’s Sports Bar (grumpysmammoth.com) is good for beers and burgers.
Book it Ski Independence (0131-243 8097, ski-i.com) has a week’s self-catering staying at the Alpenhof Lodge from £906.
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Lake Louise, Canada
Rated by the Ski Club of Great Britain as the “most stunning” place to ski in Canada, the resort is small but there is extensive skiing on the mountain, which is in Banff National Park. The nearby resort of Sunshine Village also has good snow.
Highest lift 2,637m Vertical drop 991m Total pistes 4,200 acres When to go Until early May High old time Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon (wbsaloon.com) has line-dancing and two-step lessons.
Book it Canadian Affair (020-7616 9933, canadianaffair.com) has a week’s room-only at the Ptarmigan from £629.
Zermatt, Switzerland
Of all the “sure snow” spots, Zermatt has the highest lift, at 3,899m. And it also has one of the most dramatic settings, with the Matterhorn towering majestically above. The resort is recommended for intermediates and experts.
Highest lift 3,899m Vertical drop 2,200m Total pistes 313km When to go until April 25 High old time The Alex Lounge & Cocktail Bar at the Alex Hotel (hotelalexzermatt.com) is the coolest new spot.
Book it Swiss Travel Service (0844 8798002, swisstravel ski.co.uk) has a week’s half-board at the Hotel Butterfly from £1,059.