The best ski resorts in Europe revealed

To help skiers pick the best resort for their trip, we have analysed data from 55 of Europe’s top ski destinations, then ranked them by the different elements that will make the perfect skiing holiday.

From snow levels, number of slopes, and how well each resort caters to different levels of skiing experience, the research shows which resorts are best set to offer your perfect ski trip.

In order to rank the resorts, we have tracked the average predicted monthly snowfall levels in centimetres across the season, before calculating a ‘season average’ for each location.

We then looked into the number of ski slopes available per area and split these across Green (Beginner), Blue (Intermediate), Red (Advanced) and Black (Expert) to gauge the options available to skiers of differing abilities.

No matter what your ability level is, we’ll make sure you have a skiing trip to remember!

Any party with a large number of skiers, or even those who are looking for a change of scenery every day, will ideally be looking for a wide range of slopes to choose from.

Italy and Austria emerged as the European countries of choice for adventurers who want to explore the largest variety of slopes during their trip, with three Italian destinations (Sauze d’Oulx, Sestriere & Val Gardena) and three Austrian destinations (Söll – SkiWelt, Saalbach-Hinterglemm & Stuben am Arlberg) included in the top ten.

The Italian resort of Sauze d’Oulx offers the greatest variety for skiers of the locations in our study. Sauze d’Oulx is home to over 400km of beautifully groomed slopes, boasting 249 different pistes for visitors to explore.

The resort is known as ‘Sunny Sauze’ by many Brits for being a top nightlife destination, as well as a fantastic skiing spot.

Sauze d’Oulx is closely followed by Sestriere, which has 247 slopes to fly down, and Söll – SkiWelt in Austria, which has 223.

We all have to start somewhere, and whether you are travelling with children, or your party contains novice skiers, you will want to make sure that your resort choice has a selection of green slopes.

Green runs are designed for new skiers getting to grips with the slopes. They tend to have large areas of flat to shallow gradients towards the bottom of a resort, allowing for easy access and space for those learning the basics. If you are travelling with novice skiers, a number of green slopes is key to ensuring everyone on your trip enjoys themselves.

Soldeu & El Tarter in Andorra is a fantastic option for those looking to try skiing for the first time, with 18 green runs available within a singular valley. A single ski pass will cover off both the Soldeu and El Tarter villages, allowing skiers to add some variety to their day while they learn the basics.

Andorra also often has snow when other resorts around Europe might be struggling, meaning that you can feel confident that conditions will be favourable when booking a trip to Soldeu and El Tarter.

In terms of other options for skiers looking to stick to the green slopes for their trip, the Italian resort of Val Gardena offers the largest selection of the top destinations included in our study, with 67 green slopes, almost double that of the French resort of Megève (35).

What about those in the middle? You might not be a beginner, but you also might not want to fly down a black slope at top speed!

For those who have graduated to the next level after green slopes, blue slopes are a good place to start. Blue slopes will have a steeper gradient, stunning scenery higher up the mountain and generally longer, snaking runs that will offer more of a challenge than green runs.

With that in mind, the number of blue slopes at each resort seemed a good place to start when measuring the best resorts for intermediate skiers.

For skiers who have mastered the basics, resorts with a variety of blue runs are a good option. Two resorts that top the list are Söll – SkiWelt in Austria and Italy’s Sauze d'Oulx offering the greatest amount of choice.

Sauze d’Oulx is particularly popular and is known to have an eternally ‘Christmassy’ feel by those who have visited.

For the more experienced skiers amongst you, a more challenging slope might be in order.

While expert skiers would look for a black slope, those that are a little below that level but have some experience under their belt might lean towards a red slope.

Red slopes have a steep gradient and should only be attempted by advanced intermediate skiers, as you will experience bumpy terrain along with narrow turns. These runs will allow skiers to progress from parallel turns to carved turns, using the edges of the skis and flex for shorter radius, fast dynamic turns.

After analysing the 55 top destinations included in our study, Italy tops the list for skiers ready for the extra challenge of red runs.

Sestriere offers access to a mammoth 131 red and black slopes, with Sauze d'Oulx just behind with 117.

For the most expert of skiers reading this, there is only one colour that will do the job – black.

Black runs are extremely steep and designed for visitors who have many years of experience and ski at a very high level, so should only be attempted by expert skiers.

Sauze d’Oulx offers the largest variety of choice for skiers who want to push themselves, with 40 black runs available for expert skiers to explore, ranking it the number one destination for black slopes in the study.

Many groups will contain members with mixed levels of ability. If that sounds like you, we advise to head to Andorra. Soldeu & El Tarter is a great option, offering 23 black runs for the experts to explore while the beginners explore the 18 green runs.

In fact, Soldeu & El Tarter has been chosen to host the finals of the 2023 Alpine Skiing World Cup. The resort has pedigree, as the famous Avet black run in Soldeu, and the Aliga black run in El Tarter have hosted men’s and women’s downhill World Cup races previously.

For those hoping to test their ski skills on World Cup level runs, our Hotel Del Clos offers a fantastic base to explore the Soldeu & El Tarter resort.

Any experienced skier will tell you that there is no guarantee of snowfall, regardless of the resort. Everyone likes some certainty when it comes to booking a holiday, so we decided to find the resorts that are the safest bet for a snowy week away.

To gather this data, we looked at the predicted monthly snowfall levels in centimetres across the season, before calculating a ‘season average’ for each resort.

While all of the resorts involved in our study showed up well in terms of snowfall, France emerged as the place to be.

France claims six spots in the Top 10 Destinations for Snowfall, with Val Thorens offering an average of 120.8 centimetres a month. Located in the expansive 3 Vallees ski area, the high altitude resort is accessible from our Hotel Le Menuire & Spa for those looking for the most consistent chance of snow for their holiday.

French resorts dominate the Top 10 Destinations for Snowfall, with Tignes showing an average of 114.8cm, La Plagne with 110.5cm, Flaine with 108cm and also La Rosière with 107.8cm.

Adored in equal measure by those who like to ski and those who like to party, Val d’Isère also shows up in the Top 10 with an average of 102.8cm of snowfall.

A resort that is the pride of France, Val d’Isère is also the home of our flagship hotel, the Neilson Hotel La Tovière.

*Average per month

Whenever you’re ready for your next ski adventure, we’ve got you covered! We’re skiing experts, and we’re passionate about helping active people enjoy their dream holiday. We’ve even been named the best travel company for Ski/Winter Sports Holidays by the British Travel Awards for 21/22, so whether you’re just starting out or are looking to challenge yourself on some of the most challenging slopes in Europe, our experts will be happy to help you book the adventure of a lifetime.

Check out all of our skiing and board holidays here.

Methodology In order to rank the resorts, we have tracked the average predicted monthly snowfall levels in centimetres across the season, before calculating a ‘season average’ for each location.

We then looked into the number of ski slopes available per area and split these across Green (Beginner) Blue (Intermediate), Red (Advanced) and Black (Expert) to gauge the options available to skiers of differing abilities.

References Data on number of slopes, slope difficulty and skiable terrain recorded from the trail map information listed on onthesnow.com

This data was then analysed and ranked across the different slope categories to highlight locations that cater to different ski levels.

Data on average monthly snowfall across the season recorded from onthesnow.com

This data was then analysed to create a single average monthly snowfall figure for each destination.