A guide to the ski slopes of Europe

Home to two excellent ski areas, one of which plays host to European and World Cup races, Andorra skiing holidays deliver more than you probably thought.

Beginners, improvers and families should head to the 63km of well-manicured slopes of Arinsal in the Vallnord ski area. It's a natural bowl with some steeper slopes, but mainly the runs funnel gently back to the ski base where you'll find bars, restaurants and even a crèche. The scenery is picturesque as the runs are tree-lined which also provides a safe learning environment for newbies.

The 210km Grandvalira ski area suits every ability level, wallet size and party type. There's everything from dedicated beginner and kiddie areas to large snow parks for freestyling and mile after mile of cruisy blue and red runs. There are challenging sections too. Head over to Grau Roig in between Soldeu, El Tarter and Pas de la Casa for some excellent freeriding.

Andorra has something to suit all levels but is particularly good for improvers and those who love scenic, cruisy skiing, excellent après and virtually tax-free prices!

Wherever you go in Austria, skiing is going to be picturesque and accessible for all. Many resorts have massive amounts of runs like Saalbach and Hinterglemm with 270km of intermediate-friendly slopes and Mayrhofen with 500+km of rolling mountains and parks ideal for boarders.

The latter has two mountains to suit different abilities. Beginners start on Ahorn mountain while the more experienced hit the Penken mountain where the slopes get steeper yet still wide and open.

The majority of Austria suits those that like to cruise and not have too much challenging terrain but very scenic views. Katschberg and Zell am See are good examples of this. However, those looking to push themselves should head to Saalbach and Hinterglemm as the area is so vast, you won't be short of challenging terrain. For the powder hounds and off-piste lovers, take the Schattberg X-press gondola and head down the run underneath the lift. The snow stays in good condition all day as the slope is north-facing.

Wherever you go, you'll always be met by friendly locals, beautiful scenery, good-for-the-soul food and super-fun après ja!

The sheer size and variety of ski areas means that skiing in France has it all. If you're a beginner, you'll love Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes for super-wide runs and sunny, south-facing slopes ideal for learning on.

Intermediates are completely spoilt here. Every resort we do caters perfectly for those who love to cruise endless pistes but have the odd challenging run to test their skills. The most notable are Tignes and Val d'Isère in the 300km (aptly named) Tignes - Val d'Isère area with two glaciers and some excellent reds around the 'Eye of the Needle' and Tovière mountain.

The Three Valleys is one of the biggest and most well-known ski areas in the world with 600km of runs. The resorts of Les Menuires and Val Thorens sit on the southern end of the area and offer up the best off-piste and freeriding around. Head out on guided tours of the glacier with the Maurienne valley as your views to discover the treats of the area.

For equally impressive views La Plagne also has a glacier and Mont Blanc firmly in sight. The 425km playground suits all but the mile-hungry skiers and boarders will be most happy here. Try the run from the glacier of neighbouring Les Arcs all the way down to the world's largest cable car - the double-decker Vanoise Express. It's a real leg burner!

Val di Fassa in the Dolomites in Italy is not only part of the largest ski area in the world with over 1200km of glorious pistes, it's arguably in the most beautiful ski area in the world too. It's an intermediate's paradise where the red runs are more like tricky blues so the whole area is very accessible to most skiers and snowboarders. Laid-back Arabba sits at the foot of the 40km Sella Ronda loop and the Marmolada glacier—perfect for a really challenging day out. Meanwhile, Corvara and Badia have some of the most picturesque views with the towering red rock as your backdrop every day.

Beginners should head to Livigno as the runs are lovely and wide with trees once you get closer to the resort. That' not to say the more experienced shouldn't go here, on the contrary. Livigno has some of the best freeriding and snowparks in Europe.

The 400km Milky Way crosses the border in to France and has a wonderful rolling feel. Ideal for intermediates, you can cover more miles than you think in a day as it's such a cruisy area. The world cup run in Sestrière is a must try. See if you can do it without stopping! Meanwhile, neighbouring Sauze d'Oulx has mostly red runs so intermediates and boarders will be kept very happy. Try the run all the way from the top of Col Basset right down to the Jouvenceaux Sportinia lift. You can stop at the Neilson Hotel Edelweiss for an espresso while you're there!

Our only resort in Spain, Baqueira Beret is an intermediate and advanced skier or boarders delight. Not only does it have 120km of quiet slopes and stunning scenery, there's almost as much to explore off-piste too.

For a real test of your skills, try the Escornacrabes couloir. The first few tens of metres will have your heart pounding but it soon levels out enough for you to let your skis run and really enjoy the ride.

Spain is also one of the few places in Europe where you can still go heli-skiing, and the cost is reasonable too. It's not the crazy kind of stuff you see on Red Bull films, but wide-open, great fun off-piste to put a massive grin on your face.

If you are a beginner, there is a dedicated area for you complete with covered magic carpet lifts, excellent English-speaking tuition and wide, open pistes.

There are so many resorts to choose from and you should definitely not just stick to one resort, so it's a good old fashioned case of trial and error.

Remember, better a bad day on the slopes than a good day in the office.