The Best Ski Resorts in the World: The Definitive 2026/27 Guide

Ask ten skiers to name the best ski resort in the world and you will get eleven answers, several of them contradicting each other by the end of the conversation. Terrain that thrills a freerider will terrify a first-timer. A resort a family rates as perfect might feel claustrophobic to someone chasing empty powder fields. And the resort that wins on scenery does not always win on value, snow reliability or nightlife. Rather than pretend there is a single, objective winner, we have built this guide the way we would want it built: honestly, with the trade-offs spelt out, and with enough real depth on each resort that you can work out which one actually suits you.

InTheSnow maintains in-depth guides to more than 130 ski resorts across five continents, and this feature draws on that entire library, alongside a review of how other respected ski publications and travel authorities rank the world’s resorts, to make sure nothing truly world-class has been missed. What follows is our editorial selection of 26 resorts that we believe represent the very best of what skiing and snowboarding can offer in 2026/27, from the glacier-fed giants of the Alps to the powder fields of Hokkaido, the cowboy steeps of Wyoming and the summer-season slopes of the Southern Hemisphere.

How We Chose These Resorts

We judged every resort against the same six criteria: the quality and variety of the terrain both on-piste and off, snow reliability given altitude and aspect, the character and practicality of the base village, value for money, family and beginner provision, and the calibre of recent investment in lifts, snowmaking or sustainability. Long-serving favourites were weighed against newer contenders on level terms, and we deliberately looked beyond the Alps and the Rockies to include resorts in Japan, Australia and South America, because a properly global list has to acknowledge that the best skiing in July is found south of the equator.

Best Ski Resorts in the World: Quick Reference Table

A quick side-by-side comparison before we get into the detail below.

The Best Ski Resorts in the World, by Category

If you already know what kind of trip you want, these picks cut straight to the chase.

Best overall: Zermatt, Switzerland

Glacier-guaranteed snow, a car-free village, Matterhorn views and terrain for every ability. If a resort had to justify a place on this list using every criterion at once, Zermatt would still make the cut. Read our full Zermatt guide.

Best for beginners: Cervinia, Italy

Cervinia’s high, sun-drenched plateau beneath the Matterhorn is about as forgiving as beginner terrain gets in the Alps, with wide, gentle blues and reds and none of the narrow, tree-lined corridors that can unsettle new skiers elsewhere. Lift passes are also noticeably cheaper than at most comparably scenic resorts. Read our full Cervinia guide.

Best for families: Les Gets, France

A traditional chalet-style Alpine village rather than a purpose-built resort, Les Gets keeps its slopes gentle and its centre easy to navigate on foot, with a dedicated beginner area, a snow garden for young children and a well-regarded ski school close to the village. As part of the vast Portes du Soleil circuit, older children and confident parents can venture further afield while younger or newer skiers stay close to home. Read our full Les Gets guide.

Best for powder: Niseko, Japan

Some of the lightest, driest, most reliable snowfall anywhere on the planet, plus an easy-going international village that makes a long-haul trip feel worthwhile from the moment you land. Read our full Niseko guide.

Best for steep, expert terrain: Jackson Hole, USA

In-bounds, patrolled access to some of the most serious lift-served terrain in North America, headlined by the iconic Corbet’s Couloir. Read our full Jackson Hole guide.

Best for luxury and non-skiers: St Moritz, Switzerland

The Cresta Run, polo on a frozen lake, five-star hotels and a century and a half of practice at entertaining guests who barely put skis on. Read our full St Moritz guide.

Best après-ski: St Anton am Arlberg, Austria

The Mooserwirt and Krazy Kanguruh turn mid-afternoon into a full-blown party, backed by some of the most serious skiing in the Arlberg. Read our full St Anton guide.

Best value: Livigno, Italy

A duty-free town tucked against the Swiss border keeps lift passes, equipment hire, food and après-ski prices well below the Alpine average, while the linked Livigno-Bormio ski area, set to host Winter Olympic events in 2026, offers far more terrain than the prices suggest. Read our full Livigno guide.

Most snow-sure: Val Thorens, France

At 2,300m, the highest resort in the Alps, with a season that reliably runs from late November to May. Read our full Val Thorens guide.

Best Southern Hemisphere pick: Perisher, Australia

The largest resort south of the equator, and one of the few reliable options for skiing during the northern hemisphere’s summer. Read our full Perisher guide.

The Full A-Z List of the World’s Best Ski Resorts

Andermatt, Switzerland

Andermatt spent much of the twentieth century as a sleepy garrison town guarding the Gotthard Pass, overshadowed by flashier Swiss neighbours. That changed when Egyptian investor Samih Sawiris, and more recently Vail Resorts, poured hundreds of millions of francs into new lifts, hotels and a gondola link to Sedrun, roughly doubling the resort’s terrain. The skiing itself has always been superb: Gemsstock’s north-facing bowl is one of the snowiest, most consistent freeride arenas in the Alps, while the wider Andermatt-Sedrun area now offers a genuine mix of cruising pistes and high alpine off-piste across more than 180km of runs. The village retains a low-key, un-manufactured feel that is increasingly rare at resorts this well-funded, and its position means it catches snow from weather systems arriving from both north and south. If what you want is serious terrain without the crowds or price tag of Verbier or Zermatt, Andermatt is quietly becoming one of Switzerland’s best options.

Read our full Andermatt resort guide.

Aspen, USA

Aspen is not one mountain but four: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass, linked by a single lift pass and a free shuttle bus, giving visitors a genuine choice of terrain each morning depending on conditions and mood. Ajax, right above town, is famously lift-served but has no green runs at all, a rarity that keeps it popular with experts; Highlands Bowl offers a bootpack to some of Colorado’s best inbounds steeps; while Snowmass is where families and intermediates spend most of their time on long, rolling cruisers. The town itself, a former silver-mining settlement, has spent a century reinventing itself as one of the world’s most glamorous ski destinations, with a restaurant and gallery scene that rivals any city. It is not cheap, and lift queues at Ajax on a powder morning are a rite of passage, but few resorts anywhere combine this much genuine terrain variety with this much off-mountain polish.

Read our full Aspen resort guide.

Åre, Sweden

Scandinavia’s best-known ski resort sits on the shore of a frozen lake in central Sweden, and while its vertical drop and total piste kilometres will not trouble the Alps, Åre more than compensates with reliable early and late-season snow, a lively but manageable village, and some of the best terrain parks and freeride lines in northern Europe, having hosted FIS Alpine World Ski Championships twice. The skiing spreads across three linked areas, Åre Björnen, Åre Duved and the main Åre sector, with enough blue and red cruising to suit most abilities and a scattering of seriously challenging lines off the back of the summit for those who go looking. What sets Åre apart from bigger, better-known resorts is value: direct flights from the UK, competitive lift passes and reasonably priced accommodation make it one of the more affordable resorts on this list, without sacrificing much in the way of quality skiing or après-ski charm.

Read our full Åre resort guide.

Banff and Lake Louise, Canada

One lift pass buys access to three distinct ski areas around the town of Banff: Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and the smaller Mt Norquay, all set inside a UNESCO World Heritage national park of turquoise lakes and jagged limestone peaks that make for some of the most photogenic skiing anywhere on Earth. Lake Louise offers huge, varied terrain across four mountain faces; Sunshine straddles the Alberta-British Columbia border and catches some of the most reliable snow in the Canadian Rockies; Norquay is steep, characterful and usually near-empty. The town of Banff itself is a proper community rather than a purpose-built resort, with a lived-in feel and prices that, thanks to a consistently favourable exchange rate for UK and US visitors, undercut most comparable resorts in the Alps or Colorado. Wildlife sightings, hot springs and the sheer size of the scenery add up to an experience that is as much about the landscape as the skiing.

Read our full Banff and Lake Louise resort guide.

Big Sky, USA

Big Sky markets itself as home to the biggest skiing in America, a claim built on a merger with neighbouring Moonlight Basin that created almost 5,850 acres of continuous, lift-served terrain. The Lone Peak Tram hauls skiers to an 11,166ft summit with views across three states, feeding some serious couloirs and chutes, while the lower slopes offer wide, uncrowded cruising that rarely sees the queues found at Vail or Aspen. Montana’s remoteness is part of the appeal: this is big-sky country in every sense, with a small, low-key base village rather than a sprawling resort town, and a noticeably quieter, more locals-focused atmosphere than its higher-profile Colorado and Utah rivals. Snowfall is reliable rather than spectacular, but the raw scale of terrain means tracks stay untouched for days after a storm. For anyone chasing Rockies-scale terrain without Rockies-scale crowds, Big Sky is hard to beat.

Read our full Big Sky resort guide.

Cervinia, Italy

Breuil-Cervinia sits on a high, sun-drenched plateau directly beneath the Matterhorn’s dramatic southern face, and its terrain is famously wide, open and gentle, making it one of the most forgiving places in the Alps to learn. Long, rolling blues and reds dominate the lower mountain, with none of the narrow, tree-lined corridors that can intimidate first-timers elsewhere, and lift passes here are noticeably cheaper than at most comparably scenic resorts. Confident beginners can ride the lifts up to the Plateau Rosa glacier and cross the border into Switzerland, joining Zermatt’s ski area to create one of the largest connected networks in the Alps, around 360km of piste between the two resorts. The altitude, much of the skiing sits above 2,500m, keeps the snow reliable from late autumn into early summer, giving beginners a long window to build confidence without racing the season’s end.

Read our full Cervinia resort guide.

Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France

Few resorts carry the weight of history that Chamonix does. Skiing here predates almost everywhere else in the Alps, the first Winter Olympics were held in the town in 1924, and the surrounding peaks, Mont Blanc chief among them at 4,808m, have been the proving ground for European mountaineering and extreme skiing for two centuries. The skiing itself is spread across five separate areas rather than one linked domain, from the high-altitude Grands Montets sector to the gentler slopes above Les Houches, and while that lack of interconnection frustrates some visitors, it is a small price for access to terrain this serious, including the legendary 20km Vallée Blanche off-piste run from the Aiguille du Midi. Chamonix is also a genuine town rather than a purpose-built resort, with year-round residents, an international crowd and a restaurant and bar scene shaped by its proximity to Geneva airport. It is not the easiest resort for nervous beginners, but for committed skiers it is close to unmatched.

Read our full Chamonix Mont-Blanc resort guide.

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

Cortina’s setting inside the Dolomites, ringed by pink-tinged limestone spires that glow at sunset, is reason enough to visit before you even strap on skis. The resort forms part of the vast Dolomiti Superski network, which links more than a dozen resorts on a single pass covering over 1,200km of pistes, and while Cortina’s own home terrain is more about scenic cruising than gnarly steeps, the nearby Hidden Valley run and the classic Sella Ronda circuit are within easy reach. The town has a long history as a fashionable winter destination for wealthy Italians, hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and returns to the Olympic stage in 2026, and its pedestrianised centre, packed with boutiques and elegant cafes, still carries that old-money glamour. Add some of the best food and wine of any ski resort in the world, and Cortina earns its place as the destination that best captures the romance of skiing in Italy.

Read our full Cortina d’Ampezzo resort guide.

Courchevel, France

Courchevel is really four resorts in one, 1850, 1650, 1550 and Le Praz, spread up the same wooded valley and forming the glamorous end of the Trois Vallées, the largest lift-linked ski area in the world at around 600km of pistes shared with Méribel, Val Thorens and Les Menuires. Courchevel 1850 is where the money concentrates: Michelin-starred restaurants, fur-trimmed après, private chalets with staff, and Europe’s highest paved airport for those arriving by private jet. But the skiing underneath all that polish is remarkably excellent, with wide, beautifully groomed pistes that suit intermediates perfectly, plenty of off-piste for those who go looking, and reliable snow thanks to extensive snowmaking. The lower villages, 1650 and 1550, offer much the same terrain access at a fraction of the price, making Courchevel considerably more approachable than its reputation suggests, provided you pick the right base for your budget.

Read our full Courchevel resort guide.

Davos Klosters, Switzerland

Davos has been welcoming winter visitors longer than almost anywhere else in the Alps; it was one of the destinations that helped invent the idea of a ski holiday in the late 19th century, when adventurous Victorians discovered its clear air and reliable snow. Today the twin resorts of Davos and Klosters share access to five distinct ski areas, including the famous Parsenn, which offers one of the longest descents in Switzerland down to the village of Küblis, and Jakobshorn, a magnet for freestylers and snowboarders. Davos itself is a proper working town rather than a resort village, best known internationally as host of the World Economic Forum, while neighbouring Klosters keeps a lower profile and a prettier, more traditional feel, long a favourite of the British royal family. Between them they offer huge variety, dependable snow thanks to a high, sheltered valley, and none of the queues you would find at more fashionable Swiss neighbours.

Read our full Davos Klosters resort guide.

Ischgl, Austria

Ischgl built its reputation on two things: an excellent, high, snow-sure ski area, and a party scene that for years made it one of the most famous après-ski destinations in the world, headlined by star-studded concerts to open and close the season on the mountain itself. The skiing, shared with Samnaun across the Swiss border as the Silvretta Arena, spans more than 230km of pistes reaching up to 2,872m, with enough steep, high-altitude terrain to keep advanced skiers interested alongside broad, confidence-building runs for intermediates. Cross-border shopping in duty-free Samnaun adds a novelty day out, while the village of Ischgl itself, rebuilt and modernised over the past twenty years, offers slick, mid-range Tirolean hospitality rather than old-world charm. The nightlife reputation means Ischgl is not the natural choice for a quiet family week, but if your priority is serious terrain by day and a serious party by night, few resorts do both as convincingly.

Read our full Ischgl resort guide.

Jackson Hole, USA

Jackson Hole has spent sixty years cultivating a reputation as America’s most serious, unapologetically steep ski resort, and the terrain backs it up: Corbet’s Couloir, the cliff-lined chute visible from the base of the tram, has been testing and occasionally humbling experts since the 1960s, while Rendezvous Mountain’s 4,139ft continuous vertical is the longest lift-served drop in the country. Crucially, much of this extreme terrain sits in-bounds, meaning it is patrolled and avalanche-controlled rather than backcountry, so committed intermediates can sample truly gnarly skiing with a safety net. Away from the steeps, lower-mountain runs and the Teton Village base area offer plenty for less aggressive skiers, and the wider Jackson Hole valley, with its national park scenery, cowboy history and a Wild West town a short drive away, gives the resort a frontier character that is increasingly rare in an industry dominated by corporate mega-resorts. It is not cheap, and it is not gentle, but nowhere else quite matches its mix of scenery and edge.

Read our full Jackson Hole resort guide.

Kitzbühel, Austria

Kitzbühel’s Streif, the terrifyingly steep, twisting downhill course that hosts the Hahnenkamm race each January, is the single most famous piece of ski terrain in Austria, watched by tens of thousands of spectators and millions more on television. The rest of the resort’s skiing is far more forgiving: a broad, well-groomed network of pistes across several linked mountains, ideal for intermediates who want to rack up piste miles rather than hunt for gnarly lines, with the KitzSki area extending to more than 230km when combined with neighbouring resorts. What really sets Kitzbühel apart, though, is the town itself, a properly handsome medieval centre with cobbled streets, frescoed buildings and a level of restaurant and boutique sophistication that few purpose-built resorts can match. It sits lower and warmer than many Alpine rivals, which occasionally shows in early or late-season snow cover, but extensive snowmaking and a loyal following of skiers who come as much for the town as the mountain have kept it among Austria’s most prestigious addresses.

Read our full Kitzbühel resort guide.

Les Gets, France

Les Gets is a working Alpine village rather than a purpose-built resort, with wooden chalets, a church spire and a genuine year-round community that gives it a warmth some larger French resorts lack. The skiing is deliberately gentle: rolling, well-groomed blues fan out around the village and the Mont Chéry sector, and a dedicated beginner area with its own lifts keeps new skiers away from through-traffic while they learn. Families are well looked after too, with a highly-rated ski school, a snow garden for young children, and a compact centre where accommodation, lessons and the nursery slopes are all within walking distance. Once confidence builds, Les Gets is also the gateway to the Portes du Soleil, one of the largest linked ski areas in the world at around 600km of piste, so there is room to progress for years without needing to change resorts.

Read our full Les Gets resort guide.

Livigno, Italy

Tucked into a high valley near the Swiss border, Livigno has built its reputation on being one of the few genuine bargains left in the Alps: the town holds duty-free status, so equipment, clothing and alcohol are noticeably cheaper than almost anywhere else in the mountains, and lift passes, accommodation and lunches follow the same pattern. That value would count for little if the skiing were an afterthought, but it is not. Linked by lift and shuttle to neighbouring Bormio, Livigno forms part of a shared ski area with well over 100km of mostly wide, sunny, north or south facing pistes that suit intermediates especially well, plus a respected snowpark that has made the resort a magnet for freestyle skiers and snowboarders. Livigno’s international profile is rising fast: it will host freestyle skiing and snowboarding events at the 2026 Winter Olympics, recognition of terrain that is taken seriously by competitors even if the town’s flat-bottomed valley and long, straight main street still feel more workaday than glamorous. For skiers who want serious mileage without Alpine prices, it is hard to beat.

Read our full Livigno resort guide.

Niseko, Japan

Niseko is the reason the word Japow entered the skiing vocabulary. Weather systems crossing the Sea of Japan pick up moisture and dump it as some of the lightest, driest powder snow found anywhere on the planet, often in vast quantities, with average annual snowfall here comfortably exceeding anything in the Alps or Rockies. The skiing itself, spread across four linked areas collectively known as Niseko United, Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village and Annupuri, is not especially steep or extensive by world standards, but the tree runs and easily accessed backcountry make the most of that famous snow, and night skiing is available across much of the terrain. What began as a low-key Japanese destination has become an international resort, with a large Australian expat community, English-language menus throughout Hirafu, and an increasing number of high-end hotels. After a day on the slopes, the volcanic onsen hot springs scattered around the resort remain one of the most relaxing experiences in skiing.

Read our full Niseko resort guide.

Perisher, Australia

Perisher, in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, is the largest ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere, with seven interconnected ski areas offering more terrain than any of its Australian or New Zealand rivals. By Alpine standards, the mountains here are modest; the highest lift tops out well under 2,000m, but the resort makes the most of what it has, with wide, family-friendly runs, a strong beginner and ski school setup, and enough varied terrain to keep most intermediates entertained for a week. Its real significance for this list, though, is timing: Perisher’s season runs from June to early October, making it one of the few seriously reliable options for skiing during the northern hemisphere’s summer. Snow quality varies more than in Japan or the Alps, but on a good day, Perisher holds its own against far more famous names.

Read our full Perisher resort guide.

Portillo, Chile

There is nothing else on this list quite like Portillo. A single, bright yellow hotel sits beside the turquoise Laguna del Inca high in the Chilean Andes, with capacity for only a few hundred guests, most of whom book a full week on an all-inclusive basis and rarely leave the property between meals, lifts and lounging. That intimacy, combined with wide-open bowls, dependable Andean snow and a season that runs opposite the northern hemisphere’s, has made Portillo a favourite training base for World Cup ski teams for decades, and speed skiing records have been set on its slopes. The terrain suits confident intermediates and experts best, with excellent off-piste and a famous rope tow that hauls skiers up to some of the resort’s steepest lines, though there is enough gentler terrain for families too. It is remote, but for skiers chasing a rather different kind of ski holiday, or squeezing in a summer fix, nowhere else compares.

Read our full Portillo resort guide.

St Anton am Arlberg, Austria

St Anton has a fair claim to being the birthplace of modern alpine skiing technique: it was here that Hannes Schneider developed and popularised the Arlberg method in the early 20th century, and the resort’s ski school, founded in 1921, remains one of the most famous in the world. The skiing today is part of the wider Arlberg region, which became the largest interconnected ski area in Austria after a lift linked St Anton with Lech and Zürs, giving access to more than 300km of pistes and some of the best off-piste and touring terrain in the country. St Anton’s other, equally famous claim is its après-ski scene, centred on the Mooserwirt and Krazy Kanguruh, mountainside bars that turn into raucous, boot-stomping parties from mid-afternoon onwards. That reputation for partying can overshadow just how serious the skiing is, but for visitors who want both a genuine test on the slopes and one of the loudest nights out in the Alps, St Anton delivers on both fronts.

Read our full St Anton am Arlberg resort guide.

St Moritz, Switzerland

St Moritz essentially invented winter tourism as we know it: a local hotelier’s bet in 1864 that English summer guests would enjoy the Alps in snow led to the first winter season in the region, and the resort went on to host the Winter Olympics twice, in 1928 and 1948. That history of glamour has never really faded; this is still the resort where fur coats outnumber ski jackets in the smartest hotel bars, and where the Cresta Run toboggan track and polo and horse racing on the frozen lake draw as many visitors as the pistes do. The skiing itself, across the Corviglia, Corvatsch and Diavolezza sectors, is excellent and often overlooked amid the glitz: high, reliably snow-sure terrain with some serious off-piste for those willing to explore. St Moritz is not cheap by any measure, even against other Swiss resorts, but for a ski trip built around five-star hospitality and glacier views in equal measure, it remains close to unrivalled.

Read our full St Moritz resort guide.

Val d’Isère, France

Val d’Isère and neighbouring Tignes share the Espace Killy, named after local hero and triple Olympic champion Jean-Claude Killy, and between them offer around 300km of high-altitude pistes with skiing possible on the Pisaillas glacier well into spring. The resort hosted the men’s downhill at the 1992 Albertville Olympics, and that pedigree shows in terrain that rewards committed skiers: long, varied runs, serious off-piste around the Face de Bellevarde and Solaise sectors, and a season that reliably runs from late November to early May thanks to altitude and extensive snowmaking. The village itself has grown considerably from its farming roots into a smart, modern resort, though older stone buildings around the church still hint at what was here before the lifts arrived. Val d’Isère’s British following is enormous, and the resulting après-ski scene, centred on bars like La Folie Douce, is lively without quite matching the full-throttle reputation of Austria’s Arlberg.

Read our full Val d’Isère resort guide.

Val Thorens, France

At 2,300m, Val Thorens is the highest resort in the Alps, a purpose-built settlement with no historic village to speak of, but a location that all but guarantees snow from late November through to early May. It sits at the top end of the Trois Vallées, the world’s largest lift-linked ski area, and its own terrain includes some of the region’s best high-altitude off-piste, accessible from the Cime Caron cable car at 3,200m, alongside broad, confidence-inspiring pistes lower down. A gondola link to Orelle on the valley floor opened up a quieter access route in recent years, easing the congestion that used to build on peak Saturdays. The resort’s architecture is unapologetically 1970s and functional rather than picturesque, but what Val Thorens lacks in chalet-village charm it makes up for with sheer reliability: for skiers who have been burned by a low-altitude resort with patchy cover, this is about as close to a snow guarantee as the Alps offer.

Read our full Val Thorens resort guide.

Vail, USA

Vail is the largest single ski mountain in the United States, with around 5,300 skiable acres spread across a vast area that includes the famous Back Bowls, a series of high-altitude, mostly ungroomed basins that offer some of the best lift-served powder skiing in Colorado. The resort was built from nothing in the early 1960s by a group of Colorado ski pioneers who modelled the base village on a Tyrolean town, right down to cobbled pedestrian streets and Bavarian-style architecture, and that manufactured charm has aged surprisingly well. As the flagship resort of Vail Resorts and its Epic Pass, it draws huge numbers of visitors, meaning peak-season queues and prices are a real consideration, but the sweeping scale of the terrain absorbs crowds better than most comparably famous resorts, and the grooming and lift infrastructure are about as good as skiing gets. For visitors after serious American terrain with truly excellent amenities, Vail remains the benchmark.

Read our full Vail resort guide.

Verbier, Switzerland

Verbier anchors the 4 Vallées, one of the largest lift-linked ski areas in Switzerland, connecting to Nendaz, Veysonnaz and Thyon and offering more than 400km of pistes across wildly varied terrain. Its real reputation, though, rests on its off-piste: the Bec des Rosses, a properly intimidating rock face above the resort, hosts the finale of the Freeride World Tour each year, and the wider area is considered among the most serious freeride terrain anywhere in the Alps. That daredevil pedigree sits alongside a resort that has become a magnet for money and minor celebrity, from English rugby players to more than a few royals, and the après-ski and restaurant scene, from mountain hut lunches to smart nightclubs, reflects that. Prices are steep even by Swiss standards, but budget-conscious skiers can base themselves in Le Châble at the bottom of the valley and still access the same lift network for considerably less.

Read our full Verbier resort guide.

Whistler Blackcomb, Canada

Whistler Blackcomb is the largest ski resort in North America by lift-served terrain, with more than 8,000 acres spread across two enormous mountains linked by the Peak 2 Peak gondola, a 4.4km cable car ride that has become an attraction in its own right. The resort hosted alpine skiing events at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and the legacy infrastructure from those Games, combined with decades of investment as one of Canada’s flagship destinations, shows in excellent lift systems and grooming. Terrain ranges from vast, confidence-building beginner and intermediate runs to some of the best lift-accessed alpine bowls and glacier skiing in Canada, and the pedestrian village at the base, dense with restaurants, bars and shops, is one of the most complete and walkable in North American skiing. It is a long way from the UK, but for scale alone and variety, hardly anywhere else pulls off quite the same thing.

Read our full Whistler Blackcomb resort guide.

Zermatt, Switzerland

Zermatt’s setting beneath the Matterhorn, one of the most photographed mountains on Earth, would earn it a place on almost any list of the world’s most beautiful ski resorts, but the skiing more than lives up to the view. Lifts on the Swiss side link across the border to Cervinia in Italy, creating a combined ski area of around 360km of pistes, much of it above 2,000m and served by glacier lifts that keep skiing possible for most of the year, including a genuine summer season. The village itself has been car-free for over a century, reachable only by train or electric taxi, which lends it a calm, uncluttered feel unusual for a resort of this size and fame, alongside some of the grandest, most historic hotels in the Alps. There is terrain here for every ability, though Zermatt’s reputation, fairly, leans towards strong intermediates and experts who want serious vertical and high-altitude off-piste. If this list has one seriously all-round pick, factoring in scenery, snow reliability, terrain variety and sheer prestige, it is this one.

Read our full Zermatt resort guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best ski resort in the world?

There is no single objective answer, but if we had to pick one all-rounder for 2026/27, it would be Zermatt, Switzerland, thanks to its combination of glacier-guaranteed snow, huge and varied terrain, a car-free village, and views of the Matterhorn that are hard to rival anywhere in the Alps. For different priorities, such as beginners, families, powder or value, see our category picks above.

What is the best ski resort for beginners?

Cervinia in Italy is one of the best choices for new skiers: a wide, gentle plateau, cheaper lift passes than most comparable Alpine resorts, and lift-linked access into Zermatt for confident beginners ready to explore further. Les Gets in France’s Portes du Soleil is a strong alternative for beginners who want a dedicated learner area, a highly-rated ski school and a compact, walkable village centre.

What is the best ski resort for families?

Les Gets in France consistently rates among the best family resorts thanks to its gentle pistes, dedicated beginner area, snow garden for young children and compact, walkable village centre, though Cervinia in Italy and the lower villages of Courchevel also work well for families wanting wide confidence-building terrain or a shorter, cheaper transfer.

Which resort has the most reliable snow?

High-altitude resorts with glacier access are the safest bets. Val Thorens, at 2,300m, is the highest resort in the Alps and is rarely short of snow between late November and May, while Zermatt offers glacier skiing that extends into summer.

What is the best value ski resort in the world?

Livigno in Italy is one of Europe’s best value picks: a duty-free town with some of the cheapest lift passes, accommodation and après-ski prices in the Alps, linked to Bormio for a much larger shared ski area. Åre in Sweden is another strong value pick, with competitive lift passes and accommodation costs well below equivalent Alpine resorts.

Which is the largest ski resort in the world?

By lift-linked terrain, the Trois Vallées in France, made up of Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens and Les Menuires, is usually cited as the largest ski area in the world, at around 600km of pistes. By single-resort, single-base terrain, Whistler Blackcomb in Canada has one of the strongest claims anywhere.

Are there good ski resorts outside Europe and North America?

Yes. Niseko in Japan is world-renowned for its exceptionally light, dry powder snow, while Perisher in Australia and Portillo in Chile both run seasons opposite the northern hemisphere’s winter, making them genuine options for summer skiing or a second season each year.

When is the best time to book a ski holiday?

For the Alps and North America, booking six to nine months ahead typically secures the best accommodation and flight prices for the main December-to-April season. For Southern Hemisphere resorts like Perisher or Portillo, the equivalent booking window runs roughly December to March, ahead of their June-to-October season.

Explore More InTheSnow Guides

For a deeper dive into any of the resorts above, or to browse the rest of our resort guides, start here:

• Browse all InTheSnow resort guides
• Skiing in France
• Skiing in Austria
• Skiing in USA & Canada
• Skiing in Colorado

Main Image © Zermatt & Marco Schnyder