#The Best Ski Vacation Spots Across Europe

The US has plenty going for it when it comes to choosing a ski holiday, but there’s something about Europe that just has to be done, at least once in your skiing life. Iconic peaks, charming Alpine architecture and sensational après are just some of the reasons why it’s worth getting your skis on a transatlantic flight and treating them to some European conditions.

SAALBACH HINTERGLEMM, AUSTRIA

Life’s a circus, so why not ski on one that features over 270 kilometers of piste? Austria’s Saalbach Hinterglemm gives skiers bags of choice, with extensive runs, mostly geared towards an intermediate level of skill – and, thanks to Europe’s most efficient lift system, featuring 20 high speed chairs and 20 gondolas, you can access it all with relative ease.

There’s a vibrant après scene, for those who still have the energy to party after a day on the slopes, but the long, cruisy, mid-range runs mean that you should never be too exhausted: indeed, the only complaint that the experienced skier might have is that there aren’t enough blacks for the area to be challenging. Saalbach is best skied at the height of the season, as many of the slopes are south-facing, which affects quality when Spring approaches.

VERBIER

Synonymous with epic skiing, Verbier, with its access to the 4 Vallées, offers the expert skier plenty to alleviate boredom, with mega-moguls and near-vertical slopes, as well as vast tracts of off-piste ground to explore: indeed, so challenging is the terrain that the Freeride World Tour Finals are held here. If you can’t be bothered chopping and changing between lift systems – and you’d be forgiven for this, as the network is not the most seamless – then take heart from the fact that high altitude means a variety of long runs. The après is lively and there’s a wide range of accommodation options, suiting all but the most basic of budgets.