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Courmayeur, Italy
Description: A fabulous place to go if only to watch the world go by. We at Snowbrainer really love this traditional Italian village/town which is just over thw boarder from Chamonix. The village itself is traffic free in the centre and the the apres ski is just brilliant whilst alse being very refined. A little advice, leave your skis and boots up the mountain at the end of day rather than having to walk back into town with them on.
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Champery, Switzerland
Description: The resort itself is a charming place full of wooden chalets, very friendly locals and access to the Port du Soleil.
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Arosa, Switzerland
Description: Arosa is set on the shores of two picture postcard lakes. It is a beautiful rail journey from Chur which takes under an hour. A well heeled clientelle enjoy its relaxed ambience. There are lots of good restaurants, a casino and winter walking paths so things to do if you are not a skier.
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Saas Fee, Switzerland
Description: Saas Fee is a magical place, and often referred to as 'The Pearl of the Alps' It's car free and a kind of mini Zermatt with pretty Valasian farmhouses and buildings giving the taste of the real Switzerland. Good snow is guaranteed throughout the season with its high altitude. Try and visit in the spring sun when the 13 imposing 4000m peaks including the hightest in Switzerland (the Dom 4534m ) are looking their best. One thing about the village itself is that it is completely car free and the only way to get around is to flag down a horse drawn sleigh with carriage or there are small electric vehicles.
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La Molina, Spain
Description: Opened in 1911 La Molina is Spain's first resort. Now it is linked to Massella and the purpose built Supermolina giving around 100km of pistes to play on . It is now sometimes called Alp 2500m. Maybe a little limited for experts, intermediates and beginners will still have a lot of fun. Very quiet during the week but the Barcelona crowd come in at the weekend.
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Montgenevre, France
Description: Part of the Milky Way ski area Montgenevre is a village sitting between the French & Italian borders. It is a great value for money resort and most of the accomodation is only 5 mins away from the pistes.
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Villars sur Ollon, Switzerland
Description: Villars looks across the Rhone Valley to the Ports du Soleil. Although being a low altitude resort it gets its fair share of celebrities such as Bernie Eccleston and Jacques Villeneuve. An easy distance from Geneva this small town is well worth a visit especially if you like old town charm. There are all sorts of activities for both skiers and non skiers - check out our 'other activities section below for a list
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Bareges, France
Description: Bareges is a spa village found in the French Pyrenees. We love the fact that it's cheaper than the Alps. The town itself has lots of restaurants and cafes and of course being a spa town, thermal baths. The lift base isn't in the actual village but 4km up the valley. Don't worry there is a ski bus running so you don't have to walk. From Bareges you have access to a massive ski area made up of Barèges and the La Mongie/Tourmalet ski zone
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Orcieres Merlette, France
Description: Orcieres Merlette is a rare mix of Southern and northern Alps bordering the Ecrin Park with south facing sunny slopes but with heights of 3000m
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Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria
Description: More details to come soon about Bad Kleinkirchheim.
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Livigno, Italy
Description: It is an amalgamation of three villages near the Swiss border. The buildings are small in scale mostly traditional in style. The village of Livigno has a pleasant atmosphere. The bus services throughout are free if a little overcrowded, and stop a little eraly in the evenings.
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Bardonecchia, Italy
Description: In 1909 the first Italian ski championships were held here and the first ski jump. "smith" was built in the same year. The jump was namerd after the Norwegian brothers Harold & Trigher Smith who had brokend the world record of their time by jumping 43 & 40 mtrs respectively. Bardoneccia sits in a sunny valley surrounded by mountains whose peaks reach as high as 3500m and it is on the border between Italy and France. As a historical mountain town Bardonecchia is easily reached by both highway and train from many European cities.
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Obergurgl, Austria
Description: Obergurgl is to be found at the end of the road past Solden. The good point is that it is highest village in Austria for skiing so the snow should be good. The Germas love it and some Brits return year after year. Another good point is that because it is at the end of the Oetz valley near the Italian border it doesn't get a weekend crowd, hence there are very little queues. A favourite resort for families it opens very early in the season
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Les Gets, France
Description: Les Gets is a quaint but expanding village close to Geneva. It is a little scattered around the valley but getting around is helped by the free 'petit train'.Lovely! There is lots to do and has many fine shops and restaurants to choose from. It can be a little quiet at times but definately gets busier come the weekend. The village dates back to the 11th century and its name come from the old French word, 'jets' which was used for the traditional slopes used to bring down the timber from the upland regions. Les Gets is not all about winter sports - there is a lot of traditional architecture and regional cuisine to enjoy. Visit the church whose organ dates back to 1910 or the Museum of Mechanical Music. Your lift pass allows you to ski/board in Abondance, Avoriaz 1800, Champery, Chatel, Le Chappelle d'Abondance, Les Crossets, Morgins & Morzine.
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Nauders, Austria
Description: Nauders sits on the border of Italy and is not far from Switzerland as well. In fact it's easy enough to reach the small Italian ski resorts of Haider Alm and Schoneben. This is a good resort for families looking for a bit of peace and quiet. There are a few bars to enjoy some apres ski and you'll find that most people eat in their hotels. There's a nice mix of activities available for non skiers.
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Risoul, France
Description: The ski resort , Risoul 1850, was developed in the 1970's but the area itself has been populated since the bronze age. The resort is a mixture of concrete chalets covered with wood shingles and integrates well into the forest area. making it a more attractive purpose built resort than some.
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Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
Description: The town is beautiful and has been described as both voluptous Italian and quaint. It's set in the Dolomite which has some of the most dramatic and beautiful scenery in Europe. Ok so the ladies wear Gucci, Prada and maybe a little fur, which might be a little off putting depending on your taste. You really don't have to ski here to have a good time and you'll find that most of the town rise at a very civilised hour, enjoy a little window shopping, a leisurely coffee and cigarette before heading up for a run. What is good though is our fox furred ladies wouldn't be seen dead on the slopes too early which leaves them all clear for you and your friends. Famous for hosting the 1956 Olympics the resort has little to do with skiing/snowboarding it is now hard to find a ski shop amoungt the cafes and designer outlets.
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Filzmoos, Austria
Description: A small compact resort with slopes ending in the village. The ski area is split in 2 via a road that runs from Eben to Ramsau. On one side is a gondola leading to a read and black run on the other 7 lifts service the rest of the terrain. A small resort indeed but may give a beginner a good holiday.
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Flaine, France
Description: OK it’s not the prettiest resort with its 1960s Bauhaus-style concrete blocks, reminding you of Eastern Europe. There are some nicer areas though they are a trek from the slopes and village like Hammeu-de-Flaine with it’s wooden chalet style buildings. Also not everyone can boast sculptures by Picasso, Vasarely and Dubuffet in their ski resort. Recently Intrawest the North American Ski area developer has come to town and is creating 2500 new beds in the faux hamlet of Flaine Montsoleil. What makes Flaine so great is that it really is close to Geneva at just over one hours drive. Further up the hillside is Faline Foret with it’s own bars and hops and the bus service runs this far. The resort is child friendly with the main areas being car free and with play areas. There are further villages around with links to the main lift system and both Les Carroz and Samoens are two of the more beautiful ones. If you travel by car you can easily reach the Portes du Soleil ski area which includes Chamonix, Megeve or Cormayeur in Italy.
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Les Contamines Montjoie, France
Description: An authentic French village located between Chamonix and Megeve, and it doesn't have the prices to match it's brothers. It is a resort where a car could prove useful as much of the accommodation is along the valley and away from the main lift. One fame to claim is that it constantly seems to get above average snowfall. Les Contamines-Montjoie is an authentic village resort in Haute-Savoie. The village is attractive with lots of traditional architecture. There are a number of activities offered besides the downhill skiing. A Nordic park of 26km for cross country skiing. There is also a natural ice rink, dog sled rides and snow shoe walks.
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Les Diablerets, Switzerland
Description: A little overshadowed by its big neighbour Gstaad, it is nonetheless and attractive base for your holiday. La Diablerets is a tradional village a little spread out that links to the ski fields of Villars. A family friendly resort with special days for young skiers/boarders.
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Alleghe, Italy
Description: It's relatively unknown but a great little resort with some lovely restaurants. One of the best things is that it is in easy driving distance to other resorts like Cortina, Canazie and Arabba on the Superski Pass.
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La Grande Terche, France
Description: La Grande Terche also know as St Jean D'Aulps. St Jean d'Aulps is situated in the Chablais area of the Haute-Savoie Department in the Northern Alps.
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St Jean D'Aulps, France
Description: St Jean d'Aulps is situated in the Chablais area of the Haute-Savoie Department in the Northern Alps.
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Alta Badia, Italy
Description: Alta Badia is situated in the heart of the Dolomites. At the Northeastern corner lies the Sella Group and you can explore all of the areas using the Dolomiti SuperSki Pass.
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Cervinia, Italy
Description: Some would consider it a little bit of an ugly resort ,as there is no consistent style of architecture, but the regular clientelle like the fact that with a pedestian centre, everywhere is close by. There are some good bars, fairly decent restaurants and remember you can ride over to fashionable Zermatt but without having to pay the Zermatt accommodation prices. A word of warning at weekends & public holidays the day trippers arrive en masse from Milan and Turin.
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Villard de Lans, France
Description: Villard de Lans is both a town and commune of the Vercors Plateau in France situated in the Isere department. The village stretches along the foot hills of the Grand Moucherolle. Part of the 1968 Winter Olympics were held here. The village is enjoyed in both summer and winter by tourists. In the 1970's Le Balcon de Villard -cote 2000 was created to give people access to the ski field. The nice thing about Villard de Lans is that it is a mixture of old and new, still with it's farming background. Secluded village
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Auron, France
Description: Auron is a good family resort. Built in the 1930's it is the biggest resort in the Alpes Maritime area.
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Zell am See, Austria
Description: Zell am See is on the edge of the Hohe Tauern National Park and located by the side of a lake. A year round resort full of Austrian charm and character. It has a traffic free centre and although small in size there are a good number of shops, bars and clubs
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La Clusaz, France
Description: La Clusaz has managed to retain its Gallic charm even as it has got bigger through the years. It has extensive slopes, a friendly feel and is just 50km from Geneva. Yes it does a lot of busines at the weekends due to that proximity.
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