Where to go for Ski season

The cable car to 3,842 metres facing Mont Blanc, the start of the Vallee Blanche and the Alps' great viewpoint.

Argentière's steep north facing mountain, holding snow late; its top cable car is not due back before the end of 2027, so ski the lifts below it.

The Albert 1er country house restaurant, the traditional Savoie splurge dinner in the town centre.

The sunny south-facing slopes above town with the Mont Blanc panorama in your face all day.

The cog railway summit at 3,089 metres facing the Matterhorn across the Gorner glacier all the way up.

The cable car to 3,883 metres, the highest lift station in Europe, with glacier pistes and the Italy crossing.

The famous sun-terrace mountain restaurant in Findeln hamlet, the Zermatt lunch to book weeks ahead.

The quieter connoisseur's hamlet restaurant below the Klein Matterhorn runs, a local legend for decades.

The main gondola from the village to the Galzig, gateway to the Valluga and the Lech link lifts.

The self-styled wickedest apres bar in Europe, on the run home above the village, dancing in ski boots.

The old hospice Alm restaurant at 1,800 metres, famous for its cellar of giant wine bottles.

The cable car to 2,811 metres above the Arlberg, with the marked north-face ski routes below it.

The 3,330 metre summit of the 4 Vallees, with the back-side itinerary runs toward Tortin below it.

The cellar institution under Place Centrale for raclette and fondue, the classic Verbier dinner.

The apres hotel on the main street whose terrace and live sets anchor Verbier's evening circuit.

The quiet tree-lined area facing Verbier, the locals' powder escape on storm days in the trees.

The gondola up the Face de Bellevarde, the Olympic downhill piste that tests every skier honestly.

The mountain party that invented the genre, with La Fruitiere restaurant doing the area's best lunch.

Val d'Isere's own high glacier sector, where the reliable snow lives early and late in the season.

The underground funicular from Val Claret climbs to 3,032 metres on the Grande Motte, the highest snow on the shared Tignes side of the area.

The gondola from the town edge up the race mountain, serving the Streif course and the family slopes.

The most feared downhill course in ski racing, open as a piste outside race week each January.

The celebrity mountain inn above town, famous across Austria for its terrace and its singing landlady.

The sunny second mountain across town, gentle cruising with the best views back over the walled town.

The cable car summit above the Olympic downhill course, the area's steepest and most serious skiing.

The sunny cruiser area above town, among the first to open and the spring morning favourite.

The rifugio terrace facing Cinque Torri, serving canederli and casunziei above the trenches sector.

The pedestrian main street of the passeggiata, palace hotels, aperitivo bars and the town's living room.

One of Europe's great gondolas, from the village square to near the 1,420 metre Areskutan summit.

The summit mountain above the village, with World Cup blacks and long reds back to the lake.

The candlelit farmhouse restaurant in the woods, reached by snowcat, Are's famous splurge dinner.

The slope-side hotel above the village with the famous terrace, ski-in at the mid-range tier.

The hike-to freeride face above the lifts, home of the Scandinavian Big Mountain Championships each May.

The small lift system on the Norwegian border, mostly a gateway to off-piste terrain in every direction.

The main resort hotel by the border station, with the spa and the season's social centre.

The celebrated small luxury lodge and heliski headquarters, the splurge of the Swedish north.

The record-breaking gondola between the two summits, tying Whistler and Blackcomb into one alpine circuit.

Two full mountains of bowls, glaciers and tree skiing above one purpose-built pedestrian village.

Whistler's benchmark special-occasion dinner in Village Square, Coast Mountain produce and a deep cellar.

The main gondola from the village to the Roundhouse, the first lift of most Whistler days and the way down when the light goes flat.

The heated-seat gondola from Vail Village to Mid-Vail and the front side's immaculate groomers.

The gladed back area beyond the Back Bowls, a second resort's worth of tree skiing and bowls.

Vail Village's defining dinner for decades, the table to book the week the hotel is booked.

The Bavarian family-run luxury hotel in the village core, the benchmark Vail address.

Home of Highland Bowl, the hike-to icon whose steep north-facing snow is the connoisseur's US run.

The gondola from the town's streets to the top of Aspen Mountain, steep groomers and bumps below.

The Little Nell's dining room and famous cellar, the splurge dinner of the Aspen trip.

The 1889 silver-era grand hotel, as much Aspen landmark as lodging, a block from the gondola.

The largest lift-served resort in the US, two linked sides from Canyons Village to the Town Lift.

Skiers only, capped numbers and grooming as a religion, the luxury-service day of a Utah trip.

Utah's benchmark special-occasion dining room in a historic Main Street building.

The preserved silver-mining strip of saloons turned restaurants, the town's evening centre.

The big red box to 3,185 metres, with waffles at the top and every descent a serious one.

Teton Village's saloon institution since the 1960s, the apres and pizza-and-beer dinner of the base.

The benchmark special dinner on Jackson's town square, to book when the hotel is booked.

The winter park road glide under the Cathedral Group, the rest day that justifies Jackson.

One of the world's biggest single resorts, front-side groomers and vast back bowls over the lake.

The high alpine village on the Continental Divide, natural snow and a season into late May.

The frozen lake in front of the Chateau, skating and sleigh rides in Canada's famous winter scene.

Banff Avenue's Alberta-beef splurge, the town's benchmark special dinner with a terrace floor.

The main Niseko area above Hirafu village, tree zones and floodlit night skiing in falling snow.

The quieter end of the shared mountain, gate access and the onsen finish to a powder day.

Hirafu's French-Japanese fine dining room, the splurge to book the moment flights exist.

The famous fridge-door bar in lower Hirafu, vinyl, whisky and cocktails in a tiny room.

The Olympic mountain above Happo village, big faces, long groomers and the valley's default first day.

Linked with Goryu at the top, the valley's best all-round pair of parks, trees and alpine bowl.

The wide gentle plateau with tree-run zones, the cruisers' and boarders' favourite Hakuba field.

The valley's fine-dining name at the Phoenix Hotel in Wadano, to book ahead in season.

Queenstown's engineered first field, big snowmaking, fast lifts and floodlit night skiing in season.

The steeper Queenstown field, hike-to chutes and the Wakatipu panorama from every run.

Wanaka's family and parks giant, now the country's largest ski area with the Soho Basin expansion.

The steep, scenic connoisseur's field over Lake Wanaka, the best local skiing on a powder morning.

South America's biggest ski resort, a full ridge of sectors above Lake Nahuel Huapi.

Argentina's most famous hotel, the 1940 grand resort on its own peninsula point in the lakes.

The famous name of Bariloche's chocolate street, with its cafe and ice cream as the evening ritual.

The little chairlift hill with the great short view over the lakes and the Llao Llao peninsula.

The legendary single-hotel resort above Laguna del Inca, capped numbers and unique slingshot lifts.

Chile's largest resort above 3,000 metres, linked to La Parva in the Tres Valles system.

The turquoise glacial lake below Portillo's slopes, the shore the famous Lake Run descends toward.

The yellow all-in hotel of the ski weeks, 450 guests maximum and a house-party rhythm since 1949.