We all know that skiing or snowboarding is not exactly cheap but since some of us practice it once or twice a year, we shouldn’t’ miss the chance to go to a resort with long slopes, powder snow, good weather conditions and enough capacity to avoid long queues at the chair lift.
Not everyone has the same level of skiing, so when we ski in group it’s normal to split for a few hours. The problem comes when we start to feel hungry and can’t find the others to eat together. To make easier lunches and beers on the slopes, we use Wave Let’s Meet App, a free app that enables two or more people to share their location in real time on the same private map.
Wave is so precise that we can follow our friends going down the slopes, but that’s not all: Wave also has great features such as setting a meeting point and calculating the estimated time of arrival. Wave also has a super fast, complete chat to type, share pics and send audios.
To help you decide where to go, look at the list of the best ski resorts in the world and the cheapest and the top quality ski destinations in the world:
EUROPE
In Europe there are several key areas for skiing, starting with the Swiss, French, Italian and Austrian Alps and following the French and Spanish Pyrenees and the north of Spain. In the east we also find several good tracks in the mountains of Georgia although they are less popular.
What we like most about skiing in the Alps is that it has powder snow almost all year round and it is surrounded by charming and cute small towns.
THE ALPS
BEST-IN-CLASS SKI RESORT IN THE ALPS
One of the most reputed ski resorts is Zermatt in Switzerland. It is a very complete resort with 322 km of slopes for all levels, almost half of them are for intermediates. It also has tracks in the forest for spectacular views during the race and glacier slopes.
Given its high altitude, more than 3000 meters, it offers lift passes throughout the year, although it is at risk of bad weather and storms every few weeks. Like all renowned resorts, the facilities offered are memorable, with a large number of restaurants, accommodation and entertainment for skiers.
How to get there: The closest airports are in Zurich and Geneva.
Price: One day ski pass costs from 90 dollars.
BUDGET SKI RESORT IN THE ALPS
The long mountain range of the Alps offers very good seasons at very low prices in France, Austria and Italy. One of the best rated for the cheap ones is Livigno, placed in the Valtellina mountains of Italy. It is a wonderful and well-known resort for skiers and snowboarders of the world, with wide and well groomed tracks. Most of them are dedicated to intermediate levels Its views from the chair lifts don’t have to envy to those of Zermatt.
How to get there: The nearest airport is in Milan.
Price: It costs one day from 50 dollars.
THE PYRENEES
BEST-IN-CLASS SKI RESORT IN THE PYRINEES
Grandvalira in Andorra is a resort of 210 km of slopes with almost 100 km suitable for beginners. It is a very complete option to go skiing in a group with people of different levels, since it has several styles like alpine skiing, ski mountaineering and a wonderful snow park to do all kinds of jumps. The resort is close to the restoration and accommodation areas, as well as to the typical tax-free shopping area of Andorra.
How to get there: Andorra, Barcelona and Zaragoza airports are the closest.
Price: One day from 53 dollars.
BUDGET SKI RESORT IN THE PYRINEES
A very good and cheaper option for skiing in the Pyrenees is the Formigal ski resort in Spain. It has 137 kilometers of slopes of all levels, with very steep black ones and freeride areas in the mountains. It is a very lively resort also for a drink after skiing and offers all kinds of amenities and good food.
How to get there: Zaragoza and Barcelona airports are the closest.
Price: One day from 48 dollars.
NORTH AMERICA
North of America is a skier’s paradise in winter, with its high mountains outlined in snow for several months a year and a spectacular sun. Experts say that resorts In North America are the best managed and planned in the world although they are typically more expensive. Here we list the best rated in the continent:
CANADIAN ROCKIES
BEST-IN-CLASS SKI RESORT IN CANADA
Whistler in British Columbia is the largest station in North America and connects three stations with chair lifts that form an extension of 200 km of slopes. One of the best viewpoints in the world is here, on the lift that connects the Peak Mountains.
On average, there are 12 meters of powder snow every year to enjoy skiing at all levels. Most of its slopes are intermediate although it has an astonishing 50 km of black slopes for professional skiers and several bowls with powder snow perfect for jumping.
After the renovation of last year in which new carpets for children were incorporated and 3 green slopes were renovated, it became a very friendly station for those who are beginners.
How to get there: Vancouver airport is the closest.
Price: One day starts from 120 dollars.
BUDGET SKI RESORT IN CANADA
The Revelstoke ski area, also in British Columbia, offers a more reasonable price with the joy of being the highest ski resort in America with 1713 meters of height. It is a small but very complete station with 55 km of groomed slopes of all difficulties and several areas adapted to other variants such as the Heliski and forest tracks. It also counts with a magnificent snowpark.
How to get there: Vancouver airport is the closest.
Price: One day starts from 80 dollars.
COLORADO
BEST-IN-CLASS SKI RESORT IN COLORADO
Aspen Snowmass, in Colorado, is the most reputed station in America and the most sophisticated one. It consists of 237 km of slopes divided into 4 separate resorts with a shuttle that joins them and that are suitable for all levels.
In Aspen you can spend the whole day skiing and still feel that you don’t know the resort, given the great variety of marked trails, the ways in the middle of the forest, the highway areas and the powder snow areas, perfect for the most daring.
It is accessible to all types of skiers, which makes it good for a family destination. There is free shuttle to other parts of the resort and a free gondola between the top of the mountain and the picturesque city.
How to get there: Aspen airport is the closest but sometimes is closed due to the weather so it is recommendable to go to Denver airport.
Price: One day starts from 170 dollars.
BUDGET SKI RESORT IN COLORADO
Wolf Creek Ski Area in Colorado is known because its 100 km of slopes are extremely difficult. This makes it a paradise for the most veteran skiers. Its price is also attractive, since it stands at less than 100 dollars a day.
How to get there: Albuquerque is the closest airport, although it is more than 200km away.
Price: One day starts from 70 dollars.
MONTANA
BEST-IN-CLASS SKI RESORT IN MONTANA
Big Sky Resort is one of the most difficult areas for skiing in the world, with 250 km of slopes among which 126 are black. To the difficulty of its trails is added a variety of incredible landscapes surrounded by forests and large slopes that make it one of the wonders of the country. What we also like is the small queues to go uphill, because of its large number of ski lifts around the 4 mountains where is placed the resort.
How to get there: Yellowstone airport is the closest airport.
Price: One day starts from 135 dollars.
BUDGET SKI RESORT IN MONTANA
Bridger Bowl in Montana offers a high altitude ski resort with powder snow that compensates its small size: it has 71 kilometers of its ski and snowboard slopes.
It is a very suitable resort in which we will not see long lines to take the chair lift, we will enjoy plenty of space to practice, especially if we are beginners and above all we will save a lot of money. For accomodation and facilities, visitors need to go to the neighbor city Bozeman, where they can also find a vibrant nightlife.
To get there: Yellowstone airport is the closest airport.
Price: One day starts from 60 dollars.
ASIA
NORTHEAST ASIA
It is a spectacularly beautiful area for skiing in the months of December to March over Korea, Japan and China. In Asia we find smaller stations than in Europe or in North America, although the views and the amenities are well worth it for a skiing holiday.
BEST-IN-CLASS SKI RESORT IN ASIA
Rusutsu, in Japan, is a resort that draws attention for the great contrast between the mountains and the vast planes that make up an incredible landscape in which its 42 km of slopes seem even larger. It is one of the areas with the highest concentration of powder snow in Asia and skiing and snowboarding here is a wonder. This resort offers spaces for other sports such as dog sledding, snow rafting and horseback riding.
To get there: Tokyo airport is the closest one.
Price: One day starts from 48 dollars.
BUDGET SKI RESORT IN ASIA
Nozawa Onsen in Japan is one of the first on the list of all ski portals due to the provision of its 44 km of slopes, very accessible and well distributed to enjoy the mountain. Practically the entire resort is dedicated to beginners with easy and intermediate tracks, carpets and esplanades for children. The black slopes, however, offer steep slopes with dry snow that hinder the movements of skiers.
To get there: Tokyo airport is the closest one.
Price: One day starts from 40 dollars.
Pablo Clemente Pérez 