The Ultimate Guide to Skiing Europe

A Skier’s Guide to Europe’s Most Iconic Mountains 

Europe is the cradle of our great sport, and it’s a must-visit for every serious skier. Sure, the skiing is incredible, but it’s also about the feeling you get there, imbued from a mountain culture that predates ours by centuries. It also offers so many experiences you just can’t get in the U.S., like hut trips through three countries, an après scene that will have you dancing on the tables in ski boots, and quaint refugios and chalets that feel downright magical.

Planning a European ski vacation, however, can be daunting. To give you a head start, here’s our take on where to point your skis.

Best Overall: Chamonix, France

Chamonix isn’t just a ski resort—it’s a proving ground. Sprawled beneath Mont Blanc in the French Alps, this town has been the epicenter of alpinism since the 1700s, and that spirit of adventure permeates everything. The Vallée Blanche, a 13-mile off-piste descent through crevasse fields and seracs, requires a guide and a high tolerance for exposure. The Grand Montets serves up 6,000 vertical feet of high-alpine, north-facing expert terrain. Even a ride in the famous Aiguille du Midi cable car is a heart-stopping adventure (not to mention an engineering marvel) that perches you 12,600 feet atop some of the most consequential lines in skidom. And when you’re done, you’ll be drinking wine in an enchanted Alpine town that makes our ersatz ski villages feel like Las Vegas.

What makes Chamonix so unique is its combination of accessibility and extremity. You can ski mellow blues at Le Brévent or scare yourself on the puckering steeps of Pas de Chèvre. The terrain spans multiple ski areas linked by valley buses and the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass. So, whether you’re here for steep couloirs or scenic cruisers, you’ve got options.

Best Off-the-Beaten-Path: Andermatt, Switzerland

While American skiers flock to Zermatt and St. Moritz, you can join those in the know at snow-rich Andermatt, Switzerland’s quiet giant. This central Swiss village was a sleepy military outpost until recent investments brought it into this century, but without changing its original charm and character. Two ski areas, one on each side of town, offer two distinctly different experiences and a fraction of the crowds you’ll battle elsewhere.

Andermatt sits at the intersection of several valleys, meaning it gets snow from every direction—from the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and north—and its relatively high elevation holds it often into May. The Gemsstock side accesses steep, north-facing powder-choked couloirs and aprons while the Oberalp side offers wide-open bowls that are friendly enough for beginners. Add Swiss efficiency, reasonable prices (by Swiss standards), and direct train access from Zurich, and you’ve found Europe’s best-kept secret.

Photo courtesy: TVB St Anton am Arlberg

Best Après Scene: St. Anton, Austria

This Tyrolean village may not have invented the après ski concept, but nobody does it better. The ritual begins any time after 10 a.m. (“après” means “after,” which apparently is open to interpretation) and goes until around 8 p.m., when it’s time to move on to a bar in town. You literally can’t miss the infamous on-hill bars Mooserwirt and Krazy Kanguruh, where thousands of skiers stomp their boots to DJs and live bands and quaff more giant beers and schnapps than Dublin on St. Patty’s Day.

But St. Anton isn’t just a party town—it’s also home to the massive Arlberg ski region, offering world class terrain that ranges from gentle cruisers to legit big-mountain lines. The village is also the birthplace of modern alpine technique, where Hannes Schneider invented skiing the way it’s done today. At St. Anton, you ski hard, party harder, and repeat tomorrow.

Best Luxury: Courchevel, France

Courchevel is where oligarchs park their helicopters and movie stars hide behind Moncler. Perched at the heart of Les Trois Vallées—the world’s largest ski area—this village offers an unbelievable amount of interconnected terrain. On-hill, the skiing matches the pedigree with perfectly groomed pistes, high-speed lifts with heated seats, and mountain restaurants serving foie gras. For expert skiers, the biggest draw is that most of the visitors are intermediates, so the steeper the terrain, the fewer the crowds. If, that is, you can tear yourself away from the Michelin restaurants, five-star hotels, and boutiques selling one-piece ski suits that cost more than your car (or ours, anyway) long enough to ski it.

Best Affordability: Sestriere, Italy

Sestriere is the best European skiing for the buck: Alps skiing without Alps prices. Originally built in the 1930s by the founder of Fiat, the town sits high in Piedmont region with access to the Via Lattea (Milky Way) ski area, an enormous resort that spans both Italy and France. Lift tickets run about half what you’d pay in France or Switzerland, hotels are reasonable, and the Italian food is both excellent and affordable.

The high elevation—the village sits above 6,500 feet—means reliable snow, yet it has ample south-facing terrain that’s friendly for beginners even in mid-winter. It features everything from wide-open bowls to the steep north-facing couloirs of Monte Matta and Monte Sises. While Sestriere may lack the old-world charm of other Alpine villages (think huge hotels rather than quaint chalets), what it loses in character it gains in value.

Photo courtesy: hautevalles.com

Best Off-Piste Pow: La Grave, France

True to its name, La Grave is not to be taken lightly. It’s not so much a ski resort but a single cable car that drops you into 4,500 vertical feet of ungroomed, unpatrolled, and unforgiving terrain. (When we say it’s best for off-piste pow, what we really mean is that it’s all off-piste.) With north-facing runs in the shadow of forbidding La Meije peak, La Grave is a mountain on which to test your mettle. Hiring a guide is mandatory unless you are one, owing to the cliffs and crevasses waiting to eat you alive. The village itself is authentic and unpretentious—just a handful of hotels and restaurants. Go if you dare, and take care to come home in one piece.

Whether you’re chasing steep lines in Chamonix, untracked couloirs in Andermatt, or a long afternoon that somehow turns into après in St. Anton, the Alps offer something deeper than just great snow. They offer context, history, and a way of skiing that feels earned. Wherever you point your skis, go prepared, ski with intention, and savor the fact that in Europe, the best turns are often only part of the story.

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Article by Kimberly Beekman
Kimberly Beekman is the former editor-in-chief of the late, great Skiing Magazine (RIP), and a longtime editor of SKI Magazine before that. She currently uses the title of “freelancer” as a beard to ski powder all over the world. She lives in Steamboat, Colorado, with her wonderful daughter and terrible cat.