Ski guides
Practical, fact-checked guides to the Alps and North America — what each region is really like, what to do in every resort town, the runs locals keep quiet about, and where families actually get a good week.
88 guides · updated as lifts, prices and openings change
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🗺️ Ski regions
All 21 →How the big ski regions actually differ — terrain, snow reliability, and who each one suits.
- Andes Ski Guide: Skiing Chile and ArgentinaThe Santiago resorts, iconic Portillo, Patagonia's Cerro Catedral and Las Leñas -- plus the honest truth about El Niño and South America's fickle snow.9 min read
- Australian Ski Regions Explained: NSW and VictoriaAn honest map of Australian skiing -- the Snowy Mountains vs the Victorian Alps, why snowmaking runs the show, and how Epic and Ikon split the country in two.8 min read
- New Zealand Ski Guide: Queenstown & WanakaFour ski fields, two towns, no slope-side villages. How to actually ski Coronet Peak, The Remarkables, Cardrona and Treble Cone from a base in Queenstown or Wanaka.9 min read
- Aosta Valley Ski Guide: Italy's High Alpine CornerFour ski areas under the biggest peaks in the Alps, two of them linked into France and Switzerland. Where to point yourself, and why the food alone justifies the trip.7 min read
- Arlberg Ski Region Guide: How St. Anton and Lech Fit TogetherAustria's biggest linked ski area, explained: the two valleys, the Flexenbahn that joins them, the Run of Fame circuit, and which base suits which skier.8 min read
- Austria Ski Regions Explained: Tyrol to SalzburgerlandWhy an Austrian ski week beats France on villages, après and value -- and where the low altitude bites in a warm year. An honest map of Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Salzburgerland.8 min read
🏘️ Resort towns
All 36 →What to do in each town: on the snow, off the snow, and when the weather closes the top lifts.
- Cardrona Ski Resort Guide: Parks, Pipes & Family RunsNew Zealand's freestyle capital -- Olympic-standard pipes, sunny family basins, rare on-mountain apartments, and where the Ikon pass fits.8 min read
- Cerro Catedral Ski Guide: South America's Biggest ResortThe largest ski area in the Andes, its serious freeride reputation, the Ikon Pass days, and why Patagonian wind can wreck your best-planned morning above Bariloche.8 min read
- Perisher Ski Resort Guide: Big, Gentle, No VillageThe Southern Hemisphere's biggest lift network, the Skitube shortcut, why it's a dream for learners, and the honest truth about staying on-mountain.8 min read
- Portillo Ski Resort Guide: The Yellow Hotel in the AndesOne yellow hotel, no town, empty slopes and slingshot lifts into the couloirs -- plus honest notes on altitude, remoteness and Chile's variable snow years.8 min read
- Thredbo Ski Resort Guide: Australia's Biggest VerticalAustralia's longest runs, a real village at the valley floor, an honest read on the snow, plus Ikon access, the season window and the drive from Sydney.9 min read
- Valle Nevado Ski Resort Guide: Chile's High-Andes BaseChile's highest, most developed resort -- an hour of switchbacks above Santiago, linked into the big Tres Valles domain. The snow, the altitude, and the no-town truth.8 min read
👨👩👧 Family & kids
All 3 →Where families actually get a good week: ski schools, childcare, and gentle terrain.
- Best Family Ski Resorts in the Alps: An Honest RankingThe five things that actually decide a family ski week, the Alpine resorts that nail them, and the big-name mountains to skip on a first trip with kids.8 min read
- Best Family Ski Resorts in the USA: Where the Week WorksWhich US resorts actually make a family ski week easy -- kids-ski-free deals, ski-school capacity, gentle terrain, and the altitude catch nobody warns you about.9 min read
- Skiing With Young Children: A First-Trip PlaybookWhat's realistic by age, why ski school beats teaching them yourself, the logistics that save a day, and how to survive as the non-skiing parent.7 min read
🤫 Secret spots
All 7 →The runs, huts, and viewpoints locals use — and the crowded ones they walk past.
- Best Mountain Huts in the Alps: Where to Plan a Ski DayThe on-mountain huts worth building a whole ski day around -- Zermatt's Findeln terraces, the Dolomites' Lagazuoi, St. Anton's Hospiz Alm -- and when to book.9 min read
- Best Tree Skiing Resorts: Where to Ski the WoodsTrees hold powder and give you visibility when the alpine is a whiteout. The North American and European glades worth chasing, and how to ski them safely.9 min read
- Hidden gems of the Dolomites: the quiet cornersBeyond Cortina and the Sella Ronda: the Sesto Dolomites, Kronplatz's empty side valleys, quiet Fassa and Badia sectors, and the WWI history you ski through.8 min read
- Hidden gems of the French Alps: the resorts crowds skipVars, Serre Chevalier, La Clusaz and the Portes du Soleil trees. Character resorts and quiet runs the Three Valleys crowd never finds, with the trade-offs stated.8 min read
- Highest Ski Resorts in Europe: Base vs Top AltitudeVal Thorens sleeps at 2,300 m, Zermatt's lifts reach 3,883 m — two different records. Which altitude buys snow, which buys whiteout misery, and how to tell them apart.9 min read
- Most Beautiful Ski Resorts in the Alps: View vs SkiingZermatt to Cortina to St Moritz -- the Alps' most stunning resorts, and the honest split between the ones worth a whole trip and the ones to admire on a day out.8 min read
🧭 Trip planning
All 18 →Timing, passes, transfers, gear, and the mistakes that cost you a day.
- Southern Hemisphere Ski Season: When and Where to GoChase a second winter from June to October. An honest month-by-month read on Australia, New Zealand and the Andes, and which one is worth the flight when.9 min read
- Altitude and Snow Reliability: Picking a Snow-Sure ResortBase height, aspect, glaciers, snowmaking and latitude decide whether your resort has snow. The real rules for a snow-sure booking, early and late season.8 min read
- Après-Ski Guide to the Alps: Where the Party IsSt Anton to Val Thorens: which scene is table-dancing in ski boots at 3pm, which is a civilised hotel bar, and how to pick the resort that actually fits you.8 min read
- Best Time to Ski the Alps: A Month-by-Month GuideWhen to go and when to stay home. The cheap January lull, the half-term weeks to dodge, and why March quietly beats February for most skiers.7 min read
- Chamonix vs Zermatt: Which Alpine Icon Is for You?Two towns under two famous peaks, and they reward opposite skiers. Off-piste and mountaineering versus lift-linked snow-sure glacier skiing, priced and picked honestly.8 min read
- Courchevel vs Méribel: Which Three Valleys Base?Same lift pass, same mountain, very different holidays. Position, price, villages and nightlife compared -- and a clear pick-this-one-if for each.9 min read
💸 Costs & value
All 3 →What a ski week really costs, and where the same snow comes cheaper.
- Cheapest Ski Resorts in Europe: Where the Snow Costs LessThe same Alps for half the money. Where lift passes, beds, beer and travel are cheapest, the value resorts worth booking, and the levers that cut any ski week.7 min read
- Cheapest Ski Resorts in the USA: Where to Ski Without $250 DaysThe US resorts that still charge sane lift prices, plus the four levers -- pass, resort choice, lodging, timing -- that save you far more than any of them.7 min read
- Ski Holiday Cost Breakdown: What a Week Really CostsEvery line of a ski week priced for 2025/26 -- travel, pass, rental, and the mountain-lunch trap -- plus honest budget, mid and premium totals and where to actually cut.9 min read