Nestled in the Northern French Alps, Les Trois Vallées topped our ski index with a score of 84.42 out of a possible 100 points.
The study from Forbes Advisor analysed the quality, cost and accessibility of more than 6,000 ski resorts and ski areas in order to find the top 50 greatest winter sports destinations in the world.
Resorts were scored on 14 different factors including the length and variety of slopes, how they were reviewed by skiers and snowboarders, the quality of the apres-ski scene – and of course, price.
Nestled in the Northern French Alps, Les Trois Vallées topped our ski index with a score of 84.42 out of a possible 100 points.
The largest linked ski area in the world, Les Trois Vallées has 600km of slopes across eight resorts, including well-known names like Val Thorens, Courchevel, and Meribel.
Due to its sheer size, the variety of skiing offered by Les Trois Vallées is practically unmatched anywhere in the world, making it an excellent destination for skiers of all abilities.
In second place with 76.71 points, Les Portes du Soleil is another large ski area that sits on the French-Swiss border and stretches from Lake Geneva to Mont Blanc. Rounding out the top three is Switzerland's Les Quatre Vallées, whose main resort of Verbier is one of the most popular in Europe.
Top 10 best ski resorts in the world
- Les Trois Vallées (France) – 84.42
- Les Portes du Soleil (Switzerland/France) – 76.71
- Les Quatre Vallées (Switzerland) – 66.88
- Ski Arlberg (Austria) – 66.05
- Zermatt (Switzerland) – 64.50
- Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm (Austria) – 61.70
- Silvretta Arena Samnaun/Ischgl (Austria/Switzerland) – 61.70
- SkiWelt (Austria) – 60.64
- Vail (USA) – 60.39
- Val d'Isere (France) – 59.87
If you’re hitting the slopes for the first time, or if you’d just prefer to have plenty of smooth slopes to get your snow legs back under you, Les Trois Vallées has some 312km of blue slopes to get you started.
The sheer scale of the three valleys ski area provides beginners and inexperienced skiers with plenty of manageable runs to help build confidence and develop their skills without having to repeat the same slope twice.
In a close second is the French-Swiss ski area of Les Portes du Soleil with 310km of blue-rated slopes, while Val d’Isere comes in third place thanks to its recently added Solaise sector – making this traditionally more advanced resort accessible to skiers of mixed abilities.
Laura Howard, travel insurance expert at Forbes Advisor, said:: “Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many winter sports enthusiasts would have found themselves taking a rather unexpected hiatus from the slopes over the last few years. And there’ll no doubt be some people who have found themselves building up a bit of a backlog of dream destinations as a result.
“To help people prioritise their bucket list, we looked at key factors such as the length and variety of slopes, reviews, apres scene, and average costs to create a definitive ranking of the world's best winter sports destinations.
“Whether you’re an experienced skier or a relative newbie, accidents happen and even the best skiers take a tumble from time to time. So, before you hit the slopes, make sure your travel insurance policy has adequate winter sports cover, especially if you plan to go off-piste as this probably won't be covered by most standard travel insurance policies, meaning that you could end up having to foot the bill should you need rescuing.”
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
