A new list of Europe’s top 100 ski resorts sees three of Scotland’s ski centres making the grade. On the list at 97, 98 and 100 are Nevis Range, Glenshee and Glencoe due to their accessibility and affordability.
Other headlines news reveals that Austria is home to six of the top 10 ski resorts in Europe, including in top spot, St Anton am Arlberg (the destination of my most recent visit).
GoEuro.co.uk, a rail, coach and air travel search engine, analysed more than 2,200 ski resorts across Europe to come up with the top 100 resorts to visit this winter.
St Anton ranked the highest thanks to its affordability, price for the quality of the skiing experience, accessibility, après-ski and family activities on offer.
The most expensive resorts
Switzerland’s resorts make up the top five most expensive resorts in Europe, with Zermatt as the most expensive, where a day pass is priced at £54.40. However, despite its steep price, it does offer over 360km of slopes, as well as a wide range of extreme skiing activities.
The cheapest resorts
Eastern Europe is home to the cheapest resorts with a day pass at Bjelasnica, Bosnia and Herzogovina priced at just £12.70 per person. Eastern European resorts are growing in popularity, with travellers seeking new cultural experiences and world class slopes at affordable prices.
The biggest resort
Sestriere in Italy is Europe’s largest ski resort with 400km of slopes. The resort is perfect for beginners up to semi-pro skiers who want to experience the thrill of skiing expansive terrain.
St Anton is a speedy transfer from Innsbruck in Austria.
Most accessible resort
Not all resorts are easy to get to, which is why the criteria was included. St Anton am Arlberg was ranked the most accessible due to its easy transportation links. However, special mention should also be made for Kravec in Slovenia, located just 5.5km away from the train station and also near two airports. See my blog: How to make the most of a short ski break.
The most family friendly
The Alps is home to the most family friendly resorts, with plenty of special amenities for children on offer. Adelboden, Switzerland, is the most family friendly resort due to its ski parks, sledge slopes, ice-skating rinks and cinemas.
The après-ski resorts
The combination of exclusive hotels, spa facilities, Michelin-starred restaurants and, of course, ski slopes on offer has ranked Ischgl, Austria, as the best in Europe.
To determine which factors would be used in ranking the resorts across Europe, GoEuro looked at ski resorts within 19 countries and considered 30 criteria to choose the top 100.
The company analysed official resort pages and gathered traveller reviews as well as data from industry professionals.
The final ranking is based on four criteria: Price versus quality ratio, accessibility of each resort and the après-ski and family activities available.
See the full list of GoEuro Europe’s top 100 ski resorts.