The five best places to ski right now – with plenty of snow and no crowds

The arrival of snow and freezing temperatures may have sent Britain into chaos, but for eager skiers, seeing the white stuff on home soil acts as a reminder of what awaits them overseas, as the ski season roars into action.

Over the weekend the last remaining major resorts in Europe finally swung into motion. The entirety of 3 Vallées in France, the world’s biggest ski area, is now open – Méribel and Saint Martin de Belleville kicked things off with fresh snow falling. In Italy, the Monterosa area, which spans Champoluc and Alagna, is open for business with fresh powder awaiting early-season skiers.

“Broadly speaking snow conditions are good for mid-December even though snow depths are unremarkable,” says weather expert Fraser Wilkin from weathertoski.co.uk. “It’s been a case of step by step improvements over recent weeks rather than any sudden season defining storm or storm cycle that you see some years.”

Some resorts continue to hold out for the very best conditions before welcoming guests for the Christmas festivities. Morzine and Les Gets will open their ski area later this week, when the links between the Grand Massif ski area, including Samöens and Flaine, will also start turning. Slopes in the majority of Eastern Europe’s resorts are also preparing to open soon, as are resorts in Norway.

Glacier resorts continue to offer the best guarantee of good turns. In Austria, Sölden has a base of over 150cm on its highest pistes, while in Switzerland, Zermatt is boasting 110cm on the slopes it shares with Cervinia in Italy.

After a slow start, it’s safe to say winter is finally kicking in. If you’re tempted to drop everything and run for the hills, here’s our lowdown on the best places to ski right now.

Where has the best snow right now?

“Nowhere particularly stands out, good or bad,” says Wilkin. “Everywhere has reasonable snow cover at altitude and pretty much everywhere is still a bit on the thin side low down.

"That said, it’s been on the cold side recently, which has allowed snow-making to proceed at full throttle – something which is especially helpful in the lower Austrian resorts and the Dolomites. In short, there is some excellent on-piste right across the Alps but a lot of care is still needed off-piste."

The bumper start to the season in the States continues to break records. “Across the pond conditions continue to impress across much of the Rockies, with Utah still the stand-out state. Snowbird, for example, has a mid-mountain base of 180cm – 70 per cent above normal for this time of year,” adds Wilkin.

Is there snow in the forecast?

The cold snap that is blasting Britain promises to work wonders in Europe too. “It is very cold and mostly sunny today (Monday). Tuesday and Wednesday will see further snow reaching the western Alps (especially France), but it will turn milder with the rain/snow limit rising to 1,500-1,800m,” forecasts Wilkin.

“Later in the week the Dolomites are best placed for fresh snow and temperatures will start to fall again.”

The top five places you can ski right now

Val d’Isère, France

Top snow depth: 65cm

Following the decision to push back its opening, Val d’Isère is now welcoming skiers alongside neighbouring Tignes. Now that both resorts, and their linked ski area, are open there’s fresh powder on the ground and significantly more lifts turning. The resort’s beginner-friendly Solaise mountain has plenty open and skiers in Tignes can now make turns all the way down to the lowest outpost at Les Brévières. Over the weekend Val d’Isère hosted the FIS Ski World Cup – if it’s good enough for the world’s elite athletes it’s good enough for us.

Niseko, Japan

Top snow depth: 110cm

Japan’s leading ski resort excited skiers in the past week with news of over one metre of the white stuff in less than seven days. “Once the powder taps turned on, it seemed to just keep falling, and the entire resort has been transformed into an incredible winter wonderland,” read a statement. The land of the rising sun is back open to British visitors too, without the need to test if you are vaccinated with a booster – following one of the world’s longest Covid closures.

Alta Badia, Italy

Top snow depth: 50cm

The Italian resort, nestled in the depths of the Dolomites, hosts the FIS World Cup this coming weekend (December 17). Its slopes are in good condition ahead of the event, including the Sella Ronda circuit, which is open in both directions for those eager to clock up some early-season mileage. What’s more the forecast looks set to remain cold, with more precipitation before the weekend.

Baqueira Beret, Spain

Top snow depth: 55m

Snow, in Spain, in December? Yes, you read that right. The resort of Baqueriea in the Pyrenees is currently fully operational with over half a metre on the ground and 170km of slopes open. The resort has lots to boast about this winter, with a new six-seater chairlift, leading to new pistes, all served by a new fleet of snow groomers. Light snow looks set to continue this week, as Spain’s underrated resort celebrates a good start to the season.

Zermatt, Switzerland

Top snow depth: 110cm

After a rocky autumn, when Zermatt and its neighbour Cervinia were forced to close their shared glacier, the Swiss resort is now in full swing. Its quaint streets, lined by picture-perfect chalets and hotels make for one of the most charming pre-Christmas settings – the snowpack is just as inviting with 110cm lying on the highest pistes. The wintery conditions look set to continue with sub-zero temperatures and snow dominating the week ahead – it looks set to be a very white Christmas in Switzerland’s most iconic resort.

Where next?

Looking ahead, all eyes are on Christmas. By next week all resorts across the globe will be open and welcoming visitors, snow-lined streets will be twinkling and sleigh bells will be ringing. Find more of the best resorts for a Christmas break here.