The piste map of Les Trois Vallées, the 600 km of the interlinked ski runs, the 8 resorts (the Courchevel, the Méribel, the Val Thorens, the Les Menuires, and the 4 smaller), the 200 lifts, and the largest ski area in the world, is the essential first vision of the ultimate European skiing. Europe is the global skiing capital: the Alps (the France, the Switzerland, the Austria, the Italy) contain the 36% of the world’s ski areas, the best lift systems, the best infrastructure, the highest altitudes, and the most extensive linked ski areas in the world. Here is the ultimate guide, the best of the best.

The Ultimate European Skiing Guide

• The largest and the best, the top ski areas: The Les Trois Vallées, the France, the largest linked ski area in the world: the 600 km of the pistes, the 1,100–3,230 metres of the altitude, the 85% of the runs above the 1,800 metres, the snow-sure from the December to the April, and the best all-round ski area for the groups of the mixed ability. The resorts: the Courchevel (the 1850, the most glamorous, the £2,000/week, the 1650, the best value in the Courchevel, the £800/week), the Méribel (the most central, the British, the £1,200/week), the Val Thorens (the 2,300 metres, the highest resort in Europe, the Brit- and the party, the £700/week). The essential Trois Vallées experience: the ski from the Courchevel the whole way to the Val Thorens and the back (the 60 km in total, the 1 day of the skiing, and the essential claim: the “I skied Les Trois Vallées in the day”). The essential off-piste: the hire the guide, the €300 for the group of the 6, the couloirs of the Saulire and the Courchevel are the legendary. The 4 Vallées, the Switzerland, the best off-piste: the 410 km, the Verbier, the Mont Fort at the 3,330 metres, see #1336. The essential Verbier experience: the heliski (the Switzerland is the only country in Europe where the heliski is the legal, the €300 for the 1 drop, the 1,000 metres of the vertical, and the best ski run of the life). The essential Verbier off-piste: the Tortin couloir and the Bec des Rosses, the World Cup Freeride, and the steepest competition face in the world. France | Switzerland
• The best value, the best nightlife, and the best snow: The Sellaronda, the Dolomites, the Italy, the best ski tour: the 40 km of the ski circuit, the 4 valleys, the 1 day, see #1336. The essential Dolomites experience: the lunch at the Rifugio, the €15 for the pasta, the view of the pink Dolomites. The Mayrhofen, the Austria, the best après-ski: the Harakiri (the steepest groomed in the Austria, the 78%), the Ice Bar, the €10 for the cocktail, see #1336. The Val d’Isère, the France, the best all-round: the Espace Killy, the 300 km, see #1336. The St Anton, the Austria, the best expert skiing: the 340 km off-piste, the Valluga, see #5707. The Ruka, the Finland, the best early-season snow: the October opening (the earliest in Europe), the snow-sure, the -20°C, the reindeer, and the most unusual ski experience in Europe. The essential Ruka experience: the night-skiing under the northern lights, the December, the January. The essential skiing budget: the £800–1,500 for the week per the person (the flights, the transfers, the accommodation, the lift pass, the food, the self-catering brings to the £800, the hotel half-board brings to the £1,500), the essential budget tip: the January and the March are the 30% cheaper than the February half-term, and the snow is the same or the better. The essential luxury: the Courchevel 1850 for the £3,000 per the person, and the best hotel in the Alps: the Cheval Blanc, the £2,000/night.