From Turkey to Norway and Italy – the secret places our travel writers love to ski

When it comes to the slopes, not all ski resorts are made equal. Here, our travel writers share their pick of the pistes for some final snow this winter

There’s still some time left to get your ski fix this season (Getty Images)

Piste difficulty, powder depth, pass prices and parties – there’s a lot to consider when searching for somewhere to ski.

With more than 6,000 resorts worldwide, choosing where to strap on your skis or snowboard can often freeze travellers’ holiday plans.

Luckily, from famed aprés hosts in the French Alps to “snow sure” Scandinavia and the winter wilds of Turkey, The Independent’s travel writers have conquered slopes across continents.

Here are our experts’ picks of the pistes that might pique your interest this ski season.

Read more: The stunning ski destination hosting the Winter Olympics

Erciyes, Turkey

There are 40 ski resorts in the Anatolian peninsula (Tristan Kennedy)

A Turkish holiday is usually a sunbed-studded affair of meze meals and dips in the Aegean. But visit its wilds in winter, and you can find European-standard ski slopes at wallet-friendly prices. Of his Turkish ski trip, Tristan Kennedy said: “Erciyes is nothing if not impressive. It boasts 150km of pistes (the same number as the famous French village of Val d’Isere), linked by a network of 12 ultra-modern lifts – the highest of which reaches 3,400m (topping anything in Val Thorens, France’s highest resort). On that first morning, however, those stats meant less to us than the fact that all of it was caked in 60cm of light, fresh, fluffy powder.”

Read more: How Turkey became an affordable skiing destination

Orelle, France

Orelle offers easy access to skiers of all stripes (Arthur Bertrand)

Budget and skiing are words that rarely appear in the same sentence. Yet, in Orelle, Justine Gosling discovered the family-friendly Hob Orelle offering hostel-style accommodation for as little as €230 (£200) per night in peak ski season. Here, heated ski lockers can be found in the hotel’s basement with the trundle to the ski lift and equipment hire shop just 50m from the front door.

Justine said: “Lesser-known Orelle – which is often referred to as the fourth of the 3 Vallées – provides an affordable “back door” into the world’s largest ski area and Europe’s highest ski resort – Val Thorens.”

Read more: This budget family resort with access to the world’s largest ski area is the Alps’ best-kept secret

Trysil, Norway

The SkiStar Lodge in Trysil, Norway (Ola Matsson)

As we approach the fringes of ski season, more “snow sure” resorts will be calling to latecomers. Writer Marianna Hunt travelled to Trysil, Norway, following reports of heavy snow across the season – sometimes opening until as late as May. However, found just a scattering of snow and pistes only white from snow cannons. She wrote: “Happily, we found we still had more than enough options to keep us entertained (so long as you don’t mind repeating some runs). And, unusually for Scandinavia, there was a good range of slopes for advanced skiers as well as for beginners, including piste No 75, which sits at a stomach-dropping 45-degree angle (and which I carefully avoided).”

Marianna concluded: “While the guaranteed snow I’d travelled for didn’t quite deliver, I discovered a dozen more reasons to return.”

Read more: Beloved by celebs and royalty, is Norway as ‘snow-sure’ for skiers as promised?

Samoëns, France

Try a sophisticated snowshoe walk in Samoëns (Office de Tourisme De Samoens)

If you’re afraid of the boisterous aprés in Val Thorens, a sophisticated snowshoe walk in Samoëns may be more your speed. Anna Richards swirled artisan wine, took a sensory walk blindfolded and feasted on liberal quantities of fondue in the Haute-Savoie hotspot. She said: “In the former castle stables in the 12th-century town of Samoëns, a wine festival was in full swing. Les Vignerons Font du Ski (Winemakers Go Skiing) celebrated its second year this winter, and for the princely sum of €5 (£4.10) you get a branded wine glass and all-you-can-drink tastings.”

Read more: This is the sophisticated way to go drinking in the French Alps

Tuixent-La Vansa, Spain

Rebecca Miles found modest mountains and resorts for a calmer stay full of camping, cross-country skiing and truffles (Rebecca Miles)

Ski-in, ski-out slopes in the French Alps may be a favourite with Brits, but Spain isn’t just home to summer sun, with 10 ski resorts situated in Catalonia. In the Pre-Pyrenees, Catalonia, an hour and a half north of Barcelona, Rebecca Miles found modest mountains and resorts for a calmer stay full of camping, cross-country skiing and truffles. During a visit to Tuixent and Port del Comte, she said: “These resorts encourage us to slow down the pace. At Tuixent, we hire cross-country skis and skate off into the forest – our guide, Lars, says: “Skiing is all about the gliding, we can travel effortlessly and autonomously to see the landscape,” before meeting Martí, who runs Mushing Cau de Llops, a non-profit cooperative kennel with nearly 40 Siberian huskies.”

Read more: Why you should swap the fast-paced French Alps for a slowed-down ski holiday in Catalonia

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

The skiing in Cortina is perfect for advanced skiers who want to test themselves (Outdoor Studio)

As the host of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, Cortina d’Ampezzo offers plenty of challenging terrain to get the adrenaline going. The Independent’s global travel editor Annabel Grossman names the 7.5km Armentarola and Forcella Rossa, which has a staggering steepness of 68 per cent, among the slopes that will “set even advanced skiers’ hearts racing”. Annabel adds: “Cortina also offers opportunities for ski mountaineering and free riding, with hut-to-hut routes, as well as guides who can help you seek out the best powder in the Dolomites.”

Read more: Where to ski in the Dolomites

Chamonix, France

The short ski break is back – and Chamonix (Yucca Films)

Looking to sneak in a long ski weekend as we slide into the last weeks of winter? Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, a resort beneath the north face of Europe’s highest peak, may be the mountain for you. According to travel writer Tristan Kennedy, a big draw of Chamonix is that it’s incredibly well-connected. He writes: “Head to Chamonix on a Thursday and you can be back to your desk by Monday morning, having spent three days skiing world-class facilities, surrounded by unparalleled landscapes, and centuries of alpine history. Beats a couple of nights down the pub, doesn’t it?”

Read more: How to nail the perfect short ski break in Chamonix