Aspen, Colorado, USA
nce, sitting in a car full of ski writers, we conducted a straw poll on the best resort in the world. Aspen won hands down. Forget that cliched description that it's for the rich and famous, because Aspen is the total package. The town has lodgings for all levels of income from movie stars to milkmen and the terrain, spread over four mountains, ranges from the gentle green runs at Buttermilk to the big-mountain descents in Highland Bowl. The Victorian-era town is pleasing to the senses. Full of restored buildings, there is good shopping, eating, drinking and partying. There is also an indefinable vibe that makes the town a place you want to be. Then there are the extras such as free sunscreen and cups of water at on-mountain courtesy stations, an oxygen bar to help overcome the effects of high altitude, the intriguing Explore cafe/bookshop, and the Woody Creek Tavern on the outskirts of town where writer Hunter S. Thompson is often seen. Off-hill options include fly fishing or cycling along riverside bike trails that take you through forests where bears emerge at the end of snow season.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA
Don't even think about Jackson Hole unless you can turn your skis or snowboard with surety. The steeps of Jackson, among them the legendary Corbet's Couloir, are the strength of the resort. Sure, there are easy slopes too, and you can go there and ski green or blue, but it would be like driving a Ferrari and never getting out of first gear. There is very good off-piste skiing too. Jackson Hole has slopeside accommodation at Teton Village, but it's better to stay 20 minutes away at Jackson town, famous for its cowboy flavour and the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar where saddles are used as bar stools.

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
When the wind is whistling outside and a blizzard is blowing through, there aren't many better places to hole up than the Cliff Lodge and Spa at Snowbird. The lodge dominates the resort and is like a mother ship crammed with accommodation, restaurants, shops, bars and a heated rooftop swimming pool. There's no reason at all to go out until the storm has settled, but when you do venture into the cold the probability is for powder snow. Snowbird is famed for its powder and the Utah Ski and Snowboard Association has even registered the phrase, The Greatest Snow On Earth. Part of the reason for the great snow in Utah, and at Snowbird in particular, is that the dry desert air squeezes moisture from storms. Snowbird, and its next-door neighbour Alta, are linked and you can ski between them on one lift ticket. While Snowbird is the typical modern resort, Alta is caught in a time warp of sorts. Snowboarding is banned, there are old double chairlifts without safety chains and some lodges are reminiscent of 1970s Falls Creek. But the skiing is massive. There are 14 ski areas in the Rocky Mountains near Salt Lake City, with our picks being the Snowbird/Alta combination, Park City, Deer Valley and the Canyons. Staying at Salt Lake City is an option because all resorts are easy to get to, however staying slopeside at the Cliff Lodge or the historic Park City are recommended. Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Olympics in 2002, so skiers and snowboarders are still reaping the benefits of modern facilities (except Alta). The Mormon influence is omnipresent, but certainly not a negative.

Vail, Colorado, USA
Ski magazine reader poll has just voted Vail the best overall resort in North America - for the 13th time in 17 seasons. Everything about Vail is good. But the thing that makes it is the skiing in the legendary Back Bowls. There are seven natural bowls, such as Outer Mongolia, China Bowl, Siberia Bowl and Sun Down Bowl that challenge the best. On top of that, the Blue Sky Basin area gives intermediates and advanced levels a real adventure/wilderness experience. There's something for everyone at Vail, and it is a smooth operation indeed, with a very good village.

Whistler/Blackcomb, Canada
This is a super resort in every respect - terrific accommodation, shops, eating and a thriving nightlife in the many bars and nightclubs. Plus, it has just been rated the No.1 resort in North America for its terrain in the same Ski magazine poll that voted Vail best overall resort. Some people don't like Whistler/Blackcomb because of its purpose-built village, but if you get over that there are more than 200 designated runs and some of the most challenging skiing within a resort boundary. Whistler/Blackcomb will host the 2010 Winter Olympics. It takes about two hours to get to the resort on a bus from the gateway city of Vancouver, but the tip is to pay a bit more and take the helicopter ride of your life across the sea and up into the mountains.

Banff, Canada
Lake Louise, Sunshine and Norquay ski areas surround Banff, a town with a real mountain feel where the folk will tell you stories of elk wandering down the main road in the wee hours of the morning and of their dogs being chased by bears coming out of the woods. But Banff is not Hicksville - it is a mountain town with sophistication and it annually hosts the highly regarded Banff Film Festival. It has many excellent mountain shops and the choice and quality of restaurants and bars is good. Lake Louise and Sunshine ski areas get an A+ and the smaller Norquay an honourable B. The standout accommodation is the castle-like Banff Springs Hotel which has low-season rates in winter. An out-of-town stunner is Chateau Lake Louise which is set next to the frozen (in winter) Lake Louise at the foot of a glacier. The chateau is grand in all its proportions, but on the last visit the welcome and the service were poor. However, there must be new staff by now in which case a stay there would be very rewarding.

Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria
This most famous of Austrian cities hosted the Winter Olympics in 1964 and 1976 and is ringed by six small ski areas, among them Axamer Lizum, Patscherkofel and Stubai Glacier. Although these areas are not household names, they are B+ ski areas and throw up some good skiing. They can be accessed quickly and easily by a free bus and a single ski pass, while non-skiers in a group can stay in the city and sample its many attractions. The central old city, with cobble-stoned streets, is full of delightful cake and pastry shops and gift shops selling cuckoo clocks. It's possible to take walking tours of this area, watch a parade of thigh-slapping Austrians with squeeze boxes, and wander through castles and museums. There is a good nightlife in the bars among the alleys of the old city. Out of town, in the satellite ski villages, you can take horse-drawn sleigh rides with bells ringing, or pick up the pace on a high-speed bobsleigh ride. Kitzbuhel, home to the hair-raising Hahnenkamm World Cup downhill run, is within striking distance of Innsbruck.

St Anton, Arlberg, Austria
It doesn't get much better than St Anton. Great slopes, great nightlife, great alpine village, and easy access to neighbouring world-class ski areas such as Lech, Zurs, St Christoph and Stuben. The secret to getting the most out of skiing in this area is to hire a guide and ski between the resorts into an off-piste wonderland. St Anton's deputy director of tourism Wilma Himmelfreundpointner just has to be mentioned, not only for the length of her surname but because of the extra activities she espouses, such as go-karting with spiked tyres on an ice track and tobogganing down a 4.3-kilometre track at night. The toboggan night can start with a warming Jaegermaster and be punctuated with a dinner stopover at a cosy timber mountain hut with roaring open fire, and further Jaegermasters. If one accommodation is to be singled out in this region it is the Arlberg Hospiz at St Christoph. Well-to-do Europeans from across the continent journey to the Hospiz for its quintessential Austrian ambience, its 14th-century wine cellar, restaurant with Austrian specialties, and sun deck on which to eat schnitzel and dumplings for lunch. It's hard to think of an alpine experience more European than staying at the Hospiz.

Cortina, Italy
ortina - the full name is Cortina d'Ampezzo - is all class and charm and is often called the Aspen of Europe. It's medieval-type village setting is surrounded by the mighty peaks of the Dolomites and eight semi-interconnected ski areas that can be accessed either by lifts or shuttles. Cortina hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and the slopes are generally quite challenging. An event not to miss is the nightly passeggiata when the Italians dress up and stroll (parade really) along the streets. Don't go there for pure skiing, but for the combination of Italian culture, food and snow. Plus, Venice is close by and can be included in the holiday.

Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
This is a frontier of deep, deep powder snow that is being discovered by more Australian skiers and snowboarders each year. The Niseko ski area includes three ski resorts and is blasted by weather from Siberia that delivers an average of 12-16 metres of snow each season - there can't be a better snow guarantee. The terrain is a powder hound's heaven. Compared with North America and Europe, travelling to Niseko is easy with a 10-hour flight and a two-hour transfer from Sapporo. Despite popular perception, it is not necessarily expensive to ski in Japan. Off-the-hill extras include outdoor natural hot springs called onsens, curry houses, yakitori restaurants and traditional drinking bars called izakaya. Deep Powder Tours ( and Snowave ( have been operating tours to Niseko for several years, but such is the growing popularity of Japanese snow that all the mainstream snow travel agencies now have packages too. Victorian interests have just bought the Niseko Hanazono ski field so expect to hear even more about this region soon.

Les Trois Vallees, France
I've never visited these spots, but according to reports, if size counts, then the three valleys area linking the major ski resorts of Courchevel, Meribel, Les Menuires and Val Thoren has it all. Specifically, it has 600 kilometres of slopes which are 90 per cent intermediate, 200 lifts, 2500 hectares of groomed runs, 320 ski patrollers, 1500 ski instructors, and one lift ticket. Each of the resorts has a different character, from the chic Courchevel 1850 to the high-paced Val Thorens. Each day you can pick a different area to explore, not just on the slopes, but in the villages, bars and restaurants. Check it out for yourself by visiting:

The facts

When does the season start?
Some of the resorts open November, others in December.

Where are Australians going?
Canada remains the most popular destination. The US has picked up marginally with an improvement in exchange rates. Japan is hot with many inquiries and a lot of accommodation is already booked out in January and February. Europe is steady at the bottom of the heap.

Best time for reliable snow?

Best time for powder snow?
January, February.

Best time for cheap air fares?
Europe after January 8, North America after January 27.

Best time for cheap accommodation?

How much?
For return air fares, seven nights' accommodation and six-day lift pass expect to pay from $2100 for Japan; $2400 for Europe; $2500 for Canada; $2700 for US.

The good and the bad US advantages: Great service and facilities; huge ski areas, numerous world-class resorts; less crowded; very good apres ski activities. Disadvantages: Travelling through LA airport; exchange rate has improved but still not terrific; altitude sickness can be a concern at some higher resorts such as Aspen, Vail, Telluride and Breckenridge.

Canada advantages: Costs; ski in and ski out lodgings; challenging skiing within resort boundaries. Disadvantages: On-mountain facilities do not match the US (except Whistler/Blackcomb); resorts are a lot smaller (except Whistler/Blackcomb); lower altitude means you can get rained on.

Europe advantages: Traditional alpine villages with ambience; scenery; long runs; superb out-of-bounds skiing; the food in Italy. Disadvantages: Snow is not consistent; can't always ski back to the village and have to load into crowded cable cars; language barrier; lack of challenging terrain within resort boundaries; long flight time; the food in Switzerland.

Japan advantages: Powder snow (especially January and February); tree skiing; new direct flights to Sapporo. Disadvantages: Lack of on-snow apartments, language barrier, very cold in January and February; if going via Tokyo need to make a nightmare transfer from international to domestic terminal.

Who will get you there?
There are several specialist snow travel agents in Australia. They include Skimax 1300 136 997; Travelplan 1300 130 754; Mogul Ski World 1800 335 724.