Regions

Each region works differently. In the Alps the train reaches the village; in the Northeast the question is which town puts five mountains inside half an hour.

• Northeast US

  Short vertical, dense coverage and a lot of driving. The question here is rarely which mountain — it is which town puts several within half an hour.

  16 destinations50 ski areasUnited States

• Western North America

  Big mountains, long transfers, and a handful of cities and park towns that serve several areas at once.

  20 destinations88 ski areas2 car-freeUnited States · Canada

• The Alps

  The one region where arriving and skiing without a car is routine rather than exceptional. Rail reaches the valley floor and lifts often start in the village.

  18 destinations141 ski areas11 car-freeItaly · Switzerland · France · Austria

• The Pyrenees

  Cheaper than the Alps, with a large seasonal workforce and coach access from two countries.

  1 destination6 ski areasAndorra

• Japan

  Snow volume and rail access that has no equivalent anywhere else — in places you can step off a bullet train into a lift queue.

  5 destinations32 ski areas1 car-freeJapan

• The Nordics

  Modest vertical, long seasons, short daylight, and genuinely good overnight trains.

  2 destinations8 ski areasSweden · Norway

• Balkans

  Real year-round towns under real vertical, at prices the Alps have not seen in decades — with one gondola doing most of the lifting.

  1 destination3 ski areasBulgaria

• Southern Hemisphere

  A northern summer season, built around a few towns that serve several fields each.

  2 destinations6 ski areas1 car-freeNew Zealand · Argentina