Best Ski Resorts for Luxury

Les 3 Vallées is the world's largest lift-linked ski area, with 600 km of pistes across three Tarentaise valleys: Belleville (Val Thorens, Les Menuires, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville), Méribel (Méribel and La Tania), and Courchevel. From the 1,300 m base at Saint-Martin to Cime Caron at 3,230 m, terrain spans every level: the upper Val Thorens cirque is famously snow-sure, while Courchevel concentrates the most groomed-piste mileage and the priciest lodging in the French Alps.

4 Vallées is Switzerland's largest single-pass ski area, with 412 km of pistes spanning four Valais valleys. Verbier anchors the high end at 1,500 m, with the Mont-Fort cable car climbing to 3,330 m at the area's roof: a famously challenging top-station with steep off-piste lines and views into France and Italy. Beyond Verbier, the lift network connects Nendaz, Veysonnaz, Thyon, La Tzoumaz, and Bruson. Terrain skews advanced; the area's reputation rests on the off-piste sectors off Mont-Fort and Bec des Rosses (host of the Freeride World Tour final).

Car-free village beneath the Matterhorn with one of the highest and largest ski areas in the Alps.

Arlberg is Austria's most storied ski region, where modern lift skiing was invented in 1901 and the parallel-skiing technique formalised. The area links seven villages (St. Anton, St. Christoph, Stuben on the Tyrol side; Zürs, Lech, Warth, and Schröcken on the Vorarlberg side) across 305 km of pistes from a base of 1,304 m to 2,811 m at the Valluga. The 2016 Flexenpass lift connection joined Warth-Schröcken to the network, making Arlberg one of Austria's largest single-pass areas. Reputation is built on serious freeride terrain off Valluga and Mehlsack rather than groomed cruising.

One of the largest ski resorts in North America, famous for its Back Bowls and legendary terrain variety.

Spain's best ski resort in the Pyrenees, favored by the Spanish royal family with reliable powder and sun.

Home of the legendary Hahnenkamm downhill race, surrounded by a medieval walled town with the kind of Alpine atmosphere that's hard to match elsewhere in Austria.

Évasion Mont-Blanc is a lift-linked ski area on the south side of the Mont Blanc massif in the Haute-Savoie, joining Megève, Saint-Gervais, Combloux, and Les Contamines (along with several smaller bases). 445 km of pistes from a base of 1,000 m to 2,350 m at Mont Joux/Mont d'Arbois. Views of the Mont Blanc massif from the upper lifts are the area's best-known asset; terrain favours strong intermediates and is gentler than Espace Killy or the Tarentaise majors.

The birthplace of alpine tourism: synonymous with luxury, celebrity sightings, and a long calendar of winter sports events including polo on the frozen lake.

The most chic resort in the Brenta Dolomites, hosting World Cup slaloms with elegant car-free streets and excellent on-mountain dining.