I first tried skiing when I was 13 years old, my teacher was my father. Let’s say he’s not a very patient teacher and things didn’t go in the right direction. Next year with 14, my family hired an amazing teacher in Bankso, Bulgaria and had a blast. I won’t lie to you, it was very hard. Probably the hardest thing I had tried until that point. But it was so much fun and the re-established connection with nature pushed me to gently into improving my style and conquering my fears.
For a long time, we skied mainly in Borovets, Bulgaria and went on annual ski trips to Austria. I have also skied in Switzerland during my studies there. This year my family is heading to Austria again. Follow my journey on Instagram, we’re going to not so well known locations.
At the moment, I live in Portugal where snow is impossible to find and go on skiing trips every year. If you’re like me, don’t worry you can’t forget how to do it, just never stop doing other sports during the year.
If you haven’t skied for a long time, buckle up your belt and get ready to explore new ski resorts on all seven continents of the world.
North America and Europe have always been fantastic skiing destinations. But Africa, Australia, and even Antarctica are becoming a favorite destination for skiing.
Without further ado here’re some amazing locations to ski on all 7 continents:
1. North America
Offering a few of the best and greatest skiing destinations, North America has been chosen destination for many skiers. Top in the tough terrain is Jackson hole in Wyoming, having more than 2500 skiable acres of land. Receiving an average snowfall of over 400 inches, the skiing resort is apt for both beginners and intermediate skiers. Expert skiers can enjoy numerous challenging runs and an abundance of verticals to make the most of their adventure sports. Beautiful mountains in the background are unmatched in beauty.
For serious skiing year-round, at the distance of a 2-hour drive from Vancouver, you can choose Whistler Mountain and the Horstman Glacier on Blackcomb, North America. Blackcomb is the largest winter sports area here. Stretching to the Pacific Ocean there is plenty of terrain for all skills level skiers. In this Canada’s premier ski resort, one of the mountains has a 3-kilometer-plus peak to peak gondola joining two mountain tops, fetching the world’s longest unsupported lift span tag for the same.
2. Europe
The Alps of France, Italy, and Switzerland offer some of the best ski resorts in the world.
Saint Moritz in Switzerland is one of the oldest winter resort destinations on the planet. The cosmopolitan region of St. Moritz is famous for its beautiful verticals and is synonymous with elegance and sophistication. The alpine resorts here offer pristine natural beauty, sports and lifestyle enhancement with culinary extravaganza and world-class events that are exclusive and unique.
In St. Moritz, find picturesque landscapes, grand hotels, luxury boutiques, galleries, and the world’s best gourmet restaurants and a lot more. Snowflakes float down thickly from the sky here and form fluffy white layers making it a fairytale location for skiers and other tourists.
Topping the preference of expert skiers since 19 century, Saint Moritz is one of the favorite areas for Europeans and one of the best places to visit for skiing on the world’s chart.
Another Switzerland ski resort is Zermatt which is the highest winter sports area in the Alps and has the greatest vertical drop in Switzerland. The mesmerizing mountain peak, Matterhorn, can be seen throughout the trails and the slopes spread across 350 km. The southern face of Matterhorn is in Italy and skiing over the Theodul pass will lead you into the trail system of Breuil- Cervinia in Italy’s Val d’ Aosta.
Zermatt Snow Park on the Theodul glacier is the highest in the Alps and is one of the hotspots for free-ride skiers and snowboarders.
St. Anton am Arlberg is one of the best-known ski resorts in Austria. It is one of the best Europe’s and the entire world’s top resort for serious skiers. It has some of the most challenging runs in the Alps. Being the site of the first ski club that began in 1901, the resort is ideal for strong intermediates and expert skiers with plenty of skiing terrains spread into 80 kilometers reaching a height of 2800. St. Anton has been rightly named as “The White Thrill”.
3. Asia
The favorite skiing destinations for international skiers here include Japan, South Korea, China, and Mongolia. Japan offers the best ski resorts with snowboard culture. Mount Niseko- Annupuri is located 60 miles southeast of Sapporo and is spread on the landscape with a height of 4291 feet. It’s possible to enjoy skiing until April or early May in the four world-class resorts in this area because of the heavy snowfall.
There are a total of four gondolas and 23 chairs lift which means plenty of terrains to satisfy your skiing hunger. Party till the wee hours of the morning if skiing doesn’t leave you fatigued.
4. Africa
For skiers’ delights, Africa doesn’t have plentiful resorts but some places are worth visiting such as Michlifen in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Most of the skiing resorts are ideal for beginners and intermediates skiers here.
The ski resort Oukaïmeden is located in the Marrakesh-Tensift-El Haouz Region. Enjoy skiing and snowboarding on 10 km of slopes available here. The drop in elevation is modest though.
AfriSki is the only skiing resort in the Kingdom of Lesotho. It offers a main Ski slope for beginners level skiers open during winter months.
5. South America
South America offers various skiing destinations. The Andes Mountains covered with snow and featuring vertical drop are preferred even by the best skiers. Chile and Argentina grab a very good share in the world-class resorts ranking for skiing.
Located in the remote destination is Portillo, which can accommodate only 450 visitors at a time has plenty of terrains, to keep skiers delighted. It is spread across 14, 000 acres.
With beautiful and lonely landscapes, this place is a must-visit for skiers.
6. Antarctica
Antarctica is covered with snow and ice and offers a lot of terrains for skiers. Due to a lack of development on the continent, there are no ski resorts. Titled “A frozen continent”, the continent provides numerous options for exploration if you have courage and stamina to stay and survive.
Ski Antarctica offers yacht -based ski adventures on to the off-beaten paths. Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions offer supported ski exertion in the continent which is a 12-day trip that could burn a big hole into your wallet. But if you’re a die-hard fan of skiing in remote locations it doesn’t really matter.
7. Australia – Oceania
Australia has numerous places such as Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales where you can enjoy skiing during winters. The continent has skiing clubs dating back to 1861. The first resort was constructed near Mount buffalo, Victoria in 1963. The most extensive skiable terrain in the Southern hemisphere has an elevation of around 1250m – 2200m.
Mount Kosciusko, near Thredbo, Australia has the highest lifted point at the height of 2037m. This is also a well-developed downhill skiing resort in Australia.
Mount Buller has Australia’s largest snow village and the most popular ski resort in Victoria.
Mount Hotham has been tagged as “The Powder Capital of Australia”. Here few trails have been designed only for beginner level skiers. Don’t miss the night skiing, too.
This was my list. Of course, there’re many more great places to explore every year, you can spend a lifetime and never get bored out of skiing. Please let me know if you plan a ski trip every year and where you go. I’m curious to know.
On the other side if you need help planning your skiing trip, don’t hesitate to contact me.
