Skiing Destinations

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A skiing area is a developed recreational facility on a mountain, containing ski trails and vital supporting services. It is common for a ski area to have food, rental equipment, parking facilities and a ski lift system catering to the sports of skiing and snowboarding.

Normally located in high mountain areas for adequate snow coverage, some have become well known in areas where skiing is a popular pastime. The runs are usually marked. Ski areas typically have one or more chair lifts for moving skiers rapidly to the top of mountains and to interconnect the various runs. Rope tows can also be used on short slopes (usually beginner hills or bunny slopes). Larger ski areas may use gondolas for transportation across longer distances within the ski area.

A ski resort is a ski area plus amenities to make it a destination resort. This includes accommodation and other amenities adjacent to the ski area. Some ski resorts offer lodging options on the slopes themselves, with ski-in and ski-out access allowing guests to ski right up to the door.

Ski resorts often have other activities, such as snowmobiling, sledding, horse-drawn sleds, dog-sledding, ice-skating, indoor or outdoor swimming, and hottubbing, game rooms, and local forms of entertainment, such as clubs, cinema, theatre and cabarets. Ski resorts may be self-contained and entirely devoted to ski tourism, (for example Vail ski resort) or they may be near a village or town that had a significant existence before the ski resort was built, such as Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Aspen, Colorado.

Though skiing is less dangerous than many popular sports, it is widely perceived as being high risk. Nevertheless, ski areas usually have at least a basic first aid facility, and some kind of ski patrol service to ensure that injured skiers are rescued. The ski patrol is usually responsible for rule enforcement, marking hazards, closing individual runs (if a sufficient level of hazard exists), and removing dangerous people from the area.

There are thousands of skiing areas around the world. Too many to cover here but I have listed just a few below your submissions.

Some I have never heard of, have you? Do you go to a place that I have not listed? Just fill in the form and your submission will appear on this page after I have approved it.

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**Chréa is a town in Algeria, located in a mountainous area named Tell Atlas, near Blida. This municipality has the Chréa National Park, one of the smallest national parks of the country, and a ski resort.

**Tikjda is a ski resort located in a mountain range named Djurdjura, north of Algeria, with an altitude of 1,600 metres (5,250 feet). In the summer, Tikjda offers walks, rock climbing and many short excursions, with places like Point de vue du Djurdjura and Gouffre de l'Akouker. The area around Tikjda has many peaks and hillsides covered with cedar forests.

**Afri-Ski is currently the only skiing resort in Lesotho, located 3322m above sea-level in the Maloti Mountains. The resort is 4.5 hours drive from Johannesburg, South Africa via the steep tarred Moteng pass and the Mahlasela pass. It sits along Highway A1.

**Ifrane (nicknamed Little Switzerland) is a town and ski resort in the Middle Atlas region of Morocco. Ifrane is 1665 metres (5,460 ft) in altitude and is part of the Meknès-Tafilalet region.

**Mischliffen or Michlifen is a mountain town in the Atlas Mountains at an altitude of 2100 metres (6,890 ft). It is considered to be the "Moroccan Aspen" with skiing facilities in winter.

ASIA

**The Tsakhkadzor Ski Resort is located just above the Armenian town of Tsakhkadzor approximately 60 km from Armenia’s capital Yerevan and the Zvartnots Airport. The town is located at 1750m above sea level on the southeast slope of mount Teghenis. During Soviet times, the lifts and other sporting facilities were built to prepare Soviet athletes for the 1988 Winter Olympics. The town was further developed into a ski resort and later fully modernized with the old lifts being replaced.

**Yabuli Ski Resort is China's largest ski resort. It is 110mi (177 km) southeast from Harbin, approximately 2.5hrs by train. It is located in the northern province of Heilongjiang. Yabuli hosted the 1996 Winter Asian Games and the 2008 National Winter Games.

**Beidahu ski area is a downhill ski resort located outside of Jilin City in Jilin province, China. It is the site of the 2007 Winter Asian Games

**Jade Dragon Snow Mountain is a mountain range near Lijiang, in Yunnan province of southwestern China. Its highest peak is named Shanzidou (5,596 m or 18,359 ft). The view of the range from the gardens at the Black Dragon Pool (Heilong Tan) in Lijiang is noted as one of China's finest views.

**Bakuriani is a popular skiing resort in the Borjomi district of Georgia. It is located on the northern slope of the Trialeti Range, at an elevation of 1,700 meters (5,576 feet) above sea level. It was the home town of luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who died during event training on the first day of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. He lived in Bakuriani for much his life, and the street he lived on was named in his honor after his death.

**Gudauri is a ski resort located on the southern slopes of The Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in Georgia. The resort is situated in the Stepantsminda District, along the Georgian Military Highway near the Cross Pass, at an elevation of 2,196 meters (7,200ft.) above sea level. The resort offers high quality skiing opportunities. The slopes of Gudauri are completely above the tree line and are best for free-riders and are generally considered to be avalanche-safe. The ski season lasts from December to April. Heliskiing is also available throughout the season.

**The Mount Hermon ski resort is an Israeli-built ski resort situated on Mount Hermon, in the Anti-Lebanon range. The resort includes a wide range of ski runs for novice, intermediate, and expert levels. It also offers additional winter family activities such as sledding and Nordic skiing. The resort is unusual in not having been built by a town, and there is still no town at the resort, so those who operate the Hermon Ski area live nearby. The ski resort has a ski school, ski patrol, and several restaurants located at either the bottom or peak of the area. The base of the resort is at 1600 m, and it peaks at 2073 m.

**Narkanda is a town in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is at an altitude of 2708 meters on the Hindustan Tibet road in Himachal Pradesh, India. It is about 65 km from Shimla and surrounded by the Shivalik Ranges that span a large part of Himachal Pradesh. It is a skiing resort in winter.

**Auli, (alt. 2915 mts-3049 mts ) is an important ski destination in the Himalayan mountains of Uttarakhand, India. Some French and Australian experts have said that Auli is comparable to the best ski resorts in the world. Auli is less known as a ski destination than Shimla, Gulmarg or Manali. Auli lies on the way to Badrinath and is blessed with a breathtaking panoramic view of the lofty peaks of the greatest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas. The slopes here provide enough thrill to professional skiers and novice as well. Auli also boasts Asia's longest - 4 km - cable car (Gondola). Best time to visit for skiing is the last week of January to the first week of March.

**Dizin is a ski resort situated to the north of Tehran in the Alborz mountain range. The huge Dizin ski resort was established in 1969. The ski season in Dizin also lasts longer than European ski resorts(from December to May) because of its high altitude. The highest ski lift reaches 3,600 m (11,800 ft), making it one of the 40 highest ski resorts in the world.

**Mount Tochal is a mountain in the Alborz range and adjacent to Tehran, Iran. The mountain has a 12 km long ridgeline. The highest peak, also called Mount Tochal, is at an elevation of 3,964 m (13,005 feet). A gondola lift runs from Tehran to the Tochal Ski Resort. The gondola begins from Velenjak valley at 1900m and ends in the last station at 3740m near the main ridge of Tochal. This gondola lift is used for accessing ski resorts and other recreational centers on the mountain. The gondola lift has four stations.

**Mashike, Hokkaido, Japan, has a small ski resort, with only 2 lifts, although it is the biggest one in Rumoi District. Driving up, it's easy to find the resort by following the pictures of the skier. Driving further up into the mountains from the ski resort is the Shokanbetsu Quasi-National Park and Mt. Shokanbetsu (1491 meters).

**Kutchan is a town located in Abuta District, Hokkaido, Japan. Throughout Hokkaido, Kutchan is celebrated for its proximity to the world famous Niseko powder snow region. Kutchan has the distinction of being one of the snowiest towns on the planet with average annual snowfalls in excess of 12m (40 feet). At only 176m (577ft) above sea level the town itself receives similar or more amounts of snow than some of the world's renowed ski areas such as Whistler or Aspen. Wintry weather lasts from early November through to early April with the snowiest month being January which averages 3.8m (12ft).

**The Rusutsu Resort is the largest resort in Hokkaido, Japan. The resort is mostly famous for its ski slopes, but it also has an amusement park and golf courses. The ski resort covers three mountains, namely West Mountain, East Mountain, and Mount Isola. The total number of runs is 37, the length 42 kilometres (26 mi). This is the first Japanese ski resort to be awarded for the Best Small Resort by The Great Skiing & Snowboarding Guide, British ski magazine. According to the 2003 survey by View Communications, Japanese NPO, skiers ranked the resort as the most satisfying among 48 ski resorts in Japan.

**YongPyong Ski Resort is a ski resort located in Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do of South Korea. As well as skiing facilities, the resort offers golf in the summer months. The ski season runs from November - early April. Yongpyong was a candidate resort for the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2014 Winter Olympics, but missing out to Vancouver and Sochi.
OCEANIA

**Falls Creek is Victoria's largest alipne resort, and is known for reliable snow with Victoria's highest average annual snow falls, plus Wombat's Ramble which is Australia's lnogest beginner trail at 2.5km long, which from 2010 offers an amazing new Night Skiing experience run on green electricity. Falls Creek is a true ski-in, ski-out ski alpine resort in north-eastern Victoria, Australia. It is located about 350 kilometres by road from Melbourne in the Alpine National Park, with the nearest town Mount Beauty, approximately 30 kilometres away. The resort lies between an altitude of 1,210 and 1,830 metres, with the highest lifted point at 1780 metres. The snow there is said to be the best in Australia.

**Mount Buller is a town in Victoria, Australia 208 kilometres (129 mi) from Melbourne on the slopes of Mount Buller (elevation 1805 metres). Primarily a resort town, Mount Buller is popular with snowsports enthusiasts in winter due to its close location to Melbourne. The ski area around the town has a network of 25 lifts, capable of moving more than 40,000 people per hour - the highest capacity in Victoria. The highest lifted point is 1780 m at Grimus Chairlift and the base altitude is 1375 m at the Chalet Creek loading station on the Horse Hill chairlift / gondola.

**Mount Hotham is home to Mount Hotham Village, and Mount Hotham Ski Resort. The mountain is located approximately 357 kilometres north east of Melbourne by road. Mount Hotham's summit rises to an altitude of 1,861 metres above sea level. Mount Hotham village stands at a height of 1,750 metres, making it the second highest resort village in Australia after Charlotte Pass Village. Mt. Hotham features 3.2 square kilometres of ski area, including 35 kilometres of tree-lined cross-country trails and a network of 13 lifts. The longest run at Mount Hotham is 2.5 kilometres long. Mount Hotham features an abundance of runs for skiers and boarders of all standards from beginners to intermediates and advanced. The resort is home to one of Australia's most difficult runs, the steep Mary's Slide.

**Charlotte Pass Village (elev. 1,760 m) is located at the base of Kangaroo Ridge and is the highest permanent settlement in Australia. An area between Kangaroo Ridge, Mount Stillwell ridge, and Guthries Ridge is formally designated as the Charlotte Pass Alpine Resort. It is the oldest and highest ski resort in Australia. The resort contains five ski lifts, one triple chairlift, one T-bar, two platter lifts and a beginner's moving carpet (which replaced a rope tow in 2008), accessing 50 hectares of skiable terrain. The highest lifted elevation is 1,964 m; the base elevation 1,755 m. The resort has a few mobile snow guns to top up high traffic areas and help open difficult terrain areas earlier in the season. The resort is also very popular with cross-country skiers, as the village provides immediate access to Australia's highest peaks. The resort receives, on average, more natural snow than other Australian resorts because of its elevation.

**Thredbo Village and ski resort is in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. Thredbo is about 500 kilometres south of Sydney. When the mountain is fully covered by snow, Thredbo has the longest ski runs in Australia, and this attracts around 700,000 winter visitors annually. In summer, Thredbo is a hiking and summer sport destination, including rock climbing and abseiling, fishing and Cross-country cycling. Thredbo has over 50 ski runs and employs a standard 3-colour grade system; green for beginners, blue intermediate and black diamond advanced.

**Perisher is Australia's largest skiing resort, better known by its old name Perisher Blue, which was changed to Perisher at the beginning of 2009. The resort is an amalgamation of the Perisher, Smiggin Holes, Blue Cow and Guthega skifields and many lifts. The base elevation is about 1,640 metres and the summit elevation at the top of Mount Perisher is 2,054 metres. The resort is accessible by road and by the Skitube, Australia's only underground rack-railway. The main skiing period is in July and August, with the official season running from the second weekend in June to the first weekend of October. This Ski Resort is the biggest and most popular in Australia with the deepest average snow depth. Perisher consists of 49 lifts.

**Mount Mawson is situated in the Mount Field National Park in Tasmania, Australia. The mountain is located approximately 89 kilometres north west of Hobart. Mount Mawson's summit rises to an altitude of 1,320 metres above sea level. The ski area is situated at around 1250m, and is the lowest of the two skiable mountains in Tasmania. There are four ski tows about a 20 minute walk from the car park.

**Ben Lomond, 1,570 m (5,151 feet), is a mountain in the north of Tasmania. It is one of two skiable mountains in Tasmania. Its accessibility from Launceston, together with the existence of a ski village on the plateau make Ben Lomond an all year round favourite for tourists and hikers. Access to the village and summit can be made via several walking tracks or via a zig-zag road known as "Jacobs Ladder".

**Whakapapa, on the northern side of Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand's Tongariro National Park, is one of the mountain's two commercial skifields. The other is Turoa, located on the mountain's south-western slopes. The ski season is generally from late June to mid November, depending on snow and weather conditions. The terrain at Whakapapa Skifield is divided up as 25% beginner, 50% intermediate and 25% advanced. Access to the skifield is by Bruce Road, a 2-lane, 6 km sealed road. Limited accommodation and refreshments are available at 'Top o' the Bruce', at the entry to the skifield, and elsewhere on the mountain. Alpine huts are provided for trampers and climbers. Mount Ruapehu's two skifields, Whakapapa and Turoa, are considered to be the largest ski resort in New Zealand.

**Turoa is a large skifield on the south western side of Mount Ruapehu, the highest mountain in the North Island of New Zealand. There is a good mix of beginner, intermediate, and expert skiing runs. There is a mix of natural pipes, steep drops, fast plains, and easy slopes to suit the needs of all skiers and boarders. With over 400 hectacres (1000 acres) and 720 metres (2362 feet) vertical, Turoa offers plenty of variety.

**Mount Lyford Alpine Resort is a family-run ski resort in South Island, New Zealand. The resort also includes Mount Terako. Catering evenly for beginner, intermediate and advanced skiers, the runs cover an elevation range of 1249 to 1750 m. There is one T-bar, one poma lift, two "platters", one rope tow, and one "advanced rope tow". Most trails are groomed and there is a snowboard board with half pipe and "fun box".

**Mount Hutt rises to the west of the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. 80 kilometres west of Christchurch. Its summit is 2190 metres above sea level. The mountain is home to a commercial alpine ski area with the largest skiable area in the South Island (3.65 square kilometres), and a vertical height of 683 metres. It caters for a wide range of skiers, with a "magic carpet" lift for beginners, good intermediate and advanced runs, and access to large off-piste areas. The most advanced runs on the mountain are through the rock formations at the top of the field known as "The Towers", and the South Face. The snow season is from June to October. Mount Hutt prides itself on and historically has been the first ski-field in the Southern Hemisphere to open at the beginning of each season. However, its steep thirteen kilometre access road is prone to closure in poor weather, giving the skifield the nickname "Mount Shut." Mt Hutt's facilities include a high-speed six seater chair, a quad chair, triple chair and magic carpet.

**I am adding Dubai here. Yes Dubai!! It has a wonderful indoor ski run, Ski Dubai. It was very interesting being surrounded by desert and then going into a ski field. They have a ski run, tobogan run and childrens park.

**Vallnord is a ski/snowboard resort in the Pyrenees mountains in the country of Andorra. It encompasses the linked sectors of Pal and Arinsal (the sectors were linked by a cable car, opened in 2005, from the top of the Arinsal sector) and the Ordino-Arcalis sector some kilometres away. All the separate sectors within Vallnord contain green, blue, red and black rated runs as well as restaurants and ski schools. Arinsal is particularly popular with British and Irish tourists,[1] while the Arcalis sector is popular with locals at the weekend.

Ski holidays in Austria.

**The High King Mountain Ski Area, is a large ski resort located in Salzburger Land Austria only one hours drive from Salzburg. High King Mountain is part of the Ski Amade region of Austria and has a network of 28 ski areas which make up the largest ski area in Europe on the same ski pass. High King Mountain ski area is made up of the resorts of Maria Alm, Hintermoos, Hinterthal, Dienten am Hochkonig, and Muhlbach am Hochkonig. The ski area spans eight mountains and covers a huge area. Due to its special microclimate High King Mountain has one of the best snow records in the whole of Austria and as a result has a long ski season, usually from the end of November to the middle of April.

**Mayrhofen is a town in the Zillertal (Ziller river valley) of Tyrol, Austria. It is located approximately an hour from the Tyrolean capital city of Innsbruck. The town offers a variety of summer and winter sports including skiing, hiking, mountain biking and paragliding. Mayrhofen is situated near the Hintertux glacier, which, at 3250m above sea level, is above the snowline. Skiing is available all year round here. Mayrhofen sits between the Penken and the Ahorn mountains which provide ski runs in the winter and mountain biking, hiking and paragliding in the summer. The Ahorn offers mainly easy and intermediate runs, but also has a long, steep red run which was once on the World Cup Downhill circuit. The Penken mountain offers Austria's steepest piste, named Harakiri, as well as a large range of ski runs at different levels of difficulty. It is connected by lifts with the villages of Finkenberg, Lanersbach and Schwendau. The Penken is reached by a Gondola system which located on the main street next to the Sport Hotel Strass, in the centre of the village, while the Ahorn Cable car is situated at the southern end of the town. Mayrhofen is a snowboard minded village with a funpark.

**Levi is one of the largest ski resorts in Finnish Lapland. It is located approximately 130 km (80 miles) north of the the Arctic Circle. The Levi fell is at an elevation of 531 meters (1742 ft.) above sea level. There are 48 ski slopes (15 of which are floodlit) and 28 ski lifts in Levi. Ascending the fell are 2 gondolas, 1 chairlift, 14 T-bar lifts, 6 stick lifts for children and 4 rope tows for children. Levi is one of two locations of gondola lifts in Finland. The slopes in Levi are mostly suitable for beginners or intermediates, but there are also four black slopes for experts. The highest vertical drop is 325 meters (1,066 ft.) and the longest slope is 2.5 km (1.5 miles) in length. The longest ski lift is about 1,636 meters (1.01 miles) long. Levi has one superpipe, one halfpipe, two snow parks, 10 children's slopes and seven slope restaurants. The skiing and snowboarding season in Levi is extended, often lasting up to eight months, from mid-October to early June.

**Risoul is located in the French Alps. The resort has 55 ski lifts including 1 cable car and 14 chairs. These give it an uplift capacity of 57,000 skiers per hour. The resort is linked to Vars through the Forêt Blanche ski area giving a total of 180 km (110 mi) of ski runs situated between 1650 and 2750 metres altitude. The resort has earned the ‘’Petit Montagnard’’ label and its tree-lined lower slopes are ideal for family holidays. The ski school has a capacity for 60 children. The area is famed for its southern sunshine with 300 days of sun per year.

**Alpe d'Huez is one of Europe's premier skiing venues. With 249 km of piste and 84 ski lifts, the resort is now one of the world's largest. Extensive snowmaking facilities helped combat the ski area's largely south-facing orientation and helped Alpe d'Huez appeal to beginner skiers, with very easy slopes. The expansion of the skiing above the linked resorts of Vaujany, Oz-en-Oisans, Villard Reculas and Auris boosted the quantity and quality of intermediate grade slopes but the resort is mostly known for freeskiing, drawing many steep skiing enthusiasts to its high altitude terrain.

NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA

**Castle Mountain is a ski resort located in the Westcastle Valley of southwest Alberta, Canada. The resort is reknowned for long steep runs and an average 9 meters (30 ft) of snowfall yearly. The resort maintains 67 ski trails, with beginner, intermediate and advanced. Six lift systems with vertical rises from 445 to 50 m with the highest vertical being 863 m, are operated on the slopes of Mount Haig and Gravenstafel Ridge.

**Sunshine Village is a major North American ski resort, located within the protected wilderness of Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Known for good quality snow, Sunshine Ski and Snowboard Resort spans the Great Divide which defines the Alberta-British Columbia border in the Canadian Rockies. Sunshine Village ski runs and lifts are accessed via its eight person high speed gondola. The modern gondola whisks guests from the car park (or bus terminal) to Goat's Eye mountain in ten minutes and to the upper Village area in eighteen minutes. From there, ten chairlifts and 107 trails spread out in a wide arc around the high alpine valley formed by the three mountains (Mount Standish, Lookout Mountain, and Goat's Eye Mountain) that constitute Sunshine Village.

**Mont Tremblant Ski Resort is a year-round resort in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada. It is best known as a ski destination, but also features a lake suitable for swimming and two golf courses in the summer months. As of 2005, Mont Tremblant had been recognized by Ski Magazine as the #1 ski resort in Eastern North America for 8 consecutive years. The main resort has more than 600 acres (2.4 km2) of ski and snowboarding trails in four distinct areas: North Side (Versant Nord), South Side (Versant Sud), Sunny Side (Versant Soleil) and The Edge (Versant Edge). The resort features 13 ski lifts, including 1 gondola, 5 detachable chairlifts, 3 regular chairlifts and 3 magic carpets. Total lift capacity is 27,230 skiers per hour. The top of the mountain has a chalet and restaurant, Le Grand Manitou, open winter and summer.

**The Loveland Ski Area is the combination of the Loveland Basin and Loveland Valley Ski areas. The Area is one of Colorado’s highest ski areas with a summit of 13,010 ft (3,970 m) and the second highest lift served areas in North America at 12,697 ft (3,870 m). The Basin is the larger of the two areas that comprise of Loveland Ski Area. It features a vertical drop of 2,410 feet (730 m), a base of 10,800 feet (3,300 m) and a summit of 13,010 feet (3,970 m). The Basin is home to 6 of the 8 lifts and 85% of the total skiable area. The Valley is geared toward beginners at Loveland. It has 2 chair lifts, one serving its intermediate runs and another that exclusively serves its beginner slope. Loveland Valley has a lodge building that consists of a cafeteria, bar, the Ski and Ride School office, a ticket office, a rental shop, lockers, hygiene services and a retail area.

**The Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort, also known to locals as Lee Canyon, is located in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, about 45 minutes drive northwest of Las Vegas. The best snow is usually found in February and early March, although occasionally sufficient snow cover exists as early as November. The area offers 11 alpine skiing and snowboarding trails and four lifts, including three chairlifts and one surface lift.

**Los Penitentes is a ski resort in Mendoza, Argentina. This centre has 25 runs of different lengths and drops for beginner, advanced and expert skiers. The season ranges from mid-June to late August. The activities that are available, include ski, snowboarding, and heli-skiing. There is also a number of services available, such as ski school, snow garden, shopping center, restaurants, hostels, hotels, kindergarten, and disco.

**La Parva is a ski resort located northeast of the Chilean capital of Santiago. It is in the middle ridge of the "3 Valleys" resorts that also includes El Colorado and Valle Nevado. La Parva is a ski center that is mainly oriented to skiers and families, there is no snowboarding. Of the other 2 ski centers, La Parva offers the smallest snow park facilities. Most of the visitors come for the day. There are no accommodation facilities like hotels or lodges. There are many options for backcountry and heli skiing, as the Andes offer hundreds of challenging peaks.

**Valle Nevado is a popular ski resort located east of Santiago, Chile. With more than 800 hectares of skiable area and South America's only high-speed detachable quad, Valle Nevado is considered one of the most modern ski resorts in South America. Heliskiing is also offered. The resort was featured in the Xbox 360 videogame Amped 3. The ski season in Valle Nevado starts in June and ends in October, conditions permitting. Within most of this time you can enjoy fresh powder.

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