Piste perfect: the highs and lows of skiing in 2026

Lurking at the edges of the beginners’ slopes, chasing thrills at altitude or biding your time for the après without actually dipping a toe in the snow, the range of options for all levels of skier can make choosing your destination a high mountain to climb. Do you like to go to the same resort or chalet year after year, challenge yourself with new pistes, or are you looking to combine levels of adventure for mixed-ability families or groups? Here’s our take on the temperature of skiing for the season ahead.

Skiing in Ireland – yes really

No, there are no hidden Alps in the Comeraghs. Instead, head to south Co Dublin, where there are four artificial slopes at the Ski Club of Ireland’s Kilternan ski centre (skiclub.ie). They range from a nursery slope to challenging runs, and you can opt in to skiing and snowboarding. Instructor Rosemary Mayrhuber says children’s classes start from ages five and up. “It used to be younger, but we changed it because we were picking them up all the time.” A single ski class for children costs €40, but Mayrhuber recommends a course of at least four sessions before your family holiday.

Even though she’s now a highly experienced skier, Mayrhuber still books a lesson for herself when she goes to a new resort. “They’ll take you up the right lifts, and you’ll do the correct runs.”

Ski runs, for the uninitiated, start with blue and progress via red to black. Europe has green runs for absolute beginners, while in the United States and Canada, beginners’ slopes come under the blue heading.

Getting away

“The first thing to think about is timing,” says ski travel expert Aileen Eglington, who warns that not only do prices go up at peak holiday times, but queues at ski lifts and gondolas (ski cable cars) lengthen too. Another thing many people overlook to their detriment is transfer times, both from your point of arrival and within the resort. “It’s even more important if you’re with younger children,” she warns.

Some accommodation spots are billed as ski-in, ski-out, which means you can put on your skis and boots and be right on the slopes, but they may still be at a distance from the nursery slopes, ski lifts or ski school, so do your homework first. “Other places, you may have to get on a bus, or walk carrying your gear. Families, particularly doing their first ski holiday, should be aware. It’s a new language, and a new sport.”

More experienced skiers have their go-to places, but Eglington recommends using a tour operator, especially at the beginning. “They’ll kind of put their arms around you, deal with transfers and lift passes. And don’t forget the other thing about skiing: it snows. So, if you can’t land, or get from the airport, the tour operator will take care of you. Go on your own, and you really are on your own.”

Make sure when you are booking what’s included in terms of transfers, lift passes and equipment. These days it’s usually skis, often boots and helmets but not goggles. Resorts will have ski shops, but things tend to get more expensive on-site. As ski gear can be bulky and weighty, you’ll need your full baggage allowance when flying.

According to Eglington, Bulgaria has some of the best-value holidays for entry-level skiing, and she cites Northern Ireland’s Travel Solutions (travelsolutions.co.uk) as experts in Bulgaria, with flights out of Dublin and Belfast.

Travel Solutions has seven nights at the four-star Hotel Perlelik in Pamporovo, Bulgaria, in the Rhodope Mountains, from £1,199 per person sharing, departing January 3rd. Austria can be good value too, and look out for location-specific offers: in the Salzburg region, public transport is free with a guest card, which you’ll receive when you check in to your accommodation. The tourist board in Salzburg’s lovely Gastein Valley offers free snowshoe walking for nonskiers.

While prices rise at peak holiday times, the most expensive dates, and the ones that book out first are around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with New Year’s Eve 2027-2028 on sale now. January escapes may be less costly, but with temperatures at their lowest, Eglington warns that things can get icy. “A good black slope can be easier than an icy blue slope,” she says. “You need to be able to ski properly to go on ice.”

Another spot that you may not have thought of is Andorra, which has seen a marked improvement in the quality of its hotels in recent years, and is also a duty-free principality. If you do opt for Andorra, check out Caldea Spa, the largest thermal spa in southern Europe, built around natural hot springs. Caldea does combined spa and ski offers, with a full-day ski pass at Pal Arinsal and spa admission for €81.50.

Other Irish tour operators with a ski focus include Cassidy Travel, which has its own dedicated ski brochure. Crystal Ski is another, while Oroko and Mountain People offer bespoke booking arrangements.

Look out too for Topflight, O’Hanrahan Travel and Direct Ski. Crystal Ski has seven nights half board at Borovets, Bulgaria, from €1,159pps, departing December 26th; and seven nights in Gastein Valley from €878pps, departing December 19th and flying from Cork. And proving that you can turn up as an absolute beginner and still have fun, its Slope Starters packages, with seven nights at Passo Tonale, Italy, is from €1,199pps, departing January 16th, including flights, accommodation, lessons, equipment hire and lift passes.

Classics at altitude

Some ski resorts seem to drip in the imagination with celebrity and luxury like gently melting icicles. Princess Diana put Lech in Austria and Klosters in Switzerland on the royal-watching trail in the 1990s. These days, Verbier is the Swiss spot to be seen in.

In France, Les Trois Vallées is the largest connected ski area in the world, linked by ski lifts and slopes. Courchevel and Méribel are its best-known locations for wondering if that’s a famous face just about visible between ski suit, huge sunglasses and fur-brimmed hat.

There is also increased interest in Cortina following the Winter Olympics this year. Bear in mind that the more exclusive and costly the resort, the more expensive the extras, and you’re very likely to encounter a drinks bill in the high-end spots that would make Dublin look like good value. In general, you’ll also usually pay more on the mountain than in the valley.

The most famous ski resort in the US is Aspen in Colorado. Aspen Snowmass is actually one resort with four mountains, all covered by one lift ticket or ski pass, and all are accessible right from the heart of the twin towns of Aspen and Snowmass.

Like its elevated profile, Aspen is pricey (Snowmass a little less so), with rates at the famous five-star Little Nell from $2,299 in ski season. The three-day first-time lesson package, from $1,002, covers lift tickets, lessons and equipment rental, and once completed you get complimentary ski lift access for the rest of the season.

The town marks its 80th anniversary as a ski resort this year, and Janelle Sohner of the Aspen Skiing Company says that to celebrate, “this winter, throwback lift tickets take pricing back to its original 1946 rate of $3.75 on December 14th,” though be warned, she adds, “these are available in limited quantities only”. The anniversary weekend runs December 11th-14th, and there are also throwback pricing deals on rental, and food and drink specials on the mountain.

Off the beaten piste

Fiachra Diskin set up Mountain People to cater for the tailor-made end of the market, whether it’s groups, families, couples or corporates. This means you get your pick of hotels, as well as residences (think very upmarket apartments with concierge service) and chalets, while having your accommodation, transfers, lift passes, ski hire, lessons and guides all taken care of.

Once you’ve chosen your location, Diskin and his team will talk you through ski-pass options, including when there’s a fast track line, although he says, “when it comes to a lift pass, once you’ve put your helmet on, you’re the same as everyone else”. Instead, he advises clients who don’t like to queue to be clever about when they book, and what times to arrive at the lifts. “When it’s busy, switched-on people will have a leisurely breakfast and wait till the lines quieten down.”

“Powder chasers are looking at Japan,” he says, cryptically enough unless you’re into snow lingo. Powder snow is fresh snow, which gives, according to Diskin, “a fluffier feeling. You’re almost bouncing through the snow itself. A lot of people like Japan because of the amount of snowfall it gets, but it obviously is a longer trip than to a European resort.”

Diskin can also advise on trips for mixed groups, so that while the skiers get their on-piste kicks, others can go snow shoeing, dog sledding, or simply shopping and sightseeing. Mountain People includes skis, boots, poles and helmets in the price, and Diskin quotes about €1,500 per person off peak in an apartment in Avoriaz in the Portes du Soleil ski area of France, including transfers and lift passes, but not including flights.

What about trips for thrill seekers? “Andermatt,” says Diskin. “It’s a Swiss former army base, and they’ve invested about two billion into it. We can arrange for you to go up in a helicopter, get dropped off and ski back down again.” And who wouldn’t want to do that?

Also operating at the bespoke end of the market is Oroko, where ski specialist Conor Magee was taken on his first ski trip by his father in 1984. His father is now in his eighties, and they still ski together. “Everyone’s view of perfect is different,” he says. “Some trips are about the kudos of the location, Zermatt or Val d’Isère, but we talk to people and try to find what is actually best for them.” A trip for a family can be very different from one for a group of skiing buddies.

This year, one of the spots Magee is recommending is Grimentz, at the heart of which is an almost fairy-tale Swiss Alpine village. He also notes that Italian resorts get extra points for skiers who are also into their food. “Certainly, the cuisine in the French, Swiss and Austrian Alps is traditional, let’s call it mountain fare, but Italy do it with a bit more of a flair.”

He also singles out Japan as a destination for today’s adventurous skiers. Seven nights in Grimentz at the Guernerés Resort, including flights, equipment hire, ski passes, lessons and transfers is from €2,550pps. Or stay in Chalet Delacroix in Val d’Isère, including all the usuals, plus a private chef and concierge from €4,899pps based on 10 sharing.

A warming world

Back to that question of timing: how much has climate change affected when and where you can ski? The low altitude resorts are obviously most affected, and some, such as Céüze in the southern French Alps, which had been a destination for 85 years, closed at the end of the 2018 season as the snow line moved higher. Others are taking a different tack. At Ruka, Finland, they harvest snow, saving it under insulating blankets to spread at the start of the season; while in Austria’s Kitzbühel, snow is harvested and stored under insulation on the north-facing side of the mountain.

Snow harvesting, also known as farming, now takes place across Europe’s ski resorts, so they can guarantee opening dates at the start of each ski season. It’s an ancient technique, and today’s insulation methods ensure that up to 90 per cent of snow can be saved.

Snow-making is another option, involving spraying water into cold air, but if the air isn’t cold enough the snow is still going to melt. In Norway, they have been experimenting with heat-pump technology, using the heat created by the refrigeration process to be captured and repurposed. As many of the ski slopes in Europe’s resorts include farmlands that are used in spring and summer, additives are not allowed in snow-making across the EU.

Wellness

Shockingly to some, not everyone wants to ski all the time. Whether it’s catching up to the needs of mixed groups, or looking after those who like a different kind of après ski to loads of fondue and the more typical glühwein in Austria, or bombardino (think eggnog) and Aperol in Italy; you’ll find a lavish breed of resorts combining skiing and wellness.

At Lefay in the ski area of Madonna di Campiglio in the Italian Dolomites, a three-day ski and spa programme costs from €1,075pps and covers B&B, ski passes, massages and wellness treatments, full spa access and you still also get an après ski snifter. The massages on offer include sports and deep tissue, so it’ll do your skiing body good too, dolomitilefayresorts.com.

The weird and wonderful

While many skiing resorts are almost as old as the hills, there are still newer kids on the block. Top of the “unusual” class honours has to go to CopenHill in Copenhagen, which opened in 2019. Tasked with building a new waste-to-energy plant, Danish firm Bjarke Ingels Group added a 450m ski run down the sloping roof. There are four lifts, and runs for different abilities, from beginner-friendly sections to steeper gradients for experienced skiers. An hour’s skiing costs from about €19, and the rooftop also includes walking trails and a climbing wall. Bjarke Ingels of the group coined the phrase “hedonistic sustainability” to encapsulate the idea that we are more likely to make wiser choices if they are also fun, and CopenHill went on to win Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival in 2021. Suddenly you start to think, why not?

Ski tips

• Don’t forget your sunscreen: clean air, altitude and glare can really make you burn.
• Ditch the heels and leather-soled shoes. You don’t want to fall over right off the bus.
• No need to splash out on costly gear while you’re still finding out if skiing is for you. Middle-aisle specials, and the second-hand market on the likes of Vinted are a good start. Or borrow from friends or family.
• Pack: a warm hat, sunglasses, ski goggles, three pairs of socks at least, and two pairs of gloves. Wet gloves are no fun.
• Check your travel insurance; winter sports cover is usually extra.
• Easter is early this year, so chose a high enough resort and you can still squeeze a late ski trip in.