In skiing bigger is usually regarded as better – resorts will boast about the length and number of their pistes, their altitude, their snowfall and more. But the smaller, lesser-known resorts can often have bigger snowfalls, more vertical, fewer skiers and better off-piste.
In addition, lift passes, dining out and accommodation may be cheaper than in the mega resorts, and the relative lack of visitors means you’re more likely to encounter friendly locals who are happy to point you in the direction of the choicest skiing and the best bars and restaurants.
You’ll also discover quirks such as ancient, rickety chair lifts, wildlife on the pistes or even enormous freight trains running through the resort.
Some of these smaller ski hills may not be as easy to get to as the bigger resorts, which are usually better served by road, rail and air, but the journey is often part of the adventure, and the unique ski experience makes the effort worthwhile.
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Small ski resorts
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Using a minimal number of ski lifts as the definition of “small” (none of the resorts featured here has more than 10 lifts, most far fewer), here are the world’s best small ski resorts.
Explore by region:
North America
1. Castle Mountain, Alberta
Best for empty slopes
Castle Mountain gets the most snow of any ski resort in Alberta – Alamy
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When I visited Castle Mountain it had snowed heavily over the weekend, and as I left for Calgary Airport on a Monday morning, there was knee-deep powder on the pistes, the sun was shining, and there were just two people heading up the slopes of 2,391m Gravenstafel Peak on the resort’s main chairlift.
Resort manager Cole Fawcett coolly informed me: “If you could stay, you’d have the slopes pretty much to yourself all day.” I very nearly cancelled my flight.
Jammed up against the vast eastern shoulders of the Rocky Mountains, this tiny ski hill gets the most snow of any in Alberta and while it offers basic accommodation and dining options, it has the friendliest locals, plus a good value cat-skiing operation if you’re worried about the slopes getting too busy – which is highly unlikely unless it’s a holiday weekend.
How to visit
Ski Safari (01273 977736) offers seven nights at the three-star Castle Mountain Ski Lodge from £1,360pp, room only, including flights and car hire.
2. Revelstoke, British Columbia
Best for variety and vertical
Ski writer Gabriella Le Breton at Revelstoke – Gaby le Breton
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Revelstoke is proof that the term “small” is all relative. It has just five ski lifts, but also boasts the biggest vertical in North America at 1,713m – easily comparable with major European resorts such as Verbier, which has 1,800m of vertical.
Along with huge amounts of off-piste, its annual average snowfall is an impressive 10.5m (the resort’s record figure is a mighty 24m). The skiing here is superbly varied, especially if you take into account the heli- and cat-ski options, for which it’s possible to book single days rather than having to shell out for a multi-day trip.
Within the resort boundaries, you’ll find an enticing mix of alpine bowls and glades with runs to suit every level of ability, including easy green pistes snaking through the forests. It also provides a great introduction to that staple of the North American ski scene, tree skiing.
How to visit
SNO (020 7770 6888) offers seven nights at the four-star Sutton Place Hotel £2,295pp, room only, including flights and car hire.
3. Grand Targhee, Wyoming
Best for a Wild West ski experience
Grand Targhee is a year-round resort in Wyoming known for its abundant snowfall – Steve Dunleavy Photography
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Everyone has heard of Jackson Hole; not so many Grand Targhee, despite the fact it gets twice as much annual snowfall as Tignes (locals describe a good powder day as “a three-inch day”, by which they mean the snow is three-inches above your waist).
Tucked in the shadow of 4,199m Grand Teton, Grand Targhee lies in the heart of majestic Rocky Mountain scenery, with stupendous panoramas across the Grand Tetons. If you gaze away from the mountains, several thousand feet below you’ll see the huge, wide plain of the Teton Valley, mirror-flat and dotted with cattle ranches.
It’s tricky to get to (arrive via neighbouring Idaho rather than its home state of Wyoming), but it’s worth the effort for the genuine Wild West ski experience.
How to visit
Ski Safari (01273 977736) offers seven nights at the Targhee Lodge in March from £1,910pp, room only, including flights and car hire.
4. Silverton, Colorado
Best for expert skiers
‘No easy way down’: Silverton is regarded as having the highest and steepest lift-accessed terrain in North America – Aaron Brill
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In terms of chair lifts, Silverton is as “small” as it gets – it has just one rickety double chair, but it transports you to what is generally regarded as the highest and steepest lift-accessed terrain in North America, topping out at a lung-busting 4,111m.
As the Silverton website almost gleefully points out, there is “no easy way down”, but when you get to the bottom of your chosen run, you’ll be picked up by an old school bus and taken back to the base to do it all again.
Lift ticket sales are restricted to 475 per day so scoring fresh tracks is not usually difficult. Perhaps that’s why professional big mountain skier Chris Davenport is of the opinion that: “Silverton Mountain is pretty close to the purest skiing experience one can find today”.
How to visit
Villa Dallavalle (+1 970 387 5555) has double rooms from £99 a night. You can fly from London Heathrow to Durango with American Airlines from £899 return. Transfers to Silverton (one hour) with Buck Horn Limousine start from £38pp.
Europe
5. Bonneval-sur-Arc, France
Best for spectacular mountains
The traditional mountain village of Bonneval-sur-Arc sits at an altitude of 1,800m within Vanoise National Park – Alamy
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Pretty Bonneval-sur-Arc sits at an altitude of 1,800m in the Vanoise National Park and is a member of “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France”, a group that protects France’s most beautiful villages and their cultural traditions.
The spectacular mountainscape is dominated by the vast bulk of 3,638m Mont Albaron, which towers above modestly populated ski slopes, and a combination of altitude and a generally northerly orientation guarantees good snow.
Bonneval has just 32km of groomed pistes, but there’s enough to keep keen blue and red run cruisers happy provided they don’t mind doing “laps”. It’s also a fine freeride destination, with the huge snow bowl directly beneath Mont Albaron’s north face being the go-to area.
How to visit
Abritel lists apartments from £500 per week. You can fly from London to Chambery with easyJet, BA or Jet2 from £55pp one-way. Transfers to Bonneval (two hours) with Connecto costs from £153pp.
6. Tetnuldi, Georgia
Best for an off-piste adventure
The mountain town of Mestia, known for its stunning natural scenery and medieval Svan towers, is the base for skiing Tetnuldi – E+
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The base for skiing Tetnuldi is the town of Mestia, famed for its stone Svan towers that date back to the 12th century. About 10 miles away on a rough dirt road lies Tetnuldi, with the eponymous 4,858m Mount Tetnuldi, one of four Georgian peaks higher than Mont Blanc, glowering down at the pistes.
Tetnuldi’s slopes are usually very quiet; combine this with consistently good snow and almost 1,000m of vertical and the long journey here suddenly becomes very worthwhile.
The 25km of marked pistes are a good warm-up for the world-class back-country skiing that’s the area’s big attraction. It is easily accessed from the lifts but can be challenging so it’s best explored with a guide. In return, you get to enjoy deserted slopes, deep powder and truly wild alpine panoramas.
How to visit
Gudauri Tours (+995 32 2910338) offers seven nights from $520pp, full board, including transfers. Return flights from London Gatwick to Kutaisi start from £194pp with Wizz Air.
7. Pontresina, Switzerland
Best for a day out from St Moritz
Pontresina is easily accessible from nearby St Moritz and boasts a huge snow park along with extensive cross-country skiing – Alamy
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Quickly and easily reached by bus or train, Pontresina makes for a great day out from nearby St Moritz. The long, wide red and black pistes of the Diavolezza and Languard ski areas (there’s a shuttle between them) are an absolute blast if you enjoy high speed laps, and there’s some spectacular, seemingly endless, and often untracked off-piste for more adventurous skiers.
There’s also a huge snow park, including a world championship half-pipe, and extensive cross-country skiing that connects 220km of the Upper Engadin area.
Those visiting in January or March might want to time their visit with the ‘Glüna Plaina’, which allows skiers and snowboarders to glide over freshly groomed slopes under the glow of the full moon.
How to visit
SNO (0207 7706888) offers seven nights at St Moritz’ four-star Hotel Monopol, half-board, including return flights and transfers from £1,929pp.
8. Narvikfjellet, Norway
Best for amazing coastal views
Narvikfjellet resort in Norway sits above the blue waters of Ofotfjorden and offers stunning coastal panoramas
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Few ski resorts in the world can offer coastal panoramas to rival those of Narvikfjellet – the resort teeters above the deep blue waters of Ofotfjorden, with the peaks of the Lofoten Islands visible in the far distance.
It’s hard to drag your gaze away from this beautiful coastline as you descend from the summit of 1,003m Linken on an intermediate-friendly blue or red run towards the busy coastal port of Narvik.
It’s also worth taking a day trip by train to nearby Riksgransen, not just for the skiing, but to experience one of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys; the line passes the semi-submerged wrecks of German battleships from the Battle of Narvik in 1940 in what was Germany’s first defeat by Allied forces in the Second World War, and there’s an interesting war museum in town.
How to visit
Ski Safari (01273 977736) offers seven nights at the three-star Basecamp Narvik from £1,460pp, self-catering, including flights and car hire.
9. Sainte-Foy, France
Best alternative to the French mega-resorts
A tiny resort with just four lifts, Sainte Foy is one of those places where everyone seems to know each other – David André
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Sainte Foy is probably the worst-kept secret in the French Alps, but with good reason: this tiny ski resort with just four lifts is surrounded by big hitters (Les Arcs, Tignes, Val d’Isere and La Rosiere are all within a 20-minute drive), yet it’s a world apart from the giants on the other side of the valley.
It’s one of those places where everyone seems to know each other, and where families can enjoy the long, winding blue Le Solliet, while intermediates can have an absolute blast on wide, fast reds such as Le Toboggan.
More adventurous skiers have plenty of readily accessible “side country” on which to practice their off-piste technique and experts can explore the beautiful back country runs that are easily accessible off the top of the two main lifts.
How to visit
Ski Villaroger (0033 6 12 73 35 23) offers a self-catering chalet sleeping up to 10 from £3,550, or fully catered stays with all-inclusive drinks from £650pp. Flights and transfers not included.
10. Riksgransen, Sweden
Best for skiing under the midnight sun
Inside Niehku Mountain Villa in Riksgransen, Sweden
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Head to Riksgransen in Sweden and you can ski under the midnight sun on midsummer day, but even if you prefer the regular approach of skiing in winter, this small resort is a good snow-sure option.
Adventurous skiers come here for the freeride scene and ski touring on the area’s huge, whaleback mountains. If you’re heavy of wallet, there’s also the option of heli-skiing out of Niehku Lodge on the edge of town.
Several times a day huge freight trains trundle by the base station, carrying iron ore from the huge mines of Kiruna to the port at Narvik and adding a strangely atmospheric backdrop to skiing in Scandinavia’s frozen north.
And since the train station is right at the base of the resort it’s worth considering coming here on the overnight sleeper train from Stockholm to make a real adventure of it.
How to visit
Niehku Lodge (+46 (0) 980 430 50) has double rooms from £3,070 for six nights, including breakfast and dinner. You can fly from London to Stockholm with SAS from £375 return and take the SJ sleeper train to Riksgransen from £233.
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