Skiing in Europe or America: which is best?

The US goes head-to-head with Europe in the battle of the ski resorts

Skiing can be a totally different experience on the other side of the Atlantic (Jackson Hole Mountain Resorts)

USA vs Europe: which is best for a ski or snowboard holiday? The whole experience becomes very different depending on which side of the pond you’re on – off-piste etiquette, chair-lift queuing, après ski and even the kind of snow you’re turning on all vary wildly between continents. We look at the pros and cons for each to decide which might be right for you.

Best for cost

The prevalence of package deals mean a European ski holiday can work out cheaper than a North American equivalent. Of course, you can choose to spend thousands on a private chalet in Courchevel 1850 with a 24-hour butler, champagne on tap and helicopter transfers, but there’s also the option of booking a seven-night package deal to Bansko in Bulgaria for £459, including flights, transfers, B&B accommodation, ski hire and lift pass (crystalski.co.uk).

In comparison, US lift tickets can work out to be pretty expensive for a week’s ski trip: for example, a six-day pass for Breckenridge, Colorado, is currently a whopping £540.

However, if you’re planning to hit the slopes a lot over the season, purchasing something like Vail Resort’s Epic Pass (epicpass.com) can keep costs down – for $899 (£675) it grants unlimited, season-long access to 15 North American resorts, including Vail, Breckenridge and Whistler Blackcomb, and up to 21 free days in 30 alpine resorts, including St Anton, Val d’Isère, the Three Valleys and Verbier. That’s cheaper than a seven-day lift pass to just one of those resorts. Plus, the pound has recovered slightly more against the dollar than it has against the euro since the Brexit crash.

Best for convenience

This all depends where you’re flying from. Many European resorts can be an inconveniently long and winding transfer away from the airport, and it often takes all day to get there. And even if the flight time to Denver, for example, is longer from your starting point, once there the transfer to Vail or Breckenridge is smooth and easy – no hairpin bends, no worrying you’re going to drive off the edge of a cliff – as the airport is already 1,655 metres above sea level.

There’s also no language barrier to worry about in the US – particularly convenient if you’re having ski or snowboard lessons.

Ski areas such as Tignes-Val d’Isere offer a huge number of pistes (Andy Parant)

Best for beginners

There are great beginners’ resorts across both sides of the Atlantic. The important thing is to prioritise a good nursery area and plentiful green and blue runs over a large ski area; if it’s your first or second trip, there’s no need to shell out on an expensive lift pass when you’ll be largely sticking to a handful of novice slopes.

Ensuring you get a good ski instructor is also vital. Here, American resorts can often outshine European ones. As well as being native English speakers, in my experience teachers stop and explain a lot more, and give tailored tips plus individual feedback to each student – essential for truly improving technique.

Institutions such as Ecole du Ski Francais (ESF), meanwhile, can be a bit hit and miss in terms of teaching style. Sure, you can be lucky and score a great instructor – but you’re equally likely to get the taciturn, teak-coloured old timer who does nothing but grunt and shout “suivez moi!” over his shoulder while you spend the week filing down behind him with no idea what you’re doing. That said, there are alternatives – British-run New Generation (skinewgen.com) is excellent and operates out of 17 resorts across the Alps, offering child, teenage and adult ski and snowboard lessons for a range of abilities.

Best for intermediates

The term “intermediate” covers all manner of sins, so it depends what kind you are as to what will play to your strengths. For mileage-hungry piste bashers whose main aim is to cover as much ground as possible, French mega-resorts with giant ski areas can’t be beat. The Three Valleys, Paradiski, Tignes-Val d’Isère – these should keep the most kilometre-keen skiers and snowboarders happy.

If, however, you’re the kind of intermediate who wants to get more adventurous, do more exploring and try your hand at off-piste and tree-skiing in a (relatively) safe environment, plumping for a US resort could be the answer. Unlike European resorts, where everything outside the piste markers is considered off-piste – and therefore not covered by insurance if anything goes wrong – the opposite is true in the States. There, everything within the ski area boundary is avalanche-protected and regularly swept by ski patrollers – you have to physically leave the ski area via gates in the boundary in order to access the true backcountry. So nipping into the trees or down an unmarked bowl feels eminently possible, rather than reckless.

There are more heli-skiing options in the US (Getty) (Getty Images)

Best for experts

This is a tough one – there are incredible expert resorts on both continents. For those really looking to lose the piste markers and get off the beaten track, the US offers more cat-skiing (a form of guided backcountry skiing where skiers and snowboarders are transported up the mountain in a snowcat), plus an awful lot of heli-skiing options. Heli-skiing in Europe, meanwhile, is somewhat limited due to regulation – it’s pretty much banned in France and Germany, and there are only a certain number of designated landing sites in places where it is permitted, limiting the scope of terrain that can be accessed and explored in this way.

But expert skiing and snowboarding can be found in abundance using normal lifts. For example, the French resort of La Grave has achieved cult status with its challenging terrain – there’s only one piste marked on the map. The rest is a ‘choose your own adventure’ kind of deal (and is only recommended for extremely competent skiers).

Best for après-ski

There’s just no getting around it – Europe wins every time. In particular, Austria wins every time. Americans have never quite got the hang of the noble art of après-ski (AKA drinking heavily and partying your head off at 4pm in the afternoon, dancing on tables in your ski boots to a live Oompa band while downing a shot of the most disgusting local liqueur).

If that’s a priority, head to somewhere like Austria’s St Anton, where the legendary Mooserwirt and Krazy Kanguruh will take care of all your hedonistic needs, or Val d’Isère in France, where La Folie Douce’s brand of cabaret and champagne-fuelled après encapsulates the French approach to getting on down.

Europeans know how to party at La Folie Douce (Folie Douce)

And the winner is…

It’s too close to call! Really, it depends what you’re after. If keeping costs down, excellent après and mega-sized ski areas are your focus, Europe has the edge. If you’re looking for spacious accommodation, top-notch service, better beginner and family-friendly instruction and a chance to explore off-piste without ever putting your insurance at risk, the US might suit you better. Either way, each individual resort will have its own strengths and weaknesses – it’s always worth doing your homework before booking a holiday.