Before you book that holiday or jump in your car, ask yourself what is it you want from a resort. Are you there for the boarding or the night life? Freeride or Freestyle? Do you need instruction? Do you need a hotel to pamper you or do you want the freedom of your own apartment? And the big one, how much cash do you have? All of these questions can be answered, at a glance, by referring to our stats on a resort or in-depth by reading our reviews in full.

Christmas, New Year, February half term and Easter are steer clear times, the resorts are always packed and accommodations at a premium. If you have to go at these times pick a resort with an extensive lift system or you’ll find you’re queuing more than boarding. 

Altitude can be vital; some of the lower resorts struggle for snow and often rely on artificial snowmaking. Higher normally means better snow fall and pistecoverage, although some high resorts suffer from strong winds, which damages the off piste conditions as well as the piste. Altitude of the resorts town as well as it slopes is important, again the higher the better, or you may find yourself picking your way through rocks and grass, if you want to board back to your accommodation. The higher resorts mostly come with a higher price. If moneys no problem head high it could mean the difference between a great trip and a good one. 

If cash is short you could head to a small resort which may offer cheaper passes and better value facilities, and it may well link up with a huge interlinked area. Beginners shouldn’t go rushing off to a huge area and paying their hard earned cash for an expensive lift pass. Beginners will only use a few pistes, so why pay loads of cash on a lift pass you won’t fully utilise. Some freestyle riders just want to hit the park and many resorts offer a park only pass, or if the parks at the base then forget the lift pass and get hiking. 

Hassle free holidays are available with most tour operators, but make sure you read the small print. Many of the bigger companies will sell you a cheap holiday then rip you off on board hire and fondue nights. Just seek out what local prices are or better still use a small chalet specialist. There’s loads of small privately run chalet company’s who’s staff may well be the owner and will try to give you a far better holiday than some under paid gap year student. Cheap flights and the web have made it far easier to go it alone. Just check that the airport is near the resort and how much you’ll be charged for your snowboard. Double check that you can get a bed wherever you’re heading or you may end up stumping up for an expensive room. The main benefit of going it alone is that you can follow the snow.