Ski Vacation for One
May 10, 2025
Is an all-inclusive ski vacation a good idea?
May 10, 2025So, you’ve decided to take to the slopes and go off on a solo ski vacation, but how do you choose from the many wonderful options around? Europe, the US and Canada are the most well known and all provide several exceptional ski resorts across a range of budgets and that cater to different types of people. Kashmir in India and even Japan are great options to explore and newer locations like Gadauri in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Morocco, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and beyond are all on offer.
Your budget aside, one of the first things to consider while choosing a ski resort is when or rather what time of year you would like to travel, and looking into locations whose ski seasons coincide with your travel dates. Based on their location, latitude, longitude and altitude, ski seasons can vary from resort to resort and the last thing you want to do is book a ski vacation at a resort with no snow!
For me, as a solo skier based in India, Europe has always seemed the most natural choice. While American ski resorts like Vail, Aspen, Park City and Lake Tahoe are extremely tempting, as is Whistler and beyond in Canada, the time and cost factor involved in getting to North America often makes it impractical for a short ski vacation. If you’re keen to visit any of these picturesque places I would advise combining a few days of skiing with a longer trip to the region. The same can be said for skiing in Australia, South Africa or South America, subject of course to where your Homebase is.
With many resorts to choose from across France, Switzerland, Italy and parts of Eastern Europe including Austria, Europe is easy to get to and offers a wide selection of resorts to suit your needs and budgets. Famous for the expansive Trois Vallée or Three Valleys ski area in the alps that traverse France and parts of Switzerland as well as celebrity playgrounds like Verbier, Gstaad, Courchevel and St. Moritz and the pristine beauty of the Dolomites.
Choosing a ski resort can seem daunting at first, but a great starting point is a travel date and budget.
Choosing a ski resort can seem daunting at first, but a great starting point is a travel date and budget. Once you have those two things in place, you can start to narrow things down more easily since resorts at higher altitudes may have snow for a longer period and therefore have a more extended ski season, say if you decide to travel at the end of March or in April, versus a lower altitude resort which may be better to visit in January or February.
Another thing to consider is the type of resort you want to visit. Options range from AirBNB style chalets where you have free reign to structure you week as you like, fix your own meals and make your own schedule to all-inclusive packages that take care of everything from the moment your flight lands until you’re safely back at the airport to fly home. You can read more about all-inclusive ski resorts and their pros and cons here. Booking.com is a great starting point for hotel searches and other platforms like Expedia, MakeMyTrip and TripAdvisor are good for comparisons. MakeMyTrip, Kayak and SkyScanner often have deals and discounts on flights that can help keen costs down for your trip.
Ski towns, while largely similar to each other are also different in what they may offer. Some are known for their exciting aprés-ski parties and bar hopping adventures or shopping sprees, others may offer different activities like ice skating, paragliding and even husky sleigh rides, so make sure you choose a place that aligns with your personality best.
The next factor to consider is the nature of the resort itself, all ski resorts offer comprehensive information online about the ski domain and the type of slopes on offer. Ski slopes internationally are graded based on their level of difficulty and the ratings, in ascending order of complexity are green, blue, red and black. To add to mix, you also have moguls, which are small hills or effectively the ski-version of rapids in a river which may dot some of the tougher slopes and something called off-piste, which is when you ski literally OFF the slope on unmarked and unmaintained mountainsides. Suffice it to say, that blacks, moguls and off-piste skiing are for the more accomplished amongst us!
Ski resort websites will list the number of slopes in each category and that can be a helpful deciding factor although in reality there are always plenty of skiable options for everyone wherever you choose to go.
For me, it often comes down to visiting and exploring a new place and I narrow it down based on how early or late in the season my trip is and of course my budget.
PRO TIP: Late season skiing will often be available at discounted rates, so if you choose a higher altitude resort you can often snag a really good deal if you travel slightly later in the season.
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Disha
Disha is a former corporate lawyer with a flair for writing. As an avid traveller, she is always seeking new adventures and loves telling stories about her globe trotting.
