Escape to these sugar dusted winter wonderlands with your family
Austria's Alps are the traditional European skiing destination, enjoying a renaissance after France's slopes reached a price peak. Alpbach is idyllic and less than an hour from Innsbruck Airport. It's also ideal for novices, with a range of nursery slopes along with intermediate pistes. Explore 109 kilometres of slopes, dine on fondue and take part in torchlight hikes.
Canada's vast mountain wildernesses are as crisp, glittering and multifaceted as diamonds. Contrasted with the chilly slopes, the country's luxurious resorts are warmed by Canadian gregariousness. For powdery snow on family ski holidays, your best bet is Revelstoke in BC. State-of-the-art facilities include a snowcat skiing area and children's trails, accompanying more than 3,000 acres of slopes. For a challenge, Fernie is renowned for vertiginous terrain, and its small resort town is picturesque. The other end of the spectrum is Sun Peaks, with nursery slopes, a range of lessons and equipment hire.
Cabins with log fires illuminated by the northern lights welcome you to Norway's surreal slopes. Hemsedal is one of the most famous downhill resorts in this Scandinavian ski holiday haven. Family ski holidays here benefit from a slalom, jumps and rails. For absolute beginners though, Beitostolen is a great option. Ski schools and rental shops join floodlit slopes and 300 kilometres of trails. Why not snowmobile, skid down the slopes in an inflatable boat, or take a husky sled through the white wonderland?