THE LITTLE WHITE BOOK

For all but the most committed powder hounds, winter holidays come down to more than the quantity of a resort’s runs. So whether you’re into the white life or nightlife, it’s time to go off-piste

Take your skiing holiday plans off-piste at winter sport’s lesser-known hot spots

BEST FOR Weekend wizardry

WHY GO? There was a time when the ski season in Tignes ran 365 days a year, but in an effort to preserve the glacial snow that this French resort accumulates, they close it over summer. Still, you can be sure of reliable coverage in what is essentially a purposebuilt skiers’ paradise, with over 300km of pistes on varied terrain and close to 80 ski lifts to take you around. It’s also conveniently just a two-hour flight from the UK to its nearest airport in Chambéry, meaning you could make it to your Friday morning meeting, then hit the slopes that same evening.

INSIDER INFO For a relatively calm introduction to the Tignes slopes, try the Lognan route, accessed via the Merles chairlift. Long enough to stretch your legs but not quite Bond-movie taxing, it’s a hassle-free way of getting acclimatised before venturing out to the resort’s advanced runs, including a red that drops nearly 1.5km. Snow joke.

BEST FOR Starry skies and northern lights

WHY GO? Unlike its more glamorous cousins Banff and Whistler down the road (well, 180 miles away – close by Canadian standards), Jasper wasn’t a purpose-built resort, but an important railway town on the transcontinental fur trade route. As such, the ski and snowboard action takes place on the 86 varied runs up at Marmot Basin, a 25-minute drive from town. Winter is the off-season here, as the majority of tourists tend to use Jasper as a base for picturesque summertime excursions into the national park that surrounds the resort. The result is uncrowded, bordering on empty, slopes and not a lift queue in sight.

INSIDER INFO Smack in the middle of the largest dark sky preserve in the world with no light pollution to speak of, on a clear night you can watch the northern lights dancing overhead as you walk off your elk meatloaf dinner from the Jasper Brewing Company.

BEST FOR Craft beer aficionados

WHY GO? If the city of Portland in America’s Pacific Northwest is the spiritual home of global hipsterdom, then Bend is Portland-in-moonboots. Surely the only winter-sports town to have more yoga studios than it does ski shops, Bend is no quaint Euro resort rip-off, but a lively town full of achingly cool Oregonites. Known reverentially as Beervana, Bend also happens to be a mecca for craft beer lovers (obvs), with 10 microbreweries within walking distance of each other. For craft brew aficionados, the Black Butte Porter from the Deschutes Brewery is worth the price of the plane ticket alone.

INSIDER INFO Easy on the ale, sunshine. You won’t want to miss out on riding the 9000ft stratovolcano at Bachelor, skiable on all sides, including the summit crater itself. There’s more than enough to keep beginners busy, but this is a paradise for experienced skiers, with 60% of the runs rated black or double black.

BEST FOR Going all night long

WHY GO? Ski holidays can be a headache if you’re not a morning person – quite literally if last night’s aprèsski is still weighing heavily on your cranium. But there’s not a lot you can do when your schedule depends on daylight. Ever the innovators, the Japanese owners of the four resorts on Mount Niseko Annupuri (all skiable with one lift pass) came up with a bright solution. Stadiastrength floodlights mean you can ski over 2500 vertical feet under the warm glow of artificial light. Tearing up the illuminated woodland while fresh snow drops around you has a magical, Stranger Things- esque quality to it.

INSIDER INFO At the end of your ski, relax in an onsen – a traditional Japanese hot spring – or hit the saké. Either way, treat yourself to a guilt-free lie in and get back on the slopes in the afternoon.

BEST FOR Summer cravings

WHY GO? Admittedly, a 24-hour journey is a long slog for a week’s skiing. But once the summer sun has melted the last of the snow on the Northern Hemisphere’s peaks, you’ve only got two other options: the indoor slopes of the Milton Keynes Snozone or the expansive terrain of the Southern Alps. Backpackers will be aware of Wanaka’s rep as New Zealand’s centre of adventure sports, but visitors often overlook its three ski areas, all within 40-odd minutes’ drive from town.

INSIDER INFO Beginners should head for Cardrona Alpine Resort to the south, which has the best ski school on the South Island and good chalet options on the mountain. More advanced skiers will probably prefer to run ragged on the wide-open landscape above the tree line at Treble Cone. Either way, with a ski season that runs from June to October, you can get your snowy fix all summer long.

BEST FOR Après-ski sundowners

WHY GO? There is no better place to watch the setting sun smoulder over the rugged Austrian Alps, casting a fiery vermilion glow across the tree-lined slopes, than in one of Hochkönig’s Sundowner ski huts. After a long day exploring some of the 120km of skiable terrain, head to any of the resort’s mountaintop huts for finger food, cocktails and the unbeatable view.

INSIDER INFO The huts open as early as 2pm, but pacing yourself is wise, since you’ll have to strap on a head torch to ski into town for a recovery meal of roast pork, dumplings and sauerkraut (or a meat-free option at the world’s foremost vegan-friendly resort). It’s a health and safety nightmare, we’ll grant you that, but sundowner culture makes the hidden gem of Hochkönig much more enjoyable than its better-known neighbours to the west, Innsbruck, Mayrhofen and Kitzbühel.

BEST FOR Food fit for a king

WHY GO? Even experienced skiers scoff at the idea of a winter sports holiday to sunny Spain, home of sangriaglugging Brits abroad with lobster-toned complexions. And yet on the corrugated Pyrenees border between France and Spain lies one of the best ski areas not only in Europe, but the world. On its 150km of well-groomed white slopes, you’re unlikely to come across many other Brits, but you might bump into Spanish royalty.

INSIDER INFO The snow is superb, but the après-ski, with its suitably Spanish flavour, is even better. Head to Tauèrna Urtau for tapas including ibérico ham, sliced manchego and tempura artichoke, before treating yourself to dinner at Cap del Port, a converted castle with views over the Aran valley and an equally spectacular mountain-style paella with duck and local mushrooms.