Free Ski Resort Finder (+ Best Ski Resorts in the World)

What is the ski resort finder?

The ski resort finder is a free map of 2,050 ski resorts, sorted by how near they are to you.

Each resort shows its miles of runs, how many are easy, intermediate, advanced and expert, its lifts and its vertical drop.

It also shows the months when it's cold enough to ski, worked out from the temperature at the resort's own height.

How each resort is scored

Every factor is a number out of 100, from an open source:

• Slopes (35%) – miles of downhill runs, the vertical drop and the lifts, from OpenSkiData (OpenStreetMap and Skimap.org)
• Snow (20%) – how many months mid-mountain stays at freezing or colder, and how high the top is, from NASA POWER
• Work (20%) – the internet nearby (M-Lab), coworking spaces within 25 km and the nearest airport
• Safety (15%) – the US travel advice level
• Cost (10%) – a month's living in the nearest work base, or the country's prices

The runs are the ones mapped on OpenStreetMap, so a resort with unmapped runs shows fewer than its own trail map.

The best ski resorts in the world

These resorts score highest across all five factors:

1. Les Trois Vallées – France, 79.5, 337 mi (542 km) of runs
2. Zermatt - Breuil-Cervinia – Switzerland, 78.2, 130 mi (208 km) of runs
3. Tignes - Val d'Isère – France, 77.5, 131 mi (211 km) of runs
4. Alpe d'Huez Grand Domaine – France, 76.2, 101 mi (163 km) of runs
5. Whistler Blackcomb – Canada, 74.8, 186 mi (299 km) of runs
6. 4 Vallées – Verbier/La Tzoumaz/Nendaz/Veysonnaz/Thyon – Switzerland, 74.2, 108 mi (175 km) of runs
7. Serfaus Fiss Ladis – Austria, 73.1, 105 mi (169 km) of runs
8. Sölden – Austria, 73.1, 64 mi (103 km) of runs
9. Big Sky Resort – United States, 72.5, 148 mi (238 km) of runs
10. Silvretta Arena Ischgl/Samnaun – Austria, 71.8, 101 mi (163 km) of runs

Sort by skiing this month to see which of them are in season now.

The biggest ski resorts in the world

These resorts have the most miles of runs on one lift network:

1. Les Trois Vallées – France, 337 mi (542 km), 170 lifts
2. Whistler Blackcomb – Canada, 186 mi (299 km), 37 lifts
3. Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn – Austria, 166 mi (266 km), 81 lifts
4. Park City Mountain Resort – United States, 159 mi (256 km), 43 lifts
5. Big Sky Resort – United States, 148 mi (238 km), 45 lifts
6. SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental – Austria, 145 mi (234 km), 80 lifts
7. Vail – United States, 134 mi (215 km), 32 lifts
8. Tignes - Val d'Isère – France, 131 mi (211 km), 84 lifts
9. Zermatt - Breuil-Cervinia – Switzerland, 130 mi (208 km), 63 lifts
10. Espace Diamant – France, 124 mi (199 km), 89 lifts

Lift passes that cover several of these areas, like Dolomiti Superski and Evasion Mont Blanc, are in the finder too, and each resort names the pass it belongs to.

The best ski resorts for beginners

These resorts have the biggest share of easy runs and a long season:

1. Gudauri – Georgia, 92% of its runs easy, 20 mi (32 km) of them
2. Les Deux Alpes – France, 77% of its runs easy, 51 mi (83 km) of them
3. Les Trois Vallées – France, 60% of its runs easy, 201 mi (323 km) of them
4. La Plagne – France, 63% of its runs easy, 74 mi (119 km) of them
5. Passo Stelvio - Stilfserjoch – Italy, 94% of its runs easy, 10 mi (16 km) of them
6. Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn – Austria, 66% of its runs easy, 92 mi (148 km) of them
7. Avoriaz – Switzerland, 81% of its runs easy, 39 mi (63 km) of them
8. Sarn Heinzenberg – Switzerland, 100% of its runs easy, 10 mi (16 km) of them
9. Wildkogel – Austria, 74% of its runs easy, 32 mi (51 km) of them
10. Canaro – Andorra, 77% of its runs easy, 12 mi (19 km) of them

Turn on Good for beginners in the finder for the resorts near you with plenty of easy runs.

When does ski season start?

In the Northern Hemisphere, ski season starts in late November or December and runs to March or April.

Of the 1,974 northern resorts with a season, 728 are cold enough in November and 1,855 in December.

In the Southern Hemisphere, it runs from June to September, in Argentina, Chile and New Zealand.

• Cerro Catedral – Argentina, June to September
• La Parva – Chile, June to September
• El Colorado – Chile, June to September
• Valle Nevado – Chile, June to September
• Cerro Castor – Argentina, June to September
• Tūroa – New Zealand, June to October

Snowmaking and glaciers can open a resort earlier than its temperatures say.

Where to ski in summer

In July, the Southern Hemisphere is in full season. In the north, these resorts have the coldest tops, so they're the ones to check for summer runs:

• Zermatt - Breuil-Cervinia – Switzerland, top at 12,703 ft (3,872 m), about 31°F there in July
• Aiguille du Midi (Chamonix) – France, top at 12,362 ft (3,768 m), about 31°F there in July
• Saas Fee – Switzerland, top at 11,667 ft (3,556 m), about 35°F there in July
• Pitztaler Gletscher – Austria, top at 11,234 ft (3,424 m), about 35°F there in July
• Les Deux Alpes – France, top at 11,519 ft (3,511 m), about 36°F there in July
• Tignes - Val d'Isère – France, top at 11,309 ft (3,447 m), about 37°F there in July
• Hintertuxer Gletscher – Austria, top at 10,646 ft (3,245 m), about 37°F there in July
• Elbrus – Russia, top at 12,602 ft (3,841 m), about 37°F there in July

Check the resort's own site before you go, as summer runs open for a few weeks and close in a heat wave.

Who is the ski resort finder for?

It's for anyone planning a ski trip around work:

• Digital nomads who want a season in the mountains with a good connection
• Beginners looking for easy runs and a long season
• Weekend skiers who just want the slopes nearest home

If you'd rather chase warm water, the sea temperature map shows the sea at every beach, any month.

More tools for working from anywhere

These tools use the same places, each for a different question:

• Surf spot finder – surf spots with their waves and water by month
• Beach index – beaches and islands scored for living and working
• Coworking space finder – desks and day passes near each place
• Digital nomad locations – every place, with its weather, internet and safety
• Climate finder – the weather in any place, any month

Every resort links to its nearest work base's guide, with the visa, tax and money tools for its country.