The most snow sure destinations for 2020

Choosing where to ski or snowboard this winter either involves trawling the resort pages for condition reports or looking at websites like https://www.snow-forecast.com/ for the latest dumps but if you know what to look for in advance you can be guaranteed great snow conditions with our pick of the most snow-sure resorts.

Europe

Tignes/Val Disere

Tignes/Val D'isere form part of the massive Espace Killy area close to the Italian borders. Within easy reach of many airports including Chambery, Lyon, and Geneva it is one of the most popular ski areas in France. There are over 300km of Green, Blue and Black runs and extensive lift accessed off-piste to explore. Tignes is made up of a number of "villages" at various altitudes including Val Claret, Tignes Le Lac and Lavachet. 

The crowning glory is the Grande Motte glacier which when combined with the main ski areas provides over 300km of piste. Height is the determining factor when deciding on a snow sure location and at over 3000m Tignes is one of the best places for guaranteed snow.

Val Thorens

Just down the road is Val Thorens or VT as the locals like to call it. VT is part of the 3 valleys encompassing resorts such as Meribel, Courcheval, Brides Les Bains, St Martin and Val Thoren. VT stands at the highest point in the 3 valleys and its height assures an exceptional season running from December to late April. With over 600km of piste in the entire 3 valleys the resort of Val Thoren is popular amongst families with its ski in ski out architecture and a wide variety of pistes. 

Cervinia/Zermatt

Beneath the mighty Matterhorn lie the resorts of Zermatt and Cervinia. Zermatt is on the Swiss side with Cervinia on the Italian side. Both share a common glacier which guarantees skiing and snowboarding well into the summer. Lift passes are available for you to day trip to the other side but the Italian side is notably cheaper. The Plateau Rosa at 3500m means the resort is open almost all year round. 

The best of the rest

Europeans are blessed with some amazing resorts that all guarantee excellent snow conditions including Saas Fee, Engelberg and Andermatt in Switzerland, Lech/Zurs, Obertauern and Obergurgl in Austria, Avoriaz and Les Arcs in France, Passo Tonale and Sestriere in Italy.

North America

Whistler Blackcomb

Situated close to Vancouver and the Pacific Ocean Whistler is the largest ski area in North America and averages around 12m of snow every year. The area encompasses two mountains and offers exceptional skiing from November through May in some years.

Mount Baker

Situated in Washington, USA Mt Baker holds the record for the snowiest season on record and regularly averages over 16m of snow every year. With its proximity to the ocean the snow here can be really heavy and lifts can close due to the erratic weather but if you want guaranteed snow then this is the place to be.

The best of the rest

In Canada resorts such as Revelstoke, Kicking Horse and Banff get copious amounts of snow. In the USA Jackson Hole, Alta/Snowbird and Mammoth mountain all have long seasons stretching into May/June in some years.

Rest of the world

Japan

You cant mention snow without talking about Japan and in particular the resorts of Hokkaido in the north of the country. With storms from Siberia dropping their load on the ski resorts day after day Japan has been named "JAPOW" due to the light and fluffy powder snow that falls in the shadow of Mt Yotei. The popular resorts include Niseko, Rusutsu, Kiroro, Tomamu and Furano.

India

Not many people know that you can ski in India but Gulmarg is fast growing a reputation for outstanding snow conditions and heli/free-skiing. Situated close to Kashmir the resort can be affected by weather conditions and political instability in the region.