To ski or not to ski? Do both! Whizzing down slopes at these resorts is a joy – but for non-skiers they also offer monasteries, ice-fishing, torchlight hikes and much more…

• This round-up includes ski resorts in Slovenia, Italy, France and more
• Andorra is a good option for ‘excellent’ skiing and some tax-free shopping 
• READ MORE:  The cheapest and most expensive pints of beer in Europe

Opinion may be divided about the pleasure of attaching planks to your feet each winter and hurtling down vertiginous slopes on slippery white stuff.

While some are of the misty-eyed, ‘mountains are calling’ school of thought, others may be more of the ‘skiing is the only sport where you spend an arm and a leg to break an arm and a leg’ persuasion.

If you are the latter – or just a skier/snowboarder who likes to branch out – here’s our choice of getaways with something for both ski enthusiasts and those who prefer just to pootle about in the mountains.

ANCIENT SPLENDOUR

Enjoy the ancient medieval architecture of Kitzbuhel in Austria’s Tyrol region including the marvellous High Gothic St Catherine’s church — and you can join free hiking tours from the nearby tourist office. Great skiing, of course, but there is also excellent tobogganing.

Don’t miss: Works by renowned artist Alfons Walde at the local museum.

How to do it: Seven nights at Aktivhotel Schweizerhof from £1,359 pp half-board from Manchester (inghams.co.uk).

Away from the slopes, Kitzbuhel in Austria’s Tyrol region has some stunning ancient medieval architecture

LEFT: One of the best non-ski activities at Santa Cristina in the Italian Dolomites is tobogganing. RIGHT: No experience is required for a tandem paraglide ride in Zermatt (pictured). Just hang on tight

HUSKIES GALORE

Above the Arctic Circle, Salla in Finland is a tranquil spot. Aside from trying out the downhill slopes suited to all levels, activities include husky rides, ice fishing and icy dips in a lake (followed by a recuperating sauna).

Don’t miss: Cooking food at barbecues by the ski slopes.

How to do it: Seven nights at Salla Cabins from £894 pp self-catering from Gatwick (igluski.com).

E-BIKE ADVENTURES

One of the non-skiing joys of Les Deux Alpes in France is travelling by gondola/chairlift to the charming, arty little villages of Venosc and Mont de Lans. Activities include e-biking plus skating and hiking.

Don’t miss: Free guided Venosc tours on Tuesdays.

How to do it: Seven nights at Residence Le Hameau from £784 pp self-catering from Bristol (sunweb.co.uk).

MEET THE MONKS

Visit the still functioning Benedictine abbey, above, in Engelberg, Switzerland, which boasts good hikes as well as skiing

Kranjska Gora in Slovenia is a solid budget option with extensive skiing plus snowmobile rides, sledding and spas 

Here, we have chosen resorts that will excite both skiers and no-skiers

Engelberg in Switzerland was visited by a youthful Wordsworth, who was so impressed by its ‘serene’ setting he penned Engelberg: The Hill Of Angels. Visit the still functioning Benedictine abbey. Good hikes (and skiing).

Don’t miss: A monastery tour.

How to do it: Seven nights at Hotel Waldegg from £1,045 pp B&B with flights (skisolutions.com).

SNOWMOBILE DELIGHTS

Kranjska Gora in Slovenia is a solid budget option with extensive skiing plus snowmobile rides, sledding and spas. It’s in the little-visited Zgornjesavska Valley.

Don’t miss: Day trips to Lake Bled (30 mins away) and Ljubljana, Slovenia’s intriguing capital (1hr away).

How to do it: Seven nights at Hotel Kompas from £620 pp half-board from Gatwick (balkanholidays.co.uk).

ITALIAN FEAST

Tucked away in the Aosta Valley in northwest Italy, La Thuile is a family-friendly resort in a medieval village with good value restaurants serving polentas, local cheeses, cured hams, lasagna and tartiflette. See ‘where to eat’ at lathuile.it.

Don’t miss: Snowshoeing on Mont Blanc.

How to do it: Seven nights at Chalet Eden Hotel from £1,319 pp half-board from Birmingham (inghams.co.uk).

SKATE AND SPA

With a 17th-century village, fantastic Savoyard restaurants and ‘pedestrian passes’ for lifts, La Clusaz in France is a good pick. The Aqua Centre has hot tubs, heated indoor/outdoor pools and massages. Or there’s ice-skating.

Don’t miss: Views from Restaurant Altitude 1647.

How to do it: Seven nights at Hotel Le Chamois cost from £929 pp B&B from Leeds Bradford (inghams.co.uk).

SLOPE OFF TO THE MOUNTAINS BY TRAIN 

EURO SNOW

The Eurostar Snow train from St Pancras costs from £198 return and runs from December 16 to February 4.

It departs on Saturdays at 9.01am, arriving in France at Moutiers at 5.30pm or Bourg-St-Maurice at 6.20pm and returning to London at 3.57pm on Sundays (eurostar.com). It involves changing at Lille.

Other routes are possible via TGV trains from France to Italy and Switzerland, or ICE trains to Austria from Brussels (trainline.com, raileurope.co.uk). Sadly, a landslide in France has curtailed certain services to Italy.

FRENCH ALP EXPRESS

One of the easiest resorts to get to by train is Les Menuires in the huge Three Valleys ski region.

How to do it: Seven nights at Hotel Ours Blanc plus a night at a hotel by the station from £2,349pp with lift pass and return train from St Pancras to Moutiers via Lille (skisolutions.com).

SWISS ROLL

Saas-Fee is a rather charming, car-free Swiss village with superb skiing on offer for all levels.

How to do it: Seven nights at Allalin Apartments cost from £785pp including return train from St Pancras to Visp via Paris and Lausanne (inghams.co.uk).

ALL ABOARD IN AUSTRIA

Enjoy the top skiing and legendary apres ski in St Anton.

How to do it: Seven nights at Chalet Albona cost from £949 pp including return train from St Pancras to St Anton, via Paris and Zurich (inghams.co.uk).

By Daniel Elkan

TAX-FREE BONANZA

Excellent skiing in Andorra, the tiny principality between France and Spain — and some good tax-free shopping. Base yourself at El Tarter and it’s a short bus ride to the outlets at Andorra la Vella, the capital.

Don’t miss: Andorra la Vella’s thermal spa.

How to do it: Seven nights at Hotel Del Clos from £749 pp half-board from Gatwick (neilson.co.uk).

HISTORY AND THRILLS

Spain’s Sierra Nevada resort in Andalusia has good skiing plus a fantastic rollercoaster ride at 2,100m and sledding. It’s an hour’s drive to the magnificent Alhambra Moorish palace in Granada.

Don’t miss: A trip to the beach (one hour away).

How to do it: Return flights from Gatwick to Malaga cost from £25 (wizzair.com); doubles at Mont Blanc hotel from £68 (booking.com).

SUPER PARAGLIDING

No experience is required for a tandem paraglide ride in Zermatt: just hang on tight. Ice-skating, curling, tobogganing, sledding and ice-climbing can be tried. Skiing is superb.

Don’t miss: Learn about Edward Whymper’s conquest of the Matterhorn in 1865, at the local museum.

How to do it: Seven nights from £1,452 pp B&B at Hotel Dufour, flying from Edinburgh (heidi.com).

TOBOGGANING TREATS

One of the best non-ski activities at Santa Cristina in the Italian Dolomites is tobogganing. The longest run, from Resciesa funicular, covers three miles. Santa Cristina is a quiet village with a 14th-century parish church.

Don’t miss: Trying excellent pizza.

How to do it: Seven nights at Hotel Diamant Spa Resort from £1,031 pp from Glasgow (crystalski.co.uk).

GO CROSS-COUNTRY

Beside Rondane National Park, Spidsbergseter is a hotel/resort for cross-country skiing lovers. Splendid scenery: wide open with rolling hills leading to mountains. The hotel offers curling, too. Kvitfjell downhill ski resort is a 45-minute drive south.

Don’t miss: Snowshoeing on the Norwegian ‘Troll Trail’.

How to do it: Seven nights at Spidsbergseter Hotel cost from £1,450 pp full-board from Heathrow (inntravel.co.uk).

THERMAL CHILL-OUT

Chatel in France, by the Swiss border, has a wonderful public thermal bath with pools, hot tubs, steam rooms, saunas and massages; entry £12 a day. The pretty resort has a ‘ski-slide’ area and sledge rides.

Don’t miss: Going ten-pin bowling.

How to do it: Seven nights at Residence Les Chalets d’Angele from £804 pp from Manchester (crystalski.co.uk).

GOLD RUSH SALOONS

Nestled in the Rocky Mountains, Breckenridge (pictured) is one of Colorado’s most popular ski resorts 

Enjoy the superb ski slopes of Marmot Basin staying at the laid-back town of Jasper in Canada’s Alberta. Ice canyon walks, skating and sledging are available. Pictured: Malign Canyon Ice walk in Jasper National Park

There’s a touch of the Wild West about Breckenridge in Colorado, U.S., especially in saloons at this old Gold Rush town.

Don’t miss: A chilli dog at Dawg Haus.

How to do it: Seven nights at Hotel Beaver Run Resort from £1,745pp with flights (skisolutions.com).

CANYON ICE WALKS

Enjoy the superb ski slopes of Marmot Basin staying at the laid-back town of Jasper in the Canadian province of Alberta. Ice canyon walks, skating and sledging are available. Good cross-country skiing.

Don’t miss: Jasper Art Gallery.

How to do it: Seven nights at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge from £1,485 pp from Heathrow (igluski.com).

TORCHLIGHT HIKES

Regularly named Austria’s most beautiful village, Alpbach has charming chalets and chapels. Torchlit ‘night hikes’ include mulled wine. Try horse-drawn carriage rides and ice skating.

Don’t miss: Skate on Lake Reintal.

How to do it: Seven nights at Alphof Land Hotel from £699 pp half-board from Gatwick (igluski.com).

GIVE CURLING A WHIRL

On a trip to Pontresina in Switzerland (above), non-skiers can enjoy outdoor activities like ice-skating  and ice-climbing

Above the Arctic Circle, Salla in Finland is a tranquil spot. Aside from trying out the downhill slopes, activities include ice fishing, husky rides and icy dips in a lake

Near St Moritz, pretty Pontresina in Switzerland has elegant Engadine-stone houses and a literary history: Elizabeth Gaskell and Hans Christian Andersen both stayed there — you can find out more about this at the museum Alpine.

You can enjoy ice-skating or ice-climbing, too.

Don’t miss: Trying curling.

How to do it: Gatwick to Zurich returns from £51 (easyjet.com); seven nights at Hotel Rosatsch from £695 pp B&B (booking.com).

ROYAL ATTRACTION

Princes William and Harry learned to ski at Lech am Arlberg in Vorarlberg, Austria.

There are also horse-drawn sleigh rides, ice-skating, tobogganing and spas.

Don’t miss: The ‘light art’ at Skyspace-Lech (skyspace-lech.com).

How to do it: Seven nights at Hotel Garni Antonius from £1,182 pp B&B from Gatwick (crystalski.co.uk).

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