European Skiing Destinations

Europe is the home of skiing. The first drawings of a skier were found in a cave in Nordland, Norway. The drawing has been dated at 5000 BC. Norway was almost certainly the home of skiing or what is known as Nordic Skiing anyway.

Alpine or downhill skiing probably comes from central Europe in the neighbourhood of Switzerland. There are such a lot of skiing resorts in Europe that there is a fantastic number of slopes for each degree of experience.

You can ski in almost every country in Europe. The least well-known skiing resorts are probably in Scotland, but they do have them and the most famous resorts are in the French and Swiss Alps, which are actually the same place, but they span two different countries.

The French and The Swiss alps are the most developed for luxury and are also the most expensive. Not far east from there is Austria which, although less well-known is also a magnet for skiers from Eastern Europe.

If you would like to go skiing at a more affordable rate try Italy up on the Swiss border. There you will see practically the same skiing conditions as in the French and Swiss Alps but with Italian food and language, which means less English is spoken though, if you see that as a downside.

Roughly the same cost is Andorra which is Catalan (Spanish to you and me, but not to them). Andorra sits in the Pyrenees Mountains with borders on France and Spain. The Spanish influence is the greater of the two. Skiing in Andorra is famous for its teaching. It is a great place to learn skiing or to take the family.

If you would like to visit a rising star in the skiing firmament, go to Croatia. Skiing in Croatia is also among the most affordable in Europe. The facilities are fantastic, but local wages are low which keeps the costs down. The food is delicious and so is the wine, though not perhaps a match for French, Italian or Spanish cuisine.

Bulgaria is another growing location on the skier's map. Skiing is not well developed in Bulgaria but the locals have been skiing for centuries, it is only that they are only just beginning to learn how to commercialize it. The people are friendly, but do not expect a lot of English to be spoken.

We should not forget the home of skiing, Norway and the remainder of Scandinavia. Expect top class amenities in Scandinavia with top class prices to match. The locals are very friendly, but might not speak English. The food is more likely to be local too. You are more likely to find decent skiing conditions all year round in Scandinavia too.

There are so numerous skiing resorts in so numerous European countries, that if you wanted to, you could organize a skiing tour of Europe. If you wished to ski in Scandinavia and Andorra, you would have to fly, but you could do the Swiss, French and Italian Alps. Or Austria and Bulgaria or Bulgaria and Croatia.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece, writes on several subjects, but is now concerned with short ski breaks. If you want to know more, please visit our website at Ski Package Holidays.