According to which criteria do skiers and snowboarders choose their holiday destinations? Are you primarily interested in the number of kilometers of pistes, the most promising nature experiences possible or is a reasonably priced ski lift a primary concern? Which ski resorts meet the respective requirements best, shows a recent study.
A comprehensive survey “Best Ski Resort 2018”, which was conducted by “Mountain Management Consulting” in cooperation with the University of Innsbruck / Bolzano, almost 46,000 skiers and snowboarders were questioned last season about their preferences and their satisfaction – on the slopes at 55 selected top ski resorts in the Alps. The results were announced today in Innsbruck. Since 2010, the “Best Ski Resort Report” is published every two years.
The first place in the overall ranking was achieved by the Kronplatz in South Tyrol (Italy), followed closely by Zermatt in Switzerland (second place). Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis in the Austrian Tyrol and Val Gardena in South Tyrol (Italy) share third place. The fifth place went to the ski resort Alta Badia, which is also located in Italy.
In the cross-category overall evaluation, the winter sports region Kronplatz surpasses the Swiss Zermatt with a score of 8.54 points (2nd place, 8.51 points). The overall winner scored points especially in the category “comfort”. But also in terms of snow reliability, friendliness and gastronomy, visitors to the South Tyrolean ski resort were particularly happy.
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis in the Austrian Tyrol and the South Tyrolean Val Gardena achieve in the overall evaluation each 8.40 points and therefore were together in 3rd place in fifth place Alta Badia landed in Italy with 8.38 points.
1. Kronplatz, South Tyrol, Italy (1st place)
The cross-category overall winner, the Kronplatz ski area in South Tyrol, bestowed on the “Best Ski Resort 2018” especially in the categories “transport comfort”, “piste quality” and “gastronomic offer on the mountain”.
The Kronplatz region stretches from the west of the Puster Valley over the Ahrntal valley into the Antholzer and Gsieser valleys to the Bader valley in the south. The namesake is the 2,275-meter-high mountain Kronplatz. It lies on the edge of the Dolomites and is also known in South Tyrol as “Skiberg Nr. 1”.
The Kronplatz region offers skiers with a total length of 119 kilometers at altitudes between 1000 and 2275 meters as well as 32 lifts. In high season the ski pass for adults costs 57 Euro per day. The start of this year’s ski season is on 30th November.
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2nd Zermatt, Switzerland (2nd place)
The cross-category overall winner from 2016 narrowly missed the first place this time, but is still one of the top ski resorts in the Alps. Zermatt scored points at this year’s “Best Ski Resort” especially in terms of “exclusivity” and “safety on the slopes”.
Between Zermatt and Breuil-Cervinia lies the “Matterhorn ski paradise” at an altitude of around 3883 meters, making it the highest ski resort in Switzerland. For skiers, there are 360 kilometers of pistes and 53 lifts, including the 2018 Matterhorn glacier ride 3-cable orbit.
An adult ski pass costs 92 Swiss Francs (about 60 Euro) per day in the main season. This year, the ski season begins on 24 November.
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3. Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Tyrol, Austria (3rd place)
The Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis winter sports area is popular with skiers and snowboarders alike. Together with a competitor from South Tyrol, the Austrian ski region came third in the ranking.
Although the award-winning and at the same time largest family ski resort in Austria, Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis had to relinquish its traditional first place in the category “Children / Families” at this year’s “Best Ski Resort”, it has fallen under the cross-category category for the fourth time in a row can claim the top 3 of the Alps. Together with Val Gardena in South Tyrol (Italy) it shares the third place this time.
The Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis ski area, an association of the ski resorts Serfaus, Fiss and Ladis, covers a total of 1,600 vertical meters and is suitable for beginners, professionals and the whole family. The entire area offers 214 kilometers of slopes and 68 lifts. An adult ski pass costs 52 euros per day in high season. Skiers can start the new season in Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis this year from December 7th.
4. Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Italy (3rd place)
The South Tyrolean Val Gardena (in German: Val Gardena) was able to secure 3rd place at the “Best Ski Resort 2018” together with the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis ski resort in Austria (see above). The Grödnertal gained points especially in the categories “nature experience” and “exclusivity” as well as “price-performance ratio”.
The Val Gardena ski area is part of “Dolomiti Superski”, an association of twelve ski resorts in the Dolomites. Val Gardena offers 175 kilometers of pistes and 79 lifts. New this year are the chairlift “Mezdi” and the developed runway “Charly”.
An adult ski pass costs 56 euros per day in high season. This year, the ski season starts in Val Gardena on 6 December.
5. Alta Badia, Dolomites, Italy (5th place)
Winter sports enthusiasts appreciate the vastness of Alta Badia in the midst of a unique natural environment. This year, rank 5 (across all categories) emphasizes the high satisfaction of the visitors. In the categories “ski resort size”, “slope offer” and “nature experience” Alta Badia took first place.
Alta Badia, the Italian Dolomites region, lies at an altitude between 1300 and 2778 meters. For skiers are available 130 kilometers of slopes and 53 lifts. An adult ski pass costs 56 euros per day in high season. Ski opening in Alta Badia is this year on the 1st of December.
The choice of the ski resort is mainly determined by the size and slope offer
The “Best Ski Resort Report 2018” comes to the conclusion, among other things, that skiers choose their holiday destination mainly according to size and slope offer, as it says in a press release of “Mountain Management Consulting”. Many ski regions responded by joining forces with neighboring regions to form extensive networks.
Compared to the previous year’s results of the study, however, the categories “size” and “slope offer” according to “Mountain Management Consulting” showed declining tendencies. On the other hand, the categories such as “friendliness” and “safety on the slopes” have become significantly more relevant. Also “fun & entertainment” as well as “nature experience” fell more and more important.
The places 6 to 10
6th place: Grächen, Switzerland
7th place: Arosa Lenzerheide, Switzerland
8th place: Aletsch Arena, Switzerland
9th place: Livigno, Italy
10th place: Laax (Switzerland) and Sölden (Austria)