Four of the best ski resorts

For off-piste skiing: St Anton, Austria

"There's nowhere quite like it for those who like to ski hard, party hard and burn the candle at both ends," say Dave Watts and Chris Gill in The Daily Telegraph. "The place gets prodigious amounts of snow and usually has much better conditions than other resorts of a similar height."

Just be warned it's best for experienced skiers. The "slopes don't suit beginners or timid intermediates". But if you know what you're doing, then "in good snow this whole area is an off-piste delight for experts".

You can have plenty of fun off the slopes too St Anton itself, a pretty resort with traditional buildings, has some of the best aprs ski in the Alps the "bars rock right through from mid-afternoon until the early hours".

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For beginners: re, Sweden

re in Sweden has a great choice of blue and red ski runs, with some black runs and off-piste skiiing areas. It's ideal for beginners, says Liz Edwards in The Sunday Times Travel Magazine. The instructors have "impeccable English", which makes life easier for beginners as you get clearer, more nuanced advice than the bend-ze-knees' you may be used to. Edwards' instructor urged her to "maintain a slouchy posture, like I just punched you in the stomach", which helped her advance from snowplough to parallel turns in no time.

The pistes are "well-groomed" and "crowd-free", and your hard work is rewarded with "incredible views the broad sweep of blue-white mountains, the frozen valley-floor lake". Once you are done with the slopes, there are culinary treats in store: "re is heaven for foodies: stock up on cloudberry jam at re Deli (Aredelikatess.se) before ordering the beef with liquorice-fried onions."

For foodies: Alta Badia, Italy

With three Michelin-starred restaurants, Alta Badia in Italy offers gastronomic delights as well as great skiing. "Head to Alta Badia and prepare to loosen your belt," says Nicky Holford in The Daily Telegraph. "The region takes food and wine at least as seriously as skiing."

You can now take a "gastronomic ski safari, sampling dishes specially created by some of the world's top chefs for 12 of Alta Badia's mountain refuges". Slope Food is the mountain version of street food you ski from hut to hut, enjoying delights such as pig's cheek browned in south Tyrolean honey, cooked by chefs including Arturo Spicocchi and John Burton-Race.

"With 40 wide, meandering and pretty blue runs, the skiing is gentle, relaxing and confidence-boosting," says The Independent's Liz Harper. "The ratio of pistes to pit-stops also means that you're never more than a few turns away from a bombardino (a local speciality of hot advocaat, brandy and cream) or a sun-kissed terrace with a breathtaking view."

The next ski safari takes place on 15 December. A ticket costs €50 and entitles you to six Slope Food' snacks with a glass of wine. See www.altabadia.org.

For families: Northstar, California

Safety is also taken seriously: "ski patrollers... pull over' anyone skiing too fast". There are intermediate slopes too, but nothing to challenge serious skiiers. When you are finished on the slopes there are hot tubs, outdoor pools and spas, and family-friendly restaurants like Zephyr Lodge, serving pizzas and "poshed-up burgers".