A little over 400 miles northwest of Stockholm, Are is the premier winter getaway in northern Europe. Expect to find Fins, Norwegians, Latvians, and a whole lot of blonde Swedes dressed in their finest warm-winter garb sliding down the peak as they do their best Ingemar Stenmark impersonation. ...

With the Matterhorn looming above, you'll think you're in Switzerland, but Breuil-Cervinia--offering both something more and something less than you'll get elsewhere in the Alps--is definitely Italy. Most of Breuil-Cervinia's slopes are broad, wide open, and not too steep--ideal conditions for ...

Despite its remote location—a three-hour drive from Venice via steep and winding mountain roads—Cortina d' Ampezzo is Italy's most fashionable luxury resort. The ski area itself is spread over three mountains with more than 50 lifts. The town of Cortina sits in a valley at less than 4,000 ...

Ischgl, renowned for its consistently high-quality snow conditions, offers all the ski opportunities of a larger resort with all the rustic charm of a Tirolean village. With nearly all the runs above 6,000 feet, the nearby ski area of Silvretta offers the most reliable snow in the Tirol. ...

With a name that rings with macabre pathos, La Grave is another French piste-noir. Set on a steep hillside facing the glacier-encrusted slopes of La Meije, the old village serves as a mountaineering center and base camp for expert skiers. Non-advanced skiers who find themselves in La Grave ...

"Above all, do not fall. If you fall, you will die." With that bit of confidence-building advice, Jean-Marc Crampe, a ponytailed ski guide, leaped off a cornice and into a 60-degree couloir. The night before, in the hotel bar, after one too many rounds of grappa, I had persuaded him that I was ...

"That's right, baby! You know what I like! Kill me now!" the lead singer of Riksgransen Hotel's employee band screams into the mike. A sweaty knot of drunken snowboarders slam-dance at his feet, tackling one another to the beer-soaked floor. Everyone is fired up from competing in today's ...