7 lesser-known European ski spots to book this winter

When it comes to skiing, it may be time to rethink where you choose to visit this winter. The cliche might be that bigger is better, but many skiers will tell you they don’t spend more than four hours on the slopes a day anyway. So why not try these cheaper, less crowded, medium-sized alternatives?

1. Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria

The south of Austria can now be reached by flights from London to Klagenfurt, just under an hour’s drive from Bad Kleinkirchheim. Here you’ll find 60 miles of uncrowded, mostly red slopes served by 24 lifts with a few blues zigzagging through the trees. There’s also the black Franz Klammer World Cup run, named after the legendary skier and local hero. After that, you won’t want to miss a soak in the mineral-rich thermal spas. For accommodation, try the charming, riverside spa hotel Trattlerhof, whose history dates back to the 1600s. It’s well placed between the more reliable north-facing part of the area, and the sunnier but more wind-prone east-facing St Oswald side. Don’t miss the sledging evenings — a magical 2.5-mile descent down the mountain.

2. Jasná, Slovakia

Slovakia’s biggest ski resort, Jasná Nízke Tatry, or simply Jasná, sits a convenient 45-minute drive from Poprad airport. Its 30 miles of pistes, served by 19 lifts, cater to all ski levels, with beginners’ areas plus genuinely challenging black runs and the 1.8 mile-long Ski World Cup run that drops an ear-popping 2,950ft. Unique to Jasná is the accessibility of its off-piste areas, as well as its value for money. The slopeside Hotel Ski has family rooms from €136 (£113) a night, including lift passes and breakfast. While snow is pretty reliable, high winds can close lifts — you can then try cross-country skiing, with the nearby resort of Štrbské Pleso offering the best trails. The season at Jasná ends on 27 April.

3. Voss Resort, Norway

Norway’s guaranteed natural snow makes it a popular skiing destination, but travelling to some resorts often involves draining travel days. To avoid long train transfers, try Voss. You can be at the summit with just two platform changes from Bergen airport. The recent upgrade to the gondola at Voss railway station means you can ski all day yet be on an evening flight home — handy for a short break. It’s a decent-sized ski area with 11 lifts and 24 varied slopes, including giant and super-giant slalom runs. These link up with 11 miles of snowsure cross-country trails and ‘warm huts’, where you can eat a packed lunch around a fire. It’s also half an hour’s drive from Myrkdalen, another gem of a resort. Voss is open until 21 April and Myrkdalen 27 April, ideal for this season’s very late Easter.

4. Pila, Italy

There’s really only one resort in the Alps expanding its pistes this season: Pila, a car-free resort located in northwest Italy’s Aosta Valley. With snowsure slopes, a high treeline at 7,540ft and four of the 12 lifts being gondolas, it’s perfect in bad weather. The mostly red slopes are, in typical Italian fashion, well groomed. Pila itself is a purpose-built resort, so, for a taste of history, visit the Roman town of Aosta, the capital of this traditionally French-speaking region, which is an 18-minute gondola ride down the mountain — a nice option for non-skiers.

5. Drei Zinnen, Italy

If you like a mix of Italian flair and Austrian gemütlichkeit (cosiness), try Drei Zinnen in the German-speaking region of South Tyrol, in northeastern Italy. A recent project has linked its many pretty villages with 50 miles worth of new pistes. Future plans include adding two lifts and two pistes to extend into the village of Padole and into Austria, too. The scenery is stunning, with beautiful views of the Dolomites at every turn. A lot of the terrain is rated blue, but there’s challenging red terrain and a couple of black runs, including the Holzriese, which claims to be the steepest slope in Italy. Most slopes are tree-lined, making them excellent in bad weather, plus the snowmaking in South Tyrol is exceptional.

6. Manigod, France

About an hour from Geneva airport sits the small village of Manigod, whose restaurants exude Savoyard charm with their aroma of raclette and fondue. But, because it’s linked by lifts and pistes to larger La Clusaz, you’re really in a ski area with 49 lifts taking you to heights of 8,150ft and stunning views of the Aravis massif. Manigod’s speciality is its night-time skiing, with eight runs lit up to maximise time on the slopes. Plus, every Monday evening, Manigod holds a competition on its unique ‘paret’ sledges, with free-flowing vin chaud adding to the conviviality. Just don’t book a Christmas or New Year break here too far in advance, as a lack of snow has proved a problem in lower French resorts at the start of the season.

(10 things you need to know about the upcoming ski season.)

7. Obertauern, Austria

Obertauern was recently found to be the snowiest non-glacier resort in Austria, making it a snowsure getaway even in the run-up to Christmas and after Easter. Less than a 90-minute drive from Salzburg airport, it signposts circuits including a delightful anticlockwise round tour on mostly blue runs, and a more challenging clockwise tour on mostly red pistes.

It’s one of Austria’s newest ski resorts, combining 100km of well-groomed pistes with 26 lifts. Experts will want to tick off all seven of the resort’s peaks, including taking on the tricky black ridge run from Gamsleiten 2, at 7,580ft, with its 45-degree sections. A unique attraction here is snowbiking, perfect for beginners. Take a lesson with Hermann Koch, a seven-time Guinness world record holder in the sport.