You don't have to ski to enjoy a holiday on snow. But if one of you wants to ski and the other doesn't, it is important to choose your resort with care. Avoid the experts-only destinations where the entire populace migrates up the mountain daily, leaving a lonely ghost town behind them.
Similarly, dismiss purpose-built resorts whose sole raison d'être is skiing. The same caveat applies to tiny farming villages: once you have marvelled at the onion-domed church, the hours until teatime companionship loom long and empty.
(All prices include return flights and transfers, and half-board accommodation unless stated otherwise.)
Arosa, Switzerland
This is a traditional, all-round winter sports resort above the medieval valley town of Chur. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle put it on the snow map when he famously skied here across the pass from Davos in 1894.
The skiing
Takes place on three peaks that provide 70km of wide and gentle pistes served by 15 lifts. The top of the Hörnli is the starting point for some challenging off-piste, and the dramatic half-pipe makes the resort popular with snowboarders. The majority of Arosa's well-heeled annual visitors, with a predominance of families, come here in search of the complete winter sports experience rather than just skiing or snowboarding.
The other
Cross-country skiing, skating, curling, tobogganing, sleigh rides. Non-skiers can buy hiking passes that allow them to use the lifts.
The Carmennahütte is the pick of the half-a-dozen restaurants.
The holiday: from £528 in Hotel Cristallo, Kuoni (01306 742500). Website: arosa.ch.
Aspen, Colorado
The old Victorian mining town has been authentically refurbished with considerable style and no loss of charm. Although a lot larger than most US ski resorts, the centre is quite compact, with outlying hotels and the ski areas served by an efficient bus service.
The skiing
Aspen has 39 lifts split between four different mountains up to 20 minutes apart, but linked by free ski bus. Ajax is for experienced skiers and snowboarders, Buttermilk is for novices, while Snowmass and Aspen Highlands suit all standards of skier and snowboarder.
The other
Climbing wall, curling, dog-sledding, hang-gliding, hot-air ballooning, ice-climbing, indoor tennis and squash, parapente, ice-skating, sleigh rides, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, tubing.
Aspen is a veritable all-rounder with 200 shops and art galleries providing Bond-Street-style retail therapy. The Aspen Club Spa offers myriad health and beauty treatments. The Ajax Tavern, at the foot of the slopes, is the cool place for lunch.
The holiday: from £652 per person in a three-bedroom apartment in the comfortable Gant Condos, Ski Independence (0870 5550555). Website: aspensnowmass.com).
Bad Gastein, Austria
Bad Gastein houses a once-famous casino and a collection of hotels of faded grandeur built on a steep hillside around a mighty waterfall. Johann Strauss and Franz Schubert both composed here. Mozart's mother has a hotel named after her.
The skiing
The main ski area is linked to neighbouring Bad Hofgastein, while some of the most challenging terrain is found further along the valley at Dorf Gastein and Sport Gastein. The slopes are beautifully manicured, and the area with its 52 lifts is best-suited to adventurous intermediates looking for high-mileage skiing.
The other
Curling, ice-climbing, indoor golf and tennis, parapente, riding, rifle shooting, ice-skat ing, sleigh rides, snowshoeing, squash. However, health is the preoccupation of most visitors to this spa town. Some 23 million litres of hot water bubble up each day from 17 natural springs and are piped into all the main hotels and into an assortment of open-air pools within sight of the slopes.
The holiday: from £328 in three-star Hotel Krone, Inghams (0208-780 4433). Website: badgastein.at.
Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
If I had to single out one resort in the world for the sheer beauty of its surroundings, then this would be it. The stylish town, a 90-minute drive from Venice, is set against the towering magnificence of the Dolomites and is Italian to its voluptuous core.
The skiing
This is divided between two main areas and a scattering of lesser ones owned by individual farmers. Passo Falzarego, a 20-min bus ride from the centre, links into the giant Sella Ronda ski circuit.
The other
Bobsleigh, curling, dog-sledding, hang-gliding, horse-riding, ice-hockey, ice-polo, indoor tennis, parapente, ice-skating, snowmobiling, snow-rafting, snowshoeing.
Shopping is absorbing and varied with designer boutiques, interesting delicatessen, and a six-storey department store. Nightlife is taken extremely seriously in Cortina. It begins in the early evening at the Enoteca wine bar before spreading to more venues than you could possibly visit in a week. A day trip to Venice is not to be missed.
The holiday: from £454 in three-star Hotel Trieste, including car hire, Momentum Ski (020-7371 9111). Website: apt-dolomiti-cortina.it.
Megève, France
At the heart of town, with its lavish hotels and wide choice of restaurants, is a fine medieval church and carefully-restored old buildings in a traffic-free main square.
The skiing
The extensive, but mainly intermediate, skiing takes place on smooth pistes as well-groomed as their occupants. If you have a car, Megève is the most attractive resort in the Mont Blanc area in which to base yourself to ski the 13 resorts (including Chamonix and Argentière) and 121 lifts covered by the Evasion Mont Blanc lift pass.
The other
Climbing wall, curling, dog-sledding, hang-gliding, hot-air ballooning, ice-bumper cars, ice-climbing, ice-hockey, indoor tennis, light-aircraft flights, parapente, ice-skating, sleigh rides, snowmobiling, snow polo, snowshoeing.
More than 70 restaurants suit all budgets and there's shopping at the designer boutiques, parfumeries, and chocolateries. Particularly recommended is a trip to the Alpette mountain restaurant for lunch, where non-skiers are transported to and from the lift station by snowcat.
The holiday: from £475 in two-star Hotel Gai Soleil, Stanford Skiing (01223 477644). Website: megeve.com.
Mont Sainte Anne, Quebec
The Quebecois call it La Belle et La Bête - Beauty and the Beast. From the top of the gondola the views of the drifting ice pack of the St Lawrence river are inspiring, but in the depths of winter skiing can be a bitter experience. On dull-weather days, the delights of nearby Quebec City, with its 18th-century cobbled streets, beckon.
The skiing
Mont-Sainte-Anne has 13 lifts spread across three sides of the mountain. Some 15 trails are floodlit after dark to form what claims to be Canada's largest night ski area. The new Carte-Blanche lift pass allows skiers and riders to visit neighbouring resorts of Stoneham, Le Massif and Le Relais.
The other
Cross-country skiing, dog-sledding, parapente, ice-skating, snowmobiling, snowshoeing. The resort is a 30-minute drive from Quebec City, which has a dazzling choice of bistros, shops, and galleries. Its 14 museums include Musée du Fort where 18th-century battles are re-enacted between the French and British.
The holiday: From £347 in four-star Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City, not including meals, Inghams (020-8780 4433). Website: mont-sainte-anne.com.
Seefeld, Austria
This is a charming Tyrolean town, close to the Bavarian border. Its frescoed medieval architecture is reminiscent of Innsbruck and Kitzbühel, although it is little more than a large village by comparison. It boasts a casino, an extensive health centre and a car-free high street. Innsbruck is just 38 minutes away by train.
The skiing
The main winter activity is cross-country rather than downhill skiing, but Seefeld also has three small downhill ski areas geared mainly to suit beginners and lower intermediates.
The other
SnowCarting (go-karts on snow), tubing, ice-skating, curling, sleigh rides. Olympia Sport Centre houses an indoor swimming pool and several hotels have lavish health centres. Nearby Innsbruck provides plenty of alternative attractions.
The holiday: From £385 in three-star Hotel Schönegg, Thomson (0870 6061470). innsbruck-tourismus.com.
Sierra Nevada, Spain
This is Spain's best-known resort in the mountains of the same name close to the fleshpots of Malaga and Marbella. The presence of a ski resort seems unlikely, but its altitude usually ensures good snow although not necessarily good weather. The ancient Moorish city of Granada and the Alhambra lie 32km down a scenic, winding road.
The skiing
Some 62km of predominantly intermediate terrain is served by 19 lifts in what is mainland Europe's most southerly ski area. From the summit, on a clear day, you can see the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. On windy days, sand from the Sahara can colour the snow.
The other
Apart from hotel swimming pools and a hectic nightlife, Sierra Nevada has little appeal to non-skiers. Relish your time in Granada with its gypsy quarter, and explore the courtyards and water gardens of the Alhambra at a time of year when it is almost devoid of tourists.
The holiday: from £439 in four-star Hotel Melia Sierra Nevada, First Choice (0870 7543477). Website: cetursa.es.
Taos, New Mexico
A German-born Swiss called Ernie Blake realised the potential of the mountain when he stumbled upon on it in the 1950s. Ideal ski terrain contrasts dramatically with the cactus-and-sagebrush panorama of the New Mexican desert below.
The skiing
Taos describes itself as "the last bastion of pure skiing," and snowboarding is still taboo. The imposing 3,600m mountain has 12 chair-lifts, and severe mogul slopes as well as some easier trails. "Don't panic," reads the sign at the bottom of the first, and the steepest, "you are looking at 1/90th of Taos Ski Valley".
The other
Non-skiers can spend their time in the town of Taos, which lies 20 miles below the ski resort and has a dominant Native American culture. It became an art colony in the late 1890s, providing inspiration for writers such as DH Lawrence.
The holiday: from £685 per person in a studio in the four-star Quail Ridge Inn, not including meals, Ski The American Dream (020-8552 1201). Website: skitaos.org.
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler has the most challenging skiing and cosmopolitan atmosphere of any resort in North America. It has grown from two small and unconnected villages into a large ski town.
The skiing
Whistler and Blackcomb mountains are linked at the base and provide one of the longest continuous vertical drops in North America. A total of 33 lifts give access to an enormous range of terrain.
The other
Dog-sledding, heli-hiking, heli-fishing, indoor climbing wall, indoor tennis and squash, parapente, ice-skating, sleigh rides, snowmobiling, snowshoeing.
Whistler is a scenic 90-minute drive from Vancouver with its spectacular harbour, shopping on Robson Street, Vancouver Art Gallery and the Maritime Museum. At the new Whistler Cooking School, you can join three-hour day and evening masterclasses given by visiting celebrity chefs from Vancouver. Monks Grill, at Blackcomb Mountain base, is where skiers and non-skiers head for lunch.
The holiday: from £660 per person in the Frontier Glacier Lodge, not including meals, Frontier Ski (020-8776 8709). Website: tourismwhistler.com.
Felice Hardy is co-editor of The Good Skiing & Snowboarding Guide 2002, published by Which? at £15.99.
