1. St Anton, Austria

A perennial Easter favourite, St Anton has some of the Alps' toughest skiing on- and off-piste, particularly off the Valluga and Schindler peaks. (Although the Rendl and Nasserein slopes offer a reprieve.) And, perhaps because everyone's legs are shot halfway through the afternoon, they go out hard and early with the après ski boozing and table stomping in on-mountain bars such as the Mooserwirt and Krazy Kangaruh. Despite a lack of snowfall in February, there is still a good base.

· Easter deal: Inghams (020 8780 4433) offers seven nights' B&B at 3-star Hotel Pepi Gabl (inc Gatwick flights, transfers) for £399pp (reduced from £607). Departs Sat March 22.

2. Arinsal, Andorra

An easy location for anyone's first taste of skiing, since the set-up is almost entirely British - or just a cheap place to nip off to for no-frills skiing and. Sunny Arinsal is linked with Pal, which has some pleasant tree runs. The more adventurous will want to catch the bus to Arcalis, also on the lift pass, which has some great, steep runs – and the best snow coverage. Although all the Arinsal lifts are open, Andorra as a whole could do with topping up.

· Easter deal: Directski.com (0800 5870945) is offering a week's self- catering (Manchester flights, transfers, four sharing apartment) for £249pp (reduced from £429). Departs Sun March 23.

3. Val Gardena, Italy

Part of the Sella Ronda ski circuit in the Dolomites, Val Gardena is one of the places you take kids if you want them to fall in love with the mountains for life. The jagged peaks tower above wide intermediate runs and there are good nursery slopes, with reliable snowmaking, and lovely wooded slopes to progress to.

· Easter deal: Esprit Ski (01252 618300) is offering seven nights' half-board at Chalet Brigitte, Selva, for families only at £1,995 (total price for family of four), includes transfers and ski hosting. A full range of childcare options can be pre-booked, with six days' nursery from £195. Departs from Gatwick March 23.

4. Verbier, Switzerland

It would be a shame to waste the opportunity to hone your skills on these fantastic slopes – and would be worth getting off the beaten track at this busy time, so book up with one of the new generation of ski teacher-guides: warrensmith-skiacademy.com, powder-extreme.com or, new in Verbier this season, skinewgen.com. On March 27, the Ski Club Of Great Britain will hold its annual Verbier Challenge Cup, an open slalom race for anyone of any standard from kids to veterans, snowboarders and skiers alike. Just meet at the Nevai hotel the night before at 6.15pm to register.

· Easter deal: Total Ski (08701 633633) is offering seven nights' half-board (minus a night off) at Chalet Tiba (inc Stansted flights, transfers, "ski hosting" and wine) for £629pp, reduced from £839. Departs March 23.

5. La Tania, France

La Tania is the least known of the Trois Vallées ski resorts but unfairly so. It's a smallish collection of buildings – mainly apartments – tucked away in woods to the side of Courchevel but with access to Méribel as well. Which could come in handy if Courchevel's lifties go on strike again, as they did on February 25 (the pay dispute seems to be on its way to resolution now).

· Easter deal: Snowline (0844 5573118) is offering places in Chalet Atilla (sleeps 14) for £749pp (half-board, including flights and transfers), reduced from £879. Departs March 23.

6. Val Thorens, France

There's no resort higher in Europe than Val Thorens, purpose-built at 2,300m, with slopes another 930m higher. It often gets lumped in with neighbour Les Menuires as ugly, but actually its wooden lines soften the barren, above-the-treeline setting.

·Easter deal: ifyouski.com is offering seven nights in the self-catering Chalet Lafayette (including Gatwick/Stansted flights and transfers) for £661, reduced from £876, but the second person booking only pays half price – £330.50. Departs March 23.

7. Ischgl, Austria

This year's free Easter concert (after umbrella-touting Rihanna opened the season and ahead of Elton John's season-closing concert) features Welsh rockers Stereophonics. Ischgl's reputation for après ski masks the fact it is also an excellent ski area, with a hugely efficient lift system, reliable snow and a big terrain park.

· Easter deal: Inghams (020 8780 4433) is offering seven nights' half-board at the Hotel Grill Alm (including Gatwick flights and transfers) for £958pp. Departs March 22.

8. Crans Montana, Switzerland

If you're able to wait till after the Easter weekend itself, try the Swiss resort of Crans Montana, which turns into Glastonbury-on-snow with the Caprices music festival. The highlights are Grandmaster Flash, Toots & The Maytals, French rapper MC Solaar, DJ Shadow, Kid Koala from Gorillaz, Martin Solveig and Laurent Garnier. If the snow's not that fresh, take advantage of the sunny glacier.

· Easter deals: Fly easyJet just after the Easter weekend rush (March 26) and you can get return flights for well under £100 from London airports. Then you can get 30% off a train ticket from Geneva airport to Sierre (under £30 return), with a Caprices festival ticket, and free funicular to the resort. The organisers can offer four-night packages from £210, including hotel accommodation, ski pass and tickets to all concerts. Other packages are available. For details email packages@caprices.ch or call +41 21 6200410.

9. Banff, Canada

Rather than keep your fingers crossed for a snow top-up in the Alps, you could commit the extra flying time to going west. There is a white rush in the Rockies currently. The Banff-Lake Louise area has slopes with nearly two metres of snow on them, and they are getting regular sprinklings of powder.

· Easter deal: Ski Independence (0845 310 3030) is offering seven nights' B&B at the centrally located Banff Aspen Lodge hotel, including Heathrow-Calgary flights and transfers, for £1170pp. Depart March 24.

Aspen, Colorado

The US has been getting even more snow than Canada – there's almost three metres on the upper slopes of Aspen – so it's worth it if you can find a good deal (see below). The good exchange rate also makes up for the fact that some of Aspen's cheaper watering holes (such as Red Onion) have closed down. Aspen is four ski areas in one. Apart from Aspen Mountain, the gentle Buttermilk and the gnarly Aspen Highlands, there is also Snowmass – an entire resort in itself and particularly good for snowboarding.

· Easter deal: Crystal Ski (0871 231 2256) is offering seven nights' in self-catering Chalet Silverado (including Heathrow-Denver flights and transfers) for £718, reduced from £1,009. Departs March 25.