Skip Mammoth, California … for June Mountain
Mammoth may live up to its name when it comes to its vast skiable terrain, but the term can also apply to its lift queues. At June Mountain, lack of size is more than made up for in steep faces, immaculate conditions and local charm. There are three snow parks for all abilities, a highly rated super-pipe and spectacular views. Pistes are empty, even by US standards.
Lift ticket price $69 a day, compared with $92 at Mammoth
Get there June Mountain is a 30-minute drive from Mammoth
More info junemountain.com
Skip Verbier, Switzerland … for Champex-Lac
Verbier's popularity can be its undoing. There are plenty of calmer resorts in the Valais region, including the village of Champex-Lac. Set around a picturesque frozen lake, it has just four lifts servicing 25km of crowd-free terrain. Its altitude (2,000m), combined with its north-facing aspect, ensures that the snow remains good.
Lift ticket price 35 CHF (£23) a day, compared with £40 at Verbier
Get there Champex-Lac is a 40-minute drive from Verbier
More info champex.info
Skip Chamonix, France … for Les Houches
The terrain at Les Houches, down the valley from Chamonix, is best suited to beginners and intermediates, but the views of the Mont Blanc Massif are magical and there are some excellent tree runs. Wannabe ski racers can try straight-lining the Kandahar, a frequent stop on the men's world cup downhill timetable, and freestylers should head to Area 43, the much-lauded snowpark. Les Vieilles Luges restaurant (lesvieillesluges.com) offers tasty mountain meals.
Lift ticket price €33.20 a day, compared with €41 for the Chamonix Le Pass
Get there Take the free bus from Chamonix town centre (15 minutes)
More info leshouches.com
Skip Courmayeur, Italy … for La Thuile
Unlike its swanky neighbour Courmayeur, which tends to attract groups keen on piste-posing by day and partying by night, La Thuile is a peaceful place. Lift queues and crowded pistes are such a rarity that you'll often find yourself alone on a run, especially number seven, an 11km tree run with epic views. Powder hounds should head to Mont Miravidi, Mont Ouille and Mont Freduaz, and there's also good off-piste at the Espace San Bernardo area. Les Suches is good for beginners, and Lo Riondet refuge (loriondet.it) is a great spot for lunch.
Lift ticket price €36 a day, compared with €42 at Courmayeur
Get there Take the shuttle bus from Courmayeur (20 minutes)
More info lathuile.net
Skip Bansko, Bulgaria … for Dobrinishte
Bansko has seen ridiculous growth in recent years, and peak times can leave the lifts groaning under the weight of numbers. Step forward the small resort of Dobrinishte. Marty Hansberry, who co‑owns Piste & Peaks chalets in Bansko (pisteandpeaks.com), says: "The lift is an ancient, plastic two‑seater that they only turn on when someone arrives. But we normally have the slopes to ourselves and there's some really good off-piste as well as some tracks through the trees."
Lift ticket price 20 leva (£8) a day, compared with £24 at Bansko
Get there Dobrinishte is a 10-minute drive from Bansko
More info bansko.org/dobrinishte
Skip Davos, Switzerland … for Lenzerheide
With its views, crowd-free slopes and recently revamped lift system, Lenzerheide provides a welcome alternative to the mega-resort of Davos. Around the Rothorn peak you'll find some of the best free-ride terrain in the region, with chutes, cliffs and gullies aplenty, and not a foreign dignitary in sight. On-piste there are some good blacks and a World Cup ski run if you're feeling flash, or a helpfully empty beginners' area if you're not.
Lift ticket price 65 CHF (£43) a day at weekends, compared with £45 at Davos
Get there Lenzerheide is a 45-minute drive from Davos
More info lenzerheide.com
Skip Val d'Isère, France … for Sainte Foy
Originally a hamlet, Sainte Foy is blissfully free of the bad concrete that blights some resorts around here. The relaxed vibe and empty pistes will suit beginners and intermediates but it's the backcountry that makes powder days here memorable, with natural hits and gullies dotted around seemingly endless fields of untouched snow.
Lift ticket price €26 a day, compared with €44.50 at Val d'Isère
Get there Sainte Foy is a 20-minute drive from Val d'Isère
More info saintefoy-tarentaise.com
Skip St Anton, Austria … for Nordkette, Innsbruck
Most of us fly into Innsbruck then dart off down the autobahn to one of Arlberg's big-gun resorts, such as St Anton or Lech. This leaves Nordkette, which sits high above the city centre, free for the locals. It's not a beginners' resort: its steep runs have been likened to the kind you find in Alaska, but catch it on a powder day and you can ride all the way from the top (2,265m) to the Hungerburg station at the bottom (860m). The Skyline park is where the local pros train for contests. It has kickers, a super-pipe, a quarter-pipe and views of Innsbruck.
Lift ticket price €28 a day, compared with €44.50 at St. Anton
Get there Take the lift from the Hungerburg base station
More info nordkette.com
Skip Mayrhofen, Austria … for Kaltenbach
Improve your chances of finding fresh snow in the traditional village of Kaltenbach and its Hochfügen-Hochzillertal ski area. To go with the untracked powder and well-tended pistes, you'll find panoramic views and no lift queues. You can also bask in the glory of local legend and Olympic champion Stephan Eberharter. An 8km "Gold Piste" is named in his honour and sections of it are floodlit twice a week for night skiing.
Lift ticket price Kaltenbach and Mayrhofen are both included in the Zillertaler Superskipass, which costs €80.50 for two days
Get there Kaltenbach is a 20-minute drive from Mayrhofen
More information zillertal.at
Sam Haddad is the editor of Cooler (coolermag.com), a snow and style magazine for women
