1. World Snowboard Guide
  2. Articles
  3. Best resorts
  4. Best resorts for piste riding

Best resorts for piste riding

Carving, feathering, buttering and just straight lining. Those who love riding pistes, should take a look at what we think are the best 20 resorts in the World for piste riding.

verbier powder

#1. Verbier, Switzerland

Piste riders who enjoy hacking it down the pistes will love things here. The best run is undoubtedly the long, wide red piste that goes from the top of Attelas all the way back to the Medran lifts. Theres also some cool stuff at Savoleyres and Ruinettes, but no one...

Summary

Freeride - 100%

Freeride paradise

Freestyle - 60%

A solid terrain park

Pistes - 90%

Pistes in all shapes and sizes

Beginners - 50%

Some testing lifts but English tuition

Value - 40%

Criminally expensive

read more about Verbier
Whistler April 2012

#2. Whistler/Blackcomb, Canada

Carvers and speed freaks will love the deliciously long, wide-open groomers of both mountains. On Blackcomb, Springboard, Rock and Roll and Ridgerunner are a must and Panorama on 7th Heaven features a set of of natural, groomed rollers that will boot you to the gods. On Whistler, cruise down to...

Summary

Freeride - 90%

Trees and amazing off-piste

Freestyle - 95%

World leader in parks & pipes

Pistes - 90%

Huge array of good runs

Beginners - 65%

Plenty for the beginner

Nightlife - 80%

Legendary bars and nightlife

Value - 60%

Expensive facilities

read more about Whistler/Blackcomb
courchevel vista

#3. Courchevel, France

Piste Lovers will be in hard boot heaven. They reputedly spend £20,000 a night grooming the pistes, so get up for first lifts and you can carve your way down the Saulire, racing the cablecar. When everyone else gets up, head over 1650 for motorway-wide runs.

Summary

Freeride - 74%

Tree runs & some good off-piste

Freestyle - 63%

Park & half-pipe

Pistes - 87%

Pisted to perfection

read more about Courchevel
Les Arcs 2000 evening

#4. Les Arcs, France

The ski area is vast and whilst the gradient of the slopes is generally pretty mellow, there is a good variety of runs from the open slopes above 1950 to the wooden runs down to the lower villages. Things can get super busy where runs congregate, so you’ll need to...

Summary

Freeride - 76%

Tree runs & excellent off-piste

Freestyle - 70%

Decent large park

Pistes - 85%

Pisted to perfection

Beginners - 75%

Lots of easy slopes and beginner areas

Nightlife - 70%

1800 is village for partying

Value - 75%

Good value if self catering

read more about Les Arcs
Davos Resort

#5. Davos, Switzerland

Piste lovers won't be disappointed here with 320km of runs to enjoy. There are loads of long leg burner runs off the Parsenn mountain, the 6 mile red run into the village of Serneus is full-on and you should be carving big style at the end of this one.Madrisa areaPhoto:...

Summary

Freeride - 90%

Trees and excellent off-piste

Freestyle - 80%

Good pipes and parks

Pistes - 85%

Huge and varied run selection

read more about Davos
St. Anton by night

#6. St Anton, Austria

Everynight, the 31 groomers bash the  moguled slopes to perfection, but the mass of skiers make sure they're moguled again by the end of the day, so you'll only be able to get mach-5 decents in the morning. The variety of pistes is fantastic; from the steep and fast runs...

Summary

Freeride - 95%

Awesome off-piste but don't hang around

Freestyle - 65%

Good if small park but plenty of natural hits

Pistes - 85%

Wide, long and some very testing slopes

Beginners - 60%

Only small areas are really easy for beginners

Nightlife - 79%

THE resort for on slope apres ski

Value - 70%

It can be experienced on a budget

read more about St Anton
Heavenley

#7. Heavenly, USA

PISTES . Riders of the piste are not to be outdone, since Heavenly is a highly rated as a groomed resort. There are plenty of well prepared pistes for laying out big tracks on, such as Liz’s and Big Dipper. The runs down to Stagecoach lodge on Nevada side are great...

Summary

Freeride - 80%

Trees & good off-piste

Freestyle - 75%

4 Terrain parks & halfpipe

Pistes - 82%

Huge number of excellent slopes

read more about Heavenly
Avoriaz freeride

#8. Avoriaz, France

Piste hounds will love it here, the resort is as much suited to you as any other rider, with plenty of wide, open slopes for the French hard-booters to lay out a lot of Euro's carves. The reds down Chavanette and Arare are good for cranking it over, as are...

Summary

Freeride - 80%

Tree runs & some good off-piste

Freestyle - 85%

Excellent Parks & half-pipe

Pistes - 80%

Plenty of good slopes

read more about Avoriaz
Ischgl Winter

#9. Ischgl, Austria

If cruising down beautifully manicured motorway wide pistes is your idea of heaven then you’ve made it to the afterlife here. Even when the resort is heaving, it is easy to escape the crowds and gun it down some of the fast trails, and by the end of the day...

Summary

Freeride - 70%

few trees but some good off-piste

Freestyle - 70%

Decent park for all abilities

Pistes - 80%

Nice wide, well maintained groomers

Beginners - 80%

Lots of easy pistes and easy lifts

Nightlife - 81%

Full-on apres and parties that go into the morning

Value - 60%

Can be tricky to find budget accommodation

read more about Ischgl
Corralco Indy - Rider Richie Johnston

#10. Corralco, Chile

If you like to lay it over and go fast, this is the spot for you! The US Ski Team have recently started using Corralco as a September training ground – and for good reason! The groomed trails are incredibly wide and consistent, and there are few people on the...

Summary

Freeride - 60%

Big mountain terrain with wide-open face

Freestyle - 20%

No park to speak of!

Pistes - 80%

Incredibly wide with varying pitches

Beginners - 90%

Some of the best beginner terrain

read more about Corralco
Kimberley Snowboarder

#11. Kimberley, Canada

Piste lovers get the best look-in on Kimberley 's slopes with some decent wide open runs allowing for big arcs. The run marked Main is a fast long burner which brings you out at the main base area, while Flapper is a shorter but faster pleaser.

Summary

Freeride - 65%

Trees and some off-piste

Freestyle - 55%

A terrain park

Pistes - 80%

Good wide tree runs

read more about Kimberley
Laax Terrain Park

#12. Laax, Switzerland

PISTES. There's a good variety of pistes from open slopes at the top to the ones lower down that cut through the trees. They are all very open and wide, but there's nothing too testing but those with balls should try out the long black race run, Crap Sogn, back...

Summary

Freeride - 80%

Trees & some good off-piste

Freestyle - 85%

2 terrain parks & huge halfpipe

Pistes - 80%

Great condition & variety

read more about Laax
Big White Snowboarder

#13. Big White, Canada

PISTE lovers will enjoy Big White as the terrain is perfect for laying out some big turns, although none of the runs are overly wide. By taking any of the main lifts, such as Ridge Rocket or Bullet, you gain access to some fast slopes. Cougar Alley is full-on and...

Summary

Freeride - 80%

Trees and good backcountry

Freestyle - 85%

Impressive parks & pipes

Pistes - 80%

Well prepared slopes

read more about Big White
Val d'Isere Terrain Park

#14. Val d'Isere, France

Riders who dig the piste can tear the place up in between hits, and those of you in hards will be well in with the French Eurocarvers who lay it over whenever they can.

Summary

Freeride - 80%

Some tree runs & good off-piste

Freestyle - 70%

Park & Pipe

Pistes - 80%

Plenty of good wide slopes

Beginners - 65%

Nightlife - 85%

Great nightlife if you've the cash

Value - 65%

Can be done on a budget if you're smart

read more about Val d'Isere
Mammoth Snowboarder

#15. Mammoth Mountain, USA

Riders who like to see where they’ve been and leave their mark in the snow will love Mammoth. The runs are super-well pisted and make for good carving terrain, both for those wanting to go at speed or for the more sedate rider. Check out the trail known as the Saddle Bowl, where you...

Summary

Freeride - 80%

Decent off-piste and trees runs

Freestyle - 97%

Over a dozen parks and 2 pipes

Pistes - 80%

Imaculate and varied runs

Beginners - 80%

Great beginner area and top tuition

Value - 70%

Worth the price

read more about Mammoth Mountain
Beaver Creek

#16. Beaver Creek, USA

Beaver Creek was designed for those who like to Cruise the Blues, and its runs are not only fun to ride but beautiful to watch while riding the lifts, too. To help get from place to place, the resort has carved out the Beaver Creek Express Trail, a long, sloping...

Summary

Freeride - 79%

Some cool spots

Freestyle - 76%

Good parks & pipe

Pistes - 80%

Perfectly groomed

Beginners - 75%

Good ski schools

Value - 40%

Very Expensive

read more about Beaver Creek
Cortina Snowboarder

#17. Cortina, Italy

The Sella Ronda trail is definitely worth a visit, as is the Canellone, which is a two-planker's race run and the area to cut the snow in style - definitely not for wimps. The slopes in Cortina are well maintained, smooth and easy to follow. There's some very steep sections, no...

Summary

Freeride - 70%

Good terrain, steep pitches

Freestyle - 35%

Small beginner park

Pistes - 80%

Well-groomed smooth pistes

read more about Cortina
Films Rider

#18. Flims, Switzerland

PISTES. Riders sticking to the pistes will not have themselves overtaxed, but there is a nice series of good red runs below Narus that will make for a few good lines at a controlled speed. The Heini is a long red that starts out as a black down from the...

Summary

Freeride - 85%

Trees & some good off-piste

Freestyle - 80%

2 terrain parks & 2 halfpipes

Pistes - 80%

Great condition & variety

read more about Flims
Passo Tonale

#19. Passo Tonale , Italy

Carvers have a mountain that is simply fantastic. The wide open motorway style piste will let you ride fast and wide across runs that make carving a total joy. The 4km trail to Ponte di Legno is a cool trail while the 3km race runs will test the best. It's...

Summary

Freeride - 60%

Some good off-piste areas

Freestyle - 40%

Good natural

Pistes - 80%

Lots of wide groomed pistes

read more about Passo Tonale
St.Moritz old and new

#20. St Moritz, Switzerland

Riders will find lots of fairly easy and ordinary well pisted runs to cruise down but you should really only be freeriding at this place.  There are a few black runs but nothing really steep although they are all extremely well groomed. {{image:%7B%22asset%22%3A%22D914D7CB-E33C-44C2-8E98977DFAFACB11%22%2C%22alt_text%22%3A%22Red%20run%20from%20Chamanna%20to%20Salastrains%20on%20Corviglia%22%2C%22alignment%2

Summary

Freeride - 85%

Some incredible backcountry

Freestyle - 60%

Basic park & no pipe but decent natural

Pistes - 80%

Great pistes everywhere

read more about St Moritz

Best resorts in the World

We've a list of the best resorts for whatever floats your boat

Best snowboarding resorts in the World

There's nothing like a top-20 list of the best places to snowboard to cause an argument. Well prepare to get heated.

read more

Best freeriding and off-piste resorts in the World

Whether you like slackcountry or full on backcountry, these resorts will offer you some of the best freeriding on the planet

read more

Best resorts for beginners

With so many resorts in the World, it's tricky trying to find that first place

read more

Best terrain parks in the World

Whether you like your hits big or small, kickers or rails, quarter pipes or halfpipes, these resorts should give you everything you need

read more

Best Apres Ski Resorts in the World

Do you go for the snowboarding then a beer, or the beer with a bit of snowboarding before? Either way, you want to check these resorts out.

read more