European Skiing Destinations
Europe is the birthplace of skiing. The first drawings of a skier were found in a cave in Nordland, Norway. The drawing has been dated at 5000 BC. Norway was almost definitely the home of skiing or what is called Nordic Skiing anyway.
Alpine or downhill skiing probably comes from central Europe in the neighbourhood of Switzerland. There are so many skiing resorts in Europe that there is a huge number of slopes for each degree of experience.
You can ski in almost every country in Europe. The least well-known skiing resorts are almost certainly in Scotland, but they do have them and the most famous resorts are in the French and Swiss Alps, which are essentially the same place, but they span two different countries.
The French and The Swiss alps are the most developed for luxury and are also the most costly. Not far east from there is Austria which, although less famous is also an attraction for skiers from Eastern Europe.
If you want skiing at a more affordable rate try Italy up on the Swiss border. There you will get practically the same skiing conditions as in the French and Swiss Alps but with Italian food and language, which means less English is spoken though, if you see that as a downside.
Roughly the same price is Andorra which is Catalan (Spanish to you and me, but not to them). Andorra sits in the Pyrenees Mountains with borders on France and Spain. The Spanish influence is the greater of the two. Skiing in Andorra is famous for its teaching. It is a fantastic place to learn skiing or to take the family.
If you want to visit a rising star in the skiing firmament, go to Croatia. Skiing in Croatia is also among the most affordable in Europe. The facilities are fantastic, but local wages are low which keeps the costs down. The food is delicious and so is the wine, though not perhaps a match for French, Italian or Spanish cuisine.
Bulgaria is another rising location on the skier’s map. Skiing is not well developed in Bulgaria but the locals have been skiing for centuries, it is only that they are only just beginning to learn how to commercialize it. The people are friendly, but do not expect a lot of English to be spoken.
We should not forget the home of skiing, Norway and the rest of Scandinavia. Expect top class facilities in Scandinavia with top class prices to match. The locals are very friendly, but might not speak English. The food is more probable to be local as well. You are more likely to get good skiing conditions all year round in Scandinavia too.
There are so many skiing resorts in so many European countries, that if you wished to, you could organize a skiing tour of Europe. If you wanted to ski in Scandinavia and Andorra, you would have to fly, but you could do the Swiss, French and Italian Alps. Or Austria and Bulgaria or Bulgaria and Croatia.
