Winter sports enthusiasts already know the joy of carving their way down powdery slopes, but a new study claims to reveal where to find the best powder snow in the world. Inghams, a ski operator founded 90 years ago, and Jim N.R. Dale, founder and senior meteorologist at British Weather Services, used scientific benchmarks to determine the “ideal meteorological and topographical factors that produce the softest, fluffiest powder snow.” They then analysed average ski season conditions over 120 resorts and areas, across 13 different countries, to generate their recommendations. Here we look at Inghams’ list and compare it with expertise from 57hours and Powderhounds.
Austria tops the Inghams list, with seven resorts in the top 25, and Westendorf’s score of 84.8 out of 100 puts it in the number one spot overall. Described as one of Austria’s “best-loved small resorts,” Westendorf possesses “the best powder snow” and is “an idyllic, unspoilt resort nestled on a sunny plateau and offers easy access to the Kitzbühel and SkiWelt Regions,” Inghams say. Meanwhile, ACMG Ski Guide and 57hours Ambassador Greg Hill puts Austria at number nine in his top 10, also praising its “deep powder,” as well as its “thriving après scene.”
Italy takes second with the Dolomites’ Ortisei (score: 84), described as offering “genuinely world-class skiing” and a “vibrant and characterful ski resort.” Over in Monterosa, “unspoilt” Gressoney (80.2) is, Inghams say, “one of Europe’s best-kept secrets.” Not any more. According to Inghams, Italy practically equals Austria, also boasting seven resorts in the top 25, but the lovers of “abundant dry powder” over at Powderhounds disagree, rating only two Italian resorts at their highest level (five) for snow.
Austria’s Lech comes in fourth spot, scoring 79 for its “perfect blend of powder snow, high altitude skiing, and charming alpine village vibes.” Powderhounds agree, rating it five, and giving Austria 11 top-rated resorts overall.
Soldeu, Andorra (77.6), is an outlier as the only Andorran resort in any of the snow rankings. It takes Ingham’s fifth spot. It “might be small, but its ski offering is mighty”, Inghams says, “with over 200 kilometres of slopes.”
Switzerland’s Andermatt (75.3) comes in sixth, a “quiet, charming village” boasting a “cult reputation for having one of the best snow records in the Alps.” Switzerland, like Austria and Italy, occupies seven of the top 25 places in the ranking.
Park City, Utah, USA, (67.2) is the only resort in Inghams’ top 25 outside Europe, taking 18th place. For Powderhounds, however, it is Japan that dominates when it comes to snow quality, with 24 resorts rated five for their snow, more than double the number of any other nation. Honshu’s Nozawa Onsen scores 4.5 for snow but an unusual five overall, while Hokkaido’s Niseko, just west of Sapporo, scores five in a whopping eight categories, including snow quality and quantity. Greg Hill agrees, putting Japan at the top of his ranking and calling Niseko, “the powder capital of the world.”
