Most SHOCKING Things About Skiing in Europe (As an American) 

You missed one important difference: Ski-Patrol in Europe is solely about rescue - there is simply no equivalent to the US pseudo-police on the runs taking people's ski passes

These are not 'resorts', they are towns. Skiing in Europe is not Disney world.

In some places you don't just ski into a different resort, but it's possible to ski into a different country

I'm European. I was completely shocked when I heard the price of tickets in american resorts. Unfortunately winters in the alps haven't been that good in recent years, I'm sure the snow quality is much better in the US. For good off piste skiing, you don't go where the chairlifts are, but you have to go backcountry skiing with all the avalanche safety equipment and training.

Also, if you're skiing in France and you want to save on food costs - you're in France. Head to the supermarket, get a baguette and some cheese and a saucisson, prepare some sandwiches in the morning, take them with you during the day - voila, cheap and good lunches. Nothing better than a hearty sandwich after a good half day of skiing.

As a European, I found interesting the fact that trees are found at different altitudes on each side of the Atlantic. Personally I like to ride with trees around, finding the experience much more beautiful and "charming" than a big white desert.

As someone who’s from Europe, this video was equally exciting to watch. When I went skiing in Canada for the first time after skiing in Europe all my life, I was instantly disappointed with lift infrastructure and dining options (chairlifts with heated seats and bubbles are really the norm ) but I was really impressed with dedicated lines for singles and the way line ups are organized in general. There are also a lot more snowboarders in North America from my observations. In my experience, accommodation is also more modern and luxurious in Europe. With that said, both are great places to ski and have fun

American living in Suisse here - almost everything was spot on. A couple more mentions - if you go beyond the Class A resorts (Verbier, Zermatt, etc), like the smaller ones connected to them, you can pay even LESS for lift tickets and still get incredible skiing done, often with fewer crowds and different weather. Another thing I’d like to mention is the culture in ski lift lines varies by country. The Swiss destinations are quite international and with a lot of orderly Swiss, American and UK visitors there’s more people insisting on a place in the queue. Meanwhile in Italy it’s a free for all so just prepare to relax, push in and don’t take offense, that’s just the way things are there!

Now that you noted it, I find it really interesting: Our way of doing queue lines feels totally normal to me, but of course, it is totally chaotic now that you mention it! I like to break that down, what my experience is during those queues: Once we get to the queue, everyone just shuts down. We don't even stress about who gets first when. We just shut down our brains for a bit, talk to each other and let the flow do everything. And soon enough, you just tend to find yourself in front of the gate. Then if you're in a group, you let someone through so that you can go together again. It feels totally organic, and now that I consciously look at it, it's kinda amazing how that even works. I'm sure that you COULD save 1 minute or so by constantly stressing yourself during those 15-20min and trying to get in front of others. But it's not really worth it. Just relax, talk to each other, take the break, and you will arrive almost at the same time as everyone else. Let the flow do its thing. And now that I analyze it, I really notice it upon myself: When I get to the queue line, I immediately FALL into a lower state. That has the downside that sometimes while I sit on the lift, I almost want to fall asleep :D But once I'm at the top, I'm ready for the next sequence of action. It is like my body has adapted to take those moments as total rest, to be ready for a long day of heavy activity. That way we really don't have the energy to stress ourselves for the queue. It is just a time of relaxing time, where nothing of importance happens.

Thanks for the video. As you mentioned, this is about the west alps (Switzerland and France). If you will Ski in the Austria (or even Bavaria) you will find a different vibe. Also, the Dolimites (South Tyrolia) in Italy are different.

I'm really glad to see you guys now researching internationally. Next year I'm trying to go to Europe to check out the ski mtns there and your videos are quite insightful, which is genuinely a great help.

Set your cameras to 50hz not 60hz to eliminate some of the electric light flashing! I had to remember to do that to my gopro when I was over there. Great video thank you!

To be precise, the "Europe" in the video refers to the area between France and Switzerland, the most expensive and luxurious ski resorts in the Alps. In fact, the ski resorts in Austria and northern Italy are quite different from these resorts.

I loved the stupidity of “if you go to the wrong place you’ll have to find your way home on your own and that’s no fun *sadface*”. I mean, that seems to be true in all aspects of travel and life and not only in skiing in Europe.

Content about Europe? Hell yeah! This is also really useful because I want to go skiing in the alps someday.

This video is absolutely true. As a Korean skier, Alps ski-in-ski-out resorts and their restaurants were experience on another level.

I've been to the 3 valleys and Austria, all the info in this video is absolutely spot on accurate, can't wait to see more.

36 years skiing in the 3 Vallees and I just can't get enough of it. This is truly the best of the best. I love skiing the entire day non-stop across the entire ski area. No BS, just pure skiing.

Skied in Zermatt this past weekend. Wish this video had been posted beforehand. Everything is incredibly accurate.

In Europe, we value everybody being able to access nature. Many countries even have laws explicitly permitting access to nature. On the flip side, we expect people to be responsible for themselves when they go off-piste. We also do not offer insurance included with the ticket, as many skiers are members of an alpine club which typically comes with insurance coverage for accidents in the mountains. We also consider off-piste skiing something for experts, although in the last years quite some black pistes have been converted to ski routes (marked, ungroomed and avalanche controlled). And while somebody flying in from America for a ski trip is likely to go to the biggest resorts, I personally find that the smaller resorts often make up for nicer skiing and are less crowded.

One big negative of the above tree line skiing in most of Europe is that visibility sucks in white out conditions, which can happen often. I grew up in New England and had skied the Rockies a bunch and lived in Oregon for a few years but I was totally unprepared for my first white out day. It’s bizarre. I have fallen over when standing still because my brain thought I was still sliding. I now live in Switzerland and have a weekend place in Davos. I won’t even go up if it’s cloudy in the mountain. I prefer to XC or even go walking in the valley than suffer in the white out. Some people are less affected but for me, it’s a no go. If it’s dumping out then I will often just ski the valley run, hitting side stashes and tree lines that only work with a bunch of fresh. That can be great fun and the trees somehow help with the visibility. When the sun is out, I think the alps are better than the Rockies but if you only have one week, a spell of bad weather might severely limit your enjoyment in the alps.

There are 1156 ski resorts in the alps .266 have more then 30 kilometers of trail ,average cost or 49 euro a ticket , Better food and beer ,Hostels are better then most hotels .For 40 euros take a train to a different slope in a different country.

I did not realize how different skiing in the Alps is. This video is eye-opening to say the least! We are definitely getting the shaft here with ticket prices and poor lift quality.

I go skiing in Austria every year. If there are long lines for skilifts there’s an unwritten rule to not wait for friends when an empty seat is in front of you. Always fill up the lift.

This is like the best video on this topic so far. You discussed almost every difference between skiing in the Alps vs North America there is to mention

Was just in Europe skiing. Glad to see some content about Europe. Can’t wait to see more quality vids.

If you go off piste, you're on your own. If you are NOT a native of the area, hire a guide to prevent your holiday from becoming a tragedy. Apart from that: if you can't see signage on the piste, don't keep going. Wave someone down and ask. Almost everyone that isn't French will speak English. The French can too, they just refuse to admit it but will give in if you ask nicely. Yeah, you need to know where you are going on piste and that's part of the fun. But there are always the easier ones that are on a set course and always end up at the start, so unless you want to explore you can just go the main way everyone is going. The tip about ending up on a different mountain is correct, I've seen it happen and getting a taxi for 100km (he has to return too) in the evening isn't cheap.

no offense, but go to the Kitzbühel on the slope called "Streif", you will see it's not so "mellow"

I've been skiing in Chamonix all my life, but the queues you experienced were completely insane. Usually they're not like that, it happens sometimes but not often. If you time it right, the queues are almost non-existent, like that Brevent-Flegere transfer lift, which won't have any queue at all and will only just fill up after around 5-10 minutes after enough people arrive at it for it to start.

I spent 6 years ski bumming in the alps, and I will say you did a fairly good job of explaining the differences. When you get the good snow though, it can't be beat.

Nice video; looking forward to your other ones. Next time you're here; feel free to come to northern Europe. Sweden & Norway has some great resorts, open very late in the season aswell.

Never usually comment, but really hope you had a great trip across the pond. Found this channel in 2021 and loved the in-depth reviews provided. Hopefully more videos to come of a similar style showcasing European resorts, as I feel they will be more informative than other comparative analysis online, as you guys truly know your stuff!

A 3 1/2 week ski trip in Europe?! You're living the good life! Looks like you had lots of good snow conditions. I love having the Alps as my local playground but I'm looking forward to an extended trip to North America in the hope of experiencing good tree skiing.

As an Auatralian, its a matter of turn left or turn right. I have done both and loved both, just comes down to what type of vacation that I want. Looking forward to more European vids.

All of your videos are so helpful in getting inspiration/sorting out logistics for trip planning. Really glad you guys are getting some content on euro skiing now - I’ve been wanting to go skiing in Austria and this is all very insightful.

So excited for the reviews! Can't wait to find out how it ranks among the other mountains :D

As someone who has snowboarded (and lived) in Europe, America, Asia (particularly Japan), and Australia, I'd say this is a very very comprehensive guide and a very accurate comparison. Great job on the thoroughness! And yeah, I would say that if you want good powder and good trail quality, go for America (or Japan). And if you want the views and the parties and the vibe and the poshiness (and often icy trails), Europe is definitely the place (Japan also has a community vibe, but hip, not poshy, it's quite in the middle of both worlds). It's great to experience them all.

Just got back from Austria, I find your Video to be spot on with my experience.

This is a really great video, with excellent and accurate content. It highlights the main differences extremelly well. Good job!

Fantastic breakdown! I was very curious about this different (older) snow sport ecosystem, this was very cool to see.

I experienced 2 major differences, not mentioned in the video. Chair lift in Europe have bars protecting you to fall off and a stand for your skis and board. Other big difference, that in Europe most of the slopes and even Backcountry trails have cell reception. Which is not true in the US according to my experience.

Love the video, but you do generalize quite a bit, saying what it's like all over the Alps. Remember, we're talking about 7 different countries, all with their unique differences. I do hope to see some content about Austria for example. Other than that there indeed are designated ungroomed mogul slopes and an absolute bunch of marked and avalanche secured off-piste runs, I agree with most points. Edit: I saw a comment, that said this video is about the west alps, for which it is probably pretty accurate. So can't wait for you to check out the other parts as well.

This is an amazing Video! Thank you for putting together this great overview!

Thanks for all the great videos; feel very prepared when traveling to new locations after watching your thorough reviews! Cheers! ⛷🏂

I think the main differences regarding prices is that in the US the whole resort is owned by a company - often the same company, whereas in Europe those ski towns evolved and therefore it is not one company controlling the whole town. Regarding parties, you left out Austria. If you really want to see extreme aprés-ski, Austria is a lot more geared towards that and has generally much more extensive and modern infrastructure than Switzerland. Finally, the reason the resorts only want you to ski on the pistes - aside from much higher avalanche risks in the Alps - are that those areas have fixed Snow lances (as many resorts do not want to risk being without snow during winter season) and more importantly to avoid environmental damage to the mountains. Do you know how much damage skiing does to a mountain? It's extreme.

5:58 "Pists, or the euorpean word for trail" Oh yes, the one universal European language! 😆🤣🤣😂😂🤣🤣

Really nice video shots and narration. Enjoyed it!

This video was fantastic! Your content is literally the best!

I'm an English man living in Austria for the last 12 years. Please take a look at the Alps in European enjoy but don't interfere with the systems over here. The lift pass companies in north America are making it very expensive over there. They've been trying to get in over here to witch I'm not happy about! So a lot of Americans are coming here at the moment because of the cost over there. I was talking to a lot of Americans in St Anton Austria in January, so i have it first hand. We like our little huts on the mountains, not big drive mega restaurants.

Great video! It’s also worth noting that the general price level differ between the countries. Italy is in my opinion the best when it comes to price and quality of food. The fact that you can visit so many countries is fabulous, because they offer different experiences.

Wonderful video. Thank you! I watched it twice. Skiing into a little village looks amazing.

As a former ski pro I used to run trips to the Alps and Chile. I could have used your amazing thorough review for my clients before our trip departures. Thanks for your review, the video brought back good recognizable memories.

Hiya Sam - was great to bump into you in Chamonix! It's fantastic to speak to someone so knowledgeable and passionate about the ski industry and I enjoyed comparing notes on our "knarliest" resorts! I agree with much of this video: the key point being the level of "regulation" you can expect between European and North American resorts. In Europe, you're on your own: you cannot expect to be babied and need to be very comfortable effectively managing risk by yourself if you're off-piste. If you go in with a laissez-faire attitude, you can eventually expect to come flying off a 50m cliff or smothered by an avalanche. Nobody's going to stop you. It's quite extraordinary that the most freedom loving country on earth has such a controlled, strict, and regulated approach to ski resort culture in comparison to "socialist" Europe! I suspect much of it has to do with the more litigious approach to incidents - but for solo skiers or those without avy gear it does make it much much easier to ski great areas! One very important consideration is that for those (relatively few) powder days in Europe, the much less prevalent off-piste culture (especially in Austria) and huge terrain means the mountain gets skied out unbelievably slowly in comparison to NA. They may be rare, but the combination of steeper terrain, long descents, and excellent lifts mean that you can expect to have your best powder days in Europe - only if you know where to look! Overall I'd say there's a V-shaped curve to who'd enjoy Europe. Beginners will appreciate the super pistes, but probably the views, après, and (sorry Americans :/) culture more! Intermediates might lean NA for the easier access to knar and more consistent snow, while advanced skiers will lap up the unbelievable, never-ending, and highly technical terrain that can be accessed from Europe's extensive lift system. But anyone can have an awesome time out here if they enjoy necking pints and dancing on tables to French techno! Thanks for another great video and keep up the good work mate!

„The large, rectangular signs that are nearly universal in North American.” Apparently these signs are not nearly universal at all. 😂

Great video, thanks. I'm off to Chamonix and Zermatt next week, and this is really helpful.

Your B roll is some of the most Beautiful shots. Just getting off a lift with a group... and the background!!! Yes, 4k

I recently got back from Laax Switzerland. Not needing to rent a car is the biggest game changer. I moved to the east coast recently from the southern Rockies. It's so much cheaper and more relaxing to take a ski trip to the Alps.

Fair and accurate, I'm french. Speaking about Chamonix : not the best place for skiing on slopes only but just imagine being in a valley at 1000 m of altitude and having in front of you steep mountains over 4000 meters dominated by the Mont-Blanc north face at 4800, the glaciers... This vertical elevation is so unique.

Brilliant video! Comprehensive, concise, even-handed, and well-paced. Many thanks!

Great video. Wealth of interesting information. This video made me subscribe. Great work!

Great video. Our first ski trip to Canada/North America was spent over Christmas and New Year 23/24 in Whistler Blackcomb (WB) and then back to Europe to ski the 3 Valleys at the beginning of February and so the differences are fresh in my mind. You have managed to cover an amazing number of the differences (given my one and only visit to Canada) compared to my fairly extensive knowledge of the European resorts. A couple of points that I would pick up on: Piste/trail marking: I found the trail marking in WB woefully lacking in comparison with Europe and in particular the French resorts i.e the lack of "lolipop" boards alond the edge of the piste that have the name of the run and numbers which count downwards to the end of the run. We were totally stunned by the helpful nature (and sheer number) of the lift staff in WB often loading and unloading your skis/boards onto the gondolas and had it not been for the staff's efforts in ensuring the chairs are full at pinch points the most popular lifts would be even longer than they were.

There are green piste for beginner in France ^^

The huge interconnected ski resorts/areas are the best! Racing from one side to the other and back within a day is an awesome adventure!😎

Accurate! During my trip to Arosa in January, we were skiing across the gondola at Lenzerheide for a big cruise day going across what is a wide and beautiful resort. The winds kicked up so much that a few of the list we needed to traverse closed whole sections of the resort. So we ended up having lunch at a different location. All good. And then at the end of the day took the bus down to Cur took the train back up to our chalet in Arosa. It helped that I was with Swiss friends. but it’s all part of the adventure. It’s so much fun and make skiing that much more interesting.

Great video, terrific observations. European skiing is weirdly libertarian compared to American rules and order and nanny stateism! Somewhat disappointed that you didn’t do Austria. French resort are huge and have the biggest mountains, but they are ugly as sin and overdeveloped the few trees look worse than California after a wildfire! Switzerland is fine, but overpriced and inconsistent. Austrian resorts are at a lower elevation but are further inland (continental climate) and colder at the same elevation than the other countries. Austria is freakin beautiful, many ski towns and villages are literally what you see on Christmas cards. A good balance between trees and alpine bowls - more like 50-50 plus glacier skiing well into the Spring and even summer. Austria has the best skiing culture - so much skiing history and they (not so much the French or Swiss) have the gold metals to prove it! The Apres ski is the best, most fun and the vibe is just better, not stuck up and the food is great, without being fussy. You have to do St Anton (Arlberg region), Ishgl, Solden, but also the lower, more traditional resorts near Salzburg like Kitzbuhel, Zell-am-see/ Kaprun and especially Saalbach. Also Austria is quite drivable and like Vermont or Colorado with its many smaller areas.m, you could village hop - ski the smaller hidden areas in Central and Eastern Austria.

Alcohol plays a massive part of Euro skiing.

I have a feeling what we are about to witness is next level PeakRankings.

I got a pang of nostalgia every time you showed images of Zermatt. This is where I spent at least one vacation every year as a child, either summer vacations for hiking or winter vacations for skiing. It’s where I learned both to ski and to swim, in the hotel pool lol. I’m 1000% biased but imo this ski area and the surrounding mountains are some of the most beautiful in Europe, and it’s worth a visit be it only for the opportunity to ski both in Switzerland and in Italy without leaving the resort.

Great content. Next time, visit Austria and the Dolomites in Italy as well. Most resorts there are a bit lower so more tree lined runs, and the infrastructure there is far more modern than in the western alps. You'll be lucky to find a fixed gripped seater or surface drag lift except on teaching runs. It's a shame the snow conditions aren't really great this year in Europe, affecting smaller resorts lower down and pushing visitors to bigger and higher resorts, adding to the crowdedness on the slopes, which I found was a lot more profound this year than what I am used to over the last years . Looking forward to more EU content :)

You should try the Dolomites in Italy if you want your mind blown for scenery and sheer number of lifts and runs. Just back from a week there, it's like a snowy version of the Grand Canyon

Skied the Chamonix valley last year and i can really relate to your analysis. I loved it and want to explore more of euro resorts now, it feels so different.

Very good coverage. Well done sir!

We (British) chatted with a Romanian born Canadian instructor on a trip to Whistler (my first N American ski trip) about the differences between skiing in N America & Europe, and he made the observation that in N America a ski trip is predominantly about sport - bigger, better, faster, where in Europe a ski trip is predominantly about about the social - being with people you like. I suspect that’s one of the reasons the on mountain dining & drinking in Europe is much better!

It basically sums up the diferences between our cultures. In Europe, you're encouraged to use your brain to navigate yourself in the enviroment 😊

I just came from Zermatt/Cervino, and Val Thorens earlier in January, great to see your videos on the same slopes.

Interesting to hear a different perspective on the place I sometimes go. Your observations are BTW very accurate.

What do you mean "Piste - european word for ski trail" ? There is no european language. You were in switzerland. They speak german there. This is a german word.

I live in the french alps but not in these touristy resorts you stayed at, instead I'm close to much smaller resorts near Grenoble. I pay around 30€ a day to ski there, and almost never ride on the piste, rather I always stay off piste and in the backcountry. Don't listen to this video, there are tons of places where you can ride in the middle of the trees. There are also a lot of black slopes that are never groomed, are wider than you'd believe and are basically just faces of whole mountains where a couple poles have been stuck. If you don't want to ski outside the slopes at your own risk, of course you'll end up in the same place as every other tourist. Going skiing outside of the holiday season, I often only see like 20 people in a whole day and never wait for a lift. Honestly I watched the whole video but I didn't recognize my years-long experiences at any point.

Really interesting analysis. I’ve skied most of my life in Europe, but the most amazing ski experience I’ve had was the deep powder in Banff/ Lake Louise. A total pan getting there. Every morning starts with a 45 minute bus journey from Banff, but once there I don’t remember hardly queuing at all. It was a while ago though. Also VERY cold.

Awesome video. I was very entertained watching that 🎥👍

I’ve skied for 50 years. I’m not someone with misplaced patriotism about my own environment. Normally quite the opposite in fact and often criticise where I live compared to other countries. However American skiing is not in the same league as the Alps. I went to Breckinridge and Vail 30 years ago, just for a change, having grown up as a kid hearing about the Rockies. The vertical drops from top of the mountain to resorts were nowhere near as long. The amount of lifts and ski areas were nowhere near as big. No interconnected resorts, so you effectively just went up to ski back to where you started, as the resort lift systems are owned by private companies with no interest linking to others. Unlike the European resorts, whose lift system is generally run by the town itself, who see the benefit in lining to other villages to expand the ski area. In the US many runs were just the same run , but separated by a few trees, they would be classed as one run in the alps. Much bigger moguls in Verbier and Porte du Soleil than anything I’ve seen in USA The views in terms of spectacular vistas are infinitely better in the alps. The length of on piste runs were far shorter in US than good European resorts. The ski area in the three valleys or Val d’ Isere or Paradiski or Sella Ronda ski areas, just dwarfs anything America has to offer and that’s not something you can say about many things American. The towns have far more charm in Europe as many have been there hundreds of years. As you are in narrow valleys they feel far more “cosy” and isolated. The mountain restaurants are not massive motorway cafes , like in the USA. With fast food style meals. Far more small warm wooden huts scattered everywhere in the alp, offering tastier dishes. I am not a powder skier, so maybe that is much better in the US, as there are more frequent snowfalls I think. Having said all that, it was fine to go to USA once and experience, their skiing, but once you have been there and got the curiosity out of your system and compared them to the big European resorts, there’s no real advantage going all that way. Especially when the lift passes being ridiculously expensive, for a LOT smaller amount of lifts and terrain. America’s main advantage is it is much more snow sure!!!! Also if you are American don’t be put off by this video telling you how difficult it is to get around the pistes. Americans are not stupid, as these type of videos always imply and the piste maps all have the lift names on them, to correspond with the number index on the maps. They are not that difficult to read, and part of the reason they look so at first glance, is because there are many more runs crammed onto the small folding map. It is also the feeling of exploring and being on a tour actually going somewhere, that makes skiing in Europe more of an adventure, as you often end up in new villages and enclaves, rather than automatically coming back to the village you started at. There are many things the Americans do better than Europe, but skiing isn’t one of them. I have two half American friends in their thirties, both of whom ski. One is half Italian and the other half Japanese. They both agree with me.

It's amazing how long Americans can talk without saying anything.

One of the best skiing resorts review videos I've seen so far!

Great video. Lots of useful info. I am glad I ski in North America

Stay out of our European skiareas. Reform your US ones

This is not about skiing in Europe. It is about skiing in French/Swiss Alps. Europe has multiple skiable mountain ranges (Alps, Pyrenees, Tatras, all of Scandinavia, Apennines, Carpathian, Beskids, Bieszczady, Balkan, Dinaric Alps, Caucasus, Ural - to name just some of them) and skiing/conditions can vary greatly across them. But I suppose this is lost on an average American viewer and his grasp on geography.

This is so helpful. Thank you.

Awesome, love the international content. I am a rider from Australia who lives in Japan and while i love watching your videos even though they are NA based (just a bit of escapism) i hope to see you increase your reviews of global resorts. Certainly would love to see you guys get down to argentina and bariloche, it's one of my dream spots. I have ridden in the alps once, at Chammonix, and i would say overall it's far more suited to skiers rather than riders, which makes sense given the areas are often a hundred years old or more. It was an amazing experience but i wouldn't go back due to the large amount of traverses and often icy snow that is far better suited towards ski's rather than boards. Much preferred my time in Whistler as a destination resort for snowboarding due to the better layout and huge amount of natrual features such as trees and side hits. The only point i would make is for your insurance be 100% sure that you have helicopter evacuation covered. If you are in any way decently injuired and can't ski out you will be choppered off the mountain at great cost to yourself. Do not skimp on this, helicopters are almost the default evacuation method in europe. Ensure you are covered.

Sorry you forgot the 400+ other massive places that are average 60 euro with low income families still enjoying skiing… European inbounds is way more challenging outside of Whistler and Revelstoke. Chamonix, Tignes, Verbier are unmatched. Tree skiing in France at Serre Chevalier is unparalleled. All of you please stay in North America paying 200+ dollars with yellow jackets holding your hand. while I ski at places twice the size and vertical with way better food and culture. Thanks

Dear Americans, please stay in America!

Headed to Ischgl from the US on Saturday. Thanks for the info. Concerned about snow coverage, lift etiquette and piste navigation. Excited about everything else!

For some fantastic signage and 5+ connected areas you should visit Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn in Austria. Not as a major resort but fantastic to ski around

Great video!! Now Ive Definitely gotta take a trip!

I lived in the Austrian and French Alps, and you got all of this right. Great report--thank you!

I've been wanting to ski Europe for a few years now and this video definitely sells it. One of my favorite things about skiing is the feeling of exploration and I love the idea that you can spend all day getting across several resorts. I wish we had a bigger après ski scene in North America. I imagine most resorts not being near towns and the necessity of driving puts a damper on it. The one thing that makes me nervous is all the stories of lift line etiquette (or lack thereof). Skiing is a way to relax for me and I think getting cut in front of constantly would make my blood boil.

Great video! I just wanted to add, as someone from Switzerland, that lift lines do in fact get a bit congested in the biggest of resorts like the ones you went to. But in my experience, lift lines can be pretty short if you're willing to check out the many mid-sized resorts all around Switzerland that are also pretty grreat. There even small ones that are absolute gems, but I understand finding them can be a little tougher when you're a foreigner just coming for vacation (:

getting lost between resorts was gold

Val Thorens is brilliant! you can ski to Meribal and Chourchaval within 15 & 30mins. Orelle is the best area in my opinion in the 3 (or technically 4) valleys. Also at Val Thorens queues are always small and black runs are ungroomed meaning mogules. Great to see you cover Europe as that's the only place i've ever been (I'm European)

Alright you convinced me, I've gotta try it now.

Queuing/line management was the biggest surprise I got in North America. It was good to see all the lifts being used efficiently.