Check out some of the best places to ski this winter with our top ten guide.

ONLINE ski holiday specialist Direct ski.com has come up with its top ten ski destinations for everybody.

1. Best ski resort for a group of friends: Soll, Austria.

The Tyrolean resort of Soll has a good selection of properties that take groups, varying from half-board hotels to selfcatering apartments. All offer fantastic value for money. There is a lively apres ski, a short airport transfer to resort and 250km of marked pistes.

A week’s skiing in the Schindlhaus Apartments in the centre of Soll is from £309 per person, based on four sharing on a selfcatering basis, with return Gatwick flights (flights from Manchester £329) and transfers, departing January 15.

2. Best family resort: St Johann, Austria.

Mayrhofen is a great choice for a family with its lively town surrounded by miles of wide open skiing. This pretty Austrian town has excellent English-speaking ski schools and creche facilities and the ski lifts, ski school and ski creche are close to the centre.

A six-night stay costs from £1,756 for a family of four sharing a room at the Hotel Garni Postschlossl, a family-run traditional hotel in the centre of Mayrhofen, departing from Gatwick or Manchester on January 9.

3. Best apres ski: Pas de la Casa, Andorra.

The prize for best value apres ski has to go to Andorra for its duty-free pricing, inexpensive, great value resorts. The happy hours, discos, lively cafes and restaurants also give the Andorran resort of Pas de la Casa its reputation as one of the liveliest resorts in the mountains.

A week’s skiing with self-catering accommodation at the Apartments Manzano is from £269, with return Gatwick flights (Manchester £289) and transfers, departing on January 9, based on four sharing.

4. Best for ski divas: Val d’Isere, France.

Val d’Isere is a traditional village that is now a world-famous draw for skiers. Home to the men’s downhill in the 1992 Olympics, it offers extensive, world-class skiing.

A week’s skiing in Val d’Isere costs from £299 per person, based on four sharing a selfcatering apartment in the Residence Le Villeret from January 15 with return Gatwick flights (Manchester £289) and transfers.

5. Best new kid on the block: Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.

For a week’s skiing away from the glitterati pick somewhere like Slovenia, where the food and nightlife is rustic, the skiing is close to nature and there’s no need to invest in the latest gear as you’re bound to come across some classics from the early Nineties.

Seven nights half-board accommodation at the three-star Hotel Alpina in the Sovene resort of Kranjska Gora costs from £449, based on two sharing, with return Gatwick flights travelling on March 5 and transfers, (£439 from Manchester).

7. Best for ski and spa: Bad Gastein, Austria.

The Austrian spa town of Bad Gastein is world renowned for the healing powers of its natural thermal waters. Its snow record is pretty good too, which makes it a perfect ski and spa combination for those looking to relax after pounding the slopes.

With its steam bath, outdoor heated pool, whirlpool, sauna and massage facilities, Directski.com has a week at the Kur and Sporthotel Alpenblick, arriving on January 15, for £484 per person from Gatwick (Manchester £504) including return flights, half-board accommodation and transfers.

8. Best high altitude skiing: Tignes, France.

When the snow’s melting elsewhere, Tignes is a cert for the white stuff as Europe’s premier destination for glacier skiing. The resort is served by the well-linked L’Espace Killy ski area and offers access to over 300km (190 miles) of pistes. A six-night self-catering ski holiday in the three-star Borsat IV apartments, based on four sharing, costs from £279 per person including return Gatwick flights (Manchester £289) and transfers, departing on January 9.

9. Best budget skiing

The best way to trim the cost of a ski holiday is to ski in mid-January, but before half term, take some friends, find a good value apartment in the French Alps and play sardines. France’s Brides les Bains is only a gondola ride away from Meribel’s main centre, which keeps the prices lower but still offers 600km of piste.

Departing on January 9, Directski.com has six day’s self-catering ski holiday in Brides les Bains for £239 per person from Gatwick (£249 from Manchester) including selfcatering accommodation at the three-star Le Grand Chalet apartments, return fights and transfers, based on four sharing.

10. Best non-ski activities: Zell am See, Austria.

For non-skiers and those wanting to take a break from the slopes, Zell am See has masses to offer, including tobogganing, bowling, a sports centre with indoor pool, iceskating, snow shoeing, sleigh rides and cinema. Seven nights half-board accommodation at the three-star Hotel Seehof costs from £479, based on two sharing, with return Gatwick flights and transfers, (£539 from Manchester), departing on January 15.

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