A year-round outdoor sports destination, in winter Interlaken is the gateway to the Jungfrau region, with nearly 150 miles of ski tracks. Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen is one of the world's most gorgeous ski settings, Grindelwald-First is more for the boarders and Mürren-Schilthorn offers amazing panoramic views.

Known for the famous mountain Matterhorn, Zermatt offers some of the best skiing in the Swiss Alps. The area is fantastic for downhill skiing, but those who do not ski can try their hand at mountain-climbing or hiking, or just enjoy the gorgeous mountain views from mile-high cable cars.

Chamonix's big attraction is Mont-Blanc, Western Europe's tallest mountain, and the many ski areas that face the Chamonix Valley. Steep slopes and extreme weather conditions make the slopes here best for advanced skiers, but there are also runs available for beginners.

Finland's largest ski resort, Lapland's Ylläs has 61 slopes, the longest running two miles, with a vertical drop of over a quarter mile. This is the highest Finnish fell (mountain) with ski lifts, and there are 29 here in all. Also at Ylläs are 210 miles of cross-country tracks, 24 miles of which are lit.

The picturesque lakeside town of Zell am See offers about 80 miles of local slopes, with beginner, intermediate and advanced runs all well represented. One hundred and twenty-five miles of cross-country trails offer gorgeous panoramic views. The neighboring town of Kaprun is famed for its glacier skiing.

South of town on the Austrian border lies Germany's highest mountain, Zugspitze, rising nearly 10,000 feet and offering gorgeous glacier-top skiing. With almost 75 miles of downhill runs of all difficulty levels, Zugspitze also has 68 miles of cross-country trails, a terrain park and Germany's first superpipe.

Skiing at Hahnenkamm and the Kitzbuheler Horn, Kitzbuhel's two primary ski areas, is the thing to do during the town's winter season. Boasting more than 60 lifts, Kitzbuhel has slopes for everyone from beginners to professionals, who gather annually at Die Strief for skiing's World Cup.

Every winter, St. Moritz attracts glamorous stars and famous politicians for a reason--its fantastic skiing. With several ski schools and an estimated 700 ski instructors in surrounding upper Engadine, it is a beautiful place for beginners to start, but St. Moritz also has plenty of offerings for more experienced skiers.

In the center of the French Alps, Courchevel has well more than 100 ski runs for visitors to choose from. Some courses are dotted with moguls, so snowboarding and snowmobiling are popular here, and skiers of all levels of experience will find a slope that's just right.

Home to many ski slopes and schools, including the French National Ski School, Val d'Isere boasts tremendous skiing to complement its lively shopping and nightlife scene. While the schools appeal to beginners, intermediate and advanced skiers will also find more than enough challenging runs to keep them satisfied.

The largest ski resort in Switzerland and the highest city in Europe, Davos features five separate skiing areas: Parsenn, the largest, with pistes for all levels and the longest downhill run; Jakobshorn, renowned for its snowboarding; and Pischa, Madrisa and Rinerhorn, all family-friendly destinations.

One of the Tirol area's most popular ski resorts, St. Anton offers some of the best expert skiing and one of the liveliest après-ski scenes in the Arlberg region. The Valluga, Kapall, and Schindler peaks offer almost a mile of vertical skiing. For the seasoned, Schindlerkar and Mattun are less groomed routes.

Exclusive Lech is a popular holiday destination for royalty and celebrities alike, with 170 miles of ski slopes and 110 miles of off-piste powder snow runs. It's also the home of the White Ring ski circuit, the longest ski race in the world, covering more than 13 miles of pistes and 3-1/2 miles in altitude.

Hugging the Swiss border, this stylish resort gets over 26 feet of snow each winter. Villages des Enfants, for kids and young teens, is the perfect place for learning. Softski is for adult newcomers or those who've been away for a while, while The Stash is Europe's first giant ecological snowboard park.

A round-the-year outdoor resort, Levi is one of Finland's largest ski centers, with 48 slopes mostly for beginners and intermediates, but also including four very difficult black slopes. There's a full range of other winter activities as well, including snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and dog sledding.

Home to the Swiss Ski School and close to 200 miles of slopes, Verbier is a ski heaven during winter. Advanced cross-country and downhill skiers will be thrilled with the expert-level offerings, but there also isn't a more beautiful place for a novice skier to learn than the Swiss Alps.

High in the Dolomites, Cortina d'Ampezzo boasts 140 ski runs and over 50 miles of cross-country pistes. Beloved for decades by society types for its après-ski scene, Cortina lies at the center of the Valle d'Ampezzo and has been featured in a number of films, including "Cliffhanger" and "For Your Eyes Only".

At the center of Trois Vallees, the world's largest ski area, Meribel gives easy access to the entire vicinity and its more than 400 miles of pistes. Within Meribel itself, the Altiport is for beginners while Saulire and Tougnète are mixed use, and Mont du Vallon serves up long, steep advanced runs against a gorgeous backdrop.

Silvretta Arena, with its more than 125 miles of ski tracks, links the Tyrolean resort town of Ischgl with the duty-free Swiss resort of Samnaun across the border. Known for its lively après-ski scene, every year Ischgl hosts star-studded concerts in honor of the open and closing of the ski season.

With four village resorts and six high-altitude resorts between 4,000 and 10,000 feet, La Plagne offers 140 miles of pistes and 130 slope runs (10 green/easy, 69 blue/medium, 33 red/hard and 18 black/extreme). Along with neighbor resort Les Arcs, La Plagne forms the greater Paradiski ski area.

One of the world's most exclusive and celebrity-packed ski resorts, Gstaad consists of five independent areas, including Glacier 3000, the only glacial area in the Berner Oberland region. For families and children, Heiti-Gsteig and Lauenen are favorites. La Braye is great for freestylers and snowboarders.

One of Italy's largest ski resorts, Madonna di Campiglio has 100 miles of downhill pistes on 51 individual tracks, plus 20 miles of cross-country trails. Campiglio is also part of the greater Skirama Dolomiti Adamello-Brenta area, giving visitors access to eight Alpine ski resorts and over 200 miles of slopes.

With 100 pistes served by 44 lifts, Åre is Sweden's most popular resort and the biggest ski area in the Nordic countries, with everything from very easy beginner runs to very challenging expert slopes. Miles of cross-country tracks and a dedicated snowboard park are but a few of the other great offerings here.

Two ski centers making up one resort halfway between Oslo and Bergen, Geilo has 20 ski lifts serving 39 Alpine slopes of varying length and difficulty. Geilolia center generally has easier green and blue runs, while Slaatta center offers mostly blue and red runs. Also featured are 135 miles of cross-country tracks.

Lying in the lovely Västerbotten mountains of Swedish Lapland, the dual resort team of Hemavan/ Tärnaby is great for skiers of all levels, with 48 individual pistes served by 14 lifts. 25 miles of cross-country tracks are also available, as well as Sweden's best but little known off-piste area, Kobåset.

Bavarian Alpine village Oberstdorf is home to Heini-Klopfer-Skiflugschanze, the world's second largest ski jumping hill (and site of the famous "agony of defeat" ski jump wipeout clip from ABC's Wide World of Sports). Nearby are the ski areas of Nebelhorn, Kanzelwand/Fellhorn and Kleinwalsertal.

Despite its somewhat precarious position near the Ossetian and Georgian borders, Cheget is one of Russia's top ski destinations, offering seven runs totaling more than 10 miles on a mountain of 12,375 feet. With its diverse terrain, it's also cherished as a great spot for freeride and backcountry skiing.

The central Norwegian resort of Hemsedal is the country's second largest and the highest Alpine point in Scandinavia, with 22 lifts serving 49 slopes, with a number of green beginner runs (21), plus 10 intermediate blue runs, nine advanced red runs, and seven expert black runs, as well as two moguls.

Home to four major ski resorts (Lindvallen, Högfjället, Tandådalen and Hundfjället), Sälen in western Sweden is a veritable skier's paradise, with over 100 individual pistes in total. Sälen also hosts the start of the annual Vasaloppet, the world’s largest, longest and oldest cross-country ski race.

Home of the world's first official ski competition in 1855, Trysil is Norway's most popular ski destination, with 65 picturesque slopes of all types on Trysilfjellet mountain near the Swedish border. For true daredevils, the icy 4200-foot Høgegga offers a set of black runs that'll get your blood pumping.