4) Courmayeur – La Thuile – Pila – Cervinia – Champoluc

Enjoy some of Italy’s finest with this easy tour down the Aosta Valley. First stop is Courmayeur, freeride central in the shadow of Monte Bianco (aka Mont Blanc), followed by La Thuile – it’s shady northern slopes hold great powder, and for sunshine you can nip across the border to France and interlinked La Rosiere.

Continue east along the autostrada to Pila, where the terrain can be surprisingly untracked, then onwards to sunny, high-altitude Cervinia beneath the spectacular Matterhorn and linked to Zermatt in Switzerland, whilst your last stop of Champoluc is part of the fabulously snowy Monte Rosa ski area.

5) Alta – Jackson Hole – Grand Targhee – Big Sky

Alta remains one of the few ski hills left to ban snowboarders; however, if you’re riding sideways neighbouring Snowbird has equally good snow and terrain.

From here head up to Jackson Hole via Interstate 80 for the legendary steep terrain of Jackson Hole. The landscape becomes truly spectacular as you drive north-west over the Teton Pass to powder-choked Grand Targhee, which although in Wyoming can only be reached via Idaho.

Last stop is Big Sky; the USA’s biggest linked ski area has eerily deserted slopes and is just a spit away from Yellowstone National Park if you fancy a down day.

8) Voss – Geilo – Hemsedal

Norway’s ski hills are small by European standards, but a road trip here isn’t just about skiing; you drive through some of Europe’s wildest mountain landscapes and can immerse yourself in a culture for which winter is a way of life.

Voss’ big whaleback hills are reminiscent of the Cairngorms, whilst Geilo is big with kite skiers; and Hemsedal is Norway’s biggest ski hill, with a surprising variety of terrain above a lovely valley and attractive village.

9) Cauterets – Luz Ardiden – Grand Tourmalet – St Lary

You can easily visit all of these Hautes- Pyrénées resorts in a week as they’re so close together. First stop Cauterets is very modestly sized, with just 36km of pistes, but there are plans to connect it to neighbour Luz Ardiden which would triple the ski area.

For excellent freeride terrain travel on to nearby Grand Tourmalet and St. Lary; and maybe spend a night in the Pic du Midi Observatory at almost 3000-metres, from where you can enjoy a sublime freeride descent back to La Mongie ski station for breakfast.

10) Mammoth Mountain – Kirkwood – Heavenly

Fly into LA, rent a SUV and six hours later you could be driving into Mammoth. Famed for its mighty snowfalls, Mammoth also has a mix of alpine and wooded terrain that isn’t too common in North America, not to mention a total of ten terrain parks.

A short drive north up Interstate 385 is Kirkwood, also renowned for its powder, and if you keep on heading north you’ll come to Heavenly, an enticing mix of powder choked trees and steeps, spectacular lake and desert views and love-it-or-loathe-it blingy casino town at the base.