Snomad Reveals its Ski Resort Award Winners
14th October 2025
Last modified on October 20th, 2025
There are 20 specialist categories, with lesser-known American resort Grand Targhee claiming the Best Overall Ski Resort title worldwide, whilst Italy’s Alta Badia topped the European rankings.
The Snomad Ski Resort Awards are based on over 140,000 skier and snowboarder ratings.
They were collected in the 2024/2025 ski season and up on last year’s 78,000 responses.
The awards claim to be the most authentic and unbiased recognition in the ski industry from people’s experiences.
They have come up with some interesting results.
Grand Targhee Resort’s overall win will come as a total surprise to most.
The small Wyoming resort is undiscovered, certainly for UK skiers and snowboarders.
It is 1.5 hours from the better-known resort of Jackson Hole.
“However, it has been growing in cult status amongst those in the know and American skiers,” said Snomad founder, Dan Lever.
Best Overall Ski Resort 2025, Grand Targhee. Image c/o Snowmad.
‘With over 500 inches of snow per year, and an impeccable ratings profile, across multiple categories, that consistently punches above its fame, it may be a surprise winner in name recognition but not in the data,” added Dan.
“A no-frills, true skier’s resort.’’
PlanetSKI visited Grand Targhee a few years back on one of our long & legendary North American road trips.
We were suitably impressed – especially when some of that famous deep powder started falling:
Grand Targhee, Wyoming. Image © PlanetSKI
Grand Targhee, Wyoming. Image © PlanetSKI
Grand Targhee, Wyoming. Image © PlanetSKI
“I loved Grand Targhee and it remains a firm favourite of mine as I love off-the-beaten-track resorts, and to win the award as the best overall ski resort in the world is an interesting, but very odd choice,” said PlanetSKI’s editor, James Cove.
James has skied around 500 ski areas, across five continents, so perhaps knows what he is talking about.
European Excellence
For UK skiers seeking closer-to-home destinations, the European awards ‘Showcased the continent’s diverse skiing offering,’ said Snomad.
Alta Badia, in Italy’s Dolomites, claimed the overall European title.
Again it is a ski resort we know well at PlanetSKI and we are firm fans of The Dolomites, – the mountain restaurants and food are amazing in Alta Badia.
St. Anton am Arlberg won ‘Best for Après-Ski’ in both European and Worldwide categories.
No argument with that one.
Best Overall Ski Resort 2025 Europe – Alta Badia. Image c/o Snomad.
Other European winners included:
- Verbier (Switzerland) dominating powder skiing, moguls and off-piste categories.
- Ischgl (Austria) winning Best for Advanced Skiers and Best for Snowboarding.
- Livigno (Italy) taking Best for Snow Parks.
- Davos Klosters (Switzerland) for Best Ski Schools.
- Bad Gastein (Austria) for Best Accommodation Options.
- Schladming (Austria) for Best Groomed Runs.
In the recent findings of the Snomad Resort Finder quiz, value for money was rated as one of the top motivators for skiers and in Europe.
The Best Value award goes to the Andorran resort of Vallnord: Pal-Arinsal.
Again here at PlanetSKI we would say that the days of Andorra being a cheaper destination are long since gone.
It certainly was great value in Andorra back in the day, but much less so now as prices have increased and it is on a par with the Alps
But its offerings are up a notch or two:
Grandvaliria, Andorra. Image © PlanetSKI
French resorts also featured with La Plagne taking Best for Beginners and Peisey Vallandry (Les Arcs/Paradiski) winning Best for Tree Runs.
In our view at PlanetSKI one of the best areas for tree skiing in the Alps is indeed in the Les Arcs/Paradiski area.
But it is not Peisey Vallandry, but the other side of the ski area above the village of Villaroger.
Les Arcs, France. Image © PlanetSKI
Spain’s Baqueira-Beret claimed Best for Eating Out Options.
Who can not love tapas and Spanish food?
North American Highlights
Beyond Grand Targhee’s surprising win, North American resorts were judged:
- Revelstoke (Canada) taking Best for Powder Skiing
- Steamboat (USA) earning Best for Tree Runs
- Aspen Snowmass (USA) claiming Best for Experts and Après-Ski
- Brian Head Resort (USA) winning both Best Value and Best for Families.
What Makes These Awards Different?
The Snomad Ski Resort Awards say they are determined by verified ratings from visitors who have experienced these resorts first hand.
“This approach ensures that winning resorts truly deserve recognition based on guest satisfaction rather than marketing budgets or social media follower counts,” said Dan Lever from Snomad.
“When real skiers and snowboarders decide the winners, receiving an award is truly an achievement to be proud of.”
This year marks an expansion of the awards programme allowing for more diverse recognition of excellence across different markets.
Winners are now announced across 20 categories in three regional classifications:
- Worldwide
- Europe
- North America
The top 3 winners across the 20 categories can be found here: https://gosnomad.com/ski-resort-awards/2025
Snomad Ski Resort Awards 2025. Image c/o Snomad.
Snomad Ski Resort Awards 2025. Image c/o Snomad.
About Snomad Ski Resort Awards:
The Snomad Ski Resort Awards claim to be the most authentic and unbiased recognition in the ski industry, based on guest experiences from skiers and snowboarders.
The awards cover 20 categories with winners announced for Worldwide, European, and North American regions.
Ratings are collected from verified visitors who have experienced the resorts first hand and are based on 140,000 ratings.
About Snomad:
Founded to address the changing ski industry landscape, Snomad is a community-driven platform connecting skiers with authentic resort information.
The platform collects user-generated ratings across 20 categories, providing the most comprehensive resort comparison tool available.
Now in its third season, Snomad claims it is the go-to resource for skiers seeking unbiased, authentic recommendations from fellow enthusiasts.
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