Best quiet ski resorts

Best quiet & uncrowded ski resorts 

Europe has plenty of well-kept, quieter resorts that still deliver great snow, mountain variety and village charm. 

If you love empty pistes, short lift lines and a slower, more local-feeling  vibe then these resorts will suit you well. 

Ighams top tips for avoiding the ski crowds 

• Avoid peak holiday weeks - Christmas to New Year, school half-terms (February in many countries), and long holiday weekends. These are the busiest times everywhere.
• Go mid-week - Choose a short ski break to Switzerland and fly mid-week to avoid the busyness of the weekend.
• Travel off-peak months - mid-January and late March are often the quietest while still offering reliable snow or spring conditions.
• Choose smaller lift networks or dispersed domains - resorts with many small lifts or lots of off-piste and tree terrain keep people spread out.
• Check local event calendars - small towns can get busy for events and races; a quick check avoids surprises. 

Where to go?

Geilo, Norway 

Geilo offers a laid-back, peaceful Nordic setting. With fewer big express gondolas and slightly smaller lift-networks this resort is perfect for quiet runs and no lift queues.  

Filzmoos, Austria 

Filzmoos is a smaller, charming village resort. Due to the gentle slopes, there is usually reduced lift queues and is perfect for families wanting to take their time cruising down the runs.  

Les Menuires, France 

Though the resort of Les Menuires is part of the Three Valleys ski-area, this resort tends to be a lot quieter than its neighbours. With options of ski-in ski-out accommodation, this reduces the lift queues but also means people tend to vary their time on the slope, making it a peaceful experience.  

Obergurgl & Hochgurgl, Austira 

Though these are considered slightly more popular resorts in Austria, they are still not the biggest so you won't be overwhelmed by other holiday makers. Due to the resorts high-altitude and therefore good snow-quality throughout the season, you will find that all lifts are running on schedule to keep skiers moving and avoid building up any crowds.  

Saas-Fee, Switzerland 

Saas-Fee has its guests in mind, from a traffic-free village centre to well-planned lift infrastructure to its position on the mountain (high-altitude). Here, you can enjoy a quiet resort and a ski area that has been designed to spread its participants across the slopes, so less chance of sharing your favourite  run with others.  

Gressoney, Italy 

Gressoney is perhaps a slightly less well-known resort than others in Italy, which makes it perfect for those looking for the uncrowded pistes on their ski holiday. There aren’t they giant 16 person gondolas, instead expect few queues for the chair lifts and limited sightings of others on your runs down.