The best quiet ski resorts Who goes there Crystal (crystalski.co.uk), Inghams (inghams.co.uk), STC (specialist-travel-consortium.com). See obertauern.com. Montafon Where is it? Vorarlberg, Austria. Why go? Good value and blissfully quiet. The long Montafon valley is at the western end of Austria, near the Swiss border. It has a few separate ski areas that between them have about 175 kilometres of pistes and 45km of ungroomed ski routes, all covered on a single pass. With more than 90 per cent of pistes blue or red, the area suits beginners and intermediates best. Two seasons ago a new gondola opened, linking the two biggest ski areas to form one with more than 150km of slopes. The best resorts for accessing this are Schruns, a working valley town, and Gaschurn, a much smaller, more tourist-orientated village. But... Après is very quiet by Austrian standards. Who goes there Alpine Answers (alpineanswers.co.uk), Crystal (crystalski.co.uk), STC (specialist-travel-consortium.com). See montafon.at. Adelboden Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. Chocolate-box village with stunning views. Adelboden is a traditional Swiss village tucked away on a sunny mountainside. It's great for an all-round winter holiday, with plenty of activities to try. Built almost entirely in chalet style, it has a long, quiet, largely car-free main street. The 185km of slopes are enough to keep intermediates happy for a week, while beginners have a choice of good nursery slopes and glorious long, easy runs to progress to. Experts will enjoy the few black runs and there's good off piste to explore. But... Slopes are fragmented and getting around can be slow. Quiet, limited nightlife. Who goes there Powderbeds (powderbeds.com), Ski Solutions (skisolutions.com), Solos (solosholidays.co.uk/ski). See adelboden.ch. Barèges/La Mongie Hautes-Pyrénées, France. One of the biggest areas in the Pyrenees. The traditional spa village of Barèges and the purpose-built La Mongie resort are on opposite sides of the high Col du Tourmalet pass. They share one of the Pyrenees's largest ski areas and benefit from lower prices than those found in big-name Alpine resorts. La Mongie offers slope-side convenience, while Barèges is a free bus ride away from the lifts. The slopes best suit intermediates but there's also excellent off piste, including some near the Pic du Midi Observatory, reached by cable car. But... Purpose-built La Mongie lacks charm. There are still lots of drag lifts. Who goes there Borderline (borderlinehols.com), Pierre & Vacances (pv-holidays.com), Ski Collection (skicollection.co.uk). See tourmalet.fr. Risoul Hautes-Alpes, France. Affordable resort with an extensive ski area. Risoul is a purpose-built resort constructed in the late Seventies and the original buildings are apartment blocks. Newer buildings are, thankfully, more attractive, chalet style and made of wood and stone. The busy little main street has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. Most accommodation is conveniently situated right on the piste and the centre is compact and family friendly, with restaurant terraces spilling on to the snow. Risoul shares the extensive, attractively wooded Forêt Blanche ski area with Vars in the next valley and is popular with French families. But... Mainly drag lifts and slow chairs. Après is quiet. Who goes there Crystal (crystalski.co.uk), Pierre & Vacances (pv-holidays.com), Ski Collection (skicollection.co.uk). See risoul.com. Kicking Horse British Columbia, Canada. Great powder, quiet, modern village. Kicking Horse was converted from a small local ski hill into a major mountain when a long gondola was built to access the high, powder-filled bowls in 2000. There is still only one other lift serving the upper mountain, and the slopes are very quiet during the week. The powder on the top half is usually excellent and experts and adventurous intermediates can have a fine time there. The village is still tiny, with just a few lodges, restaurants and bars, which are quiet at night. But... There is little for timid intermediates who prefer cruising around on groomed pistes. Who goes there Canadian Affair (canadianaffair.com), Frontier Ski (frontier-ski.co.uk), Ski Independence (ski-i.com). See kickinghorseresort.com. Garmisch Bavaria, Germany. Varied slopes, good for short breaks. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is Germany's leading ski resort and close to the Austrian border. It has two separate ski areas - one at low altitude with mainly tough runs and another on a glacier with gentler slopes. It has plenty to amuse confident skiers and snowboarders for a couple of days and is only 90 minutes from Munich airport, making it convenient for short breaks. Garmisch itself is spacious and pleasant but not overly captivating. But... Few long, easy runs. Many of the best runs are at low altitude where snow can be poor. Who goes there Alpine Answers (alpineanswers.co.uk), Momentum (momentumski.com), STC (specialist-travel-consortium.com). See gapa.de. Baqueira-Beret Pyrenees, Spain. Fair-sized ski area, Spanish ambience. This resort is where the King of Spain goes to ski. It was purpose-built in the Sixties and has its fair share of drab apartment blocks from that era. The ski area is fair-sized and interestingly divided into three sectors, all with long, intermediate runs almost entirely above the tree line. Most slopes are above 1800m and are served by extensive snow-making. There are also five ungroomed itineraries and extensive off piste for experts to enjoy. There's a good beginner area at the top of the gondola from the village, and a British-run ski school. But... Village lacks atmosphere. Still some slow lifts. Who goes there Neilson (neilson.co.uk), Scott Dunn (scottdunn.com), Ski Miquel (skimiquelholidays.co.uk). See baqueira.es. The 2014 edition of 'Where to Ski and Snowboard" edited by Dave Watts and Chris Gill is available online to Telegraph readers at a special discount of £14.99, including post and packing - £4 less than it costs in bookshops. See wheretoskiandsnowboard.com/telegraph.