Serious skiers and lovers of après-ski will always flock to the large, pumping resorts in the Alps. But if gentler slopes and a cosy, local feel is more your scene, try one of the smaller, off-the-beaten destinations spread across Europe, where mountain homes are often more affordable. Here is a taste of what’s out there…

Ax-les-Thermes, French Pyrenees
Skiers in this pretty old town in the Ariège Pyrenees have the perfect way to soothe weary muscles after a session on the slopes. Known for its thermal waters since medieval times, Ax-les-Thermes’s Roman-style Couloubret spa includes a steamy outdoor pool, while the open-air foot spa at the base of the gondola soon relaxes aching feet after a day in ski boots.

Located on a river not far north of Andorra and 90 minutes from Toulouse, this picturesque stone town has easy access via its gondola to the three ski areas of Bonascre, Saquet and Campels, known collectively as Ax 3 Domaines.Together they offer 80 kilometres of slopes, which are located between 1,400m and 2,400m and include a snowpark and tree-lined runs.

More skiing can be found 15 minutes away in the sweet resort of Ascou-Pailhères, which boasts 20 kilometres of pistes.

Abruzzo, Italy
Located east of Rome halfway down Italy’s boot, Abruzzo is home not only to great beaches but also some of the finest slopes in the Apennine mountains. In fact, nowhere along its 130 kilometres of Adriatic coastline is far from its pretty and mountainous interior. Keen swimmers and skiers can swap their speedos for salopettes and drive from coast to ski resort in around an hour.

Abruzzo, popular for its unspoilt authentic charm, boasts around 20 ski resorts, with a combined 261 kilometres of slopes. The most popular include Roccaraso, Italy’s third largest resort outside of the Alps, along with Campo Felice and Campo Imperatore.

But whichever you choose, you’ll be treated to a genuine local feel – most skiers are locals from Rome and Naples going there for weekend breaks.

Catalan Pyrenees, Spain
In the north-east corner of Spain, Catalonia’s share of the mighty Pyrenees boasts around 460 kilometres of ski runs and more than 100 ski lifts, spread between 11 resorts. This includes Spain’s largest and most popular resort, Baqueira-Beret, which alone offers 160 kilometres of skiing.

Oozing traditional, old-world charm, Baqueira is located in the Aran Valley, noted for its unspoilt farming villages and ancient stone architecture, as well as pretty forested landscape and abundance of lakes. Other options further east include the only marginally smaller La Molina-Alp 2500, which is Spain’s oldest resort and former host of the Alpine Skiing World Cup, and the ski station of Vallter 2000, a short drive from the medieval town of Camprodon and a little over two hours from the beaches of the northern Costa Brava.

Slovenia and Austria
Kranjska Gora has been on the radar of UK families in search of an affordable and friendly mountain resort to try out skiing for some time. However, there’s more to Slovenia’s winter sports offering and this pretty corner of the Julian Alps also includes the resorts Vogel and Krvavec, which has the accolade of being the closest ski resort to any European airport (Brnik airport).

Austria’s world-class resorts – for both skiing and après-ski, need little introduction, but the country also has a great selection of quieter and less imposing resorts. The SalzburgerLand area in the east has some lovely chocolate-box ski villages, while in the very west try the Montafon Valley in Vorarlberg.