Mountain high: the best ski resorts to buy in

With the curtain rising on the new ski season, there’s a flurry of anticipation among fleece-clad winter-sports fans. Last year’s picture was mixed, with superb snowfalls recorded across North America, but patchier conditions in Europe. As the lifts whirr into action once more, which locations should property buyers single out?

When considering where to buy for the ski season, most wish lists focus on areas with reliable snow, authentic mountain experiences and excellent resort infrastructure, says Jeremy Rollason, head of Savills Ski. His top tips this year include the French resorts of Chamonix and Val d’Isère, fast-developing Andermatt, in Switzerland, and big hitters Aspen and Vail, both in Colorado.

The Savills Ski Resilience Index, an annual ranking of 62 resorts worldwide, is a data-led comparison of the quality of conditions across these locations. Examining five key metrics – snowfall, reliability, season length, altitude and temperature – the index is a perennial barometer that reveals which resorts are proving most resilient when it comes to climate change.

“This year’s index recorded more changes than we have seen for several years, reflecting climate volatility,” says Rollason. “Aspen and Vail took top billing, pushing Zermatt, a frequent number one, into third place. These American resorts also performed strongly in the Savills Ski Prime Price League, which compares property asking prices. Aspen led the way, with an average price of €36,200 a square metre, while Vail was fourth with €26,700.”

In Europe, Val d’Isère enjoys a similarly elevated status. Helped by high altitude, low temperatures and a notably long season, the French resort rose four places from last year to rank fourth in the Resilience Index. Meanwhile, its prime price point of €27,700 a square metre placed it second only to Aspen in the Prime Price League.

“Val d’Isère stands supreme at the top of the European table, effectively achieving what Courchevel 1850 did in the 1990s and 2000s,” says Rollason. “It was always a favourite with adventurers, a true skiers’ resort – the Verbier of France, you might say. Now it is so much more, with a large ski area, excellent lift infrastructure, an ever-improving hospitality offering and, of course, a vibrant après-ski scene. It’s wonderfully authentic, and international and domestic buyers are granting it the status it deserves. This huge popularity and the shortage of properties for sale mean that anything coming onto the market sells within weeks.”

Val d’Isère is a three-hour drive from Geneva airport, which means it is bucking another trend: good travel links. Rollason predicted this post-pandemic trend three years ago, although resorts within 60-90 minutes of Geneva also continue to see strong demand. That includes Villars in Switzerland and the French resorts of Morzine and Chamonix – the latter is a striking year-round town of high mountain peaks, top-quality skiing and summer sports. It is authentic right down to its hardcore athletic roots.

Few resorts can match the glitz and glamour of Courchevel 1850, where high-end hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants jostle for attention, but as prices there have soared, buyers have started to look for alternatives. Chamonix is one, and Andermatt is another – the only Swiss resort with no buying restrictions for non-nationals.

“Andermatt shot into the top 20 of our Ski Resilience Index this year, rising dramatically thanks to its high altitude, low temperatures and consistently strong levels of reliability,” says Rollason. “The Savills Ski Report 2023/24 illustrates that as season lengths compress at lower elevations, high altitude and glacier skiing are likely to become ever more important to buyers.”

Andermatt registered asking prices of €20,000 a square metre for prime properties, compared with €26,600 in Courchevel 1850. “Andermatt is going through substantial change,” says Rollason. “It has a similar draw to Chamonix, appealing to adventure-seekers and understated buyers who appreciate the beauty of the mountains and the lifestyle they provide. We are seeing a new clientele turn to Andermatt as an alternative to long-established resorts such as Klosters and St Moritz.”

Read the full Savills Ski Report 2023/24

JEREMY ROLLASON,
HEAD OF SAVILLS SKI
JRollason@savills.com +44 (0) 7969 785525

Pictures from top: the Swiss resort of Andermatt in the snow (Pexels); skiing in Vail, Colorado (unsplash); the charm of Aspen, in Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley (unsplash); and Andermatt in summer (Getty)