Whether you want a family ski holiday, a place to learn the basics or to dine on gourmet dishes between runs, there's a resort for you. Peter Hardy has the low-down BEGINNERS sub_head_endGet a feel for the snow in ItalySki 2 has everything covered for a first-timer's snow sports holiday, from tuition and equipment hire to lift passes and lunches. Based in Champoluc, part of the Monterosa ski area, the operator runs an English-speaking ski school exclusively for guests and has its own ski- and snowboard-hire facilities. Lunch vouchers, which are included in the price of the holiday, are redeemable at several mountain restaurants.story_article_left1Ski 2 has a wide range of hotels and self-catering apartments to choose from, most of which are a short walk from the main gondola. The four-star Hotel Relais des Glaciers has an extensive wellness complex for those 16 years of age and over.• ski-2.com.Take your first turns in FranceBeginners can start to slide with ease thanks to a combination of gentle nursery slopes and excellent tuition in Méribel.Parallel Lines, a snow-sports school, offers a specific First Tracks group course for complete beginners. By the end of the week, first-timers will be completing the long Truite green run back to the resort from Mottaret, and may even have tackled a blue. The courses run either Sunday or Monday to Friday.Méribel's own ski area is suitable for all levels and is the most convenient base for exploring the rest of the Trois Vallées. It also has one of the widest choices of quality chalets of anywhere in the Alps.Fish & Pips has six catered chalets that are all finished to a high standard, and the company is renowned for its cuisine. Chalet Le Christophe is just 20m from a chairlift. It sleeps eight in four en-suite bedrooms and its open-plan living area has a fireplace.• fishandpips.co.uk; parallel-lines.com.Try SpainThe beginner-friendly slopes and reasonable prices at Baqueira-Beret in the Spanish Pyrenees offer an attractive alternative to nearby Andorra for novices. Inexpensive instruction is available on the excellent nursery slopes, and there are easy greens and blues. BBSkiSchool is the only British-run school in the Pyrenees. The standard of teaching is as high as any in the Alps, but rates are considerably cheaper.Ski Miquel is the largest operator here, with its own simple but comfortable chalets, plus hotels and self-catering apartments to suit all budgets. Chalet Salana has an outdoor hot tub, sleeps 28 and is the best-value accommodation in the resort.• skimiquelholidays.co.uk; bbskischool.co.uk.sub_head_start FAMILIES sub_head_endComprehensive childcare, FranceSki Famille is renowned for its range of childcare, tuition and chalets adapted to the needs of families. The latest chalet, Delphine, sleeping 20 in La Plagne, France, is a good choice as most rooms are family suites and the slopes are only metres away, plus there's a playroom and an outdoor hot tub.• skifamille.co.uk.mini_story_image_vright1Baby and toddler weeks, ItalyFamily specialist Esprit Ski is introducing BAT (baby and toddler) weeks, with substantial reductions during off-peak weeks for families with younger children. BAT packages run throughout January and the week beginning February 20 and are available in all of Esprit Ski's 13 resorts.The pick of the bunch is Gressoney in Italy. The village is quiet and Esprit Ski's Chalet Hotel Valverde is next to a snow park for children, with a play area, bobsleigh track and skating rink.• espritski.com.Fun with teens in FranceWith six terrain parks for beginners to advanced riders, Avoriaz offers some of the best freestyle terrain in the Alps, plus there's a giant water park, Aquariaz, to keep them entertained off the slopes.The resort, in the heart of the Portes du Soleil ski area, is also the unofficial snowboard capital of the Alps, and has equal appeal for freestyle skiers. The Avoriaz Alpine Ski & Snowboard School offers expert English tuition for all ages.• avoriaz.com; avoriazalpineskischool.com.sub_head_start FOOD LOVERS sub_head_endChefs festival in ItalyEach January, Heston Blumenthal joins forces with Momentum Ski to host the three-day Mountain Gourmet Ski Experience.The fun begins at London Heathrow with breakfast in Heston's Perfectionists' Café. To follow there are dinners in Courmayeur, northern Italy, cooked by fellow Michelin-starred chefs Sat Bains and Marcus Wareing, plus wine-tastings and informal lunches.story_article_left2Eating is interspersed with steering a full belly around Courmayeur's intermediate slopes. The festival takes place from January 8 to 11, with packages including B&B in the Grand Hotel Royal e Golf, which boasts a one-Michelin-star restaurant.• momentumski.com.Foodie heaven in FranceAs well as being the highest, and therefore most snow-sure, resort in the Trois Vallées ski area, with slopes suited to all levels, this resort has grown into France's leading mountain destination for food-lovers.While away a lazy afternoon on the sun terrace at Jean Sulpice (jeansulpice.com), presided over by the chef of the same name, who has two Michelin stars. Refuel in style at Le Chalet de la Marine (chaletmarine.com), a Savoyard chalet with a fireplace, sheepskin rugs and mouthwatering cuisine.For gourmands wanting to sample the cream of the restaurants, self-catering makes sense. Ski Collection has some of the best prices for Koh-I Nor, one of the most lavish five-star hotel complexes in the Alps. Sample gourmet cuisine at the international restaurant, simpler fare in the brasserie or local specialities in La Cave.• skicollection.com.sub_head_start ADVENTURERS sub_head_endHeli to the High Atlas in MoroccoJust 25 minutes away from Marrakesh, the High Atlas Mountains offer the only heli-skiing opportunity in Africa. Heliski Marrakesh, run by Hervé Favre, founder of ski school Evolution 2, offers spectacular drops including one from the top of Toubkal, North Africa's highest peak at 4187m.Accommodation is in a luxury boutique hotel and, after breakfast, explorers clamber aboard a heli and head for the hills. Trips run from mid-February to mid-April and offer up to four 1000m descents, before a return to the hotel for lunch.• heliskimarrakech.com.Deep powder in Hokkaido, JapanEach winter, a mighty 14m to 18m of snow falls on Hokkaido, Japan's most northerly island, and it's some of the lightest and fluffiest in the world.The wild and rugged terrain is home to 98 resorts and the UK-based Ski Safari offers a 14-night itinerary to three of the best and largest.Four days in Niseko - with views of volcanoes and fantastic Japanese food - at the ski-in/ski-out, four-star Green Leaf Hotel, are followed by two days in Rusutsu, renowned for its tree runs, and three days in Furano, one of Japan's most famous resorts. Accommodation is in resort-style hotels with their own restaurants and onsen (hot baths). The trip finishes with a day in Tokyo.• skisafari.com.sub_head_start SHORT BREAKS sub_head_endMaximise slope time in FranceIf you only have a few days to spend in the snow, Ski Weekends offers short breaks - midweek too - to 14 resorts in France, four in Austria, two in Switzerland and one in Italy, and staff are primed to do all they can to ensure maximum time on the slopes for guests.story_article_right3La Clusaz, in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France, boasts a short transfer and flexible accommodation, plus a wide variety of terrain, with 220km accessible with the area lift pass.Its Hotel Carlina is a three-star with just 39 rooms in the upper part of the village. It offers great views of the mountains, and also has a good restaurant serving local specialities.• skiweekends.com.Flexible stays in SwitzerlandThe accommodating hotels in Engelberg make it one of the best resorts for short breaks. Unlike so many destinations, most of the hotels here don't insist on seven-night stays. What's more, the top lift is at more than 3000m so snow cover is virtually guaranteed.Engelberg is an easy two-hour train ride from Zurich airport and Flexiski offers the three-star Hotel Bellevue Terminus, dating back to 1898. Full of traditional charm, it is right opposite the train station with the ski bus stop outside.• flexiski.com.sub_head_start BOOK FROM SOUTH AFRICA sub_head_endVarious local operators offer skiing packages and tailor-made trips.• Club Med: Call 0860-258-293 or visit clubmed.co.za.• Pure Skiing: Call 0861-123-754 or visit pureskiing.co.za.• Flight Centre: Call 087-7405-000 or visit flightcentre.co.za.• Sun 'n Ski Holidays: Call 011-463-8895 or visit sunskiholidays.com.- © The Daily Telegraph..