Arolla

The praise is for the off-piste: couloirs drop straight from the lifts, the steep faces stand comparison with La Grave and Alagna, and locals barely touch the powder, so tracks stay untouched for days. Snowfall is dependable and the snow keeps well. Visitors highlight the emptiness, a traditional valley without the polish of the big names, and free parking, rare in Switzerland; among the pistes the long blue off Les Fontanesses is named most often.

The lifts draw criticism: almost everything above the village is served by very long drag lifts, tiring in themselves and awkward for beginners and boarders. Snowmaking is minimal, leaving the pistes at the mercy of the weather. Access takes effort - the road is long and winding, with tight bends, no barriers and real drops, and many describe the drive as nerve-racking. Groomed advanced runs are few, so the appeal is mainly to freeriders.