Refuge de la Pointe Percée - Aravis, France
From £46 a night
Despite its name, Le Grand Bornand is a relatively small resort by French standards, with 47 runs and 24 lifts. Perhaps because of this, it’s almost unknown to Brits, but it’s just seven minutes away from the better-known La Clusaz—another charming Savoyard market town with a ski area double the size which stretches up to 2,500m. Roughly equidistant from the two lies the Refuge de la Pointe Percée, a remote mountain hut reachable only by touring skis in winter. Sleeping 44 guests in two dormotories, it offers half-board lodging from January 20th to March 31st. Outside of those times, the winter room is open, but the refuge is un-manned.
Refuge du Lac du Lou - Val Thorens, France
From £60 a night
As the highest part of the Three Valleys, Val Thorens is an obvious favourite for an early-season break. While it’s hugely popular as a family-friendly ski area, its ski touring potential is less well-known. The Refuge du Lac du Lou, at 2,045m is arguably the best place to explore this from. It lies at the bottom of several epic off-piste itineraries, but is far enough from the nearest lifts and pistes to avoid casual passing traffic. Coralie, Marie and Jonathan, former opticians and a carpenter, welcome hungry skiers from mid-December to mid-May with dishes prepared in-house from local and organic ingredients. Look out for Laska, the friendly refuge dog, and Billie, the cat.
Eve Alps - Bad Kleinkirchheim, Austria
From £65 a night
Bad Kleinkirchheim is in the news this winter as Klagenfurt, the closest airport, has started offering direct flights to the UK. There are many excellent alpine huts in the area, but none better than Eve Alps. It sits at 2,000m, near the top of the Panoramalift and the Priedrölift, but as the owners say, “it’s the perfect meeting place” for piste freaks, freeriders, and ski tourers alike. It’s run by Julia und Matthias, a young couple who recently refurbished it in a style that mixes traditional alpine fittings with modern creature comforts. You can stay in double rooms or dormitories, and the food—including meat sourced exclusively from local, Nockberge farmers— is amazing.
Segneshütte - Laax, Switzerland
From £92 a night
Most people know Laax as a snowboard-friendly, freestyle resort—it hosts Europe’s biggest halfpipe and slopestyle contests every year, and pro athletes come from all over the world to train on its monster cheese wedge kickers, and full-sized superpipe. Fewer people know it as an excellent ski touring area, but there’s plenty to explore here, and the Segneshütte, one of the oldest mountain touring huts in the region at 2,100m, is a great place to base yourself. Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Tectonic Arena Sardona, and reachable by piste as well as on touring skis, it’s been refurbished this winter, with and improved restaurant.
Hofgasteinerhaus - Bad Hofgastein, Austria
From £72 a night
The resorts of the Gastein valley offer a heady mix of challenging runs with 1,500m vertical drops, spas with radon-rich thermal waters, wild Austrian après, and the Belle Epoque architecture of Bad Gastein. This stunning spa town is well worth a visit—all the more so since they began refurbishing old hotels. But for our money the best place to stay is the Hofgasteinerhaus, above Bad Hofgastein. The building underwent a major rennovation of its own in 2021, but the best thing about it is still the view. Situated at 1,950m, and reached by a piste, it offers stunning views over the entire Gastein valley.
hofgasteinerhaus.naturfreunde.at
Refuge de la Golèse - Samoëns, France
From £43 a night
The Grand Massif is one of France’s biggest ski areas. Lift-linked pistes extend from Flaine, with its pioneering brutalist architecture, down the exhilarating 14km-long Cascade run to the tiny village of Sixt. They also connect a whole host of other traditional towns including Morillon, Les Carroz and Samoëns. Near the latter, the Refuge de la Golèse, previously only open in summer, is now welcoming winter guests thanks to the boom in ski touring. The refuge is pretty remote—taking around 2 hours from Samoëns, with 600m of climbing—but it’s well worth the skin up there. Accommodation is in dorms or double rooms, and the food is excellent.
