A new ranking by skiresort.de has named three Swiss ski resorts among the 20 best in the world. In a list that was dominated by Austrian and Italian destinations, three areas of Canton Graubünden found themselves in the higher echelons, with one breaking into the top five.

Best ski resort in the world 2023 by skiresort.de

With the ski season fast approaching - despite what the recent weather would have you believe - the online resort review site skiresort.de has compiled a list of the best places to hurtle down the mountains before retiring to a Skihütte for some well-deserved après-ski partying. To rank each resort, the website used a mixture of 18 review and fact-based metrics, which are (but are not limited to):

• Size of skiing area, variation of ski runs
• Lifts and cable car quality
• Slope preparation
• Parking options, information and signage
• Cleanliness and hygiene
• Quality of mountain restaurants, bars, hotels and après-ski opportunities
• Staff friendliness
• Environmental friendliness and how guaranteed snow is
• Friendliness towards families, children, beginners, experts, cross-country skiers and snow park users

Each resort was given a rating out of five in each of the 18 categories, with a weighted average used to calculate the final scores.

Kitzbühel the best resort in the world for the 11th time

A red letter day for any slalom or downhill fan, the Austrian resort of Kitzbühel /​ Kirchberg was rated as the best ski resort for 2023 with a near-perfect score of 4,9. This is the 11th time in a row that the resort has won the accolade.

Kitzbühel earned perfect scores for its size, variety and quality of runs and cable cars and, ever more crucial in a changing climate, the high guarantee of snow and good weather. Nine of the top 15 resorts in the world were based all or in part in Austria - but you don’t have to look far down the list to see some familiar Swiss names.

Three Swiss ski resorts rated among the 20 best in the world

For 2023, the Austro-Swiss resort of Ischgl /​ Samnaun was ranked joint-second in the list. The resort partly in the Swiss mountains was given perfect scores in all categories relating to skiing and was also the highest rated for its signage and ski information service. However, it suffered in the “friendliness of workers” category and how friendly the resort is towards families and children - although it still scored four out of five stars in each category.

In joint-sixth, the all-Swiss resort of Arosa Lenzerheide was also rated highly, earning praise for its restaurants, ski pistes, accessibility for beginners and friendly staff. The favourite among anyone who has a Bentley registered in Switzerland: St. Moritz also came in joint sixth.

Best ski resorts in the world for 2023

In all, here are the 10 best ski resorts in the world as of 2023:

• 1. Kitzbühel /​ Kirchberg, Austria (4,9)
• =2. Ischgl / Samnaun, Austria / Switzerland (4,8)
• =2. Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Austria (4,8)
• =2. SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental, Austria (4,8)
• =2. Ski Arlberg, Austria (4,8)
• =6. Arosa Lenzerheide, Switzerland (4,7)
• =6. Val Gardena, Italy (4,7)
• =6. Madonna di Campiglio, Italy (4,7)
• =6. Zillertal Arena, Austria (4,7)
• =6. Kaltenbach, Austria (4,7)
• =6. St. Moritz, Switzerland (4,7)
• =6. Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn, Austria (4,7)
• =6. Whistler Blackcomb, Canada (4,7)
• =6. Schladming, Austria (4,7)
• =6. Solden, Austria (4,7)

For more information, and to see how other Swiss resorts faired on the ranking, check out the official website.