Private Alpine Chalet With Valley Views
Megeve, France
Ski-in/ski-outSpa
Nov 13 – 16 · $352,353 for 3 nights
The Collections
Luxury Ski Chalets & Villas
Private chalets and villas in the best-known ski resorts of the Alps, North America and Japan. Homes with ski-in/ski-out access say so on their listing; the rest are in the resort, a walk or a short ride from the lifts.
View all 3,094 homesSki Chalets & Villas
Pick the resort, then the house
Most ski holidays start with the resort, and this collection is built the same way. Every home here has an address in a recognised ski resort, or a listing that says it has direct access to the slopes. That takes in the linked domains of the French Alps, Switzerland's car-free and railway villages, the Arlberg and Kitzbühel, the Dolomites and the Aosta Valley, the big resorts of the Rockies, Whistler and Lake Tahoe, and Niseko and Hakuba in Japan.
Some homes are ski-in/ski-out. Many are not, and that is often a choice rather than a compromise: a village chalet with restaurants outside the door and a five-minute walk to the gondola can make a better week than a house on the piste at the top of a purpose-built resort.
This is a year-round collection rather than a seasonal edit. Many of these homes are let in summer too, when the same lifts carry walkers and mountain bikers.
Homes3,094
Countries9
Typical size4 bedrooms
Sleeps up to40 guests
Private Alpine Estate With Panoramic Views
Megeve, France
Private poolSpa
Nov 13 – 16 · $333,810 for 3 nights
Premium Chalet With Spa And Cinema
Megeve, France
Private poolSki-in/ski-outSpa
Nov 13 – 16 · $254,997 for 3 nights
Ski-Accessible Chalet with Alpine Panoramas
Megeve, France
Ski-in/ski-out
Nov 13 – 16 · $224,404 for 3 nights
Luxurious Mountain Escape With Private Cinema
Megeve, France
Private poolSki-in/ski-outSpa
Nov 13 – 16 · $130,787 for 3 nights
Luxury Ski Chalet in Park City
Utah, USA
Park City
Nov 13 – 18 · $196,017 for 5 nightsBefore fees & taxes
Mountain Retreat Vacation Home in Park City
Utah, USA
Park City
Nov 13 – 18 · $261,360 for 5 nightsBefore fees & taxes
Top-tier Gstaad Chalet Experience
Gstaad Region, Switzerland
Gstaad
Private pool
Nov 13 – 20 · $177,220 for 7 nights
Refined Mountain Escape With Indoor Pool
Megeve, France
Nov 13 – 16 · $69,549 for 3 nights
Secluded Mountain Hideaway With Private Pools
Verbier, Switzerland
Riddes
Private pool
Dec 20 – 27 · $435,163 for 7 nights
Gstaad - Great Luxurious Farmhouse
Gstaad Region, Switzerland
Saanen
Nov 13 – 16 · $68,685 for 3 nights
Modern Alpine Chalet With Indoor Pool
Courchevel, France
Private poolSpa
Mar 27 – Apr 3 · $166,916 for 7 nights
How we choose
How a home gets into the ski collection
We decide from each home's own details. A home is included if its address places it in a named ski resort, or if its listing says it is ski-in/ski-out or lists a ski room, ski storage or lift access. The Smiling House team can add or remove any home by hand, and that decision always overrides the rule.
Being here is not a promise of snow, or of ski-in/ski-out. Homes with direct piste access say so on their listing. The rest are in the resort, some a short walk from a lift and some a drive away, so check the distance to the lifts on each listing before you book.
The home's own address is in a named ski resort. In the French Alps these include Courchevel, Méribel, Val d'Isère, Val Thorens, Tignes, Megève, Chamonix and Argentière, Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz, Alpe d'Huez and Les Arcs.
In Switzerland, Verbier, Zermatt, Gstaad and the Saanenland, St Moritz, Crans-Montana and Villars. In Austria, Lech, St Anton and Kitzbühel. In Italy, Cortina, Courmayeur, Sestriere, Livigno and the Dolomites.
In North America, Aspen, Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Park City and Deer Valley, Steamboat, Telluride, Jackson Hole, Big Sky, Sun Valley, Whistler and Lake Tahoe. In Japan, Niseko and Hakuba.
Or the home's own listing says it is ski-in/ski-out, or lists a ski room, ski storage or lift access.
The team can add or remove a home by hand, and that decision always wins.
01
Ski-in/ski-out or a short walk: the real trade-off
For small children and nervous skiers, ski-in/ski-out makes a difference every day. Nobody carries skis through the village at nine in the morning, and a child who has had enough by two o'clock can be home in minutes.
The term is used loosely, so ask what it means for each house. Some open straight onto a piste; others need a short walk or a flight of steps. Some are ski-out but not ski-in, with the last stretch home on foot or by lift. Ask which run passes the house and how it is graded, since a red run home is no help to a beginner.
The other side of the trade is the village. Slope-side homes cluster in the higher, purpose-built parts of resorts such as Courchevel, Val Thorens, Les Arcs and Avoriaz, and in Beaver Creek, Deer Valley and Whistler. Older villages such as Megève, Morzine, Chamonix, Kitzbühel and Cortina put restaurants and evening life on your doorstep instead, with a walk or a shuttle to the lifts. Decide which matters more to your group, the mornings or the evenings.
02
Choosing a resort by altitude and size
Altitude matters most at either end of the winter. In early December, late March or around a late Easter, the high resorts are the safer bet: Val Thorens, Tignes and Val d'Isère in France, Zermatt and the upper sectors of Verbier in Switzerland. Lower resorts such as Megève, Morzine, Les Gets and Kitzbühel give up some snow certainty for prettier villages and tree-lined runs that ski well in flat light.
Size matters for how your group skis. Strong skiers get a new valley every day from the big linked areas: Les 3 Vallées from Courchevel, Méribel and Val Thorens, the Espace Killy from Val d'Isère and Tignes, the Portes du Soleil from Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz, and Ski Arlberg from Lech and St Anton. Mixed groups with beginners often enjoy a smaller resort more.
Further afield the calendar shifts. Niseko and Hakuba are known for deep, frequent snowfall in January and February. The Rockies offer dry snow at altitude; Breckenridge sits high enough that the first day is best taken gently.
03
How a chalet week runs
In the Alps most chalets are let Saturday to Saturday, some Sunday to Sunday. Cleaners, cooks and transfer firms all work to that rhythm, and the Tarentaise valley road to the big French resorts is at its slowest on Saturday afternoons. Shorter stays are easier to find in January and March, and in North America, where minimum nights replace fixed weeks.
Catered chalets cover breakfast and dinner, a real gift after a day on the hill with children. Self-catered suits groups who want to eat out, and resorts with a strong restaurant scene. For something in between, ask the team whether a cook can come in for a few evenings.
Look at the unglamorous rooms. Check that the ski room holds kit for everyone the house sleeps and has boot dryers, and that there is a washing machine and somewhere to dry gloves. Over a week, that matters more than another bathroom.
04
Families, ski school and the people who don't ski
Ski school fills first. In France the ESF teaches in every resort, alongside independent schools and private instructors. For February half-term and the festive weeks, book lessons as soon as the house is confirmed. Check the minimum age for ski kindergarten, and how far the meeting point is from the house, because that walk happens twice a day in ski boots.
Non-skiers are well served in a good resort: marked winter walking paths, snowshoe routes, cross-country tracks, and a pedestrian lift pass to meet the skiers for lunch on the mountain. Chamonix has the Aiguille du Midi cable car and Zermatt the Gornergrat railway. A chalet sauna or pool is worth more to a non-skier than to anyone else in the house.
Ski Chalets & Villas in pictures
Where to go
Where this collection is strongest
France · Switzerland · USA · Italy · Austria · Canada · Croatia · Slovenia
Before you book
Planning a ski trip
Book Christmas, New Year and February half-term early, often a year ahead.
Fly to Geneva for Chamonix, Megève, the Portes du Soleil and Verbier; Lyon, Chambéry or Geneva for the Tarentaise resorts; Zurich for St Moritz and the Arlberg; Denver for Vail and Breckenridge; Salt Lake City for Park City and Deer Valley.
Allow extra time for a Saturday transfer, or arrive earlier in the day.
If you drive, carry snow chains or fit winter tyres; many Alpine roads require them in winter.
Unless the listing says ski-in/ski-out, check the distance to the nearest lift and the ski-school meeting point.
For early or late-season dates, choose a high resort.
In North America, buy lift tickets ahead or check whether an Epic or Ikon pass covers your resort.
Are all the chalets in this collection ski-in/ski-out?
No. Only homes with direct piste access are described as ski-in/ski-out, and they say so on their listing. The rest are in a ski resort, some a few minutes' walk from a lift and others a shuttle or drive away. Check the distance to the lifts on each listing, or ask us for a shortlist of homes with genuine piste access.
What does ski-in/ski-out actually mean?
That you can ski from the house to a lift and back without taking your skis off, or very nearly. Some homes open straight onto a piste; others need a short walk, and some are ski-out only. Ask which run serves the house, how difficult it is, and whether it holds its snow late in the season.
How far ahead should I book a ski chalet for February half-term?
Ideally a year ahead, and no later than the summer before. Half-term, Christmas and New Year are the busiest weeks of the Alpine winter, and large family chalets go first. Ski school fills early too. If your dates are flexible, January and March are easier to book and quieter on the slopes.
Which ski resorts are best for early or late-season snow?
The high ones. Val Thorens, Tignes and Val d'Isère in France and Zermatt in Switzerland are the usual choices when snow matters most. Lower resorts such as Megève, Morzine and Kitzbühel are lovely in midwinter but depend more on the season's snowfall. No resort can guarantee snow.
Which airport is best for the French Alps?
Geneva for the northern French Alps; Lyon, Chambéry or Geneva for the Tarentaise. Geneva is closest to Chamonix, Megève, Morzine, Les Gets and Avoriaz. For Courchevel, Méribel, Val Thorens, Val d'Isère, Tignes and Les Arcs, Chambéry is nearest but has fewer flights, while Lyon and Geneva have the most choice. Grenoble serves Alpe d'Huez.
Is a ski chalet worth it if some of us don't ski?
Yes, if you choose the resort with them in mind. Chamonix, Zermatt, St Moritz, Megève and Kitzbühel have plenty off the slopes, from winter walks and cable cars to good restaurants. A pedestrian lift pass gets non-skiers to lunch on the mountain, and a chalet with a sauna or pool makes the quiet days easy.
Can I rent a ski chalet in summer?
Yes, many of these homes are let in summer as well. The mountains then offer lift-served walking, mountain biking, lakes and long evenings, often with more flexible stay lengths than in winter. Chamonix, Morzine, Les Gets, Verbier and Zermatt are all busy in summer. Each listing shows its own availability.
Smiling House also offers a concierge for private chefs, transfers, ski instructors, yachts and cars, a VIP Club with first access to new residences and member rates, chalets for sale in the Gstaad region through its real estate division and instantly bookable homes with live availability.