The Best Ski Resorts for New Year’s Eve

And, of course, if you are the partying type, the best way to brush away the cobwebs after a night of fireworks, champagne and questionable dancing is by clicking into your skis, or strapping into your snowboard, and letting the refreshing mountain air clear your head as you cruise down the snow-smothered slopes on New Year’s Day.

Take a look at our New Year Ski Prices & Offers and then get a head start on your resolution of skiing the best snow by speaking to one of our specialists on 01273 224060 or requesting a tailor-made quote online.

Known for its vibrant atmosphere all season long, Banff knows how to turn it up a notch and throw an epic New Year's Eve jamboree. It’s an evening jam-packed full of live entertainment and it all starts in downtown Banff on the main stage in Central Park at 6pm. Change out of your ski gear, grab a hot drink and enjoy performances from fire dancers, the Ice Queen, musical acts and a dazzling pyrotechnics display.

New Year's Eve is a special occasion for the children and there’s plenty of entertainment for them around town. Fenlands Meadow Outdoor Ice Rink offers dedicated family skiing time during the day and in the evening the slopes of Mount Norquay come alive with a gleaming torchlight parade performed by the local instructors and mountain staff. Top tip: the best view is from downtown Banff!

Because of its fun and joyful ambience, Banff is a popular destination at this time of year in the town. However, there’s room to breathe on the slopes as the skiing is spread out over three areas: Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise. The mixed landscape makes it a great all-rounder, and a combined 7,748 acres of skiable terrain means there are plenty of options for more confident and advanced skiers, whilst first-timers learn the ropes in dedicated beginner areas.

Nothing will put a spring in your skis like kicking off the new year in beautiful British Columbia.

This year, Sun Peaks is hosting a special Moonlight Snowshoe & S’mores Tour. The gentle two kilometre guided trek takes you through a picturesque forest trail before breaking halfway at the cosy winter camp to drink hot apple cider and eat freshly cooked S’mores next to a roaring fire under the stars. The return journey offers the best views in the resort of the Torchlight Descent and an outrageously big New Year's Eve Fireworks display.

A trip to Sun Peaks is also a good choice for a group of mixed abilities. The ski area is split across three mountains and there’s a handy selection of green, blue and black runs from almost every lift, so your group can ride up together before splitting off and whizzing down the mountain on a run best suited to your ability.

Whistler has a trophy cabinet filled with awards and should have one more to add the to collection if last New Year's Eve is anything to go by.

For an action-packed evening this year, we suggest heading to Skier’s Plaza at the bottom of Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains. Here you’ll find airborne snowboarders and skiers pulling off the most incredible tricks by hitting huge jumps and passing through hoops… which are on fire! Shortly after the Fire and Ice show at 7.30pm, the village and mountains will be lit up with a colourful fireworks display to end 2023 with a bang at 8pm.

If partying hard long into the night is high on the agenda, you’re spoiled for choice, but we’d recommend eitherpacking your finest evening wear for a glamorous ball with live music at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler or an all-black attire for the Back to Black rock ‘n' roll event at Blacks Pub.

If you do make it to bed early enough, take the opportunity to explore the largest ski area in North America by making a beeline for the first lifts on New Year's Day. You'll have much of the mountain to yourself with many skiers feeling a tad dusty and giving morning skiing a miss. Every ability has plenty to discover in this legendary destination featuring spacious beginner areas, polished cruisers and steep alpine bowls.

The well-renowned family-friendly resort, Geilo, hosts an easy snowshoe trip up to Lake Ustedalsfjorden on 31 December, followed by a beautiful firework display over the resort to wave goodbye to the year.

Geilo is a wonderful destination to spend with the family at this time of year because there is an abundance of activities to do off the slopes. Adventurous children will love sliding down Norway's longest groomed toboggan run, which even has its own lift to maximise racing time! Alternatively, create a wholesome family memory by riding through Geilo’s snow-laden national park with twenty magnificent Alaskan Huskies.

With over half the slopes geared towards beginners and the English-speaking ski school being of a very high standard, conditions in Geilo provide a brilliant foundation to make both your own and your children’s progression quick and easy. Be warned - only come to Geilo if you’re prepared for the little ones to be begging you to come back next year!

Looking for a fabulously romantic start to the year? The Arctic city of Tromsø consistently creates a fairy-tale end to the year and will continue to do so in 2023/24 by delivering an event that sees you with a glass of champagne in hand taking in the spectacular panoramic views of the coastal city (with a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights too!).

Don't worry, you won't get your eveningwear dirty by hiking up the mountain! Instead, take the Fjellheisen cable car 421 metres above sea level to the summit a few hours before midnight and dine on a sky-high standard of traditionally made food before the night sky is painted with fireworks.

The Ski & Aurora Explorer Ski Safari takes you on a magical journey from Oslo to the superb ski resort of Trysil and finishes the trip by catching a flight to Tromsø where you'll spend two days in this hot spot for the Northern Lights.

A definite highlight about combining Tromsø with Trysil over the New Year week is the sense of achievement you’ll get when swiftly progressing on Trysil’s broad, confidence-building groomers located on the Høyfjellssenter side of the mountain. Over 80% of the runs are ideal for beginners and lower-level intermediates which gives skiers at every level a whole lot of mountain to explore.

The next time your colleagues ask “What did you do for New Year’s Eve?”, how smug would you feel replying “I watched the Northern Lights dance over my hotel made entirely of ice in the Arctic”?

Our Åre & the Arctic Ski Safari offers a completely unique experience by swapping a bouncing end-of-the-year party for an evening soundtrack of nature and Arctic silence at the iconic ICE Hotel. Is there a cooler way to tell everyone your New Year's resolution than by carving it out of ice? It’s all possible on this epic adventure.

Over 11 extraordinary days, you’ll ski Scandinavia’s largest resort, Åre before hopping on an overnight train to the world’s most northerly resort, Riksgränsen, from where you can take a trip to the nearby ICE Hotel. Both destinations have incredible off-piste and backcountry options that would delight confident intermediates and advanced skiers. We recommend wrapping up warm for this one!

Fireworks illuminating the dramatic UNESCO World Heritage fjords make for a special start to the year in Flåm. The picture postcard town kicks things off by paying tribute to its Viking heritage in the form of laying on an epic spread of meats, locally sourced vegetables and traditional waffles with cloudberry cream. It wouldn’t be a proper Viking-inspired shindig without copious amounts of beer and wine next to a crackling fire, and luckily the event is hosted at the local brewery, the Ægir Brewpub.

Flåm’s evening festivities continue to push the boat out… literally! At 10pm, you’ll set sail into the fjords on an electric-powered vessel to watch fireworks going off every which way, launched from the surrounding mountains.

The beauty of our Ski & Fjord Explorer Ski Safari (other than the UNESCO-listed fjords) is combining a unique New Year's bash in Flåm with the quiet resort of Myrkdalen. Still under the radar, this snowsure destination excels at nurturing budding skiers in its dedicated learning area. If your resolution is to learn or improve technique, you can’t go wrong with Myrkdalen.

There are plenty of cities you can spend New Year's Eve in, but we consider these the ultimate bucket listers, which can also be added to your ski holiday. After all, our ski trips are tailor-made!

A bustling seaport city on the west coast of Canada, Vancouver is known for its friendly atmosphere and diverse culture. It's also home to False Creek where fireworks will be making a (huge) return for the first time since 2018.

There's no debate, the best way to see them is cruising through the creek itself on a boat brimming with champagne and two dance floors! On the water, you'll have a prime spot from the viewing deck and inside, you can slip on your dancing shoes and have a boogie to either hip-hop or Latin music.

The ‘city that never sleeps’ will certainly be living up to its name on 31 December. There are a plethora of incredible spots to see in the new year such as the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Centre or any of New York’s rooftop bars. But, the standout has to be watching the ball drop at the world-famous Times Square.

As you can imagine, this magical spectacle is on many tourists' bucket lists, so we recommend you get to Times Square between 12pm and 1.30pm to secure your place!

It’s quite possibly the world’s largest street party and you’re invited, as Las Vegas’ 6-mile strip welcomes around 400,000 people from tourists to A-list celebrities.

The strip’s casinos pull together to produce a choreographed firework performance which makes the London Eye's display look like a couple of sparklers and a Catherine wheel! To get away from the strip, it’s best to head downtown where the Fremont Street Experience will host live bands across multiple stages. We promise you'll be standing in awe of the largest LED video canopy in the world to countdown the final seconds of 2023.

Our specialists have lived and breathed these destinations. With their extensive knowledge, they've managed to put together hundreds of once-in-a-lifetime New Year's Eve packages for our customers.

If you've pictured yourself skiing in the new year, don't hesitate to enquire online or call us on 01273 224060 for personal advice or a tailor-made price.

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