European skiing ranges from a few hundred metres above sea level in Norway (e.g.180m (590ft) at Lillehammer) to over 3800m (12450 ft) at Chamonix's Aiguille du Midi. In North American, some of the highest skiing can be found at nearly 4000m (13000ft) at Colorado's Arapahoe.

The altitude of the resort itself is important, as is that of the highest lift. If you visit a resort in March that is situated just 1000m (3300ft) above sea level don't expect to be able to ski back home at the end of the day. If the summit of the lift system is below 1600m (5250ft), there may be no skiing at all in a poor season.

For a full picture of the type of skiing offered by a resort, you might check whether slopes face north or south, but this is time-consuming. Find out instead about the past snow record.