Argentina

The time and effort involved in travelling to the continent makes the journey a real undertaking – especially when you consider that the only time you can go is during the northern hemisphere summer, between the months of June and October. Once you factor in the cost of the flights, it is easy to see why Argentina is unlikely to ever challenge the established European and North American resort powerhouses.

You've also got to consider the NZ factor. For most people even considering a summer skiing mission (and it is worth underlining what a intrepid minority interest this still is for most skiers), a trip to the antipodes makes more sense. Everybody speaks English, the facilities tend to be world class and the country is utterly beautiful.

But to our mind, the decision is less straightforward thanks to some major strings in the South American bow. For starters, the mountains are huge, with a superior vertical drop and guaranteed snowfall. And perhaps even more importantly, the continent doesn't have anything like the same time difference as affects Europe and New Zealand. So while the culture shock might be bigger and the journey sometimes rougher, this is more than compensated for by the incredible powder and backcountry terrain available in the Andes.

Equally important is the complete lack of crowds. Compared to Europe, you might as well be on the moon skiing some of these resorts. Add to this a rich and inviting Latin culture, the relatively low cost of living and that crazy late-night party scene and South America begins to take on a whole new dimension. Argentina also has several decent resorts, and though Las Leñas is a long way from Buenos Aires it's probably the best southern hemisphere powder spot on the planet – on its day.