The adventurer

There comes a moment in every thirtysomething’s life when they have to make a decision. Ski or après-ski?

You can no longer do both, and if you’ve been bitten by the mountain bug, you’re bound to choose the former: after all, you can drink all you like back in Blighty, but you probably can’t ski there.

Your resort: Verbier, in Switzerland. Skiing at this age is all about pushing your limits, and there’s no better place. The lift system delivers you effortlessly to the top of a gazillion off-piste runs, and the town is home to some of the world’s most talented instructors. One, Warren Smith, is a Brit; his ski academy offers five-day courses that are tailor-made for anyone wanting to make the leap from groomed snow to bumps and powder (warrensmith-skiacademy.com; £349 for five days).

Where to stay: for the ultimate in convenience, check into Ski Verbier’s six-person Chalet Astoria (020 7401 1101, skiverbier.com), three steps from the key lifts and the ski school’s meeting point. A week, arriving on January 17, costs £908pp, excluding flights. For self-catering apartments, try Interhome (020 8780 6633, interhome.co.uk): CH1935.500.1 is a studio priced at £202pp for a week from January 17, based on two sharing. Fly to Sion with Snowjet (snowjet.co.uk; from £98 return) and jump on the train (sbb.ch; £24).

Or try: Vail, in the American Rockies. It has a reputation as an easy place to ski, but its back bowls are superb training for first-time off-pisters. You don’t need a guide to ski them — they’re served by lifts and protected against avalanches. One week in the Ptarmigan chalet, arriving on January 16, costs £1,135pp, half-board, including flights from London and transfers, with Ski Independence (0131 243 8097, ski-i.com).

The reveller

You’ve got a proper job and your student-loan repayments are under control. Ish. Now it’s time to get out into the mountains to celebrate. Chances are you’ll be in a big party of mixed abilities, and the quality of the après-ski will matter as much as the slopes.

Your resort: Alpe d’Huez, in France — because drinks are cheaper than in the A-list resorts further north, and you can party long into the night in bars such as Smithy’s and the Underground. What’s more, the beginners in your group will actually enjoy their first skiing experience, thanks to the largest area of nursery slopes in the Alps — right on Alpe d’Huez’s doorstep. So there’ll be no after-hours sulking because someone nearly had a nervous breakdown on a steep bit. As for everyone else in the group, the answer to their skiing fantasies lies higher up the resort, on the slopes of the 3,330-metre Pic Blanc. Snaking down from its slender peak are two of the world’s longest on-piste descents.

Where to stay: to keep prices under control, book a self-catering apartment. With Ski Collection (0844 576 0175, skicollection.co.uk), a week, arriving on January 16, costs £139pp, based on eight sharing a four-room apartment in L’Ours Blanc Privilège, including Eurotunnel crossings. Allow £300 per car for petrol and tolls.

Or try: Mayrhofen, in Austria — which has lots of skiing variety and jet-propelled après-ski. Crystal (0871 231 2256, crystalski.co.uk) has a week at the three-star Gasthof Brücke hotel, arriving on January 16, for £628pp, half-board, including flights from London and transfers.

The young family