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You hit the slopes all over Colorado, Utah and the Northeast in your 20s and 30s, but now it's time for an upgrade.The Swiss Alps offer an abundance of any kind of terrain the avid skier could hope for—from steep chutes to open bowls to long, mellow cruisers—and the snow is light, dry and reliable. Plus, the scope of the mountains offers endless runs that seem to last for hours. Then there are the expansive views from these alpine perches—dramatic, steep, spires and jagged formations of rock and ice, stretching across the horizon.

But the real reason to forego Aspen, Alta, or Whistler and cross the Atlantic for a ski vacation is the same reason you'd do it in the summer: the culture. In Switzerland, it never feels like you're in a resort town built around a ski area, so much as a mountain village where there also happens to be world-class skiing. These villages teem with typical Swiss characters, from modest mountaineers to children playing the Alpine Horn. It's not uncommon to ski through clusters of small, centuries-old buildings, complete with chapels.

Food and Drink
Ski areas in Switzerland usually offer a dining option at the top of every ski lift rather that just around the base. Besides the standard cafeteria-style fare there are plenty of full-service, mid-mountain restaurants with fine cuisine. It's a good idea to eat lunch late—it can be hard to hit the slopes again after a heaping plate of spaghetti Bolognese and a couple glasses of wine.

Transportation (on and off the hill)
Switzerland wouldn't be Switzerland without trains. All resorts are easily accessible by the Swiss rail system (www.sbb.ch); and some, including Zermatt and Wengen, are car-free villages accessible only by train. Many Swiss resorts also have ski trains to transport passengers to the top of their slopes but the most popular modes of on-hill transportation are still cable cars (trams and gondolas).

Where to go
For a huge variety of terrain and the best après-ski scene fly into Geneva and head to Verbier, or fly into Zurich and check out former host to the Winter Olympics, St. Moritz. The most dramatic scenery is found at either Wengen or Zermatt—both accessible from either Geneva or Zurich. Time your trip to Wengen to catch the oldest and best-known World Cup downhill race, in January. From the top of Zermatt's tram, you can ski over the border to Italy's Cervinia ski resort. If you're looking for a quieter mountain getaway, fly into Zurich and head to Andermatt, a smaller resort with fewer crowds but plenty of Swiss charm.

For more information on planning a Switzerland ski vacation, visit www.myswitzerland.com.