Flying private to the mountains sounds like pure indulgence, but it often solves a real problem: ski resorts are remote, and the last leg of the journey can eat half a day. Not every alpine airstrip can take a jet, though — runways are short, elevations high, weather fickle. Knowing which destinations pair serious skiing with a workable airport is the trick. Here's the pick of them, from Colorado to Hokkaido.

In the US, Aspen remains the celebrity magnet, with four mountains covering every ability and a town full of restaurants and galleries for rest days. Aspen/Pitkin County Airport is only ten minutes from downtown, though restrictions mean checking aircraft suitability first. The Little Nell, beside the Silver Queen Gondola, offers ski-in/ski-out access and a ski concierge who can get you first tracks. Telluride, in a box canyon in the San Juan Mountains, is the quieter alternative — Telluride Regional sits at 9,070 ft and doesn't suit every jet, so Montrose with a 75-minute drive is the fallback. Stay at the Madeline in Mountain Village. Jackson Hole suits adrenaline-seekers (hello, Corbet's Couloir), with its airport oddly located inside Grand Teton National Park; the Four Seasons in Teton Village has a heated outdoor pool for post-slope recovery. Deer Valley in Utah, reachable in about 40 minutes from Salt Lake City, is built around minimal queueing and immaculate grooming, with the Montage as the standout base.

The Alps serve up more glamour per square mile. Courchevel 1850 has its own altiport, but the steep, short runway demands specialist aircraft and pilots — Chambéry plus a one-hour drive is more realistic. Cheval Blanc pairs ski-in/ski-out access with a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Le 1947, run by Yannick Alléno. Switzerland offers three very different moods: St. Moritz for sunny high-altitude skiing and grand-hotel socialising (Badrutt's Palace is the classic, ten minutes from Samedan airport); Gstaad for old-money discretion, with the Alpina and Saanen airfield nearby; and car-free Zermatt, where a helicopter from Sion gets you to the Matterhorn's doorstep in 15 minutes. Verbier, 45 minutes from Sion, brings serious off-piste and a lively après scene, best based at the W.

Further afield, Whistler Blackcomb rewards longer stays with two vast mountains — Vancouver airport plus a 2.5-hour drive, or a 30-minute helicopter. Lech in Austria's Arlberg offers linked terrain without the party scene, an hour and a half from Innsbruck. And Niseko in Japan is the powder pilgrimage: deep, light snow across four connected resorts, plus onsen bathing and excellent dining. It's the longest transfer even by private jet — New Chitose airport, then two to three hours by road — but the Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono handles the logistics and will even serve you dinner in a snow-covered igloo.

Who's this for? Anyone valuing time on snow over time in transit, and it's a useful map even if you fly commercial — the hotels and transfer routes work just as well without the jet.