Red slopes

La Videmanette, at 7.5 km long, is the longest slope in the Gstaad skiing area. The varied descent, with red and blue sections, covers a total vertical distance of 1160 metres. If you feel the need for rest and refreshment, there's the Buvette de Rubloz mountain restaurant beside the slope and a bar at the valley station.

The red slalom slope on the Niederhorn is steep and exciting. In other words, it's perfect for carvers who love to make wide, sweeping turns in the snow. And by the way, this small, family-friendly skiing area can be reached from Thun and Interlaken in just 20 minutes. An insiders' tip for families, at 1950 metres above sea level.

The name says it all: the red Sunshine run is located on a sunny slope on the Hasliberg. It sweeps down from the Alpen Tower panoramic restaurant up at 2250 metres on the Planplatten all the way to Bidmi, with panoramic views along the way. In the middle is the Gummen alpine hut, always worth a visit.

The red Palace slope takes you from the Allmendhubel at 1907 metres all the way round the side of the mountain and down to Mürren. For a relaxed aperitif or some après-ski, there's the unusual Gondelbar at the Jungfrau Hotel right beside the piste. It serves imaginative drinks and has seating and standing room for about 20 people.

More advanced skiers can try the red slope from Oberjoch, which features a photo point at the start and fantastic views of the First skiing area, Grindelwald, Kleine Scheidegg and Männlichen, and takes you down to the First cable car station. There's a separate "Tempo 30" zone where you're guaranteed some enjoyable, relaxed skiing.

The Chuenisbärgli in the Bernese Oberland has been one of the venues for the Skiing World Cup in Adelboden for over 50 years. On the same red run used by the world's elite skiers, in February there's night skiing every Friday, with a laser and snow sports show – and, with a bit of luck, moonlight!

On the red slope at the AUDI Skicross Park Adelboden Sillerenbühl, up to four skiers at a time can race from top to bottom to see who is fastest. It's enormous fun for fans of banked curves, bumps and jumps.