Sicilia, Italy

Capital City: Palermo
Closest Airport: Palermo
Population: 4,772,000
Resort Area: Catania - Taormina
Snow Season: December - March
Main Language: Italian
Currency: Euro

If you've always found hurtling down a mountainside a bit tame, why not up the ante? A few select places in the world allow you to add to the usual dangers associated with sking the possibility of being overtaken by a lava flow. Mount Ruhapehu in New Zealand's North Island is one. Mount Etna in Sicily is another.

Being the highest point in Sicily at 3,350 metres, Etna gets great snow during the winter and has nearly a 1,500 metre vertical drop. If you went back year after year, you might find the contours of the pistes kept changing, but that only adds to the charm of skiing an active volcano.