Ready….steady…..snow
Snow started falling across the Alps in August so if the saying that snow before September means a cold winter will follow, we should be in for the best ski season for years! Of course, it’s too soon to tell – resorts in Europe won’t open till the end of November at the earliest – but here’s a round-up of what’s new for this season to whet your appetite.
It can be hard to sell ski holidays if you’re not familiar with winter sports, but there are lots of websites where you can get vital information – www.skiclub.co.uk is a good place to start. It has recently launched a new tool to compare historical snowfalls in different resorts, which will help you decide which are the most likely to have the best conditions, and you can also read resort reviews on the site.
First-time skiers can get free lift passes, ski lessons and equipment hire from Crystal Ski – if they hurry! The operator, which is trying to encourage more people into a sport that has been losing customers for the past three years, has 300 free learn-to-ski packages to give away at selected resorts on certain dates in January and March. Beginners pay only for their standard package holiday.
Monarch, which has launched a range of scheduled flights to ski resorts this winter, has a dedicated ski website featuring all of its winter sports destinations, plus snow reports and tips from seven times British women’s downhill champion Chemmy Alcott. Monarch will be flying from five UK airports to seven ski gateways across Europe this winter.
Skiers travelling by train to Meribel in France’s 3 Vallées ski region are being offered shared resort transfers for the first time. Skiers arriving on the daytime Eurostar Ski Train can be met by a dedicated, shared transfer from Moutiers station to their hotel or chalet anywhere in the Meribel valley for a fixed cost of €20. The service is aimed at solo travellers and couples who would otherwise have to pay €65 for a private taxi for the 20-minute journey. The transfers are provided by transfer company Three Vallee Transfers in a joint initiative with rail-ski website Snowcarbon and the 3 Vallées Association.
Ski Total and sister company Esprit Ski, one of the most popular family ski brands, are offering pre-Christmas discounts on two of their luxury properties. Total has knocked £220 off seven nights in the Chalet Hotel Abendrot in Ischgl, Austria, for the week commencing December 16, and Esprit Ski has knocked £427 off a week for a family of four at the Chalet Hotel des Deux Domaines in Belle Plagne, France, also for departures on December 16.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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