Skiing holidays was once considered to be the exclusive past time only for the wealthier sector of society, but over the past 20 years or so, as more and more resorts have been established, a new budget skiing market has grown and in turn ski holidays have become accessible for the whole of society. Some long established resorts as well as newer ones to the British ski market have become established and can offer really good ski deals.

Andorra is a family friendly region and you can make good savings there, but not the huge amounts of money that some people purport to save. Some resorts in Andorra have really taken off price wise, but one that remains very good value is Arinsal. This resort has an excellent selection of confidence-building slopes and is ideal for first time skiers looking to avoid broken bones as well as a serious dent in their bank balance. It has a relaxed village atmosphere but there are also a number of restaurants and bars which give it a livelier edge. Arinsal provides pound for pound just about the best value for money skiing holiday in Europe.

Bulgaria has two ski holiday resorts which can offer you a cheap ski holiday; Bulgaria is a beautiful country and is establishing itself as a serious option for all types of skier. It has two main resorts, Pamporovo and the better known Borovets. They are undoubtedly amongst the best value resorts in Europe, both in terms of the cost of your travel and accommodation and spending money while you are there.

Slovenia, which in case you did not know, sits on the Alps and borders Austria and Italy and those that had been there will tell you, rightly, that it is a really beautiful country. If you are concerned about venturing into the unknown, you should not be. Kranjska Gora is the resort you should aim for, this is not because there is anything bad about other resorts in Slovenia, but because Kranjska Gora is a fantastic ski holiday resort.

If you choose from those resorts, we are confident that you can enjoy a great value ski holiday without losing anything in terms of quality of pistes or après ski.

Skiing holidays

During the winter months the rich and famous descend upon some of the best slopes for their annual skiing holiday, below are some of the top 3 European destinations to spot a celeb.

Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

In the Veneto region of Italy set among the Dolomite Mountains Cortina is Italy’s ski resort for the elite, famous for hosting the Winter Olympics in 1956, remnants of this still exist in the form of the Stadio del Ghiaccio (Ice Stadium), built for the Olympics which is now a public skating rink. Although skiing is now not the main focal point it does have some good runs especially for beginners with good lift access. If skiing is not your forte there are numerous high end designer shops such as Gucci, Prada, and Armani, hence the attraction for the rich and famous, like George Clooney.

Klosters, Switzerland

The renowned mountain resort of Klosters offers a unique combination of a romantic village-like atmosphere and the contrast of the metropolis of Davos which makes it a must for frequent visitors such as the British royalty, including Wills and Harry, their girlfriends and their father. In the tranquil setting of dark-wood chalets Klosters is also a family friendly resort with top notch ski trails, the Davos-Klosters region covers the famous Parsenn ski slopes and has over 300km of trails. For non skiers there are also plenty of activities including winter walking paths, horse-drawn sled rides and toboggan runs and there are also plenty of après-ski activities and nightlife venues in Klosters, and in nearby Davos.

Val d’Isère, France

Originally a small alpine farming village, Val d’Isere has kept many of its rustic features as well as become a modern alpine ski resort, with the quaint ‘Old Town’ that is steeped in tradition looking picturesque when lined in snow. A favorite for the privileged British and French, offering over 300km of marked pisted runs and unlimited off piste skiing making it ideal for skiers and boarders alike. There is also a wide range of restaurants and cafes serving local cuisine, and plenty of places to go out at night. Val d’Isere is also best known for its sports playground with a wide range of activities in both winter and summer.

Klosters

Picture Courtesy of andreaspopp

Chalet skiing holidays have grown over the years and now are as big as or probably bigger than the traditional hotel skiing holiday and there is good reason for it. A quality catered chalet skiing holiday in either Europe or North America can be seen as a home from home experience. You will find a genuine warm welcome from your hosts in all chalets.  Your skiing holiday specialist can arrange to take care of everything on a chalet ski holiday and you can be assured that you will find a friendly and comfortable environment taking care and attention to detail but still understanding that your relaxation and privacy are essential to a stress free holiday.

However, when embarking on the search for that winter skiing holiday at a catered chalet, why not get a group of like minded people together and ask your skiing holiday specialist to find you a chalet that you can take as a group? Think of the advantages of having all your friends together at a chalet and taking advantage of all that it can offer the fun, the quiz nights and party time all the time!

If you are thinking on these lines do not be afraid to haggle about the price if the leader of the group is prepared to do the negotiations, brochure prices can be used as a guide, you may get nowhere but then you often think this when you are in a Moroccan Souk! Let’s face it it does no harm to try and you never know you could either get a lower price as a group or maybe some discount on lift passes or even free lift passes, you never know! Call your ski holiday specialist and get the ball rolling.

Chalet Bel Alp, Arèches, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes

There are certain times of the year when it is more advantageous from a financial point of view to take a holiday and that includes a ski holiday. When considering your ski holiday there are times that you should avoid if you want to save money. The peak season for skiing holidays are Christmas, New Year and February half term, it is these dates in the calendar that you should avoid as the demand completely outstrips the supply and naturally the prices are at their highest.

The school half term places the greatest demand on ski resorts and this season all schools in England and Wales have chosen the same half term week, February 13th.  Naturally taking children on a ski holiday is one of the best adventures that they can have and getting them into skiing when they are young is the best thing that you can do for them, they will thank you forever! So if you want to take the kids on a ski holiday and feel that paying the price for half term is just too much to bear, Easter is a much better bet and Easter Sunday falls on April the 4th next year. Do not worry too much about the snow conditions, there is usually plenty about and if you choose a higher resort, you can be almost guaranteed snow, the place to find out is at your ski holiday specialist.

There are many ski enthusiasts and lots of first timers that will not have this problem, the children may be off your hands, or you have a willing grand parent who will entertain them when you are on your skiing holiday! For these lucky folk mid January is the time when you should be planning your ski holiday. At this time the snow cover is almost always good even in the lower resorts and the prices are at their best. March is also a good time too, offering longer days and lots of warmer sunshine, again talk to your ski holiday specialist he can find you  a low cost, high  glacial resort, pre Christmas that may mean you can go on two ski holidays, now there’s a thought.

Skiing Holiday

Choosing a ski holiday is a decision, that for most people, they will never regret and they return to for many years to come. A skiing holiday is not just about sliding down a hill covered in snow and occasionally rolling in it, in proper clothing of course, it is about a whole new experience. The resort itself is something that few would see in the course of choosing a holiday destination. The French ski resorts are renowned for their excellent skiing and snow conditions and although for the most part they are modern villages built in an alpine setting. Austrian Alpine resorts on the other hand are traditional villages which are lower in height than the French so snow conditions can be variable but they have an après ski that is renowned.

So what are the things that we should be looking for when deciding on a ski holiday? Most people would agree that you should choose a good ski holiday specialist, someone that has knowledge of the principal skiing areas, is well represented in the ski resort and is part of a major organisation such as fastrackski.co.uk which is part of the Virgin group. Your ski holiday company will arrange your ski passes, accommodation, ski school and après ski events and other items such as ski guiding. With most companies you will get a snow guarantee which means that in the event of lack of snow, they will take you to a nearby resort that has good conditions, which can often be the next valley just a few miles away.

Skiing holidays are now no longer restricted to a few resorts in the alpine region of Europe. Specialist ski holiday companies can arrange for you to holiday in the USA and Canada as well as some eastern European countries which are becoming increasingly popular and moderately priced. In addition, with certain companies it is possible to combine ski and sun which is achievable in the USA and Caribbean as well as the Sierra Nevada in Southern Spain, itself a popular ski resort. Contact your ski specialist holiday company and see just what fun you could be enjoying the winter.

Ski Lift

The beauty of skiing holidays is the total freedom that you have in the style of accommodation that you can choose and is normally available at all the major ski resorts in Europe and North America. However, which style of accommodation is right for you?

Traditionally hotels were the choice for skiing holidays; this was because they were restricted to a more affluent person and usually from the country where the skiing area was. Hotels have a number of advantages over apartments as an example, because everything is done for you. At the end of a day of hard skiing, nothing beats relaxing in a hot bath, going down to the bar for a drink with family or friends, followed by dinner in restaurant. Continental hotels in the skiing areas of Switzerland exude a quality that is difficult to find elsewhere, but of course you only get what you pay for. With the growing popularity of skiing as a winter activity, ski specialists great deals can be found in hotels, not only in Switzerland, but the popular ski areas of France Italy and Austria too.

Chalet holidays are now more popular than ever before and they offer all the advantages that can be found in a hotel ski holiday. Usually the numbers are considerably smaller sometimes as low as 8 or 9, so they make an ideal venue for a group of like minded people. Another point is that often the “chalet girls” are cordon bleu cooks and the meals that they serve up to the weary skier is fantastic. Wine is normally free flowing too, as much as you can drink! Chalet holidays are great fun particularly for the younger element and great deals are available through chalet ski specialists.

There are now more apartments in skiing villages than hotels or chalets and they can make a ski holiday cheap. Naturally apartment holidays are self catering and that can be part of the fun. Most ski holiday villages have a supermarket and the ingredients for a good evening meal or breakfast is readily available. Restaurants of every description abound in ski areas, not just up the mountain but in the villages as well. These are international in flavour and not just a reflection of the country in which you are skiing. Last minute deals are always around, particularly for self catering skiing holidays and your skiing holiday specialist will be able to offer you wide range over a broad price spectrum. The choice is yours.

When you decide to take a summer holiday you very rarely would choose the first one that you saw advertised, why would you? Choosing a ski holiday is different and it could be more important than one where you lay out of a beach drinking an odd glass of sangria! So what should you look for when trying to find a ski deal? Compared to cheap beach holidays ski holidays are more expensive and there are very good reasons for this; keeping the snow groomed on the pistes is just one expensive outlay along with a sophisticated lift system to be fully maintained and renewed regularly.

The first thing to consider is who is in your group or are you a couple taking a skiing holiday. If you’re in a party of beginners you don’t need to splash-out on visiting a ‘brand name’ resort with hundreds of kilometres of pistes. The smaller resorts across Europe can be a much cheaper alternative, less crowded and have a friendly atmosphere.

Wherever possible, just as with summer beach holidays, avoid school holiday time, the demand increases and the resorts can become very crowded pushing prices up. Christmas and New Year is always expensive and the snow fall in European resorts over recent times has been better much later in the season.

Do as much research as you can as to how particular resorts will cater for your group and if you have found something that suits you, get your ski holiday specialist to hold it for you. If it is a good deal it will not be around for long.  Another tip for you and your group, if you are with one, is to be flexible wherever possible. Departing a week later, opting for a chalet that a little further away from the nearest lift, or opting for a less well known resort that’s in the same skiing area could save you hundreds of pounds per person, for a group of ten it could be a thousand pounds plus!

Using a website like www.fasttrackski.co.uk has tools that allow you quickly view your results by board basis and star rating and very often a chalet ski holiday, which is great fun for a group or couple alike, is often cheaper than a B&B in the same ski resort. Search around there are good ski deals to be had and above all enjoy your ski holiday.

Everyone has to make a start at a new pastime or sport and skiing is no different to any other activity, but it is one that, because of our lack of mountain resorts, is foreign to most of us. However skiing is a winter sport that is growing in popularity as each year passes with the European Alpine resorts improving their facilities year on year. It is not just about traditional alpine style skiing either, snowboarding is the “hot” activity for the young with most resorts catering for them with snow parks and half pipe structures for them to practice their skills. So as you embark on your first skiing holidays what are the essentials you should consider before you contact your ski holiday specialist and that would have to include equipment and suitable clothing.

Initially we should look at skiing equipment and here we would suggest, that for at least a couple of years, you stick to traditional skiing and leave snowboarding until you have got the basics of skiing which will teach you balance and turning techniques. There is absolutely no point in buying expensive equipment until you can perform basic ski movements and decide whether the sport is for you, but we know of few who having first been to a ski resort have not returned year after year.
Hiring skis, poles, and boots is the best option and your ski holiday travel specialist will help you here. Companies such as fasttrackski.co.uk have specialist knowledge of the very latest equipment and it is through them and others that you will get the very best deals, sometimes as an all in package. Modern ski equipment is “light years” away from the stuff that was in the rental shops, even as short a time as 10 or 12 years ago. Modern skis are designed to turn easily with the minimum of effort and you will soon be enjoying that downhill run.

Boots are another area where great “strides” have been made, a far cry from the old lace up leather devices that made you wish you had never put them on! However, do not take the first pair that is offered to you if they feel at all uncomfortable, keep trying pairs on until you are satisfied they fit without hurting, you are going to have them on for a few hours a day. If after your first day you feet are hurting, take your boots back and get them changed, your ski holiday company rep will always help you. Have fun and plan your next skiing trip when you get back home!