Ski Blog | Ski Resorts

When is too late too late to take a ski holiday?

‘Isn’t that too late?’ I am often asked when I suggest looking at a March or April ski holiday. For some reason most people seem to think that the ski season finishes at the end of March and that is it for another winter. And some people seem to think that all the snow melts in February!

Most resorts this season do not shut up shop until around April 21st and some even later than that!  I have seen many a season end with the lifts closing while there is still some great skiing to be had.  Seems such a waste! I've had several powder days in March and even April! 

March can be a great time to ski as can April!  You have got the snow base down already so there is plenty of snow to ski on and the days are longer and often warmer, it is the perfect time to enjoy a bit of sunshine and longer days.  You may not know but a lot of resorts put the closing times of their lifts back half an hour or an hour as the season progresses so you literally do have more time to ski!

That said why not make the most of it and have a long leisurely lunch in the sun or an après ski beer on the terrace of a bar and soak up the rays?  Can’t do that because it’s snowing? Oh well more snow to play in – definitely not too late to ski then!  

There can be some great deals around at this time of year as well for March and April holidays.   Check out our Ski Deals page for all the latest bargains – you won’t regret it!

14th February - Snow Report from Le Grand Massif

Wow! The snow has been amazing!

I have been lucky enough to be staying in Les Carroz for the last couple of weeks and it has barely stopped snowing!

Half Term is next week and there are still some February Half Term deals available - take a look at our Ski Deals page to find out more and click here for specific half term ski deals.

There is 4.5 meters of snow at the top of Flaine and this is pretty much the same across the Alps.  I have been to visit chalet owners in Morzine and Verbier in the last week or so and they are all reporting exactly the same!

We made a video of us having some fun in the powder last week - if you haven't seen it then do take a look at it here and you can see how much snow there has been!

It really is turning into an epic season!  The snow keeps falling and whenever you have booked a holiday you should be up for some great skiing!  If you haven't booked yet then keep an eye on our ski deals page for some great offers!

Watch a video of our latet snow report here...

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW - Amazing powder days!

It has been an epic season and it is only the beginning of February! 

Some are saying it's the best for 10 years, others the best for 14 and there are reports of record snow falls! 

If you are a good skier and enjoy skiing off piste and in the powder then the last couple of weeks you will have loved it!

If you are an intermediate it is a great time to learn as the powder is so light and fluffy and of course it is deep so when and that is when and not if you fall it won't hurt!  I really do subscribe to the 'if you don't fall you aren't trying' school! 

Your best bet is to have a lesson to learn the basics and not to develop bad habits - unless your friend who is offering to teach you is qualified then chances are they don't know what they are doing!!  For example - you do NOT lean back in powder so if anyone tells you that then tell them where to go and get some qualified advice!! 

Once you have mastered the basics then there really is nothing like floating through the powder! It is hard to put into words what it is like if you haven't experienced it! 

Go on get off piste and try it!  Of course if you do venture off piste you should make sure you have all the necessary safety equipment - transceiver, shovel and probe, and know how to use it!  Be safe and don't take risks!

We had some amazing days playing in the powder and have put this little video together....

Snow Report from & Luxury Chalets in Verbier!

I was lucky enough to go on a little road trip to Verbier yesterday where I met Nathasha from CK Verbier and she showed me round their luxury chalets.

Wow!  They really are luxurious with swimming pools, saunas, 24 hour on call drivers! Really impressive and lovely places ranging in size from 6 beds up to 31 so they can accommodate small families and large corporate groups as well.

Each chalet comes with a dedicated staff team of four:

• 24-hour in-resort chalet chauffeur with brand new top of the range Volkswagen Caravelles or a Range Rover Vogue. Just ask and you'll be driven.
• A professional chef trained to Michelin star standards to prepare breakfast, teatime treats and gourmet dinners. We offer four course fine dining with an emphasis on high quality, locally sourced ingredients. We can also offer rustic sharing platters, one of our culinary concepts designed by top chef Jamie Oliver's team. All of this served with our ample selection of delicious house wines. We are also happy to prepare children's tea or simple suppers. Just let us know what you like.
• The chalet hosts, attentive when you need it invisible when you don't. They'll be there to ensure that your boots are warmed, your glass is filled and that you always come home to a roaring fire.

I worked in Verbier a couple of years ago and it's a great resort with some superb skiing and fabulous apres ski bars, restaurants and clubs - I'd love to be able to go back and stay in one of CK's chalets and enjoy the luxury, I don't think I'll be doing that for a while unless I win the lottery!

I do know that their staff are 100% discreet and all bookings are taken in 100% confidence so if you are looking to escape the hassle and want to stay somewhere incognito then this is defintiely the place to go! 

Watch Natasha's snow report....

Snow Parks, tricks and not enough….....

It would be showing my age too much to say I learnt to do heli's on 207cm skis so I won't admit to that - oh....er......

Anyway... if you don't know what the hell a heli is all about then you are a lot younger than me!!  I am not sure when, but at some point they became 360's!! 

Along with 180's and twin tips and riding switch there are a load of other jumps and tricks that I haven't a clue what they mean when I hear the term - riding goofie, ollie's, backside, grabs, cork's, mute's, inverted 540's the list goes on and I get more confused - which is, admittedly, easily done!

Nowadays most resorts have snow parks and half pipes and even large air bags where you can practise without, or at least lowering, the risk of injuring yourself!  

It's not just snowboarders who have all the fun - skiers are just as skilled and pull off all sorts of tricks and Britain has one of the top Freestyle skiers in James Woody Woods he made the BBC front page recently with a superb photo of him and has won a World Cup gold this season! Great work! 

I watch the guys and girls in the park and am amazed at the skill and bravery of them as they pull all sorts of amazing jumps and tricks and tell myself that if it wasn't for my dodgy knee and sore back I'd be in there doing all sorts of things with them when if the truth be told it's because I don't have large enough erm..........

So I caught up with Kai in the Avoriaz snow park last week to find out a little as to what is going on up there!

Snow Report from Chamonix

I took a little road trip to Chamonix yesterday via Megeve and although I was running around meeting loads of great people looking at chalets and hotels I  couldn't help but be blown away but the beauty of the Chamonix Valley!  Just stunning! 

Unfortunately I didn't have time to ski which was a real shame as I love skiing in Chamonix - so much variety and views that take your breath away!

Some of the people I caught up with were the lovely Breezy & Al who run Ski Breezy and they showed us round their lovely catered chalet which is in a great location, just ten minutes from the town centre, it is bright, comfortable and looks like a great place to stay - all the guests we have sent there have given us great feedback.  

Breezy was good enough to give us this update on the snow conditions in Chamonix.

Ski Breezy have some fabulous deals in the next couple of months - some good deals during January (prices reduced to just £595pp for 20th & 27th January) and some great flexible breaks from the end of January from just £85 per person per night!  Oh and they still have February Half Term available as well!!  Don't miss out on that one!

We have to go back to the UK but otherwise we would be very very tempted - the cup of tea we had was great and the guests we met had had a great stay and were tucking into some delicious looking cake....mmmmmmm...  

Note to self - check what time tea is served and time chalet visits better........

New Year’s Day Snow & Ski Deal Report!

We met and skied with Ian from Les Carroz Chalets on New Year's Day and he gave us a quick up date on the snow conditions in Les Carroz, Le Grand Massif.

It has been a great start to the season and Ian has some fantastic offers for January with short breaks available from just £50 per person per night.  And that is in a catered chalet on a half board basis!  

Close to Geneva - just an hours drive so a very short transfer and some great snow if you haven't booked and are looking for a deal then this is really worth looking at! Check out more details here.

Watch what Ian says......

New Year’s Day Snow and Ski Report

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We hope you had a great 2012 celebrated in style last night, are not suffering too much today and have a fantastic 2013 planned!!

We have not had any snow since Santa brought us some at Christmas - we must have been good!!  Maybe!! 

However the conditions have been superb - superb snow on piste for carving it up or learning and even off piste is holding up though you do have to hunt that out to find it!

Find out more by watching our snow report - we think he may have had a late night, see how many (deliberate?!) mistakes he makes!! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR - have a great 2013 we hope you get all the snow and ski and snowboard holidays you want!!

Driving Home for Christmas

'So I sing for you
Though you can't hear me
When I get through
And feel you near me
I am driving home for Christmas
Driving home for Christmas
With a thousand memories'

Chris Rea once sang!!

I wasn’t singing as we boarded the Eurotunnel and set out on our journey to the Alps but I was very excited!  The early snow reports had been good and although the Alps aren’t strictly home I have spent 12 of the last 14 Christmases in the snow and they certainly have a thousand (and more) memories!

So trying not to jump up and down in the driver’s seat, we were soon cruising down the empty French motorway to our stop over for the night.

Booked only a couple of days before through one of the large hotel booking sites, we had struck lucky with La Maison Rouge in Noeux les Mines.  A perfect stopping point if you are driving to or from the Alps, just an hour from Calais and minutes from the A26.  And it’s not just a great location - the hotel is welcoming, has a lovely restaurant, fabulous food and a bar to sit in and relax after dinner.

With probably the largest Christmas baubles I have ever seen and a lingerie cupboard (sadly locked – and yes we did try the door! ), a comfortable bed and a great choice for breakfast what more could you want? However we were soon on the way again and had just an easy seven hour drive to The Alps to go.

Er……except it wasn’t that easy as it rained the whole way and made the journey an hour or two longer than expected – lots of spray and an extra couple of rest stops didn’t dampen the excitement and we were soon driving up the hill into Les Carroz with snow on the ground and more forecast. Excited and some more memories to make!

I have driven this route lots of times and although this wasn’t the easiest of journeys I would really recommend driving as an option. It is much easier to drive on French motorways than in the UK, the volume of traffic is far less, lots of service areas and several places to break up the journey – treat it as part of the holiday and enjoy it!

However you’re planning to get to the slopes this season, I wish you a safe, easy journey and plenty of the white stuff when you arrive. 

It’s looking good so far!

Winter is Nearly Here! Ski Shows, Early Snow & Winnie The Pooh - WE’RE EXCITED!

The clocks have gone back, the Ski Shows (Birmingham, London and Freeze) have all been and gone, the weather is getting colder, the ski mags are dropping on the doormats and we are excited!  That must mean that summer is over and winter is nearly here!

So what will this season bring?  What will the season be like for snow?  What has changed in the resorts?  Where will the best places to ski be?  What are the best ski and snowboard deals available?

As ever there is a load of new skis, snowboards and kit available and technology makes leaps and bounds – we particularly liked these new hi tech googles that wouldn't be out of place in a James Bond film!

We have loved the pictures and reports of early snow across most of the Alps which bodes well for the season though this can change very quickly as we wrote about in a blog last season.

What are your plans for this winter? Hopefully you will be able to make it out there for a ski holiday at some time this season – do check out our special deals and offers page on our website to find some ski accommodation that suits you and your budget!

The more it snows
(Tiddly Pom)
The more it goes
(Tiddly Pom)
The more it goes
(Tiddly Pom)
On snowing.

And nobody knows
(Tiddly Pom)
How cold my toes
(Tiddly Pom)
How cold my toes
(Tiddly Pom)
Are growing.

We may just be a little excited! How about you?