Have you heard? Last winter was a cracker. In the Alps, the ski season got off
to the best start for a generation and finished with a memorable March and
early April. In North America, some resorts broke snowfall records before
the season spun on into the southern hemisphere, giving Chile, Australia and
New Zealand superb conditions. Last month parts of New Zealand had the
biggest snowstorms since 1992.
There’s lots to look forward to: from stunning new resort infrastructure to
money-saving offers and mould-breaking skis, the industry is having one of
its periodic bursts of creativity. Here are six of the best developments
that lie ahead:
Learn to ski or snowboard for free in January
Planning to join the fun for the first time this winter? Well, you’ve timed
your arrival perfectly because a coalition of ski resorts and tour operators
is making learning to ski and snowboard a lot cheaper.
The Freshers Ski Weeks have been designed to tempt newcomers onto the slopes.
Genuine beginners who book a holiday for the weeks of January 17 or January
24, 2009, with one of the featured operators will get tuition, lift passes
and equipment hire for free. Depending on the resort, that could save more
than £400pp on the cost of your holiday. You need to act quickly, though, as
the initiative launched on September 8 and the number of places is limited.
There are about 36 resorts to choose from in Andorra, Austria, Canada,
Finland, France, Norway and Switzerland. Many of skiing’s most famous names
feature, such as Courchevel and Zermatt. Some beginners may prefer a
relatively low-key choice, Obergurgl in Austria, perhaps. It’s by no means a
bargain-basement resort but its high altitude ensures high-quality, grippy
snow on the nursery slopes (vital when you’re learning). With Crystal Ski
(0871 231 5645, www.crystalski.co.uk),
one week’s half-board four-star hotel accommodation in the resort, arriving
January 24, starts from £679pp, including flights and transfers. Details at www.snowlife.org.uk/
freshers-ski-week.
Skiing powder just got easier
There’s been a revolution in ski design. Manufacturers have realised that
cruising through deep powder snow is a lot like water skiing, and have
changed the shape of their specialist powder skis accordingly. They’re now
fatter in the middle than at the tips and bend up from the boot rather than
curving gently down towards the tip. As a result, they’re far more
manoeuvrable, even at moderate speeds.
A pair of these new skis would be perfect for a trip to Revelstoke, the
Canadian resort that opened in December 2007 to rave reviews. It sits in a
particularly wintry belt of British Columbia and averages a whopping 12m-18m
of snow a season. On-piste skiing is still fairly limited, with only four
lifts, but the resort boasts the longest skiable vertical drop in North
America.
You can enjoy the powder here in the lift-serviced, off-piste terrain of the
North Bowl or by using the resort’s in-house cat-skiing (where you travel to
ski spots in a snowcat) or heli-skiing operations. The heli-skiers have
access to a mind-boggling 500,000 acres of extra terrain, by the way. With
Crystal Ski (0871 231 5645, www.crystalski.co.uk),
one week at the Hillcrest Hotel near Revelstoke starts from £929pp, room
only, including flights and transfers – but not the cat- or heli-skiing.
Paradiski is back in business
Last winter the Vanoise Express – a double-decker cable car in the French Alps
– was withdrawn from service because of worries about the cables. Bit of a
shame, that: it connects the resorts of La Plagne and Les Arcs, which
together make up the mega-area of Paradiski, offering 264 miles of pistes
and oodles of off-piste in between. It’s good news, then, that the cable car
will be back in business in 2008-09, helping skiers to avoid a long, tedious
commute between the two resorts.
To make the most of the Paradiski, on-piste skiers should stay on the Les Arcs
side of the link, in an extended village called Peisey-Vallandry. This is
because the best intermediate pistes in the area are found on its doorstep.
Off-pisters should target the village of Belle Plagne, which affords quick
access to the hair-raising descents on the north and south sides of the
3,416m Bellecôte. With Crystal Ski (0871 231 5645, www.crystalski.co.uk),
one week at L’Arollaie self-catering apartments in Peisey-Vallandry starts
from £369pp, based on four sharing, including flights and transfers. First
Choice Ski (0871 230 8209, www.firstchoice-ski.co.uk)
has a week half-board at Hotel Terra Nova, La Plagne, from £559pp.
Whistler winds up for the 2010 Winter Olympics
There’s only one season left before this Canadian resort co-hosts the Winter
Olympics with Vancouver, and in anticipation it is opening a stunning piece
of infrastructure. The Peak 2 Peak gondola will carry skiers between the
summits of the resort’s two mountains, Blackcomb and Whistler, in just 11
minutes.
It’s going to be a nerve-tingling experience, with a 1.88mile unsupported span
between the peaks and a vertical drop below of up to 436m, as well as an
enormous improvement to the skiing/boarding experience.
Effectively, there are two climates here – mild and sheltered on the lower
slopes, cold and wintry higher up. In warmer temperatures, when the lower
slopes are slushy, the Peak 2 Peak will allow you to ski good snow all day
on both mountains without having to drop down low. The lift is due to open
in December.
With Thomson (0871 231 5622, www.thomsonski.co.uk)
a week in a self-catering apartment in Whistler, arriving December 13,
starts from £699pp, including flights and transfers.
Kids can ski for free in Andorra
The Pyrenean principality of Andorra used to be a bargain for British skiers.
Recently it tried to go upmarket and lost a lot of business to the resorts
of eastern Europe. This season, it hopes to reestablish its money-saving
credentials with a “kids ski for free” programme. All of the principality’s
resorts will provide free lift passes for under14s when their parents book
holidays through a British or Irish tour operator.
The resort of Soldeu-El Tarter is best for families. It’s quieter than
neighbouring Pas de la Casa, has an excellent Brit-friendly ski school and
offers intermediate-friendly pistes for the grown-ups. With Crystal Families
(0871 231 5645, www.crystalfamilies.co.uk),
a week half-board in a family room at the Hotel Nordic costs from £619pp for
adults (£433 children), including flights and transfers.
London hosts the Snowboard World Cup
The 2008-09 Snowboard World Cup series will kick off at Battersea power
station – the first time a boarding event of this stature has been staged in
the UK. The competition will be the centrepiece of the Free Sports on 4
Freeze, a new music and wintersports festival on October 23-26.
The world’s best riders will compete on a 17m-high jump covered with real
snow. There will also be live bands and DJs and several of the most famous
après-ski bars in the Alps are expected to open temporary Battersea branches
for the duration of the festival. It should be quite a party – visit www.londonfreeze.com
for details.
