There’s an avalanche forming in the ski industry this autumn - and it’s not of snow but of discounted holidays.

It’s quite a change from the spring and summer, when ski holidays over February half-term were flying off the shelves and tour operators scrambled to find extra hotels and destinations. Now, for many other weeks in the season - especially Christmas - demand has stalled. Clearly, it’s going to be a buyer’s market.

The only concern is when to buy. The discounts have appeared early this year, and with the economic outlook so gloomy, it’s by no means certain that demand will pick up again before Christmas. So the temptation will be to hang on until the very last minute to see if prices fall even further. That way, you can also target mountain ranges and resorts that have had the best early-season snow.

This strategy could work if the price cuts are currently in the region of 10%-15%. But if you find an appealing holiday in an Alist, high-altitude resort, and the price cut is much deeper, I’d be inclined to snap it up straightaway.

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Lately, there have been a few 50% discounts floating about, but they’ve been short-lived. They have either sold out quickly to eagle-eyed bargain-hunters or have been withdrawn once they’ve attracted the market’s attention and stimulated demand.

Here’s a selection of the best offers currently available. If nothing suits, sit tight and keep looking, courtesy of online ski specialists such as www.ifyou ski.com and www.igluski.com, which gather most of the deals available at any given moment. There are bound to be more on offer over the coming weeks.

Save £217: even cheap-as-chips, self-drive, self-catering holidays are being discounted in the current climate. With Ski Collection (0844 576 0175, www.ski collection.co.uk ), a two-room Sun Valley apartment in Plagne Soleil, which sleeps four, costs £866 for a week, arriving on February 7 - or £216pp. Factor in £75pp for fuel and tolls, and £10pp for a ferry crossing with SeaFrance (0871 423 7119, www.seafrance.com ), and that makes for a cheap holiday in a high, snow-sure resort. La Plagne best suits first-timers, the more hesitant kind of piste-cruiser and hairy-chested experts.

Save £346pp: Crystal (0871 231 2256, www.crystalholidays.co.uk ) is offering chalet holidays in the French resort of Avoriaz for Christmas week for £599pp, staying at the ski-in, ski-out properties of Perce Neige and Violette, including flights and transfers. Traffic-free Avoriaz is high enough for December skiing, and has a good snow-fall record, too. It also has superb terrain parks for wannabe acrobats - one of which features a giant air bag to cushion your landing.

Save £385pp: Ifyouski (www.ifyouski.com ) has a week at the four-star Hotel du Glacier in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, for £499pp, including flights from London, transfers and half-board accommodation, arriving on January 24. Saas-Fee is pretty, car-free and stunning. The pistes are of the highest quality, too, but are limited in extent. It suits older, competent skiers who don’t want to ski all the time, or first-timers - because there’s an excellent beginners’ area away from the main slopes, with its own lifts.

Save up to £412: Inghams (020 8780 4447, www.inghams.co.uk ) has Christmas week in the four-star Alpine Hotel Wolf in the Austrian resort of Hinterglemm for £649pp, half-board, including flights from Gatwick and transfers. The Wolf has been recently refurbished, and the skiing will best suit those who like to cruise the corduroy.

Save £500pp: with upmarket specialist Scott Dunn (020 8682 5050, www.scottdunn.com ), a week in its Chalet Pauline in Val d’Isère, France, now costs £1,275pp, half-board, including flights from London and transfers. To get this price you have to book the entire chalet, which sleeps 10; if you book by the room, the discount is £350pp. Either way, it’s still not cheap - but the chalet is gorgeous and has its own pool and hammam, as well as good food and a high level of service. Val is one of the great all-round resorts, but it’s best for energetic and athletic skiers and snowboarders.

Save £629pp: with Ski Independence (0845 310 3030, www.ski-i.com ), a 10-day holiday in the five-star Westin in Whistler, Canada, arriving on January 15, costs from £1,347pp, room-only, including flights from London and transfers. Included in this discount is the value of a free upgrade to a one-bedroom suite - and there are further savings to be made, because the hotel offers guests £25 a day to spend in its restaurants, and Ski Independence offers a “pay seven, get 10” offer on its lift passes, cutting another £84 off the cost of the trip. Whistler suits skiers of all abilities, and this winter has the added attraction of the dramatic new Peak to Peak gondola.

Save £1,137 for a family of four: the family-ski specialist Esprit (01252 618300, www.espritski. com ) has an eye-popping selection of discounts available over the first month of the season, including Christmas in resorts across the Alps (holidays are priced per family rather than per person). This discount is for Christmas week (arriving on December 21), for two adults and two children under 12, at Chalet Hermine in Peisey-les-Arcs, part of the vast Paradiski lift system. The childcare rooms are purpose-built and on-site, and membership of Esprit’s kids’ clubs and crèches starts from £171 a week per child. The total price for the whole family is £1,895, including flights from London, transfers and half-board accommodation.

- For detailed reviews of all the resorts featured above, visit www.welove2ski.com

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