European tour operator Travelski (www.uk.Travelski.com) has launched rail inclusive packages from St Pancras station direct to six major ski resorts in France.
The Travelski Express train will leave St Pancras on Friday evenings arriving into Moutiers and then Bourg St Maurice the following morning.
Rob Rees takes us on a tour around Austria’s five major ski glaciers and explains how a chance to get back on the piste is just around the corner
If you are desperate to get back on the snow after our enforced 18-month hiatus, get out to Austria this autumn where you can enjoy one of the biggest professional ski tests in the Alps, or simply treat yourself to a flexible ‘White 5’ lift pass that covers all five Tirolean glaciers on one ticket.
Like many Austrian resorts, Kitzbühel has put in a whole range of covid protection measures to keep visitors safe this winter.
Situated in the Tirol at an altitude of between 762 – 2,000m, skiers and snowboarders have a choice of 57 cable cars and lifts, 233km of pistes and 92 marked and groomed ski slopes, plus the Hanglalm Snowpark to enjoy. There’s also natural toboggan runs and four artificial and two natural ice-skating rinks.
Canada has opened up its borders to fully vaccinated UK travellers which means skiers and snowboarders can return to the popular resort of Whistler Blackcomb this season. Here is a taste of what’s new in the British Columbia ski area.
The 78th International Inferno Races in the Swiss resort of Mürren taking place on 19– 22 January 2022 is completely sold out. This year, well over 2,100 ski racers applied for a limited number of 1,850 entries for the competition which sees amateur and recreational skiers get the chance to line up alongside top racers and well known names.
Covid-19 and Brexit have turned traditional chalet holidays upside down this season says Ski France. Therefore, the company has come up with a new concept – contactless catered chalets.
Ski France has more than 50 contactless catered chalets across the French Alps located in top resorts such as Val d’Isère, Tignes, Méribel, Courchevel, La Tania, La Plagne and Alpe d’Huez.
Three Californian ski resorts in the path of a devastating forest fire appear to have escaped the worst of the dramatic blaze although some equipment and outbuildings have been fire damaged.
The Caldor fire, which began in mid-August, covered more than 200,000 acres and strong winds drove it towards the major resort-town of South Lake Tahoe located on the California/Nevada border. It is located directly below Heavenly Mountain Resort and a full evacuation was ordered when smoke made it difficult for inhabitants to breathe.
Zermatt’s lift company (Zermatt Bergbahnen AG (ZBAG) says it is determined the pandemic will not delay its plans for the future which include an investment of around 60 million Swiss francs over the next two years.
With covid travel restrictions now easing, more couples, friends, and families will be looking to go away together. But what do you do when there is a split between those who do ski and snowboard and those who don’t? Courmayeur Mont Blanc, in the Italian Alps has come up with some exciting suggestions.
Adventurous guests are being invited to discover fresh and bottomless powder snow during mountain orientation programmes at the Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, in Japan.
An expert team of Higashiyama Reservists with guide skiers and snowboarders to exclusive locations from the ski-in ski-out sanctuary located in the vast wilderness of alpine peaks and open expanses of Niseko Village.
Couples, husbands and wives, or even families which are divided by those who ski and snowboard and those who don’t could find the solution to a satisfactory holiday together surrounded by the snow covered mountains in the French resort of Méribel, part of the world famous Three Valleys.
The Warren Smith Ski Academy has launched its new GAP ski program for the 2021-22 winter season, based in Verbier, Switzerland, with two start dates in early December and February.
Students will aim to qualify as IASI (Irish Association of Snowsports Instructors) Level 1 & 2 ski instructors, providing them with a qualification that is recognised in a number of countries around the world.
The Chalet Company has added more properties to its portfolio in Meribel and to give you a taste of what you can expect they have put together some virtual tours on their website – you can even hook them up to a VR headset, to really feel like you’re right in the chalet.
The Chalet Izia luxury apartments in Val d’Isere.
Help kick of 2022 with two fabulous short break packages from Esprit Ski to get you and your family back on the slopes again. Available from the 4th to 8th January, Esprit Ski are even offering FREE and half price child places.
The village of Megève in the French Alps is a ski (and snowboarder) lovers paradise. With over 400km of immaculately prepared runs, catering for all abilities, it is easy to see why visitors return to the medieval cobbled streets of Megève year after year.
Ischgl’s new €60m wellness complex currently being constructed is right on schedule to open at the end of next year (2022).
The impressive multi-level Silvretta Therme will have spectacular panoramic mountain views and is right in the heart of the Austrian ski resort, which has a focus on health, wellbeing, luxury and lifestyle.
Is it possible to take his family skiing during February half-term without breaking the bank? IAIN MARTIN from The Ski Podcast set off for the French Pyrénées to find out
Queues, heavy traffic, an almighty dent in your bank balance? Why on earth does anyone go skiing at half-term? Probably because for many families with schoolchildren, this is one of the few times during the season it is possible to ski together because of term times etc. And this often also means prices are at a premium. I wanted to see if it was possible to have a family February half term ski trip on a budget, so I set myself a target of £2,000 for my family of four.
The Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum in the Austrian ski resort of Hochgurgl, which contained hundreds of historic and rare motorbikes, plus other vehicles, has been destroyed by fire.
The museum, located at The Crosspoint on the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road that links Austria to Italy, was a popular attraction for skiers and snowboarders in the winter season and the 100,000-plus motorcyclists who ride the route from Tirol’s Ötztal Valley to Italy’s South Tyrol in the summer, with many stopping to visit the museum.
At the last count an estimated 27 European nations will be open for skiing of some kind during the festive period – but the situation is very complicated and with restrictions already in place, and the latest news that many countries are banning visitors from the UK because of the new strain of covid, it is unlikely that British skiers and snowboarders will be able to go to the mountains for Christmas or New Year.
Swiss ski resorts found themselves in the media spotlight recently when photographs appeared on social media platforms showing what appeared to be skiers and snowboarders in lift queues failing to socially distance.