PHOTO: © J Mugniery/laclusaz.com
There are many reasons to enjoy a magical festive season in the Alps, from a visit to Le Château du Père Noël to a Trapper’s Teepee. But a major development for this winter is the new Le Valléen gondola lift in St Gervais, which is forecast to reduce CO2 emissions in the area by up to 15%.
Award-winning French Alps ski specialist, Peak Retreats, has launched a selection of February half-term ski holidays by train via Paris. The holidays, for the week commencing 15/02/2025, are on sale now and include travel by train to a choice of resorts and accommodation that are all easily reachable by rail.
As part of its initiative to Get Brits Skiing, Ski Beat has introduced two new Toe in the Snow beginners’ weeks for rusty or first-time skiers. Ski Beat’s Laura Hazell explains: “Skiing is often shrouded in mystery for those who didn’t take family ski holidays as children. Around 1.5 million Brits ski annually, but the number could be much higher.
The world’s most iconic winter dance festival, Tomorrowland Winter, is returning to the French Alps in March 2025. For the fifth year running, ski tour operator Sunweb, festival organiser Tomorrowland and French ski resort Alpe d’Huez are coming together to organise the renowned event, which will take place from the 15-22 March 2025 in the mountains of the resort.
PHOTO: © Paul Villecourt / outdoor-reporter.com
Action Outdoors, the UK arm of the not for profit UCPA organisation, with all-inclusive holidays centres across the French Alps, is offering more ski touring courses this winter than ever before, with over 90 weeks and short breaks available to book across the winter season.
Building on the successful innovation of the launch of a “ski train” service, with the chartering of trains from London and Paris to the French Alps, Travelski – a subsidiary of Compagnie des Alpes – has launched a European request for bids to offer its customers a recurring low-carbon transport service by train from France, the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium (from Paris, London, Amsterdam and Brussels) to the French Alps over the three-year period from 2024 to 2027. Other routes from Spain are also envisaged.
Peak Retreats, the French Alps ski specialist, is offering a new concept to help its clients break up their self-drive journeys to and from the French Alps. Adding to their range of en-route hotels, the ‘en-route escapes’ concept allows skiers to explore more of France on their way to or from their ski holiday.
Ben Ross, Head of Travel @ Telegraph with Alison Willis from Peak Retreats. ©BenLis
Peak Retreats was named Best Ski Operator at the Telegraph Travel Awards on 11 July 2023. The Telegraph Travel Awards have been running since 1998, with the last taking place in 2019, when Peak Retreats also triumphed. The annual awards are decided by votes from Telegraph readers, with over 27,000 readers voting this year for their favourite destinations, airlines and travel companies.
THEY say there is no such things as a free lunch writes Skier & Snowboarder magazine editor Frank ‘Scoop’ Baldwin – and this was the case when I was invited to sample the fantastic food on offer through Huski, the company that delivers delicious meals prepared in the French Alps direct to your ski accommodation.