Val d’Isere – Best European Ski Resort

November 10th, 2008 - Posted by: Powder Monkey

The winners of the British Travel Awards were announced last week at a glittering ceremony in front of thousands of industry guests. The Awards, often referred to as the “Oscars” of the travel industry, were created to acknowledge excellence in the field. And the winner of Best European Ski Resort is…Val d’Isere.

It’s no surprise that Val d’Isere, which has long been the preferred resort of British skiers, came out top in the public vote. And here’s for why. Val d’Isere is part of the Espace Killy, a vast ski area lift-linked to Tignes with an excellent snow record and served by one of the most modern lift networks in Europe. The resort itself is known for its luxury accommodation, gourmet restaurants and superb nightlife. Val d’Isere has it all.

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Tags: British Travel Awards, Tignes, Val d'Isere
Posted in News from the Alps, Skiing in France, Skiing in Luxury, Snowjet | No Comments »

Travel to the French Alps - Snowtrain or Slow Strain?

November 5th, 2008 - Posted by: Powder Monkey

I recently read interesting an article in the Telegraph Online about the merits of using the Snow Train to travel to the French Alps. The journey involves catching the Eurostar at either St Pancras or Ebbsfleet International then changing at Paris Gare du Nord to the Snow Train which stops at Moutiers and Aime and terminates in Bourg Saint Maurice. On the outward journey you depart from the UK on Friday evening, travel overnight, and arrive early Saturday morning. On the return leg, you depart on Saturday evening. It’s a clever schedule on paper that makes for 8 days skiing but I wonder what passengers make of the service in practice.
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Tags: budget ski holidays, Snowheads, Val d'Isere
Posted in News from the Alps, Skiing in France, Travel to the French Alps | 2 Comments »

3300 Reasons to Choose the French Alps for Your Next Skiing Holiday!

November 4th, 2008 - Posted by: Powder Monkey

France offers skiing on a massive scale. At the last count there were 3300 ski lifts in the French Alps. Placed end-to-end, they would stretch for 1800 miles. That’s further than the distance between London and Moscow! It’s unsurprising, then, that France is home to the world’s biggest linked areas. Giant ski circuits, like The 3 Valleys, The Espace Killy, The Portes du Soleil and Paradiski, dwarf rivals elsewhere in Europe and swamp North American contenders 2 or 3 times over. The largest of these, The 3 Valleys, boasts 600+km of pistes - more than enough to keep even the most high-mileage skier happy.

Top of Europe - Val Thorens with Mont Blanc in the background

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Tags: Chamonix, Global Warming, Monetier-les-Bains, Mont Blanc, Purpose-Built Resorts, Saint Sorlin d'Arve, Serre Chevalier, Skiing in France, Traditional Mountain Villages
Posted in News from the Alps, Skiing in France, Snowjet, Travel to the French Alps | No Comments »

Ski Sunday - Save Time & Money

October 30th, 2008 - Posted by: Powder Monkey

The vast majority of ski holidays, both packages and DIY, are sold on a 7 night basis from Saturday to Saturday. Just a small percentage of accommodation providers offer week long breaks starting on Sunday, yet there are many advantages to arriving a day later. On route, quieter airports, quieter airspace and quieter roads mean you’ll get to resort more quickly and with less hassle than the Saturday masses. On arrival, fewer people in the lift pass office and the ski hire shop mean you won’t waste valuable slope time getting kitted out. And on the Saturday of your holiday the fact that everyone else is on the move means you get the mountain virtually to yourselves.

You might think that these privileges would come at a premium. In fact, opting for Sunday travel also saves you £££. Sunday ski flights are on average 20% cheaper than those on Saturday. Choose to ski in the low season and you could pick up a real bargain. Latest offers from Snowjet include Gatwick to Chambéry on Sunday 4th January from £29 one way.

Read on for the pick of accommodation providers who offer Sunday arrivals.

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Tags: budget ski holidays, La Plagne, La Rosiere, Sainte Foy, Snowjet, Tignes
Posted in Skiing in France, Skiing on the Cheap, Snowjet, Special Offers, Travel to the French Alps | No Comments »

Ski Holiday Money Saving Tips

October 29th, 2008 - Posted by: Powder Monkey

When

1. An obvious one perhaps, but if you can, avoid holiday periods when the price of just about everything goes up. The first and second weeks in January are usually the cheapest and there are often bargains to be had in March. If you are confined to school holidays, Christmas and Easter weeks are generally far cheaper than New Year or Half Term and go high (Val Thorens, Tignes, Les Arcs) for good early/late season snow.

Where

2. If you want to ski in any of the giant ski areas like The 3 Valleys, The Espace Killy or Paradiski stay in an outlaying village rather than in the big name resorts. Outside the celebrated centres of Val d’Isere, Courchevel, Les Arcs etc you’ll find everything comes cheaper (except your lift pass).

For all-round savings, try somewhere completely different like little-known ski resort Saint-Jean-d’Arves. Picturesque Saint-Jean is an integral part of the Les Sybelles ski area which boasts 310km of piste, making it the 4th largest in France!
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Tags: budget ski holidays, Flights to Geneva, Flights to Grenoble, Saint Jean d'Arve
Posted in News from the Alps, Skiing in France, Skiing on the Cheap, Snowjet | 2 Comments »