energetic: Skiing and Snowboarding

Try it once and you'll probably be hooked... Skiing and snowboarding are extremely popular winter sports in the UK. It is estimated that almost 2 million people went on a snow sports  holiday in the 2006/7 season. Most skiers and boarders choose to holiday in France, with Austria second choice but Canada and the USA are becoming increasingly popular. If you are looking for more exotic snow holiday ideas, some tour operators have introduced some very different locations to their brochures like Japan and The Lebanon and summer skiing is available in Chile. Despite gloomy economic forecasts and variable snow conditions, the skier and boarder numbers keep on rising but anyone who has experienced the sport knows the power of it – yes, you guessed it - I am an addict. This is promising to be one of the best seasons on record in Europe, with fantastic early season snow. Unfortunately, the weak pound is making a ski holiday look like an expensive luxury this year. Read our article "Holiday Ideas to beat the Credit Crunch" for some money saving ideas.

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UK

Scotland is our only choice for a ski holiday in the UK, unless you count the artificial indoor and outdoor slopes! The newest and also the highest of Scotland’s ski areas is the Nevis Range. Situated in the shadow of Ben Nevis, it also boasts Britain’s only mountain gondola. Glenshee offers the most extensive ski area in the UK with 21 lifts and 36 runs, providing a wealth of variety for all grades of skier. The north facing slopes of Cairngorm Mountain give it the best snow-holding record of any of the Scottish resorts and it has recently installed a new funicular railway to get you to the slopes. Unfortunately the weather is unpredictable, although last season was excellent and this year looks promising so far.

Europe

France is the number one choice for many of us when planning our ski holiday. It’s relatively close to home and can offer all types of holiday from self-catering to luxury hotels. Catered chalet holidays are very popular with skiers and boarders and French resorts have the widest choice of this type of ski holiday. Popular destinations include The 3 Valleys resorts of Courchevel, Meribel, Val Thorens and La Tania, which offer extensive high altitude skiing and great facilities for all grades of skier and boarder.  Although, with the collapse of the pound in recent months, Italy, Andorra, Bulgaria and Slovenia are all looking like better value options. Wherever you go in Europe this season, snow conditions are reportedly fantastic - Enjoy!

And Beyond

The USA and Canada have become popular choices for ski holidays over the past few years as the growth of charter flights to Vancouver, Calgary and Denver have helped to bring down prices. Whistler has been voted the number one resort in North America for a number of years and anyone who has been there can understand why. The skiing is extensive, facilities are first class, there’s a great choice of restaurants and shopping, customer service is excellent and the scenery’s not bad either! This year they have a new lift which links the two mountains and promises to make the resort even better. Other less well-know Canadian resorts worth a visit include Red Mountain, Fernie and Panorama.

Featured Articles

"On Safari" Takes On a New Meaning This Winter If you are a keen skier like me, you’ll be looking forward to your next ski holiday from the moment your last ski holiday finishes. It’s a sad fact for ski fanatics that most of us can only manage one week’s skiing in a year so ... Click Here

A Perfect Whistler Day My heart is pounding, my thighs are burning. Trees are flying past me as I take great gulps of the crystal-cold mountain air. I'm staying right behind my Whistler-Blackcomb ski instructor, Louis, and I am skiing like I have never skied before. In theory, Louis is giving me a ski lesson. In reality, he ...Click Here

Ski Holidays - A Resort Guide In Britain, we don't get an abundance of either sun or snow, so it stands to reason we'll go elsewhere for it. Ski resorts are a popular holiday choice amongst the British, and while not as great a variety as there is with sunspots, there's still plenty of choice to suit any taste. ...Click Here