With the summer hols drawing to a close and many peoples’ thoughts turning to their next holiday in the snow, we thought we’d produce a short guide to all those things worth considering when you’re booking your (independent) ski holiday.
1. Who is in your group?
This is your starting point. The size, make up (family/friends/couples/lads/girls) and skiing/snowboarding ability of your party will determine to some extent where you go, how you will travel and the type of accommodation you will need.
2. Deciding where to go
Ski resorts vary enormously from the picturesque postcard resort of gingerbread house style chalets (Meribel) to their concrete constructed ugly sisters (Flaine); some are famed for live music and après-ski (Val d’Isere), others for on-piste (Serre Chevalier) and off-piste (La Grave) skiing; some are more beginner and/or child friendly, some have many snow parks (Morzine) and others pride themselves on having something for everyone including non-skiers. Groomed slopes and ski lifts vary in number from resort to resort from a small handful (St. Foy) to huge numbers in ski areas that link multiple resorts on one lift pass (Three Valleys / Portes de Soleil). Think high resorts (Val Thorens) for guaranteed snow conditions for early and late season breaks and lower resorts for easy road access.
3. How will you get there?
Now you’ve decided where to go there are a variety of options open to you in respect of how you get there. Flight + transfer, train + transfer or self-drive are the main ways of getting your group out to resort. Flight-wise there could be up to 4 airports local to your ski resort so researching the best option from your nearest home airport is best but don’t forget to factor in your transfer cost. Your chalet operator will often provide a transfer (either included in the price or for a small additional fee) so it’s worth checking with them first. Those taking the train can go direct overnight or during the day from London St. Pancras to Moutiers or Bourg-St. Maurice. Another option requires a quick connection dash across Paris (this is often cheaper but perhaps not one best taken with children in your party). Favoured by families is the self-drive option which often provides best value if there are 4 or more in the car. Don’t forget it’s a 10 hr or so drive to many resorts from Calais so take plenty of in-car entertainment!
4. What type of accommodation and catering are you looking for?
Ski resort accommodation includes chalets, apartments and hotels. Independently booked chalets will generally be run by enthusiastic hosts (often by the business owners themselves) and are usually fully catered to include breakfast, afternoon tea and evening meals with drinks although it is possible to find self-catered chalets. Apartments are usually self-catered and often you will be left alone once you have picked up your key. Hotels are much like hotels the world over - usually a perfectly comfortable (if perhaps a more impersonal than a catered chalet) way to spend your ski holiday. Families with young children should remember to ask about facilities and menus for younger family members. Another thing to bear in mind is the make-up of the rooms. Many will be twins and doubles but family suites and triples are also available. Check the location of your accommodation too. If you’re not within easy reach of the slopes or the ski bus, does your accommodation provide transport to and from the lifts? Don’t forget, if you go self-catered you will need to think about food and drink; is your accommodation in easy reach of supermarkets and/or restaurants? Factor in a food budget and don’t forget food bought in supermarket resorts is a lot pricier than in your local Tesco’s!
5. Booking lessons, equipment hire, lift passes, ski lockers etc
For all of these things, we recommend speaking with your chalet operator. They will often be able to order your lift passes, book your ski locker (if you want one) and point you in the direction of the nearest (and/or best value) ski hire company. They will also know who’s hot and who’s not when it comes to ski and snowboard instruction in resort. Tap them up for information and booking advice.
6. Insurance
Our advice is don’t leave home without it! Accidents do unfortunately happen, even if they aren’t your fault and you don’t want to be caught short of insurance if you need to be airlifted or stretchered off the mountain. Check your travel insurance small print and make sure you’re covered. If you do happen to leave home without sorting it out, buy the insurance on offer with your lift pass which covers you for all your activities on the mountain.
7. Having fun
This is the easy bit. If you’ve taken everything above into account then you’ve done the hard work. Sit back and relax with a vin chaud and a big slice of cake after a hard day on the slopes!
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