The Kronplatz – plan de corones holiday region in winter

On arrival, every guest will receive a travel ticket from their host (where the host is a member of the local Tourist Association). The HOLIDAY PASS entitles guests to use…

Best slopes are above 2,000m in Méribel

There has been a lack of significant new snow in the Alps but existing snow has held well in the relatively cold conditions. Last night 5cm of new snow was…

Skiing in Obergurgl, including the best runs, hotels, restaurants and bars

Obergurgl, one of the highest ski villages in Europe, set at 1,930m at the end of the Ötztal valley near the city of Innsbruck, used to trade on its reputation…

Val Thorens – the highest resort in Europe

Purpose-built Val Thorens is not only the highest resort in the giant Trois Vallées ski area that includes Courchevel and Méribel, but the highest in Europe. Its lofty altitude means…

Whistler: too much snow to ski? No such thing

‘It’s puking snow up here again today,” said Anton Horvath, Whistler’s avalanche forecaster, peering out of his office window on Wednesday last week. “If you took off your skis outside,…

Val d’Isère – skiing in best freestyle ski areas

Joe Harkess, freestyle coach, All Mountain Academy Tricksters inspired by Jenny Jones’s Olympic bronze medal should ride the snowpark at Bellevarde (under the Mont Blanc chairlift). It has jumps of…

Snow wonder

While your friends head to Spanish beaches and Italian hills, Chile – with its numerous ski resorts – is an adventurous alternative to the typical summer holiday. Andean skiing offers…

Skiing in the French Pyrenees: who needs the Alps?

It wasn’t the usual airport transfer. We bumped along in the back of a friendly stranger’s battered old jeep, the resident cocker spaniel having obligingly moved to sit on his…

Puy-Saint-Vincent, great little ski resorts

Pretty Puy-Saint-Vincent sits on the edge of the Ecrins national park in the southern French Alps, not far from the Italian border. The closest airport is Turin, less than two…

Oz-en-Oisans – a family-friendly ski resort with amazing slopes

Before I had kids, my dream winter break was all about mixing great snowboarding with a good après scene involving live music and big jugs of beer, while a powder-tastic…

Head for the hills, the snow’s finally here

This season, Europe’s slopes have been so barren there were practically tumbleweeds blowing across them, until thankfully a deep covering of snow finally dropped over the Alps last weekend. But…