Over three million people will be heading abroad over Christmas and the new year despite the recession, according to figures released by the Abta travel association.

Abta said the Christmas break would see more than two million people leaving the UK through Heathrow and other BAA airports alone, for snowy as well as sunny destinations.

About 210,000 people will be travelling to Europe by Eurostar and a similar number would take their car by rail under the sea or travel by ferry.

The good early season snowfalls in Europe have helped to get the ski season started early and Geneva will be the main gateway for UK skiers flying out to the Alps.

However, the Association acknowledges that many bookings for holidays being taken now were made before the economic crisis really bit. Tour Operators are also being quick to point out that the best deals around at the moment are package holidays, which are often all inclusive and based on last year's prices which offered a better exchange rate.

Skiers who haven't already booked may be tempted head out of the 'eurozone' to Eastern Europe where they may find their pound stretches further. Or could take advantage of the last minute deals currently being offered by tour operators. Look in our member's discounts section to see which companies offer the best discounts for Ski Club members, and check our online guide to saving money on the slopes.

Monday 22nd December:

 

The heaviest Arctic blast in nearly three decades has coated the normally sunny city.

The city is usually associated with desert heat, where visitors have to retreat to the air-conditioned casinos. However visitors to Las Vegas are now being greeted by the worst snowstorms in the Nevada city in 30 years.

The US National Weather Service has said that the city faces its biggest snowstorms since 7.8 inches of snow was registered in 1979. Schools have been closed, flights grounded, and major roads have been closed as the iconic Strip was buried under five inches of snow with more forecast.

"This is the most snow we've had in Las Vegas in almost 30 years," said Chris Stachelski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. He added that the freak weather represents "a significant historical event".

The snowstorms appear to be part of a freezing weather pattern sweeping across the United States.

For more info and photos on this story go to www.timesonline.co.uk

Tuesday 16th December 2008:

Extremely heavy snowfall forced Val d’Isère, Saas Fee and Alagna to temporarily close on Monday, whilst Tignes only managed to open 2 lifts due to the extreme weather.

Val d'Isère-Monday (c/o John at YSE)

Zermatt-Monday

The weekend skiing in France was fantastic with largely sunny skies on Saturday and Sunday combined fresh powder off-piste. However Monday wa a completely different story in the Espace Killy. A metre of snow had fallen since Sunday morning and was still coming down hard on Monday. Tignes only managed to open two lifts on Monday morning, including one drag lift on the beginner slopes and the Tichot chair from Val Claret.

It was a similar story in the northern Italian Alps, close to the French and Swiss borders, where it has been snowing extremely heavily. Alagna has received 100cm of snow since Sunday morning and all the lifts were shut on Monday due to huge amounts of fresh snow.

Zermatt and Saas Fee both got lots of snow on Monday, and Saas Fee had to temporarily close as a result of the high winds and heavy snow, but conditions should be fantastic when they re-open.

Elsewhere in the Alps, the sun has been getting through and resorts in the Southern Dolomites enjoyed a bright weekend.

The main event of the Whistler's 2008/09 winter season, the opening of the heavily promoted Peak 2 Peak Gondola happened Tuesday The $52m lift will set new world records for height above the ground at its highest point (435m/ 1,427 feet) and the longest unsupported span for a lift of this kind at 3.024km/1.88miles.

 

 

 

“The launch of this mountain marvel set to become a new Canadian tourism icon will forever revolutionize the way visitors experience this all-season resort.” said a resort spokeswoman.
Plenty of activities and celebrations are planned for opening day, beginning with an official ceremony and performances atop of both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.
Following a traditional ribbon cutting at 11 a.m., the PEAK 2 PEAK Gondola will depart both terminals with its first guests on board. Those guests will include ‘Ride of Their Life' winners, 22 well-deserving Whistler citizens who were nominated by the community for their passion for life in Whistler.

 

 

 

The Gondola will then run throughout the afternoon, open to all guests - skiers, snowboarders and sightseers. After a historic day on the mountain, the celebration continues into the evening, with a ‘Grand Apres' in Skiers Plaza, live performances, film, DJs and family-friendly entertainment.

 

 

 

Tuesday 9th December 2008:

Check out the latest snow on our snow reports page http://www.sandownactivesports.com/shop.php/snow-reports/i_9.html .

Thursday 4 December 2008:

Snow cuts odds of a white Christmas.  Drifting snow and blizzard conditions have been affecting many parts of Scotland and Northern England, forcing bookmakers to slash their odds of a white Christmas.

Lecht ski area-Thursday

Ladbrokes spokesman Nick Weinberg said, "We're frozen with fear at the prospect of a white Christmas. Interest in the traditional festive wager has gone into overdrive this year."

The predictions have moved Ladbrokes to cut the chance of a white Christmas in London to 11-4 and 3-1 following another run of money. The bookmaker was originally offering 7-1 for snow on December 25 in the capital. But plummeting temperatures means that a white Christmas could cost bookies up to £1m.

HEAVY WEATHER NOT AS BAD AS PREDICTED

Forecasters predicted that up to 10 to 20cm (4 to 8in) of snow would fall in some areas on Wednesday night, and power companies were on stand-by in case of cable problems. However, Scotland escaped the worst blizzard predictions, with snow falling mainly on the hills of northern England and eastern parts of Scotland

 

The Scottish ski areas were expecting a heavy dump of snow, allowing Cairngorm and the Nevis Range to open this weekend, but in the end they received a light dusting. The Lecht however is still planning to open for limited snowsports on Friday, with a couple of the main lifts in operation.

 

Thursday 4 December 2008:

 

The French alpine resorts are all expecting between 40cm and 60cm of fresh snow this weekend, and heavy snow is also forecast across Switzerland on Friday and Saturday with many resorts hoping to receive between 30cm and 40cm by the end of Sunday.

Snowy Meribel village-Thursday

St Moritz lake -Thursday

In France, Avoriaz opens on Saturday 6th December along with some other resorts in the Portes du Soleil. There is very good snow cover across the whole mountain and they should be able to open runs down into the resort.

Courchevel and Meribel should also be opening some lifts to access the upper slopes this weekend. The cover is still a bit thin on the lower slopes so these will remain closed. Val Thorens has been open since 22 November and enjoying good snow conditions.

Tignes and Val d’Isère are both open and have a collective total of 50 lifts open, with heavy forecast for the Espace Killy on Thursday night, with up to 30cm expected to fall!

Over in Switzerland, most resorts have clear skies and fairly cold temperatures. The slopes are empty during the week so you can currently enjoy fantastic powder skiing whilst having the pistes all to yourself!

Flims/Laax has six lifts open on Thursday, and are reporting quiet slopes but it's likely to get busier over the weekend.

St Moritz is also currently open 15 lifts running, and enjoying the sunshine and good skiing conditions with the highest runs offering the best snow cover.

Temperatures should stay low during next week, preserving the new snow and allowing resorts to blast their snow cannons to boost the snow base even further. What a fantastic start to the season!

Tuesday 2nd December 2008:

The Dolomites: luxury skiing on the cheap  

Finding a touch of class on the slopes doesn’t have to cost the earth. We sample the subtler luxuries of Italy's Dolomites 

 

Sean Newsom  

 

Call me old-fashioned, but five grand for an oversized glass of fizz is the kind of upmarket experience I can do without. So it was a big relief last season to stumble upon a resort that offers a different kind of luxury, and one to which I’m happy to subscribe – Madonna di Campiglio, in Italy. Campiglio, as the locals call it, sits in a deep, steep and thickly forested valley at the edge of the Brenta Dolomites, north of Verona. It has long been regarded by the Italians as posh – and has strong connections with the motor-manufacturers Ferrari to prove it. There is even a vertiginous section of piste – the Schu-macher Streif – named after its most famous driver. But like many resorts in the Italian Alps, it hasn’t kept pace with the Verbiers and Val d’Isères of the modern world. In part, that’s because it doesn’t offer oodles of off-piste – the hairy-chested, all-action, deep-powder runs that everyone talks about these days but which few can ski with grace or skill. That may seem like a minor technicality, but this kind of door-die skiing is an essential part of the glamour of modern resorts.  

 

Have a great snowsports holiday without shelling out a fortune - you just have to know where to look  

 

But it’s also because Campiglio seems, well, too Italian. Maybe cultural stereotyping has got the better of me, but I am not sure the locals can really be bothered to chase the big bucks. They are quite comfortable with life the way it is – so why bust a gut courting Saudi princes?  

 

What it does offer is the luxury of uncrowded slopes and top-notch pistes. Campiglio has actually won awards for the quality of its piste preparation: no small feat in a country in which every resort presents immaculate carving tracks, whether there has been any natural snow or not. It should win awards for the pitch of its pistes, too.  

 

In my book, the best runs are the ones that follow the fall line – in other words, they go straight down the slope, whether it is steep or gentle. Here, almost all do. You lock onto your route, set your rhythm and just keep turning. Rarely are you faced with a boring traverse or one of those annoyingly flat sections over rolling terrain where you have to push.  

 

And then there’s the food and wine. Perhaps at the very top end of the market, the French do mountain food better than the Italians – that’s if you are prepared to drop £130 on a six-course tasting menu at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Courchevel 1850 (the preferred destination of Russian plutocrats).  

 

Last winter, however, I ate a meal at Campiglio’s Chalet Fiat, at the top of Monte Spinale, that was as good as anything I’ve eaten in France. We started with blueberry, taleggio cheese and porcini mushroom risotto, then followed it with a thick, bloody slice of beef fillet, served with chickpeas and a spinach and bacon sauce.  

 

Blueberry risotto? Beef and chickpeas? These were combinations I’d never heard of before, but they were an unqualified success. I was pleasantly surprised by the price, too. Starters were a tenner and the main course cost £16.  

 

In fact, almost everything good here is cheaper than it is in the Alist resorts further north. Private ski instruction for two can be had in Campiglio for £83 for two hours, compared with £133 in Méribel or Courchevel.

www.enchantedholidays.co.uk 

Source: Sunday Times

Monday 1st December 2008:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The more southerly French resorts and the Italian resorts should benefit the most from the predicted storm, which could bring up to 100cm of fresh snow to some Italian resorts by Monday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snowy Serre Chevalier-Friday

Cervinia, which has been open since early November, is expecting around 50cm over the weekend, and Madonna di Compaglio opened today, about a week ahead of schedule. They are expecting a phenomenal 100cm of fresh snow by Monday!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In France, Alpe d'Huez plans to open this weekend, along with Val d'Isère and Les Deux Alpes, and conditions are already looking good with a base of 60cm on the upper slopes and a light dusting expected on Saturday and Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serre Chevalier is looking forward to 26cm of new snow thanks to the storm but doesn't currently plan to open until 13th December.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Austria, it's been a great week for snow conditions and the Arlberg region and parts of the Ski Welt will be open from either Friday or Saturday.  And in Switzerland, cold temperatures preserved the great snowfall that many resorts had over the weekend, and more is expected to arrive. Saas Fee and Zermatt should be particularly happy with over 60cm forecast in each resort!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday 28th November 2008:

 

 

So much snow has fallen on Whistler, the resort is opening early. Whistler Mountain will opened Wednesday November 26th. Access will be via the Whistler Village Gondola only. Blackcomb lifts and the Creekside Gondola will open on Thursday November 27th....The new peak 2 peak gondola opens in 16 days.

For count down to opening and more info, see: http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/index.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday 25th November 2008:

 

Up to a metre of snow fell in parts of the Alps over the weekend, enabling more resorts to open ahead of schedule and this week's cold temperatures are set to preserve the fantastic powder conditions.

Val d'Isère-Monday

Obergurgl-Monday

Villars, Switzerland-Sunday

According to the Ski Club snow reports, Austria received huge snowfalls over the weekend, with a lot of resorts receiving up to 100cm on the upper slopes. Obertauern opened its slopes today, two days late due to the extreme weather over the weekend. This means they have fantastic conditions with fresh powder everywhere, and four lifts are in operation which gives access to 10km of open pistes.

Obergurgl also benefited from the big snowfalls and the base on their upper slopes has risen by 71cm since Thursday. Three lifts opened over the weekend and 100km of skiing is now available, which is great for this time of year! Lech and St Anton are due to open on 28th November.

Heavy snow also fell across the French Alps over the weekend and it was still snowing on Monday. Val Thorens opened on Saturday and seven lifts are currently running but connections to the rest of The Three Valleys are closed for the moment.

Tignes was being battered with strong winds and heavy snows on Monday, so only the funicular was open but the snow base has risen from 70cm on Thursday to 130cm, so when the upper lifts re-open there should be some amazing powder to play in! Les Deux Alpes and Val d'Isere are due to open on 29th November.

Heavy snow has been falling across Switzerland all weekend and it's still coming. Zermatt has 163km of open runs and nineteen lifts, and Lenzerheide opened over the weekend thanks to the fresh snow with four lifts operating.

Plenty of other Swiss resorts received huge amounts of fresh snow over the weekend and some are planning to open early if the cold weather continues. According to the Swiss institute for snow and avalanche research, the snow in many ski areas from Andermatt towards Chur in eastern Switzerland is already more than twice as deep as average for this time of year, and other areas in far eastern Switzerland currently have as much as 12 times the normal snow depth.

Source:SCGB

Val d'Isère - Friday

Zermatt-Friday

Formigal-opened a week early

Well where do we start? Four resorts in Austria are hoping to open this weekend including  Axamer Lizum, Obertauern, Schladming and Zell am See. Obergurgl opened last weekend, a week ahead of schedule, and now has runs open down to the village.

In Switzerland, Crans Montana, Davos/Klosters, St Moritz and Wengen are all hoping to open on Saturday and the forecast means it should be a great first weekend for them.

Zermatt has by far the most skiing available at the moment, with a massive 163km of pistes open and the snow is deep enough to ski over to their area linked with Cervinia.

Over in France, it's currently possible to ski back down to the bottom of the funicular at Tignes only via the Double M piste, but the new snow should help to open more runs.

Val Thorens is set to open on Saturday, and though they have been operating their snow cannons all week, Mother Nature should be able to help ensure some good snow good cover!

In Italy, 54cm of new snow is forecast to fall in Cervinia by Monday and temperatures on the upper slopes will fall to -20ºc. The snow conditions should be fantastic over the weekend but be sure to wrap up into next week as it will feel cold.  

Tuesday 18th November 2008:

Austrian ski hero Hermann Maier has injured his back and may have to miss the World Cup races in North America, according to the Austrian ski federation. Maier injured his back in mid-October, but the exact nature of the injury was not determined until recently....While he does not require an operation, his fitness to race is unclear right now, and his participation in the World Cup races in the US and Canada will have to be decided on short notice. He was not scheduled to compete in Finland last weekend.

Source: http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081113.wsptskiing13/GSStory/GlobeSportsOther/home

Monday 17th November:

Formigal-Thursday

Obergurgl-Thursday

Elsewhere in Europe, the Austrian resort of Obergurgl opened on Thursday 13th November, one of the first non glacial resorts in Europe to offer skiing this season. The resort has 12 lifts running and 45km of pistes open on a 80cm base, and received 15cm of fresh snow on Thursday.

Hemsedal and Trysil in Norway and Sunshine Village in Canada all opened on Friday 14th with powder conditions, and another Candian resort, Marmot Basin is opening for the earliest date in its history on Saturday 15th. Jasper in Alberta is also planning to open on the 15th, as well as the Swedish resort of Sãlen.

Tuesday 11th November:

This years' Radical ski and snowboard test will begin on 23rd November in Laax Switzerland.  This is a unique opportunity to try some of the finest Swiss handmade skis and snowboards.  One of 4 tests over the winter season it looks to be a great event with pro riders and members of the Radical team on hand to answer questions.

Monday 10th November:

The winter season in the Alps is well under way with reports of half a metre of fresh snow falling across many resorts.  Skiers and snowboarders have been making the best of the untracked snow and getting out to the mountains early to find their slice of heaven.  Keep it coming!

Sunday 9th November 2008:

Ski businesses and resorts are being urged to become greener and more cost efficient with the help of a new campaign. The new online guide www.makesnowsportsgreener.com is central to the campaign and uses film clips, top tips and practical step-by-step guidelines to show how sustainable practices can be implemented successfully.

The campaign, which is a partnership between The Travel Foundation and the Ski Club of Great Britain , highlights the cost benefits for business by adopting a green strategy.

The website demonstrates ways to improve ski resort businesses’ practices to make them environmentally friendly under ten categories: Energy conservation in buildings, water conservation, waste management measures, snow production, lift operations, ski area vehicles, transport, sustainable design and construction, environmental policy and communication and education.

The information is tailored for different sectors of the market including ski resort operators, hotels and chalets and other businesses in ski resorts including ski shops and restaurants.

Andorra has been highlighted as a special case study on the website. The destination has already implemented a range of green initiatives which makes it a leader on sustainability.

Examples of the recommendations from Andorra include installing a device on the door of a ski patroller hut which switches the heater off when the door is open and controlling the temperature of buildings with a programmable thermostat (21 degrees when occupied, 17 degrees after hours) to reduce energy usage and save money.

Sue Hurdle, chief executive of the Travel Foundation, said: “Going greener brings very clear business benefits and we are encouraging all snow sport operators and destinations to get involved and use the free resource. Not only does it help the environment it also helps the bottom line.”

Caroline Stuart-Taylor, CEO of the Ski Club said of the initiative: "This new website is the first time we have actually offered practical tips to resorts and businesses on how to become greener. It should be useful for resorts across the world as it is also available in five other languages as well as English."

The production of www.makesnowsportsgreener.com comes following a Snowsports Sustainability Seminar in Andorra earlier this year where environmental experts presented ideas to local businesses about how to become greener and for the Ski Club is the next step in the Respect the Mountain environmental campaign – www.respectthemountain.com.

Source: Snowboarduk.co.uk

Saturday 8th November:

The government has finally announced that the £350m winter sports resort, Snoasis, can be built in Suffolk . Planned to be constructed on a disused quarry, the project has long been backed by the business sector, but has faced strong opposition from environmental groups and some locals....Secretary of State, Hazel Blears, said that the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said was now "satisfied that the proposal is largely in accordance with the development plan".

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/7713164.stm

Friday 7^th November 2008:

From 12^th to 17^th January 2009, the Ferrari F1 team will be in the Italian resort of Madonna di Campiglio accompanied by Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacker.  They will be in town as the winter veteran car rally begins (16^th to 18^th January).  There is a great party atmosphere this week and the Ferrari team will bring quite a high profile in town.

Tuesday 4th November 2008:

Resort operators have decided to open the US resort Mammoth, 10 days ahead of schedule following a powerful storm over the weekend.  <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->The storm hit California ’s Eastern Sierra over the weekend dropping up to 45cm (18 inches) of snow on Mammoth Mountain .  The Broadway Express opens at 9am US time on a base of 6-12 inches (15-30cm), created by a combination of natural and manmade snow.  Mammoth joins Loveland and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado which opened several weeks ago, and Killington in Vermont and Sunday River in Maine , which along with several smaller US resorts have opened in the past few days.

3rd November 2008:
Finland ’s Janne Korpi and Jiayu Liu from China have won the second halfpipe contest of the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup 2009. They got along best with the difficult weather conditions and dominated the field in both runs. The qualification and the finals had to be held on the same day due to the heavy snowfall in the Saas valley. Janne Korpi demonstrated faultless runs (best 45,9 points) with the combination of BS 1080 and Cap 1080 in the halfpipe of the Allalin Freestyle Park . He left Kohdai Watanabe (44,1) from Japan and his teammate IIkka-Eemeli Laari (41,9) behind. Jiayu Liu convinced among the girls with 40,7 points ahead of Shiho Nakashima (39,7) from Japan and Sophie Rodriguez (38,2) from France .


After Janne Korpi hardly missed the first place in Saas-Fee in the last year he took home the victory this time: “It was pretty tough in the beginning today morning. The view was not that good and it was pretty windy. But after the first hits I got my confidence back and then it was great. And I had good wax on my board, which helped me to speed up in the pipes to do my tricks”. Also Watanabe was perplexed about his performance: “It is a great feeling and a very big surprise for me - I had never thought of reaching the podium here in Saas-Fee”.

The winner on the ladies side Jiayu Liu was really delighted about her victory at the tough competition: “I feel very cool now. It’s great to win a contest like this”. Also Shiho Nakashima from Japan was happy: „Jiayu was very strong today.