The Culture Bank

Remember when skiing holidays were reserved for the rich, royal or pampered? At that time, a couple of nights at a ski resort could set you back a whole mountain range of cash. Well, not any more. Tour operators and resort owners have responded to the increased demand for this exciting sport by making cheap skiing holidays a reality.

If you want to take your loved ones on a skiing break that is not going to bankrupt you, there are a few basic rules that apply. You will get better deals and more competitive prices if you choose to stay at lesser known resorts. The locations that need to work harder to attract your business are generally more likely to offer better deals.

Remember that hotel rooms are less expensive than ski chalets, and if you are willing to cook and clean for yourselves, you can make further savings by taking the self-catering option.

Budget airlines now offer cheap deals in ski season, and you can further reduce costs by making your own travel arrangements to your holiday destination.

There will be extras that you need to budget for such as ski passes, equipment hire and après ski activities, but you will really start bringing the costs down by looking out for deals that include lift passes as part of your holiday package. Rest assured, with cheap skiing holidays, it is now possible to balance your desire for an adrenaline rush and your need to keep control of the purse strings.

As much as luxury ski deals might appear to be a contradiction in terms, it is possible to find yourself a high class chalet or hotel at an affordable price.  You can indulge in top quality facilities and services without having to blow your whole budget.

So, why is it worth looking into a luxury skiing holiday deal? One reason is the level of hospitality you will receive.  These chalets are comparable to a 4 or 5 star hotel.  You not only get the basics you require but your needs and more as well.  Your ski chalet host will be able to organise any ski hire or lessons you may need and if you are visiting for a special occasion they will be sure to cater to this.

The food and wine you will be served is of the highest quality.  Luxury chalets are home to the best chefs who can serve up both traditional and modern masterpieces.  In general, you can indulge in tea in bed followed by a hot breakfast, an afternoon tea to welcome you back after a hard day on the slopes, and then a four course meal followed by coffee and chocolates in the evening.

Luxury ski holidays 2011 provide your stay with that extra special touch.  Many chalets provide additional features including saunas, a Jacuzzi, steam rooms, swimming pools, gyms or a cinema.  The rooms themselves are beautifully designed and furnished so you can truly relax after a full day of skiing.

France is one of the most popular places to head, if you are into skiing.  Not only do the Alps provide a huge variety of terrain but the country also offers a wide selection of resorts and chalets.  However, if you are undecided about where to go, the following outlines three of the best places located in France to go skiing in 2012.

Courchevel is ideal for beginners or parents wanting to bring along their children.  You will find fantastic beginner slopes located in the Altiport area.  The ski school is very good.  They provide specially designed waistcoats that lock onto the chair lifts, for the safety of small children just starting out.

If you are at more of an intermediate level then Serre Chevalier is preferable.  This selection of villages is made up of 250 kilometres of varied slopes served by around 62 chair lifts.  The villages of Monêtier-Les-Bains and Chantemerle are particularly attractive.

If you’re skilled at skiing then the best ski holidays 2012 would have to be Val d’Isère.  This is the most popular French resort for British tourists.  Just over 90% of visitors are actually at a beginner or intermediate level.  However, it is the more advanced skiers who can truly take advantage.  This resort is renowned for its wide selection of challenging slopes.

Despite being somewhat pricey, France is a top choice for skiing.  Whether you are donning skis for the first time or are a professional, you will be able to find the perfect resort for your needs.

The Vosges

The Vosges is a small mountain range located between Lorraine and Alsace in the East of France. It has four main ski holiday resorts, each offering more than fifteen pistes. The ski resorts here receive very good snow every year, with the biggest resort on the Vosges being La Bresse, offering 30 ski runs and illuminated runs for evening skiing (something not very common in most resorts).

The Jura

The Jura is a range of mountains that borders with Switzerland, where the resorts are at the crest of the range (some are in France while others are in Switzerland). The most well-known resorts on the Jura are the French resorts of Les Rousses and Métabief-Mont-d’Or which has the largest amount of pistes at 42 km. The Jura is particularly well-known for cross-country skiing. So if it is a cross-country ski holiday in France that you are looking for, the Jura is a good bet.

The Massif Central

The Massif Central is in central southern France. There are two large resorts and a number of smaller ones. Besse-Sancy and Le Lioran are the two large and most well-known resorts; they both have over 40 km of pistes. The resorts are designed to be very similar to the larger Alpine resorts with similar lifts and facilities.

All of these ski holidays areas are much less well-known than the Alpine ranges, so there will be plenty of opportunities to find deals for the 2011-2012 season.

Ask anyone who has ever experienced a skiing holiday and most of them will tell you what an outstanding experience it was.  However, the secret to any enjoyable experience is all about the planning in advance.  That is especially true when it comes to this type of holiday.  Here are some considerations when you are in the planning stages.

Decide where you want to go – do you want to stay close to home in the UK or is travelling to another country a viable option?

Determine if you want to ski all the time or not – you might want to spend the majority of your days on the slopes and then relax around a warm fire the rest of the day, or you might want to find a resort that features other activities including a lively nightlife.

Consider your options where accommodation is concerned – ski resorts offer several lodging options including chalets, condos, kitchenette apartments, lodges, and luxury resorts.  Let your budget decide for you.

Beginner or experienced skier – do you want to include skiing lessons in your holiday package or are you experienced enough already? Many holiday packages feature some affordable prices and include skiing lessons for beginners.

Family destination or romantic getaway for two – if you and your loved one want something that is more intimate and romantic, there are dozens of options to explore online.  However, if you are taking the children, be sure that there are plenty of kid-friendly activities that they can enjoy.

Skiing may seem fashionable and exclusive, but just as Formula One drivers once had “L” plates, so every ski champion once snow ploughed down a nursery slope.  There is no stigma to being a beginner and the market is full of skiing holiday deals that provide exactly this type of holiday.

Skiers are generally regarded as a beginner or intermediate if they have spent four weeks or less on the slopes.  A resort suitable for beginners would include excellent nursery slopes, plentiful professional tuition, some easy runs to aspire to, and ideally, a deal on a beginner’s ski lift pass.

For novices, or those who are introducing children to skiing, hiring clothing and equipment is preferable to paying a large outlay on the wrong size or creating bulky airline luggage.  Children often grow quickly, and sizes may be over or underestimated according to what clothing goes underneath.  Once a skier is hooked, and decides that skiing may become part of their life, then ski clothing may prove to be a good investment.

Certain resorts are more suited to beginners than others.  For example, Andorra, Borovets in Bulgaria (also good for snowboarding), Saas-Fee in Switzerland, and La Plagne and Les Arcs in France are all regarded as particularly suited to beginners and intermediates.  Ski holidays in any of these resorts will provide ski schools, nursery slopes and clothing hire.

It is often recommended that beginners book skiing holiday deals in low season to begin with, such as late January or March, although some Alpine resorts are open from December to May.  See your travel agent or book online for skiing deals in 2011.

Promoted as a rural recreation destination, Jay Peak offers some of the best skiing deals in the North-East of the United States.  The area is well known for its scenic charm and rustic warmth.

The small villages surrounding Jay Peak are quintessential New England towns with close-knit communities that are nonetheless welcoming to visitors.  There are many events and festivals in the North-East Kingdom region of Vermont, all within a short distance from this luxury ski area, thus making this a perfect getaway for the ski enthusiast.

The town of Jay is one of the last ‘undeveloped’ towns in the country, offering amazing peace and serenity as well as privacy.  Despite this, the excellent skiing, golfing, and other facilities here open up a world of exciting activities for tourists, and skiing holiday deals are available to suit any budget or taste here in Jay, Vermont.

Along with great skiing there are many other activities available in this resort.  Snowmobiling on the trails is popular, along with snowboarding on the slopes.  In warmer weather the area offers hiking, camping, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, and autumn leaf peeping; this four-season resort truly offers the best holidays in the area.

There is an indoor ice arena for people to use for various activities, including hockey and ice-skating.  Golfing is also an exceptionally popular activity here, and the area offers luxury and affordability for the entire family to enjoy their choice of skiing holiday deals.

For the best skiing 2011, consider Seefeld, Austria, located in the beautiful province of Tirol, situated near the Karwendel Nature Reserve.  Seefeld offers some of the most elegant skiing in all of Europe.

Seefeld has access to some 250 kilometres of ski trails and has hosted the Olympic Winter games, not once, but twice in the last fifty years.  It is considered to be the cross country skiing capital of Europe.

The skiing here is more focused on enjoyment and relaxation of tree-lined slopes with a stunning backdrop, and is all done between two sets of mountains.  Beginner skiers can have a great learning experience on the nursery slopes of Geigenbuhel and the more advanced skiers can have plenty of skiing on the Gschwandtkopf Mountain, with its peak at 500 meters.  There are numerous five star hotels available, all with first class amenities.  Even a casino awaits those who venture a bet.

The entertainment is sophisticated, but not wild at all.  The many family-run inns and pubs in the area offer live music, dancing and hearty, award-winning cuisine.

Other things to do include tobogganing, snowshoeing, ice skating, curling and paragliding.  You can also go swimming in an Olympic-sized pool, play squash or tennis, or go bowling if you choose.  Or, take a beautiful ten minute mountain railway ride across the valley to Rosshulte.

With all that Seefeld, Austria has to offer, it is no wonder it is considered the best skiing 2011.

One of the premier locations for great alpine skiing deals in 2011 in the United States can be found in the Pacific North-West.  Washington State’s Mount Rainier is a beautiful natural landmark, known the world over for breathtaking views and lush state parks, but this area is also a perfect locale for skiers here amongst the foothills of this stunning mountain.

Located on the sunny side of Mt. Rainier, the ski resorts of the area have multiple runs for skiers of all levels of experience, 3,100 feet vertical runs, and plenty of powder.  The gondolas provide a stunning view as they bring visitors to the top so they can begin their descent down this beautiful mountain.

Ski shops, restaurants, multiple resorts and hotels, and convenient access to large city centres are just some of the benefits that visitors to this region can expect.  Resorts like Crystal Mountain enjoy record snowfalls each year, creating the perfect paradise for ski holidays in Washington.

Some of the best skiing deals 2011 can be found by skiers in this region, as well, and resorts here offer a variety of amenities and activities for guests of all ages and budgets.  Skiing in the beautiful Evergreen State can be one of the most exciting and wonderful experiences for visitors who are looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in a popular and captivating environment of natural beauty.

For unique ski holidays for all the family, Japan offers an experience that will provide memories to last a lifetime. 

World-class ski resorts abound in Nagano, the bustling city of over 300,000 on the Japanese Island of Honshu, where the 1998 Winter Olympics were performed.  Nearby, the Japanese Alps offer skiing for all levels as well as snowboarding.  Steep, down-hill slopes and ski jumps will entertain even the most experienced skiers.  There are 14 ski areas and several large ski resorts with plenty of shopping, restaurants with international cuisine and après-ski activities.  

Hokkaido, in the Northern region of Japan, is more rural and offers the unique experience of skiing Japanese volcanoes.  This area is relatively new to the ski enthusiast.  The steep, birch-lined slopes combined with volcanic rocks and hot springs ensure a memorable experience.  The snow is deep and powdery and during the season, December to March, it tends to snow almost continually.  Hiring a guide will ensure you get the most of this exciting adventure, as there are many rural areas to explore. 

Investors are helping to develop the skiing regions in Japan.  Surprisingly, there are 765 ski areas and Japan may just become an international favourite for skiers in the future. 

With the combination of large cities offering international amenities and culture, and the small rural towns with their traditional style, there is something for everyone.  The warm and welcoming attitude, diverse terrain and Asian culture make Japan is an ideal ski holiday for all the family to enjoy.