The new season with SkiSquirrel

I am so passionate about making sure that holidaymakers get access to the best value possible on their trips.  It's only fair really, given how much ski holidays cost! As a regular myself, and having spent seasons in the Alps, I know how many offers and extras there are out there if you know where to look.

It is difficult to get these formalised, as so many are ad hoc 'it's who you know' extras, but SkiSquirrel is all about trying to bring any such offers and discounts together in one place so that holidaymakers can take advantage easily.  And it doesn't matter whether it's booking a budget trip or a luxury extravaganza, we ALL like to feel sure we're getting value for money.

I am also so keen to help independent players in the ski industry, which at times can feel dominated by the big guys.  SkiSquirrel enables innovative, creative and independent merchants to access to new markets and have an additional outlet for their products or services.  We try our hardest to make sure our partners have the same values as we do, and we work with them to get the best possible result for their customers and our members.

I absolutely love love love winter and everything that it brings - the cold, the dark nights, the snow, the skiing - and I just would love everyone to get out to the mountains and experience the best of winter too, despite the difficult economic climate.  Ski resorts 'do' winter better than absolutely anywhere else!

Our October newsletter details some of our member offers for the coming season.  One of my favourites this month is the deal with Sno-Limit.  They're running a 4 week instructor or improver course in Tignes next month for anyone looking to spend some time in the mountains and get better at their boarding or skiing. And Sno-Limit are offering SkiSquirrel members a fantastic £300 off the price, so definitely worth investigating.  The calibre of the instructing is second to none.

A second offer that jumps out is the member deal with Tignes Spirit.  Again based in the french high-altitude resort of Tignes, Tignes Spirit are offering 35% off rental online or in resort, they're also offering discounts on servicing and purchases.  The cost savings are obvious, and the quality of the rental is uncompromising!  Love it.

Check out our October newsletter to see what you think, or sign up on the website to become a member.

Skiing for Non-skiers

The most frustrating thing if you love the mountains is when people assume that they have to ski or board in order to enjoy a holiday to a ski resort.  There is so much to do and see in resort that sometimes  even the most avid skier can give in to temptation and take a morning or afternoon off to hang out.  The mountains are so beautiful, the views and surroundings can really take your breath away.  There's nothing like waking up to that view, simply breathtaking. This image was taken first thing in the morning from my bedroom in Alp d'Huez last season.

I smashed my shoulder to smithereens on the first day of a ski trip to Val d'Isere one year and once I'd got my pain killer dosage right I really quite enjoyed my week sitting on the balcony of the chalet in the sunshine indulging in vin chaud and delightful cheese-based meals while gorgeous chalet boys waited on me hand and foot.

The truth of it is that ski resorts are the most wonderful places to relax. You can sip hot chocolate in front of roaring log fires at any time of the day, you can eat great food to your hearts content and just relax with good company and snow falling outside the window. So romantic! I absolutely love Dottys Coffee House in Morzine, it epitomises the joy of sitting in a ski resort and not skiing, pure indulgence!  Ski Chalets so often have 24-7 hosts who not only make your breakfast and dinner they also provide you with afternoon tea and cakes. Where else is it the norm to get so wonderfully looked after, it's crazy!

And don't forget the bars; skiers and boarders ski hard and play hard, so there are always plenty of fabulous places to grab a beer or a glass of the house red.  And beware... "shot-o'clock" is never far away....you might need a lie-in in the morning!

Non skiers can obviously indulge in the fantastic food and drink, or alternatively spend some time exploring all the activities on offer, geared entirely for them.  Perhaps you might try your hand at the more active pursuits of ice skating, swimming, gym-ing, tobogganing, skidoo-ing or para-gliding.  Or then again, you might prefer the more sedate choices of facials, manicures, full body massages and general pampering.  This list is by no means comprehensive - there is seriously something for everyone.

I absolutely love sitting playing cards in a cosy chalet with friends and family on a white-out day when it's just 'a bit too risky' to go up the mountain.  There is something so magical about ski resorts. Covered in snow, separated from the real world somehow and with the backdrop of nature's awesome achievements.  It feels like all the realities of work and life can be left behind.  For some of us, skiing gives us this freedom, but for others I think just being up here and part of it can do just as well.  And you can still get a tan, albeit just on the face!

Where to Ski in Europe?

So you've decided to stick to Europe but next you need to decide where to go!  There are so many truly wonderful resorts this side of the Atlantic, it is almost impossible to choose just one.  And the guides are so great at extolling the individual pros and cons of them all that it still doesn't really help with the decision.  Even if you have managed to choose a country, you're still left with numerous resorts in each.

You ultimately need to decide what's important to you about your holiday. If you're a complete beginner you need to put that terrain at the top of your list. I love Alpe d'Huez and Les Arcs in France, both have great runs and brilliant ski schools (we love New Generation) for your first time.  Don't forget about Bulgaria for beginners too, Borovets and Bansko are beginner friendly in my opinion.

If you're a boarder and need to get time in the park and off piste whenever you visit the mountain, then this is what you need to look for when researching your trip- maybe Tignes in France, or more surprisingly perhaps, St Anton in Austria, which I'm told as some awesome off piste.  I can't wait to try it this year.

Or maybe you'll choose a country based on the fact that you can speak the language? I always feel so out of my depth, ignorant and generally so British when I can't speak the lingo.  But given I can only speak English and French, that does limit me somewhat. Still, a bit of German, Spanish or Italian might make my trips to those countries a little more satisfying.  Speaking of which, maybe I need to get some discounted language lessons on the SkiSquirrel website, a great way to prep for the trip ;-).

Many people aren't fussed on the nature of the runs, as long as there's snow. And these days, the best way to get a snow-sure holiday is to either stay high (think Val Thorens or Espace Killy) or stay somewhere where you can get high very easily like Morzine. There's a French bias here because I do love to ski in France, but I hear on good authority that Hintertux in Austria is also great, because of it's glacier.  I have yet to try it myself.

Alternatively, like an increasing number, you may like to ski where the Brit's aren't.  The traditional English ski destinations can just be too much, full of posh Brits and arrogant locals.  Why not try the gorgeous Swiss resort of Nendaz (a good friend spent a season of bliss there last year) or Saas-Fee (another high one) or perhaps head to Italy.  The gorgeous tree lined runs and beautiful Italians are a brilliant reason!

I don't think you can really go wrong when choosing your ski destination. There are so many options and the best way to decide whether you like a resort is to try it for yourself.  Personally, I'm loving finding out, and there are soooo many (way too many) I haven't tried yet.

I wrote a piece for the guys at SkiPad, who put it on their blog last season, where I compared Austrian and French skiing.  I am an Austrian Skiing near-virgin and following my trip to Mayrhofen last year, I'm all booked up to try St Anton next.  Well, I couldn't not really could I?!?  Take a look at my thoughts on Austria vs France here. I would love to know your thoughts, we're all different....

When and how to book your Ski trip

A question that I get asked a lot is "when is the right time to book?"  It's a difficult one because there are so many variables at play.  It used to be that waiting until the last minute got you a brilliant deal, and there are still always gems to be found (and bargained for), but it's easier said than done with a party bigger than 2, and pretty much impossible with a family.

Other commentators suggest booking as soon as you get back from your trip for next season, so as to secure early booking discounts, and this is especially relevant with the big tour operators. Where the discounts are substantial, you know who you want to go with and where you want to go in a years time, then I think the benefits of booking this early are worth it, especially if you have children.

What is very relevant to the decision is whether you're going all in with a tour operator or whether you're going it alone and booking independently. Tour operators have mass bargaining power and therefore their prices are very good, especially if you book early as I've said. However whether you're getting value for money is sometimes questionable (notice the sometimes!).

Clearly chalets love to get an early booking, however they often have much less margin to play around with and are unable to match the savings available for early bookings with the tour operators. But on the flip side, there is very little bargaining to be done last minute with a tour operator, you just pay the package prices, argue around a bit of loyalty discount and you're done.  Booking last minute with a chalet is different. They want to fill it, they need to fill it and if (and that's a very big and relevant if) they have space the week before, there may well be opportunities to ask them nicely if they're open to reducing the price.  If you don't ask you don't get.  Of course, for bigger groups this may well be just too risky, especially now in the current climate where all ski industry players are running a very lean and tight ship.

I think there is some real value in early bookings with the tour operators when they offer half price lift pass deals. These are the real deal clinchers. An Espace Killy lift pass, for example, is around £200 for a week.  A half price deal is seriously valuable. I've utilised these deals when I've organised big (20+) group holidays as lift passes are a real expense. Though you do, in my opinion, have to compromise on quite a lot in some cases e.g. chalet calibre, customer service, kids facilities, you get my point.

Personally, I can never really get away from the charm and excitement of putting together my own ski trip.  Talking to chalet owners, looking at flights, working out the best place to get lessons, hire, transfers, nannies.  There are great deals to be found on everything (just take a look at SkiSquirrel) but more importantly these companies are run by people who love the mountains, who want to provide you with the best ski experience possible, and who are passionate about their company and about making it amazing.  And if you really know where to look, these days an independently organised trip is very likely to be cheaper and better quality.  The way forward in fact.

I have come across a ski pass, which is essentially a Pay as You Go lift pass operating in a number of French resorts. It's brilliant as you only pay for what you use, perfect for me as I ski so much and goes some way to helping the independent skier out in that department. And some chalets have arrangements too, just remember to ask!

Of course, there are exceptions to everything.  If you pay through the teeth, there are tour operators who can provide that extra special service from start to finish (just think Scott Dunn, YSE).  But if you're looking to get a good balance between cost and quality your best bet is to get on the phone and start enquiring with some of the fantastic chalet companies out there.  Book the chalet and the flights, and go from there.

And if you need any suggestions on where to start, just let me know.

September Excitement

SkiSquirrel has been going for nearly a year now and we've got off to a great start, but people keep telling us we should 'blog'.  So, despite putting this off for a while, it's the start of September, we're thinking about next season and it seems right to give it a go.

It's weird how the start of September brings such anticipation. It must come from school days, with the exciting start of a new term.  This used to mean new shoes, new pencil case, new stationary, new uniform, new teacher, new everything.   And the UK calendar is fixed to maintain that pattern; everyone switches off and quietens down during the summer, ready to come back bigger and better in September.

This summer has been different, we've all been glued to the Olympics and continue to be in awe of the Paralympics. The positive glow of the Olympics has rubbed off and everyone seems happier and even more ready to embrace September.

And here we are! The excitement is palpable and the energy is building.  There are only 3 months left until the season begins in Europe and whilst we are definitely not wishing our lives away, it is exciting to be sitting in the sunshine in the first week of September allowing ourselves to start thinking (or is that dreaming?).  Trips are being researched, the internet is being trawled, and decisions are being made on where to go, who to go with, when to go and how best to do it all.  Bring on Autumn, eh.  Let's just hope the snow comes thick and fast again this year.

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