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While Corsica may not get quite the same freezing temperatures as the rest of France, on the Plateau d'Ese, near the village of Bastelica, one can spend a great time skiing and snowboarding. Altitude tops 2,400m, there are only four ski lifts, but it's a great place to escape for the weekend. There's a small restaurant and equipment rental is also available. For those of you lucky enough to visit Corsica in winter (best seasonal food, fabulous hikes, hunting, friendly locals...), it makes a fun day out. For the locals, it's heaven to be able to escape to the slopes at the weekend. For cross-country skiing, one can also try "plateau du coscione" and "col de Vergio". It is quite rare that Corsica does not get any snow, and the best chances are in February and March.
More information: corsicaexperience.com/experiences/sports/
Google map: bit.ly/xSj45O
There is nothing better to ease away the aches and pains of an exciting day on the slopes than the saunas and pools available at an onsen.
The Grand Hotel has a lovely outdoor pool area where you can sit in a warm pool surrounded by falling snow.
Don't be put off by the fact that the site is in Japanese. Look up onsen etiquette and there will be plenty of help when you arrive to buy tickets, point you in the right direction.
www.niseko-grand.com/
nisekosnow.net/niseko-snow-features/onsen-no-hairi-kata-way-entering-onsen
+81 136-58-2121
Google map: bit.ly/zALYzj
This website features all Courchevel webcams on one easy to navigate website. It shows webcams for Courchevel 1850, Courchevel 1650, Courchevel 1550, Courchevel 1300 (Le Praz) and La Tania.
The site also has a quite accurate snow forecast.
It simply adds to your pre-holiday fun to be able to see the snow conditions from home. Go one give it a look!
Lovely, luxury, self-catering Courchevel 1850 apartment in the tree lined Jardin Alpin area. It is literally located next to the ski lift and is ski-in ski-out to two gentle green pistes. There also is a drag lift which brings children and beginners directly to the nursery slopes (which makes your holiday so much more easy).
As the apartment is located in the same building as the five-star Byblos Hotel you can use the pool, sauna and spa facilities for a charge. There is a ski hire shop in the building too. The apartment was extremely well furnished to a high standard. Highly recommended.
This family owned and run ski chalet with direct ski access and fantastic creche is where we spent our best holiday ever in New Year 2009. My eldest started on skis; my little one loved the wonderful nannies at the creche.
Skiing was excellent with the portes du soleil right on your doorstep. Each evening, after the chalet served a delicious children's tea, we got the kids in bed and enjoyed the superlative cordon bleu dining and excellently chosen French wines served in the chalet.
The owners and staff were great, the atmosphere warm, friendly and helpful and the service exceptional. Delightful en-suite rooms, ideal for families. Our starlight plunge in the hot tub was one of the many highlights!
Chalet Soltir is run by an English couple. The house is 150 years old and completely renovated. It's fully catered chalet sleeping 12 people with all the mod cons and luxury you would get in a French chalet but at half the price. Our holiday was the best we had for years. The snow was great and the kids loved it.
www.whitechaletsbansko.com
00359 895 386 856
If you are skier or snowboarder, this is the most amazing off piste powder run for snowboarders and skiers. The run is completely untouched and easy to find. You can achieve that same exhilarating feeling as if you were heli skiing but without the hike across the mountain to get there. Although you have to be prepared for a 30-minute hike back up the road at the end but well worth it.
Information to follow
The beautiful Lake Tahoe region, bordering California and Nevada, may have other ski resorts better known to Europeans (Heavenly, Squaw Valley, etc.), but Alpine Meadows combines the intimacy of a smaller resort with spectacular, well-maintained pistes.
On a clear day, travel up the Lakeview Chair and absorb outstanding views of the pure, blue lake and across the Sierra Nevada. The resort gets busy with visiting San Franciscans over the weekends, but mid-week you might catch some exhilarating moments of solitude on the mountain.
The pistes are mainly of an intermediate level. Snowboarders will be particularly happy that all lifts are chairs. There are even a couple of small freestyle parks for the more reckless amongst us.
I was in charge of booking our anual ski trip this year and Chamonix was a hot favourite for the group with plenty of high skiing and lots of different runs for the styles of skiiers and boarders in our motley crew!
We found Chalet Tisseres www.iceandorange.com via one of the big chalet websites and contacted the owners directly. Renska (nice Dutch lady) who owned and ran the place with her husband Damo gave us a super fully catered deal including airport transfers from Geneva in Switzerland.
We arrived and were blow away by the place. Fantastic rennovated traditional French Chalet with great sized en-suite rooms and the most amazing view up to the aiguile de midi.
The food was simply restaraunt standard with classic French style and international dishes as well. Really enjoyed the scallops and Lamb Tajine.
I'm not a serious wine type but friends in the group who know their wines kept being very surprised as to the quality of wine served with supper. Well though out and balanced with each meal.
The outdoor hot tub is a great addition and the in-house after ski massage service from Ali was just what the doctor ordered. The team arranged all our lessons with a local company who were first class and picked us up and dropped us off at the chalet each day, great personable instructors.
On the chalet night off Damo arranged for us to have a ski doo night above Courmayeur. Blasted up to the Maison Vielle on the back of a ski doo in the dark for some fab local Itlaian food and booze... Definately the highlight of the stay.
All in all the best ski trip we have had in a long time and we are looking to book next year and take the kids along in the group as well.
www.iceandorange.com
trasnfers with www.geneva-airport-transfers.com
Val d'Isere is, in my humble opinion one of the best ski resorts in the world because it has everything. It is part of the Espace Killy, one of the biggest ski areas in the world, so they have runs for everybody. Everytime I've been, six and counting, its been really sunny, if not a little cold.
The village itself also has a great night life, restaurants and shops. It really is a great all round resort. However I did find my last trip in December 2008 a little painful as pound is very weak against the Euro, so get all your kit before you go. The link below should get you started..
We booked our chalet in Morzine with Chaletbook for half term 2008. The accommodation was great and the guys at Chaletbook were very helpful. We will be booking with them again this year.
website: www.chaletbook.net
phone number: 08456806802
It is a town/ski area about a 10 minute drive from Mayrhofen or a five minute train ride direct. This ski area is not really known to many tourist skiers but it is a huge vast ski area that is absolutely perfect for all competency of skiers/snowboarders. It is less busy than neighbouring Mayrhofen, but equally as good. Plenty of mountains to keep even the best skiers entertained for a week and plenty of bars and restaurants to whet the appetite. This ski area will be included within your lift pass for the Zillertal valley so no extra cost is incurred and a must for a different experience.
10 minute car journey or 5 minute train journey (towards Innsbruck) from Mayrhofen
There are two things that are really special about Chamonix: the jaw-dropping scenery and the off-piste skiing. Why stay on the tame groomed runs with the crowd the whole time when you can spice things up with a real mountain adventure?
Use the lifts to get your elevation, then work out of ski area boundaries for fresh snow, long descents, beautiful views, challenging skiing/boarding and solitude.
Or better yet, use skins to climb up where there are no lifts. Or hire a helicopter or a ski-plane to drop you on a nearby peak.
Avalanches, crevasses and other high-mountain hazards mean you definitely want a guide to help you with this. Try www.markseaton.com/ for a great British guide who lives in Cham and knows the area ski options well.
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