Last week was a wintry old one in the Alps. Sunday and Monday kicked off
proceedings with widespread snowstorms across France, Switzerland and
Austria – some resorts, including Val d’Isère, in France, clocked up more
than 50cm in 24 hours – and it’s been snowing on and off ever since.
The spread of spring up the Alpine valleys has come to a sudden halt.
If that makes you wonder whether there is still time to ski, the answer is yes
– but only if you’re careful about where you go.
The second half of the season in the Alps has been fluky, to say the least,
with the weather fluctuating wildly between blissfully snowy and
unseasonably hot.
It all depends which way the wind is blowing: if it veers round to the south
again and the sun comes out, much of the newly fallen snow on the lower
slopes will be gone in a jiffy. Only the pistes will remain, as ribbons of
carefully maintained white between the trees, and they won’t be much fun to
ski – hard as rock in the morning and super-slushy by mid-afternoon.
To avoid these conditions, you need to aim high.
I know I keep saying this, but in April you really have no choice. Yes, if
this run of weather continues, you may be able to ski right down to the
valleys. But I wouldn’t bet the price of a chocolat chaud on
it.
If most of the skiing isn’t above 2,300m, don’t go.
The good news is that even in the sought-after high-altitude resorts,
package-holiday prices fall through the floor at the end of the season. This
coming week and the next have proved popular with families whose children
are in private schools and have a four-week Easter holiday, but there’s
plenty of availability for departures on April 5 and 6 and April 12 and 13,
which is when state-schoolers come out to play. In fact, there’s so much on
offer, some of the sought-after family specialists have lowered prices.
WHERE ARE THE DEALS?
Ski Esprit (01252 618300, www.ski-esprit.co.uk)
is offering a holiday for a family of four in Tignes, France, including
flights, half-board chalet accommodation and transfers (but not ski hire or
lift passes) for just £1,795, – £448pp – arriving on April 6. The following
week, the price drops to £1,195 for four. If anywhere is going to provide
decent skiing in mid-April, it’s Tignes: its three main villages are set at
2,100m; and, if all else fails, you can ski on the Grande Motte glacier,
between 3,000m and 3,400m. There are still places in Ski Esprit’s kids’
clubs, too – five half-day lessons for five- to nine-year-olds cost £149pp.
For those who want to go it alone, self-drive, self-catering apartments can be
cheap at this time of the year, too. Ski Collection (0844 576 0175, www.skicollection.co.uk)
has a week in a three-room apartment in high-altitude Les Menuires, France,
arriving on April 5, for £572, accommodation-only (a 30% saving).
Officially, the apartment sleeps eight, which is a bit of a squeeze, but
even if there are only six of you, that’s still just £95pp. Erna Low (0845
863 0525, www.ernalow.co.uk) has a
similar range of discounts for apartments in France.
For a good survey of what’s still available this year, check out one of the
discount websites, such as www.iglu.com, or call one of the specialist
travel agents, such as Ski Solutions (020 7471 7777, www.skisolutions.com)
or Alpine Answers (020 7801 1080, www.alpineanswers.co.uk).
BEWARE HALF-TERM 2009
Don’t, whatever you do, let this late-season abundance lull you into a false
sense of security about the school holidays next season – especially if you
like to take your brood to the slopes in February.
For the past couple of years, British schools have spread their half-term
breaks over a couple of weeks in February, but in 2009 it looks as though
almost everyone will be taking the same week off: from the 14th to the 21st.
As a result, demand for the best chalets and resorts has gone through the
roof. “There’s been a bun fight,” admits the Val d’Isère specialist YSE
(0845 122 1414, www.yseski.co.uk),
which says it has only three chalets still available for that week. The
Family Ski Company (01684 540333, www.familyski.co.uk
) reports a similar surge in interest – and bookings. You have been warned.
SNOW-GO AREAS
For the latest expert advice on the best of the ski spots, visit timesonline.co.uk/wintersports
