Here’s our guide for how to catch the best ski action across Europe this winter with tips for bargain breaks
We've rounded up the best attractions and places to stay for your next ski holiday with the family
SUMMER is over – it’s time to look forward to scraping ice off the car instead.
If that doesn’t fill you with joy, the prospect of a ski holiday should.
Luckily, there are plenty of new attractions out there, as our early round-up shows.
PLACES TO STAY
La Folie Douce Hotel, Chamonix: The legendary Folie Douce restaurant/cabaret/day club has spread all over the Alps and this winter opens its first hotel.
It’s cheaper than you might think, too. There will be 107 hostel rooms, sleeping up to six, as well as the 141 premium bedrooms for up to four.
It takes over the old Savoy Hotel building and is decorated in a Roaring Twenties style — think The Great Gatsby on ice.
Beds are from £21 in the hostel and from £79 per double in the hotel. For details head to lafoliedoucehotels.com/en.
Over The Moon, La Plagne: At the other end of the scale, you can sleep right on the slopes in a specially adapted piste basher — the snow ploughs that smooth out the slopes at the end of the day.
Yep, La Plagne has converted one of its snowcats into a luxury bedroom at 7,900ft.
A chauffeur will drop you off for a secluded night on the slopes, then pick you up the following morning.
Definitely a night to remember. B&B costs £280. For details see bit.ly/2xCb3XO.
The Alparena, La Rosiere: Family-friendly La Rosiere is getting bigger by the year. Hyatt opened there last winter, and this season sees the 4* Alparena Hotel (half-board from £128 a night, hotel-alparena.com) and the smart Chalet l’Aiglon (B&B from £152 per night, chaletaiglon.com).
They’re worth a look as the resort has just opened a ski area higher up the mountain to complement its beginner slopes .
Hotel Kontor, Hall in Tirol: Stay in a pretty Tyrolean town and enjoy access to a mix of ski areas.
The 4* Kontor has eight boutique-style rooms, with B&B from £53 per night.
Skiing is in the snow-sure Innsbruck domain, with family trails at low altitude and the tougher Nordkette summit nearby. See hotel-kontor.at.
Hotel Grand Pas, Pas de la Casa: Andorra always had the edge on value over the Alps — now quality is on the up too.
This new 4* Pierre et Vacances hotel is worth a look — seven nights’ B&B is from £530 for a standard double room and gives you access to the indoor pool, sauna, hammam and hot tub. And prices in Andorra are still tax-free. See pierreetvacances.co.uk.
THINGS TO DO
La Rosiere, Espace San Bernardo: Not many resorts have the space to open new slopes but La Rosiere, near the Italian border, has carved out five new red pistes served by two new six-person chair lifts.
And you can ski over to Italy for the day too.
Try the new First Tracks breakfast — for £31 you get the slopes to yourself from 7.30-9.30am, plus breakfast at the Antigel mountain restaurant. Heaven. larosiere.net/en/first-track-vip.
James Bond Experience, Solden: You can see the building they used as the Hoffler Klinik in the film Spectre — it is the Ice Q restaurant at the summit of Gaislachkogl mountain, 12,500ft above Solden.
And it is now home to the 007 Elements exhibition, a tribute to all the Bond films, with interactive displays and lots of special effects. £20, 007elements.soelden.com.
New zip line, Val Thorens: The resort opened the highest zip wire in Europe last season — now it adds one of the longest.
For £31 you launch from the top to the Moutiere chair lift, with your skis or board strapped to your back, and land back down in the resort, in three stages. Riders can hit up to 46mph at more than 5,000ft in the air. See valthorens.com.
Biathlon, Morzine: Try the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting.
Don’t worry, it’s a laser rifle — safe for kids aged eight and above.
Biathlon is one of the toughest winter sports, and now you can give it a shot — quite literally — in the French Alps.
Morzine, in the Portes du Soleil, is the most accessible for Brits, and a 90-minute lesson is from £40. See bit.ly/2QYRK37.
Ski jumping, Courchevel: Laser guns not hard enough? Try ski jumping.
Courchevel hosted the ski jump for the 1992 Winter Olympics and, new for this season, offers lessons with the ESF — the Ecole du Ski Français — on a 25m-long jump.
A 90-minute session is £115 and kids need their ESF bronze-level badge or equivalent.
Given the mishaps on Channel 4’s The Jump, that sounds wise — see skischoolcourchevel.co.uk.
PEOPLE TO SEE
Henry’s Avalanche Talk, ski shops nationwide: Henry’s Avalanche Talk is a great way to gear up for the season.
It’s a safety briefing for anyone heading off piste — and is a lot more fun than it sounds.
There’s a new focus on applying the right skills to stay safe beyond the piste markers, and how to take control when things get a bit hairy.
It’s a good way to meet like-minded ski buddies, and could even save a life. Tickets from £10 — henrys avalanchetalk.com.
SkiBro, French Alps: The new way to book lessons and guiding. Think of it as a non-dating Tinder for ski instructors.
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The SkiBro app hooks you up with an instructor, based on your preferences and experience, for less than you might pay when using a ski school.
New for this winter are resorts in the Paradiski area, plus Chamonix, the Portes du Soleil and Verbier in Switzerland. Check out skibro.com.
Verbier In The UK: And finally, expect to hear a lot more about Verbier this season.
The Swiss resort has signed a deal with Liverpool Football Club to promote itself to the UK market.
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