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Travel & Holiday

Snow Needed in the Alps & It’s Not Just for Skiing

Some snow is finally falling in what is set to be the first decent fall for most since early January. The French Alps went 32 days without any snow falling at all. It’s the worst drought since records began with implications beyond the Alps. UPDATED

Ski School or Home School?

It’s a dilemma faced by many parents during a winter holiday. What do you do when you book your kids into ski lessons, and then they simply refuse to put their skis on?

Norwegian Ski Rail Trip

PlaneSKI has been on a rail ski safari round a few ski areas in Norway – Voss, Myrkdalen and Norefjell. Adventures aplenty.

PlanetSKI Takes the 45-Minute Challenge

PlanetSKI’s Tim Clark has taken on the challenge of getting from the French resort of La Rosiere to La Thuile in Italy on a snowboard in 45 minutes.  Can it be done?

Spring Skiing & Easter in Tirol

Most ski areas in the Austrian Tirol are open until Easter and beyond.  Five of them are glacier resorts just an hour from Innsbruck. 

PlanetSKI Snow Report

A storm has begun in the NW Alps, but the temperature is set to rise. Will it be rain or snow? UPDATED

Great Austrian Resorts for Spring Skiing

They’re ski areas with a long season, kicking off early and finishing in April or even May. Check out some great choices for your spring trip to the mountains.

PlanetSKI Hits the Powder of Norway

It hadn’t snowed in the Alps for weeks. So, we decided to go skiing in Norway where snow was falling. We’re been travelling round Norway by train and it seems we’ve hit gold!

PlanetSKI Reports from Abruzzo in Southern Italy

Abruzzo is an Italian region to the east of Rome that contains the Apennine Mountains – home to a number of fabulous ski areas that are little-known to British skiers and snowboarders.

PlanetSKI Takes Self-Catering Ski Holiday in Chamonix

As a Canadian living in the UK, PlanetSKI’s Marie Taylor is on a mission to ski all of Europe’s big resorts. She’s stayed in hotels in Zermatt & chalets in Les3Vallees. Now it’s self-catering in Chamonix. Read on for more on the self-catering experience.

Skiing in Adelboden: An Unexpected Delight

If you like the idea of a traditional, quaint, ski resort where the locals still go to ski because the skiing is rather good, then this Swiss gem is for you. Did anyone mention its swing?

Last Minute Ski Offers & Easter Holidays

Holiday essentials – Discounts on ski hire, ski school, airport transfers & ski holidays. UPDATED

Best Value Food & Drink in Les3Vallées

It’s not a secret that eating and drinking out in the vast Three Valleys ski area in France can be an expensive pastime.  With that in mind – and with the busy February holiday period in full swing – our friends at Maison Sport give us their tips for the best value spots. NEW

What to do in Morzine Besides Snowsports

There are 600km of pistes to enjoy in the Portes du Soleil but if you want a break from the slopes – or are travelling with those less keen than you are on snowsports – what else is there to do? 

International Ski Patrol Day

It’s being celebrated for a second year and took place on Friday, 10th February.  The aim is to recognise the extraordinary work of ski patrollers without whom we could not enjoy our skiing and snowboarding each winter.

Tirol’s Local Secrets

If you’re off to the Tirol this season, we have some local secrets to let you in on.  Even if you’re heading to the Austrian region’s most famous resorts, we’re pretty sure there will be things you don’t know.  Let the locals tell you more.

Resorts In Andorra Raise Prices Sharply for Half Term

The Grandvalira area is raising the price of a day lift ticket by 20%. Some airport to resort transfers have gone up by 25% and hotels are reportedly raising their prices as demand increases.

Avoriaz: Love it or Hate it?

It’s one of those places that provokes strong feelings.  If you’re a fan of traditional mountain ski villages, then this 1960s purpose-built resort in the French Alps is possibly not for you.  But it has a lot going for it and we rather like it.

40 Hours in Vaujany

PlanetSKI packed a lot into a flying visit to the unknown – to us – ski village of Vaujany in the Isère region of the French Alps. Downhill skiing, a ski tour, a snowshoe trek to watch the sun go down and more.

New for February… deals & offers

Half Term essentials – Don’t forget to book ski hire, ski school & airport transfers. UPDATED

Alpine Fleet Resort Transfer Company Reports Good Start

Alpine Fleet has recently launched a transfer service for those wanting hassle free, convenient and great value transfers from Geneva Airport to ski resorts across the French, Swiss and Italian Alps.

Ski Lifts Strikes in French Ski Resorts Have Little Impact

The two strikes held so far have had little impact and threats of further ones in February will likely be the same, if they take place at all. Some sections of the media have been accused of scaremongering.

PlanetSKI Hits the Jura Mountain Range

It is a range just north of the Alps that we have always wanted to visit but never have. Now snow has fallen and temperatures remain low.

Strikes Threaten French Ski Resorts over Half Term

French unions are threatening to close the lifts over the busiest weeks of the season. Resorts & tour operators are issuing reassuring statements & it seems any action will be limited. UPDATED

Good Conditions Continue in the Alps

Cold temperatures and more snowfall in the Alps are turning January into a great month for skiing and snowboarding. There’s also snow in the Pyrenees, while parts of North America and Scandinavia are continuing to deliver the goods.  UPDATED

….More Ski Deals

* HUGE discounts on ski and snowboard hire.
* 5% discount with Ski Lifts on all airport transfers NEW

Fancy Going to Lapland Next Winter?

There’s the Aurora Borealis to see, a visit to meet Santa and learn-to-ski or snowboard packages on offer from Iglu Ski. NEW

First Tracks in Verbier

Want to be among the first ones down the slopes? You can every Friday when first tracks is on and you have the freshly groomed slopes to yourself. It’s new for this season.

PlanetSKI Hits Canada For a Bucket List Ski Trip

PlanetSKI’s Claire McAteer is hitting resorts in Alberta and British Columbia. The snow is not as good as it could be, but no matter. Canada is a dream come true. UPDATED

PlanetSKI Verbier Ski Blog

Our editor James Cove is back in town with the Warren Smith Ski Academy & Helly Hansen. There are loads of memories as he’s been skiing here for more than 20-years. Best of all new ones are being made. And it’s dumping with snow. UPDATED

PlanetSKI is in Morzine as Heavy Snow Finally Falls

Morzine was one of those resorts that had a torrid time of it when rain washed away much snow over the New Year holiday period. Now it is chucking it down. We look at the fresh snow and the impact of the earlier lack of snow.

Blue Sky & Powder Across Large Parts of the Alps

Winter is firmly back on track in the Alps after the latest snow. Let’s hope it lasts. UPDATED

Staying in Le Chable to Access Verbier & the 4 Vallees in Switzerland

It used to be a place you passed through to get to Verbier. Not anymore as the village down the valley becomes increasingly popular for a variety of reasons. PlanetSKI has been seeing what the fuss is about.

Best Ski Conditions of the Season in Scotland

There has been 40cm of new snow and conditions are superb. Earlier, high winds meant the access roads to The Lecht and Cairngorm were impassable. Scotland is seeing an excellent winter season so far.

Bruson Heads Into A New Era

The ski area linked to and opposite Verbier has had something of a transformation in recent years with new lifts, new restaurants and much else besides. PlanetSKI has been sampling its delights.

… More Ski Deals and Discounts

More holiday discounts for 2023 + HUGE discounts on ski and snowboard hire. Plus you can ski in Wengen for LESS than £600pp.
*NEW 5% discount on all transfers with Ski Lifts UPDATED

Driving to the Alps for Skiing & Snowboarding

More people are driving to the Alps – it can be cheaper & more environmentally friendly than flying, plus there’s a host of other reasons. PlanetSKI has just driven to Verbier + we have reaction from readers who also like to drive.

It’s All White Now!

The big snowstorm across the Alps has delivered.  The low altitude ski areas that had been very bare have turned white at last.  Resorts are breathing a sigh of relief, though many could still do with more. UPDATED

Big Snowstorm Finally Hits the Alps

The forecast snow has started and there are indications that up to 50cm may fall in some places. UPDATED

Why Ski in Italy?

What have the Romans ever given us? If you’ve seen the satirical sketch from Monty Python’s Life of Brian, you’ll know the answer is quite a lot.  The same can be said for the Italians and their ski resorts.

Ski Resorts Across Europe Look to Save Energy

Some are slowing down lifts while others are suspending night skiing. Some Xmas lights have been reduced and there’s a whole host of measures under discussion.

New Year Ski Deals

Holiday discounts for 2023 + HUGE discounts on ski and snowboard hire.

Ski Hiring & Ski Testing with Intersport

If you take out the premium package with Intersport you can change your skis as many times as you want.  That’s exactly what three PlanetSKI reporters did in Les2Alpes – changing their equipment as the snow changed and simply trying out new skis with a view to finding the right one to buy.

Costs of Skiing Rise but Numbers Expected to Remain Constant

Some claim prices are up by around 10%.  Inflation and spiralling energy costs are taking their toll, but the number of people skiing looks set to remain constant. 

Another Restaurant in Val Gardena Awarded Michelin Star

The area has some of the most fabulous mountain restaurants in the Alps and another one has been acknowledged. Val Gardena has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin features restaurants in the mountains.

OVO Network Expands into Switzerland

High end chalet rental specialist OVO Network, until now solely offering chalets in France, has launched its first chalet to rent in Switzerland. NEW

Skiing & Santa in Lapland

It is arguably the ultimate winter holiday for kids. A trip to see the elves and Santa himself, days before Christmas, in the snowy expanse of Lapland. Then flying home just in time to get the mince pies on the fireplace before the big guy comes down the chimney.

Ski Deals in Andorra from Inghams

Set in the high mountains of the Pyrenees between France and Spain, Andorra has some good value skiing and snowboarding on offer.

Heavy Snow & Rain Hits the Alps Affecting Xmas Skiing

There has been heavy snow at altitude in the Alps with up to a metre falling in places. Lower down rain has harmed the snowpack. UPDATED

Santa on the Slopes

He has been dashing around lately – paraponting over Avoriaz in France + pounding the powder in Sunshine Village in Canada. We look at his travels round the ski resorts of the world. UPDATED

Pierre & Vacances Offers Sunday to Sunday Option

Saturday traffic delays, sky-high flight costs and fully-booked ferries or trains could soon be a thing of the past for UK families booking with the self-catered specialist, Pierre & Vacances. 

‘Chalet Owners’ Offers Some of the Best Chalets in the Alps

Looking to book your next luxury ski chalet? You could do worse than take a look at Chalet Owners, a curated collection of luxury chalets and apartments aimed at the discerning skier.

New Sports & Conference Centre Opens in Val Thorens

‘So what?’ you may ask. It sits in the centre of town & is set to be the diamond in the crown of the high-altitude French resort – an integral part of its future. PlanetSKI was at the official opening on Wednesday.

…. More Ski Deals

Ski Deals with savings on ski holidays and guaranteed discounts on equipment hire with Intersport…..

PlanetSKI Discount Code for Ski Hire with Intersport

Intersport has over 700 ski hire shops across the Alps. With the special PlanetSKI discount code rent award-winning skis & snowboards at fabulous prices.

Pointe de la Masse Ski Lift Appears to be Victim of its Own Success

The lift in Les Menuires draws huge crowds as people head to the viewing platform at the top & enjoy the varied skiing on offer. PlanetSKI went for a ride to see if all the attention is warranted.

Harsh Weather Hits the Alps with Powder at Altitude but Heavy Rain Lower Down

The temperature has been fluctuating wildly bringing snow and rain. Xmas is looking good in high-altitude rski areas but not so good lower down as the snowpack deteriorates. UPDATED

Discover the Affordable Ski Resort of Roccaraso in Italy with Ski Abruzzo

Roccaraso is Italy’s fifth biggest ski area with over 100 km of linked runs and 700m vertical drop. With three nearby airports – Naples, Pescara and Rome.

Three Ski Days in Arc 1950 (+1 bonus morning)

PlanetSKI has been for a quick visit to check out the award-winning hotel, Bear Lodge, and see what Arc 1950 has to offer. After 3 days we planned to move on to Les3Vallees. Or not.

Les Gets Bans Smoking on Ski Slopes

The French resort is banning smoking on ski lifts and on the slopes except in 5 designated areas. It is the first resort in Europe to do so. NEW

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