Killian Forderounds up the latest ski news
Resort of the week: Val d’Isère
High up in the French Alps, Val d’Isère (above) has established itself as a favourite for skiers who look for apartment accommodation, guaranteed snow, extensive and varied slopes and a hectic nightlife. Although the clientele can be a little young, and loud, for some, the veterans are ageing well with the resort, and they return for the incredible skiing, both on piste and off. These annual returnees have helped Val d’Isère build a reputation as an expert’s destination.
With more than 300km of pisted slopes, as part of the huge Espace Killy network, the resort has skiing terrain for all levels. Intermediates are best served, with 70 per cent of the pistes pitched for this level. For the advanced, some of the best off-piste runs in the world await.
Boarders will have a blast in Val: the small number of drag lifts, great coaching and tuition, and the high bowls overlooking the valley offer nice opportunities to perform and practice off self-made kickers.
Critics of Val d’Isère claim it’s a poseur’s paradise, and the slopeside fashions can be expensive to keep up with, but when you’re barrelling down thigh deep in powder with the sun shining, you may not really care.
Resort height1,850m.
Range1,550m-3,455m.
Lifts89.
Total runs300km.
Longest run10km.
Best runThe Col Pers. This renowned off-piste run drops 1,300m to Le Fornet. Starting on the edge of a glacier, the route brings you through wide moonscaped bowls, a deep gorge and, temperatures permitting, a traverse across a frozen river.
SnowparksTwo.
Season lengthLate November to May.
Snow reliability*****
Who goesLinguistically, the most English of any Continental ski resort. English and Irish are the dominant accents, but with a smattering of Dutch and Scandinavian. Visitors are mainly young, but not as young as they think.
ValueThe French Alps' biggest drawback is the cost of the resorts. Expect to pay €20 for a burger-and- mineral lunch and €8 for a pint.
Insider tipsConvenient rail links make this one of the quickest to reach from London (www.raileurope.co.uk). Lunch at Le Canyon, in the village, is reasonable value and only a short clip out from the slopes.
AirportsGrenoble, Geneva.
Tour operatorsDirectski, Crystal.
Snow report
The destructive coastal storms that hit western Europe carried through to the Alps and Pyrenees. Recent falls in North America have nicely topped up the snow on the Rockies and the eastern seaboard.
Romanian and some Bulgarian resorts continue to report below-average snow; , check online before booking.
With fantastic conditions everywhere else there's no excuse to find yourself in a resort with patchy snow.
For up-to-date conditions check your destination on www.skiclub.co.uk. Free six-day forecasts are available at www.snow-forecast.com.
More than 4,000 webcams can be accessed at
www.snoweye.com.
Kitwatch
Staying in touch on the mountain via mobile phone can involve lots of missed calls, steep roaming charges, dropped signals and confused conversations attempting to describe what part of a white mountain you are on.
Walkie-talkies make a great alternative; they are cheap to buy, have no call charges and add a bit of novelty to the holiday.
Newest models on the market include a wind-up version (right), available for £60 (€65) at www.iwantoneofthose.com.
Dublin's Outdoor Adventure Store and Great Outdoors, as well as Matthews of Cork, stock regular battery-powered models.
5 for St Valentine's
Selva, Italy.
Alpbach, Austria.
Vogel, Slovenia.
Murren, Switzerland.
Lake Placid, New York.
What's on
Ever wondered how you start ski jumping? Park City in Utah has an introductory course in the sport from February 7th. The "learning to fly" module, run by the local club, costs a mere €40, helmet included. www.pcnordicskiclub.org.
Twin tips
If you fall, the chances of a "skier's thumb" injury are reduced if you haven't put your hands through the ski-pole straps.
Beginners should always check the necessity of buying a full-area ski pass for their debut holiday. Increasingly, resorts will offer passes for nursery slopes or limited areas only, meaning cheaper ski passes for those starting out.
And finally
Recession? What recession? The world's biggest chairlift company, Compagnie des Alpes, which owns and operates systems in France, Italy and Switzerland, has reported a 2.4 per cent sales increase over the Christmas period.