The new ski season

I'm new to skiing – will I like it?

The best way to find out is to try. This year, for the first time in six years, the Association of Snow Sports Countries has joined forces with seven leading tour operators to offer free skiing to first-time skiers for a week, from 17 or 24 January (cynics will note that this is typically a time of low demand). You can choose from 50 resorts in Austria, Switzerland, France, Andorra, Canada, Finland and Norway. The deal is that you pay for a package holiday and then receive free tuition, lift pass and equipment hire. In most resorts this would add up to a saving of more than £300. As there are only 1,000 places, early booking is advisable, either online at www.freshersskiweek.com or through one of the operators listed on the website.

From next month, this website will link up with that of TK Maxx, which claims to be the biggest skiwear retailer in the UK, with a large range of discounted brands. "Being properly equipped, not only for the slopes but for getting out and about in the resort, is something that many first-time skiers overlook," says the company's spokeswoman Helen Gunter. Its website, www.tkmaxx.com, will be offering advice on what is essential clothing and what you can manage without.


Can I afford to ski this year?

It is certainly true that there will be few bargains during the peak periods of New Year, Easter, and February half-term – which this year will be the same week for most schools in the country. To make matters worse, because last season was so good, many people booked for this year as soon as they returned from last year's skiing trip, which spells limited availability in peak periods. But if you can be flexible, there are a number of destinations with enticing offers. Anyone with children under the age of 14 might want to consider a holiday in Andorra: book a low-season departure through any tour company to this small, Pyrenean principality, and the children will receive a free lift pass. First Choice (0871 664 0130; www.firstchoice-ski.co.uk) offers holidays in four of the Andorran resorts; it is part of the same company as the industry leader, Crystal, and Thomson Ski.

Recognition that the cost of a lift pass can significantly increase the cost of a holiday has led to an initiative by 13 of the French resorts, including Val d'Isère and Méribel. Instead of a lift pass, you buy a lift card for €32 (£27) from any of the participating resorts, or online

at www.holiski.com. When swiped at the beginning of the day, the card will debit the cost of a lift pass from your credit card, but with a discount of 15 per cent. The lift card is valid for a year from October to September.


Any cheap flights?

Travelling on a budget airline can help to reduce the cost of a trip, though bear in mind that many flights during peak holiday times, and on Fridays and Saturdays, are already heavily booked and prices have risen accordingly. Easyjet (0905 821 0905; www.easyjet.com) is introducing new routes from Gatwick to Basel, Lyon and Salzburg, and from Manchester to Geneva, in time for the ski season. Ryanair (0871 246 0000; www.ryanair.com) is adding new flights from Stansted to Basel and Lourdes; from Stansted and Birmingham to Cuneo, 65km south of Turin; from Bournemouth, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Prestwick and East Midlands to Turin; and from Bristol, Birmingham and Edinburgh to Grenoble. British Airways (0844 049 3 787; www.ba.com) is launching services from London City airport to Geneva and Lyon in December.


Coolest resort this year?

Since it opened in December, Revelstoke in British Columbia has been attracting attention; some people are calling it the new Whistler. Part of its appeal is the longest vertical descent in North America, a run that descends through 5,620ft. It now has improved lift facilities and twice as much skiable terrain as last year, and from 8 December there will be direct flights to the resort from Calgary on Hawkair (www.hawkair.ca).

Much of the resort is still a building site, however, warns Michael Bennett, the managing director of Ski Independence (0845 310 3030; www.ski-independence.co.uk), which offers tailor-made ski holidays. "The mountain is open, but with only one lodge, it's not a place to stay for seven to 10 nights," he says. Instead, Bennett recommends skiing at Revelstoke for a day or two, but basing your holiday at the beautiful resort of Kicking Horse. "It's really starting to take off now, and it's a real skiers' mountain."


Upgrades and improvements?

The 2008-9 season could be a good time to head to Whistler, where excitement is already building towards the 2010 Winter Olympics. In anticipation of the Games, the new Peak 2 Peak gondola is scheduled to open on 12 December, linking Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The transfer will take 11 minutes, and there will be capacity to transport 2,050 people in each direction every hour. Bennett believes that the gondola is an excellent investment for the future. "It makes Whistler a more complete resort – bigger, better, more integrated. And it's something to marvel at – it's a real feat of engineering."

A long way south, in New Mexico, Taos will be open to snowboarders for the first full season – a recognition that the mountains should be enjoyed by everyone, whatever their way of getting down them. One-day lift tickets will be available from $66 (£38), and American Ski (01892 511894; www.americanski.co.uk) is among a number of operators offering holidays in the resort.

Back in Europe, anyone who took a trip last year to the Paradiski area in the French Alps was hampered by the closure of the double-decker Vanoise Express cable car. The safety concerns that caused the closure have now been addressed, and the Vanoise Express will open for the new season on 20 December, linking up 425km of terrain between the resorts of Les Arcs and La Plagne, as well as a number of surrounding villages. Inghams (020-8780 4433; www.inghams.co.uk/ski) is among the operators that sells holidays in both destinations.

In Courchevel, 20 December sees the reopening of Le Portetta (00 33 4 79 08 01 47; www.leportetta.com), the hotel now owned by Le Poussin, the group led by the celebrity chef Alex Aitken. The multimillion-euro refurbishment is aimed at making Le Portetta one of the most desirable resort hotels in the French Alps: "You can ski straight out from our terrace, and back in time for a lunchtime bite of classic French cuisine in the sun," is the boast.


New trends?

The ski industry is waking up to the idea that many people are looking for a general winter experience rather than just slopes, accommodation and very little else. The most successful example of this is Finland: its slopes are far from Europe's best, but there is a good range of other activities, including ice-fishing, reindeer safaris and snowmobile trips to see the Northern Lights. The tour operator Crystal (0871 231 5645; www.crystalski.co.uk) sells packages to a variety of Finnish resorts. Marion Telsnig, a Crystal spokesperson, says that prices for food and drink are comparable to those in the UK. "And it's great to have your own sauna, I must say," she says of one of the standard features in every Finnish hotel and cabin.

Resorts in other parts of Europe have clued in to Finland's methods. "Now everyone else has got wise to it," says Andrew Ward, who represents the ski resorts of Andorra in the UK. "People are looking for a general winter experience. Skiing and snowboarding are taken as read, but now they are looking for other things to do." Following Finland's lead, the resorts of Andorra have spent €21m (£17m) providing extra attractions: snowmobile circuits, husky trails, sledging, ice bars and an ice hotel. "We can't afford for our beginners to go elsewhere, so we've had to get our act together," Ward says.

Pip Tyler, the overseas director for the Neilson tour operator (0845 070 3460; www.neilson.co.uk), recommends Are, Sweden, as a family destination. The Copperhill Mountain Lodge is scheduled to open there in November. Designed by the architect Peter Bohlin, it will have 112 rooms and suites, and a state-of-the-art spa. Tyler is also promoting a new Neilson destination in Norway: Hafjell. "There's great accommodation and ski schools," he says. "And the Hunderfossen Winter Park is something of a winter theme park, with mini snowmobiles, ice bowling and sleigh rides."


Some of my family don't like skiing

Thomson Ski (0871 231 5612; www.thomsonski.co.uk) sells holidays in the Swiss resort of Leukerbad that are ideal for couples where one wants to ski and the other does not. In addition to 55km of pistes and a World Cup run, Leukerbad is the largest thermal resort and wellness centre in the Alps, with 22 different spas in one small town. Other activities include snowshoeing, husky sledding and paragliding.

Another experience designed to attract non-skiers can be found at California's largest resort, Heavenly, whose slopes overlook Lake Tahoe. Leave your skis at the hotel and take the gondola up 9,000ft to the Heavenly Flyer, a zipline ride that opened last season and that will transport you at up to 50mph through unforgettable scenery. It opens 10am-3pm daily during the winter season, and rides cost $30 (£17). Lift tickets are extra.


Anything more adventurous?

According to Betony Garner of the Ski Club of Great Britain (020-8410 2022; www.skiclub.co.uk), there is an increasing demand among skiers for something perceived as challenging or adventurous. "People seem to want more from their holidays," Garner says. The Ski Club has added nine new off-piste trips to its brochure, and has also extended its ski-touring programme, in which skiers walk between slopes, avoiding the lifts and staying overnight in mountain huts.

Safaris are a combination of hotel and hut accommodation. For those who want creature comforts with their adventure, the Ski Club has also introduced exploration trips to the Alps destinations of Grimentz, Flaine and the Tarentaise Valley; on these trips, participants go off on a series of day tours, returning to a hotel at night. The Club is also offering an eight-night ski tour through the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. It will depart on 7 March, and the cost of £1,095 covers travel from Marrakech, three nights' accommodation in the city and five in mountain huts. Flights are extra, and are likely to cost £150-£200 return.

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Slope off in style: the latest kit and fashions

There's always a new trend in clothing and equipment. This year, the fashion is for all-in-one suits, or trousers and jacket in the same colour; they should be baggy in style. Look out for fluorescent colours and expect to see plenty of purple, on and off the slopes.

Experienced skiers thinking of buying new skis should think about rockers, to keep up with the trend for off-piste skiing. According to Claire Collins of Snow+Rock, the design is a bit like that of a rocking horse: "It gives you more float in powder, so it's easier for an on-piste skier to go off-piste," she says. "They're wider underfoot, and easy to ski on." She recommends the Salomon ranges of Lord or Lady skis (from £349, bindings extra).

Her advice to skiers who prefer to stay on-piste is to get a carving ski with a good edge grip. "I'd look for the K2 Luv range," she says. These skis are available from £269.

Board silly: Big Air takes off in Battersea

This year, for the first time, a Snowboarding World Cup event will take place in London. On 25 October, the usually snow-free surroundings of Battersea Power Station will be transformed and many of the world's best boarders, including most of the British team, will compete in the London Big Air. The competition involves riding down a steep slope before jumping off and flipping and spinning to the ground. The 36-metre ramp will be covered with real snow. Big Air is part of a four-day event (23-26 October) featuring Alpine ski bars, live bands and DJs. The event begins at 11am (tickets from www.londonfreeze.com, cost £29.99).