Huge fresh snowfalls in the Alps

Snow is falling in the Alps so what a great opportunity to tell you about some of our fantastic ski and snowboarding holiday deals.

We have fantastic ski deals from just £299 including flights, transfers and 7 nights accommodation.  We have a great choice of accommodation including self catering apartments, classic ski hotels and ski chalets.

Check out some of our dates and destinations below.

Call us today for the very best ski deals. Book now before it's too late.

Snow is Falling

No I'm not about to sing a Shakin Stevens Christmas song, but snow has been falling across the Alps in bucketfulls. The weekend saw a snow storm blow in dropping an unprecedented quantity of snow, closing parts of Verbier and forcing the postponement of the FIS SKi World Cup racing in Courchevel.

With many resorts experiencing dumps of up to 60cm in a single day over the weekend and more snow continuing to fall yeserday and today it seems like the slow start to the European ski season has now kicked off! Many resorts in France are now enjoying snow depths of well over 2 metres on higher slopes, with resorts such as Val d'Isere, Flaine, Meribel and La Plagne treating visitors to piste conditions normally only experienced in March. With the weather clearing and the Avalanche risk falling, now's the time think about hitting the slopes and enjoy the powdery pistes at their best.

In Switzerland the snow conditions are excellent, with Saas Fee recording a whoppping 344cm of snow! For those of you who haven't planned your New Years Eve celebrations yet, why not start 2012 on the piste? Tignes Le Lac hosts one of the most spectaular celebrations on the planet where you can dance the night away in the open air with thousands of other felllow snow-lovers, experiencing a visual extravaganza of fireworks and light shows reverberating around the snowy mountains to give you a New Years Eve you'll never forget!

Here are some good links to blogs/articles about the snow:

http://www.welove2ski.com/jsp/index.jsp?lnk=520

http://www.snow-forecast.com/pages/tips_full

http://www.tignes.net/en/agenda-events/new-year-s-eve-with-dj-clamaran-911.html

Soldeu - Top for Skiing This Season?

Soldeu: If you are looking for a fantastic all-round resort you can't do better than Soldeu in Andorroa.

Why is it Soldeu so good?

* High resort 1710-2640m meaning great snow conditions
* New and modern resort
* Low cost in comparison to France / Italy
* Skiing and snowboarding for all abilities
* Superb ski schools with native english speaking instructors
* Great apres ski
* Amazing sunshine record

Last time I skied in Soldeu I stayed in the Euro Esqui Hotel which is half way between Soldeu and El Tarter. To far to walk but the  local ski bus stops outside the hotel  each morning and takes you to the buddle lift in Soldeu. It's no more than a 2-5 minute journey on the bus.

Take the bubble lift up to the slopes and you'll open up into a wide area of nursery slopes, cafes and ski school meeting points. It's all very modern and well organised.

From here you can ski back down the mountain or work your way across to  over lifts to go up further. You will need to ski back down to find lifts to take you up, or use the rope lifts to take you across the mountain. It's not a problem and very use friendly. The nursery slopes are very well organised and there are different ones for different abilities.

In terms of runs, there aren't as many as some of the larger french resorts, but for someone who's only been 4-5 times there was plenty. I went with people who were expert 'black run' skiers and they still found plenty to keep them entertained and even a few to challenge them.

We went during March. The slopes didn't seem overly busy and we didn't have to queue for lifts. The ski schools got busy as most people seemed to take lessons.

Snow was fantatsic and it snowed most nights. I even felt I could have skied in a t-shirt it was so warm during the day. I confess I wasn't brave enough to try!

One of the best runs was the one back down to the bottom of bubble lift. It's also the location for one of the best hotels in the resort. Called the Sport Hotel or the Sport Village. These, although more expensive and very very nice hotels and in the perfect location.

We chose to ski down the slope every lunchtime and each back in the resort. There is a fantastic bar by the start of  bubble lift. Food  was much cheaper than on the slopes. I also confess the food portions were so big we ended up ordering kids portions each day.

Evenings out in Soldeu are among the best of any resort I've been  to. Lots  of english bars and entertainment. Not too loud, just the right balance. There isn't a lot of 'traditional' Andorran food or culture to see. In fact I couldn't even tell you what it is as the resort is definitely very focused on the English.

Overall Soldeu is one of the best value ski resorts I've ever had the pleasure of skiing. Not only is the price good, it also had a great range of skiing available.

Learn to Ski Package

Would you like to learn to ski or snowboard? Would you like to go as part of a group of like minded learners?

This coming February we have our annual 'Learn to Ski' package taking place. For one fantastic week we'll fly you to an amazing ski resort is Bulgaria, put you up in a fantastic hotel and then teach you to ski or snowboard for a week.

We've inlcuded EVERYTHING you could possibly want for this trip.
* Return flights from London Gatwick
* Transfers to and from the hotel
* 7 nights hotel
* Breakfast and evening meals

Plus we've also included:
* Ski and boot hire
* Lift pass for the entire week
* Six ski lessons
The price for this amazing learn to ski package?
It's just £529pp - and that includes everything listed above.



Why Bulgaria?
If you're learning to ski or looking to improve, you won't find a better place to ski. The resorts are focused on beginners, ski schools are among the best in the world. The snow is consistantly very good throughout Bulgaria which is of course a major consideration. In recent years, other areas of Europe can be a little hit or miss.


The Resort - Pamporovo:
35km of ski runs means you've got lots of space and choice for where to ski. This is the perfect size resort if you are learning. Any more and you'll get lost!

Wide open runs, tree lined passes and lots of places to eat and drink on the slopes.

The resort we've chosen is also fantastic for night life. There are a great range of lively bars, but also a wide range of traditional restuarants to experience authentic Bulgarian food and wine.

Ski kindergarten is also available in resort.

The Hotel - Snezhanka Hotel:
There is nothing better than coming back from a days skiing and then relaxing in the pool, spa or sauna. That's just what you can do with this amazing hotel. This hotel comes well recommended and should ideally be rated higher than it is. All rooms are en-suite and well equipped. You'll find us in the bar in the evenings and We've included your meals so you only need to venture out to go to the slopes! If you do there is lots to see and do.

There is a free ski bus to the slopes and you are just 1 minutes walk to the centre of town.

Interested?
You can download our mini brochure by clicking here.
To book simple call us on 0800 530 0621.

Deposit:
£80pp with the balance payable at the end of October.
Remember: We've only a limited number of spaces on this fantastic learn to ski package. Call us today on 0800 530 0621 to book visit us online for our learn to ski package.

Crystal Ski+ Packages

Last ski season Crystal had amazing success with their Crystal Ski+ Packages. This year the Crystal Ski+ packages are back by popular demand.

What is Crystal Ski Plus?
The Crystal Ski+ package allows you to book everything in one go and save a small fortune on your ski or snowboarding holiday.

Crystal Ski+ Packages include:
Flights
Transfers
Accommodation
Plus Ski / boot hire
Ski Lift Pass

We've already told you about our Top 8 Ski resorts, so checkout the best prices for Ski+ in these ski resorts:

Andorra: Pas de la Casa From £549pp HB Save £163
Austria: Soll From £649pp HB Save £93
Zell am See From £799pp HB Save £98
Bulgaria Borovets From £565pp HB Save £62
France Alpe d'Huez From £725pp HB Save £113
La Plagne From £489pp SC Save £164
Val Thorens From £489pp SC Save £135
Italy Sauze d'Oulx From £675pp AI Save £150

And new for this Ski season with Crystal:

Ski+ EXTRA
This ski season Cyrstal have gone one step further and are offering 3 properties in France with an amazing Ski Plus Extra deal. As well as everything you get with Ski Plus, you will also receive €35 towards drinks and a daily €16 packed lunch voucher.

To book your Crystal Ski Plus Ski or Snowboarding holiday, visit us online at www.notjusttravel.co.uk/ski or call our ski and snowboarding experts on 0800 530 0621.

Top 8 Ski Resorts

Ski and snowboarding looks set to be fantastic this year. Already we are seeing some amazing ski deals coming through.

If you're looking for a great ski deal and not sure which resort to choose. We've selected our top ski and snowboarding resorts from last year to give you an idea of what to look for. These resorts represent the best ski deals and value for money:

Top 8 Ski and Snowboaring Resorts:

Andorra: Pas de la Casa
Austria: Soll
Zell am See
Bulgaria Borovets
France Alpe d'Huez
La Plagne
Val Thorens
Italy Sauze d'Oulx

Look out for details of the Crystal Ski+ packages and Thomson all inclusive ski packages. More details to follow.

For the latest ski deals call us on 0800 530 0621 or visit our dedicated ski website at www.notjusttravel.co.uk/ski

Ski season is here

Ski and snowboarding season has really kicked off in a big way this year. With snow already on the ground in Switzerland and people already skiing, it's shaping up to be a great ski season.

So with this in mind, I thought I'd list some of our top ski resorts this season:

1. Meribel & Mottaret
2. Val Thornes
3. Morzine
4. Soldeu (Andorra)
5. Whistler (Canada)

Of course there are lots of places you can go, but what I've looked at is those locations which are generating the most interest with customers mainly because of:

* High altitude so fantastic snow record
* Availability of accommodation
* Cost of living once you're there

Meribel & Mottaret
Part of the Three Valleys so skiing and snowboarding conditions don't get much better! The Three Valleys gives you the biggest ski area in the World. It's close of Courchevel which is the biggest resort, however it doesn't have the big price tag associated with Courchevel. It's high altitude gives a fantastic snow record with long season.


Val Thornes
Again part of the Three Valleys ski area (you'd never guess I love the Three Valleys!). However it's further out of the way so prices are that much cheaper again especially when it comes to eating and drinking. It's an ideal resort for learners and those looking to go self catering. The apres-ski scene is very good. Skiing across to Courchevel is quite easy, just make sure you leave time to get home in the evenings.

Morzine
Part of the Portes du Soleil ski area, one of the largest in the world. Again you'll have no problem with variety here. Ski different runs every day. Well known ski areas close by include Avoriaz, Le Gets, Les Crosets. It's easy to ski across the boarder to Switzerland. It has some of the best scenery I've ever seen when skiing.

Soldeu
One of Andorra's best resorts for a great mix of beginner and intermediate skiing. Also excellent for the night life. I found it had all the charm of France yet without some of the big price tags. Don't expect to be challenged to hard if you're an expert skiing - but it's fantastic for families.

Whistler
They don't come much better. If you want to go here, remember it's the Winter Olympics resort in 2010 so accommodation isn't cheap this year. However a huge amount of money has been spent on the resort so everything is going to be amazing. If you've never skied in Canada, Whistler is the place to go for amazing wide runs, excellent snow and great verticals. Also the ski season starts early December and runs right through to April.

I'd love to hear your opinions on different ski resorts so we can recommend them to our customers.