Ski Holidays 2008/2009

Snow in the northern hemisphere is quite a few months away now but people are already planning their skiing and boarding holidays for the 2008/2009 season.

Travelbite.co.uk brings you all you need to know so you can hit the slopes for a fabulous winter ski holiday.

We highlight the top ski resorts in Europe and North America, from luxury ski break destinations to the hot (and great value) alternative ski slopes of Slovakia.

We also preview the new Thomson Ski offerings and have some tips for ski wedding locations.

And finally, check out the top ten ski websites to make sure your ski holiday this year is the best ever.

Luxury ski holiday destinations

Luxury or high-end ski holidays were in demand last season, according to Gareth Crump, product, planning and yield director for Crystal Ski.

"The winter mountain holiday is an important event for our customers who appreciate the finer things in life and great value for money.

They welcome high standards of accommodation in the very best ski resorts and services like ski fitting in the comfort of their own chalet and Wi-Fi in their chalets which is new this year," he commented.

In its winter 2008/09 ski holiday brochures, Crystal Ski is placing emphasis on 'luxury' and 'little gems' as well as 'exquisite' hotels, chalets and apartments in Europe, North and South America and Japan.

The ski operator is offering many new hotels and apartments this year - from the chic sophistication of the Stowe Mountain Lodge to the brand new stylish The Rocks Resort in Laax. All have well-equipped kitchens and lounge areas and most have excellent spa facilities for the perfect luxury ski holiday.

Alternative ski holiday destination - Slovakia

The High Tatra mountains in Slovakia are tipped to be the next hot alternative to the crowded slopes of the Alps.

This region has seen over €200 million of Olympic investment, including the extension of ski runs and even its first five-star hotel (the Kempinski) in the past year and it is ready to welcome snowsports enthusiasts for the 2008/2009 season.

Its resorts are set against fairytale winter scenery and offer significant savings compared to ski holidays elsewhere in Europe.

Matt Jevons, the director of British ATOL-bonded operator Mountain Paradise, says that Slovakia's "winter wonderland is starting to welcome visitors from all over the world".

Mountain Paradise is looking forward to showing skiers "the secret jewels in Slovakia's snowy crown", he added.

The spectacular peaks of the Tatra Mountains cater for all levels of skier and snowboarder, with reliable snow from as early as November.

The high Tatras are ideal for beginners and intermediates, while the low Tatras, which have recently linked ski lifts from Chopok North and Chopok South, offer fabulous freestyle and off-piste skiing and snowboarding for those with more experience.

Winter sports fans can also try sledging, night skiing, ice skating, snow tubing and snow scooters.

Visitors can also take in the Demanova ice caves or plunge into the hot springs found all along the valley.

And wildlife enthusiasts may even catch a glimpse of the bears, lynx and wolves still found in the region.

Budget ski holiday packages from Mountain Paradise start from just £325, including return flights from the UK, return transfers and seven nights’ accommodation with breakfast and ski pass. Luxury four-star packages start from £499.

Direct flights are available from London Luton and Manchester airports to Poprad and Kosice, with the three main ski resorts, Strbske Pleso, Stary Smokovec and Tatranska Lomnica, all easily accessible by electric train.

Thomson Ski & Snowboard offers for 2008/09

The popular Thomson Ski & Snowboarding 2008/09 brochure is now out, offering ski and snowboarding holidays to 89 resorts in 11 countries across Europe, USA and Canada.

It has a number of new ski resorts and flight routes and an early booking special of 25 per cent off your ski holiday if booked before October 29th 2008.

New ski resorts for the 2008/09 season include Montgenèvre in France. This resort is part of the Milky Way ski area with over 400km of piste and you can ski in Italy as well as France.

In Austria, the new resort is Rauris, which ideal for beginners and families. The largest thermal spa and wellness resort in the Alps, Leukerbad, is the latest offering in Switzerland.

With a stunning mountain backdrop, the 22 thermal baths are complemented by therapy, fitness and beauty centres, and offer an oasis of relaxation.

In Spain, the ski resort of Formigal has been added to the line-up. Formigal's piste area recently expanded into four valleys and it is a great resort for families.

The new flight routes are from London Gatwick to Huesca (Spain) for the new resort Formigal; Birmingham to Grenoble (France); East Midlands airport to Innsbruck (Austria) and Glasgow to Turin (Italy).

Other special offers available to early bookers include a free six-day lift pass for adults departing on March 14 th/15th and 21st/22nd 2009 to all chalets in the brochure and six selected European hotels.

There are also free half day crèche or kids club offers for any January and March departures in twenty resorts where Thomson offers childcare (book before 31 Oct).

All season Thomson Ski are offering free lift passes for adults and children in Chamrousse and the Hotel Les Melezes in Arc 2000 (France) as well as the Hotel Gansleit in Söll (Austria).

There are also free child places available on every departure date and free ski helmets for children.

Top ski wedding locations

Thomson Ski & Snowboarding holidays also offer ski wedding packages for those who want to tie the knot in the magical environment of a mountain ski resort and spend the honeymoon skiing.

Wedding arrangements can be made in Zell am See, St Wolfgang, Whistler, Banff and Lake Louise.

And for the 2008/09 ski season there is a new location - Lake Bled in Slovenia.

Ski wedding packages include the ceremony performed by a registrar, marriage certificate, a registered translator to guide you through the service, a professional photographer, bridal bouquet with a choice of flowers, welcome cocktail, wedding lunch, a present, champagne and a gala wedding dinner.

Top ten ski websites

Flexible ski break operator Flexiski recommends the following top ten internet sites to help you prepare for your ski holiday in 2008/2009:

1. Native tongues

Listen to and download useful basic ski phrases in French and German like "Sorry I'm still learning" or "What a poseur!" from the BBC's online languages area.

2. The Art of Skiing

A lovable Disney classic featuring Goofy's amusing attempts at ski perfection.

3. Wipe out!

Rated as one of the TimesOnline's top travel websites, WeLove2Ski.com offers a lively mixture of reviews, features and advice.

4. Ski fit

Top UK female Ski champ Chemmy Alcott fronts Channel 4's worldcupskiing 'Fit to Ski' exercise programmeC segment. Watch Chemmy's guide, devised by British Ski team coach Mark Tilson.

5. Silly season

Europe's biggest alpine festival rounds off the ski season each year for two weeks in April. The Meribel event is awash with live music, comedy, DJs and slope-style from the UK, US, Canada and France. Dates for the 2009 Altitude Festival are due to be released soon so keep an eye on the website and bebo blog for what's in store.

6. SkiTV

The Ski Club of Great Britain's microsite SkiTV features videos on ski and snowboard technique as well as resort, safety and fitness guides.

7. Game on

They're silly but we like them anyway. Perfect your downhill ski technique with this online ski game. Or for the more competitive thrill seeker try your luck at Aggressive Alpine Skiing. Finally get technical with the Ski stunt simulator.

8. UK Ski

If you want to get in some practice sessions during the summer or before you hit the slopes, find a dry, or indoor ski slope near you at the Snow Sport England website. Click on the interactive map for venue details.

9. Ski Gear

Discounts of up to 50 per cent can be snapped up on a wide variety of brands at outlets such as Snow and Rock towards the end of the season.

10. Flexiski

The Flexiski site has a new ski blog written by chalet staff to keep you up-to-date with exactly what is going on in-resort.