What’s new this ski season in Europe

As the snow starts to fall in the resorts and the anticipation of the upcoming ski season mounts, we round up the new developments, services and resort experiences that you can expect in the ski resorts around Europe in 2012/2013:

Getting there:

New Eurostar service to the Swiss Alps
If you want to swap airport chaos with a swift and sophisticated journey by rail, you’ll be pleased to know that Eurostar has joined forces with the international high-speed train service ‘TGV Lyria’ and launched a new weekly service to the Swiss Alps and resorts including Verbier, Zermatt, Saas Fee and Gstaad. For added convenience, Eurostar and TGV Lyria will allow ski passengers to carry on-board an extra item of luggage in addition to the normal luggage allowance, such as a pair of skis or a snowboard, at no extra cost.

New services:

Ski butlers in the Alps
If you’re tired of lugging your ski equipment to and from the airport or find renting equipment a hassle, then this new service is for you! You can hire your chosen equipment before you travel via the website then your own personal ski butler will travel to your chalet when you have arrived and fit the equipment to your requirements. They’ll also be on call throughout your ski holiday and come and pick up your equipment before you leave. Say goodbye to rental shop queues!

Choose your own ski instructor
The new service comeskiwith.me aims to change the way everyone finds, books and reviews snowsport instructors by matching skiers and snowboarders with their ideal instructor. The website shows what ski schools and instructors do best, whether it’s teaching beginners or guiding off piste.

Ski two resorts in one week with Powder White
Like resort variety when you ski? Powder White is offering skiers the chance to ski both the world-class terrains of Val d’Isère and Courchevel in just one week. Guests can begin the week in the ever-popular resort of Val d’Isère, with its 300km of pistes, or in Courchevel 1650, linked to the massive Trois Vallées area with its 600km of terrain, before swapping resorts with the newly launched ‘Powder Shuttle’.

New short-stay packages from Club Med
If you want a break on the slopes but can’t stretch to a whole week, Club Med has launched Short Stay ski breaks, meaning that skiers can escape to a choice of great resorts in France, Italy and Switzerland for less than seven days. What’s more, it’s all-inclusive so it includes ski passes, lessons, meals and entertainment. Great value for money.

In the resort:

World's first Porsche ski lift in Graubünden, Switzerland
Like to travel up the slopes in style? This winter, Porsche will unveil in the world’s first Porsche-designed ski lift in the resort of Laax. The six-seater lift combines Porsche's futuristic design with technical innovations including increased speed and solar-powered heating, making this one of the world’s the first ‘green’ ski lifts.

New Saulire Express Gondola in the Three Valleys, France
The big news in the Three Valleys this upcoming ski season is the speedy new Saulire Express Gondola  which transports skiers up from Chaudanne in Meribel Centre to the top of Saulire in a mere 12 minutes (it previously took 22 minutes!). This new lift has eight-seat cabins, and will carry 2,400 people per hour, with a brand new lift station to boot.

New Wildspitze cable car and Austria’s highest café in Tirol, Austria
The new Wildspitze cable car has replaced Austria’s highest ski lift, the Pitz Panorama gondola, for this coming winter. The eight-person cable car, with heated seats, will take skiers and boarders more than 2km up to the Hinterer Brunnenkogel, at an altitude of 3,340m, in under six minutes. At the top skiers will find Austria’s highest cafe, where you’ll will not only be able to get your caffeine kick at 3,774m, but also enjoy with breathtaking views of the Wildspitze – the second highest mountain in Austria.

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