Stuart de Bourgogne, Club Med’s UK agency sales manager, warned schools in France, Switzerland and Belgium would all be sharing their winter holidays with British schools, meaning there would be greater competition for accommodation in the Alps.

With family accommodation already virtually sold out for the February 2011 half-term in the operator’s flagship Peisey-Vallandry property, De Bourgogne is urging agents to act quickly after the operator started taking bookings last week.

“The availability on the peak dates is on a first come, first served basis so you need to get on to it now to make sure of it,” he said.

“However, the UK market is likely to book earlier than those of other markets and with our agent incentives and early-booking benefits, we hope that agents will be encouraged to start thinking about winter 2010-11 now.”

Having seen strong growth in sales of its ski product this year, De Bourgogne said there was currently no sign of demand for all-inclusive properties flattening out.

“The market for luxury all-inclusive has remained very popular. And given that the financial crisis is still going on, people want to pay one price before leaving,” he added.

De Bourgogne said the operator was featuring 22 ski properties in its 2010-11 programme, half of which have been newly renovated.

Early-booking offers mean savings of up to £180 per adult and £90 per child are available on selected properties for bookings made before July 14. Visit the Club Med website for more information.

SOURCE

Italy, Cervinia
from £259pp

Hotel Des Guides BB
dep 21st March 2010

Austria, Mayrhofen Ski Area
from £295pp
Guesthouses dep 3rd April 2010

Italy, Val di Fassa
from £475pp

Chalet Violetta
dep 3rd April 2010

France, Morzine
from £535pp

Club Hotel Le Viking
dep 27th March 2010

Austria, Ischgl
from £585pp

Hotel Garni Neder BB dep 3rd April 2010

France, La Plagne
from £599pp

Hotel Terra Nova HB
dep 27th March 2010

All ski deals are available to view on Crystal website

Satski GPS Unit - 339euros

Jean-Claude Baumgartner, director of Satski International and Satsports has been featured on tonights Sport Relief version of Dragon’s Den. Where all else pitches failed the Satski pitch won positive feedback from all the dragon’s. In the end Satski managed to get an investment of £130,000 for 49% equity in the business from Peter Jones, mobile background and Theo Pathitis, retail background. Not a bad showing in the Dragon’s Den and with a predicted revenue of over £2million and profits of over £1million next year I’m sure Jean-Claude will be happy!

Satski is a real time mobile interactive ski map, which tracks your every move on the mountain. It also provides an easy to use, interactive piste map. Statistics can be provided on speed, distance covered, altitude, ascents and descents and much more.

Satski allows users to plot routes from point A to Point B avoiding the runs you don’t like and at the same time will provide animations of the route you have chosen providing information such as, time the route will take, distance of route and more.

The Satski display will show the users’ current location on the piste, replays previous runs or the full day skiing at a press of a button. Satski also includes useful information on local points of interest on the mountain like restaurants and lifts. Whilst tracking ‘live’ statistics on the piste, the Satski receives GPS signals constantly to allow users to navigate themselves in ‘real time’.

Satski is currently live linked into over 200 resorts with 300 more planned this year. This means that you get live lift closures and live avalanche reporting fed to your device.

If you’d like to buy the Satski unit it will cost around 339euros, however you can buy the app for your Windows mobile (8.75 euros) or Android mobile (5.50 euros), I’m hopeful that there might be an iphone app soon too.

I haven’t had the opportunity to try the Satski out yet, but it certainly looks a great piece of kit for keen skiiers as long as it’s as easy to use as it promises to be.

For more information and to buy visit the Satski website.

Accorhotels has a fantastic promotion starting now. Up to 50% off 2 000 hotels across Europe! 10-day supersale, don’t miss it! Personally I always use Accor Hotels when en route to ski trips. There are Accor hotels all over Europe and plenty on all the main driving routes to ski resorts.

There are different levels of hotels as follows:

Formula 1 – basic triple room, no ensuite bathroom (though plentiful extremely clean facilities seconds from the rooms) TIP: Great for those very quick over night stops where you just put your head down for a few hours, tend to be just off the motorways. Price around 25 – 35euros a night

Etap – basic triple room with an ensuite bathroom TIP: Great for slightly longer overnight stops, mix of motorway and more central options. Price around 35 – 50 euros a night.

Ibis – comfort double room (or twin) with ensuite bathroom. TIP: Tend to be more central, so if you want a look around try this option! Around 50euros + a night.

There’s also the Novotel, and Mercure hotel chains, which again offer an even more luxurious stay. These cost more than 50 euros a night.

Unfortunately it’s not that clear on the site how you get the discount, the website suggest the discounts are automatically applied but Accor suggest you need to add the code “SUPERS” at the beginning of the purchase process, I think this would go in the Preferential Code box as shown.

Offer details

Booking dates: from 13th to 22nd March 2010
Staying period: from 22nd March until 2nd May, 2010
Destinations: around 2 000 hotels in Europe (All Accor hotels brands, except Sofitel)

Visit Accorhotels.com and book now!
p.s. I’d just like to say typically I booked my next lot of Accor Hotels for skiing in a couple of weeks on Friday a day before the sale was launched! Why does that always happen!

The movie’s stars are: Bill Nighy (Harry Potter, The Boat That Rocked, Love Actually, Doctor Who…), Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl, Son of Rambow and the upcoming Wuthering Heights), Christine Baranski (The Good Wife, Ugly Betty, Mamma Mia!), Tamsin Egerton (Chelsea in St Trinians 1 & 2). There’s also the small matter of Tara Dakides and Torah Bright in the cast, to give the whole thing some snow-based authenticity.

‘The Chalet Girl’ is looking for extras in St Anton, Austria, between the 15th and 26th of March. Such a shame as we’re hoping to be in St Anton the week after and I always fancied being in a film! SOURCE

Morzine is at 1,000m, thus in 1960 Avoriaz was born to allow higher skiing and lifts above Morzine. This then was the start of the now famous Portes du Soleil ski area which now includes 12 resorts, 8 on the French side and 4 on the Swiss side.

Skiing in and around Morzine is best suited to beginners and early intermediates. This area is also tree lined, making it a good option in bad weather. This and the brilliant resort facilities makes Morzine a firm favourite with families. There are three areas main areas to ski in and around Morzine, Pleney, Nyon Chamosserie and Super Mozine.

Pleney is the main area and where you will likely spend time if you are having lessons. Nyon Chamosserie is for the more intermediate skier, with plenty of blues and reds back to Morzine or Les Gets. Super Morzine offers the route into Avoriaz for more intermediate skiing, but the runs in this area are also well worth a go. It offers some wide inviting blue runs for beginners/intermediates to practice on.

You have two lift pass options, choose a Morzine / Les Gets pass for 150 euros for 6 days, alternatively if you want a larger area to ski opt for the Portes du Soleil area pass at 205 euros. If you choose the Portes du Soleil lift pass then you can venture into the intermediate area of Avoriaz. It’s a little bit of a hike up the Prodains lifts, but well worth it for powder hounds.

If you’re looking for a good ski school then we recommend Sally at the Snow Institute in Morzine. Choose from group lessons or private lessons from a well respected, English speaking company. Alternatively opt for BASS .

There are some really good options for mountain restaurants in the area, including Le Vaffieu which is at the top of Pleney, if you’re on foot then you can walk there from Morzine in about 40 minutes. Alternatively try Chez Nannon on they Nyon Plateau, it offers excellent food, and therefore is likely to be busy in good or bad weather, you must book!

In the evenings there are plenty of choices in Morzine, try Dixies, the Irish pub, the Buddha Bar is better for those looking for a quieter drink. For our top restaurant venture slightly out of resort to The Auberge at Ardent, whose tag is that “Food is an art and art take time, so please be patient. Believe us it’s worth the hike and the wait”. Though sometimes we think they keep us waiting so we drink more! It’s pretty small so do book. Alternatively for something in town and at good value try Le Café Chaud, which offers great traditional Savoyard menus.

For other activities in Morzine then try dog sledding, if you practice in January or February you can take part in the yearly International competition. There’s also an ice skating rink with an ice hockey team so you can try and catch a game. Morzine is a proper town and therefore the shopping is very good, so try and make time around the skiing.

Travelling to Morzine is easy by plane, car or train. If flying then Geneva airport is only 50 miles from Morzine, about 1 hour 30 minutes by bus or taxi. Flights are available from most UK airports to Geneva including the usual low cost carriers. Morzine is one of the nearest major resorts to Calais, and will take around 8 hours to travel, without breaks. Tolls cost will be around 70 euros each way. Alternatively, and a lesser known option is to travel to Morzine by train. Take the Eurostar to Paris and then change for the direct train to Thonon, it takes around 4 and a half hours and if you book early the seats can be as cheap as 80 euros return. The transfer up the mountain will take around 40 minutes.

All in all, Morzine is a fantastic resort with great skiing, and access to a massive ski area. The town itself is a traditional mountain town with an unspoilt feel. It’s a must visit for families, beginners, intermediates and mile eaters looking to explore the wider Portes du Soleil area.

Here’s a selection of their best deals:

12 March- 7 nights – St Gervais
Club Hotel Terminus – 3/4 Board – Travel by coach
Only £498 save £40
+ FREE Bronze Skis & Boot Hire
Request a booking or phone 01727 866177

12 March - 7 nights – Mayrhofen
Chalet Tirol – Full Board – Travel by coach
Only £458 save £40
+ 1/2 Price Bronze Skis & Boot Hire
Request a booking or phone 01727 866177

Or if you’re low on holiday but tempted by a bargain then what about this for a good deal:

15 March - 4 nights – St Gervais
Club Hotel Terminus – 3/4 Board – Travel by coach
Only £299 save £60
Request a booking or phone 01727 866177

Plus… they have a Buy One get One Free Ski Pass Offer on the following departures:

St Gervais – 19th, 26th March and 9th April

Val Cenis – 19 March

Valmeinier – 26th March and 9th April

For details of all deals and for further information on all of the above just visit the Snowcoach website.

Bluebird ski day in Les Menuires

Skiing in March and April is a great choice, the snow is often very good late on in the season and the weather is far friendlier. There’s no shivering on the chair lifts and no putting on 5 layers. It’s a great time to learn to ski too as you spend far longer standing around it’s much nicer doing that in warmer weather. Also because it’s lighter later you can spend longer soaking up the sun in the bars!!

The 3 Valleys is a great ski area to choose late on in the season as it’s high and snow is always guaranteed. St Martin de Belleville gives direct access into Meribel, Les Menuires and then up to Val Thorens ski area. It’s definitely worth getting a Valley de Belleville ski pass at this time of year ensuring that you can get up to Val Thorens and take advantage of the high snow.

You can find out more about Green Mountain Chalets on our review blog post.

The best way to find out these good deals is to look on the official tourist office website for the ski resort you’re interesting in visiting. Early and late season you will often find a package deal on the tourist website. This usually will include accommodation, self catering, B&B or half board and a lift pass.

I’ve been looking at the Skiwelt ski area offers and there’s some really great bargain end of season offers on their website. They have a range of package deals they call “Super Ski Weeks” and super they are!! Prices start from around 200 euros a person for a week in accommodation only, B&B or half board in one of the Skiwelt villages and include a Skiwelt lift pass for 6 days. I found one deal in the heart of Ellmau,150m from the nearest ski lift, half board and with a ski pass for only 430euros!

You can search for the exact dates you need on the Ski welt website http://www.superskiwochen.at/en/ and find the best deal for you.

Hotel le Totem – Flaine – Crystal Ski

Hotel Totem - functional styled but ultra well located

Hotel Le Totem enjoys a perfect position in Flaine Forum with skiing virtually to and from the doorstep. Under new management for 2009/10 the hotel will be run by Langley with their friendly service, good food and welcoming atmosphere. The hotel itself is modern with spacious communal areas and a lovely sun terrace. The bedrooms are minimalist in style, and families will appreciate the huge range of bedroom types on offer, with interconnecting rooms and family suites.

@foxychops says “Stayed at the Totem last year via Crystal Holidays, good location, good food”

Les Fermes du Soleil – Les Carroz – Ski Independence

A beautifully appointed residence in the centre of Les Carroz, ‘Les Fermes du Soleil’ offers an exceptional standard of self catering accommodation with hotel style facilities.

@skiindependence  says “Great location & excellent facilities – top seller every year”

Ski Massif – Samoens

Ski Massif - Chalet Ralley

The Chalet was built in 2002/3 and was built in traditional alpine style, in keeping with the natural beauty of the area surrounding the chalet. We want you to be as comfortable as possible in the chalet, where you can relax and start enjoying your holiday the moment you walk through the door. The rooms are beautifully furnished and decorated in an authentic style, which is why the chalet has been awarded five stars by the local authority. All rooms have ensuite facilities and are equipped with hair dryers, fluffy towels, dressing gowns, The White Company Toiletries including shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, soap, hand and body lotion,digital safes along with tea and coffee making facilities. (blurb taken from their website)

@Bazzarutto says “ I have stayed in Samoens a few times with Ski Massif who are great. I would recommend them highly”

Le Refuge de l’Alpage – Morillon – Peak Retreats

Located in a prime position at the foot of the ski slopes in Les Esserts (Morillon 1100m, pedestrianised resort), Le Refuge de l’Alpage offers some ski-in/ski-out apartments. It is located just a stone’s throw from the resort centre and 50m from the nearest ski lift. The Green run Marvel (a family favourite) leads back to some of the apartments. Le Refuge de l’Alpage is close to the nursery slopes, it is perfect for families looking for convenient, professional childcare, as well as for those without children looking for nearby skiing. The mini-market, ski school meeting point, ski hire shop and lift passes are all within short walking distance.

@skifamille says “Sheila from the office rates Morillon (bit like Reberty in some ways) this accommodation is good”

Of course there are lots more accommodation options in the Grand Massif ski area if none of these suit. The best place to see what’s available where is the Grand Massif tourist website.