We have lift-off: Ski holidays from Courchevel to Whistler for all budgets

By Peter Hardy
Updated: 13:08 EST, 31 October 2010

Under £200 buys you . . .

 A two-bedroom apartment that sleeps five in Les Flocons d’Argent in Aussois, a charming resort in the French Maurienne Valley, costs only £90pp. Self-catering ski-drive price includes flexible-date Eurotunnel crossings. Peak Retreats (0844 576 0170, peakretreats.co.uk).

Two-bedroom south-facing apartment for six in La Foret in Flaine. This original 1960s P&V residence has been renovated to provide first-class budget accommodation — at £179pp — in a convenient position. You can (almost) ski to and from the door.

Flaine is at the heart of the 73-lift Grand Massif ski area with 265 km of piste linking villages including Les Carroz and Samoens. The skiing suits all standards. Self-catering ski-drive price includes Eurotunnel crossings. Erna Low (0845 863 0525, ernalow.co.uk).

Whatever the budget there are plenty of ski holidays to suit your family needs in both Europe and America

Under £400 buys you . . .

A luxury two-bedroom apartment for four in Le Nevada at Tignes Val Claret costs £388pp. This is a smart residence with spa, beauty centre, indoor pool and hot tub. Self-catering price includes Flexiplus Eurotunnel crossings. Ski Collection (0844 576 0175, skicollection.co.uk).

Spend £381pp in the four-star Rive Campo Smith apartments on the edge of the piste in Bardonecchia, Italy.

This is an under-rated resort for all standards, popular with Italians. Its 22 lifts and 100km of skiing are adjacent to the ­Frejus Tunnel and the French frontier.

Apartments have a pool and spa. Self-catering price includes flights and transfers, Crystal Ski (0871 231 2256, crystalski.co.uk).

Under £700 buys you . . .

Four-star Princesa Parc is the top hotel in Arinsal, part of the 38-lift Vallnord ski area, and costs £569pp. The resort is best suited to beginners, low intermediates, and families. Book one adult £135 lift pass and get free child passes. Price includes flights, transfers and half board. Neilson (0844 879 8155, neilson.co.uk).

Chalethotel Schweizerhof is in Nasserein, a satellite village of St Anton. The hamlet is smoothly linked into the ski area, but the main resort is a short bus ride or 20-minute walk away. It costs £695pp. Unlike St Anton itself, Nasserein is peaceful and well suited to families with small children.

The hotel offers the full range of childcare. Mark Warner (08701 703 3887, mark warner.co.uk).

Chalet Santons Isere, in Val d’Isere, is a swanky apartment chalet for six, mid-way between the resort centre and the slopes. Usually priced at £775pp, Fish and Pips is offering Mail readers an exclusive 10 per cent off all Val d’Isere chalets booked for the week starting January 15-16, bringing it down to £697.50.

This friendly little operator has developed a reputation for outstanding cuisine. This is its first season in Val d’Isere. Half-board price does not include travel. Fish and Pips (0845 474 1054, fishandpips.co.uk).

Under £800 buys you . . .

Chalet Alpenland is in a ski-in, ski-out location in the rural hamlet of Zug, a five-minute bus rise from Lech, Austria. Comfortable and good value at £749pp in an otherwise-expensive resort. Lech and neighbouring Zurs have their own extensive ski circuit for all standards, and a lift pass also includes nearby St Anton.

Half-board price includes flights, transfers, afternoon tea, four-course dinners and unlimited wine, coffee and chocolates. Skiworld (08444 930430, skiworld.ltd.uk).

Idyllic: The Banff and Jasper national parks offer stunning scenery as well as top notch skiing

The Banff Aspen Lodge will cost you £787pp. The town is just inside the gates of the beautiful Banff national park, an easy 90-minute drive from Calgary airport. Banff has its own ski hill at Mount Norquay.

But the main action is at Lake Louise — a 45-minute drive away. The region has superb skiing for all standards, but ski-convenient it is not. The newly renovated hotel is in the town centre. Price is B&B, based on four sharing a room. Flights and transfers are included. First Choice (0871 664 0130, firstchoice-ski.co.uk).

Altitude Lodge is VIP’s funky new hotel, on the edge of the piste in Les Gets. It costs £859pp (£759 if booked before tomorrow).

The nine bedrooms include five family rooms and three have outdoor hot tubs. Les Gets is a traditional village near Morzine in the 195-lift Portes du Soleil area.

The skiing is mainly intermediate and ideal for families. Price includes flights, transfers, and half-board. VIP (0844 557 3119, vip-chalets.com).

Under £900 buys you . . .

Chalet Rikiki is ski-in, ski-out on the edge of the piste in Courchevel 1650. It sleeps 22 in 12 bedrooms, with single rooms available at no sole occupancy fee. It’s a stalwart of the Le Ski programme. Price of £865pp includes flights, transfers, and chalet half-board. Le Ski (01484 548996, leski.com).

Three-star Hotel Prieure in Chamonix is close to the town centre. The challenging skiing in the valley makes Chamonix best suited to couples or groups. Price of £899pp includes flights, transfers, half-board, lift pass and ski hire or carriage. Inghams (0208 780 4447, inghams.co.uk).

Four-star Hotel Edelweiss & Gurgl is Obergurgl’s original inn and costs £884pp. It’s a favourite with generations of British skiers who return year after year to this snow-sure resort at the end of the Otz Valley, only an hour’s drive from Innsbruck.

Intermediate terrain is limited, but the off-piste is glorious and the resort is ideal for families. Price includes flights, transfers, half-board, lift pass and ski hire or carriage. Crystal Ski (0871 231 2256, crystalski.co.uk).

Under £1,300 buys you . . .

Embassy Suites is a pleasant four-star hotel on the stateline separating California from Nevada at South Lake Tahoe, costing £1,209pp.

The gondola for Heavenly, one of 15 resorts around the lake, is a two-minute walk away. The 24-hour casinos of Nevada lie a dice throw in the other direction. 

The skiing suits everyone, but do rent a car and visit other nearby resorts, including Squaw Valley, Kirkwood, Alpine Meadows and Northstar-at-Tahoe. Virgin Holidays (0871 2225825, virginholidays.co.uk).

Yellowstone Ski Lodge in Sainte-Foy, France, cleverly blends alpine charm and contemporary convenience in ta little-known resort not far from Tignes and Val d’Isere.

The chalet sleeps 12 guests plus three children. Rooms can be booked individually. Piste skiing is limited, but it’s good for beginners and the off-piste is sensational. You’ll spend £1,000pp on Yellowstone Ski Lodge (0203 058 1234, ­yellowstoneskilodge.co.uk).  

Under £1,400 buys you . . .

n The Zermatt Lodge is ­arguably the finest chalet in ­Switzerland’s most charming resort, at £1,360pp. The skiing will please all and it’s a resort that non-skiers will enjoy. The chalet sleeps ten and occupies the 3,450 sq ft penthouse of a new apartment block. 

This is a genuine five-star hotel in miniature, and the price includes chalet half-board but not travel. The cuisine is exquisite as the chef is Michelin starred. Mountain Exposure (+41 (0) 27 967 43 53, mountainexposure.com).

The five-star Fairmont ­Chateau Whistler is my favourite ski hotel on the edge of the piste in Canada’s top resort. The price, £1,390pp, includes flights, transfers, and accommodation. Book by November 7. Ski Independence (0131 243 8097, ski-i.com).

Budget not a problem . . .

Tivoli Lodge is in a ski-in, ski-out position above Davos and is a favourite with World Economic Forum guests.

It sleeps up to 12 adults and six children. There’s a magnificent pool with a waterfall, spa, library, cinema and a kids jungle gym. Price of £2,645pp includes half-board, but not travel. Tivoli Lodge (020 7193 1364, tivolilodge.co.uk).

Shemshak Lodge in Courchevel 1850 is new and one of the most exclusive chalets in the Alps. It sleeps ten adults and two children in five bedrooms and costs £3,150pp.

A whole floor is devoted to a large pool, hot tub, sauna, and gym. Price includes breakfast, dinner, and in-resort chauffeur, but not travel. Consensio (0203 393 0833, consensioholidays.co.uk).

What's new this season

Ski*Pals (skipals.co.uk) is a recently launched website that puts like-minded solo skiers and boarders in touch with each other to share the costs of a holiday.

Several Alpine hotels and chalets have already agreed to join and scrap their punishing single supplement charges. One of the hits of the recent 2010 Ski & Snowboard Show, Ski*Pals is quickly becoming the go-to place for lots of snow needs, including those seeking seasonal work in resorts to those wishing to hire them.

Grand designs: The No 14 Verbier might possibly be the most luxurious chalet in the whole of the Alps

No 14 Verbier claims to be the most luxurious chalet in Verbier perhaps even in the Alps. It has 13 bedrooms and a 33ft pool. The interior of the former Hotel Trois Mages has been revamped by one of london's top interior designers, Fiona Barrett interiors; £45,500 buys it for a week in January (verbierexclusive. com).

Heated chairlifts are a welcome innovation. Zell-am-See in Austria made an investment. now Saalbach in Austria, Trysil in Norway and the Canyons in Utah have followed suit. the lifts have orange tinted Perspex covers for bad weather.

Snow Jet (snowjet.co.uk) operates low-cost weekend flights into Chambery and is now doing the same from Stansted to Sion in Switzerland. Nendaz, Veysonnaz, thyon and Crans Montana are all within a 30-minute drive, while Verbier and Villars are only 45 minutes away.

Britanny Ferries (brittanyferries.co.uk) has taken advantage of the renewed interest in drive holidays after the volcanic ash crisis. its self-drive trips to Alpe d'Huez, Avoriaz, la Plagne, Val d'isere and Val Thorens start at £555 for four people self-catering  -  including ferry crossings.

Train with a ski instructor before you arrive: the new Swiss Snowtrain has one on board. it leaves Geneva each Saturday at 1.40pm from January 29 to March 19, stopping at stations handy for resorts such as Verbier and Saas Fee (020 7420 4900, swisstravelsystem.com).

Breckenridge (breckenridge.com) has built an olympic-sized half-pipe with a depth of nearly 22 ft.

How to look good on the slopes

Wearing a ski helmet must make sense on the grounds of safety, but until now it has not been a fashion item. However, all that is set to change this winter.

Fosi is a range of stylish faux fur accessories aimed at encouraging more female skiers to wear helmets, transforming the self-conscious helmet-wearer from fool to cool in 30 seconds. One size fits all. Price £29.99 (fosioriginals.com)

Italian bootmaker Dalbello, much favoured by freestylers and tourers has turned its attention to mainstream men and women advanced skiers with its Krypton range. Advantages are only three buckles for easy entry while highly sophisticated plastics provide precision without loss of comfort. Krypton Pro Price -£420. Snow+Rock (snowandrock.com).

The Fosi helmet mixes safety with stylish faux-fur

The new ski boot by Dalbello has been designed with the advenced skier in mind

The Core Extreme Edition Everest watch is perfect for off-piste skiers

Skiers are getting wider and wider. Coolest all-mountain models this winter are Icelantic (icelanticskis.co.uk) handmade in Colorado and now being imported into Britain for the first time. Price £499-£529. Call Maxtrack (01531 890 955 maxtrack.com) for stockists.

Cothing is bright and bold this year with vibrant primary colours making a comeback on piste. Women’s Kizamm jacket by Northface manages to combine an eye-catching trio of them – citrus yellow, racing green, and blueberry. Price £180, combine with North Face Go-Go cargo pant £130. Snow+Rock (snowandrock.com).