Ski Independence Blog
Archive for ‘Switzerland’
New Year, New Snow
January 4th, 2012Having witnessed one of the snowiest Decembers on record across the Alps; picture perfect conditions over the Christmas week, and a short lived spell of mild weather for New Year, the Alps are now getting ready for the first dump of 2012…and it’s another big one! With some European resorts already reporting more snow to date this winter than the whole of last season, the Alps are now enjoying some of the best snow conditions in the world. Below is a quick round up on where to find the best snow conditions.
The resort of Solden reported the most new snow across Austria last week. Following an impressive 1.1m of fresh snowfall, the clouds parted giving way to some great on and off piste conditions. St Anton also has some fantastic conditions with an upper snow depth of 298cm and has a further 65cm forecast this week. Lech despite having slightly less snow is still in great condition with 240cm lying on the upper slopes.
>>> More information on ski holidays in Austria
The picturesque resort of Lech
If you are looking to find the deepest snow in Europe, head to the the traditional village of Saas Fee in the Swiss Alps. The resort currently has an on piste snow depth of 340cm and another 20cm forecast for the end of the week. Not far behind, and forecast for another 40cm of snow this week, is Verbier where you will find a piste depth of 300cm.
>>> More information on ski holidays in Switzerland
A recent powder day in Verbier.
Following some truly incredible snowfall in the past month, France is undoubtedly the place to ski in Europe. As the forecast predicted; the snow has continued this week with a further 20 – 30cm falling and a further 50cm forecast tomorrow (Thursday). Many resorts around France including Chamonix, Les Arcs and Tignes are already reporting snow bases of over 3m with both fantastic on and off piste conditions.
>>> More information on ski holidays in France
125cm of fresh snow at the top of the Funicular in Tignes!
Conditions also remain good in Canada where most resorts in Alberta and British Columbia are sitting on snow bases of well over 2m. Following an incredible November with over 11ft of snow in areas it looks like the slight dry spell in December has come to an end. In the past 7 days Whistler welcomed 125cm of fresh snow, taking the accumulated snow fall to date this winter to 449cm! Further inland Fernie also saw a good snowfall, with 61cm hitting the mountains over the past week, bringing the snowpack up to 175cm.
>>> More information on ski holidays in Canada
Whistler following 100cm of snow in 7 days! Photo: Coast Mountain Photography
Despite snowfall in the USA being lower than last winter, many resorts are still reporting good on piste conditions. One exception in the USA, and matching its big mountain skiing and snow record, is Jackson Hole who had a welcome dump of 75cm last week allowing the resort to open in full.
>>> More information on ski holidays in the USA
Celebrating New Year and 75cm of fresh snow in Jackson Hole. Photo: Chris Figenshan
For first hand advice on where to find the best snow conditions and accommodation offers, call a member of the Ski Independence team on 0131 243 8097, visit our website or request a quick online quotation.
And the award for Best European Ski Resort goes to…
November 23rd, 2011…St Moritz! Our friends at St Moritz Tourist Office have been in touch to tell us about their most recent award. Martin Oester writes:
“St. Moritz extends a huge thank you to British Travellers! Thanks to your votes (of which there were 700,000 cast by the British travelling public) on 2nd November at the British Travel Awards 2011, St. Moritz won gold, earning it the accolade of Best European Ski Resort. We are delighted to receive this recognition from both the public and the travel experts. Now, could there be any better way to start another winter season?
“With 350 kilometres of slopes, excellent high altitude skiing and superb powder snow until well into the spring months, all accompanied by some amazing scenery, right at my doorstep, I feel really lucky to live and work in St Moritz. And now its official – St Moritz is the best ski resort in Europe!”
Thanks Martin for getting in touch and congratulations also to Val d’Isère and Chamonix who won second and third place respectively at the awards.
Superb high altitude skiing in St Moritz
The ‘champagne’ climate allows the village to enjoy an average of 322 days of annual sunshine
If you’d like to experience St Moritz for yourself, we have a selection of accommodation throughout the resort. Either request a quote or call our knowledgeable reservations team on 0131 243 8097.
Snow, sun and fun in the Swiss Alps
November 7th, 2011I’ve blogged about the delights of rail travel in Switzerland here before… so the opportunity for Cathy and I to take a 4 day trip to the Swiss Alps, travelling entirely by public transport sounded like a great way to test exactly how easy it is. Now let me begin by saying that I’m not a train geek, but it’s such an easy way to travel and what could be better than sitting in comfort watching the Swiss Alps roll past your window.
Our journey began early. Turns out it was the beginning of the school half term holidays and Edinburgh Airport was busier than I’ve ever seen it.. a queue is bad any time, but at 6am it seems so much worse so it was a relief to arrive into Geneva Airport. By 10.45 we were on our train, just 20 minutes after landing!
Our First Class travel passes (thanks Switzerland Tourism!) were good for 4 days of travel, and as with transfer tickets you are required to write the date on the ticket yourself. We struggled with this concept – used to the UK where they would never trust us to write our own tickets. However, ticket inspectors seem well used to foreigner visitors and helped us fill the tickets out without a hint of a reprimand. A victory for humanity over bureaucracy in my book!
Hotel du golf as viewed from Villars rail / bus station
Our first port of call was Villars. This pretty town perches on a ledge above the town of Aigle and there’s two ways to get there on public transport: We opted to change at Aigle and take a bus up the road, but you can stay on the train to Bex and take a cog railway: Both journeys take about the same length of time - 2 hrs 40 mins – and the connections are seamless. As the train rolled into the station we could see the bus parked up 50 metres away. The driver cheerfully helped us with our luggage and we wound our way up the hill through vineyards and farmland. Villars was a surprise to me: ski resorts out of season can be depressing ghost-towns, but Villars is home to 5 international schools so shops were open and restaurants were buzzing. Ski Independence features two hotels in Villars and we stayed at the Hotel du Golf. This is a 3 star + family run hotel which sits 50 metres from the train station and the ski train. The rooms are huge and though the décor is a bit old fashioned, the overall feel of the hotel is very pleasant. Fact fans will be pleased to learn that this is the hotel in the Valais region to have an outdoor hot-tub. We felt obliged to test this out and the weather even obliged with some snowflakes to make it feel truly like winter! The other hotel in Villars is the stunning Chalet Roy’alp. After a trip visiting a lot of hotels it’s always interesting to reflect on which hotels stand out. This one does! From the beautiful solid oak and stone in reception, to the careful planning of spaces for different age groups to enjoy, to the spacious rooms and the playful sculptures. This is a hotel that makes you smile!
Not your average rail journey!
And so with smiles on our faces we continued our journey to Verbier. Descending to Aigle by bus again we were met by the same cheery driver and started out on the most complex day of travel. From Aigle it was back on the train to Martigny and then a quick change onto the St Bernard Express – a shiny red train with St Bernard dogs tattooed on its exterior for the journey to Le Chable – directly below Verbier. From Le Chable there are two options: pay a supplement of CHF 11 per person to take a cable car up to Verbier, or take the bus. Being Scottish that was an easy decision!
Winter is coming (Honestly)!
September 30th, 2011Despite the unusual (but much welcomed) heatwave that we’re currently experiencing in the UK, reminders are popping up all over the place – from autumn leaves on the pavements, the snow show season, Edinburgh’s Mountain Film Festival to frost and snow warnings for next week – all letting us know that winter is just around the corner.
I recently spent a weekend in Chamonix and the changing of the seasons was in full swing. After scorching 34oC heat picking up the hire car in Geneva on the Friday, by Sunday morning the sun had vanished completely and temperatures were down to a chilly 7 oC! Here is a picture of the snow covered mountains peeking out of the clouds, a sure sign that winter is well on the way:
Chamonix last weekend!
The same weekend this picture was taken, Obergurgl in Austria reported significant snowfall, whilst over in Switzerland, St Moritz had 30cm of snow on the peaks and 20cm in the valley and Davos/Klosters had about 10cm in resort and 20cm up top. Long-range forecasters are predicting a colder than normal winter in continental Europe with plenty of snow to go around.
Here at Ski Independence we’re all getting excited by the prospect of a snowy European winter and can’t wait to get going. Get in touch if you have any more stories of snow in the Alps, we’d love to hear all about it!
SWISS increase baggage allowance
July 7th, 2011In times when airlines are constantly decreasing baggage allowances and increasing ski carriage, we’re delighted to announce that Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) have in fact increased their baggage allowance and promise to keep FREE ski carriage – yes, more bags & free skis!! Can you believe it??
The changes, effective 1st August 2011, will mean that passengers travelling on SWISS’ services within Europe will have increased baggage allowance. They are rolling out the ‘piece concept’ across all their flights, whereby customers can check in a certain number of pieces of baggage free of charge, with the number of pieces permitted depending on their class of travel. SWISS is also increasing the maximum permissible weight of each individual piece.
As a result, SWISS Economy travellers will now enjoy an extra three kilos of free-baggage allowance per flight. Business and First Class customers, too, will benefit from more generous free-baggage amounts than under the present “weight concept”.
So, how much can you take on holiday?
- Economy Class: Now 1 piece of up to 23 kilos (currently any number of pieces up to a combined total of 20 kilos)
- Business Class: Now 2 pieces of up to 32 kilos each, i.e. a maximum total of 64 kilos (currently any number of pieces up to a combined total of 30 kilos)
- First Class: Now 3 pieces of up to 32 kilos each, i.e. a maximum total of 96 kilos (currently any number of pieces up to a combined total of 40 kilos)
- All pieces in all three classes must not exceed total dimensions (length + width + height) of 158 centimetres
Ski Independence offer flights with SWISS from Manchester, London City and London Heathrow to Geneva and Zurich, call the reservations team on 0131 243 8097 to book your ski holiday with SWISS.
SWISS Airlines flies direct to Geneva & Zurich, perfect for your ski holiday.
Short break to Villars?
December 15th, 2010Last week Claire, our European Assistant Product Manager, took a quick trip to Villars in Switzerland to see what’s new for the season ahead and to see why it is such a popular choice for Ski Independence clients.
Upon arrival at Geneva Airport, we headed to the train station, which is just a short walk from arrivals, to catch our Swiss rail transfer to Villars. This is becoming an increasingly popular method of transfer to resort and it’s easy to see why. It must have been one of the most enjoyable and easiest ski transfers I have experienced. Displayed throughout the station, all the timetables give you the correct platform you need to be on and when the next departure is. As it is to be expected, all of the trains run with Swiss efficiently and depart on time.
When catching the train to Villars, there are two options. You can either take the train to Aigle and then catch the bus to resort, or take the train a little further to the town of Bex and then change onto another train which runs directly up to Villars. Either way you will arrive into the centre of the resort and will be minutes away from your accommodation.
The Villars train station is located in the centre of the resort
As with many Swiss resorts, Villars is a ‘real’ town with residents living there year round and as a result there is a good selection of bars, restaurants and shops. A recent addition to the après ski scene is the Moonboot bar, which had a great atmosphere and is perfect for a few Mojitos. Le Sporting and Murphy’s bar also looked like good options, especially as the latter being right beside the popular Hotel Le Bristol.
In terms of eating out, I would highly recommend the Rotisserie des Alpes, which is right beside the train station in the centre of the resort, where we had excellent Lake Geneva perch fillets. We also spent an evening at the Restaurant du Col du Bretaye, located at the top of the cog railway, in an area called Bretaye. This is an ideal restaurant for non-skiers who want to go up the mountain and meet skiers for lunch. Just remember to ask them for their Alphorn, Kirsch and goat skull to experience a true Swiss tradition (!)
Swiss experience at the Restaurant du Col du Bretaye
When it was time to hit the slopes, we were accompanied by the Villars Ecole de Ski et Snowboard (ESS). Villars ESS is one of the largest in Switzerland and is made up of over 300 instructors. Their office is located in the same building as the tourist office, opposite the station. If you have lessons booked, you can exchange your vouchers either at the office in resort or at the office in Bretaye – the ski area accessed by the cog railway. There’s an excellent kindergarten in Villars which is located behind the train station. Thanks to the magic carpet in the Jardin des Neiges, the little ones will be tearing up and down the slopes in no time.
Most Ski Independence clients visiting Villars stay in the Hotel Le Bristol, which is one of our most popular hotels in Europe. It is a fantastic hotel, located only 300m from the resort centre. The rooms are spacious and have the choice of either a village of valley view.
The popular Hotel Le Bristol
Villars is an excellent choice for a either a short break ski holiday, thanks to the easy transfer and flexibility of the Hotel Le Bristol or as a family destination, with a wide choice of self catered apartments available and a superb ski school on hand to take care of the children.
If you’re interested in a ski break to Villars and have any questions about the resort, please do not hesitate to call the reservations team on 0131 243 8097.
A rail-ly good way to travel
June 2nd, 2010Taking the train to the slopes just might be easier than you think…
Now, I don’t want to put down rail travel in Britain… but let’s face it, travelling by train has kind of lost its romance here. Booking all but the simplest journey requires an enormous amount of time, knowledge and money… and then when you come to take your journey it’s no surprise to find that ‘due to the late arrival of the incoming service…’ there has been a problem with the seat reservations, so you find yourself jostling for space, nose-to-armpit with your fellow travellers, juggling suitcases that won’t fit into the oversubscribed luggage racks… No wonder we can be a bit sceptical.
Now imagine a place where the trains are always on time… They’re also clean, frequent and they even have sufficient carriage space to meet demand! One company governs the whole transport network, including buses and ferries, so tickets are straightforward. You can choose between smoking and non-smoking, regular and quiet carriages (no iPods allowed)… On some routes you can even choose a glass roofed carriage to better enjoy the scenery! Oh… and should you get thirsty they have dining cars and a trolley service with freshly ground filter coffee, espresso and even herbal tea. What’s more…? There are integrated rail stations at every major airport, and for a small fee it’s possible to check your luggage right through from your UK airport to your hotel… and back again. Sounds too good to be true?? Well those are just a few of the benefits of rail transfers in Switzerland.
The Swiss train network offers an efficient and comfortable transfer to resort
Video Snow Report from Chamonix – 25 Feb
February 25th, 2010Conditions in the Alps have clearly started to turn to spring skiing with milder temperatures and plenty of blue skies .
However that does not mean a lack of snow, 10 – 15 cm of fresh snow fell yesterday in the Chamonix area, providing some excellent skiing & snowboarding. It is important that care is taken when venturing off piste as due to the mixture of winter & spring snow packs there is an increased risk of avalanches.
Here is Seb Montaz’s latest video snow report from Chamonix, with some fantastic footage from a recent ski touring trip.
Fly SWISS to the Alps
November 27th, 2009We are delighted to now offer SWISS as part of our tailor-made ski packages to the Alps.
SWISS will fly 33 times daily directly from Manchester, Birmingham, London Heathrow and London City to Switzerland (Zurich, Geneva and Basel), making the airline the direct carrier with most daily frequencies between the UK & Switzerland.
Free lift for your skis or snowboard
As free baggage & ski carriage are quickly becoming a thing of the past on airlines, it is welcome news that SWISS are happy to transport your first set of skis/snowboard and boots free of charge in addition to your standard baggage allowance.
One price – no hidden costs!
Can it be true? No hidden costs? Yes, on SWISS you will benefit from free-of-charge checked baggage within the allowance, food and drinks on board, seating selection or priority boarding. A recent price comparison proves that SWISS is one of the lowest priced carriers from UK to Switzerland.
Online services save time at the airport and allow more time for duty free shopping!
You can check-in for your flight online, select your preferred seat as well as print your own boarding pass. Online check-in is available from 23 hours up to 1 hour before departure of your flight. SWISS also offers a clever new electronic check-in service in the form of a mobile boarding pass that can be sent to your internet-enabled mobile telephone.
For more information on SWISS please call our reservations team on 0131 243 8097 or email ski@ski-i.com.
Free ski carriage with Jet 2
October 29th, 2009
Book your Jet2 ski flights through Ski Independence and you’ll receive FREE ski carriage.
With a metre of snow recently falling on the Alps, predictions of a bumper ski season look set to pan out and now you can have free ski carriage on any of Jet2′s ski routes when you book through Ski Independence.
Jet2.com offers flights to Chambery from Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Belfast. They also fly to Geneva from Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Blackpool and has a service to Salzburg from Leeds Bradford.
Valid for bookings made 29 Oct – 17 Apr.
Call the reservations team today on 0131 243 8097 to book your holiday & receive free ski carriage.
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