THE HIGH LIFE
There's never been better time for you to live...
LAST winter was such an amazing one with record snow falls across the Alps (and a lot of happy skiers as a result) that I’m convinced I’ll have more of the same this season .
Some of the resorts with the best snow in 2017/18 included Val d’Isere and La Rosiere in France, Engelberg and Zermatt in Switzerland, and Cervinia in Italy.
But pretty much every ski area in the Alps enjoyed the best conditions in 20 years – great news if you’re a beginner or hoping to take your family skiing for the first time.
There’s nothing like lots of snow to get you into the ski holiday mood.
This winter I’ll be talking to you about my (and your) favourite resorts, I’ll be writing about how
important it is to have good travel insurance when you go on a ski holiday and I’ll be covering everything ski-related from ski festivals and après-ski to alpine art and gourmet mountain food.
I’ll also be talking to ski industry experts, getting their top tips for family holidays and covering all the best trends in skiing this year.
Speaking of trends, if you’re starting out on your first ski holiday, dorms are making a comeback in the Alps.
Resorts like Bad Gastein have offered dorm accommodation for years (see our feature) but new hotel developments in France, such as the new Folie Douce hotel in Chamonix and Refuge de Solaise in Val d’Isere are taking the idea on board with affordable dorm beds available alongside more luxe or apartment accommodation.
I like the way that they’re thinking!
THERE is lots of news to talk about – a new €85 million lift in the Austrian resort of Bad Hofgastein which will host the Topflight Today FM ski trip in late January 2019 and a new lift extension in the high resort of Obergurgl, another Austrian favourite with Irish skiers and snowboarders.
Topflight has introduced Madonna di Campiglio in Italy to their brochure – a must-visit for style lovers – while Crystal Ski has introduced Serfaus near Innsbruck in Austria – great for beginner families.
There are also new Dublin-Innsbruck flights with Ryanair each Saturday from December 8 and lots of special offers available for early bookers and those who can ski early or late season.
Easter is late in 2019 which means that it will be a long season so get planning and I’ll see you on the slopes!!