Choosing a Ski Resort - By: Sian Morris

When you are choosing a ski resort, there are a number of factors that you need to take into account, which include:

1. Your Budget
2. Abilities of your party
3. Journey and transfer time
4. Currency
5. Accommodation type
6. Landscape/Altitude
7. Time of Year

Budget

This is often the most important consideration, because the amount you are prepared to spend will affect the country and resort you choose, the length of your trip, the type of accommodation you go for and the date of your holiday. You’ll also have to account for that not all costs for a ski trip are contained in the initial holiday price. Depending on the package that you choose, you might find that ski lessons, ski hire, food and drink and lift pass are included or not. Food and drink is most likely to be included if you choose hotel or chalet accommodation, but if you go to a self catering apartment or condo then your meals will be extra. The length of holiday that you go for also affects the cost. The most common length for a ski holiday is a week, but it is also possible to go for a weekend trip or multiple weeks. This increases the cost of the holiday accordingly, with extra days payable for lift pass, lesions, hire etc. When you decide to go also has an effect - going in the school holidays will increase the price of the holiday as these are peak weeks. If you don’t have to go in the holidays (you don’t have children or are not a teacher) then it is a good idea to choose the weeks outside the holidays. You might also want to check the holiday dates in the destination country.

Abilities of your Party

Depending on whether the guests in your party are non-skiers, beginners , intermediate or experienced, you will be looking for different types of piste to match their abilities. Expert skiers can become bored in resorts that are too small, whilst beginners might not make use of large interconnected resorts. Whether they are skiers or snowboarders may also make a difference - snowboarders are more likely to want access to some off-piste areas.

Journey and transfer time

By definition, ski resorts are up mountains and are therefore some distance from flat land suitable for hosting airports! The transfer times from plane to resort can therefore be quite considerable. This might be something that you need to take into account, particularly if you are travelling with children.

Currency

A lot of European resorts use the Euro, but not all of them do - this is something that you might find affects your choice of resort. Andorra, on the French-Spanish border doesn’t have its own currency, but uses Euros, but the country is tax free, so it is cheaper than the Eurozone countries for many things. If you are going to the US or Canada then they have their own currencies, and indeed the strength of the dollar against your own country’s currency might make a particular holiday cheaper or more expensive than otherwise.

Accommodation Type

Some people prefer to rough it on a ski holiday on the basis that all you do in the accommodation is eat and sleep. Others prefer to have all mod cons. Accommodation is available to meet whatever you require. You might fancy the facilities of a hotel, the all-inclusiveness of a catered chalet or the freedom of self-catering accommodation.

Landscape/Altitude

These can affect your choice of resort quite considerably. Some people have a preference for skiing below the tree-line, which means they prefer slightly lower altitude resorts. These are however less snow sure during years of lighter snowfall. Higher resorts can be colder and bleaker, particularly in the chillier part of the season such as early January. The benefit is that during clement weather they are still non-slushy.

Time of Year

If you are limited to school holidays then you will be looking at Christmas, Half Term and Easter dates (if Easter falls early). Early season such as Christmas can be dodgy on the snowfall, so it may limit your choice of resort to ones that get more guaranteed snow. Half term dates vary, but often fall in February which is ideally mid season. January can be cold, but snow is pretty much guaranteed. You might lose days of your holiday due to avalanche risk in heavy snow, high winds or simply white out conditions. March is considerably warmer and is the month often chosen by those looking to ski in the sun. The disadvantage is that south facing slopes can turn to slush in the afternoons.

About the Author

Sian Morris is a writer for the ski resort guide site snow2moro.com. She is a keen skier and snowboarder and enjoys passing on her knowledge to others through her writing.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Sian-Morris/186495

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