Skiing

Inside Skiing

So, where are the brakes? Roadtesting the latest incarnation of the snow bike

Saturday, 16 January 2010

It felt like the stuff of nightmares. There I was, going along on my bike, when I realised I was careering for the edge of a cliff. So I looked down at the handlebars, only to find that there were no brakes.

Warmth and cuisine make up for Pyrenees' lack altitude and plentiful snow

Saturday, 16 January 2010

A scene from White Christmas flashed through my head as the train sped through France towards the Pyrenees. Just as Bing Crosby and chums sang in anticipation of snow in Vermont, I was hoping against hope that the forecast for rain in the Pyrenees would be wrong and that white fluffy stuff would magically appear in its place. Like Bing, I would be disappointed. You can't take plentiful snow for granted in the Pyrenees. It hasn't got the altitude and enviable snow record of the Alps. But, for the average visitor, it has ways of making up for that.

Snow report: Gay, green, Christian – this is the year of the niche ski trip

Sunday, 10 January 2010

Ski carriage supplements, terrorist attacks, added airport security, strike threats, a weak pound, snow upsetting Eurostar trains – it has not been the ideal start to the ski season.

Slope off on the cheap: Good-value ski deals

Saturday, 9 January 2010

Value for money is no longer the sole preserve of budget destinations

WIN a studio or one bedroom apartment in France for a week for up to 4 people!

Friday, 8 January 2010

Pierre & Vacances (pv-holidays.com) is the largest provider of ski accommodation in France. To celebrate the launch of their major ski price fall we are offering you a free week in a Pierre & Vacances ski residence

100 holiday ideas for 2010: Snow

Sunday, 3 January 2010

If you fancy hitting the slopes for the first time in 2010, head to Avoriaz (avoriaz.com), in France. The resort is cordoning off a mile-long ski run for adult beginners – one that gets sunshine all day and offers great views – for a new Première Glisse (First Glide) course, which claims to make you competent on the slopes after only three days.

Facing an uphill battle

Saturday, 2 January 2010

Will improvements in services and infrastructure attract more British skiers to Switzerland and Italy? Stephen Wood reports

Ski business has high hopes for 2010

Saturday, 26 December 2009

Skiers and snowboarders enjoy a party at least as much as anyone else, probably more. But although they'll join in the fun on the evening of 31 December, the advent of the new year means little to them. Like Jewish people and members of the Russian Orthodox Church, British skiers have their own calendar, radically different from the Gregorian version used in most of the world.

Val d'Isère...on a wing and a prayer

Sunday, 20 December 2009

Simon Usborne tries speed-riding – the crazed love child of paragliding and big-mountain skiing

Snow Report: Save the pound. Go skiing on the Scottish slopes

Sunday, 20 December 2009

This time last winter the ski industry was in meltdown. After a decade of growth, the economic downturn, coupled with the collapse of the pound, left tour operators with serious over-capacity. But we're told there'll be no repeat of the resulting mega-deals this winter, which included the first Bogof (buy one get one free) ski holidays. Companies have cut back on availability and, anyway, most have been offering discounts since last spring.

Learning the slopes in Kitzb�hel

Saturday, 19 December 2009

Don't be put off by the child prodigy skiers or the heavyweight schnitzel-based dinners.

Do the splits on the Swiss and Italian ski slopes

Sunday, 13 December 2009

Two countries for the price of one, that's what you get if you stay in Cervinia. James Hanning explains

Where to ski in Oregon

Saturday, 12 December 2009

In a state with a dozen ski areas, it can be hard to know where to start. Happily, last week Stephen Wood did the hard work for us

Heading off trouble: Are helmets on the slopes a wise precaution or unnecessary caution?

Saturday, 5 December 2009

The 2009/10 season will be a watershed in the use of crash helmets by recreational skiers. Two decades ago it was unusual to see anyone but a racer wearing a helmet; now, figures from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) suggest that in the US most recreational skiers will be doing so this season. Its survey last season found 48 per cent of skiers and boarders were wearing helmets, up by 5 per cent in a year. How can one be so sure of a further increase in helmet usage next season? Because of the death in March of the actress Natasha Richardson after a fall on the slopes of Tremblant, in the Canadian province of Quebec.

France still lures British skiers

Saturday, 28 November 2009

Our love affair with French skiing continues, but the smaller resorts benefited most from last year's bumper season

Snow report: 22/11/2009

Sunday, 22 November 2009

Skiing across international borders isn't what it used to be. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, when Europe's ski areas started to link together with lifts and runs, about a dozen of these cross-border pistes were created for those of us too lazy to hike across as "ski tourers".

High anxiety: the biggest lift-served verticals

Saturday, 21 November 2009

Is East or West best? Patrick Thorne tests his nerve on the biggest 'lift-served verticals' on either side of the Atlantic

Obergurgl: A blast from a past master

Saturday, 21 November 2009

Ski special: This classic ski resort also embraces the modern.

Chalet holidays: A snow place like home

Saturday, 21 November 2009

British skiers' love for Alpine chalets is as strong as ever, says Stephen Wood

Samoëns: A resort that goes down a treat

Saturday, 21 November 2009

Mary Novakovich discovers the village of Samoëns, where excellent French skiing meets plenty of cheese fondue

Ski news: So far, so good for this season's snow

Saturday, 21 November 2009

Anyone who mentions how good the autumn snow has been this year might be accused of jinxing the coming 2009-10 ski season. But the truth is that the pre-season to the coming winter has so far equalled, if not exceeded, the start of the snowy spectacular 2008-9 ski season.

Ski gear: Ready to wear this winter

Saturday, 21 November 2009

There are ski accessories out there to cater for every need. Mark Harris makes his selection

Rail travel that hits the heights with carbon footprint site

Saturday, 21 November 2009

A new website aims to help skiers reduce their carbon footprint by taking the train. Ben Ross talks to Snowcarbon's co-founder, Daniel Elkan

Stay the night: Grab a piece of the limelight in Aspen

Sunday, 15 November 2009

A ski lodge has stood on this spot since the Fifties. Three years ago it had a fabulous makeover

Heights of good taste: Why Lech is a must-visit destination for gourmet skiers

Saturday, 14 November 2009

What comes after snow, as the second-most important ingredient of a skiing day? The answer is supper. With the schussing and schlepping in the fresh but oxygen-depleted air of the mountains done, every skier's thoughts turn to the evening meal. And to the fact that on nights such as these it is permissible to eat your fill.

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