With more than a million journeys taken each year from the UK to the Alps, www.Snowcarbon.co.uk has helped the ski industry create better rail options for winter enthusiasts and provides a train guides section, with an overview of travel options to resorts, information about what the trains are like, along with insider guides on how to book the lowest fares, the best tips and options for travelling overnight, tips and discounts for travelling with children, and an in depth guide on how to change stations in Paris easily. The rail-inclusive ski packages section is a unique resource for finding snow holidays from a variety of ski tour operators with rail travel (and transfers) included at preferential rates as well as booking independent options.
VIP Ski is the pioneer of fabulous chalets in the Swiss and French Alps and offers stylish chalets in the popular resorts of Val d’Isère, Méribel, La Plagne, Alpe d'Huez, Morzine, Les Gets, Verbier and Zermatt. Many of the chalets have been built, designed and furnished by VIP SKI’S owner Andy Sturt, providing a boutique-hotel chic selection of chalets. With imaginative menus and fine wine, flexible childcare and outstanding personal service, plus hot tubs, masseurs, state of the art entertainment systems. VIP SKI holidays offer stylish, family-friendly and supremely comfortable accommodation with discerning service.VIP SKI’s selection ranges from quiet exclusive settings; small cosy chalets on the pistes; a club chalet with private facilities; traditional bijoux chalets with log fires to modern luxury chalets with hot tubs and saunas. www.vip-chalets.com
Chalet Seven is a ground breaking luxury destination. The mantra is simple; In Japan, the number seven has long been associated with harmony, heavenliness and perfection. Chalet Seven aims to transport its guests to "seventh heaven". The chalet offers quality, with an eclectic ambience, ultimate comfort, exquisite cuisine and adorable interiors. These fuse to create a heavenly sojourn for guests looking for a sophisticated Alpine retreat. With accommodation for 30 guests, the stunning chalet in the Swiss resort of Crans Montana provides four three-bedroom, en suite apartments and a six-bed children's bunk room. www.chaletseven.com
With over 20 years of experince, Quark Expeditions has specialised in expedition cruising to the Arctic and Antarctica, in ships with ice-strengthened hulls or in powerfull icebreakers. The small ice rated vessels are well qualified for Polar waters with the most passionate and knowledgeable polar team onboard. These ships offer the most amazing and intimate journeys with activities including trekking, camping, kayaking cross country skiing, hot air ballooning, helicopter sightseeing, frequent Zodiac excursions and many hours on deck in areas that other ships only dream about accessing. www.quarkexpeditions.com
Coastline has a beautiful portfolio of 28 handpicked villas in Mallorca, Ibiza and Corsica where guests enjoy an exemplary unobtrusive personal service that has become the hallmark of Coastlines holidays. The villas remain a deliberately personal and highly selective portfolio of properties; an eclectic mix of villas from the simple to the sumptuous, each carefully chosen to offer the best accommodation in its class and vary in size from 2 bed to 6 bed properties. There is something for all tastes from a romantic honeymoon hideaway, a rambling family farmhouse or a genuinely luxurious 5-star villa. www.coastline.co.uk
La Folie Douce, Val d'Isere, France With its antique milk churns, limed timber walls and fashionably distressed furniture, La Folie Douce (next to La Daille gondola station) is styled like an old dairy co-operative and sources its ingredients from local farmers and artisanal producers. Behind the exterior of rough-hewn stone and white timber are two dining venues – La Fruitière, the more formal option, and Nuovo Self, a self-service cafeteria. In the cellar is a collection of 500 bottles, ranging from Bordeaux classics to local Savoie and Jura wines costing less than £26, plus shelves laden with mountain cheeses – of which there are 12 on the menu Ibiza-on-Ice is La Folie Douce, at the top of La Daille gondola, It’s a bit like discovering someone’s opened a nightclub in your fridge. From 3-5pm joing the incrowd outside, dancing on the tables, all winter, where it can seem like half the mountain is a dance floor. The high point: There is the very cool VIP lounge where DJ’s mix and the amazing French cabaret performs. The aftermath: it’s downhill all the way once the Folie Douce closes – literally and metaphorically. www.lafoliedouce.com
Located in the heart of the Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais, the stunning resort of Verbier is perched in a sunny bowl high above the Rhone river. Along with St-Bernard and La Tzoumaz the area of Verbier - St Bernard offers over 400kms of hiking, biking and world class skiing. The village itself is a beautiful array of chalet-style buildings. In the winter the ski area spans over 400km, stretching across the interlinked Four Valleys area. This huge domain provides endless possibilities for all abilities. The dedicated nursery slopes and excellent ski schools offer something for beginners of all ages whilst Verbier notorious black itinerary runs are never far away nor is the incandescent nightlife.
A cluster of six picturesque villages adorns the Alta Badia valley in the heart of the magnificent dolomites www.altabadia.org The Ladin language prevails where Michelin Star restaurants are peppered along the valley floor with a host of culinary treats. Hikers and skiers find the area intriguing and irresistible. Many of the paths in Alta Badia used by hikers nowadays, used to be military mule tracks and many of the vie ferrate were created as a way to help troops move fast at high altitude in very difficult conditions. With superb varied skiing in the area, the Italian’s most sought after resort with ski boot stomping chic to die for.
Cycling has taken off in recent years with the success of British cyclists on the road and track. Freedom Treks offers a comprehensive choice of 179 interest packed cycling itineraries across 23 European countries, appealing to couples, singles and families of all ages and abilities. There is a wide choice of hand-picked boutique accommodation, meticulously researched route notes, luggage transfers, mouth-watering food and wine choices as welll as flexible departures for independent and guided cycling holiday options. This independent operator offers holidays staying at hotels, barges, yachts, glamping and paradors throughout Europes stunning countryside www.freedomtreks.co.uk
Reed Travel Exhibitions, the world's leading organiser of exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry, has announced the launch of the first International Ski Travel Market (ISTM). This exclusive two-day forum taking place from 17-18 March 2014 will bring together up to 80 European resort tourist boards and inbound ski travel suppliers with 80 leading outbound ski tour operators, in a format of pre-arranged appointments.
www.istm.co.uk
Snow-Camp is an innovative youth charity that uses a unique combination of skiing, snowboarding and life-skills programmes to support inner-city young people. Through the combination of snowsports and life-skills, the programmes enable young people to grow in confidence and self-esteem, develop as individuals and make positive choices for their lives. Snow-Camp programmes also enable young people to reflect on the key issues impacting their day to day lives, and help them develop new skills to support their futures – particularly towards careers in the snowsport industry. Snow-Camp has grown steadily from 2003 and now works with at least 400 young people each year across 12 London Boroughs. Their vision is to expand Snow-Camp to other cities across the UK and bring the success of their approach to benefit many more inner-city young people. www.snow-camp.org.uk
