The lowdown for anyone planning a skiing holiday this winter, from new resorts and sports, to new routes to the slopes and tips for skiing on a budgetGet in the moodSnow fell in the French Alps and Colorado this week, so the season has officially started ? it's time to get into the spirit of things and start planning this year's wintery breaks.For inspiration, those who live in the south could head to the last two days of the Ski and Snowboard Show at Earl's Court in London, today and tomorrow, to pick up discounted gear, browse in ski and snowboard shops you don't find on the high street, meet tourist boards, tour operators and other experts, pet a husky and watch the new kids put everything you've ever done on snow to shame with their gobsmacking stunts. Tickets �18 on the door, metrosnow.co.uk.Next weekend (28 and 29 October) sees Relentless Freeze hit London's Battersea power station, with a mammoth real snow slope hosting some of the world's best athletes. There are loads of places to buy kit and talk to experts, but this event has a real festival feel, with J�germeister bars and live music by Beardyman, Everything Everything, The Streets and Does It Offend You, Yeah? Tickets �27 Friday, �37 Saturday, weekend �60 relentlessfreeze.com.What's new?? Inghams (020-8780 4447, inghams.co.uk) has added 42 new chalets and chalet hotels for the 2011/12 season, tripling the number it offers. It has ditched some lower resorts and added more high-altitude ones, including St Christoph in Austria and Madonna di Campiglio in the Dolomites, Italy, after last year's poor snow.? Last winter may have been a bit rubbish in terms of snow in Europe, but US resorts had a blinder, especially in Colorado, where the La Ni�a weather pattern caused heavy falls all winter. Locals say they're expecting the same but better this year, so it could be a good time to head stateside. See coloradoski.com for ideas.? Ski rail website snowcarbon.co.uk has added a new feature this year that lets skiers view the best rail journey connections from London to 32 ski resorts on any specific date. It also features new rail packages from tour operators such as Railbookers, OTP Holidays, Inghams, Crystal, Ski Famille, and Ski Weekends. The site covers resorts in France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Andorra.? Northstar, one of the fantastic resorts around Lake Tahoe in California, has added 170 new acres this year ? thanks to an expansion of the resort boundaries ? and a new seven-metre half-pipe, designed with star snowboarder Shaun White, who is based there. Also new this season is the chance to go cat-skiing. Ski Independence (0131-243 8097, ski-i.com) has a 10-night trip including time in San Francisco from �1,289pp including flights, car hire and three-star hotels. And Park City in Utah has a new area called Iron Mountain.? Sochi in Russia has been gearing up for the 2014 Olympics over the past few years, so is becoming increasingly interesting to British skiers. Its new Olympic ski area is now open, as well as the established runs. This year Crystal Ski (0871 231 5655, crystalski.co.uk/ski-resorts/russia-ski-holidays) is adding it as a package destination, albeit a seriously adventurous one. The powder is amazing, the apr�s-ski is wild, and slopeside restaurants serve caviar, smoked salmon and vodka rather than gl�hwein and fondue. Seven nights B&B costs �1,129pp, including flights via Istanbul.? Nendaz near Verbier has really developed over the past few years as an alternative base for skiing this linked area of the Swiss Alps. Now La Tzoumaz, in a valley on the other side of the mega-resort, is attempting to become the new Nendaz. As well as a 10km toboggan run and a cute town centre, it has a fabulous new place to stay, Chalet Auriane (chaletauriane.com). It sleeps 12 and is available in January and March from �825pp including all food and wine. It has a sauna and steam room, faux fur throws and even a chrome cuckoo clock.? Oh dear, please don't let this be true: Club Koh Samui (clubkohsamui.com), an indoor ski slope on the Thai island of Koh Samui, is in its first stages, part of a $40m investment in a new sports centre there. And you thought skiing in the desert in Dubai was weird.Keep it cheap? Some tips ? With the euro sending the prices in the premier Alpine resorts sky-high, those looking to save a few quid might want to hit Italy and Austria where prices are slightly cheaper than France and Switzerland. Those heading to the Alps proper, where drinks can cost ?10 on the mountain and a bowl of spag bol twice that, should try to get a package with as much as possible included ? lift-pass, evening meal, even lunch ? so you're paying in pounds rather than euros. If you're a beginner, you may as well start out in a really cheap resort outside the eurozone, which perhaps won't satisfy you later on when you're looking for steeper terrain and decent off-piste.? Early season skiing ? is it worth it? You might think that going before Christmas week is way too early to find good snow, but last winter the second weekend in December had amazing dumps (though granted it was so amazing that many UK airports had to close) even in places not traditionally considered reliable as high-altitude glacier resorts (Tignes/Saas-Fee, etc). The slopes are much emptier than later in the season, flights and packages much cheaper and an early season break will get your legs ready for a bigger trip later on ? hopefully by the time February rolls around you'll have saved up enough cash to go again. Expedia.co.uk has some early season deals, including a week in Chamonix at the catered Chalet Hotel Sapini�re chalet from �569pp including Stansted-Geneva flights, departing 8 December (expedia.co.uk). A week in St Anton for the same dates costs from �529pp at the Chalet Arlof including Stansted-Innsbruck flights; or in Courchevel is �499pp at the Chalet Triole, flights Stansted to Chambery.? Think you can't afford to ski the big resorts? Think again ? Action Outdoors (020-3328 5443, action-outdoors.co.uk) offers bargain breaks for young people aged 18-39 in 11 resorts in France, with accommodation in UCPA hostels. These were set up by the French more than 40 years ago as a government-subsidised scheme to get more young people on outdoor sports holidays. The buildings (all very centrally located) operate as budget accommodation, and with special bargain lift-pass rates for UCPA guests. A break in Tignes, for example, costs �599 all inclusive from 30 December?7 January, add in 12 hours' instruction for �18, or under �500 for a mid-December break in Val d'Is�re, both including full board and lift pass.? For a list of ski hostels all over the world, check out Hostelworld.com, which includes the Randolins hostel in St Moritz for �35 a night (tinyurl.com/randolins), or the Hostel Ks House Hakuba Alps in Japan from �23.90 a night (tinyurl.com/hostelks).? The Snow Express coach (snowexpress.co.uk) goes from Victoria in London to Tignes and Val d'Is�re, from �99 return, and takes 17 hours.? Directski.com and Igluski.com are good places to start looking for deals.Activities? France's Haute Maurienne Vanoise (hautemaurienne.com) has gone all out for crazy new sports this winter. Cani Raquette involves snowshoers wearing big raquettes on their feet and being pulled along by a harness with a linking rein attached to some dogs (+33 4 7905 9243, ?12pp). You can also do normal husky sledding. In a similar vein, "free ride" snowshoeing is trying to do for snow-shoeing what parkour did for walking ? instructors can be booked to show participants how to slide, jump, roll, run and "express their style" on snowshoes (+33 6 7897 4673, half-day adults ?15, children ?12).? The Alta Badia region of Italy has been gaining fame for its great food and Michelin-starred restaurants. Taste For Skiing involves 11 mountain huts serving Michelin-starred food designed by top chefs, from ?12-25 per dish. This year Brit chef Hywel Jones joins in and has worked with the Arlara hut in Corvara to bring suckling pig to the menu. Also on offer in what is becoming one of the world's best ski resorts for gourmets, is a wine and ski safari on 18 March (?20pp to visit four huts for wine and snacks), cookery courses and a Dolomighty Breakfast trip on a snow cat, leaving Corvara at 6.50am or 7.20am to enjoy a Tyrolean breakfast at sunrise at the Col Alto refuge at 2,000m ? you then ski down before the lifts open (+39 0471 836 324, tinyurl.com/dolomighty, ?28pp). See altabadia.org for more details and accommodation, such as an apartment on a farm at Maso Chi Pr� (tinyurl.com/chipra, ?17pp, sleeps four).SkiingWinter sportsGemma Bowesguardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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