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Imagine this: On Thursday you hop on an inexpensive flight to Geneva, and upon arriving you take advantage of cheap car rental in the city to drive to a ski resort of your choice. There safely, you check in, unwind, and relax for the evening. In the morning, you go outside, only to be greeted by a half a metre of fresh snow from the storm you’ve been tracking at home! Then, you enjoy three days of skiing empty slopes and the finest powder before heading home on Monday, happy and refreshed.
Short ski trips are becoming increasingly popular and readily affordable, and are a great alternative to the standard one-week holiday. Instead of waiting all winter for a pre-booked week of ‘unseasonably’ bad snow, check the forecasts and guarantee yourself epic skiing. This way, unforeseen circumstances, which are unfortunately becoming more of a regular holiday disturbance, (such as volcanic clouds and strikes) won’t ruin your well-deserved vacation. As they say, don’t carry all your eggs in one basket!
Everyone knows how difficult the first few days can be as you try and regain some degree of skill lost since your last skiing holiday. A little training beforehand, and maybe a couple of visits to the snow dome can help. The key to pre-training is to spread out your training over several visits and you should you see a noticeable improvement in your fitness and technique throughout the season. But if a few days is all you have to prepare then make sure you go fast and hard! By the end of the first trip you should be pretty exhausted, but happy in the knowledge that the next time you go, in a couple of weeks, you’ll be up to the challenge.
When you eventually get to plan your visit to the slopes, don’t limit yourself to the big name resorts either. With short weekend vacations, the goal is to ski the best snow possible with the fewest inconveniences. Large resorts have large crowds and at the weekends can get especially busy. Smaller resorts, however, often have no queues. The pistes will be quieter, off-piste hardly touched and accommodation and food cheaper (and often still to an exceptional standard).
Many catered chalets nowadays can tailor a trip to suit you and have seen an increase in short stays. Exactly the same as a weeklong holiday, you can expect cooked and continental breakfast every morning, a four-course meal with wine each evening, and lift passes and ski equipment ready and waiting. Of course, if on a budget and totally ski-minded, there is always a selection of backpacker hotels, or inexpensive bed and breakfasts happy to accommodate you.
Having this flexibility is not a luxury everyone can afford, but really a ski holiday anywhere, anytime can be amazing regardless how much it costs! And if you’re looking to get the most out of your skiing, have a little flexibility with work, and like finding hidden gem resorts, then don’t just take the one trip this year, take several.
