There are thousands of cheap flights from the UK to ski airports throughout Europe with excellent low cost car hire offers.

Book a flight to the popular ski airport Geneva and you could be skiing in either France or Switzerland within a few hours. When collecting a cheap Geneva Airport hire car, remember that the city is on the French and Swiss boarder and that you must collect and drop off your rental car in correct “country”.  Near La Poste on the Arrival Level at Geneva Airport is the Swiss sector car hire desks, with the French sector car rental based upstairs near the Air France check in desks on the French side. As a ski airport, Geneva is also used to access the Austrian ski resorts of Wengen and Verbier.

A gateway to the French Alps and popular winter ski airport is Chambery Airport in Le Viviers du Lac. A number of low cost airlines fly in to Chambery from the UK and you could be in Annecy, La Clusaz, Valmorel, Courcheval, Alpe d’Huez, Chamonix or Val d’Isere in no time at all. Whilst a small airport, the main car hire companies have representatives at Chambery and easyCar offers superb cheap car hire deals at Chambery Airport.  Other French ski airports include Grenoble, Nice and Lyon.

In Austria, Salzburg Airport is ideal for winter ski holidays in Soll, Rauris, Mayrhofen, Kaprun and Kitzbuhel, with Austrian ski holidays also accessed from airports in Vienna, Basel, Innsbruck, Klagenfurt, Munich and Stuttgart.  The ski airport of Salzburg is also used for skiing holidays in Slovenia where you can ski in Kranjska Gora and Bohinj.

For skiing holidays in Italy, use the northern Italian airports of Turin or Milan as there is an excellent choice of low cost, charter and scheduled flights with bargain priced car hire. The first resort to open this season was Passo Tonale in the Dolomites. Other ski airports in the north of Italy include Verona and Venice.

Sofia Airport services Bulgarian ski resorts, with Toulouse Airport and Pau airport in France being the nearest airports to the French Pyrenees and the tiny yet popular ski country of Andorra.

You’ve skied or snow boarded all day. It’s time to meet your friends to discuss the day’s activities – it’s time for après ski (after ski)! 

Apres ski can be quietly sipping a warm aromatic vin chaud or gluwein (hot wine) in a mountain side bar with your skiing partner at the end of the day, or racing back to your bustling snowy ski resort, throwing off those uncomfortable ski boots and diving into the nearest bar, club or restaurant. Apres ski can be as mad as you want it or as relaxing…

When choosing a ski resort for your winter ski holiday, whilst the snow conditions and matching slopes in the area to skiing or boarding abilities are bound to be number one in the choice of resort consideration, après ski conditions should also be considered. Are you looking for lots of bars for all night partying or off piste sporting facilities such as ice skating and swimming?

On a family skiing holiday, a quieter resort yet with plenty of restaurants may be chosen, with a handy selection of shops, such as Valmorel in France or Geilo in Norway.

St Anton in Austria is a favourite après ski resort for many!  Crazy bars lining the final slopes leading into the resort and pedestrianised areas surrounded by trendy all night bars and clubs. Also in Austria, Saalbach boasts five wild nightclubs, pubs galore and a tea bar. Hit the Ice Bar in Mayrhofen or dance the night away in the Igloo styled nightclub. The pretty medieval styled mountain resort of Schladming is linked to the biggest skiing circuit in Austria, and the resort offers traffic free evenings where you can enjoy traditional beer, tea dancing and late night partying in beautiful surroundings. Apres ski in Schladming could lead you may take a hot air balloon ride, go bowling and play squash or tennis – although on the slopes you could also go sleigh riding or paraskiing.

Alpe d’Huez in the French Alps offers exceptional après ski and is ideal for snow boarders and beginner skiers. Not only are there loads of bars and cafes in Alpe d’Huez but a skating rink, snow shoe excursions, a cinema, tonnes of restaurants and swimming. The party resort of Les Deux Alpes is just a five minute helicopter ride away and is popular all year with the young party crowds. Finish a day’s skiing in one of the eight mountain restaurants then try your hand on the inflatable bob run, snow biking, ice climbing and ice driving or visit the mountain top ice grotto.

Whatever you are looking for out of après ski, in whichever country you chose to go skiing or snowboarding, do your homework before you book and make sure you find a ski resort which offers something for everyone in your holiday group!

Is there snow?  Can we ski or snowboard yet? Where is the snow, if any?

According to various reports, there has already been considerable snowfall in the Alps so prompting an early start to the ski season.  The result of this has meant that skiers and snowboarders are booking their ski holidays early and booking more than one winter sport trip in anticipation of a longer ski season than usual.

With cheap bargain flights from the UK and low cost car hire available at all the key European ski airports such as Geneva, Turin, Chambery and Innsbruck, it only stands to reason that with ski bookings set to increase, that winter sport holidays should be booked as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.  As with the Spring and Summer, we have to expect that car hire providers will not have increased their car rental stock due to the credit crunch, so car hire companies will be urging winter travellers to book their hire car in advance.

Tignes and Val Thorens in France both have a snow hi of 65 cm with more snow due to fall tomorrow. Alpe d’Huez, Les Deux Alpes (reporting good skiing conditions), Argentiere and Chamonix are all reporting 55 cm on the upper slopes with the latter two resorts expecting about 15 cms more in the next few days.

Of the well known resorts in Austria, the Austria snow reports show that Solden has the deepest snow with 80 cm at the top and is reporting good skiing conditions.  There is a high of 60 cm in Kaprun and Obergurgl.

There is no doubt that the best snow conditions in Switzerland are in the ski resort of Saas Fee with a high of 150 cm, although the slopes still have to be machine groomed. Zermatt already has 70 cm of snow with Wengen reporting 45 cm; both resorts expect 9 cm in the next two days.

The Italian resort of Passo Tonale in the Dolomites is enjoying the deepest snow in Italy at the moment with a high of 120 cm, whilst many of the other resorts currently have between 25 and 45 cms although are expecting more any day!

Further afield, the USA is still to receive its first real dump of snow, although snow is forecast at a number of locations this week.  Various ski resorts in British Columbia, western Canada however, have received considerable snow fall. On the high slopes Whistler Blackcomb already has 238 cm of the white stuff with more forecast later today, whilst there is nearly a metre in Sun Peaks and Sunshine Village Banff, with a high of 88 cm in Lake Louise. In the last 48 hours nearly 10 cm more snow has fallen in Kicking Horse.

Why not enjoy a New Year Break abroad and escape the British winter?  The world is your oyster, so where would you like to go?  Celebrate the New Year in style and book a holiday abroad! Choose from exotic beach holidays in the Caribbean, Africa or Asia, or a family ski holiday in the Alps or Canadian Rockies – choose a romantic European city break in Prague or Paris, or the popular beaches of the Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of Africa.

Welcome in 2010 with a New Year ski holiday, surrounded by breathtaking snow covered mountains in a quaint authentic village.  Austria is a beautiful setting, and if there is a group of you venturing out on your New Year expedition, why not book a wooden Alpine chalet? Today (10 November 2009), Igluski.com are offering a brand new 4 star chalet ski holiday with steam room and sauna in St Anton, departing Gatwick on 27 December for 7 nights from £1181.00 per person, or at the other end of the price scale, 7 nights at the self catering Rauris Apartments in Rauris from £388.00 per person based on four people sharing, departing Gatwick on Boxing Day.

Count down to the New Year on a mini cruise! DFDS Seaways are offering a two night mini cruise New Year break from Amsterdam to Newcastle. From just £254 per person, board the ship at Newcastle and enjoy an en suite cabin, coach transfers in and out of Amsterdam, breakfasts, Gala New Year buffet, free house drinks during the crossings, live entertainment, and champagne to greet in 2010.

Celebrate on a New Year break in beautiful Prague. Lastminute.com are offering the luxury five star Hotel Esplanade in the centre of the historic city from £937.56 for two people sharing a twin bedded comfort bedroom departing on 30 December from Gatwick for 3 nights. The price is an additional £40 if flying from East Midlands airport.

Set on the edge of a beautiful long sandy Moroccan beach, is the four star plus, contemporary Royal Atlas Hotel in Agadir.  Perfect for a relaxing New Year holiday, the hotel offers a range of spa treatments for your enjoyment. Flying from Gatwick on 28 December Thomson Holidays are offering an all inclusive package (meals and drinks) including priority coach transfers, flights and 7 nights accommodation for £1976.00 for two people.