Even if money might be a little tight, for the ski fans among us, a snowy break each winter is an absolute must-have. Here are our top tips for getting your winter fix without breaking the bank.

According to recent research by Sainsbury’s Travel Money*, 73% of people taking skiing holidays this winter plan to try to reduce the cost of their holiday. So how do you get more skiing for less of your hard-earned cash?

Avoid the Alps
Major alpine resorts in places like Austria, France, Italy and Switzerland offer the best skiing conditions in Europe – the largest numbers of runs, the biggest capacity lifts and top quality accommodation. But all of this comes at a price. If you’re just looking for intermediate skiing with decent accommodation and facilities places further afield like Slovenia, Bulgaria and the Pyrenees are usually far better value. One exception to this rule is duty-free Livigno in the Italian Alps which is always worth a look for value-conscious skiers – as long as you like to party once you’re off the slopes too!

Self drive
If nothing but top notch alpine skiing will do, consider self-catering. On the surface, a flight plus hotel package often looks cheaper than a self-drive, self-catering one. But factor in all your costs before you decide. Once you’re in the ski resort, the cost of eating out every evening – and most lunchtimes – can rack up quickly. If you take the car, you can stock up on food and drink at a hypermarket somewhere close to the mountains and save a fortune by cooking your own meals and making packed lunches. Take the ferry late at night or early in the morning to get the cheapest crossings, but don’t bother taking non-autoroute roads to save on tolls. Any money you save here you’ll spend on the extra fuel you consume.

Choose smaller resorts
Another smart way to get alpine ski time for less is to aim for smaller resorts attached to large combined domain ski passes. Try smart and fun Les Gets for access to the vast Les Portes du Soleil area instead of Avoriaz or Morzine, or cosy St Martin De Belleville for easy access to the Three Valleys. Instead of St Anton in Austria, head for friendly Sonnenkopf also covered by the Arlberg ski pass and pretty Pragelato in Italy is a good value base for exploring the vast expanses of the Milky Way ski area.

Pre-book your ski gear
You’ll often find it’s cheaper to arrange ski gear at the time of booking your skiing holiday, particularly if you’ve gone for a flight-plus-accommodation package. You’ll also find a better choice of gear on offer ahead of time as well. This is less of an issue in the big resorts, but smaller places have limited numbers of ski hire outlets with smaller quantities of stock.

Don’t cut corners
One thing you shouldn’t skimp on when it comes to skiing holidays is insurance. Before taking part in any winter sports it’s important to make sure you have adequate travel insurance – something which will likely involve paying an extra premium. If you’re planning to go off-piste, check your policy’s terms and conditions to make sure you’re not caught out if you take a tumble. You may find your existing annual insurance policy covers you for certain winter activities, but not all, so read the small print carefully. Use the internet to shop around for the best travel insurance quote and double-check the skiing cover is adequate.

*2,024 GB adults were interviewed by ICM in an online survey between 23^rd and 25^th September 2011. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults.  ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.  Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk

Issued by Sainsbury’s Finance

Sainsbury’s Finance is a trading name of Sainsbury’s Bank plc. All information correct at time of publication, but may be subject to change. Any views or opinions expressed in this article are the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of any part of the Sainsbury’s Group of companies.

Sainsbury’s Finance is a financial services provider engaged in savings accounts, credit cards, and personal loans.  It also supplies insurance services in car insurance, home insurance, life insurance, pet insurance and travel insurance as well as being a provider of travel money services.

A premier Vail Valley mountain residence, originally listed for $14.25 million, will be sold at a live, luxury real estate auction on August 6th 2011. The property is selling Absolute, which means it will sell to the highest bidder no matter what the eventual price.

Located on the most prestigious street behind the gates of the Arrowhead Resort, Cresta Road, the 13,700-square-foot estate comes with unparalleled ski-in/ski-out access to Arrowhead and Beaver Creek areas. The building also includes 7 bedrooms, 8 full and two half bathrooms, 10 fireplaces, a wine cellar, theatre room, elevator, expansive outdoor terraces, chef’s kitchen with pizza oven, and an indoor pool.

“Having represented buyers and sellers in the Vail Valley for over 16 years, and having knowledge of the luxury properties in the area, I will definitely say this is one of the region’s finest ski homes in one of the most premier locations,” stated Laura Brady, Vice President of Marketing for Concierge Auctions. “Selling without reserve, this may seem like a ‘too-good-to-be-true’ opportunity, but it is the real deal. The sellers are ready to find a new owner, hand over the keys on the day, and move on to other endeavours.”
The auction will be held live, on-site, on August 6th 2011. Attendance will be limited to registered bidders and their representatives. Phone and Internet bidding will also be available. The property is open for preview daily from 1 to 4 pm by appointment.

“Vail Valley is and will always be one of the most sought-after mountain destinations in the world. This is not only an auction of a premier home – but of a premier lifestyle,” stated Brady.

www.ConciergeAuctions.com

Bulgaria’s Minister of the Environment has said that she will legalise the expansion of Bansko ski resort on to national park land, rather than tell the resort to remove the illegal construction.

Bansko has been one of the big success stories of European ski resort development in recent history. However, environmental campaigners have long sought to highlight the fact that part of the expansion has taken place on national park land, which should be protected from development by law.

Various Bulgarian ministers have made seemingly contradictory and often inconclusive comments on the issue over the years but the latest statement from the Environment Minister does say that Bansko built ski lifts and pistes illegally on 250 acres of national park / UNESCO World Heritage site land.

The environment ministry surprised journalists and environmental groups by saying there was nothing that could be done about the development and that asking Bansko to remove the lifts would be against the national interest. She has said that the government will legislate to make the illegal development retrospectively legal instead.

One of the most popular ski resorts in America, Breckenridge in Colorado, which is also the top destination for British skiers in the US, has been given the go-ahead by the US Forest Service, which controls the land, on their new expansion plans for new lifts and runs.

Breckenridge aims to add 550 acres of terrain on Peak 6. The plans include a mix of groomed and ungroomed slopes, a mixture of intermediate and advanced level terrain and some terrain accessed by a new six-seater lift. However, some of the new areas will need to be hiked up to.

The expansion plans, which have been developed over several years, have advanced recently with the publication of an Environmental Assessment document which is open for the next 45 days for public consultation. If the process moves ahead smoothly, the expansion could take place as early as the 2012-13 season.

Full proposals for the 12 new runs can be seen at www.breckenridgepeak6.com