Ski City Geneva - The DIY Ski Trip Trend By Isla Campbell

For several decades, the vast majority of skiers and snowboarders chose the package deal option to get themselves to the slopes, and with good reason; the package deal brings all the mainponents of a ski holiday (flights, accommodation, transfers, lift pass) into one easy parcel, and due to the buying power of the major ski tour operators, package deals often offered the lowest prices. However, the explosion in the availability of cheap flights from the UK to Europe has changed the dynamics of booking a ski holiday, and for those who are on the ball, it's possible to put together a DIY ski trip that undercuts the price of a package holiday. And it's not just the times that are changing; so too is the climate. To get the lowest prices with ski package holidays, you typically had to book months in advance; of course, the weather has always been unpredictable and despite some ski resorts being labelled "snow sure" there's never been any guarantee that conditions would be fantastic. However, there's no denying that snowlines are rising and glaciers are retreating, thus marking the arrival of warmer weather in the mountains, and so booking far in advance these days is a greater gamble than years gone by. For these two reasons, there's been a steadily growing trend for skiers and snowboarders to book a flight to a destination which has several ski resorts within easy reach. By booking early, snow sports fans can get the lowest prices on the flight, yet by holding off on choosing a resort it is possible to check the snow report up to perhaps just a week or two before you travel and make a decision based on the snow reports as to where is the best place to go. Geneva has long been known as a ski city, having access to dozens of major ski resorts within a couple of hours drive in both France and Switzerland; Les Gets, Morzine, Avoriaz, Chattel, Chamonix and Verbier are all close by and due to its status as being a major flight hub, britishairways findaflight/europe/gb/flights/from/london-heathrow-to-geneva. flights to Geneva from the UK can be picked up very cheaply. The close proximity of ski resorts to Geneva coupled with the number of good value flights has even led to a boom in weekend skiers who are flying out on Friday evening, reaching the ski resort of their choice by Friday night, enjoying a Saturday and Sunday on the slopes, and returning to the UK on Sunday night, or in some case heading straight to work on Monday morning! Disclaimer: The information contained within this article is the opinion of the author and is intended purely for information and interest purposes only. It should not be used to make any decisions or take any actions. Any links are included for information purposes only.
Isla Campbell is an online, freelance journalist and avid traveler and pilates devotee. When not on the road she lives on the outskirts of Oban.
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