world reviewer
Piste for less - Skiing the Credit Crunch
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The credit crunch has done away with your credit and that nasty euro has shot up in value and suddenly the ski holiday pot you saved for is looking a little small, but that doesn’t mean you have to skip the slopes this year, here are some credit crunch travel tips for getting piste on the cheap. Could you possibly swap The Alps for the French Pyreneese? Or Andorra? Soldeu is known for being cheap and very cheerful? Or how about looking even further a field? Avoiding the Alps doesn’t mean avoiding Europe entirely, it just means the looking a bit further east… You may not have heard of it but Borovets, which runs up the side of the Rila Mountains, is Bulgaria’s largest and oldest ski resort and has long been known for good conditions at knock down prices, yeah, the facilities may not quite be the same standard as the Alps, but some of the ski runs are. Bankso, Bulgaria’s more famous resort is better set up for beginner and intermediate skiers, with some good ski schools and four star part board accommodations for about the same price as a self catering flat in France. Fuel surcharges mean it’s pretty expensive to fly to the US at the moment but if you’ve got a bit of time off – or you live there already - you could still save money because it’s cheaper on the ground. You don’t have to set your sights on Aspen, Vail or Jackson Hole but resorts smaller in size – but not in stature – like Keystone or Steamboat have also got mountains to challenge the Alps you love. But if it’s the alps or nothing you can save money by getting onto the slopes at Meribel or Zermatt by coach. It’s about a 15 hour trip, so you may want to make it worth your while and stay a few days. Or try out one of the back door resorts. Stay at Servoz, ski at Chamonix, stay at Nendaz, ski at Verbier or stay in Tignes and ski all over the Espace Killy and up to Val d’Isere |
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