VIP SKI Blog

Bifang Alm is absolutely magical for a special occasion. It is half way up Rendl mountain, and does special Fondue nights once or twice a week. They will transport you up the mountain on one of their own piste bashers under darkness and bring you to the awesome Chalet in the middle of the mountain. As you step inside from the cold you feel as if you’ve been hiking for days and have come in to Alpine paradise.

And the food… Unlimited Austrian cheese and meat fondue with steak, hams, cheeses, vegetables and salad for a set price, and the option of adding wine to the table for a reasonable price. Absolutely unmissable for a special (or not special!) occasion while you’re in St Anton.

You haven’t been to St Anton if you haven’t had a picture next to the big ST ANTON sign at the top of Rendl mountain, by ‘the beach’. The sign perches just above one of the best ski parks in the country, so when the ski legs are starting to suffer, this is a great place to sit and watch some of Austria’s finest freestylers do their thing. Beer selfies are pretty much obligatory. 

If you ask anyone who’s been, they’ll tell you that no one does table dancing quite like the Austrians. And as for St Anton, it’s famed for its après ski. The famous Mooserwirt, Olympic Gold Medallist skier Mario Matt’s bar- the Krazy Kangaruh, Taps Coyote bar, and Basecamp are all a must visit for a refreshing couple of drinks after a long day on the pistes, watching the sunsets and maybe a dance on the table if you’re feeling brave… Life’s hard eh? 

One of the best things I did in St Anton was getting an off-piste guide and going out for the day with my partner, right into the back-country wilderness. We ended up in knee deep, untouched powder on a beautiful mountain side off the back of the Knodelkopf peak in the Stuben area, after sailing down this we ended up following a gentle riverside right down to the hamlet of Verwall, which looked like it hadn’t been affected by the outside world for 200 years. Buses back into town only wonder into this village a couple of times a day, but the feeling of complete removal from the world as we know it was one of the best feelings I’ve experienced when skiing.

I’ll happily talk all day about skiing in St Anton, if you have any questions about the resort or our properties please give me a call on 0208 875 1957 or drop the sales team an email at ski@vip-chalets.com

Over in Avoriaz, Morzine and Les Gets the snow is still falling fast with up to 18cms expected in the next 24 hours. We've got some fantastic offers available on our Morzine chalets including savings of up to £270pp for 26th December.

In Austria, it pretty much hasn't stopped snowing since Monday. Our two St Anton chalets and our ski hotels in Lech and St Anton will be opening from 12th December so get in touch to book some early season skiing from £600pp. Our hotels are perfect for family ski holidays with many of our family suites offering sofa beds at half the adult price.  

Our Val d'Isere chalets open in just 24 days and we cannot wait to welcome you. We've got early season short breaks from £100pppn as well as holidays from £579pp (not including flights and transfers)

The Portes du Soleil ski area saw a complete transformation almost overnight with a snow storm bringing in 40 – 70cm across Avoriaz, Les Gets and Morzine. Altitude Lodge in Les Gets turned sunbathers into snow shovellers as the team got the terraces cleared ready to welcome our guests. In Morzine conditions were top notch with sunny skies but below zero temperatures.

Our brand new chalet, The Manoir is available on 29 Jan on a room by room basis from £999pp

Meribel certainly had a long wait but the Three Valleys ski area has been hit with a considerable amount of snow and there’s more on its way. Guests in our brand new Courchevel ski chalets have told us of incredible conditions and glorious sunshine…just the sort of skiing we love!

Skiing in Val d’Isere has never looked better. With temperatures of around -12, you’ll need your layers but don’t worry the sun is still shining. There’s even more snow on the way this weekend so it’s certainly worth looking at Val d’Isere for your next ski holiday.

Prices from £1099pp for week commencing 5 February. 

If you can’t quite decide where to go skiing this winter, get in touch and have a chat with one of our team. We’ve got over 60 chalets and 3 hotels across 10 fantastic ski resorts so we’re sure to have something to suit you.  

The London Boat Show 2017 takes place at ExCeL between 6th - 15th January 2017. The Sailing Holidays boat show crew have a plethora of knowledge that spans all of the areas that they sail in.

There is no better place to plan your summer holiday, what’s more, they have a limited number of FREE Boat Show tickets to give away, just call them on 0208 459 8787 or drop them an email on SailsCrew@sailingholidays.com to claim your free tickets.

If you miss out on the FREE tickets you can pre-order and save. Tickets will be available at ExCel on the day - £27 on preview day (6th January) and £22 on all other days. Pre-book your tickets now using Sailing Holidays offer code (EPTOP3GYGR) to get tickets for just £12! 

Even more reason to visit our friends at the London Boat show and snap up one of these great offers;

• Book early and save up to £100 per person, book your 2017 flotilla holiday now at 2016 prices.
• Book your summer 2017 yacht charter holiday at the London Boat show and save up to 15%
• Save an additional 5% off independent and skippered yacht charter holidays at the show (5% is off the boat price only but flight inclusive packages can be arranged)
• FREE Outboard Engine for the dinghy or Stand Up Paddleboard for flotilla bookings. (Usually £75 a week or £125 per fortnight). 

The Sailing Holidays team will be hosting their Sipsmith Gin & Tonic Evening at the show. Why not pop down and join them for Winter Sundowners on Thursday 12th January, G&T’s will be served from 6pm.

If you’re unsure whether a sailing holiday is for you, read more details here. We’re confident that if you love skiing, you’ll love sailing.

Many people think Austrian ski resorts are much lower than some French ski resorts when in fact, from both St Anton ski resort and Lech ski resort you can reach skiing altitudes  of 2811m. 

Transfer times from Innsbruck and Friedrichshafen are relatively short which means you can get from arrivals to Lech or St Anton in less than  2 hours.

Unlike many of the French ski schools, the Austrian ski schools run ski lessons all day for adults and children giving you more time to perfect those parallel turns. 

Austria’s ski slope grading often leaves people thinking skiing in Austria is not great for beginners when compared to it’s French rivals. When skiing in Austria, you won’t find a green run but  many of the blue slopes are more comparable to French green runs and the red slopes are more like blues. This means, if like me you find a French black slope a bit daunting, you’ll feel like an absolute pro on a black run in Austria. 

A meal on the mountain won’t cost you an arm and a leg. A hearty bowl of traditional Austrian Goulash will cost you no more than €8 and the average cost of your après ski pint is €5.

While we’re on the subject, Austrian après ski is some of the best around. Spend the afternoon in St Anton’s Mooserwirt or Krazy Kangaruh singing and dancing to the best euro-trash their DJs have to offer, like this classic.

Each year, Austrian ski resorts invest a significant amount of money in their lift system which means faster lifts and shorter queuing time. This year’s €45m investment in the Flexenbahn lift will make the Ski Arlberg area one of the top 10 largest ski areas in the world. 

The snow forecast for both St Anton ski resort and Lech ski resort is always a positive one with plenty of snow falling throughout the season. Even in early December you’re likely to be enjoying plenty of powder. What’s more, Lech is famous for its own micro-climate meaning it gets more snow than most of the Austrian alps. 

Austrian ski resorts host some fabulous events including Christmas Markets in both Lech and St Anton, plus the Tyrolean custom that is the Krampus Devil’s Run. This amazing event is not for the faint hearted, as locals dressed in scary carved masks and outfits accompanying St Nicholas run through the streets of St Anton.

Hotel Theodul, Lech and Hotel Monjola, St Anton are great value for families looking to ski in Austria as they both offer family suites, interconnecting rooms and sofa beds for children, where children travel half price. 

Looking to ski in Austria? Our sales specialists know the hotels and chalets like the back of their hands so get in touch now if you have any questions. We’ve got some fantastic offers for our St Anton and Lech ski hotels.

Spend Christmas skiing in Austria with special offers from £999pp

Ski in St Anton in March with great British Olympian Graham Bell. Special offer from £899pp