Glacier skiing, Zermatt, Switzerland
The problem with early season skiing is there's often a lack of snow. Not so in Zermatt where the glacier sits at 3,883m, guaranteeing the white stuff even if the lower slopes are bare. Supertravel Ski have a week's stay at the luxury and cosy Chalet Schwarzsee for the pre-Christmas week for £849pp (from 15-22 December) based on four sharing. This is a reduction of £600pp and includes return flights to Zurich, rail transfers and chalet-board accommodation. Views of the Matterhorn come as standard.
• supertravel.co.uk/ski. Call 020-7962 9933 to book
'Free' flights to the Alps
The problem with ski holidays is the extras (flights, transfers, ski hire), so that what seems like an affordable price at first gradually ramps up. Powder White is hoping to combat this somewhat by offering all guests who book into any of their 52 chalets in St Anton, Verbier, Val d'Isere, Meribel and Courchevel (before 30 October) free flights up to £100 per person. And if you're driving, you'll get a £100 discount instead.
• 020-8877 8888, powderwhite.com Christmas, New Year, February half-term and Easter week excluded
Affordable La Plagne, France
La Plagne sits in the Paradiski area with access to 425km of pistes, but is often overlooked in favour of its neighbour, Les Arcs. This season, Alpoholics have added a new property to their rosta of accommodation in La Plagne 1800 and are offering the pre-Christmas week for £449pp, with your eighth night free. Chalet Orshanti sleeps 19 in nine en suite bedrooms and is ski-in, ski-out. Slopes are quiet and lift passes are on discount – €175 for six days. Price includes half-board and transfers.
• +33 658 435589, alpoholics.co.uk
Cheap and traditional, Saint Lary, French Pyrenees
Head to the Pyrenees rather than the Alps and the prices, as well as the crowds, drop noticeably. Saint Lary is a charming ski village where seven nights' accommodation in the self-catering Cami Real residence – complete with indoor heated pool and sauna – is £93pp, down 20% from the original price of £116. You need to book by 30 November but the offer is valid for all trips between 14 December and 1 February.
• 0844 576 0175, skicollection.co.uk
Christmas in Andorra
A great resort for beginners and intermediates, Andorra has long been cherished for prices that allow you to enjoy your après beer without the cost of it leaving a bad taste in the mouth. Stay for Christmas week at the basic two-star Hotel Arinsal in the town of the same name and you'll have plenty of après-ski money left over – it costs just £312pp for travel on 22 December, including seven nights' B&B and flights from Manchester.
• 0844 879 8155, neilson.co.uk/ski
Long weekend, Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy
Clearly, the easiest way to make a skiing holiday a little bit more affordable is to go for a shorter period of time. If you need a snow fix but only have a few days to take off work you could do a lot worse than heading to the Dolomites for four days. Cosmos has launched a new ski programme for 2013/14 with good deals for travel before January. A case in point is a three-night break at the family-run Des Alps hotel in Cortina d'Ampezzo including full-board accommodation, return flights from Manchester and transfers for £371pp. Valid for departures on 12 December.
• 0844 573 4261, cosmos.co.uk
Discounted luxury, Banff, Canada
A five-star hotel is never going to be cheap but when you shave 15% off per person it becomes more tempting. Banff is a wonderful place to ski on account of the beauty of the national park, the wild-west atmosphere of the town and the epic powder. Book before 15 November and Ski Solutions is offering a seven-night stay at the Fairmont Banff Springs, plus return flights from either London or Manchester airports, and transfers, for £1,215pp for trips departing on 25 January 2014.
• 020-7471 7700, skisolutions.com
Party on a budget, Bansko, Bulgaria
Eastern European resorts have long been known for their lower prices – the only worry is whether there'll be snow or not. Safe to say you won't be hooning through powder in December but it's unlikely to be mud either. But with Christmas week in the party town of Bansko costing just £422pp (based on four sharing) with Balkan Holidays, it may well be worth the risk. Price includes self-catered accommodation at the three-star Grand Montana apartments based on four sharing and return flights from Gatwick flying on 21 December.
• 0845 130 1114, balkanholidays.co.uk
Alpine bargain, Morzine, France
If you want a bargain Alpine ski trip for under £500, this may just be the ticket. Morzine in the Portes du Soleil manages to combine a traditional Savoyard atmosphere with a family vibe, great skiing and a young, funky attitude. And because the liftpass includes the high-sitting Avoriaz ski area, a pre-Christmas trip will be pretty snowsure. Local operator Reach4theAlps has seven nights full board in any of their chalets for £380 – a reduction of £250 – including transfers from Geneva for the week commencing 14 December.
• +33 450799380, reach4thalps.com
Half-price accommodation, Panorama, Canada
Ski Safari is cutting the cost of trips to North America by offering 50% off their four-star Upper Village condos when you book an eight-day lift pass alongside the accommodation in the not-much-explored-by-Brits resort of Panorama. Around 300km west of Calgary, Panorama has 4,000 feet of vertical over 2800 acres of terrain. Trips start at £939pp including return flights and resort transfers.
• 01273 224 060, skisafari.com
