UK events
This weekend you can catch the end of the Ski & Snowboard Show (metrosnow.co.uk) in London's Olympia, which today also features the Natives (natives.co.uk) jobs fair, for those looking to find work in a resort for the season. Next weekend, head to snowy Battersea in London for the third Freeze event (29-31 October, tickets from thefreeze festival.com, adults £86 for the weekend, £36 per day), which has a real-snow piste and jumps in front of Battersea Power Station, plus music from Roni Size, Mark Ronson and more. Tons of ski and snowboard outlets, and you can watch big air and slalom comps by pros from around the world.
More festivals
New this year, Portes du Soleil will host the Go Wild Outdoor Festival (2-9 April, chablais.info), which has a unique take on music in the mountains. Those signing up will receive text messages a couple of hours before the gigs, which take place in secret locations on the mountain that you have to ski to.
Meribel will host its Little World Festival (littleworldfestival.com) from 12-19 March, with 40 acts including The Feeling, who formed during a season in the resort, plus Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Glenn Tilbrook from Squeeze and Graham Gouldman from 10CC.
The stalwarts on the scene show no sign of letting up, or growing up, though they're now into their second decades. The Brits, aka the British Snowboard and Freeski Championships (20-27 March, britishsnowtour.com) festival in Laax, in Switzerland, has Pendulum and the Correspondents on the bill (packages start at £255 for the week for accommodation and event pass). And Austria's Snowbombing (snowbombing. com, 4-9 April, from £289 for a week for event and accommodation) can claim a real coup: the Prodigy will headline the Mayrhofen extravaganza.
Get there greener
Though the overnight snowtrain to the Alps stopped last year, much progress is being made in ski trips by rail. SnowCarbon (snowcarbon.co.uk) has been working with 16 ski operators (including Erna Low, Peak Retreats, Ski Famille, Family Ski Company, Collineige, Lagrange, On The Piste, Snowcoach and Ski Peak) to give the option to travel by rail as part of their ski packages for certain resorts. Around 3,800 rail-inclusive holidays will be available this season, with rates at an agreed low price. They use Eurostar to Paris or Lille, then a TGV for daytime travel, and include transfers from the station to the resort. Prices should be around £120-£165pp return for daytime travel, and £165-£200 return for overnight in a six-berth couchette.
Another green alternative is offered by Mountain Ride Share (mountainrideshare.com), which matches those offering space in their car with those who need a lift. It's free and covers ski resorts around the world. When transfers from Geneva to Chamonix cost €40-€50 each way, it makes a lot of sense.
Slope style
What to wear on the pistes is always a tricky issue. Dave Whitlow, clothing buyer for Ellis Brigham, says: "Last winter was a season of excess in snowsports, with designers ramping up the acid colours. This winter baggy and bright remains, but acid shades have been replaced by bold, saturated primary colours. We see riders mixing up the style: black jackets with bright pants is a popular look.
Most people opt for the classic, athletic ski look, which makes sense to the thirty-something-plus market. They'll be wearing high-perfromance brands such as Spyder, Eider, Salomon and Peak Performance.
Dream trip
Alaska, Japan, and Chile have been on the most adventurous skiers' wishlists for some time, but now the destination that beats all others on the bragging charts is Antarctica. Skiing holiday packages are available, though they don't come cheap. Adventure Network Internationalcorrect (adventure-network.com is the only company in the world offering flights to the Antarctic interior, and this winter offers a 14-day round-trip travel from Punta Arenas, Chile, to Antarctica by private jet, including all travel within Antarctica, and accommodation at its base camp in Patriot Hills, departing 16 December 2010 and 10 January 2011 for a cool £15,180.
