Skiing
Q Last February, I skied in Chamonix but even that late in the season, the snow cover was poor. Do you have any tips on where to find guaranteed snow?
Annette Jennings
Konrad Bartelski replies: Unfortunately it happens to us all. I have just cancelled a week's skiing in Canada, because it has been excessively warm over the past two weeks. It is always a gamble skiing before Christmas, especially because the snow seems to arrive later in the season now. Normally, February would be the safest bet, but good snow cover can be influenced by so many variables, especially the direction of the winds. Look for resorts that have good glacier skiing; that way, skiing is guaranteed: Saas-Fee, Flims/ Laax, Kaprun/Zell am See, Sölden and Tignes.
February packages in Saas-Fee with Inghams start at £291pp (020-8780 4433, inghams.co.uk). For information on skiing at Sölden, see soelden.com. February packages in Tignes with Thomson (0870 6061470) start from £315pp.
Q I'm a once-a-year skier about to buy my first skis, but am bamboozled by the selection. Should I bother to buy my own set, or just continue to rent?
Adrian Barker
Konrad Bartelski replies: Don't even think about buying a pair of skis until you feel that you are reasonably competent on the slopes. The quality of rental equipment has improved beyond recognition and you can hire the latest carving skis, which will certainly help you learn more quickly. When you collect the skis from the hire-shop, ask whether they are definitely carving skis. How can you check? They look wider at the tip and the tail than under the foot, and they should fit lengthways under your chin. Don't be afraid to ask your instructor if the skis are right for you. If not, go back to the shop and ask to change them.
Q I've skied for five seasons, but never off-piste. I want to be more adventurous, but am a bit nervous about going out-of-bounds. Any tips?
David Mooney
Konrad Bartelski replies: There is no substitute for enrolling in the local ski school. All the schools will offer classes that give you the chance to make those first tentative steps down the slopes when suddenly your skis are frighteningly submerged beneath the fresh snow. But once you have mastered the basic skills, don't make the mistake of going to practise on your own. Rather, hire a qualified mountain guide to introduce you to the heart and soul of the Alpine experience. My ideal day is being in the hands of a truly knowledgeable expert, who can guide me to the best snow and terrain in the resort.
Pat Zimmer at Top Ski in Val D'Isère (00334 7906 1480, topskival.com) is one such expert, as is Graham Austick at Piste to Powder Mountain Guides in St Anton (0043 664 1746282, skimountaineering.com).
Q I am keen to get my five-year-old son started on the slopes. Is he too young? If not, where's the best place for him to start?
Michelle Smith
Konrad Bartelski replies: I first wore a pair of skis when I was three, and I just hated it. My most vivid recollection is of being wet and terribly cold. However, my daughter Sophie happily first slid down a small slope when she was two. In my opinion, five is the ideal age to start, and the very best place for children to learn is, surprisingly, in the UK, at one of the real-snow ski centres now operating around the country. The weather and snow are guaranteed, and the slopes there are not too daunting. The additional benefit is that there are no language problems, and it is never more than a few paces to the nearest toilet. A few lessons at one of the indoor slopes, and your kids will then be confident when they are faced with the more imposing geography. Otherwise, choose a smaller resort in Austria or Canada, where the staff will give children the personal attention that builds confidence.
Snowdome at Tamworth (08705 000011, snowdome.co.uk); Xscape at Milton Keynes, and, in the near future, at Castleford, Leeds (Milton Keynes: 01908 230260, xscape.co.uk). Silverstar (silverstar mtn.com) in Canada is the best designed resort for children to learn to ski: packages with Frontier Ski (020-8776 8709, frontier-travel.co.uk) from £845.
Q I like to ski from when the lifts open to closing time. The trouble is, my husband gets bored after an hour or two. What's the best resort for him to amuse himself off the slopes, while I ski?
Kathy Brady
Konrad Bartelski replies: They say that 70% of the winter visitors to Cortina D'Ampezzo, in Italy, never ski. Book a holiday there and take your self off on the Sella Ronda tour. You can have a great long day skiing up one mountain and down to another village around the stunning Dolomite Mountains. While you are having fun on the slopes, your husband will be able to enjoy the cafe atmosphere in Cortina. If a more active form of distraction is sought, then bob-sleighing will get his heart racing.
Always look for a resort that has grown up out of an established village, such as Aspen, St Moritz, Kitzbühel, rather than a purpose-built ski area, like Tignes and Les Menuires - there will be more than enough alternative sporting or leisure facilities to keep anyone entertained off the slopes.
Cortina d'Ampezzo packages with Momentum Ski (020-7371 9111, momentum.uk.com) from £479pp for one week. Ski All America (08701 676 676, skiallamerica.com) offers week-long packages in Aspen from £544pp. A week's B&B in a guest house in Kitzbühel starts at £289pp with Inghams (020-8780 4433, inghams.co.uk).
Snowboarding
Q My snowboarding experience is limited to a few outings on artificial snow in this country, but now I'm planning my first trip to the mountains. Any recommendations for resorts in Europe with a good mix of terrain for a novice like me?
David Rogers
Danny Burrows replies: As you have already shed your snowboarding 'trainer wheels' on artificial snow, you are more than ready to take on the real thing on the Continent. On real snow, your learning curve will be meteoric and therefore it is worth choosing a resort that can keep up with your levels of riding and that also provides challenging snowboard-specific facilities. Such 'snowboard friendly' resorts now exist across Europe but my personal recommendations are: Mayrhofen, in Austria, which has extensive pistes and backcountry (especially if you buy the pass that covers the entire Zillertal Valley) as well as a pipe and park. Avoriaz and the vastness of the Portes du Soleil ski area is your best bet in France.
Further information: avoriaz.com, for resort information, accommodation and snow reports. For a comprehensive directory of European resorts, pick up a copy of The Snowboard Guide Europe - order@snowboardguideeurope.com.
Q I want to buy a new snowboard jacket and pants this season, but I can't afford top-of-the range stuff. What features should I be looking for to make sure I get something decent?
Pat Scott
Danny Burrows replies: Dressing well - in a practical rather than fashion sense - for snowboarding is as important to one's enjoyment of the sport as riding the correct board. The last thing you want is to be cold and wet, for both your own comfort and safety. It is therefore advisable to shell out as much cash as possible on good outerwear. However, if on a budget, there are features that you should make sure your garments possess. Materials for the pants and jacket must be both breathable and waterproof and seams should, at the least, be flat stitched and sealed. Jackets and pants should also have adequate, closeable venting, allowing for rapid acclimatisation to the stop-start nature of riding mountains and their lifts. As the odd slam is inevitable when snowboarding, sleeves and trouser-bottoms and waists should have snow-retardant cuffs or internal gaiters. Be sure to enquire in a reputable snowboard shop for advice on clothing, boots and boards, such as The Snowboard Asylum, Covent Garden, London (020-7395 1013).
Q I've been snowboarding for a couple of seasons and want to start hitting jumps in the terrain park. Any tips for how to begin?
Jack Bell
Danny Burrows replies: Although the initial stages of snowboarding are relatively easy, it is once you start leaving the ground that your arc of progression will begin to level. For a start, your body has to be in prime condition, both in flexibility and fitness, to withstand the battering that it is about to undergo. But you can begin to fathom the complexities of airborne awareness, off the mountain, by practising rotations and grabs on a trampoline - many of the world's best riders, like Daniel Franck, were gymnasts in their youth. If your arena of learning is the funpark, then it is advisable to start on the smaller kickers with simple tricks and only progress to the large hits when you feel confident to do so. By doing this, you'll get a feeling for how best to navigate various transitions as well as the speed needed to get you safely on to the landing zone. Freestyle training camps are available across Europe, but especially in the summer on the glaciers.
Further information: spc55camps.com, big-a.it, folgefonna.no.
Q I'd like to do more off-piste and backcountry riding this season. What gear do I need and, if I hire a guide, how do I make sure that I get a reputable one?
Clare Kingston
Danny Burrows replies: If you have not been on a backcountry awareness course and wish to stray off-piste, then a guide is the first thing that you should consider taking with you. You can either pick someone who is merely an experienced rider and knowledgeable about the area or you can go the whole hog and employ the services of a qualified mountain guide. These characters are highly trained and qualified and will be able to instruct and aid you through any situation that you might encounter. Guides in France are available through the Bureau du Guide or alternatively can be tracked down on the web. All have to be registered and therefore their credentials are verifiable through their national associations. For guides in Chamonix, contact chamex.com.
Your equipment should include a hydration pack, a tool kit, a map and compass, extra gloves, beanie and thermals and, most importantly, an avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe. And you should not be straying off-piste without having at the least taken an avalanche awareness course.
Q My mates and I can't decide whether to go to Europe or North America for snowboarding this year. We don't have much money to spend but we've heard America is better value and the snow is more reliable. Is this true?
Ian Moore
Danny Burrows replies: Judging from the snow that Europe has already received and the thickness of the skin on this year's French onions, I would say that it would be absolute folly to suffer the cost and jet lag of a long-haul flightjust to ski in the US. Skiing in Europe has never been so cheap, with bargain flights to the Continent readily available and the pound enjoying a favourable exchange rate against the euro. The axiom that snowboarding in America is cheaper is, on the whole, a myth. Weekly passes average around $50-$60 and monthly passes are equally prohibitive. However, in some American resorts 'value passes' can be bought at the end of each season for the coming winter at a fraction of their usual cost. A 'value pass' in Mammoth, bought before the end of last May would have cost you $399 (mammothmountain.com).
· If you have any questions, write to Ask the experts, Guardian Travel, 119 Farringdon Road, London EC1R 3ER, or email ask.the.experts@theguardian.com
