If you are unsure which resort to pick, companies such as Forbes create a list of the top ski resorts in the world. The list will contain many Western and European resorts primarily because of the quality of the snow and the village atmosphere. New England has snow, but it won?t feature much on the list. This is because its snow tends to be icy, not powdery like the snow in Europe which is better for skiing. However, skiing holidays are about more than the quality of the snow. Resorts such as Aspen are hugely popular and the slopes are crowded, meaning that you probably spend more time waiting for the chair lift than on the slopes. Another consideration is the apr?s-ski scene. For some people this is the best part of the holiday. There should be plenty of opportunities for dining, drinking and swapping stories in front of a log fire. It is also a good idea to choose somewhere that has activities other than skiing, just in case your legs need a rest from the slopes. Your accommodation is also important and should be comfortable with easy access to the slopes.

Ski holidays can be expensive, but there are ways to save money. When you book your holiday you should consider a package deal as these often work out cheaper. A single lift ticket can be very expensive.? Try booking at the last minute and stay in catered accommodation to save on eating out. Book your ski pass and ski hire online and always pay in local currency.

Ski resorts that regularly make it into the top 10 lists are:

Aspen: Located in the beautiful state of Colorado, Aspen always features on the list of top ski resorts due to its excellent ski runs that are suitable for skiers of all abilities. It is also the place where you have the chance to ski with the rich and famous although the downside of this is that it is not cheap!

Cortina: Another top choice is this stylish Italian ski resort which hosted the Olympic Games in 1956. Cortina was one of the world?s first ski resorts. The Cortina Ski World is located in the Alps and is one of the most scenic places in the world, with 120 kilometres of ski trails and 52 lifts.

Mont-Tremblant:? Canada?s best known ski resort first opened in 1939 and has recently been given a $1 billion facelift. It is a compact ski resort lying in the pretty Laurentian Mountains. The village has a distinctive French feel to it and it has a number of cafes and bistros in cosy log cabins, as well as boutiques and restaurants. The skiing is suitable for mixed groups and there is a good ski school. Another plus for this resort is that it is just one hour from Montreal for those who would like to do some sight-seeing along with their skiing.

Stowe: Located in Vermont, this is another American resort famed for its picturesque setting. It has the largest vertical drop in the area and is famous for its double-black diamond ?Four Front? trails, suitable for experienced skiers. However, it also offers trails suitable for intermediate skiers and beginners. Away from the ski slopes it has over 90 shops and 60 restaurants.

Chamonix Mont-Blanc: Situated in the French Alps, it played host to the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924. It lies at the foot of Mont-Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps. It is renowned for its vertical drop of 9,209 feet and for having one of the world?s longest runs, the Vallee Blance, at 13.7 miles.

Banff/Lake Louise: This ski resort in Alberta, Canada is located in the Banff National Park. It is one of the most scenic mountain resorts in North America and has very reliable snow conditions. Covering 4,200 acres it offers tree-lined runs, smooth slopes and plunging bowls, providing ideal skiing for everyone from the novice to the expert.

Vail: Another ski resort in Colorado, Vail claims to be America?s favourite resort. With 5,300 acres of skiable terrain it has the largest ski area in the USA. Vail also has a lot to offer besides skiing with art galleries, ballooning, dog sledding, museums, ice skating, hockey and snowmobiling.

Zermatt:? Switzerland?s top resort is a picturesque village and a car-free area at the foot of the Matterhorn. It has the second biggest lift-served vertical drop in the world. Zermatt has large snowfalls and the longest skiing season in the Alps.

Kitzbuhel: The most famous resort in the Austrian Tyrol. Skiing began here in 1892 and the 700-year old village still retains its traditional charm. Kitzbuhel is home to the Hahnenkahm the most dangerous and famous of the downhill ski races and is Austria?s winter entertainment capital. It has excellent skiing and snowboarding, but due to its low altitude snow may be lacking on the lower slopes.

Whistler/Blackcomb: This resort in British Columbia provides the best skiing in North America with the biggest vertical drop. It has 8,171 acres of skiable terrain and has been voted North America?s Favourite Ski Resort by OntheSnow.com visitors. The village has cafes, spas, galleries, international stores and over 100 restaurants that feature cuisines from around the world including French, Chinese, Italian, Mexican and more.

Choosing A Destination

The first thing to remember when you are planning skiing holidays is the importance of the destination. There are many great ski slopes all over Europe, and lots of these places offer anywhere from a weekend to a week or more of skiing fun. Many resorts provide skiing holidays in mountain areas that are some of the most beautiful in the world. However, there are several questions that you need to ask before you choose the best place for your skiing holidays.

The first things you need to focus on while choosing skiing holidays are how long you are going to be there, the number of people who are going, and their ages. These are probably the most important factors in deciding where to take your skiing holidays. The length of your skiing holiday will have a lot to do with the destination that you choose. If you are only going for the weekend or a couple of days, you can find a remote and beautiful place to go to for your skiing holiday. If your trip is short, your focus will be on skiing, and it won’t matter if there are not very many amenities or family things to do. The other attractions that might be in the area won’t be as important as the family ski resort itself. You want to choose a ski resort that will allow you to do as much skiing as possible in the short time you have for your holiday.

If your skiing holiday is going to be longer than a few days, the location and amenities of the place that you choose for these skiing holidays are both very important. When you are going to take a ski holiday that lasts longer than just a few days, the other things that you can find to do become much more vital to you. For a long trip, you will need other things to do, no matter how much you love skiing. You will need to make sure that you choose skiing holidays at places that have restaurants, shopping districts, entertainment, and other activities. These will allow you to take a break from skiing, and make your skiing holidays more enjoyable overall.

The ages of the people going on your skiing holidays are also very important. If you are going on skiing holidays with your children, you need to choose places that have ski lessons for children, and fun activities for them as well. With your children along, you also want to research the safety of the ski resort even more thoroughly than you otherwise would. Remember again, that with children, you are going to want to pick your skiing holiday locations where there are lots of things for them to do besides skiing.

Getting There

Once you have chosen a place for your skiing holidays, you have to decide on the best way to get there. The travelling that is involved often costs more than the actual skiing. However, there are many deals on flights and packages to various destinations for skiing holidays, if you know where to look. If you can save money on airline flights, you will have more money to spend on your skiing holidays.

The accommodation that you choose is also an important part of planning family skiing holidays. Whether you stay on the actual site of the family resort, or somewhere near the slopes, you want to be able to get there easily each day to ski. Remember, if you are staying at the place where you are skiing, it might be more expensive. However, your ski slope fees will usually be included. If you find an accommodation that is much cheaper than the resort, but where skiing is nearby, you might find this to be less expensive, but you probably will have to pay for the ski slope fees.

There are other things to consider as you plan your skiing holidays. Things like rail services that can get you to your destination, and whether or not you want to do a car hire are all decisions that you have to make before you leave on your trip. You will find that if you take the time to plan your skiing holidays before you go, you will be able to relax and enjoy them much more.

But travelling with all your bulky winter clothes, accessories and the heavy, large bags of your ski equipment is not an easy thing. At the same time, buying ski equipment is not an option if you are only going for a season.

Also, ski gear is expensive and requires maintenance and care to keep it in top condition. With the constant upgrades and latest models available in skis, your gear can quickly become outdated. Another issue is that your ski gear needs to match the snow conditions at the ski resort. With your own equipment, you are stuck with equipment that?s not quite suited to the snow conditions at Meribel.

For all these reasons, many skiers prefer ski hire at Meribel. The advantages are many: its convenient- lighter and hassel free travel, cheaper than buying your own ski equipment. You are also assured that you will get ski gear that?s in excellent condition and just suited to the snow conditions and for your skiing level. The ski hire services at Meribel cater to all levels of skiers from beginners to advanced skiiers. Hiring ski equipment may also be a good idea for young children. They’ll outgrow their boots, if not their skis, in a season, sometimes quicker.

Here are tips on ways to save money when skiing, including purchasing equipment inexpensively in Meribel.

Start your search well before you plan to go on your ski holiday. The best place to start your search is the internet. There are many ski hire websites which offer their services for hiring skis and skiing equipment in the Meribel resort. You will find several cheap ski hire packages to match your requirements and your budget.

When you hire ski in time equipment online, you will have a range of options to choose ski equipment for your family or group based on their personal requirements.

Give all your details accurately: your height, weight, and ability level are the most important things that you will be asked while hiring ski equipment online. This information is important to get you the right equipment and also for setting the release weight (DIN setting) on your bindings.

Insurance recommended: Many shops will offer optional ‘insurance’ on top of normal rental. This will typically cover all of the costs should you lose your skis, damage them or have them stolen. Its important given the risk of unpredictable snow and weather conditions on the pistes.

Are discounted lift tickets available when you book your ski rental? If so, check out all the options (multi-day tickets, mid-week tickets, etc.) to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

These are some of the important things to bear in mind while hiring skis and ski equipment at Meribel. You can visit (website URL) for details, information and discount offers for ski hire at Meribel.

For further information log on to http://www.ski-hire-meribel.com

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1. A skiing holiday has to be expensive

Things have changed in the world of skiing – no longer is it an elite sport for the rich. It is quite possible to take a family of beginners skiing and for it not to break the bank. How?

- Go self catered. Self catered ski accommodation is often excellent and doesn’t cost very much per head. You can also choose to squeeze more people in on sofa beds to bring the price down even more. Don’t book via large tour operators – go directly to local estate agents or independent property suppliers.

- Drive. With four people in a car, and if travelling to areas in the Northern Alps, driving is a very cost effective way of getting to a ski resort. – Try and avoid the main school holidays (Christmas, New Year, Half Term) if at all possible.

- Keep an eye on when budget airlines release their flights and book early!

- You don’t need to go to the world’s biggest ski area if you are beginners. Go to a smaller resort where you will? find everything in resort (lift pass, ski hire etc) to be a lot cheaper.

2. Skiing is dangerous

Although skiing does involve travelling downhill on planks of wood without any breaks, the vast majority of skiers who learn to ski with instructors and ski within their limits will have a happy lifetime of incident free skiing. Yes accidents do sometimes happen, but more often than not ski related accidents are less to do with the actual skiing and more to do with amounts of alcohol consumed and not taking care on icy surfaces etc. If you learn to ski properly, you will also learn to ski safely.

3. The weather is cold and horrible when skiing

Well, yes, the weather is usually cold. And sometimes it can be snowing. That is a fact about holidaying in the mountains in winter. However, when the sun comes out in the mountains there is nothing like it. Alpine sunshine, clear blue skies and temperatures of -5 degrees can certainly feel a lot warmer than a UK winter day when the temperature might be 10 degrees. That is why people come back from ski holidays with sun tans!

4. I won’t understand what the ski instructor tells me

Gone are the days when your only choice of ski instructor would be a moustachioed instructor who’s only English was “Bend ze Knees”. Now there are many progressive English speaking ski schools and independent instructors, indeed there are many excellent British instructors working out in the Alps.

5. If I don’t enjoy the skiing, my holiday will be rubbish

If for any reason you don’t get on with the skiing side of a skiing holiday, wintering in the Alps is still an excellent experience. Most resorts have plenty of non skiing activities on offer such as dog sledding, snow shoeing, thermal springs, ice diving, para gliding. Plus many alpine resorts are very picturesque and so sightseeing and shopping aren’t out of the question.

6. Because of global warming, there won’t be much snow

It is true that global warming was blamed for the bad winter of 06/07 in the European Alps. However, this was down mostly to lazy journalists not researching their facts properly. The bad winter that year was down to the weather, and not the climate. Plus, the skiing wasn’t actually bad – it just wasn’t as good as it could have been.

The last few years have seen some of the best winters for skiing on record. Global warming MAY start to affect European skiing over the next 50 years, but at the moment there is no real evidence that it has started.

7. It is a lot of hassle on a ski holiday

It doesn’t have to be any hassle. You can opt for a catered chalet holiday where all you need to do is get yourself to the airport. The rest is taken care of by the chalet hosts. You are picked up at the airport and taken to your chalet, they arrange your lift passes and ski hire, they cook for you, they clean for you and they take you to the slopes every day. Where is the hassle in that?

8. My kids will have problems in French speaking creche/ski schools

Like the point about ski instruction, things have changed a lot in the world of Alpine childcare. Creches and kids’ ski school usually have English speaking staff, and it is not unusual to find a number of British kids in classes during the school holidays. Teaching your kids to ski at a young age is one of the greatest gifts you can give them!

9. I don’t like mountain food

Nowadays, eating out in ski resorts isn’t all about cheese and ham (although there is plenty of that on offer for those who look forward to their annual fondue or raclette). Most resorts now sport a wide variety of restaurants – some with real cosmopolitan ambiance and menus. And if you don’t want to eat out every night, a trip to the local supermarket will reveal that the gap between French and British food shopping has narrowed considerably over the last few years.

10. I can’t take a baby skiing

Nearly all ski resorts have excellent creche/nanny facilities. And for those people who worry about the cold/altitude etc, don’t forget that babies are born in the mountains every year and they do OK!

Hopefully the above will help to dispel the main worries of a nervous first time skier. And if you never try it, you might never know what you are missing!

Now in its sixth year, Highlife creates bespoke ski chalet holidays, catering superbly for singles, couples, groups or families. The Highlife concept and the reason that guests return again and again lies in the combination of exceptional service and excellent facilities that every Highlife holiday offers.

Signature finishing touches to Highlife?s award-winning programme include cosy log fires and super ski detox facilities with outdoor hot tubs, saunas and Jacuzzis. Every Highlife guest also savours delicious food & excellent wines as each stunning ski chalet comes with its own talented chef and hosts.

Simon Egan, co-founder and Director of Highlife says, ?Our decision to expand to Val d?Is?re has come about as a result of feedback from our customers, many of whom are keen to visit this fantastic resort. The skiing in Val d?Is?re is among the best available anywhere in the world, so we are very excited to offer our guests the chance to experience it with Highlife.?

Highlife?s award-winning ski holidays are available at a lead-in price of ?940 for a catered week in January 2008. This price includes direct scheduled Aer Lingus flights from Dublin, private transfers in 8-seater mini-coaches, chalet accommodation with ski detox facilities and delicious food & wine, a range of exciting ?Snowtime? programmes and excellent value for money. Generous child discounts are available throughout the season.

Full details on Highlife?s exclusive range of ski chalet holidays in France can be found at www.highlife.ie. The company can be contacted on +353 1 677 1100 and by email at info@highlife.ie

Now in its sixth year, Highlife creates bespoke ski chalet holidays, catering superbly for singles, couples, groups or families. The Highlife concept and the reason that guests return again and again lies in the combination of exceptional service and excellent facilities that every Highlife holiday offers.

Signature finishing touches to Highlife?s award-winning programme include cosy log fires and super ski detox facilities with outdoor hot tubs, saunas and Jacuzzis. Every Highlife guest also savours delicious food & excellent wines as each stunning ski chalet comes with its own talented chef and hosts.

Simon Egan, co-founder and Director of Highlife says, ?Our decision to expand to Val d?Is?re has come about as a result of feedback from our customers, many of whom are keen to visit this fantastic resort. The skiing in Val d?Is?re is among the best available anywhere in the world, so we are very excited to offer our guests the chance to experience it with Highlife.?

Highlife?s award-winning ski holidays are available at a lead-in price of ?940 for a catered week in January 2008. This price includes direct scheduled Aer Lingus flights from Dublin, private transfers in 8-seater mini-coaches, chalet accommodation with ski detox facilities and delicious food & wine, a range of exciting ?Snowtime? programmes and excellent value for money. Generous child discounts are available throughout the season.

Full details on Highlife?s exclusive range of ski chalet holidays in France can be found at www.highlife.ie. The company can be contacted on +353 1 677 1100 and by email at info@highlife.ie

Now in its sixth year, Highlife creates bespoke ski chalet holidays, catering superbly for singles, couples, groups or families. The Highlife concept and the reason that guests return again and again lies in the combination of exceptional service and excellent facilities that every Highlife holiday offers.

Signature finishing touches to Highlife?s award-winning programme include cosy log fires and super ski detox facilities with outdoor hot tubs, saunas and Jacuzzis. Every Highlife guest also savours delicious food & excellent wines as each stunning ski chalet comes with its own talented chef and hosts.

Simon Egan, co-founder and Director of Highlife says, ?Our decision to expand to Val d?Is?re has come about as a result of feedback from our customers, many of whom are keen to visit this fantastic resort. The skiing in Val d?Is?re is among the best available anywhere in the world, so we are very excited to offer our guests the chance to experience it with Highlife.?

Highlife?s award-winning ski holidays are available at a lead-in price of ?940 for a catered week in January 2008. This price includes direct scheduled Aer Lingus flights from Dublin, private transfers in 8-seater mini-coaches, chalet accommodation with ski detox facilities and delicious food & wine, a range of exciting ?Snowtime? programmes and excellent value for money. Generous child discounts are available throughout the season.

Full details on Highlife?s exclusive range of ski chalet holidays in France can be found at www.highlife.ie. The company can be contacted on +353 1 677 1100 and by email at info@highlife.ie