H OW TO SELL WINTER SP O RT S There's no business like
GENERAL INFORMATION
CLIMATE: The northern hemi- sphere wintersports season runs November to May for North American resorts and December to March for Japan. USEFUL WEBSITES:
ukski.canada.travel www.discoveramerica.com www.skialbertaspecialist.
co.uk TOP TIPS: For beginners look for resorts with plenty of blue and green runs; experts will want black or double diamond rated slopes. Intermediates go for reds!
LOOK TO BOOK
TOP TOUR OPERATORS:
www.canadianaffair.com www.inghams.co.uk www.flexiski.com www.crystalski.co.uk www.airtransat.co.uk www.thomson.co.uk www.frontier-ski.co.uk
SNOW BUSINESS
BY JULIE BAXTER Wintersports is big business and as snow junkies prepare to book, flag up the value and appeal of long haul slopes. North America leads the way with
Canada and the USA regularly reporting record snowfalls and reliable conditions. The range of resorts is vast with facilities and slopes to suit all abilities. Key sales points include the fact that instructors and lift staff all speak English, service levels are high and lift-lines generally short. Bad weather refunds, two-for-one offers and a range of investments unveiled for 2012/13 should all help secure the sale. For those looking for something
completely different, skiing in Japan is growing in popularity and Korea is emerging as it prepares to host the Winter Olympics in 2018.
USA The Rocky Mountain states are the obvious top sellers from the UK. Wise up on the resorts of Colorado, Utah, California, New Mexico and beyond. Flexiski has added Aspen, Breckenridge
and Vail in Colorado this year. Aspen, with four ski areas, is featured as its lead-in package with prices from £525pp for seven nights. In Breckenridge there are slopes for all abilities and plenty of lively bars and restaurants. Linked with Vail, Beaver Creek and Keyston, it offers a huge ski area with an excellent snow record and is famous for its fresh powder skiing. Flexiski and Inghams feature
Breckenridge with Inghams offering seven nights staying at the four-star Beaver Run Resort from £924pp, including flights to Denver. The Beaver Run Resort includes a slope-side complex with heated pools, hot tubs, spa, sauna, steam room and exercise room. Neighbouring Vail suits confident
intermediates with its back bowls, groomed and ungroomed wooded slopes as well as lots of fast lifts. Carrier is marking Vail’s 50th
anniversary with a twin-centre offer combining New York with the glamorous resort. Its eight-night stay in December includes three nights at The Peninsula New York and five nights at The Arrabelle at Vail Square, return flights with United Airlines from Heathrow and private transfers and is priced from £2,305pp Vail Resorts has benefited from over $85 million in investments including
34 October 2012 •
www.sellinglonghaul.com
a new, 10-person gondola serving at the gateway to Vail Mountain through Vail Village, which is set to dramatically reduce waiting times by increasing capacity by 40%. Further enhancements have been made to the grooming, snowmaking and maintenance programmes in resort. Inghams also features the legendary
Wild West resort of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which is located on the edge of two national parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Famous for powder skiing and a wide variety of slopes to suit all abilities of skier and snowboarder, here the old fashioned Western town is popular for its après ski with authentic cowboy saloons and wooden sidewalks. The operator is offering seven nights B&B at the four-star Wort Hotel from £924pp including flights.
Canada Alberta, British Columbia, Québec and Ontario are the destinations to know here with big hitters including Banff, Lake Louise, Whistler and Tremblant. Crystal Ski is targeting first-time skiers with a range of free learn to ski packages. Available primarily in Europe but also in Canada, this promotion is giving away 300 places to genuine first-timers on a first-come-first-served basis. Participants only have to pay for the standard cost of the package holiday and will then be given free tuition, free lift passes and free equipment hire. The aim is to attract more new people into the sport. Departures for these offers are in January and March 2013. Air Transat Holidays has launched a range of early booking deals with packages which start from £799pp using non-stop flights to Calgary and Vancouver from Gatwick. Offers at selected resorts include two-for-one lift passes and ski
rentals, free kids, free ski/board carriage and free nights. Flexiski has added Whistler, on its own or in combination with Vancouver. The resort is popular for its tree-lined slopes, bowls, and some of the world’s best heli-skiing. Flexiski features five hotels there, including the five-star hotels Four Seasons, Fairmont Chateau and Westin Resort and Spa as well as the two four- star Pan Pacific Mountainside and the Delta Village Suites.
Japan
Thomson is among those operators offering Japan as a wintersports destination. Sold as a ‘truly unique’ skiing experience it offers clients the chance to ski or board amongst the stunning landscape of extinct volcanoes. Skiing is on the northern island of Hokkaido where the Niseko mountain has three ski areas and three villages, Annupuri, Higashiyama and Grand Hirafu which are all connected at the base with a free shuttle bus. In addition the resort of Rusutsu at the foot of Mt. Yotei is a self-contained resort with skiing over three mountains. Packages are offered with the option of a city add-on in Tokyo.
Clockwise from top: Colorado, the Laurentians and Hokkaido Japan
CREDIT: MATTHEW INDEN
CREDIT: TOURISM LAURENTIANS GUILLIAUME PAULIOT
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68