Use the unique link to the Where to Ski and Snowboard Christmas offer and you can grab a copy of the fully revised 2012/13 edition for just £11.99. This compares to the book shop price of £18.99 and the publishers standard UK mail order price of £22.99.

Don’t hang around though, as this offer ends at 10 am tomorrow (thats Thursday 13th December).

With the company offering massive discounts in their seasonal sales you can save over 75 per cent on a number of sale items – so with no time to waste why not get browsing now.

Eurostar ski train (copyright Eurostar 2012)

Leaving London at 6.57 am, with a brief stop in Ashford and then a quick change of platforms in Lille to a TGV (a lot better than the haul across Paris from Gare de Nord to Gare de Lyon) it then stops at Geneva (2.16pm), Aigle (3.47pm – local resorts being Champery, Villars and Les Diablerets), Martigny (4.13pm – Verbier, Le Châble and Chamonix), Sierre (4.39pm – Crans Montana), Visp (4.57pm – Zermatt, Leukerbad and Saas Fee) and Brig (5.08pm – Belalp, Blatten and Riederalp).

With trains running every Saturday from 22 December until 13 April ticket prices can be obtained from Eurostar.

One significant tip though is to book early, as there is only one train a week running on this route, and therefore as tickets disappear prices will rise as Eurostar use fluid pricing.

A drink or two as you finish your day, giving a chance to relive the epic run down from the top or the spectacular jump on the half pipe is all part of a great skiing holiday, but the price of a pint or two and a couple of cocktails can add up over the week.

So its great to see that those booking into a range of French hotels with Crystal bar vouchers can receive hotel credit – between €75-€150 per person – that can be spent in your hotel bar or restaurant. Meanwhile in Italy you can purchase a €100 credit for £43.50 or a €200 credit for £87, again which can be spent in the hotel bar and restaurant. Thats pretty much a half price offer!

Full details are on the Crystal website, although some are date dependent, so choose carefully and you can make a nice saving when hitting the slopes this winter.

The hotels involved are

Hotel credit – Offer 1: France

€150 hotel credit per adult and €75 per child per week, for use in the bar and restaurant. Available for all bookings made before 30 November 2012, travelling on all departure dates in winter 2012/13.

Hotel Terra Nova, La Plagne, France
Hotel Viking, Morzine, France
Hotel Diva, Tignes, France

Terms apply
Hotel credit – Offer 2: Italy

For £43.50, pre-book €100 hotel credit for use in the bar and restaurant. Or for £87 you can pre-book €200 hotel credit – making everything half price.

Hotel Relais des Alpes, Sauze d’Oulx, Italy
Grand Hotel Paradiso, Passo Tonale, Italy
Hotel Etoile de Neige, Pila, Italy
Hotel Grohmann, Val di Fassa, Italy
Parc Hotel Diamant, Val di Fassa, Italy
Hotel Rubino Executive, Val di Fassa, Italy

For those who have not come across Pitztal before it’s in the next valley down from the Otztal which is home to Hochgurgl / Obergurgl and there are long standing plans to link Pitztal across to Solden via the Rettenbach Glacier. Whilst its said these should be completed within the next 2 years, incidentally creating the largest Summer and Autumn skiing area in Europe, we are not holding our breath!

Photo Credit: www.pitztaler-gletscher.at/en

The Diable run tracks the fall line from the peak until you cut to the right and head back towards 2 Alpes. The point at which you turn is also the start point for the Vallons du Diable off-piste route which is off to the left.

The new lift is likely to reduce the queing time out of the town in the morning has been a major irritant for many.

Interestingly for those who want to remember the old gondola you can, on the 3rd November, pop along to the resort and bid to buy one. They will be be on view at the swimming pool between 10am and noon with the aution starting at 4.30 pm.

Each cabin carries a reserve price of 150€, andshould be be successful you need to collect your gondola with 15 days. You might want to consider though your plan to get your purchase home – as they weigh in at 500kg! It will however make a year round momento of your skiing holiday and be a real talking point for your garden!

If you are planning to visit the resort do visit our Deux Alpes page for both some fantastic ski holiday offers and great cheap Les Deux Alpes ski hire prices.

Although not the most dynamic resort over the past few months in terms of upgrades to the slopes skiers and boarders will be thankful for last seasons upgrade to the ‘relaxed’ Mont Blanc chair lift which is now a fast six pack.

If you are planning a visit to Les Acs this winter its well worth considering their early season deals which can result in savings of 20 per cent on accomodation and lift passes.

Visit the Les Arcs website  to save up to 20 per cent on a week long stays between 15 December and 27 April 2013 on bookings made before 31 October. Discounts  also available on ski passes with all-inclusive offers. Book online here or at +33 (0)4 79 07 68 00

Similar offers are also available from Erna Low who have a range of fantastic offers to the resort. Visit Erna Low for more details.

This is designed to smooth out some of those bottle necks that are almost inevitable on busier days in the Dolomites, which can make the route a trek rather than the delight it should be.

Following on from the new quad chair which was installed between the Passo Campolongo to Monte Cherz and a similar change made on Corvara’s Costes da l’Ega lift this season it’s Arabba who are seeing changes with a new fast chair being installed on Parta Vescova.

Slightly off the circuit, but upgrades that will benefit those who go exploring include the widening of the Gran Risa piste at La Villa, the new Bamby quad built last year between San Cassiano and La Villa and the six-pack which more than doubled the capacity at Passo Sella above Selva.

Visitors to the area are recommended to check out the benefits of booking ski hire before you travel, as significant savings can be made by reserving your equipment in advance. Some of the major centres from which equipment can be rented include
Arabba, Corvara, Selva, San Cassiano, Ortisei and Canazei. For other resorts do check our our ski hire directory.

Comparing rates between banks and bureau de changes can be a right pain in the neck, and before you know it you are at the aiport or eurotunnel terminal paying well over the odds for your pounds or euros. and for the unwary that can mean up to 10 per cent of your hard earned cash is ending up in the pockets of the bureaus, rather than where it should be – making your ski break more enjoyable.

So we have introduced our Travel Money Rates comparison service – its in our Ski Money section (although a more comprenesive service is on our sister site Moneymaxin, which features more on getting the best travel money rates.