Ski prices falling off a cliff

Welcome to the January sales, folks. Ski holidays are going cheap, and if you can find the time away from our own snowy misery for proper snowy fun in the Alps or the Rockies, you can get as much as 50% off the basic cost of the trip.

Why are they so cheap?

Well, January was always the bargain-basement month in the ski industry, and, even though there’s been a shift from February and March to January holidays over the past 10 years (because the snow is more reliable in the middle of winter), there are always more holidays than holidaymakers at this time of year. This season, the recession has bitten the industry hard. Despite cutting back on stock, tour operators still have too many chalets, hotels and apartments to sell. The result: a last-minute fire sale. It’s a nightmare for them, but heaven for the likes of you and me.

Conditions in the French Alps were perfect last week — 30cm of fresh powder, cold, grippy pistes and several days of cloudless skies — and there’s been fresh snow right across the region since then. At the time of going to press, it looked as if parts of the Italian Dolomites would get as much as a metre of snow from the latest storms.

So, if you’re tempted by the thought of a holiday in a part of the world where snow is a blessing rather than a curse, here are some of the best deals currently available. There are plenty more on offer on tour operators’ and specialist travel agencies’ websites. The only caveat is that, when picking your resort, you should aim high.

At altitude, it’s been a snowy winter so far in the Alps; but the other key feature of the season so far has been yo-yoing temperatures. Over New Year, heavy rain all but washed away the snow cover on some lower slopes, so pick a resort with plenty of skiing between 2,000 metres and 3,000 metres to be sure of decent conditions. Admittedly, on days of low cloud or fresh snowfall, visibility will be nonexistent this high up (because you’ll be skiing above the tree line), but your reward will come every time the sun shines. The combination of cold, soft snow and high-mountain scenery will make your heart sing.

Unless stated, packages include return flights from London and transfers. Many operators also offer regional departures for a supplement; ask individual companies for details

Europe

Save £40: one week in Les Ménuires, France, arriving on January 30, costs £161pp, self-catering, based on four staying in a two-room apartment in the upmarket Les Clarines development (which has an indoor pool), with Ski Collection (0844 576 0175, skicollection.co.uk). This is an accommodation-only price — add £175 for return Eurotunnel crossings for a car and passengers. Les Ménuires is the ugly duckling of the vast Three Valleys ski area, but offers direct access to some of its best skiing.

Save £110: one week in ever-popular, ever-reliable Val d’Isère, France, arriving on January 23, costs £164pp, self-catering, based on four sharing a two-room apartment in the four-star Alpina Lodge, with Ski Independence (0131 243 8097, ski-i.com). Return Eurotunnel crossings for a car and passengers cost £175.

Save £160: one week in Tignes, France, arriving on January 24, costs £375pp, half-board, for a family of four, staying in the brand-new, super-spacious Chalet Corniche, with the child-friendly operator Esprit (01252 618300, www.espritski.com). Conditions in Tignes are superb, and should stay that way until April, as almost all the skiing is above 2,000 metres.

Save £200: one week in Alpe d’Huez, France, arriving on January 17, costs £649pp, half-board, in the brand-new, ski-in, ski-out chalet-apartment La Chapelle, with Snowline (0844 557 3118, snowline.co.uk). Alpe d’Huez is a great choice for both beginners and more expert skiers. It’s home to the largest array of nursery slopes in the Alps, as well as some hardcore off-piste descents.

Save £240: one week in Mayrhofen, Austria, arriving on January 23, costs £299, self-catering, in the three-star Moigg apartments, with Directski (0800 358 0448, directski.com). Mayrhofen is lively, with a state-of-the-art terrain park — and the best glacier skiing in the Alps on the nearby Hintertux glacier.

Save £250: one week in Zermatt, Switzerland, arriving on January 17, costs £543pp, half-board, staying in the cute and central Chalet Genepy, with Igluski.com (020 8542 6658, igluski.com). Crouched beneath the Matterhorn, Zermatt is one of the most spectacular ski towns. It’s also the spiritual home of mountain restaurants.

Save £315: one week in Hochgurgl, Austria, arriving next Saturday, costs £550pp, half-board, in the four-star Sporthotel Olymp, with Crystal Finest (0871 231 2256, www.crystalfinest.co.uk). Hochgurgl is Obergurgl’s little sister, and between them they share one of the most snow-sure ski areas in Austria, with pistes rising to 3,080 metres.

Save £350: one week in Val d’Isère, France, arriving on January 17, costs £445pp, half-board, staying at the lively chalet-hotel Cygnaski, with Mark Warner (0871 703 3891, markwarner.co.uk).

Save £570: One week in La Plagne, France, arriving on January 16, costs £369pp, half-board, in Chalet l’Alpicois, with Ifyouski.com (0844 371 7733, ifyouski.com). La Plagne is a split-personality resort — most of the skiing here is either very gentle, or very, very steep. It’s best for the most nerveless of off-pisters, who will want a crack at the fearsome north face of the Bellecôte, or beginners and cautious intermediates, who will benefit from its wide, confidence-boosting pistes.

North America

Save £270: one week in upmarket Aspen, Colorado, arriving January 23, costs £799pp, half-board, staying in the Chalet Lupine, with ifyouski.com (0844 371 7733, ifyouski.com).

Save £370: one week in Panorama, British Columbia, arriving on January 23, costs £630, self-catering, staying in the four-star Gold Condos, with Ski Safari (01273 224060, skisafari.com). The resort offers heli-skiing (a one-day, three-run package costs £418; rkheliski.com). If the snow’s good — and it has been so far — powder hounds will be in heaven.