The Chillfactore in Manchester has some great 2 for 1 offers on Ski/Snowboard taster lessons, Lift passes, Tubing, Luge and ice play.

Call 0161 749 2255 to book, quoting D2D241.

The end of the world is nigh in St Anton...... or is it?

The last week has been a 'four seasons' in one week. We started out with thick whiteouts, low temperatures, storms and heavy snow, which led to waist deep off piste in sheltered areas. By Wednesday we had bluebird powder conditions and the sun shone all day so it was crisp in the morning and mild by the afternoon. Friday was hot hot hot; temperature in resort was in the high teens, people are walking around in shorts and the snow has been getting slushy and heavy - spring conditions. We had rain and clouds by Sunday. Top tip this week is to stay as high as possible as the freezing level is hovering around the 2000 - 2500m mark. I've attached some pics from this week as examples.

Spring is here and it’s a favourite time of mine for backcountry skiing. A few days ago we finished teaching an introductory course to backcountry skiing and ski touring which 4 participants, over 4 days, learnt the foundations of skills that will take them outside of the ski resorts and up into the peaks around them. The course took us to the top of the ‘Croisse Baulet’ in Combloux, and timed to perfection the descent was on lovely thawed soft spring snow before it had begun to melt.

With no real snow for the last two weeks, you would expect a proper ice rink around Val d’Isère. Although melting in resort is prolific, despair not, as the pistes are still in fantastic shape.

With Christmas fast approaching you may be looking to escape the mayhem, or just to get a bit more in the Christmas spirit with a bit of winter wonderland. Here are a few varied trips for pre-Christmas skiing and beyond. From a cheeky weekend in Morzine to a luxury trip watching the Men's Giant Slalom in Val d'Isere. If you have more specific requirements why not fill in our online form, JustAskOnce and we will do the hard work for you.

Please see below for some of the best Ski Apartments offers for departures in January 2013. These offers are for just accommodation only. If you are looking to fly to your ski destination why not try out our SkiFlightWizard tool to check where you can fly to and from.

The season is now kicking off and Ski Solutions have sent us a great selection to tickle our taste buds. There are deals for half-board hotels and hotel short breaks as well as many more with some including lift passes and transfers. Ski Solutions are also still running their fabulous competition to win the Ultimate Canadian Ski Holiday, just click on this link and enter, it's free and you have to be in it to win it... as they say!

As the season is getting underway in Val d'Isere and Meribel, the snow cannons are working well and the seasonnaires are starting to arrive in resort for training. Those wonderful people at Fish & Pips have put together a few offers for First Tracks and early season skiing.