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Ski with the 'Star - 21 November 2007

It has never been easier for snow lovers to access the French Alps.

With Eurostar having moved their high speed rail services from Waterloo International to St Pancras International station and agreement reached between Eurostar and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) to operate through fares to the continent from over 68 towns and cities across the UK, it has never been easier for snow lovers to access the French Alps.

France remains the world’s top tourist destination attracting over 78 million visitors in 2006 (UNWTO 2006) and is home to some 200,000 Britons (IPPR 2006). Despite competition from new EU member states such as Bulgaria, the French Alps is still thought of as the spiritual home of winter sports due to its soaring peaks, reliable snowfall and modern facilities let alone the après-ski!

Enjoying a ski break is no longer a privilege for the rich and famous, more and more resorts such as Prapoutel are offering affordable equipment hire and ski passes and this, coupled with direct flights from the UK by budget airlines and the Eurostar Direct Ski Train has made regular family ski holidays in the French Alps a reality.

Many have gone one stage further and invested in a second home in their favourite resort. Gordon Roughan, MD of French property specialist, Maison Individuelle and a keen skier himself comments, “Many of our clients took a skiing holiday in the French Alps and just fell in love with the place so much so that they now return each year enjoying the comfort and flexibility of staying in their own apartment or chalet.”

 

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