Beating the flying ban in Europe

Due to the volcanic ash floating around above us in Europe coming from Iceland and the effect that jets can't fly around a lot of Europe.  This does not mean we still can't get the last of the ski season at the higher resorts anyhow.
I have driven from Kent to the Alps in France on many occasions, Mortzine was my destination just a few lifts from Avoriaz, part of the Portes du Soleil region with over 600km of piste!
Now anyone that does not like the idea of driving, then let me give you some of my positive experiences;

1. We used to leave early evening about 2000hrs, drive down to the Chunnel to get on the pre booked train.  Traffic is not so busy at this time and getting on the train is very easy and quick, the train does not take long and the roads in France are excellent even with mostly two lane motorways, drivers in France tend to move over to the first lane as soon as they have overtaken (sorry, just a bugbear of mine).  If you have at least a couple of you that can and will drive in France, then you can keep going stopping only for fuel and refreshments.
2. Take the toll roads it is quicker, the roads are great and easy to follow directions (plan all this before you go though).  One tip with the tolls, they have times on the tickets between tolls, so I am convinced they can check for speeding, my experience is the toll is more expensive the quicker you go, although I have not had that confirmed.
3. Some of the scenery you will experience is just amazing and better than flying and then getting a coach.
4. If you take door to door travel times, including waiting at the airport as you have to check in early, then in my experience driving to Mortzine most times driving was slightly quicker, but both take about 12 hrs door to door.
5. When driving over night, as long as you can check in your room or get the keys for your chalet, you can have a couple of hours sleep, or just go straight out onto the pistes, giving you an extra half day to even an extra full day's skiing.  Now that has to be worth it on its own!
6. With a car you have more freedom to try another mountain or even ski area near by, or visit some places to see, whether it be activities or restaurants it can all add to a better holiday experience.
7. If driving an economical car with 4 in the car sharing the costs, this can work out a lot cheaper than flying.

So there you have a few of my positive experiences, and would I drive again?  Definitely without a doubt.

Top 5 tips for skiing later in the season

When the season gets later in the northern hemisphere and the sun gets on the slopes some top tips for finding the best snow:

1. Look for the higher skiing lifts, searching for the highest lift will give you a good indicator that the resort is likely to have some good snow, anything above 2,500 meters is a good bet, but remember it is the weather we are talking about so not guaranteed.
2. Go to the higher resorts, although this does not guarantee a high ski lift, if the resort is high then there is a good chance the lifts will go even higher.
3. When at the resort find the northern facing slopes to ski on, these slopes normally have more shade through the later skiing season where the sun is higher and the temperatures slightly warmer.
4. Avoid a south facing slope first thing in the morning, there is a high chance of the slope having a lot of sun the previous afternoon and therefore the top layer of snow would have melted slightly which means a risk of ice first thing in the morning.
5. Ski to the conditions, if it is icy then keep a good position and don't panic, the skis will find grip eventually, certainly avoid any part of the slope that looks blue!  If the snow is heavy and a bit sugary then try to keep the technique good as the chance of catching an edge are slightly higher.

Hope these help, enjoy, as still some good skiing to be had.

Couloir de la table picture

Here is a picture of me on the Couloir de la Table in Val d'Isere in France: