Piste for less - World Reviewer\s Skiing the Credit Crunch

The credit crunch has done away with your credit and the euro has shot up in value-suddenly your ski holiday pot is looking small-but that doesn抰 mean you have to skip the slopes: here are some of World Reviewer's credit crunch travel tips for getting piste on the cheap.

The credit crunch has done away with your credit and that nasty euro has shot up in value and suddenly the ski holiday pot you saved for is looking a little small, but that doesn抰 mean you have to skip the slopes this year, here are some credit crunch travel tips for getting piste on the cheap.

Could you possibly swap The Alps for the French Pyreneese? Or Andorra? Soldeu is known for being cheap and very cheerful? Or how about looking even further a field?

Avoiding the Alps doesn抰 mean avoiding Europe entirely, it just means the looking a bit further east? You may not have heard of it but Borovets, which runs up the side of the Rila Mountains, is Bulgaria抯 largest and oldest ski resort and has long been known for good conditions at knock down prices, yeah, the facilities may not quite be the same standard as the Alps, but some of the ski runs are. Bankso, Bulgaria抯 more famous resort is better set up for beginner and intermediate skiers, with some good ski schools and four star part board accommodations for about the same price as a self catering flat in France.
Slovakia抯 biggest resort, Jasna, in the scenic Low Tatras ?which aren抰 really that low when you consider that some of the runs start at 1000ms ?is good for freestylers, or people who get pleasure out of paying less than a pound or a dollar for a pint of beer. Serbia抯 Kopaonik will give Jasna a run for its money on the beer prices but with more modern infrastructure and night skiing, but the pay off is that it can only offer vertical drops of 821m.
Poland offers up Zakopane, great for beginners and Slovenia Kranjska Gora, with its wonderful views of the Julian Alps and world class ski jumping facilities.

Fuel surcharges mean it抯 pretty expensive to fly to the US at the moment but if you抳e got a bit of time off ?or you live there already - you could still save money because it抯 cheaper on the ground. You don抰 have to set your sights on Aspen, Vail or Jackson Hole but resorts smaller in size ?but not in stature ?like Keystone or Steamboat have also got mountains to challenge the Alps you love.

But if it抯 the alps or nothing you can save money by getting onto the slopes at Meribel or Zermatt by coach. It抯 about a 15 hour trip, so you may want to make it worth your while and stay a few days. Or try out one of the back door resorts. Stay at Servoz, ski at Chamonix, stay at Nendaz, ski at Verbier or stay in Tignes and ski all over the Espace Killy and up to Val d扞sere