In case you hadn’t noticed, new trends and innovations are transforming ski holidays – here's what you need to know before you book

Occasionally, it seems, we do get it wrong. Like those times we thought sharing a cold-water chalet with 20 strangers was fun. Or the £500 ski suit with no insulation, destined for the bin before the last snow melted. Even those weeks of back-to-back hangovers and forgone powder mornings, once the accepted approach to a successful alpine ­getaway, are up for re-evaluation.

Why change? Because there are times when re-inventing the wheel is exactly what’s needed. Ski holidays have been evolving over the past few years. New trends, in some cases driven by technology, others by Brexit or the pandemic, have emerged. Exciting innovations in booking, travel, accommodation, and activities on-slope and off, are now positioned to steer you towards greater comfort, more fun and a whole lot of snow-heaped joie de vivre. 

This is your guide to skiing 2.0 – new ways to zhuzh up the approach to mountain life. We’re about to embark on a winter of experience, exclusivity, and sensation-seeking. Here’s how.

Are you buying a whole chalet to use one week a year? Likely not. The same principle can be applied to your ski kit. Instead, Ecoski (ecoski.co.uk) hires quality skiwear, helmets and even avalanche airbags and delivers items straight to your UK address, at a fraction of the cost to buy: an adult’s jacket and pants for £8 a day, a pre-schooler onesie for £3.58. “If you don’t ski more than once or twice in a year, or have a growing family as we do, renting ski kit makes so much sense,” says Ecoski ambassador and ex-Winter Olympian Chemmy Alcott. “Afterwards, you send it back before even washing it. You don’t have the hassle of storing it to find the kids have outgrown it next year.”

No need to stress over crowded restaurants – or cooking – when you check into the new style of self-catering apartments – sleek and, compared to the old shoeboxes, positively supersized. Spread out, relax, and tuck into a multi-course dinner from Huski (hu.ski), purveyors of freshly cooked food and ready to pop in the oven after a day in the French Alps. For modern DIY luxury, Consensio’s (consensiochalets.co.uk) apartments come with housekeeping, on-call concierge, mid-week towel change, lift pass and ski-hire delivery, and pre-arrival Perrier Jouet on ice. 

For total privacy, Ski France (skifrance.co.uk) offers contactless stays: arrive to a stocked pantry, pre-booked skis and lift passes and a phone number for extras. Fam­ilies will appreciate the new Movi ­Family Apart-hotel (movifamily.it) in Corvara, with full kitchen, kids’ aqua-fun and indoor softplay, adult-only wellness, and stylish rooftop terrace overlooking the majestic Dolomites.

It’s not all about February half-term. Eyes are on changing weather patterns – last winter saw a record snowpack in the Canadian Rockies with lifts turning into July. Advances in snowmaking are insurance-makers for early – and late-season trips across the Alps. 

Thinking of Christmas? “It’s a marmite time for families to go skiing. Many clients love a white Christmas. For others, it’s a must-be-at-home week,” says Angus Kinloch, managing director at Ski Line (skiline.co.uk). “But this year, schools break up December 16, meaning a pre-Christmas holiday departing on December 17 is possible.” Cheaper than high-season and home in time for Santa.

Lightning-quick lifts are making less-frequented villages clever bases for some brilliant ski resorts. In the heart of the Maurienne Valley, it’s a 15-minute ride from bijou Orelle to the dizzying Cime Caron (2,300m; 7,546ft), a jumping-off point into Les 3 Vallées. Connecting the worlds of pasta and cheese, in early 2023 the new Matterhorn Alpine Crossing links Zermatt with the more affordable Italian resort of Cervinia – via a 1.6km (about a mile) mast-free stretch skimming above Theodul Glacier in a scant four minutes. 

For easy access and a quiet retreat from action-packed Verbier, consider a base in peaceful Le Châble: last year a new station became the first train-gondola link in Switzerland, providing cable-car connection up to Verbier from dawn until midnight.

Dying to hit the slopes? You’re not alone. All that pent-up demand means more competition. Locking in your price now may save you money if inflation bites and choosing a bonded operator provides the security we’ve come to appreciate. “We’re approaching 60 per cent full, which is fuller than normal for the end of August,” said Nick Morgan, MD at Le Ski for 40 years this season. “People are certainly booking early with us. The vast majority are new bookings – there aren’t many tour ops left who offer the full chalet package with flights and transfers.”

The pleasures of après-ski needn’t always be at the bottom of a beer glass. The new-found love of self-care is contributing to the fast-growing trend of wellness tourism. Replace the DJ Otzi oohs and aahs with an old-fashioned moan from a rejuvenating massage, a soul-soothing forest bath, or muscle-bending yoga session in the snow. Answering the call, the giant new Silvretta Spa Ischgl (silvrettatherme.at) features multiple pools, saunas and treatments, even an ice-skating rink.

If you’ve been beating a well-trodden path to the same-old same-old, now is the moment to explore slopes less ­travelled. ABTA’s Travel in 2022 report revealed a growing post-pandemic appetite among travellers to break out of their comfort zones. Need inspir­ation? If you love the dramatic needles and peaks of Chamonix, try Alta Badia for breathtaking Dolomiti scenery. Used to the circular challenges of Les Portes du Soleil? Tick off 270km of linked pistes as you navigate Skicircus Saalbach-Hinterglemm, where no fewer than 60 huts have perfected frothy beers and crispy schnitzels. And the people’s choice, according to the Ski Club of Great Britain, of where Britons would most like to ski one day? Now’s the time to find out why it’s Canada.

Touring or randonée, skinning or uphill skiing: whatever the moniker, its popularity has been skyrocketing – as have the ways to try it. Major resorts from Kitzbühel to Courchevel are building dedicated up-routes ideal for a scenic workout – with no need for a guide (you will require a qualified host to venture off-piste). Val Thorens opens its first dedicated ski touring zone this ­season, La Camille: a groomed ascent and two descents, one of which is ­ungroomed. When you’re ready for the backcountry, Zermatters Ski School (zermatters.ch) offers a five-hour guided taster exper­ience for £232pp, including equipment hire.

Swerve the airport commotion by taking the train, as more than 5,000 UK skiers did last season. Travelski Express (uk.travelski.com), exclusive supplier of direct Eurostar service from London to the Alps (Moûtiers and Bourg-Saint-Maurice) offers civilised daytime journeys, outbound from London with wine and meals served in Premier and Business Premier. This winter, skiers will also be ferried from the station to their accommodation (or as close as is ­possible under local access laws). 

Returns depart France on Saturday after final day of skiing. Packages include direct rail return, accommodation, transfers and lift pass serving a multitude of French favourites, including, new this winter, Courchevel, La Rosière and Val Thorens.  

Multi-resort lift passes are a staple of skiing across the pond and it’s also a trend that’s picking up momentum on the Continent. There’s money to be saved flashing your Epic Pass (epicpass.com) around the world – in Europe alone, the Epic Pass gives 22 days of lift passes at 26 areas – five days at Verbier 4 Vallées, seven days at Les 3 Vallées, seven days at Skirama Dolomiti, three days at Ski Arlberg, plus 20 per cent discounts on food, lodging and l­essons. New this year, there’s unlimited access to Andermatt too. Bonus: Vail Resorts’ recently announced that a cap on ticket sales will not affect Epic Pass holders. Get planning.

The days of standing ice-lolly still in giant group lessons are dead. Make up for lost time with a bespoke private instructor. Maison Sport (maisonsport.com) lets you review and choose from 1,200 independent instructors across some 350 European resorts. “Our site is unique in that you can really customise your experience, speaking directly with the instructor before you arrive,” says Nick Robinson, Maison Sport co-founder. 

While you’re at it, forgo the agonising wait for coach transfers, too. VIP SKI (vip-chalets.com) smooths the process with your own driver and private transfer from Lyon, Grenoble, or Chambéry airports at a very reasonable supplement – from £12pp return in Les Portes du Soleil, and from £48pp return in the Tarentaise, if staying in one of its properties. 

Now that we’re all digital dab hands, spending the winter in the mountains – and working remotely – is totally achievable. “We have had a 60 per cent increase in long-term rentals [of one month or more] since the 2019/20 season,” says Fiona Ellis, chief commercial officer at Bramble Ski (brambleski.com). “You can now bring the office to the mountains. This trend is particularly prevalent in Verbier, where there are two incredible international schools, allowing the whole family to experience a winter in the mountains.”

According to ABTA, the number of Britons who considered the green credentials of their holiday important has tripled since 2011, to more than 50 per cent in 2021. From Le Ski reducing plastic consumption by removing 10,000 shampoo bottles from their chalets, to a hydro project that produces as much energy as Whistler uses – the ski world is responding. Laax’s Greenstyle programme aims to make the entire resort carbon neutral seven years from now. 

Thanks to efforts big and small – solar-powered systems whose vertical panels can withstand heavy snow, biodegradable plant-based wax for tuning skis and snowboards, and all-renewable shuttles and ride-sharing programmes – already the destination’s energy needs are met by regionally produced 100 per cent renewable energy.

For details of entry requirements and in-resort Covid rules for your ski destinations, see telegraph.co.uk/tt-skirules. Refer to gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice for further information. 

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