Ski demand 'explodes' as season opens early following heavy Alpine snowfall
James ChappleThe European ski season has got under way early following weeks of heavy snowfall in the Alps, prompting Jet2.com to launch a sale on its winter 2023/24 ski flight programme following an "explosion" in demand.
Several resorts in France, Austria, Italy and Switzerland have opened their lifts and slopes ahead of schedule, with the season typically starting in early December.
Specialist ski agency, Ski Solutions, said "exceptional early season snowfall had transformed the European ski landscape", promising "an outstanding start to the season".
Jet2.com is offering 10% off all winter 2023/24 ski flights until March 2024; the airline offers eight ski destinations from 10 of its 11 UK bases, including Chambery, Geneva, Grenoble, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Lyon, Turin and Barcelona, for Andorra.
It’s a welcome tonic for the ski sector, which suffered from three Covid-hit seasons, while last winter got off to a challenging start too with reports of limited snowfall in lower resorts.
According to Ski Solutions, some resorts already have a metre of snowfall; Austria’s Kitzbuhel, it said, is bringing forward its plans to open from 25 November to 11 November, while Tignes in France and Madonna di Campiglio in Italy will open a week early on 18 November.
Verbier, meanwhile, plans to open on Friday (10 November) – three weeks earlier than anticipated.
Another 50cm of snow is forecast across the Alps for the next week, likely to bring early season snowfall to many more popular resorts including Crans-Montana, La Plagne, Chamonix and St Anton, said Ski Solutions.
’Demand has exploded’
Managing director Ian McIlrath said: "Storms have been piling into the Alps for the past two weeks, with snow accumulations of more than 100cm quite widespread now on the upper slopes.
"This will ensure a solid base for the winter ahead, and with a lot more snow in the forecast, it’s shaping up to be one of the best starts to the winter ski season that I can remember."
McIlrath added the early season snow had sent demand soaring. "Demand has exploded," he said. "Bookings since the beginning of November are up 20% on the prior year as clients snap up bargains for December trips."
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