Latest - Winter 2010 Booking now - huge discounts
Here is some good news for those suffering the worst effects of the credit crunch. The major operators have started to release their Winter 2010 properties and the good news is that many are offering some massive discounts for early booking.

Summer 2009
The excellent 2008 / 2009 Winter Season is now over. If you need to get your fix of snow in the Summer there are some options available. Indoor slopes are present in many European Countries. Then in June, July and August some of the high altitude resorts with glaciers open for business. Eurapart will try to bring you information on these. Starting with:
Snow Base, Zeeland, Netherlands.

Budget Winter breaks
logoThe cost of a Winter Sports vacation is probably what stops most of us taking part.  This year UK snowboarders have been affected by a weak pound, although it is now stronger than it was in January 2009. The other good news is that there are some excellent early booing offers out there.

Packages
There are a number of companies offering cheap deals for skiers and snowboarders.
Snowtrex the German tour company I booked with last year. They offer excellent prices for accommodation and including lift pass(es). They have some excellent late booking offers. I have just booked a week with 100 euros slashed off the price. They have a websites in numerous languages.
SkiHorizon .- Offers some excellent deals in French Ski Resorts. Look up Clearance or Special Offers.
Thomson Ski - Part of the large TUI Group. The website has a vast range of Winter Sports packages. Some include all extras such as lift passes.
Winter Holidays with Opodo. - Opodo is a company formed by the leading airlines. They offer some good rates plus the added advantage that their carriers do not usually charge extra for carrying your skis.
Cheap flightsSnowboarder Avoriaz
Eurapart no longer promotes cheap flights on the site, but if you wish to travel this way there is a full list of low cost airlines here. Most offer destinations close to Winter Sports Resorts unfortunately many charge extra for carrying Winter Sports equipment.  Snowjet offer free winter sports carriage though.
Some of the leading budget airlines with Winter Sports destinations:
Snowjet - Chambery from London Gatwick, London Stansted, Manchester, Bristol
Ryanair - Aberdeen, Inverness, Glasgow, Haugesund, Oslo Torp, Tampere, Granada, Valladolid, Santander, Girona, Perpignan, Marseille, Montpellier, Grenoble, Lyon, Rodez, Pau, Verona, Milan, Treviso, Klagenfurt, Graz, Bratislava, Linz, Salzburg, Friedrichschafen. Krakow
.TUIfly.com  - Milan, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Graz, Klagenfurt
EasyJet - Barcelona, Geneva, Toulouse, Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Milan, Basel, Munich, Bratislava, Krakow
flybe .- Geneva, Chambery, Salzburg, Toulouse, Aberdeen
Jet2 - Barcelona, Valencia, Toulouse, Chambery, Nice, Geneva, Milan, Salzburg, Krakow

© Philippe Devanne - FOTOLIA

Train
Eurostar. - Ideal if you want to get to the French Alps quickly but creating less damaging carbon dioxide emissions.

Accommodation
Holiday homes Interhome- Large agency vetting and letting privately owned apartments all over Europe. Very large selection in ski resort properties. Late bookings attract a 33% discount.

PV-Holidays - Europe's largest apartment chain and the company behind mountain developments such as Avoriaz. Up to 32% early booking discount if booked before 19 December 2009!  Snowboard holidays in France with PV-Holidays

Maeva  apartments -.  Another French apartment chain, part of PV-Holidays but often cheaper.

Odalys - Budget apartment chain with a presence in numerous French ski resorts.