Snowboarding Italy: The 10 best winter holiday destinations

Neil Skilton    snowboardingholidays     snowbaoarding, Snowboard guide, snowboard holidays, Snowboarding, snowboarding best routes, snowboarding holidays, snowboarding in Italy

It you’re grabbing a winter holiday this year and needing to get some snowboarding, Italy should be at the top of your list – even if it might just be conjuring up images of ridiculous retro one-pieces and posing glitterati.

Carving lines. Photo: Flickr/ ffeo-sesp

Although both are still in abundance (worn more by the skiiers) and also an amusing source of après entertainment, Italy actually offers a great deal more to the snowboarder looking for great terrain, good food, and affordable accommodation.

Here are ten resorts that rival any winter holiday destinations on offer in neighbouring European countries.

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My holiday snowboarding in La Plagne

Luke    snowboardingholidays     holidays in France, La Plagne, Paradiski, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays, snowboarding in France

La Plagne is a ski resort in France that is connected to Les Arcs by the Vanoise Express cable car to create the Paradiski area. Paradiski is one of the largest ski areas in Europe, with 425km of runs linked together by 160 lifts serving 152 green/blue runs, 79 red runs and 22 black runs plus plenty of off-piste action.

Fun off-piste Photo: Flickr/Skistar Trysil

I had snowboarded in Les Arcs before but never made it across to La Plagne. Everyone I had spoken to said it was very different to Les Arcs, with lots of open areas offering off-piste. So I booked a week in the Terra Nova hotel in La Plagne Centre with Crystal Ski to find out for myself if snowboarding in La Plagne was all it’s cracked up to be.

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How to get cheap travel insurance for adventure holidays

Helen Warwick    ash     adventure holidays, Adventure Sports, Adventure Travel, Skiing, Skiing Holidays, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays

Despite the warnings, one in five travellers headed abroad uninsured last year, according to ABTA, the travel association. Whether you simply don’t remember to set up a policy or want to spend your money on other things, travel insurance can prove to be a very wise investment.

When it's an adventure holiday, get insurance. Image: Flickr/ Zach Dischner

As well as buying peace of mind, it may save you thousands in hefty overseas medical bills or compensate you for lost luggage. Accidents do happen, and cutting corners really isn’t worth the risk.

If you are booking snowboarding holidays or other activity holidays that have any added risk involved, first thing’s first, ensure you have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

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Review of the Raven Core snowboard: The best cheap snowboard?

Luke    snowboardingholidays     snowboard, snowboard gear, Snowboarding, snowboarding gear, snowboarding gear review, snowboarding holidays

The Raven Core snowboard is one of the cheapest snowboards on the market. At the time of writing you can pick one up with Raven bindings for £170. Even so, the low-end price tag comes with impressive sounding specs, such as a 3-stage rocker/camber profile, true twin-tip shape, tip-to-tail wood core, sandwich constructed sidewall and an IS4400 extruded base.

The Raven Core snowboard

My previous experience of buying snowboards is that you get what you pay for. So, does this model from Raven Snowboards live up to its specs or its price tag?

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Winter Festivals 2012: Snowboard Events and Ski Parties

Lucy Grewcock    ash     chamonix, ski fetivals, Skiing, Skiing Holidays, skiing in Austria, skiing in France, Skiing in Serbia, Skiing in the US, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays, Switzerland, whistler, winter festivals

What could be better than spending a week in the mountains, shuushing down iced-white pistes and bounding through fresh powder? How about adding world-class DJs, all-night parties, arty events and extreme freestyle competitions? Welcome to the world of winter festivals 2012…

Winter festivals are never just about the sports Photo: Will Bremridge

From Austria to North America, ski parties have snowballed in the past few years, and they’re set to get even bigger and better in 2012. Here’s a few that are full-on winter festivals, add these to your calendar: read more

Skiing and Snowboarding Holidays on a budget

Mark Pawlak    snowboardingholidays     Budget holidays, ski deals, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays

As vacations go, you don’t generally think of skiing or snowboarding as a bargain holiday option. It’s not just the travel and accommodation that you have to fork out for but also the togs and accessories that you will need when you get there.

Snowboarding holidays, where fun comes cheap. Image: Flickr/boolve

However, there are always budget ways to enjoy any break and the snowboarding or ski trip is no exception, if you know where to look. There are still some great last minute ski deals online should you decide that you want to escape the rigmarole of a dull January; you can have a week on the slopes for a surprisingly small sum.

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Ski jobs: is this the best job in the world?

Gabriel    bestskiholidays     heli skiing, ski jobs, Skiing, Skiing Holidays, skiing jobs snowboarding, Snowboarding, snowboarding holidays, snowboarding jobs

What’s the best ski job? Well, others might disagree, but I think it could be the heli-ski guide. When it boils down to doing what you love, heli-ski guides love what they do because to them it is the best job in the world. But I can’t be the judge of this – I’m just a professional tour guide and ski instructor: I know they’ve got one of the coolest jobs around!

Ski Jobs: we think we've found the best job in the world Image:Flickr/ kentgoldman

So, answer the following questions and see how your job matches up. Time for a career change? Or just a skiing holiday to see for yourself? This could be one of the best jobs in the world – if you’re not jealous now, you soon will be!

How big is your office space?

Heli-ski guides’ offices are about 2.2 million acres and have an average annual snowfall of 25 meters. Getting to the copy room might be tough, but then again, we don’t make copies. Heli-ski guides have earned a 360-degree corner office, with mountaintop views. The only time they see a “cube” is when they drop them to the bottom of their tumblers and pour a drink over them.

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