| During the winter of 2006/07, Europe suffered | | | | snow domes or dry slopes in the UK. |
| one of the worst snowfalls on record. As the | | | | But along with the weather, the way people book |
| busy Christmas and New Year season | | | | their skiing holidays appears to be changing. |
| approached, ski resorts across the continent | | | | Rather than book a ski package several months in |
| waited nervously for the snow to arrive. But the | | | | advance and risk bad conditions, more people are |
| snow never came - at least not in the quantities | | | | keeping a close eye on the snow forecast and |
| normally expected. | | | | then booking a D.I.Y. trip at the last minute. |
| Many skiers and snowboarders were faced with | | | | Booking flights, accommodation and transfers |
| the grim prospect of skiing on thin strips of | | | | separately may be a little more hassle than |
| artificial snow, or were shipped to other resorts | | | | booking a package, but it can actually be cheaper |
| higher in altitude, along with everyone else, to | | | | and is also more flexible. |
| compete for what little white stuff there was on | | | | Another tactic is the advance booking of a flight |
| the ground. | | | | to a city which has several ski resorts within easy |
| Global warming was made the scapegoat for the | | | | reach, and then choosing the resort with the best |
| poor conditions, although it's more likely that this | | | | snow conditions at the last minute. By booking |
| was just a freak season, (global warming is | | | | early it is possible to get cheap flights to Zurich, |
| generally regarded as a more gradual process) but | | | | Geneva, Lyon, Innsbruck or Toulouse for |
| there's no denying that winter seasons in Europe | | | | example, all of which have dozens of well known |
| and all over the world have been getting shorter | | | | ski resorts within just a couple of hour's drive |
| and ski resorts are receiving less snow than in | | | | from the airport. |
| previous years. | | | | As the world's weather becomes ever more |
| However, rather than putting the punters off, the | | | | unpredictable and snowfalls become more |
| popularity of snow sports is growing year on | | | | unreliable, it's likely that these methods of booking |
| year, probably due to the availability of cheap | | | | will become the norm, and we may see the |
| flights to many cities near ski resorts and the rise | | | | decline of the traditional "early bird" package, |
| in the number of young people taking up skiing or | | | | except in the highest, most snow sure ski resorts. |
| snowboarding in one of the growing number of | | | | |