New Year ski holidays 2011

Just like skiing at Christmas, the New Year is a wonderful time to be in a ski resort, especially with family or friends, to see out the old year and see in the new. The difficulty is that going skiing for New Year is such a good idea, a lot of people want to do it, driving prices up and availability down. So to secure the ski resort and accommodation you want, be prepared to pay more and book early.

In resort

You will find special events such as firework displays and torch lit descents laid on. You're also likely to find the ski resort and the slopes busy, and again if you are planning a special meal out on New Year's Eve for example, make sure you book your preferred venue as soon as you arrive in resort, or even before you go if you can identify where you'll want to be in advance, just to be sure of securing your place.

Again restaurants are likely to serve special meals, with seven course affairs the norm in France and gala meals elsewhere in the Alps, which may require a special dress code (pack the tux…).

Where to go?

In this day and age, with many pundits believing the ski season is getting later, it is still important to seek out a relatively snowsure destination if possible, with a glacier, a northerly latitude, or at least some skiing well above 2000m.

Top 10 New Year ski resorts

North America

In terms of resorts it is hard to go wrong, or to suggest any one that particularly excels over all others. North American ski areas can be fun as they tend to go the most over-the-top for New Year with parties, streamers and congas the order of the day and Auld Lang Syne the official song.

You also get to phone home between 4pm and 7pm on New Years Eve to wish friends a Happy New Year before enjoying your own, thanks to the time difference, and wake those same friends up at 5 – 8am when you call them again to wish them a North American Happy New Year.

Europe

In Andorra you can at least afford to celebrate New Year lavishly thanks to the affordable duty free après ski, and indeed some package deals here are not as expensive as in the February school holidays.

Austria and Switzerland probably see the biggest price jumps for New Year at many resorts and it can be hard to contemplate paying upto £1,400 for a ski holiday you can see is £700 seven days later. Many of the more highly starred establishments include a New Years Eve gala dinner as part of this package however. It's a similar picture in Italy.

If you're part of a larger group, or alternatively if you're on your own and feel you might be lonely at New Year, a chalet party might be worth considering. Either fill a chalet with your group or join in a chalet party and organise your New Year's celebration with the help of the chalet staff. That takes the pressure off!