Winter Sports
There’s no business like snow business and if you’ve got a passion for the pistes, follow the Flybe route network and you’ll jet straight to some of the best slopes of Europe.Fly into Chambéry and the Alps are on the doorstep. This area is known for its downhill skiing, snowboarding, telemarking and cross country skiing, so whatever your preference there’s plenty of choice and lots of top-class resorts and access to some of the world’s most sought after locations – Chamonix Mont Blac, Courchevel, La Plagne, Les Arcs, Meribel, Tignes and Val d’Isere.
Head to Geneva from Birmingham, Exeter, Norwich and Southampton. It’s the ideal jumping off point for skiing holidays at dozens of resorts in both Switzerland and France. Chamonix is also easily accessible from here and so too is the Grand Massif resort of Flaine which boasts one of the Alps’ best snow records, Morzine and Avoriaz. Or jet into Berne to light those winter fires on slopes further afield.
New flights from Birmingham and Southampton to the Swiss capital, starting in mid-December, will give skiers in the Midlands and the south of England easy access to six Swiss resorts in the beautiful Jungfrau region of the Bernese Oberland, all of which are only around an hour's drive from Berne.
Most skiers will head to one of the Jungfrau region's three interlinked resorts, Grindelwald, Wengen or Murren, which share a lift pass that covers 41 lifts as well as local trains.
Fly to Salzburg for easy access to some of the best skiing not just in Austria but the world. A snow shuttle bus runs to all the key resorts from the city regularly throughout the season. These include Kitzbuhel, Saalbach, Soll and Zell am See.
The Andorran resorts of Pas de la Casa and Soldeu are easily accessible from Toulouse, is served by Flybe flights from Birmingham and Bristol.
In Spain, don’t forget the Sierra Nevada, which has hosted world ski championships in Europe’s most southern ski resort (accessed through Flybe-served Almeria).
Within the UK, the Cairngorms National Park (accessed from Aberdeen) is popular for wintersports – although check out the snow cover before setting out - or try the ‘real’ snow slopes at Leeds’ Xscape entertainment centre, or the Avon Ski Centre (accessed via Bristol) with slopes, moguls, jumps and bends.