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 New research from the Post Office Travel Insurance shows that about half of all claims originated from France. Following France were Italy, Bulgaria, Austria, and Switzerland.
Even though most of these regions are in Europe, the research also showed that 28% of people do not think about buying travel insurance if they are planning holidays that take place in Europe.
One reason that many people may avoid purchasing travel insurance for holidays in Europe is because they inaccurately believe that their European Insurance Card (EHIC) will cover them for any required medical treatment.
Although it may seem that this is the truth, in most countries and even more so at ski resorts travellers are taken to a private clinic for medical treatment following an accident which is not covered by the EHIC.
Head of the Post Office Travel Insurance agency, Rachel Croft, stated that most people do not think there are as many risks while travelling in Europe even when skiing versus countries outside of the union but all winter sports are high risk activities and travel insurance is vital.
A devastating storm hurling winds of 100 kmh with gusts up to 200 kmh swept across Western Europe this past weekend. Most of the 50 or more fatalities occurred in France, and most were drownings due to storm surge combined with high spring tides. Though not quite as fierce as the 1999 storm named Lothar, a great deal of damage was incurred in parts of Portugal, Spain and Germany as well as France.
Airports cancelled flights and many railways and motorways in the region are severely damaged and still out of service. The hurricane-force winds also did considerable damage to many Pyrenees ski resorts. The Secretary General of the Hautes-Pyrenees prefecture in southwestern France has estimated that some resorts may have sustained as much as 80% damage to lifts and other facilities.
Skiing may be over for the season at Huatacam Resort; if you have already made plans you need to contact the reservations office. Val Louron has only 30 percent of its lifts in operation, but plans to remain open for the remainder of the season.
Peyragudes plans to reopen in the next few days, but with half of its equipment and all of its snow canons lost, some of the runs will be inaccessible. Superbagneres lost all its lifts, and the cable car between there and Luchon was destroyed; however the resort also plans to reopen this week.
 Fans of the Winter X Games, last held with such spectacular success in Aspen, Colorado will need to hone their French skills. Those fortunates who live in France may want to head towards Tignes as that is where the next Winter X Games will be held.
The Tignes Ski and Snowboard Resort was co-host to the 1992 Winter Olympics, so it has all the experience (and the terrain) needed to take on the fast-paced events scheduled for the 10th through the 12th of March this year. This is the first time the freestyle ski, snowboard and snowmobile exhibition has been to Europe, and the turnout is expected to be massive.
This snowsport event brings the top athletes in the field together in an all-out contest of skills that is unique and unparalleled in the world of winter sports. Eight events are on the schedule, including SuperPipe ski and snowboard, Slopestyle ski and snowboard, and
Snowmobile Best Trick.
Competitors on the roster are the top of the class worldwide in every category. Names that every fan will know, like Kevin Rolland, Mathieu Crepel, Simon Dumont and Gretchen Bleiler in the SuperPipe, Eric Willett and Eero Ettala in Slopestyle and Daniel Bodin the snowmobiler as well as dozens of others will be competing for fame and big prizes. New records are sure to be set.
The levels of both skill and enthusiasm are at such a peak that these Winter X Games are truly awesome to watch, whether from the sidelines (if you’re really lucky) or on one of the worldwide networks including ESPN.
 Kate Moss is not one to miss any events in the fashion industry, but while most people were enjoying the New York Fashion Week she decided instead to head to France for a quiet ski holiday.
Of course, maybe it was the death of her close friend Alexander McQueen that had her balking at the idea of a week in the Big Apple.
While supermodel peers Helena Christensen and Naomi Campbell were paying their tributes to McQueen, Moss took her daughter Lila Grace to France for a half term skiing break. It was hard to pick her out from the chic ski set however, as she easily blended right in complete with matching gloves, hat, and a fur trimmed jacket.
After spending a few hours on the slopes, Moss met her boyfriend Hamie Hince and another friend and headed to an outdoor table for some après ski activities. She seemed to enjoy herself while eating lunch and smoking before returning to the slopes.
It is good to see Moss lighten up a bit after last week’s discovery that McQueen had committed suicide inside of his London home. Moss was said to be stunned by the news and issued a statement through her agent because she was too upset to speak on her own behalf.
The statement simply read that Kate is shocked to have heard of the death of her close friend and that she is keeping his family in her thoughts.
 For skiing, snowboarding and just about every other activity that involves playing in the snow, France has it all.
With two major mountain ranges, the Alps and the Pyrenees, the options are limitless and accommodations range from very basic to wildly elite, and include some of the most exciting and incredibly beautiful areas in the world.
The immense appeal of French resorts for winter sports derives not just from the breathtaking scenery, but from the facilities common to almost all of them, which include good cheap food and plenty of bars for socializing and taking the chill off.
The French also make it very easy to reach any of these inviting winter-oriented areas. If you don’t mind paying fairly steep tolls, most can be reached by road. If you are flying in, there are several airports with ground connections to everywhere.
Most resorts can be reached by train, which is an attractive option since the rail service is excellent – inexpensive and fast. During the winter there is train service direct from Waterloo Station in London to Bourg St. Maurice.
If you wish to work at a French resort through the winter months you won’t even need a visa as long as you’re an EU national, and there are a lot of jobs available among the hundreds of resorts. Bartending and table waiting are good possibilities, but don’t try holding an instructional class on the slopes if you don’t have a French instructor’s certificate.
Options for accommodation often include apartment blocks with few restrictions on party number. If you’re on a budget, stick with fast food and buy your alcohol in the supermarket.
 In four new Snowfinder guidebooks due to be published in February expert skiers reveal the secrets of the largest ski areas in France.
The guidebooks are designed for mountain use and are pocket sized. They cover around 2,000km of pistes found in the largest French ski areas of Espace Killy, Paradiski, Les Trois Vallees, and Portes de Soleil.
They were put together by a team of snowboarders and expert skiers that were selected for their familiarity with each resort and include individual descriptions of every run combined with full colour piste maps to enable skiers that want to plan their days on the slopes.
Among those on the team of writers are world mogul champion Eric Berthon, mogul skier Fabien Bertrand , the BBC presenter Graham Bell, Hugh Hutchinson, and Alain Baxter the Olympic medallist. Each member of the team has also tossed in their insider’s tops on where the best mountain restaurants, powder, and après ski can be found.
Guide publisher, Nick Rink, stated that he has lost count of the many times he has watched piste maps fall apart on people which is where the concept for the guidebooks was born.
According to Rink, the focus of the guide has been to help skiers get around the world class resorts with a guide that easily slides safely into a pocket so that electronic devices such as mobile can be left off the mountain safely in a resort room.
 The fifth largest ski area in France is the Alpe d’Huez which includes altitudes that range from 2,230m to 3,330m and around 240km of pistes that are linked to each other.
It also has a modern lift system that contains one of the longest cable cars throughout the globe which helps shorten queue lines for the impatient skier.
As if this is not enough, transfer time to the famous resort is a little shy of two hours from Grenoble if you are able to travel the 21 hairpin bends that have made the Tour de France famous.
Although budget skiers enjoy the slopes of Alpe d’Huez, it does not have the same cachet that French resorts in the North have in common.
The basic problem with resort despite what it can offer skiers, is that while it is not ugly as such, it is not charming either with some apartments that still reek of blockade sixties architecture. Of course the skiing opportunities help offset this fact a bit, outside of the fact that it does not have a local airport nearby for quick flight accommodation.
All these facts put together explain why new chalets such as Le Village that are popping up nearby such as grand find. Built by a local architect in true Alpine style, Phillipe Siegel, the chalets come complete with a heated boot room, private hot tub, and only the best furnishings.
At only £819 a week, they are truly the saving grace that should make you take a second look at the Alpe d’Huez.
 Rocket Ski, is offering Constellation Apartments, a village of self-catering apartments in Risoul, France; a great base rate for the holiday season with a seven night stay starting at just £209 per person.
The offer for the apartments found just minutes from the village and mountain slopes is based on four adults sharing a room and includes flight tickets on February 20th from Luton to Grenoble.
For a little bit more at £289 per person, Rocket Ski is also offering a seven night stay at the Les Deux Alpes, France Hotel Des Neiges. The hotel is located in the centre of the city and is only 100m away from the cable cars making it easy to get on the slopes. The offer is based on two adults per room and includes March 6th flights from Luton to Grenoble.
Those who want to travel a little farther for their ski holiday may also want to check out Rocket Ski’s offer for Bardonecchia’s Hotel Asplenia. The deal is based on a seven night stay for two adults per room and starts at £309 per person including flights from March 6th from Luton to Grenoble.
 Finding a qualified ski instructor can be tough if you are new to skiing because you do not know exactly what to expect out the experience as a whole, let alone from your instructor. To help you out, here are the three qualities that you need to look for to make sure that your choice is right and the money is worth it.
First of all, you should ask to find out if the person is certified and qualified to offer you guidance. Continuous training is a must to make sure that the ski instructor is giving you the best advice possible and not just their personal preferences.
Often new equipment guidelines and safety tips come in to force, which means that you will want a teacher who is ahead of the game and able to offer you the best and up to date instruction.
Second, you should observe how they teach different levels of skiers to see how well they teach all skiers across the board. Keep in mind that just because you are a beginner today eventually you will be an advanced skier. When that time comes, it will be nice to stick with the same instructor as when you were a novice. Additionally, the ability to work with varied levels of skiers shows that they enjoy mentoring, which means they will be a better instructor overall.
Finally, you need to talk to the instructor on your own and decide if you like their personality. You will learn better if your instructor is positive and upbeat, thus these two qualities are a requirement if you want to get the most out of your lessons.
 After purchasing a new set of skis most people dream of gliding down long runs with meticulous and elegant turns. Once you return from the dream and start to pay attention to the trail again you may soon notice a sign pointing left with a blue square and a sign pointing right with a black diamond. At this point you have to decide which way to turn.
Most intermediate skiers will stick to the left fork given it is easier and it is hard to advance onto the level of a black diamond trail, however, if you know the keys to jumping up a skill level next time you come to this impasse you can head off onto the black diamond trail instead.
Although black diamond trails can be intimidating, a large part of taking on the monster run is re-setting over your mind and body. Of course you will need to be physically up for the challenge, but a large part of becoming an advanced skier actually has to do with metal preparation.
In order to make the turn you need to be ready to think quick, adjust your speeds, adjust your balance, and rapidly shift your radiance without losing control. Of course, there are a few things you will still need to do to get your body in shape as well.
When it comes to your body, you need to make sure that your thighs, knees, hips, and abdomen are up for the challenge since this where most of your energy will be exerted. Thus, you may have to prepare by following a ski fitness routine that involves mobility, stretching, and endurance training.
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New research from the Post Office Travel Insurance shows that about half of all claims originated from France. Following France were Italy, Bulgaria, Austria, and Switzerland.
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