Foreign office to tackle alcohol misuse in ski resorts

A major safety awareness initiative by the Foreign Office to tackle alcohol misuse in ski resorts and emphasise the necessity of full travel insurance cover will come into full swing in December when the first British skiers will be heading for the French, Swiss and Italian ski slopes. This campaign is a security and safety awareness campaign. The theme is to ski safely in relation to the abuse of alcohol, which can lead to accidents during or after skiing.

The safety awareness programme has been initiated by the Foreign Office for areas in which many ski resorts are located. It has been supported by French police and rescue services, tourist offices and airports in the regions of Savoie, Haute Savoie, Isère, Rhône as well as Geneva airport and several major Swiss ski resorts. In Italy, which joined the project later, resorts in the province of Turin will be involved for the forthcoming season.

British tour operators including the number 1 UK ski specialist Crystal Ski, Thomson Ski, First Choice Ski as well as student specialists Off the Piste and Ski Alpine have agreed to collaborate. It is a poster campaign which supports a diverse range of exciting and innovative education projects that aim to reduce alcohol misuse and make a tangible change in ski resorts. Projects range from posters in restaurants, bars, airports and other public spaces, as well as leaflets and display material in British tour operator owned chalets, club hotels and bars.

This campaign was initiated after several accidents in ski resorts which were directly related to alcohol abuse by young people. The aim of this campaign is to avoid accidents and deaths in ski resorts as alcohol can affect you more quickly at high altitudes and seriously limits your awareness of danger and cold.

"We are committed to supporting educational projects which make a positive difference to people lives and ensure that they have good, safe fun on their holidays" said Mathew Prior, MD of TUI Ski.

Eastern Europe offers best value ski deals as prices on the slopes rise sky high

British skiers should head for Eastern Europe for the best deals on the slopes this winter but are being warned that even prices in traditionally cheap ski resorts have jumped.

Top-value ski destinations are Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Slovenia, according to a survey by the Post Office. Including basic week-long costs such as equipment hire, lift passes, meals and drinks, Romania's Poiana Brasov ski resort offered the best value at £195.76. Borovets in Bulgaria (£250.87) was the next-best resort in terms of value for money, with High Tatras in Slovakia third (£264.97). In contrast, Banff in Canada had costs of £429.06 and Verbier in Switzerland was £422.21.

However, Poiana Brasov prices had risen 4% compared with this time last year, while Borovets was up 14% and High Tatras was up 20%. Elsewhere, Norway's Geilo resort saw the biggest price rise with travellers facing an increase of 26%. But some popular resorts had lower prices than last year, with Courchevel in France down 11% at £298.87 and Vail - in Colorado, USA - also down 11% at £372.83.