Ski information

Doorstep skiing

This indicates that you can ski to or from 50 metres of the hotel, chalet or apartment.

Guaranteed snow

This indicates resorts that will always be open but does not take into account any closure of lifts due to wind, poor light visibility or a resort's decision to close due to low numbers.

Après Ski events

The advertised events are dependent upon operational availability,minimum number of participants and pre-season auditings, and therefore, some events may not always be available due to insufficient demand or, in some cases, adverse weather conditions. All mentioned restaurants and other venues featured in this brochure, which are not owned by Crystal, are not under our direct control and have not been inspected by us. Therefore, any recommendation is merely an indication that these facilities have proved popular and are worthy of mention and not a personal recommendation by Crystal.

1. Heli-skiing opportunities offered in the brochure, or locally, are arranged with the best local operator. As with all adventure sports, you partake at your own risk and you will be required to sign a disclaimer prior to the activity. Please also note that if, due to adverse weather conditions, or other circumstances beyond our control, the heli-ski package is unavailable during your stay, our liability is limited to a full refund of the cost paid.
2. Any other excursions or hazardous activity in which you partake locally,such as tobogganing, paragliding, inner-tubing or snow-mobiling etc.,are at your own risk and liability and may not be covered under the terms of your holiday insurance. Please check the details of your individual policy before participation.
3. Any specialist ski clinics will always be dependent on the following:
   1. Weather, powder or piste conditions
   2. Minimum numbers (on some courses)
   3. That your skiing/boarding is of a suitable level to join the course
   4. That you have appropriate insurance cover

Social skiing with Crystal

Places for escorted groups are on a first-come, first-served basis, provided your standard allows you to keep pace with the rest of the group. Your Ski/Board Escort will assess your standard on the day whilst taking the weather/snow conditions into consideration. Days of operation for different standards of skier/boarder will also be advised at the beginning of your holiday.

Social skiing is available 3 days a week in selected resorts in Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Andorra. It will always be available on your first day of skiing. In selected USA and Canadian resorts a "Mountain Host" service is offered. In order to keep group sizes to a lively and fun amount, social skiing will only operate with a minimum of 3 people and a maximum of 12.

Our reps will be happy to accept boarders in their ski groups, and boarding groups will accept skiers, as long as they feel that your standard is suitable for the day's tour. Please note that social skiing may be restricted or curtailed by local regulations in force. A local charge may be levied if local authorities insist on the use of local instructors and we are obliged to use this service. Please also note that social skiing is sometimes offered as part of a "ski away day" and may incur additional costs such as transport or lift pass.

Ski & snowboard safety

Like any activity in the mountains, the risk to yourself and others is easily minimised by following a few simple guidelines.

Choose your resort carefully: mixed ability groups, in particular, must remember that skiing should be safe and fun for everyone. Do not encourage fellow skiers to venture onto slopes that are beyond their capabilities. It is also worth noting that because of their steep terrain some of the resorts favoured by experienced skiers may carry an increased risk of avalanche.

Let the experts guide you: a guide including essential information to help you get the most out of your skiing and a copy of the FIS Safe Skiing Code will be sent with your tickets or handed to you on arrival. Please take the time to read this simple common-sense advice, which is provided with your safety, foremost in our minds. Combining this with up-to-date information on arrival will help you to stay safe both on the slopes and in the village.

Avalanche danger: in extreme weather conditions, any resort may be at risk, so never ignore warnings. Signs and flags around part or all of the pistes indicate that avalanche danger is present but do not rely on these alone. Local experts are there to help so ask for advice from the local ski school or ski lift company on a daily basis. When necessary resort authorities may close some or all of the pistes. Remember this is done to ensure your safety. Never attempt to ski on runs which are closed, or go under a boundary rope into an area not part of the prepared ski area.

Off-piste: if you are able to ski off-piste you must have appropriate insurance and employ the services of a qualified guide. Never ski off-piste during risk of avalanche. For more detailed resort information including recent snow and avalanche records please see Chris Gill/Dave Watts' "Where to Ski Guide" (available from any good book shops). We find it invaluable for accurate and impartial advice. It also lists telephone numbers and websites for tourist offices/avalanche centres thoughout the Alps and North America.

Snow conditions: 'Snowline' information is provided by the Ski Club of Great Britain and not Crystal. Therefore, the information provided is not under our direct control and we cannot accept liability for any disappointment which may arise as a result of the information provided.

Health & Safety: We promote good hygiene practices within hotels, but care should be taken to minimise the risk of holiday sickness, especially among pregnant women, infants and the elderly. Warmer temperatures and high altitude abroad, combined with alcohol and new foods, can cause minor stomach upsets. By taking simple precautions such as washing your hands after using the bathroom and avoiding food and buffets that have been left for a long time can help to avoid such problems. Your General Practitioner can also provide up-to-date health advice should you require any further information.

Accommodation: It's important to remember that safety and hygiene standards in many foreign countries may differ from those taken for granted at home. While our hotels and facilities are always obliged to meet local safety regulations, these may not match UK standards to which you may be used to. We nevertheless seek to raise standards in all our overseas destinations by taking the advice of the UK's leading health and safety organisations on issues that concern you.

Information: At Crystal, we believe that information contributes to safety and, in addition to the details on this page, we ask all our customers to read the Essential Information booklet you will receive with your tickets, your information pack and the information displayed on your accommodation Information Board and in your hotel Information book. Customers flying with Thomson Airways should also look out for our in-flight safety video.

Pools, Beaches & Lakes: In many destinations it is not common practise to have a lifegaurd on duty. Therefore it is important to remember, especially when travelling with children, to take a few minutes to familiarise yourself and your party with the pool area on arrival and ensure you observe the depth markings. Children must be accompanied by an adult whilst in or around the pool at all times. Please be sure to familiarise yourself with flag warning systems that may be in operation on local beaches, and take into account local conditions.

Fun in the Sun: The sun in alpine resorts can be very strong. Please ensure you drink plenty of non-alcoholic fluids and apply the correct level of sun tan lotion appropriate for your skin. Local chemists may not stock your usual brands therefore you should take an adequate supply of any suntan lotion or medicines needed.

Lift passes, ski/board hire & tuition

As a special service to our customers, we are pleased to offer the opportunity to pre-book ski pack requirements for your holiday. This covers the hire of skis, sticks, boots, tuition and lift passes, with details confirmed on your invoice. Costs detailed in our brochure may be different to resort prices. A saving cannot be guaranteed when a ski pass covers both high and low season. Crystal reserve the right to increase the costs at any time or to withdraw products or services including the Special offers mentioned on the various resort pages. In this event, customers who have not already purchased ski packs will be able to make arrangements in resort, where payments made by credit card will be subject to a handling fee.

Ski hire levels are standard, intermediate and advanced. Most modern skis are now carving skis. Intermediate skis will be newer models usually not more than two years old (except Bulgaria and Slovenia) with higher performance and suitable for more types of terrain. Advanced skis are newer and high performance skis.

Please note: ski pack advance purchases cannot be made within 24hours of departure, but our local rep will be able to assist you with arrangements locally at the prevailing local rate, which may have varied from that indicated within our brochure.

Some offers in this brochure may not be available locally and have to be pre-booked.

Bulgaria: as resort prices are considerably higher, we would strongly recommend that you pre-book your lift pass and equipment at time of booking.

Children's skis and boots: children's equipment rental usually applies up to a child height of 1.5m, shoe size 36 and ski/board length up to 1.5m, although this varies by resort and supplier. Where we have specified a maximum age for children's equipment, this rule applies as long as the child's height and shoe size do not exceed those stated on the resort pages. Any equipment rental outside the limits set by the supplier will need to be upgraded to adult rental.

Helmets: ski helmets are either recommended or compulsory for children under 15yrs in most countries eg. Italy, Slovenia & certain French and Austrian resorts.

Lift passes: the overall ski areas covered by lift passes advertised and sold through this brochure occasionally may be subject to change by local lift companies/resort authorities and is outside our control. Should this situation arise, this may reduce the number of pistes and ski area available. You may need a lift pass photo, so please take one with you if you do not want to buy one locally.

In many resorts there are reductions in prices for senior and younger passengers. Details of eligible age ranges are on the relevant resort pages. The local lift companies may amend the age ranges and available reductions at their discretion, which is outside of our control and where this occurs, any refund or supplementary amount due will be payable either in advance or locally.

You may need a lift pass photo, although most modern resorts no longer require them, please check your online information pack to confirm.

Lift Pass Price Promise for North America:

• We will not match lift ticket prices when they involve booking other components to qualify
• You must be legally able to book the lift ticket to qualify
• If we are unable to match the lift ticket price we will give the best discount possible at the time

Off-piste courses are very much dependant on weather conditions and subject to minimum numbers. If joining one of these courses you must be able to ski to the stated level and have adequate insurance cover otherwise you will not be allowed to participate.

If you require boot size 11 or over it is recommended you purchase your own boots prior to departure. Please note that, unless pre-booked, we cannot guarantee availability of hire equipment or ski school on peak dates.

In some resorts English speaking instructors may not always be available, particularly at peak times.

Please note: no alterations, cancellations or refunds can be accepted once the order has been received by us either prior to, during or after your holiday. Any claim which results from sickness should be refered directly to your insurance company.

Ski school

The number of hours of tuition varies between resorts and lesson type. On each resort page we provide the most up to date information that we have about timings and lengths of lessons but these are subject to change by suppliers, which is out of our control. The prices quoted are normally by lesson type and therefore where the hours/timings are varied, refunds are not usually due. Where there is a material change to the pre-booked lesson e.g. the supplier reduces the number of days in a package, then we will refund the difference between the 2 product packages. Please note that in peak periods in the resort, ski schools often change, reduce or alter the timing of their lessons.

Please note: there may be other nationalities participating in group lessons. The availability of lessons is dependent on minimum numbers and time of year and on occasion, it may be necessary for the ski school to reduce the number of hours of tuition when minimum group size for a class is not reached. No guarantee of availability can be given in low season.

Children's ski school: in selected resorts child ski school will only run if sufficient children are booked in. If numbers are low, children may join adult ski school. For young children learning to ski the minimum age depends on the child's ability, and ski school facilities. For children under 6 yrs skiing for the first time, it may be recommended that the child goes to kindergarten in order to familiarise them with skis in a controlled environment rather than on the slopes. However for a younger child who already has its 'flocon' (first level of children's ski school), or equivalent, ski schools will readily accept them in their classes.

Free first time ski or board packages: Free first time ski or board packages for adults on your booking of 7 nights for Winter 12/13 using charter flights. Offer applies to new bookings only and is subject to availability and change and must be added at the time of booking. Duration of lift passes and lessons within the packages vary by resort (see the relevant resort information page for details) and will display on the extras page as "Free first time ski package" or "Free First time board package" if available. Ski school is restricted to certain areas in La Plagne and Les Arcs. No upgrades are available for this offer and it is only open, as all first-time packages, to complete beginners who have never put skis or a board on at all, including at dry slopes or indoor ski venues. Anyone booking this who has previously skied or boarded will be required to upgrade to pay for a full improver package. Not valid with flight-only, accommodation-only, self-drive holidays or those using low-cost or scheduled flights. Availability is strictly limited in number (please see website for details) and once sold out by departure date each resort will be withdrawn automatically- please book early to avoid disappointment. Offer only applies to First time Ski/Board packages of 6 days duration (3 days in Canada) for passengers on 7 night duration holidays. First Time Board only available in some of the promotional resorts. A maximum of 2 Free packages per booking are allowed. For any booking where more than 2 are added then these will be removed and replaced with the standard price packages. Offer applies to full fare paying adult passengers and are not available for other passengers. Adult age ranges vary by resort. This special offer cannot be combined with any other offer including, but not limited to, group discounts.

First time ski/board packages: where available these are strictly for complete beginners only and have to be pre-booked in the UK. A complete beginner is defined as somebody who has never skied or snowboarded before. If you are not a beginner you will be required to upgrade in resort. The package may include beginner tuition and standard equipment. Tuition timings may vary between resorts. A lift pass is normally included in the package, although in some resorts this may be a special beginner lift pass which offers limited access to the ski area, or the duration of the lift pass may be less than 6 days. Please refer to relevant resort page for details.

Improver ski/board packages: these packages also need to be pre-booked in the UK. Where available these are for people who have skied/boarded previously and include lift pass, tuition and standard equipment rental. Please see relevant resort page for the detail as they vary between resorts.

For both packages the savings mentioned are against a price usually consisting of 6 day lift pass, 6 day standard equipment and relevant tuition.

Ski Plus packages: These packages are not combinable with any other offers or discounts.