Weekend breaks

A short ski break or a skiing weekend may be just the thing for you if you don't have time for a week long holiday in the mountains or if you just need an extra dose of skiing or snowboarding pleasure before the season ends.

Above we have brought together a selection of companies offering weekend ski breaks to find the best product for you.

5 top tips to remember

• Don't try to have a ski break or a ski weekend over peak weeks such as New Year or February half term. The hotels won't be interested in letting rooms for anything less than a week.
• Scrap your usual hit list of ski resorts. The only resorts that matter are the ones close to the Alpine airport you can fly to most easily from the UK. Also ensure you pick ski resorts with short transfer times.
• Over a two or three-day break you won't need hundreds of miles of piste to keep you happy. So think about smaller ski resorts. Chances are, they'll be cheaper, and less heavily-booked, which means you should find the short-term accommodation you'll need.
• If you're driving yourself, check the weather. If snow is likely, hire a four-wheel drive car. Try to get one with snow tyres too. 
• Try to avoid flying out on a Friday night, and back on Sunday night if at all possible. The flights are dearer then.

Nearest ski resorts
Here's a taster of some of the most easily accessible resorts from the UK which are perfect for weekend breaks.

Innsbruck: no airport is better placed. In 20 minutes, you can be in the village of Igls, where the men's downhill of the 1976 Winter Olympics was held. There are huge number of other resorts to look at, including Mayrhofen, Solden, Obergurgl, St Anton, Ischgl, Kitzbühel and Alpbach.

Geneva: a great option because of the choice of flights from the UK, and the number of resorts which are nearby. These include Chamonix, Courmayeur, Flaine, Morzine, Samoens, Morillon, Avoriaz, and Megève (all of which are less than 90 minutes' drive).

Turin: good for Sestriere, Sauze d'Oulx, Pila, Cervinia, La Thuile, and Monterosa.

Resort transfers
A lot of weekenders book hire cars, and for more than two people it usually works out cheaper than a transfer bus. Don't get the smallest car, because you'll struggle to fit in your luggage, and might have difficulties on steep mountain roads too. Also, if you're booking a hire car in Geneva, never rent it from the French side of the airport, always the Swiss side. Access is much easier, snow tyres come as standard and your Swiss motorway tax will be paid.

Ski or snowboarding equipment
Travelling light on a weekend ski break is all very well - if you only have hand luggage, you won't be held up at the carousel in baggage reclaim. Travelling with just hand luggage will cut down on time in the airtport but weigh that against that the time you'll spend in the resort kitting yourselves out. If you have your own skis and boots you're better off taking them with you and spending an extra half an hour in the airport.

Ski and winter sports insurance
If you are planning more than one ski or snowboarding weekend, it makes sense to take out an annual travel insurance policy. Read more about winter sports travel insurance