To state the obvious, low season is essentially the dates outside of the main bank holidays and school breaks. So avoid Christmas, New Year, Russian New Year (usually the first week in January) and the February school holidays. While the UK holidays usually take place over a two week period, the French holidays are spread over a longer period – this year (2018) they start on the weekend of 10th February and finish the weekend of 10th March. So the middle three weeks of January and the final two weeks of March are classic low season although the curve ball can be Easter as this changes from year to year.

In the last few seasons, the snow has arrived later and so pre-Christmas has become a more risky time to plan a ski trip, particularly in lower resorts. Whereas in January the season has normally settled, and the cold weather brings both snow and the ability to get the snow canons firing away to ensure that the snow cover is great. January skiing used to be really cold but I think with the improvement in technical skiwear and maybe with some gentle global warming, it is now much more pleasant, although I still find a good excuse for regular coffee stops!

Most resorts now have very modern lift systems and the lift queues of a few years back are now a real rarity. Resorts such as Val d’Isere and St Anton continue to invest heavily to improve and update the lifts. But in January’s low season weeks, you will definitely have quieter slopes giving you a great ski experience. It’s a good time for adult learners and a great time for more experienced skiers who want to develop their skills and learn to tackle off-piste.

January is definitely the best time to go from a pricing point of view. Chalets will have lower prices for the last three weeks of the month and so you find some great bargains. You can also benefit from better flight prices although with the predominant pricing model, the earlier you book the better. The same would be true on Eurostar if you’d like to take the train to the Tarentaise resorts. Airport transfers tend to have a fixed price model with the same prices for all dates in the season but you will certainly get a better choice of options in low season.

There are lots of benefits to travelling to ski resorts in low season. Resorts are quieter, it is easier to get tables at restaurants and there are many ski school that offer lower prices in the weeks. Ski hire tends to have fixed costs throughout the season but you will benefit from quieter shops and staff who have more time to discuss your requirements. In certain resorts such as Verbier, do offer lower priced lift passes in the low season.