Cheap Ski Holidays

What's the quickest way to get from the summit of Mt. Bellecote, whereon sits the popular ski resort of La Plagne, to its foot, 3400m below?

By skiing, of course. But before strapping on a brand new pair of Fischer skis, taking a moment to repent your sins, and launching yourself from the heady perch with the careless abandon of a man or woman who has nothing left to live for, there's another piece of equipment you'll need. A parachute.

This combination of ski and parachute means that you're no longer skiing, but speed riding.

Speed riding takes the familiar principle of skiing down a slope and transports it to the mountainside, throwing in rocky outcrops, sheer drops and the risk of avalanche for good measure. Obviously, anybody attempting this under normal circumstances would be on a fast track to a broken neck, but the element of paragliding that the parachute adds ensures an as near to smooth descent as is possible. Basically, when you run out of agreeable ground you take to the air.

This most exhilarating of extreme sports was invented late in 2003 by a group of paragliders, including amongst their number Francois Bon who has gone on to become one of the leading lights in the sport. Early in 2008 Bon could be seen on the BBC's flagship Top Gear show, putting the sport of speed riding to the test when he raced Richard Hammond, driving an Audi RS6, down the side of a mountain. The combination of skiing and paragliding won.

Specially customised canopies are utilised, around half the size of the ones used in paragliding, which causes the daring skier to skim along the surface and when the time comes effectively float over any oncoming obstacle. This is achieved by tugging a cord which causes you to lift into the air, but not high enough so that you're sent sailing off at a tangent for an abrupt meeting with an opposing cliff face. That is why considerably smaller canopies are used. They're also used for braking, which can be quite handy when hurtling face first down the side of a mountain at speeds of up 75mph.

As with any extreme sport, speed riding is extremely dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, and dangerous even when you do. However, it has a better safety record than other similar pursuits and it is possible to buy insurance if you've the inclination to take it up.

Something which a great many skiers are doing. The popularity of this literally breathtaking variation upon the more familiar pastime of skiing has swept across the ski resorts and communities of Europe, spreading from its birthplace in France, along the Alpine backbone to Switzerland, and onwards to Italy, Germany and Austria. Equipment is designed and sold specifically for the purpose and there are tournaments, events and championships springing up all over the place.

An ability to ski is naturally a prerequisite for anybody seriously considering swelling the ranks of those already entrenched in the sport of speed riding, and some experience of paragliding is also a benefit. There are instructors available and designated practice slopes to bring you up to speed.

So next time you're on a skiing holiday and you've taken time out to scale one of the nearby mountain peaks, only to realise you've left your chalet door open; strap on your skis and parachute and take to the air. You'll be home before you know it.

Bulgaria is one of the most visited holiday destinations in Europe and understandably so. It has a 300 km coastline along the Black Sea with numerous beach resorts and small villages. Also, about half the country is mountainous with three major ski resorts - Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo. These are all visited by hundreds of thousands of international tourists annually.

Bankso is by far the largest of the three ski resorts. It is located about 120 km from the capital Sofia at the intersection of three mountains - Pirin, Rhodopa and Rila. Bansko used to be a quiet small town with a picturesque center preserving the Renaissance architecture of these parts of Bulgaria. After Bulgaria started its transition from communism, opened its economy for international investment, and allowed privately funded projects in its tourism destinations, Bansko took off. Within a few years, it was transformed into a sprawling ski resort with dozens of hotels and condo buildings. British, Irish, and Russian investors flocked in to purchase holiday properties which then became available for rent. The city and private investors developed the ski runs which, while available under communism, did not have the modern facilities required by international skiers.

Borovets and Pamporovo were the most prominent ski destinations during communism and continue to be such despite taking second place to Bansko. Borovets is easily accessible as it is located only 60 km from Sofia. There is regular bus transport from Sofia to the resort and one can also rent a car to get there. Borovets takes its name from Bor, a large needle tree that dominates the landscape. In winder, the large trees, heavy with snow, line the streets, walking paths and ski runs giving a feeling of warmth. The resort did not develop many new facilities, partly due to its location within the mountain that does not allow much new development, but it is a great destination nonetheless.

Pamorovo is in the southern part of Bulgaria, about 100 km from the second largest city of Bulgaria Plovdiv. It is situated in what many Bulgarians and international visitor consider to be the most pristine and beautiful mountains in Bulgaria - the Rhodopas. With large rolling hills, this mountain indeed presents a remarkable spectacle of nature. Pamporovo is a bit different from Borovets. While Borovets is nested between hills with hotels and restaurants bundled up close to each other, Pamporovo is more spread out, with some distance between the large hotels. Between Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo, the Bulgarian ski resorts offer not only skiing opportunities but also different settings and ways to experience nature.