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A question we are often asked is whether it is better to take group lessons or private lessons when joining ski school, and the answer is that it depends what you want to get out of your ski school time. For the price of a fifteen hour group lesson, you can get 2-3 hours of individual instruction. If two people share the private lessons they can have 5 hours for around the price of the group lesson. See the Ski School pricelist for detailed prices.

Group lessons in Arinsal consist of 15 hours over five days. You will be skiing with a group of like minded people learning together so it is a great way to meet people. The encouragement and camaraderie of the group makes this a really fun way to learn. The timescale allows you to develop your technique over a longer period, and allows the instructor to present a wider range of material. Most beginners book into group lessons, but we also offer group lessons for all levels of skier - improvers to advanced. Advanced groups might spend time learning to tackle steep terrain, off-piste snow and bumps, refining their carving skills or perhaps being introduced to racing or freestyle. Improver groups might cover learning to ski parallel and working on confidence. Note that whether you consider yourself an improver, intermediate or advanced skier you will go to the intermediate meeting point on the first day.

Private lessons are usually for an hour or two at a time, although it is up to you how long you book for. Some people book a single private lesson at the start of the week, whilst others book lessons across the week. You can choose the time, the instructor, the subject of the lesson, and whether to take the lesson by yourself or with friends, partners or children. The instructor is able to tailor the lesson to your precise needs, and devise exercises aimed specifically at you. This is the fastest way to improve your skiing. Private lessons are useful for a general tune-up, learning a specific technique, correcting a fault or moving past a plateau. They are also useful to augment group lessons, either because you feel you are progressing too slowly, or because you want to take your skiing a bit further. If there are five or six of you sharing the lessons (provided you are of similar levels) then you can have the best of both worlds - 10 to 15 hours of private lessons shared between you won't cost much more than group lessons, you get to ski with a group of friends or family whilst learning over the whole week.

In short, if you want to meet people have fun, be shown around the resort and learn something each day choose group lessons. If you want to learn faster, (re)build your confidence, learn something specific, spend most of your time skiing with your friends and family or you need more flexibility in lesson times then choose private lessons.

Today, I had a great day's skiing.  The air was cold, the sun was shining, the sky was a magnificent blue and the snow was cold and very skiable. I skied down to the village on the Marrades run. They had made enough snow to open this run during the past week. I have been back in England for a week and today was my first day back skiing in over a week.

I am often asked at what age one should bring children skiing. The answer often depends on the child. As a guide line I would point out that the ski school does not accept children less than six years of age. There is a good reason for this. Under this age very few children have the physical strength to ski properly and even fewer have the mental memory to remember the lesson or have the concentration to get value from a three hour lesson. Indeed, my personal opinion is that nine is a better age to teach children skiing. Young children compensate their lack of strength by leaning on the back of their boots for support. When they are old enough to ski properly we have to change this habit, which may be deeply engrained in their minds. I think that parents should also consider the safety aspect of allowing their very young children onto a crowded slope. Collisions do occur. A collision between a five year old and a fourteen stone adult could have very serious consequences.

In Arinsal we have an enclosed ski area for four and five year olds. The gentle slope is served by a small rope tow. Any collision in this area will be at a slow speed between two children of fairly equal weight. I am always amazed at the lack of concern for the safety of their children that some parents show. We had two children this week without crash helmets OR sunglasses. Andorran children under 12 must wear a safety helmet when skiing. The Andorran authorities do not enforce this law on foreigners. Perhaps they think if the parents are not concerned about safety, why should they?  So please look after your children, skiing can be a dangerous sport if all the rules are not followed.

Booking next winter's ski holiday

If you want to get the best possible deal for next season's ski holiday, it is always a good time to start looking. You may not want to book right away, but it is worth researching some prices. Tour operator prices may well drop if you wait until the absolute last minute, but the days of the ridiculously cheap last minute deals seem to be over, perhaps because too many people were leaving it later and later to book. Many prices will go up nearer the time as well, depending on demand for a holiday.

In the past we have often advised people that a DIY package is usually cheaper than going with a tour company, but over the last couple of seasons we have seen that this is no longer the case. With the tour companies competing to maintain their market share in the current economic climate, there are great bargains to be found which are hard to match putting together your own package on the internet. As well as the big tour operators, there are also smaller (but still reputable ABTA bonded) companies such as Fast Track Ski offering cheap ski deals to Arinsal and other resorts in Andorra. Of course the DIY route has its place, especially if you want a shorter or longer break, or you want more control over the holiday.

The basic decision you need to make then is whether to book with a tour operator or put together your own package. If you already know where you want to ski (Arinsal we hope) then price is probably the single biggest factor for most people, followed by convenience. You can stay in the same accommodation, and ski the same slopes whichever way you choose to book. Try comparing like with like, finding your own hotels and flights, and getting quotes from the tour company websites. Make sure you are clear on what the package includes, particularly regarding the ski pack and insurance which may be add-on extras on a tour company website. Remember to include everything when pricing up the DIY option. Packages are convenient, but many people prefer the freedom and flexibility afforded by the D.I.Y. approach to booking a holiday, and it isn't all that difficult.

Starting with the packages, here are all the tour operators we know of who are currently selling packages in Arinsal for next winter.

Neilson Active Holidays
Thomas Cook
Airtours
Inghams
First Choice
Topflight (Ireland)
Thomson
Crystal

Moving on to the self-booking option, here is a checklist of everything you need to allow for when pricing up your own package (and if booking with a tour operator, make sure all these are included as well).

• Hotels/apartments - use the hotel search tool to the left, or look at our accommodation page for hotel details.
• Flights - try the flight search on the left, a flight comparison site like Cheapflights or look at individual airlines. You can fly to Toulouse, Barcelona, Gerona, Perpignon, Carcassonne, Lleida or Reus. All are 3-4 hours drive.
• Transfers - Novatel run buses from Barcelona, Toulouse and Gerona. Or you could hire a car - see the Fly-Drive page for driving advice.
• Travel insurance, including winter sports cover. Remember that the EHIC card is not valid in Andorra as it is outside the EU. The comparison site, Quote Banana (as advertised on this site) is a good starting point but there are many insurance companies so look around. Even if you decide to travel with a tour company you might save money by organising your own insurance.
• Ski Pass - essential for all skiers/snowboarders. You can purchase it when you arrive in resort. See the Vallnord website for details. It is also worth registering for the Vallnord card (free from the same site) to get a discount.
• Ski/board hire - unless you have your own equipment you will need to hire it for the week. You can do this on arrival, but will probably get a better deal booking online with Skiset or Snowrental for example. Keep an eye on this site as we may be publishing some good deals on ski hire nearer to next season.
• Ski lessons - for beginners, ski lessons are absolutely essential. For everybody else they are still worthwhile and will enhance your enjoyment of the sport. Again, more details are on the Vallnord website.

The last three are often packaged together as a ski pack, both by tour companies and by some of the hotels. You can wait until much nearer the time to book them, but do allow for them when comparing package prices.