As with all Sweet Protection products, it uses nothing but the very best materials.  It employs a triple-layer GoreTex pro shell to offer maximum breathability while being 100% waterproof.  It has an awesome snow skirt and wrist gaiters to ensure that even in the deepest powder, the snow stays outside the jacket!

It employs the watertight VKK zip system on all pockets and the main zip so you know that your stuff will stay dry no matter how poor the conditions.  The ergonomically designed pocket system means that all your zips can be easily accessed with a backpack on and there is a handy pouch on the sleeve for your lift pass.

The jacket is cut slightly slim to provide unrestricted mobility (you can easily raise your arms above your head – important in an avalanche!) and there is a substantial “X-Opening” ventilation system under the arms to provide maximum coolness after that epic hike above the clouds.  The hood comfortably fits around any helmet you may wear and has an easy fastening mechanism to ensure that when the weather gets rough, you can stay tough.

Having tried this jacket for a week in St Anton under a variety of different conditions, I can assure you that this is a key addition to any rider’s wardrobe.  Smart, durable, comfortable and weatherproof, the Sweet Protection Supernaut Jacket does exactly what it says on the tin, and does it better than anyone else.

Tried and tested by Pete for SnowMoment, the home of the very best in freeride ski wear and equipment.

Copyright: Armada Skis

If you’ve had to reconsider whether to go skiing or not this year, then read on and you may reconsider again…

There are tons of ways to save money when booking your ski holiday. By taking into account lots of different criteria such as when and where to go, pre-booking extras online and choice of transport, it’s possible to make large savings on your holiday.  There are also plenty of ways of saving a few pounds (or Euros) once to get to your resort. Here’s a handy guide to help you make your trip this year that little bit more affordable.

Booking early or late is great

Kick off your saving when booking, if you can be flexible and wait until the very last minute, you can, of course, find some great deals, however, in more recent years many companies tend to offer better deals for early bookings to make sure they meet their objectives.

Timing is key

The obvious advice is, of course, avoid school holiday periods – and not just the UK holidays – check on the net for other European school holiday dates which may apply to your destination.  A simpler way of knowing when the school holidays are is by looking directly at the prices! Prices are often double at peak times like Christmas, February half term and Easter so no need to be a mathematician!

Don’t be put off by skiing in January – you may have to put on an extra layer or 2 but the snow is generally excellent and the slopes much quieter and most importantly of course, the prices are at their lowest. You will also find some low prices at the end of the season – nobody wants their hotel empty or to see their perfectly groomed ski slopes with no-one on it, so generally the prices are very competitive at the end of the season!  If you go high you will get good snow, good deals AND a great suntan!

Shorter breaks don’t always break the bank

If a week still seems too expensive, then think about a 5 day trip from Monday to Friday – you have to search around a bit but there are offers on the market.  Or why not a long weekend break – get your fix of snow without breaking the bank by choosing an easy-to-access ski resort and some low cost flights.  Watch this space for a special report about weekend breaks.

To pre-book or not to pre-book

This is a great way of spreading your ski holiday costs over a few months – often very popular with the bank manager! Many ski resorts now give good discounts for pre-booked ski passes to try and boost their numbers throughout the season. Generally, you can choose from daily, weekly and sometimes a variation of the ‘ski 4 out of 6 day days’ type ski pass which is great if you have kids and want to do some other activities during the week.  If you’re a fair weather skier and you like to sum up the conditions each morning before deciding whether to hit the slopes or not, this kind of ski pass is ideal.  The other advantage of booking ski passes in advance, apart from good discounts, is little or no queuing with the hoards at the counter on the first morning.

Think about pre-booking your ski equipment too. This saves time and often quite a lot of money, especially if you have children in your group as they often get special deals.

Explore all European options

Italy and Austria are still among the most expensive countries but Switzerland is surprisingly reasonable in comparison. If you’re really looking for a cheaper alternative and you’re not too demanding, then why not try Norway, the Czech Republic or Slovenia where you will find some surprising prices and some pleasant ski resorts with small to medium sized ski areas.  They could make a nice change too!

Pick your resort wisely

Staying low will mean lower prices too – if you’re happy to take shuttle buses up to the ski areas, mountain towns such as Innsbruck, Moutiers and Turin are very good options. If après-ski is not your number one priority, then staying in a small village that’s part of a larger ski area can save lots of money too. For example, the village of Orelle in France where you have access to the huge Trois Vallées ski area or Vallandry which is connected to the Les Arcs area.  The Southern Alps also boasts some great little resorts such as la Foux d’Allos, Vars and Risoul where prices are noticeably lower and are among he favourites with French skiers.

Think outside the box on transport

Traveling by car can often work out cheaper than flying especially for families or groups. This is even more true now the low cost airlines have added on so many extra charges they are actually more expensive than the “high cost” airlines! You can reach a lot of the French ski resorts in about 10 hours from London and Austrian and Swiss resorts in an average of 12 hours. Taking your car gives you more freedom once you arrive in your resort, however, check whether parking is free and not too limited in your chosen ski resort before deciding.

If you do decide to fly then check the small print if you have a lot of luggage or your own ski equipment – those low cost airlines have to make their money somehow! It’s important to tick the right boxes when booking online as you might have a nasty surprise at the airport where you’ll nearly always be charged more at the check-in desk for extra or bulky luggage.

One of the most pleasant and stress free ways of getting to your resort is by train. Depending on where you go, the Snowtrain can almost take you door to door from central London!

It’s important not to forget transfers from airports or train stations – this can add up but there are lots of companies offering their services so look around for the best deals.

Once you get to your ski resort

Once you arrive at your destination, you can save money by following these tips:

Save on ski passes

If you’ve decided to wait until you arrive at your resort, but the high price of the ski passes for the larger ski areas puts you off, then check prices for the smaller sections within the ski area that are accessible with a limited pass. Maybe your group or family doesn’t actually need access to the whole ski area and will find enough challenges on the resorts own runs.  This is particularly valid for families with young children or groups with beginners.

Even though you get a discount for buying a weekly pass, it’s often not that much of a difference, so consider buying daily ski passes! This is what I always do when skiing with my kids because you never know what the conditions are going to be like or someone might not be feeling well! There’s nothing worse than feeling obliged to go up the slopes when the weather conditions are bad, or with a sickly kid, just because you’ve already bought your ski pass! There are often plenty of other activities on offer or you can just relax for a day at the resort’s pool or playing games in front of the fireplace… Check out the ski area’s official website to compare prices and see their particular special offers.

Some ski resorts have decided to offer loyalty discounts.  This literally means that if you have returned to the same ski resort as the previous year and you kept your ski pass, you may get up to 5% off your new pass!  This saving could buy you a meal in some resorts!

Rent smart

Depending on where you’re staying, your hosts will often have an agreement with a particular ski hire shop giving their guests a discount – sometimes up to 25%!  If not, then don’t go to the most central shop or the one nearest the ski lift – it’s bound to be the most expensive!  If you don’t mind walking a little and shopping around you will find much better deals the further away you venture…

Lighter lunch

This is always a tricky one as mountain restaurants are well-known for serving up rather expensive canteen style food leaving you feeling not particularly satisfied with an empty wallet to go with it!  The high prices are due to transport costs and the low quality – well just a question of constant passing traffic… Ask at the Tourist Office for advice about mountain restaurants – they will have their favourites… Depending on where you’re staying, you may have a picnic hamper option at a small extra charge or make your own sandwiches if you’re in a self-catered apartment or chalet.  There are often some really beautiful picnic spots where you’ll only be bothered by the birds – weather permitting of course – and you don’t need to worry about a coolbox!  If you ski close to your resort in the morning, think about returning to your accommodation or eating in a resort restaurant at lunchtime – if you’re in a group or a large family, this could amount to quite interesting savings!

Self-catering can make sense

Ski resort supermarket prices are generally rather high due to transport costs and also due to the lack of competition.  If you’re driving to your ski resort, plan a supermarket run at the last hypermarket you drive past in the valley before you start the climb to your resort. Supermarkets in ski resorts can be as much as 30%-40% more expensive and the fresh produce often leaves a lot to be desired!

In any case, we hope to have convinced you that you CAN beat the recession by just cutting a few corners and being very organized when booking your ski holiday. This guest blog post was written by Nikki who recommends checking out www.snowplaza.co.uk before your trip for detailed information on ski resorts throughout Europe.

Having already stashed away a slopestyle Bronze Medal at the Winter X Games in Tignes last year, the 20-year-old from Sheffield has built on that success and landed his first big pro competition win, at the FIS Slopestyle World Cup event in Ushuaia, Argentina in September.

Image: © AFP World Tour

His massive score of 90.4 was enough to triumph over a world-class field, pushing seasoned campaigner Henrik Harlaut into second place.  Swiss teen sensation, Jonas Hunziker was third.  It is the first time a British rider has won an international pro slopestyle event and bodes extremely well for 2014, when this ski discipline makes its Olympic debut.

Slopestyle is an event where riders pass down a course of jumps, kickers and rails, trying to perform the most difficult tricks while getting the biggest air.  The riders are judged on the variety of their tricks and their style, which includes nailing clean landings and their body position in the air.

The top of the podium in Ushuaia is a far cry from the Sheffield Ski Village, where “Woodsy” first learnt to spin, flip, grab and grind, but after a ground-breaking 2011 season, which saw him win a second consecutive British slopestyle crown, along with 2 top-5 finishes in the Aspen Open and European Championships and of course that X Games bronze, it seems that the youngster is ready to take his riding to the next level.

It is results like these that have made the British Ski Team bosses and freestyle ski coach Pat Sharples sit up and take note.  With several summer camps, in Saas Fee and Tirol, along with some essential trampoline work back home in the UK, Team GB seem to be devoting both time and resources towards the development of its young snowsports stars in time for Sochi.  With around a million Britons heading to the mountains during the winter months, the time is now to capitalize on the success of London 2012 to boost interest in the Winter Olympics and some of its new, “cooler” disciplines.  Events such as the recent Freeze Festival at London’s Battersea Power Station (where Woods finished 2^nd behind Paddy Graham in the British Big Air Competition final) massively help to promote the sport to people who perhaps haven’t experienced the buzz of the mountains.

On recent visits to the Alps, there has been a noticeable increase in the number and quality of parks in the resorts, with rails, boxes and jumps in great condition and snow maintained as perfectly as any piste.  Along with some places offering free practice on air bags, there has never been a better time for kids and adults alike to learn the art of freestyle skiing.  There are even classes and tuition offered by many ski schools, alongside their regular ski and snowboard lessons.  Even Woodsy himself has dropped in on the act, becoming heavily involved in coaching freestyle and big air both in Europe and North America and loves passing on tips and tricks to even younger riders.

So it seems that all the tools are in place to help James Woods and the rest of the British freestyle team to have a successful season and compete with the best on the world stage.  Who knows, if Woodsy can bring the style and form he showed in Ushuaia, he will definitely be in with a shout of picking up at least a medal in Russia in 2 years time.

For the latest freestyle ski gear, visit us at www.snowmoment.co.uk.  Our selection of skis, clothing and accessories may not make you ride like James Woods, but you can still look as good in the park!

Glencoe

Glencoe was originally known as White Corries back in 1956, it was Scotland’s first commercial ski resort. Glencoe has developed into a freestyle park and is being transformed from a rough and ready experience to an international ski centre, there is even a nice café up the top of the mountain so you can take a break and have a well-deserved cuppa after all that skiing. It hosts 19 runs, 7 lifts and some of the longest and steepest runs in Scotland for all your advance skiers.

Nevis Range

You guessed it; it’s in the shadow of Ben Nevis and is the highest skiing slope in Scotland. It boasts Scotland’s only mountain gondola system; the gondolas transport visitors effortlessly to the top of the mountain (2150 ft.), 12 minutes from the car park. The journey up allows you to see Ben Nevis and the Scottish highlands in their full beauty. There is an extensive range of piste black and red runs for the more experienced skier.

Glenshee

Glenshee has some of the most extensive skiing and snowboarding facilities, Glenshee compromises of 36 runs and 22 lifts, so all you pros can go and show off your skills. Glenshee hosts the largest ski lift in the UK and the top of the Cairnwell chairlift is said to offer the best panorama of the Cairngorms.

Now you’re getting excited about the prospect of spending the Christmas holidays skiing, a little retail therapy is just perfect for ramping up the holiday excitement, make sure you’ve got the right ski wear and equipment before you embark on your skiing holiday. For more information fill out one of our online contact form here.