Despite reports by The Guardian, Metro, Daily Mail and other British newspapers, snow has started to fall in the Alps with places such as Val d'Isere, Verbier and Mayrhofen enjoying metres of the stuff in time for Christmas. Of course, if you’re a keen skier or snowboarder and have a holiday booked for the coming season, you’ll know that what you read in the papers counts for nothing – it’s the ski blogs and sites that tell the real story. Here are some of our favourites.

WELOVE2SKI
www.welove2ski.com



Run by three of Britain's leading winter sports writers, welove2ski is a hugely informative site, packed full of news, features, advice and first hand experiences, including tips on family skiing holidays, ski fitness guides, driving to the Alps, reviews of the best resorts, snow forecasts, snow blogs (‘snogs') and much more. Whatever you want to know about skiing or snowboarding, you are guaranteed to find it here.

SKI-BUZZ
ski-buzz.co.uk



This ski and snowboard blog offers a well-presented and easy to follow guide to the latest ski and snowboard news, covering resorts from across the world as well as information on the latest ski and snowboard gear. Posts are very detailed and instructive, offering a combination of advice, tips, snow reports, videos, pictures, special offers and more besides to help everyone from beginners to experts plan their ski holiday well.

LA TANIA
www.latania.co.uk



This blog delivers all the latest news from around the Three Valleys, direct from the La Tania locals. Whether you’re after photos, gossip, snow reports, information on what’s on or the latest from the Apres Ski scene, this is the place to find it. The site is now fully optimised for iPhone, Touch and Android Mobiles, so you can check up on what’s going down on the slopes as you go about your day.

AFTERBANG SNOWBOARDING
www.afterbang.co.uk



With its clean and uncomplicated interface, large images, videos and great features, Afterbang Snowboarding is a must for any budding or experienced snowboarder. Comprising a ‘Learn to Snowboard Guide’ section, a ‘Snowboard Tricks Guide’ section as well as reviews on snowboarding gear, accommodation, snowboarding DVDs, lessons, books and even travel insurance.

IGLUSKI
www.igluski.com



The largest independent retailer of ski and snowboarding holidays in the UK, Igluski is a great place to come to find last minute deals and offers on ski holidays as well in-depth snow reports and news from resorts around the world and customer reviews on holidays and resorts. Meanwhile, it’s worth checking into the blog for detailed updates and advice for your ski or snowboarding holiday.

POWDER MAGAZINE
www.powdermag.com



An American skiers magazine, focusing on American resorts, Powder Magazine is well worth checking out if you’re planning a ski trip across the pond. Featuring great photos from professional ski photographers such as Jordan Manley and Christian Pondella, buyers guides for the best ski-wear as well as resort information, events listings and news from the slopes, its digital version is every bit as useful as the actual magazine.

SNOW FORECAST
www.snow-forecast.com



In the week before your ski holiday, you will find yourself checking this site compulsively, praying all the while that the snow gods are smiling. This is the site that all the ski and snowboard bloggers and websites use for their own snow reporting for the simple reason that it’s the best, offering weather maps, resort specific snow forecasts and pictures. You can even buy ski and snowboard wear and book your holiday here.

SKI CLUB GREAT BRITAIN
www.skiclub.co.uk



A not-for-profit club for people who love snowsports, Ski Club Great Britain has around 34,000 members comprising everyone from skiers and snowboarders to beginners and lifelong fanatics. Members can expect to save money on their holidays, travel, ski gear, ski hire and more, gain access to Ski Club TV (including premium snow reports) and meet with other skiers and snowboarders. Meanwhile, everyone can benefit from the informative and well-organised website.

Emily Jenkinson

19th December 2011