Just reading about some of the half term ski holiday deals still availble for half term and took note of the a deal based at Valmorel – a far cry from the luxury ski resort of Kilimandjaro.  It is usual to fly from gatwick to grenoble to visit this resort but low cost airlines are slashing prices on flights to Nice where holiday makers can hire a car to complete the journey to resort.

Car rental firms in Europe have always been ready to supply special tyres in readiness for the usual conditions.  Winterized vehicles are supplied with all-weather tyres and in some regions you can have snow tyres fitted.

Many skiing holidays in France begin with cheap flights to Nice airport where groups have arrange their own car hire. Nice, in the south of France, is a major destination for both summer and increasingly winter travellers in search of low cost ski holidays.  Depending on the conditions of the ski resort you are travelling to you can request tyre chains when you book your car hire.  France is one of the many countries where snow chains are offered as an optional extra but the small cost could save you a lot of time and trouble should you run into uncleared roads whilst on holiday.

Driving in snow and Ice

For snow and ice – high gear and low revs gives you more torque. Move off in second, or even third if you can manage, and keep your revs just above stalling speed

When you’re not sure what the surface of the road is like I do two things. First I look for ‘diamonds’ twinkling in the light. That is ice crystals. And second, drop the window an inch and listen. If there is silence on days like this then chances are I am on an icy road. Time in both cases to slow down. Gently.

The problem in the UK is that we all use standard tyres in winter and their rubber compound has an odd characteristic that causes the coefficient of friction to dip around zero degrees Celsius. A few degrees lower or higher and they work better. So called winter tyres use a different compound to avoid this, but they wear out faster. In the Alps and other ‘snow’ territories of Europe, winter tyres are obligatory and they make a huge difference. In Austria winter tyres have to be fitted by law for the six months of winter, but they certainly get you through most of the worst snow and ice situations without problems.