The best late season ski holidays

So, this year at least, winter is back with a vengeance. If you fancy grabbing a piece of the action before the end of the season, here's how.

FORGET HALF-TERM

It's skiing mayhem from now until February 24, as our half-term combines with similar school breaks across Europe. There are a few late deals to be found for departures next weekend - usually last-minute cancellations. Chalet Arktik - the hippest chalet in Tignes, France - has just come back on the market for the week starting February 17; £699pp, half-board (saving £400), including flights from Manchester or Edinburgh, through Total Ski (0870 163 3633, www.skitotal.com ). For an overview of what's left, check out www.iglu.com or www.ski-holidays.com .

If you can, go for the last week of February, March or early April - it's cheaper and less crowded. The mountains get more expensive again from mid-March, because of the Easter holidays, but never as bad as half-term prices.

IF IN DOUBT, AIM HIGH...

Last month, the Alps served up a couple of reminders of how changeable the weather can be - sudden burps of hot southern air that sent daytime temperatures on the slopes to 12C. That means slush in the afternoon and ice the next morning, neither of which are much fun to ski.

The best chance of avoiding conditions like this is to target Alpine resorts with most of their skiing above 2,000 metres. The list includes Tignes, Val d'Isère and Val Thorens, in France; Zermatt and Saas-Fee, in Switzerland; Obergurgl and Lech-Zürs, in Austria; and Cervinia, in Italy. With Inghams (020 8780 4444, www.inghams.co.uk ), a week at the four-star Sertorelli hotel, in Cervinia, one of the cheaper options, costs £737pp, half-board, including flights and transfers, arriving on March 15.

If your budget's tight, then try a self-drive, self-catering holiday from the likes of Erna Low (0845 863 0525, www.ernalow.co.uk ), which has one week, arriving on March 15, at the Balcons de Bellevarde, in Val d'Isère, for £250pp, based on four sharing a two-room apartment, and including return Eurotunnel crossings with car. ...

OR GO TO NORTH AMERICA

The climate in the Rockies is so much more wintry than the Alps, and US resorts in the chain have had a sensational two months of snowfall: Vail has clocked up 21ft; Snowbird, in Utah, 29ft; and Jackson Hole, in Wyoming, a whopping 30ft.

What's more, the Colorado resorts are set at extremely high altitudes - Vail has skiing between 8,200ft and 11,250ft. Ski Independence (0845 310 3030, www.ski-i.com ) has one week, arriving on March 15, at the Evergreen Lodge, in Vail, for £1,199pp, room-only, including flights and transfers.

Lake Louise, in the Canadian Rockies, is another reliable late-season destination: it has a drier climate than the resorts further south but is even colder, which means less powder, but excellent on-piste conditions. One week, arriving on March 15 and staying at the Deer Lodge, costs £955pp, room-only, including flights and transfers, with Ski Safari (01273 224060, www.skisafari.com ).

BOOK AT THE LAST MINUTE

It's not just the Rockies that will be skiing well in the second half of the season. But it's best to book as close to the start of the holiday as you can, once you've checked on conditions. That's easy, thanks to the plethora of forecasts and snow reports online - www.skiclub.co.uk , www.welove2ski.com and www.snow-forecast.com will tell you everything you need to know.

You should be able to pick up some great deals. For example, Samoëns, in France, is a lowlying village of immense charm, with a cable car that will whisk you up to the Grand Massif ski area, near Mont Blanc. The skiing here rises only to 2,500 metres, but its proximity to the highest of all the Alps means it gets plenty of snow when a blizzard rolls in. If March is snowy, it's worth targeting - and it's cheap. One week in a two-room, self-catering apartment at Les Fermes de Samoëns, arriving on March 15, costs £105pp, based on four sharing and including return Eurotunnel crossings, with Peak Retreats (0844 576 0170, www.peakretreats.co.uk ).

TAKE THE KIDS TO SCANDINAVIA

Tour operators offering specialist childcare in the Alps are mostly sold out for Easter - so go to Scandinavia instead. The locals tend to speak excellent English, and the lack of long, sustained steeps won't bother you unless your brood is already skiing well. Many families find the plethora of activities, such as dog-sledding, tobogganing and ice-skating, more than make up for the modest size of the mountains. With Neilson (0870 333 3347, www.neilson.co.uk ), one week at the Renen hotel, in Are, Sweden, costs £689pp, half-board, including flights and transfers for the week beginning March 23.

MAKE A PARTY OF IT

Another way to ensure a memorable experience is to attach your holiday to a larger event. They proliferate in the Alps once spring sets in, and range from race weeks to nightclub freak-outs. Mayrhofen, in Austria, is home to Snowbombing (March 31-April 6), one of the biggest parties - it brings live bands and DJs together in a week of madness as the snow gets slushy (in other words, it's more about the partying than the skiing/boarding). Accommodation-and-event packages start at £259pp, B&B, based on two sharing a room and excluding flights and transfers. For details, call 0845 331 3061 or visit www.snowbombing.com .

Or how about joining The Sunday Times Ski Challenge - which also takes place in Mayrhofen, between March 15 and 22 (0870 403 3309, www.skichallenge.co.uk )? It boosts the normal ski-holiday formula with technique clinics, video analysis and the thrill of giant slalom - and is hosted by Sir Steve Redgrave. Packages start at £500pp, B&B, including flights, transfers, lift pass, equipment, training and race fees.