No matter whether your clients are serious adventurers keen to leave the beaten track far behind, families in search of fun, or more relaxed types who prefer to stretch their legs rather than set their adrenaline coursing, specialist operators have snowy options to suit a whole range of holidaymakers this winter.
1. Dog-sledding in Quebec
Adventurous travellers rarely want to sit back and watch, and this trip from Explore allows clients to take the driving seat – literally.
After half a day of training, they’ll be allowed to pilot their own team of huskies across the Mauricie region of Quebec. The only sound they’ll hear across the pristine Canadian wilderness is the panting of the dogs and the swish of the sled, as they pass forest-covered mountains and frozen lakes, potentially spotting deer, moose, black bear and even wolves.
They will stay in cosy log cabins along the way, before heading back to Quebec City to see the sights of the old town, have a go at snowmobiling, show-shoeing, skiing or even relax with a much-needed spa and massage treatment.
Sample product: Explore offers the nine-day Dog-sled Quebec trip from £2,250 departing February 19, 2011 including flights and most meals. explore.co.uk, 08444 990904
2. Igloo building in Sweden
Budding snow sculptors can freeze their fingers while trying their hands at building an igloo to sleep in on this Adventure Company trip to Swedish Lapland.
However, even the hardiest adventurer will be relieved to know that there’s a fall-back, in the shape of the famous Ice Hotel. The rooms may be a chilly -5C, but a thick sleeping bag and reindeer-pelt blanket will keep guests warm – unless they’re outside anyway, mesmerised by the Northern Lights dancing across the night sky.
Daytime activities include snow-shoeing, snowmobiling, dog-sledding, ice-fishing, and the chance to learn more about the lives of the local Sami people, who herd reindeer. Clients will even learn how to make fire and cook in an arctic environment – eat your heart out, Ray Mears!
Sample product: The Adventure Company offers the seven-day Active Arctic and the Ice Hotel trip from £1,799 departing February 23, including flights and most meals. adventurecompany.co.uk, 08456 090479
3. Expedition Cruising in the Antarctic
The Antarctic is the coldest, windiest, harshest place on the planet, where there is no permanent human habitation, no plant life and the average temperature is -49C.
Yet despite this, it tops the list of once-in-a-lifetime trips for many adventurers, who can’t wait to visit earth’s last great wilderness, where an area of ice that is twice the size of Australia overlays volcanoes, meteorites, and dinosaur fossils.
The cruising season runs from November until March, when the weather is (slightly) warmer and the continent receives almost 24-hour daylight. Tucan Travel offers a classic 11-day itinerary on the steel-hulled ship Ushuaia. The 84 passengers will cruise past majestic icebergs, spotting whales, and travel in Zodiac-style boats to see penguin colonies and glaciers.
Sample product: Tucan Travel offers the 11-day Classic Arctic itinerary from £3,110, staying in a basic cabin, including all meals on board, all excursions and guiding. Flights excluded. tucantravel.com, 020 8896 1600
4. Cross-country skiing in Switzerland
For low impact fun in the snow, clients could try cross-country skiing. It’s relatively easy to learn – not dissimilar to walking – and skiers can skim across the snow, appreciating the view.
And on Headwater’s cross-country skiing itinerary at Kandersteg, there is plenty to appreciate. In the heart of the Bernese Oberland, clients will love the breathtaking scenery: the Matterhorn, the Dents du Midi and Mont Blanc, plus villages with the sort of cuckoo clock-style wooden houses that adorn old-fashioned chocolate boxes.
Three half-days of cross-country skiing tuition with an instructor are included, and then there are hundreds of miles of well-marked trails to explore. Skiers stay in the Hotel Alfa Soleil, which has a heated pool, sauna and solarium to soothe tired muscles.
Sample product: Headwater offers the eight-day Cross-Country Skiing at Kandersteg itinerary from £1,098 departing in January, staying on a half board basis in the three-star Hotel Alfa Soleil and including flights from Heathrow to Zurich and rail connections to the resort. headwater.com, 01606 720199
5. Family fun in Bulgaria
Somehow snow in the UK is never as much fun – the dreams of children playing snow angels end in tears and slush. So recommend clients take the family away for a good value snowy break in Bulgaria Imaginative Travellers’s trip is designed for families and includes different activities every day to keep young adventurers occupied.
They can ski or snowboard (with tuition for beginner skiers), cross-country ski, snowshoe, go snow-mobiling or dog-sledding, swim in thermal pools, visit Bulgaria’s largest canyon and the Devil’s Mouth cave, and even study the night sky through a telescope at the Rozhen Observatory. There’s also time to explore the capital, Sofia.
Sample product: Imaginative Traveller offers the seven-night Bulgarian Winter Adventure from £649 for adults and £549 for kids departing February 19, 2011 staying in hotels and pensions on a mainly bed-and-breakfast basis, including most activities. imaginative-traveller.com, 08450 778803
Photo: Ice fishing in Sweden, by Hampus Perhamn
