Top tips

Fanatics take them as hand-luggage, fruitcakes actually wear them onboard. Ski carriage costs and transfer-hassle make rental a good bet (treat it as a chance to demo new skis or snowboard).

Check the weather forecast before you leave to fine-tune your kit: knowing it will be -20 degrees adds a couple of kilos to your baggage that you can ditch if it's set fair. Forecasts for 3 to 4 days should be sufficiently reliable, and you can always buy what you need in resort, if necessary.

• Which resort?
• Getting there
• Where to stay