The recent dramatic cut on the VAT on the cost of buying a meal in a French restaurants and cafes will result in higher service standards as well as lower prices for Brits in the Alps this winter according to a statement from P&V (also known as Pierre & Vacances or PV-Holidays) is the number one provider of holiday residences, villages and hotels all over France – including many in British ski tour operator programmes.

Only a short time ago, criticisms in Whistler over the 2010 Games were rarely heard and quickly silenced. Now, though, with taxes going up and up as if they were on the world’s longest ski lift, angry questions are getting louder — and any answers are proving elusive.

You’re not too late. This stunning British Columbia city, along with its alpine sister to the north, Whistler, will host the 2010 Winter Olympics in February. Yes, most tickets are gone. Most rooms are booked. Most fans have made their plans. But the biggest event this town has ever seen still has room for more visitors.

A backhoe growls as it carves the dirt where a second ski lodge will be built at the White Pass ski area. Not far away, a bulldozer groans as it pulls a stump from the hillside, clearing the way for a ski run. After two decades of litigation, work to nearly double the size of White Pass to almost 1,600 acres is finally under way.

It would be wise to start stockpiling nordic ski wax for low-snow conditions, if such a product exists. An El Nino, warmer than normal water in the Pacific Ocean near the equater, has been forecast for this winter and that would mean less snow than normal for Milwaukee, Madison and the rest of the Midwest, based on historical patterns.

The North American ski industry has been hit hard by the global recession and will not likely recover for another two seasons, says the chief executive of Intrawest, owner of the 2010 Winter Olympics venue Whistler Blackcomb. Bill Jensen told a ski industry conference Tuesday that the recovery will not be V-shaped, but more “like a hockey stick” and that signs of a recovery won’t likely appear until the 2011–12 season.