Europe’s best snowfall for years has seen ski-weekends peak in popularity this winter, despite predictions that people would curb their holiday travel during the recession.

Cash-strapped Brits are choosing to cut winter holidays short and slope off on ski weekends, rather than miss out on the best snow and skiing conditions in years.

Figures from easyJet showed that passengers flying from the UK to Airports in the French, Swiss and Italian Alps for the weekend have increased by more than 16 per cent*.

Paul Simmons, easyJet's UK general manager, said: “Early last year as the credit crunch began we noticed that ski weekends became popular, even though the snowfall wasn’t as good. This year we’ve really seen a jump in weekend flights with people wanting to hit the slopes quickly and cheaply.

“Airports like Innsbruck, Grenoble and Geneva are proving particularly popular for ski-weekends. They have a short flight time from most UK airports, and some of Europe’s best ski resorts within an hour’s drive, so people don’t have to waste time on airport transfers.

“You can set off from the UK and be on the piste in one of Europe’s top ski resorts like Chamonix and Flaine in under four hours, making them perfect for those who want to get a quick ‘ski-fix’ for a weekend.”

To help customers looking for the best ski weekend resorts, easyJet has launched an interactive map at www.easyjet4ski.com. The new ski-focussed website shows the best airports to fly to for all the major resorts with transfer times and prices, snow reports and ski accommodation.