Were you one of the lucky ones last winter? One of the ones who had money to spend, who picked up the phone to a chalet company and negotiated a whopping discount and then enjoyed some of the best snow in recent memory?

Things are unlikely to turn out quite so well for winter holidaymakers this year. For a start, snow conditions in the mountains are notoriously variable and last winter will be tough to follow.

As far as deals are concerned, there are likely to be fewer about. The crisis in the financial sector created big problems for ski companies last year.

Most admit that bookings dropped sharply in September and October. As a result, many tour operators — tied into expensive deals to lease chalets for the whole winter — were forced to slash prices as the season went on.

Tour operators do not want to have the same happen this year so they have made cuts. Crystal, for example, has slashed the number of chalets in its brochure by 40 per cent. Other companies have also cut back on chalets and the number of resorts in which they operate.

At the same time, a number of companies have gone out of business. If bookings are still weak this autumn, expect still more failures.

Ski companies have also realised that some holidaymakers may be nervous about booking big-ticket holidays in the middle of a recession and have come up with promotions to entice skiers to the mountains.

Crystal, for example, has introduced all-inclusive Ski Plus packages on off-peak weeks in December, January and March. These include accommodation, flights, transfers, local lift pass, equipment hire and ski carriage, and must be booked before October 31. A week from March 6 in a four-person self-catering apartment in La Plagne costs £528 for adults.

Inghams has also introduced all-inclusive packages at selected hotels in Andorra, Romania and Slovakia. A package at the Hotel Sport in Poiana Brasov, Romania costs £603 per person, which includes flights, transfers, half-board accommodation, lift pass, ski hire, tuition and free local drinks.

Sister companies Esprit and Total have introduced Crunch Busters, which they claim can save a family of four up to £1,500 on the 2008-09 holiday price. The biggest savings come at the very beginning and end of the season in less popular resorts but there are some main week bargains.

Christmas week at the Ducs de Savoie chalet hotel in Val d’Isère is £824 per person this year compared with £919 last. The level of child discounts has also increased and children having their own rooms rather than sharing now enjoy the full child discount rather than half the published percentage as in previous years. This can save hundreds of pounds.

Even upmarket Scott Dunn is reacting to the slump. On several dates throughout the season guests at its chalets in Val d’Isère get a free Espace Killy lift pass, free ski lessons and two free lunches in resort restaurants, a package worth £500. Prices start at £1,325 including flights and transfers.

Despite the tough times there are some new ski companies. Zenith Holidays has been set up by two former Crystal managers and is offering packages with accommodation and transfers to some smaller resorts in Austria and France, including Leogang and Chamrousse.