Advice for beginner family looking to ski March 2015

A snowHead

Hi Everyone. We are new to the forum and are also new to ski-ing (son, 20 has skied once). We are looking to book a cheap-as-possible ski holiday for either last week of Jan or sometime in March. Someone said try Borovets, Bulgaria but I'm concerned whether the snow will be ok for those times. Anyone got any advice? Or can anyone recommend anywhere else which is fairly cheap?
We don't know what we'e doing, so thought we'd join the forum & pick the brains of experts!
Thank you.

A snowHead

welcome to SHs, @First Timer, I'm sure you'll get loads of helpful (and possibly contradictory!) advice.

I've not been to Bulgaria but reports here are mixed. The last week of January is a good time - low season, but usually snow is fine.

The easiest way to start is to go with one of the tour operators who do packages - ski holidays are not that easy to sort out yourself for the very first time.

Do you have a budget in mind? Or a preferred country? Have you read some of the ski holiday brochures and become totally confused?

If you are flexible about destination, type of accommodation etc and really want to keep the cost right down you could do worse than wait and book a last-minute package at a bargain price.

Against that, a key aspect of your holiday will be the ski school. They are not all equal. Do you do other sports, mountain walking etc? Would the budget stretch to some lessons in the UK before you go?

Sorry for all the questions - but you'll get more focussed and relevant responses if you provide a bit more information.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@First Timer, Welcome.

Opinions on Bulgaria are mixed, to say the least. Some find the place cheap and cheerful. Others find it so bad that it is a case of '£500 wasted' rather than '£300 saved'.

Go to France, Italy or Austria instead. As you have never been before, then a Tour Operator is a sensible option. At least you then don't need to work out the logistics of organising everything, which really is the USP of the Tour Operator. In late January and March you should be able to get last minute deals. Just stay away from February.

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Hi Pam, thank you for your reply. We can't benefit from a last minute deal as there are 4 of us needing to book annual leave so flexibility is not great. We would probably look to do someelessons in UK before we go.
You're right, I am getting overloaded with info on the internet & need to try & narrow our options down a bit. No particular budget in mind but needs to be cheap as possible! Not too worried about creature comforts, just need good destination for beginners, good ski instructors & advi e whether end Jan or March would be better.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

OK, I understand about the annual leave though you could all book the last week of January - you'd definitely find something. But that is maybe a bit nerve-wracking for your first holiday.

End January is generally going to be cheaper than March, and should be fine, with plenty of choice and slopes not too busy.

Ski holidays are never cheap (as you'll have discovered by now) but maybe the cheapest option is one of the all in "beginners weeks" from operators like Crystal. There are some good deals to small resorts like Niederau in Austria which should be ideal for beginners (though those deals would not be suitable for someone who has already done a week - they're only for total beginners).

A key factor will be to ensure that your accommodation is an EASY walk to the ski school meeting place. Not a five minute walk to a bus stop, or a ten minutes walk to a gondola. Might not sound much, but no fun in ski boots carrying your skis. In some places you can leave boots and skis in storage at the bottom of the lift - in which case a walk is no big problem. But this is the kind of thing you need very specific answers about and it's essential that ski boots are stored in a heated room.

If you found a deal you liked the look of there is plenty of advice here on individual resorts.

Where do you live? (relevant to departure airports and UK based ski lessons).

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@First Timer, January or March are def. both good for first trips as the slopes will be less crowded than during peak season improving the learning experience!

For a first trip the tour operator route is not a bad one as you can make note of the various elements which will aid with future DIY trips.

I'd recommend Austria as the standard of lessons offered tends to be good. Resorts I'd recommend for beginners would be Gerlos (which is also linked with Zell am Ziller and Koenigsleiten) (Michis Schischule http://www.michis-schischule.com/en/ is good) or Kuehtai (I'm biased though as I learned to ski there and must have skied there something like 10 weeks over the years. I'd recommend http://www.follow-me.at/ for lessons). To cut costs staying one village down in St. Sigmund (10 minutes on free ski bus) works well - Pension Praxmarer is very good http://www.pension-praxmarer.at/ and 1 minute from ski bus stop if walking very slowly.

Also check out this thread:

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=112021

Admin, who runs this forum, is organising a trip to Livigno tailored to beginner skiing during the week starting 17 January at a very favourable price. I think pretty much the only thing you'd need to organise yourself is your flight to Friedrichshafen (I think Monarch flies there from Gatwick/Manchester) to tie in with the transfers. Any questions in relation to this just post on that thread. Once it goes "live" and becomes bookable, it'll be moved/can be found in the "Snow Events" section of this forum. snowHead

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@First Timer, welcome. Late January or 2nd half of March both great times to ski. January usually cheaper but March has longer hours of sunshine. Generally colder in Jan but very variable in the mountains.
I agree with Pam W that late deals for 4 people in those weeks are usually plentiful and a bargain. We've often booked only 2 or 3 days before departure. Especially easy if flexible on departure airport and ski area. Big savings if you can hold your nerve. You can also check he snow conditions and weather forecast for different options.
As for places, I would not fancy Bulgaria for my first week. Austria offers best likelihood of good instruction, alpine atmosphere and bargain reals. Livigno reasonable too, as mentioned in earlier reply. What about Andorra? Reputation for good instruction, with high number of British instructors. Any snowheads visited recently who could advise on prices and ambience?

After all it is free

Resorts that have easy to access beginner areas and village/towns that provide the opportunity to mooch about if the fancy takes you would include:

Livigno (as mentioned, though the transfer can be long depending on where you fly into).
Arinsal in Andorra
Alpe d'Huez (although the resort town is fairly strung out)

All would, IMO, offer good resorts to begin in, with other activities if so desired. From experience, the quality of instruction in Livigno and Arinsal is good with the former offering excellent terrain directly behind the town, so great for many of the hotels and accommodations.

Welcome to snowHeads, BTW

Thank you to everyone who responded, really appreciate your advice. I have plenty to go away & research but I'm sure I'll come back with more questions!
BTW we have now had to rule out end of January as son has exams/new course module starting so now thinking very end of Feb (avoiding half-term) or sometime in mid-march. I assume snow in Austria/France would be good for then?
Thanks again Little Angel

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@First Timer, although Pam is right that up to the first week in March will still be French holidays, it won't be so bad in that final week as there will only be area B on holiday still.

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Thank you, I wouldn't have thought of that!

Actually, that second week of March could be one of the best weeks of the season. The last week of the French holidays is certainly better than the others, but unless you have to go then, still best avoided. Accommodation prices will drop sharply though that's probably not relevant with a British TO.

You know it makes sense.

@First Timer, hi our first ski holiday was 5 years ago and it was to pamporovo in Bulgaria ,it let us get a taste for weather or not we'd like this skiing malarkey !we got good instruction there was decent mountain restaurants and have to say the snow was good BUT the year after we went to ellmau in Austria and the hole experience was just better ,for the extra £100/£150 per person I'd say is worth It! Austria / Italy with a T O ,we've been 2nd week in March last 5 years and had great conditions ,take the plunge you I'll love it !

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@First Timer, book your work time off, get your gear ready, hold your nerve and go for a late deal. Start checking 14 days out but be prepared to not actually book it till the early to mid part of the week of departure.

Patience, persistence and holding your nerve is the key.

Do this and it's likely not only will you have a great holiday but at significantly less than a lot of other people in the se place at the same time.

My only caveat on this, is that last minute lesson booking may be tricky.

A snowHead

@First Timer, half term holidays are well and truly over in Austria then, it is a perfect time to ski there, especially for beginners.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

If cost is an issue and naturally to be respected...................... If FIRST TIMER is, I assume, English and therefore living in England, would not Scotland, be same the Nevis, Lecht, Glencoe, etc. regions within the nation be viable options? Yes, the "exotic" factor goes out the window a la possibly skiing in deepest, darkest Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland and the like, but factoring ALL costs - in toto, would staying on the island not be potentially the least expensive option? Just askin'.......... Few think of skiing in Scotland but under good conditions I've seen less in my lifetime that was enjoyable and several locations in wee Scotland realize a near solid 500m (or better) top to bottom difference which for beginners is honestly more than enough.................
If First Timer is good at doing a Scottish accent, as well fitting the entire family out with Tam O'Shanters, he could possibly get a deeper discount - especially if he has a couple of British jokes up his sleeve.

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Hi First Timer

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Arinsal- Andorra. Job done

After all it is free

HI First Timer, not sure if you have booked yet - for first timers I would strongly recommend Andorra - it is not too expensive, have beautiful sunny skiing so visibility is great - slopes are wide and really fun with lots of blues - and their ski schools are amazing!

We skied there last March and it was definitely some of the best skiing I have done!

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Hi again everyone. Having got ski gear for christmas, I'm back to looking to book the actual ski holiday! We were looking at Isola, French Alps for week commencing 22nd Feb but realise this is French Winter holiday season & accomodation is twice the price as it is for March. Our next opportunity to go would be 15th March - would this be too late or would snow still be good there do you think? Any advice greatly appreciated Very Happy

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@First Timer, how are you thinking of travelling? Flying to Nice? Why have you fixed on Isola?

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Hi again everyone. Having got ski gear for christmas, I'm back to looking to book the actual ski holiday! We were looking at Isola, French Alps for week commencing 22nd Feb but realise this is French Winter holiday season & accomodation is twice the price as it is for March. Our next opportunity to go would be 15th March - would this be too late or would snow still be good there do you think? Any advice greatly appreciated Very Happy

Mid March would be excellent ..... peak snow depths are in first half of March in lots of resorts so no worries there ..... longer days and warm sun ..... perfect
22nd Feb likely to be OK for a UK tour operator late booking deal .... the French half termers don't tend to go with Crystal ...

You know it makes sense.

Hi Pam. We are thinking of Isola as a friend of my son's recommended it & we're planning on flying to Nice. But still very open to suggestions!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@First Timer, I have spent precisely one day in Isola, driving up from Nice for fun. So can't advise. One problem is that Nice gives you very little choice if snow at Isola is not great. Flights to somewhere like Geneva or innsbruck would give you more choice. But waiting for a last minute TO trip would be my choice, for a first ski trip. Mid march is great.

A snowHead

[quote="First Timer"]Hi Everyone. We are new to the forum and are also new to ski-ing (son, 20 has skied once). We are looking to book a cheap-as-possible ski holiday for either last week of Jan or sometime in March. Someone said try Borovets, Bulgaria but I'm concerned whether the snow will be ok for those times. Anyone got any advice? Or can anyone recommend anywhere else which is fairly cheap?
We don't know what we'e doing, so thought we'd join the forum & pick the brains of experts!

"Opinions on Bulgaria are mixed, to say the least. Some find the place cheap and cheerful. Others find it so bad that it is a case of '£500 wasted' rather than '£300 saved".

Hi, re: the above quote (from someone who has not been to Bulgaria!). We are going for the fourth year running on the 17th Jan 2015. It's a great place for beginners/improvers. Our experience of the ski school has been great. Borovets has its own unique rustic charm. As long as you take it for what it is and don't make comparisons with the Alps you won't be disappointed. Don't be put off by ski snobs who have never been there. I took a gamble the first time I went, and I'm happy to say it payed off. The skiing is good with a variety of piste to suit all abilities. The apre ski and entertainment is plentiful. The people are warm and friendly and offer good service. The traditional Bulgarian food in the restaurants is excellent (although not good for vegetarians!). Hotel food is adequate but not fantastic. We love the atmosphere and the people and will be going back again next year. Hope this helps and good luck with you holiday.

A snowHead

@hugodog, good to hear of positive experience of Bulgaria but it's wrong to suggest that all the negative reports on Snowheads are from folk who have never been there.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Hi First Timer. I would go for mid March to avoid peak crowds and prices. Agree with pam w that a late booking package trip is what I would look for. Isola 2000 is far south, so has a higher probability of freeze/thaw conditions, or poor snow cover, trickier for beginners. Booking no more than a week or so before departure allows you to assess snow conditions, weather forecast and best deals. Always plenty of availability mid March. Not so if you decided to go mid Feb though. If you prefer independent holiday arrangement then agree again that flights to Geneva, Innsbruck, Grenoble, Lyon offer more options for skiing than Nice. Enjoy the planning and anticipation!

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Hi First Timer. La Rosiere in France is a good beginners resort (and it gets 5* for beginners in the 'Where to Ski' snow bible) - but nightlife is fairly quiet (we went with our children when they were v little so we weren't too fussed). All the runs come down the same mountain and were all blue from memory. We also recall that the chairlift was covered. If you are gong in March, UK tour operators run catered chalets there so you should be able to pick up a good deal if you wait until nearer the time. Never been to Bulgaria so cannot comment.

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Advice for beginner family looking to ski March 2015

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