 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all - hope this is the correct section for my topic.
My mate is getting married next year and I'm left to organise his stag-do. He's wanting to do something a bit 'different' so I'm planning on organising a ski/snowboarding weekend as he's never done it before but is very interested in trying it. I've visited a few resorts but they've been more family-centric affairs. Does anyone have suggestions on the best resort to go for relatively cheap booze, decent runs, and good nightlife? I'm expecting it to take place in March next year - the only time I've snowboarded that late in the season was at Les Deux Alpes.
Thanks!
Kieran
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 19-10-17 14:22; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Easy answer.... see above!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I know some lads who like to have "a bit of a drink" when they go skiing without paying big and they swear by Pas De Le Casa in Andorra.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Dr_TobogganMD, Kitzbuhel or Ischgl
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I’ve seen a LOT in Chamonix – easy to get to, big range of accommodation including weekends only, and lots of bars/restaurants/après table dancing.
Not that I’d recommend it – as I don’t like drunk people on my slopes 
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We did a stag in Pas de La Casa - way back when.
I have not been back in case they remember me from 15 years ago.
But back then the booze was cheap and plentiful, the skiing ok, the nightlife good, and the restaurants cheap.
Only "downside" was the longish transfer from Toulose - 3 hours on a bus, with nothing to do but sleep of the pre-stag hangover and make inroads into our duty free.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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It is discouraged in St Anton
goto
Andorra or Bulgaria the drink is much cheaper
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Ischgl is the apres capital of the world IMO, and better than St Anton. Every single bar is rocking, and there are loads of them. Don't like one? Go to the next one along, it'll be just as busy. Fantastic skiing as well but it's not cheap.
Saalbach also has fabulous apres and isn't as pricey as Ischgl.
Val d'Isere also brilliant apres and skiing - but not cheap.
The cheapest places well known for stag parties are Borovets in Bulgaria and Pas de le Casa in Andorra.
There's good apres in Mayrhofen and I've heard Soll is also good.
The Austrians generally know how to party (with help from the Dutch and Brits).
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If you're only going for a weekend I would definitely go to resorts with short transfer times, and also be aware that you may be limited with flights on Friday and Sunday/Monday. There's a few places near Geneva airport that fit your criteria, and I'd look at Munich too. Places like St Anton, Andorra, Val d'Isere etc are great for a week but not so handy for a short trip
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You know it makes sense.
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We've done two ski stags in the past few years.
The first, we went to Ljubljana - great place. Fairly small, but lively and cheap beer. Skiing was about 30 mins drive away.
Second, went to Innsbruck and skied a couple of different resorts around there. Innsbruck was brilliant.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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We did Ischgl and Innsbruck a few years ago - brilliant.
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Poster: A snowHead
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St Anyon is easily doable for a short trip, Innsbruck airport is about an hour away, ditto Fredrichshafen. Easy transfer from Zurich too. I know somebody who would jump on a flight out of Gatwick Friday evening, be in St Anton for that night out, ski Saturday and Sunday before an evening flight back to Gatwick...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@TQA, I hate all that - it's for w*nkers in the literal and metaphorical sense.
That's the worst of Austrian Apres in my view and detracts from the otherwise brilliant resorts of Ischgl and Saalbach
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Pas de la casa would be the best if you want to keep costs sensible, after all it's going to be 10% skiing 90% getting smashed and pas will provide that, there is some good skiing to be had there too though.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Ischgl for beer, cheesiness and dancing girls (see Schatzi above).
St. Anton for beer and cheesiness (ignore Stanton it may not be officially encouraged but it won't be discouraged).
Good thing about Austria is the Wellness so plenty of opportunity to lounge in a sauna and pool and have a massage to work off the hangover.
However, for somewhere easier on the pocket try Sauze d'Oulx.
Personally unless everyone was going to do some kind of snow activity (ski, board, XC, snowshoeing) then I wouldn't bother organising a stag do in a ski resort.
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"However, for somewhere easier on the pocket try Sauze d'Oulx."
Nicknamed 'Benidorm on ice' in the 80's and heaving with bars full of Brits -- is it still the same ?
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@Dr_TobogganMD, I believe there's a big party week in Les Menuires next March, w/c 17th. International DJs, live bands, that sort of thing. Extensive skiing with enough easy stuff for those with hangovers.
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Relatively cheap booze, weekend, skiing?
It does not mix well, I suggest you go to a fridge somewhere in UK, and do it sober. I hate seeing men wearing panties and L plates skiing in Val d'Isere. It is so tacky!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| albob wrote: |
"However, for somewhere easier on the pocket try Sauze d'Oulx."
Nicknamed 'Benidorm on ice' in the 80's and heaving with bars full of Brits -- is it still the same ? |
Wasn't that bad in 2006 or 2014. Plenty of lively bars and clubs but not to Ischgl standards 
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@Dr_TobogganMD, lots of great suggestions...but what is your mate going to do while you are skiing/boarding? hardly seems worth learning for a couple of days, and for sure a big night will make him ruined for lessons
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Definitely bansko for something like this, the transfer is a bit of a pain, but the drinks are cheap, so is accommodation and equipment, and the skiing is easy enough for beginners to still have a good time. I find it much more welcoming than a lot of the alpine resorts I've been to as there isn't any of the elitist Mentality, everyone's just there to have a good time rather than to be seen to be there
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Easily Bansko, you don't need to shell out big bucks for beginners just finding their feet. Loads of bars and clubs, girls a plenty, couple of strip clubs. Snowmobiling is on offer and relatively cheap. Accessible for weekend trips.
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| Quote: |
If you're only going for a weekend I would definitely go to resorts with short transfer times
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This.
How do you even DO Bansko for a weekend? 3 Hour (infrequent) flights, 3 hour transfers? Not time economic, at all. 
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You know it makes sense.
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Easy,
Travel Friday, drinking your way there
Ski sat, sun
Travel back Monday, drinking your way home
Not that hard to figure out is it?
Loads of flights, BA, Ryanair, wizzair all fly to Sofia off the top of my head
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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@MountainIdiot, 2 days skiing for 2 days holiday?
Don’t be ridiculous when there are options allowing leaving the office at normal time and still getting to the bar in resort before last orders.
And leaving resort after lifts shut on Sunday and still getting home at a reasonable hour.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| @Dr_TobogganMD, lots of great suggestions...but what is your mate going to do while you are skiing/boarding? hardly seems worth learning for a couple of days, and for sure a big night will make him ruined for lessons |
+1
As my name suggests, I am a woman and have not been a stag-go but what I have done is run the bar in our chalet when we've had stag-dos/a group of mates... without fail, no matter what the nature of the occasion, nor the gender or age mix of the group, you are guaranteed to get completely wrecked on the first night and have the next day as a write off - fine if you are an experienced skier/boarder but NOT for beginners. Recently had a group over with the first day planned to be canonying - the group turned up late and the guides instantly smelt the booze on them from the 'night before' (aka 5 a.m that morning)! They had a good time but they were all at the same level (i.e. beginners) and didn't do as much as they could have done were they not so hungover but at least they were all in the same boat... (and these are people who've booked a chalet were there are no strip clubs or 'girls aplenty' so were actually going for the activities)... would be rubbish for the stag if he's a total beginner.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Given that he has never done it before, he probably doesn't want to get injured before the big day. I would save a fortune and go to Castleford indoor slope having based myself in Leeds. That would give him a chance to learn in safety and not be 'egged on' to come to the top by his hungover mates that have skied/boarded before. Still plenty of time for apres in the city centre.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
| @Dr_TobogganMD, lots of great suggestions...but what is your mate going to do while you are skiing/boarding? hardly seems worth learning for a couple of days, and for sure a big night will make him ruined for lessons |
Hadn’t picked up on that.
I’ll repeat, Rotterdam for an evening trip from Amsterdam, all necessary stag tools available and a bit different.
A ski weekend would not be my first idea for someone who’s never been.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@under a new name,
It's obviously not for you then, I presume we must all do as you say? Nothing particularly ridiculous, if it's further away, it takes longer to get there
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@MountainIdiot, no, I just have a well founded and strong opinion.
Do whatever you like.
But I wouldn’t take a day off work to spend it in airports and transfers when there was no compelling reason and I could avoid it.
Maybe you like airport bars better than I do, and I quite like them.
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The problem with resorts that are great for a stag do is that they're generally full of men.
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Solden has (or used to have ) its fair share of seedy bars but it's madness to combine a ski trip with a stag do.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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It's a fair point that a ski stag trip is probably a waste of time for the stag if he's never been before. He probably won't ski at all, and even if he does he won't learn anything in two days and he'll be away from the group who can ski.
Go to somewhere like Budapest instead, then go on a proper lads' week skiing some other time when he'll have more time to learn properly and slightly less of a hangover.
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Downmarket = Ischgl.
Upmarket = Verbier.
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