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A good inexpensive resort with loads of off-piste

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi, wondering if you snowHead can help me...

I've been recently looking for a resort for next February (prob end of feb/march) but can't decide on which to go for. Problem has been looking on the net and getting conflicting info on resorts I've looked at.

Only two of us going next year and trying to find cheap accommodation is difficult (air bnb seems best), we are intermediates with limited off piste exp so that will be the focus this time round, went ADH last year and did a bit so now we're hooked!
Only going once next season so need to get it right Laughing

Wish list:
Good sized resort 100km + pistes
Really good off piste (will probably use guide on a couple of days for some proper freeriding)
Not France (been 3 times in a row)
Decent apres
Not too pricey (Most big austrian or swiss resorts can be written off I think) Liked the look of laax but couldn't get cheap accommodation Sad

Looked at Livigno (seems a bit out of the way and needs a hire car really, accommodation expensive!!!)
Saalbach (connected to fieberbrunn which sounds epic but concerned about snowsure , anyone had experience that time of year?)
Champoluc Monterosa (can't find much info, anyone been? whats the town like?)

Look forward to your suggestions , Cheers
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
- ideally avoid France if you can those weeks

- intermediates with limited h.p. experience may lean towards an instructor rather than a guide. High Mountain Guides don't usually teach and often don't have a lot of patience... and are only required in high mountains. But instructor needs to be qualified for hp.

- don't write off CH, e.g. Andermatt and lots of smaller places e.g. Disentis have lots of skiing and off piste served off relatively small infrastructure

- lots of Champoluc/Monterosa information on here if you look.
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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?
@mike1993, have you looked at the Gnarly But Nice bash under snow events?
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anywhere in monterosa would be a good choice - all of the resorts are pleasant but rather quiet
left field option Sulden am Ortler http://www.seilbahnensulden.it/Englisch/
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@mike1993, bear in mind as well that Europe is, well, Europe. Off piste, if, by that, you mean powder - even if you are in the high mountains, is rather hit and miss to plan for.

Spring snow easier to plan for but not always successfully.

Crud and windblown, pretty much guaranteed!
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From a European school holiday perspective, end Feb / early March is not great timing, so if you are flexible to do early Feb or mid March I would recommend that. See holiday here:
https://dev.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=3107903
Fasching is 5th March, which means most of Austria and (I think) also Italy will be busy around this time. I think you'll need to pick your combination of resort / week quite carefully.

I live in CH and generally think that the expensiveness is overhyped... at least for what you get. But it's nevertheless not really a budget place in the main and any kind of instructor/guide time is expensive - I only do lessons/guiding on French/Austrian trips! I love skiing in Andermatt but I usually don't stay there. Ditto Laax. In all honesty you can definitely do it cheaper in France/Austria/Italy.

For Austria (in Feb) you could look at Damüls. Not expensive to stay, lots of easily accessible easy off-piste. Not huge but feels bigger than the 100km it claims. A freeriding day with the Damüls Skischool is €95 including loan of a tranciever. Plenty of their instructors speak excellent English, but not all - but just ask for one that does (unless you speak German!). They were very accomodating/flexible/generally chilled out. Not loads of apres options but a couple of typical Austrian apres bars.

I know you said not France but I think La Plagne is an excellent option, if you were to go the week of 9th March or later (i.e. after the French school holidays). Loads of cheap accomodation available, again, lots of easy and easily accessible off-piste, and lots of opportunities to join guided groups at low cost. It's not known/marketed as an off-piste destination so it doesn't attract the hordes and the off-piste stays untracked much longer than at neighbouring 3V/EK.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@mike1993, Saalbach certainly matches your wish list, and you needn't be concerned about the snow in late Feb/early March (which is still high season). The season lasts from early December until early April, and few people go away disappointed, whenever they visit. Saalbach is a mega-resort - one of the top four most visited ski resorts in the world, and it wouldn't be so successful if it had snow problems in the middle of the season.

Quantity of snow is rarely an issue, even at the extremities of the season, thanks to the massive investment over many years in a very efficient and extensive snow-making system, and the quality of the snow only generally becomes an issue during the late season - the second half of March and into April - but even then it's unpredictable. By this I mean that, like all resorts with a goodly proportion of sunny, south-facing slopes, the quality of the snow during the afternoons depends entirely on what the weather is doing. Those of us who spend entire seasons in resorts will tell you that the conditions can vary from unseasonably warm weather to cold, wintry conditions, sometimes in the space of a week, and at any time of the season. Hence we have on occasions experienced unusually mild weather and slushy snow in January or mid-February, and cold weather with superb, fresh powder as late as early April. However, to generalise, the big difference between early/mid season and late season is that, as winter recedes and spring approaches, the sun rises high in the sky and gets stronger; consequently the quality of the snow can quickly deteriorate, especially during the long afternoons, before it freezes again overnight - consequently the planning of itineraries and the choice of pistes to ski later in the day (i.e. their orientation) becomes more important than it would be earlier in the season (depending on how fussy you are about the snow). However, if the availability and quality of the off-piste is an important issue for you, any time between mid-Jan and mid-March should not be too much of a gamble, and in the last few seasons we've had decent off-piste conditions in late March and early April.

If you want to see examples of what the off-piste can be like, search for "Richard Bergenholtz Saalbach" on Youtube. Richard and his Swedish chums run a bar in Saalbach and spend much of the season filming their off-piste exploits in the Ski Circus.

There are good, freeride instructors and guides - see http://www.freeride-skischool.at/en/

If you would like a copy of my comprenhensive, 20 page guide to Saalbach, let me have your email address. I can also help you with recommendations to cheap accommodation, as I am connected with British apartment owners here who rent out rooms, as well as apartments, and also know which hotels and pensions are likely to suit, from the point of view of value for money and ski convenience.

Always glad to help.


Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Wed 25-07-18 15:58; edited 1 time in total
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@mike1993, Inexpensive isn't a thing ime when it comes to skiing. Look at Nendaz, ski 4V cheaper (not cheap).
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@tatmanstours, my comments re snow were purely on the grounds of looking at the off piste - and I have no first hand experience of AT.

Question - do the AT instructor qualifications lend themselves better to off piste guiding, if you know what I mean?
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Quote:

Question - do the AT instructor qualifications lend themselves better to off piste guiding, if you know what I mean?

I can't answer that but others no doubt can - e.g. clarky999 and quinton
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Wow, so many replies already.

Haven't got chance atm will look through properly later.

@under a new name . Yes suppose it would be instruction Smile Fairly new to snowboarding let alone off piste (and yes preferably powder haha)
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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.
Quote:

Fairly new to snowboarding let alone off piste

Zink Ski School also offers snowboarding/off-piste tuition (Kris Dragoshinov, "Ski & Snowboard Instructor and Powder Guide" https://www.facebook.com/wolfgangzink.at/?hc_ref=ARRULrIkL6iAHGUZ-R42LNjXiZ71Q0xynFEVof6CtSeCX_xhP90_1VxrQvglJQRo4DA&fref=nf )


Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Wed 25-07-18 18:27; edited 1 time in total
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@mike1993, one boarding advantage is the (only slightly these days) wider range of fun conditions.

You will find it a little more difficult to find guides but far from impossible.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Fieberbrunn for offpiste & would give you the option of Saalbach via leobang.
Think it will be difficult to tick all your boxes.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
It’s always difficult to tick all boxes, especially when “inexpensive” and “loads of off piste” are undefined...

For some, that would be answered by a fortnight’s heli skiing in a lodge in BC. For others, camping in Glencoe and split boarding up...
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@mike1993,
Quote:

Only two of us going next year and trying to find cheap accommodation is difficult (air bnb seems best),

My own rather limited searches on AIr BnB for skiing have found them to be quite expensive when compared with going through sites including the tourist office, although it probably varies form area to area.
For two people if you are not going school holidays a late booked package can be pretty cheap.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Montafon and Fieberbrunn would be worth looking into.

under a new name wrote:
@tatmanstours, my comments re snow were purely on the grounds of looking at the off piste - and I have no first hand experience of AT.

Question - do the AT instructor qualifications lend themselves better to off piste guiding, if you know what I mean?


TBH I've been out of that game for a while now, but I doubt there's much difference between what/where French and Austrian instructors can teach/guide - I believe top level (Staatliche) can basically do anything that's a one day trip (ie not overnight at a hut), doesn't involve glaciers, and doesn't involves ropes/climbing (can't remember how/if skitouring is factored in there though); and Landes 2 can do similar but must stay within the resort boundaries or something (by which I think they just have to start from and return to a lift or piste). Major difference probably being more 'big resorts that don't have glaciers' in Austria?

However instructors can also do an extra Skiführer qualification which I believe is equivalent to Bergführer (ie Mountain Guide), though some Bergführers look down on it a bit as it involves less climbing etc than going through the Bergführer route.

Someone please correct me if I have anything wrong!
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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?
Don't discount Eastern Europe.

Had some of my cheapest & deepest days in Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and Georgia.

Closer to home and offered by UK operators you have Jasna, Slovakia
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Slight highjack of thread. Mike have you skied Kolašin 1450?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
yuppie wrote:
Slight highjack of thread. Mike have you skied Kolašin 1450?


Yes 👍

Only had a day, and all the lifts weren't running but I toured to where the top lift accesses.

Great trees low down, lovely open bowls above. Great snow, great views, cheap, deserted.

Would definitely go back.

Zabjlak / Durmitor was better.
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Macedonia
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2343710#2343710

Montenegro and Kosovo
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=102245
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Can getting to them be tough though?

Cheers for the info
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
clarky999 wrote:
Montafon and Fieberbrunn would be worth looking into.

under a new name wrote:
@tatmanstours, my comments re snow were purely on the grounds of looking at the off piste - and I have no first hand experience of AT.

Question - do the AT instructor qualifications lend themselves better to off piste guiding, if you know what I mean?


TBH I've been out of that game for a while now, but I doubt there's much difference between what/where French and Austrian instructors can teach/guide - I believe top level (Staatliche) can basically do anything that's a one day trip (ie not overnight at a hut), doesn't involve glaciers, and doesn't involves ropes/climbing (can't remember how/if skitouring is factored in there though); and Landes 2 can do similar but must stay within the resort boundaries or something (by which I think they just have to start from and return to a lift or piste). Major difference probably being more 'big resorts that don't have glaciers' in Austria?

However instructors can also do an extra Skiführer qualification which I believe is equivalent to Bergführer (ie Mountain Guide), though some Bergführers look down on it a bit as it involves less climbing etc than going through the Bergführer route.

Someone please correct me if I have anything wrong!


Pretty much. Landes can only teach lift served off piste, so no hiking/skinning/non lift powered uphill.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
http://www.eskimo-freeride.com in Macedonia. Right price flights from Luton to Skopje with Whizz.
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Thank you for all the replies, they help a lot.




@spyderjon, That's really cool, would definitely consider something like that with a bit more experience.

@tatmanstours, I've sent you a pm with address , would like the info you have thank you very much.

@NickyJ, Didn't know you snowheads organised these sort of things, would gressoney be the base next season too?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
yuppie wrote:
Can getting to them be tough though?

Cheers for the info


No easy and cheap as per Spyderjon's reply.

Also flights yo Podgorica, Montenegro. Only a couple of hours easy drive to resort
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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.
Verbier.
St Anton.
Andermatt.

Book early.
Stay in villages outside the main areas.
Buy and sleep in an RV and resell it afterwards.
Put it on your credit card.
Get a second job.
Claim vacation foodpoisoning and get some compo.

Do whatever it takes.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@mike1993, sort out the wheat from the chaff!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Whitegold wrote:
Verbier.
St Anton.
Andermatt.

Book early.
Stay in villages outside the main areas.
Buy and sleep in an RV and resell it afterwards.
Put it on your credit card.
Get a second job.
Claim vacation foodpoisoning and get some compo.

Do whatever it takes.


Spot-On!!!
Verbier and St Anton, must be some of the least expensive resorts in all of the alps

uuuuhm rolling eyes
just keep pushing your favorite resorts, no matter what the TO question was..
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Onnem, +1 rolling eyes
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@mike1993, Do you have much mountainerring experience before taking up skiing?

Anyway I am looking at Georgia for a trip next year. I'll let you know if it's any good later.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
johnE wrote:
@mike1993, Do you have much mountainerring experience before taking up skiing?

Anyway I am looking at Georgia for a trip next year. I'll let you know if it's any good later.


Do it

It's magic

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=123502

Pics
https://www.facebook.com/mike.richards.927/media_set?set=a.10153908252823624.1073741873.506688623&type=3
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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?
Onnem wrote:
Whitegold wrote:
Verbier.
St Anton.
Andermatt.

Book early.
Stay in villages outside the main areas.
Buy and sleep in an RV and resell it afterwards.
Put it on your credit card.
Get a second job.
Claim vacation foodpoisoning and get some compo.

Do whatever it takes.


Spot-On!!!
Verbier and St Anton, must be some of the least expensive resorts in all of the alps

uuuuhm rolling eyes
just keep pushing your favorite resorts, no matter what the TO question was..


The OP's question was deluded.

You go to the snow, son.

Waste of time to spend €800 on Macedonia or Italy and get 10cm of tiny wet flakes on flat trails.

Spend €1200 on St Anton and the snowiest resort in all the European Alps and get the best available pow.

Or take adventure east and go to Georgia or Iran.

Rise early. Slide early. Beat the crowds.

OP need to ignore the losers trying to send him to gash resorts with gash pow.
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mike1993 wrote:
Thank you for all the replies, they help a lot.

@NickyJ, Didn't know you snowheads organised these sort of things, would gressoney be the base next season too?


Yep. See:


http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewforum.php?f=31

and:

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=137244 (for next winter)

and:

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=133663 (for last winter - next winter's one isn't up yet)
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Whitegold wrote:
Onnem wrote:
Whitegold wrote:
Verbier.
St Anton.
Andermatt.

Book early.
Stay in villages outside the main areas.
Buy and sleep in an RV and resell it afterwards.
Put it on your credit card.
Get a second job.
Claim vacation foodpoisoning and get some compo.

Do whatever it takes.


Spot-On!!!
Verbier and St Anton, must be some of the least expensive resorts in all of the alps

uuuuhm rolling eyes
just keep pushing your favorite resorts, no matter what the TO question was..


The OP's question was deluded.

You go to the snow, son.

Waste of time to spend €800 on Macedonia or Italy and get 10cm of tiny wet flakes on flat trails.

Spend €1200 on St Anton and the snowiest resort in all the European Alps and get the best available pow.

Or take adventure east and go to Georgia or Iran.

Rise early. Slide early. Beat the crowds.

OP need to ignore the losers trying to send him to gash resorts with gash pow.


Once again you've outdone yourself.

By your reckoning 2 holidays to St Anton = 3 holidays to resorts in either Macedonia or Italy. Or a combination of both.

I'll take Option B thanks for 10cm of tiny, wet flakes like this


http://youtube.com/v/GjnHUzOHGbo&t=33s
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@Whitegold, My question wasn't deluded, just trying to find value for money for what we want to do.

And guess what St. Anton seems to be cheapest so far, which seems really odd.

Firstly i was looking for air bnb accommodation as I used it last year and assumed it would be cheapest way. Turns out accommodation on tourist website is way cheaper Puzzled.

How does this sound...

Self catered acc £225 7nights (one downside 10 min walk into town, if that's what it takes Very Happy)

Skipass £260

Love the direct train seems as though it would cost around £40 return from zurich (this sound correct)?

Flight with BA for £125 inc snowboard bag

So around 650 not bad...


@Mike Pow, tiny wet flakes Puzzled

@Tom Doc, haven't been austria before so looking most likely for this trip. But would definitely consider this season after and especially travelling alone instead a ucpa

@T Bar, you were right about tourist acc, cheers does vary a lot as you say
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Also should add, I was looking at the wrong weeks for best value. 1st week of feb looks better
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@mike1993, because the week after is start of school holidays...

£40 return ZRH-St Anton sounds remarkably cheap, but there is some sort of holiday train pass. Which I can’t benefit from as a resident...
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The accommodation is pp split between 2.

@under a new name, yes i know, maybe i'm wrong, but if you go on trainline.eu and select zurich airport to st. Anton for last week of november those are the prices(cant search past this point currently). Would prices increase in winter months?
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@mike1993, well, sbb is uggesting special offer chf 63 otherwise chf 128 so plausible Happy
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