 Poster: A snowHead
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we have booked to go to andorra for new year and im getting worried about the lack of snow.thinking about going to the travel agent to try and swap it for somewhere with guaranteed snow.could anyone reccomend a resort for two adults and one ten year old boy who have all only been skiing once.nightlife is not important as last year we were all knackered by 10 o clock.a good ski school is essential or do you more experienced skiiers think i am panicking unduly and should save a few quid because the snow will come to andorra before new year.please be gentle as i am new to all this
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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doghead, welcome to 
At this stage I think you're panicing somewhat
But if I was to recommend anywhere, I'd say Vallandry in the Les Arcs ski area. Nice quiet family resort, New Generation as great ski school and easy access to high runs at Les Arcs
Went there last year and had plenty of skiing even though it was a "terrible" year
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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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doghead, here's an 'old fart' comment. In the old days (and I was lucky enough to start skiing in 1959) we were in blissful ignorance of what the snow would be until we got there.
You've a whole month for snow to fall in Andorra.
In future years you might want to consider skiing at the other end of the season. We've always done family skiing in high resorts in the second week of the Easter holidays, when crowds disappear, the weather's warm and the days are long ... and the snow has accumulated all winter.
I think you'd be unlucky not to have a great ski hol in Andorra at New Year. I'd wait a fortnight before reviewing your options.
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doghead, it's November (yes, the end of, but still November). I suspect that there have only been very few years when the Andorra slopes have had lots of snow at this time of the year. So yes, you are panicking too soon. But what David Goldsmith says is quite true. Christmas skiing is marginal, almost everywhere. Much better go later in the season. And welcome to Snowheads.
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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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thanks for the advice and the welcme.would love to go later in the season but work commitments make it impossible.two weeks off new year /christmas four week holiday entitlement 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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doghead,Where did you go on your first ski trip?
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Long, long time to go. Worry about it with two days to go and settled weather in place.
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i went to italy when i was at school and last year we went to poiana brazov in romania.good enough for a first time family trip as its very cheap ski school is superb but there isnt much to progress to from the nursery slopesi think the resort i went to in italy was piancavallo or something like that really good as i remember but that was thirty years ago.
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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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doghead, from what I can see, conditions in Austria and Central/Eastern Switzerland appear to be marginally better than France thus far. (This comment will no doubt prompt huge derision from all the French holiday home owners  ) Have a look at some of the recent trip reports in the snow reports forum.
Of the resorts I've been to, I would recommend Obertauern or Wengen, but there are loads of others in Austria that would be good for you.
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brian
brian
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Ray Zorro, can't argue with that.
What about Obergurgl ? High skiing and a bona fide comedy gold name 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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somewhere with guaranteed snow
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there's no such place! Early snow conditions are not necessarily a function of altitude, so even somewhere like Tignes can have poor conditions, while Austrian resorts at 1200m are smothered. You'll probably be fine, but before you spend too much time thinking about where to change to, you might find out that changing is not possible. I am a French holiday home owner but couldn't quarrel with Ray Zorro - Austria has had some fantastic snow. If I was going today, I'd want to be going to Austria, where there is some really good snow at quite low altitudes. By New Year, that might all have melted, with lots of great snow in France. The Alps is a very big area, and it's too soon to know what the weather will be doing before then. I would guess that Obertauern would cost you quite a lot more than Andorra, which is a big consideration for a family holiday. If you find that you CAN change your booking without big penalties, you'd need to know how late you could leave that, then start watching all the weather reports like a hawk!
Good luck, I hope it works out well, whatever.
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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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doghead, we went to Andorra (Soldeu once and later Arinsal) many years ago with my children, I think it was in January, and there was plenty of snow. But as everyone here says, nothing is guaranteed anywhere in the Alps. By the sound of this year's early snowfalls, you should not start panicking! 
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Some precipitation is meant to build up towards the end of this week.. ie Friday, if that doesn't materialise I personally would start to worry!
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You know it makes sense.
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doghead,
As everyone has said the snow conditions may well change before xmas. FWIW my opinion is that there is no harm in checking with the travel agent if it is possible to alter your booking. If you can do this to a resort that has decent snow at the moment with little financial penalty it may be worthwhile though conditions can change.
If as I suspect it is not then I would not be worried about having no snow. According to the Soldeu website they can cover a third of the runs with artificial snow. Most resorts tend to cover the easier and home bound runs as this benefits most people and the less steep runs get less scraped.It is more fun to ski on natural snow and less crowded but particuarly in the relatively early learning phases you can stil get a lot of enjoyment from the artificial stuff.
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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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Spoke to the travel agent yesterday and i need panic no more.As i would need to change my travel date as the only flights they do on a sunday are to andorra it would be classed as a cancellation so i would lose 90% of my money.Andorra it is then but i think i need to do a bit of research to find good value skiing at new year for the future as it seems the relatively snow sure resorts seem to get booked up fairly quickly.Thanks for all the advice really good site.
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Poster: A snowHead
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doghead,
DOn't panic too much yet - the year I went to Soldeu there was no snow at all until the 21st December - we ended up with the whole resrt open under about 80cm snow on the 28th December.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Month away, inconceivable that there will be no skiing. I get the impression that the Pyrenees has a good base already above 2200 m. Looking at Pistehors.com I see that Peyragudes, which is not a million miles away from Andorra, opened yesterday.
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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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doghead, There is already some skiing in Andorra, see here.
They have also invested heavily in snow making there, so you should have something to ski on.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Historically this is normal for the end of November. The first proper snow should arrive this coming week if it is an average year.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 3-12-07 11:16; edited 1 time in total
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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doghead, i reckon it's a good job you can't change it. What if you changed it and then Andorra gets great snow but the Alps has a bad couple of weeks? It's a but like changing queues at Sainsburys then watching the queue you were in disappear like summer snow while you stand waiting for someone up front in your queue to get assistance. Nightmare!
From what's been said, there will be snow, probably the natural stuff, but definitely the artificial stuff if required.
The Old fart comment from David Goldsmith, is a good one - I reckon a lot of holidays are perceived to be ruined before they start cos we've got so much information in advance.
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doghead, I was in the French Pyrenees last Christmas and New Year. The conditions couldn't have been much worse. And you know what? We skied every day. You don't need perfect conditions for a great holiday, plus the Andorran resorts are usually really on it with their snowmaking. and it's a month away anyway. Panic not.
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Andorra usually doesn't need much snow for run cover and snowmaking so I shouldn't worry just yet.
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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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Chill............its early days
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You're probably scre*wed. I wouldn't even pack my skis. bring your swimmers:)
(seriously, christmas is dodgy anywhere. If I am skiing at the fringes of the season, i would always choose the back end. much more reliable if you choose somewhere high. Andorra has great snow-making pereversely due to unreliable snow.....i was there last year in appalling conditiions and skiied every day. not much variety, but good work by the andorrans as we were skiing on white pistes running through muddy fields!)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just a thought, some of the insurance policies I have had in the past have included payouts for poor coverage and runs not being open, money back for travel to neighbouring/higher resorts (Obviously not so key in Andorra.) but may be worth looking into if you are really setting yourself up for a no-snow-show?
Obviously I hope you are inundated with the good stuff and have performed a quick snow-dance on your behalf
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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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I've been to Andorra quite a few times at New Year & we've had loads of snow. It was a bit patchy last year I think last year was just a freak year. There'll be loads of snow by New Year - it'll be fab!!!
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Hi, I'm trying to reassure myself that there will be snow for Christmas week in Andorra. I have booked for a group of 14 of us to go to Soldeu for a week on the 23rd of Dec. We are all staying at the Sport Hotel.
Stayed in Pas 7 years ago for Christmas and had great snow.
Someone please reassure me that the snow is on its way!!!!!
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Thanks for the disclaimer!!!!!!!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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CKskier, Relax anything is going to be better than Wakefield at Xmas 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi Dypcdiver- I hope you are not being cheeky!
However I wish to report that it was actually snowing on hills surrounding the merry city of Wakefield on Saturday morning, which is more than can be said for Andorra. However checking various weather reports I see there was a little flurry of snow in Andorra today.
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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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CKskier, Yep, I saw the snow on the webcam, forecast shows a little over the next couple of days, fingers crossed. I have just sent an email to check if my accom is available over the Xmas period, if it is then I'll be around the village, I'll drop into the Sport in the evening. I was up there last week and the Iceberg was not open yet, I would normally pop in there for an after ski drink, hope it is open by Xmas. Aspen and Avalanche are good in the evenings too. What level do you ski at?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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CKskier, Update it is snowing right now.
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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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Hi
Ohh, you are making me excited now!
I'm an intermediate, happy on reds, get scared by the black runs!
We are a very mixed bunch of skiers, a couple of the lads are experieced black run boys, me and a few of the girls are the same level and we have 3 beginners with us this time!
I stayed in Pas last time I went to Andorra and the night life was awesome, looking forward to some good apres in Soldeu- thanks for the tips of where to go.
Hopefully will bump into you in a bar or 2
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Sun 9-12-07 23:58; edited 1 time in total
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CKskier, lots of snow-making in Soldeu. Great choice of hotel. You' be fine (.... hopefully)
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I shouldn't panic about the Grandvalira just yet. The good thing about that area is that it doesn't need much snow to make it skiable due to an extensive fleet of piste groomers and well-placed artificial top ups combined with the fact that the Pyrenees with their gentle profiles require less snow to cover them than more dramatic Alpine scenery. Whenever I've been in the Grandvalira (including last season) there has always been enough snow to keep a large majority of the runs open. You can see from the webcams that just 30 cm of snow can make all the difference.
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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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CKskier, I was nervous of black runs myself, until I went on the EoSB in 2006!
Andorra has been a bit of a slow starter for snow in the last few years and last year was a disapointment but I don't think that will be the case this year!
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My panic is officially over. What a difference a day makes!
By the look of the webcams and pics on the Grandvalira site things are looking good.
Thanks to you all for your soothing words! CK x
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