 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
can anyone recommend a decent resort for intermediates (skiier and snowboarder) in December? We'd be looking at going sometime after 10th December, before Christmas. I realise it's very early in the season but I'm sure there's some good snow to be found (Meribel 12th December 2010 was brilliant!).
Having done a few French resorts I quite fancy Austria or somewhere like that - I just think it would be a bit more 'Christmassy' for some reason. Plus I fancy the thought of some spa treatments and suchlike - rather than heavy apres-ski. We'd be looking at a hotel, rather than a chalet or apartment holiday.
We'd ideally be flying out from the West Midlands, and our budget would be around £1k each all in (board, food, flights, lift passes, transfers), so £2k 
Any help appreciated We aren't after instruction, and have got our own kit, both happy to do any sort of runs, but mainly like reds and cruisey blues.
Cheers,
Emm.
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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 Emm
| Quote: |
| rather than heavy apres-ski |
Isn't that what the Austrian resorts are famous for 
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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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Ischgl should be a good bet for snow. I doubt the usual apres would be in full flow by that point of the season, but if it is, you never know, you might enjoy it!
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You could also consider the Sport Hotel in Neustift if you're really keen on the spa stuff, they have a truly excellent wellness area. You'd have guaranteed snow up on the Stubai glacier too, which the hotel will shuttle you to/from for free. Great food too, and Neustift is a nice quiet village, although there are a couple of bars if you do fancy going out for a beer.
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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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Sorry, meant to say sleeping at altitute, not skiing! 
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Emmeline, both Ischgl and Neustift are easily reachable from Innsbruck or Munich, Ischgl presumably could be reached by train from Zurich too.
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Emmeline, Inghams and Crystal have done Ischgl. Not sure whether they would do it so early in season. Ischgl itself opens at the end of November. Am sure you could arrange transfers easily enough from Innsbruck.
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Emmeline, Have a look at Sölden - it's in one or two TO brochures and is super easy to get to if you are travelling independently. Hotels like Tirolerhof, Regina, Valentin, Alphof Sölden, Central Spa, all spring to mind with the facilities you want. Pre-season and without the influx of Brits Dutch and Swedes the main season brings it can be a wee bit quiet, but there is enough Austrian Apres-Ski if you are not into the full hard-core Mooserwirt style of St Anton. I have to admit to enjoying watching the antics in St Anton but not every night and I never take part in the true sense of getting hammered and doing silly stuff. But the atmosphere is always good fun.
You have 2 glacier skiing areas available in Sölden and the resort may well be fully open by then - it was more or less when I was there in the same week in 2009. The Tiefenbach Glacier area is a great intermediate area and the Rettenbach has a very steep black used for the opening World Cup races at the end of each October. It also has some fun runs for mere mortals as well. As for the rest of the area it is full of long cruising runs and is to be honest an intermediates paradise.
Take a look at the website for the area: http://www.soelden.com/main/EN/SD/WI/index.html and see what is on offer.
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Emmeline, You could consider Livigno in Italy . Not a massive ski area but mainly reds and blues. Usually has good early season snow and not too expensive. I would recommend Hotel Le Alpi where we stayed a couple of years ago, really good and you can ski virtually to and from the back door. The owner ,Mauro, is a good bloke and may be able to recommend someone to do your transfer - it' s a long one but worth it!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Emmeline, Personal opinion is that it is always worth waiting and seeing where the snow is this early in the season, some places may have tons and others be bereft of the white stuff.
If not Lech is a pretty decent bet for early season snow and is a lovely place with plenty of the skiing you describe.
On the Ischgl front it is pretty easy to get trains to Landeck from Zurich, quite a lot of the hotels will arrage a pick up from there I believe(We were offered it), if not thre are busses up the valley.
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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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clarky999 - unfortunately the Sport Hotel hasn't got anything for the week/s I want. Not having much luck with flights to Innsbruck but can get to Munich easily enough. Guess I should have a look at Zurich too as both you and T Bar have recommended trains from there. Not sure what it would be like with luggage though!
nozawaonsen - cheers - Crystal didn't have anything for those weeks, and the Inghams search wasn't working, so I didn't get far. I can't get to Innsbruck easily 
Thanks for the info re: Ischgl though - might have a quick look for November flights, but to be honest not much is coming up with anyone before 17th December.
Samerberg Sue - thanks for the advice re: Solden, sounds really good. Not sure if I can get there though. Innsbruck is looking tricky, and people have said it's quite a distance to there from Munich, which is looking like the only place I can get to from the Midlands at that time of year. Any ideas on how else we could get there at all?
RUGBY PETER - thanks for the advice. I can get to Milan from Birmingham or Manchester cheap, but Hotel Le Alpi is booked up. There's some other hotels, but it's all looking a bit pricey, considering I'd have to sort out transfers seperately. I think the transfer bit is what always puts me off booking everything up myself to be honest
T Bar - yeah, you've probably got a point there, I should just book the time off and sort something just before we go - I like planning ahead though, hehe! 
Right- I'll have a quick look at flights to Zurich, then I think I'll have to call it a day - my brain is fried, haha!
Cheers all.
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Emmeline, Austria seems to tick all the boxes. If i were you however I would wait until next November/Early Dec before booking just to make sure you will have some snow, plus there are usually a few bargains around if you can keep your nerve.
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You know it makes sense.
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I've had a look at Zurich flights and can get some very cheap ones from Manchester, BUT they're Sunday flights and the trains from there to Landeck are not looking good for a Sunday, especially as we don't get to Zurich til 8pm. I could wait until nearer the time, but if there's no package deals around now, and the cheap flights are likely to all sell out (not to mention accommodation) then I don't think I'll get anything. I think I just want too much too early in the season, so I'll probably just end up in France! Haha!
Suppose I'll look more into transfers from Munich to anywhere that looks good nearby Or maybe Zurich, what's near there? Sorry, bit clueless as you can probably tell!
Cheers again.
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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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| Emmeline wrote: |
| Crystal didn't have anything for those weeks, and the Inghams search wasn't working, so I didn't get far. |
Ski Total are kicking off their chalet-hotel season on the 16th December ... http://www.skitotal.com/accommodationdetails.aspx?accomId=2032
I never even looked for its 'Wellness' area with traditional sauna, infrared sauna, steam room and relaxation area but can confirm that 2 weeks ago, its 5-course dinners with a choice of menu including, apéritif, choice of complimentary quality wines, coffee and chocolates were a lot better than any week of meals at catered chalets I've previously stayed in.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Pretty easy to get to Arlberg or Ischgl in a hire car from Zurich I'd have thought ?
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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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MattWild - cheers Could look at car hire, not sure of costs. The flights to Zurich are under £100 for the 2, so it's very appealing, but not if car hire is too expensive.
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Emmeline,
Aviemore in december is more than a little risky for skiing.
Near Zurich Flims has a really good variety of skiing with a small glacier as well. Lech is closer than Ischgl though not that close for a late arrival.
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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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Hinterglemm
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| Emmeline wrote: |
| moffatrossIt's nearly £2k already you see |
Don't book now. Start looking in earnest towards the end of November, suss out where the snow isn't & select out areas on that basis. Early December isn't too popular anyway so the likelihood is there'll be space for 2 almost everywhere you look but the asking price will have significantly reduced by then.
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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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| moffatross wrote: |
| Emmeline wrote: |
| moffatrossIt's nearly £2k already you see |
Don't book now. Start looking in earnest towards the end of November, suss out where the snow isn't & select out areas on that basis. Early December isn't too popular anyway so the likelihood is there'll be space for 2 almost everywhere you look but the asking price will have significantly reduced by then. |
Wot he said.
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Cool- cheers all. Will see what the Flims people say, and if there's nowt going on there I'll look nearer the time. Got Tignes glacier skiing coming up in June anyway, so shall concentrate on looking forward to that. Much obliged to everyone for your recommendations - Austria/Switzerland is all new to me, so at least I've got some ideas now
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Righty-ho, so I've got nowhere with the Austria/Switzerland idea - did have a look at various France options, but am now thinking Bansko Bulgaria might be the way to go.
Have found a great apartment, with brilliant facilities, close to the lifts, cheapo Easyjet flights and very good transfer options. Lift passes are also very cheap (see a theme here?!), only problem is I can't find anything that tells me when the lifts open.
Last year it was 12/12. We'll be going 10/12, probably won't be skiing first day, but I want to make sure we're actually going to get out on the piste from 11/12 onwards. Would anyone happy to know when the season starts, or the best way that I could find out?
Cheers in advance,
Emm.
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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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another pertinent question would be what the snow record is like that early in the season.
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Yeah, done some research on that pam w - including on Snowheads, no worries on that score. Anywhere that early in the season is going to be hit and miss to be fair, I'm expecting that.
As long as it's white and wet I'll ski on it....
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You know it makes sense.
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| Smokin Joe wrote: |
| Hinterglemm |
Could be a bit early...
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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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| moffatross wrote: |
| Emmeline wrote: |
| moffatrossIt's nearly £2k already you see |
Don't book now. Start looking in earnest towards the end of November, suss out where the snow isn't & select out areas on that basis. Early December isn't too popular anyway so the likelihood is there'll be space for 2 almost everywhere you look but the asking price will have significantly reduced by then. |
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Poster: A snowHead
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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 flangesax, thanks for the info - is proving tricky to get Salzburg flights that early
clarky999, can't get out there til 23/12 so yep, too early. I don't want to go that close to Xmas.
Lou, having reconsidered the Total Ski idea, it's a no-go as it's a Friday departure and I can't arrange the leave from work. It would be hard to 'follow the snow' due to the fact there's no package deals for the dates I want, so it's a case of booking quickly while there's still cheap flights and places to stay. I've looked at various areas in France and most of the hotels are already booked up for that week, crazy!
I'm all set to book the flights to Sofia this weekend but as they are non-refundable, I just wanted to make sure the lifts were open when we got there!
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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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| Quote: |
I've looked at various areas in France and most of the hotels are already booked up for that week, crazy!
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that sounds most unlikely - many resorts won't even be open on December 10. However, if you are looking for less than standard Sat/Sat bookings they won't play ball until much nearer the time, as odd days might stop them selling two whole weeks. They're sometimes pretty pig headed about this, even if they are half empty! If there are no packages for the dates you are looking at, that might be a bit of a clue.
I'd agree with the advice to book late - but if you could get the flights (munich and drive?) the offer from flangesax is tempting.
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Well if you are interested in St.Anton you will find lots of info about the village, Flights, Hotels, Apres etc here: www.st-antonamarlberg.co.uk
It is great there at Christmas, especially if there is fresh snow in the village centre....
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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.
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Hi all, thanks very much for all the replies
What I'm now actually after is when the lifts open in Bansko, i.e. have they given a date yet as to when they'll be operating? If not (and it's dependant on the snow) then fair enough. I've done some research (including on this site) about Bansko, and the info I've gleaned has satisfied me that there will be something to ski on, even that early.
I just don't want to book my flights, get there, and not be able to buy a lift pass - hence I was hoping someone would be able to tell me if the season had been declared.
If not no worries I've looked at other options, including Austria, Switzerland, France - and have ruled out all of these for one reason or other (no decent flights being the main one, and I know it's because it's early in the season, but also things like we don't want a chalet, we want specific facilities, we don't want to hire a car) etc. Bansko is what we've settled on, if we can guarantee the lifts will be open. If this is all dependant on snow conditions then so be it - we'll probably knock the idea on the head and go away in 2012
I do appreciate all the advice and info - as this will help when I'm planning the next trip away. For now though, I'm hoping someone will know when the lifts open in Bansko
Cheers,
Emm.
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All - thanks very much for all your feedback and help, I am now sorted!
Booked Easyjet flights from Gatwick to Salzburg, and the Hotel Steiner in Obertauern, going from Sunday 11th to Sunday 18th Dec.
Just got to pay for the transfers, and book our luggage in with Easyjet (not sure at mo whether we're taking 1 lot of sports luggage or 2).
Oh, also got to sort the airport parking.
Cheers again, really excited!
Emm.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I'd park at the Russ Hill Hotel. It's very very basic, but at about £50 for a double or twin hotel room and parking for the week on site it is pretty much unbeatable.
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Nice place.
We've actually been there around the same time in December 2007. Exceptional early snow and lucky for us 5 days of sun and cold. As you can see on our photo.
Not to miss is the apres-ski in the mountain hut on top of the Edelweiss chair lift. Starts around 3pm and you ski down after the lifts are closed - magic (to more apre bars of course). It will be hard to leave your plushy hotel but you should try it at least once.
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