 Poster: A snowHead
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We are now thinking about next year’s lads ski trip. It’s a choice between Les Deux Alpes or Saalbach the most important thing to me is the skiing. We are a group of 3 advanced and 3 intermediates. Three of us like to do some off piste so Les Denx Alpes stands out to me I also like the idea of a day in La Grave not shore in my skiing up to that  . All advice much appreciated
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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From what I've heard Saalbach is tops for apres. LDA bit of a marmite resort. I quite like it. When are you thinking of going?
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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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dobby, late week January or first week of Feb. I'm more looking for
The best skiing than drinking
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I wouldn't be mad about skiing in L2A based on one ski trip. Its kind of place you will seem to ski all of on first day and then you're saying "now what?" You do need to be sure your skiing is up to it if you want to do La Grave. Depending on conditions and your skiing it may not be a runner. You'll get best out of La Grave if you are experienced off-piste skier. Don't know much about Saalbach but heard its good- might be better choice for you.
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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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Glen Charman, haven't been to LDA so can't comment but I do remember a thread on here a few months back asking for us to name the worst ski resorts and I seem to remember it being named pretty regularly.
Saalbach is a great resort. Great skiing, lift infrastructure and après. Not sure about the off piste as I don't do it. Would certainly recommend saalbach above most ski resorts
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I'm surprised that LDA is being slated so much here. I've skied a week (and a day) there and enjoyed it. Relative to Saalbach (which I know much better) the pistes are more open and exposed but the skiing is good in both places. When in LDA, we had days away in Alpe d'Huez and Serre Chevalier (on the 7-day ski pass) which did add to the interest (I had a car there). From Saalbach similar trips could take you to Zell am See, for example, though not on the standard Saalbach ski pass.
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I am aslo struggling to understand why LDA is getting so much grief, ok can understand its not the prettiest resort, but for ski area I think you cannot fault it. It seems to go on for ever, and with Alp D'huex only a 50 minute bus ride away (some TO charge about a 10Euro return on the bus) and your ski pass will allow you in this resort for 2 days, LDA is a fine resort. It has plenty of nightlife, so the boys should never go dry!!
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2Alpes has loads of accessible off piste as well.
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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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Ive been to both and rate LDA for experts (asLizzard, says there is lots of interesting accessible offpiste and some good balcks) & beginners and Saalbach as good for intermediates (large circus of runs touring th evalley) and beginners....so, either the advanced team wins or the intermediate team does...for your mixed group, I know its annoying, but I wouldnt pick either! There are loads in France that would suit (3 vallyes, espace Killey, Les Arcs, Alpe d'Huez. Serre Chevalier, - the last 2 next door to LDA). Not so sure about Austria - Lech or Ischgl maybe (not been to it though),
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Alpe D'Huez sounds good. Lots for advanced to do (so long as can get to top of mountain). Lots for inters
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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 spent about 13 weeks at L2A and not tired of it yet. In fact I'm going there for 7 weeks next winter  Loads of off piste ranging from reasonably easy stuff to some very hairy stuff. This is a pretty inexpensive way for off piste days http://www.europeanskischool.co.uk/Pages/English/Freeride.html You do have to pay extra now for La Grave I believe, 20 euros.
If you do the (free) Free Respect day you get an afternoon with a guide after the morning of avalanche theory and practise in the arva park.
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Claude B, I thought you were Colin? Or do you have a twin? 
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You know it makes sense.
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Lizzard, My alter ego I've been Claude since being re-christened at the PSB in December!
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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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Glen Charman,
Saalbach. Double the size of L2A. 
Saalbach for many more runs with good lifts and great apres.
Depends when you go it might be not that white if you unlucky, but normally it has pretty good snow.
L2A feels much smaller, although it is not on the paper. But you will have the advantage of glacier and more high alpine terrain. You just will be doing the same runs every day.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Tom, would you say first week of February is fairly safe snow wise for Saalbach?
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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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Raven, I was there that week, this year and it was awesome, though a particularly good year by all accounts. Tatman's Tours is your man for snow record - he lives in Saalbach each season and is the font of all knowledge. IIRC I think that is a safe bet time-wise - usual disclaimers apply!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Did someone mention my name? Sorry I've been asleep.
Regarding snowsureness, we've had our apartments in Saalbach since 2007 and have spent the last 7 consecutive Christmases there, invariably arriving between 15th and 22nd December. The snow has always arrived in good quantities before our arrival, and we've never had problems through lack of snow between mid-Dec and the end of March - certainly not during during the first week of February, when conditions are normally at their best.
Obviously, as in any ski resort, snow is less "sure" at the extremities of the ski season, although the vast, multi-million euro investment in snow-making technology has virtually eliminated the risk that there will be insufficient snow at the times when the overwhelming majority of people are taking their skiing holidays. In a good, snowy season there tends to be ample snow between late November and mid-April. We have often arrived before Christmas to be told that we have missed fantastic skiing in fresh powder on empty pistes, and similarly last season (when we spent 14 weeks in Saalbach), some of the most enjoyable skiing we had was in early April, after the Easter holiday throngs had departed, when Saalbach became a relative 'ghost town' and we often had perfect pistes entirely to ourselves.
It is often repeated on this forum that Austrian resorts tend to be snow-sure at lower altitudes than those in France, because of their more easterly location and distance from the moderating influence of the Gulf Stream. Saalbach also benefits from its relatively high altitude, as compared with many of the well-known Austrian resorts (e.g. Kitzbuehel, Mayrhofen, Soll, Niederau, Zell am See).
Having said all that, Les Deux Alpes (which resort I have visited twice, each time for one week) can hardly be bettered for high, snow-sure skiing and is a very good choice for anyone who is planning a ski holiday very early or very late in the season. I chose it, because both times I was organising chalet parties at Easter. In general we liked the ski area, which was fine for a mixed ability party - decent nursery area at village level, good, easy glacier at the top, final "fun" black piste down to the village and a reasonable choice of intermediate pistes in between. We didn't venture over to La Grave, although I can see why that would be an incentive for anyone who hungers after the off-piste.
On the negative side, we found the village and the apres-ski boring compared with Austrian resorts (but in fairness that could be said about most French resorts), the mountain restaurants were uninspiring, and the ski area is relatively small, though adequate for a party of mostly intermediate skiers for a week. The opportunity to visit nearby resorts, such as Alpe d'Huez and Serre Chevalier is certainly a compensating factor.
Saalbach, on the other hand, is highly rated for the quality and extent of its mainly intermediate, fully interlinked, 200km skiing area (not its difficulty admittedly, although there are several good, reasonably long and challenging blacks, and people we know seem to find plenty of off-piste), its dozens of fantastic mountain restaurants (which may be unrivalled for charm/price/friendliness anywhere in the Alps) and its renowned apres-ski, which certainly helps to keep everyone smiling in bad weather as well as good.
Although there are many differences, the only other point I'd mention is that the two resorts have a very different character: LDA is high and open with (as I remember) few trees, whereas Saalbach has a preponderance of forested slopes and tree-lined pistes. They are very contrasting resorts, and you could mount an argument for either being the more suitable for a mixed ability group, although much depends on the order of priorities. I would go to one next season and the other the season after - toss a coin to decide in which order (and then tell us which one you preferred).
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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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Glen Charman,
FWIW I really don't believe that there are anywhere near as many km's of piste at L2A as advertised. Saalbach every-time for me .
Mitch
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