 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello everyone. Myself and my father are planning to ski around 19 January. Now he usually gets to choose (which is mostly Arinsal, Andorra), but this year I have convinced him we need to go somewhere different. Last year the snow was great in Arinsal but the link to Pal was closed most of the week due to the wind and the buses laid on for Arcalís were therefore in high demand which meant we had very little variety.
It would be good to get some advice on which European resorts are top heavy with lots of red runs but aren't crowded, as these are the main gripes I have with Arinsal. Does such a resort exist?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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hydrox, Serre Chevalier might suit you, loads of red runs there, and more extensive than Arinsal. Doubt you will find it as cheap, although it is a lot less expensive than many big French places.
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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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Alpbach. not massive but pretty quiet and a lovely village. Saalbach, great skiing great apres.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Arinsal year on year??? Really?????
You are missing some great skiing if you are staying there....GET URSELF TO THE REAL MOUNTAINS!!!
This is the ideal opportunity to move on, try Alp D'Huez.
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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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hydrox, mid january is a great time to go skiing - quiet, low season. You are spoilt for choice - tell us a bit more about what kind of place you like, what kind of accommodation, etc.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Mid jan is low season , no resort is full and there is always plenty available and on offer ,why not wait till the start of January and go where the snow is ,no need to make a decision now , you never know you may be back to Andorra !
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Schladming, Saalbach as suggested above, Obertauern ... the options mid Jan for great uncrowded resort are endless!
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Corduroy, I know, finally got to break the cycle. Looking forward to experiencing new areas'.
Pam W, Sounds like we got the time right, I think for a change we would like to visit a larger area with longer runs that are a bit more challenging. My Dad's quite fit for an old bloke as he's a squash nut, but a dodgy knee makes him a bit wary of crowed slopes' hence the search for somewhere a bit quieter. I'm in the process of getting prepared by hitting the gym a few times a week.
As for accommodation we usually opt for a hotel with bed and breakfast and check out the local restaurants' and bars' for lunch and an evening meal. Being a lazy git and despite my fathers protests I always hired a locker in the ski area. Funnily enough he seemed pretty happy not to be carrying his gear back to the hotel every day.
Lots of suggestions, looks like the next few years could be sewn up as well.
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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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Quiet resort, mostly reds, try Nassfeld
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Don't forget Italy as well. Selva, Canazei and Arabba come to mind, but anywhere in that area but off the main Sella Ronda and you'll pretty much have the mountains to yourself mid-late January.
But I echo Rob Mackley's point — if it's just the two of you, no real rush to book, see where the snow falls first.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| mattiwilkin wrote: |
| Alpbach. not massive but pretty quiet and a lovely village. |
A fair bit bigger now that it is connected by lift to the Widschoenau.
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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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hydrox, You might want to consider the Zillertal.
While Mayrhofen is the best known, and can be crowded, the lift pass covers the whole valley, and either the Zillertal Arena or the Kaltenbach area are usually much less crowded, with some good red runs. All areas connected by free bus/train.
I love the SkiWelt, but you are asking for longer runs, and most of the runs there are relatively short - only the runs back to the various base areas are fairly long. but altogether you have about 280Km of lift linked runs there.
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hydrox, Jan is the best time for great conditions and great prices - I think its the ski-conditions/holiday-price sweet-spot.
In terms of not wanting it busy, the first two or even 3 weeks in Jan are quiet almost everywhere, so your dad should be pretty relaxed in most places.
With only two of you and looking for a hotel, I would wait and see how far your budget will stretch with a late deal.
Booking last minute is great if you're (i) flexible where you want to go and (ii) want to ski somewhere a bit nicer on the same budget.
Caveat: Don't wait for late deals if you have to travel from a regional airport that gets booked out (Scotland often sells out first, along with the west country Exeter/Bristol, but you can usually do fine with London/Manc/Brum if not choosing a peak date like half term).
You guys have got the perfect setup - two people (i.e. you will fit into any hotel or chalet room without under-occupancy cost) and flexible on where you go and not looking to book in one of the most popular/busy resorts...
Keep looking for a bargain somewhere big - sadly the lift companies don't do last minute discounts, so a big ski area will still mean a dearer lift pass, but better to spend the extra on a big skiing, than a flash hotel? After years skiing Andorra-only, you deserve it.
The only down side to late booking is the 2for1 lift pass type offers tend to only be on early booking, so look for those earlier if you want to spend big on a mega-pass like 3 Valleys or Espace Killy etc.
Best thing about booking late - 1. watch the snow forecast and follow the snow, 2. last minute discounts
Best thing about booking early - 1. better choice, 2. more offers like bogof etc
Also, must agree with the mentions of Italy - if you want big alpine skiing but closer to Andorra prices, the Sella Ronda and Milky Way are hard to beat... or stay in Cervinia and ski the awesome Matterhorn glacier/paradise/whateveritscalled without paying Zermatt prices - one of our lads here worked last winter there and loved it.
Could go on forever - feels like winter is coming!
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
you will fit into any hotel or chalet room without under-occupancy cost
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though possibly not without sharing a bed. 
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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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If you were looking at France then La Plagne isn't a bad option, someone above mentioned Alpe D'Huez which i agree is a good choice - Les Bergers Apartments are a good on Piste option for accommodation.
Austria... Solden is nice and has a short transfer time.
You may want to look at Italy, cheap and good variety of ski.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Alpe D'Huez is lovely, if you want to stay somewhere quiet, Oz en Oisans is a lovely little station slightly lower down with easy lift connection to Alpe D'Huez.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As mentioned earlier, may be worth looking at Serre Chevalier - amazing variety of runs and a great sense of travel
The Brenta Dolomites of Italy could be worth a look - stay in Folgarida and get the full area pass - quiet town, but perhaps not the variety of restaurants, so half board could suit better. Loads of well-groomed red runs to blast around on and it won't be busy then. Again, good sense of travel.
Saalbach Hinterglemm - stay in the latter as it is a little quieter. Loads of evening meal options and lively if you want it. Superb skiing with loads of red runs and, yet again, a great sense of travel with skiing on either side of the valley.
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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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I think the late booking is a great idea, both for the reasons' suggested and also to try and decide where to go. We usually fly from Belfast or Dublin. I'm not sure how fast the places' sell out here, but with such a lot of choice there's no doubt if we can't get our first choice we will still get a fantastic week skiing, now we have a list of areas' that tick the boxes. Seems I'll be watching the snow reports for December and January quite closely.
Reading some of the advice given it's easy to tell people are quite fond of the places' they recommend. I think this list and the tips/advice will be good for more than just one season. Hopefully others' seeing the post will get a few ideas' as well.
Thanks everyone.
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