 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
My husband and I have learnt to ski this year and although still beginners we can parallel turn and control speed on the slopes. We want to go somewhere which has a reasonable amount of nightlife but more in the way of bars rather than clubs. We're looking for somewhere that's likely to have good snow at the end of Feb, has plenty of blue and red runs, which are both reasonable in length and width.
Some of the resorts that have been recommended to us so far are Zell Am See in Austria, Les Arcs in france and Andorra. Any comments on any ofthese resorts or any other sugestions?
Cheers all
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Tuftmuppet, welcome to snowheads.  End of February is absolutely peak season in France - school holidays. If you want to travel then I think you might be better off in Zell am See or lots of other resorts in Austria. There is no point competing with school holidays (you will need to get advice about which weeks to avoid in Austria - I don't know about that but there are busy times there, too).
In France (and I'm sure Les Arcs would be fine for you, but so would loads of other places) you need to avoid mid February to mid March, unless you enjoy lift queues.
The other crucial thing to consider is the availability of really good ski schools, with guaranteed small (6 maximum) groups if possible. The quality of the ski school will probably be more important for your enjoyment of the holiday than anything else.
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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 would be perfect
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Truth is there are loads of resorts that fit the bill and you'll get lots of recommendations, many of which will fit the bill perfectly. At that time everywhere will have decent snow all being well. If you go to Andorra, I would suggest Soldeu ahead of the others. It's a big ski area with the potential for lots of travelling between valleys even for inexperienced skiers. It's a nice enough village with bars and restaurants and there's a really excellent English speaking ski school which might be a big plus for you. If you're looking for really pretty village atmosphere, look at Austrian resorts like Alpbach as mentioned but there are numerous others. Zell am See is a good place but quite big. Check when Fasching is in Austira as well as places are very busy during this time, often as busy as the French resorts during school holidays.
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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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Tuftmuppet, lots of places will be excellent for you. How to choose between them is the difficulty. You will find some people swear by France / Italy / Austria / Switzerland / Andorra / Spain / etc
I think you need to decide what else you are looking for in your resort. You will then get a lot of people pushing their own favourite. Do you speak any particular language? French, German, Italian, Spanish? How deep are you pockets? I know that there are always people who say that French resorts are not all expensive and it is true that you can find cheaper resorts in France, but the mainstream French resorts that I have visited have been significantly more expensive than similar resorts in Austria or Northern Italy (the Südtirol).
What sort of accommodation are you looking for? Hotel / self catering / catered chalet ? Some are more available in some countries. How important is a leisure centre / pool ? How will you travel? Fly / drive / train? Are you putting together a DIY package or going through a Tour Operator and buying a package?
I think that if you answer these questions you will get a short list of resorts.
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I think that if you answer these questions you will get a short list of resorts.
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Agreed! An even shorter list if you want guaranteed small ski school classes. 
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