 Poster: A snowHead
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Me again!
After exhausting suitable priced accommodation options in Seefeld, I'm now open to alternative resorts!
We have to go in half term (15 April 2014) which is a pain. We have 2 kids (9 and 12). I'm a very nervous skier, kids have been skiing once in Ellmau last year and hubbie has skii'd a few times. We are looking for hotel/aparthotel accommodation.
Me and the kids want somewhere with gentle blues and hubbie is happy as long as he gets to ski! I read reviews which conflict on just how easy the skiing is ie, it's really easy v actually pretty difficult.
I know it's half term but somewhere withouth too many queues would be good, which I think rules out France!
This is doing my head in.
Help
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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France should be pretty quiet 15 April.
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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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Pretty late in the season.
For much earlier, I'd have suggested San Cassiano in Italy (don't recall if it was on the other thread). That's 80% blue runs. And when you do see a horrendous queue it actually only takes about 5 minutes to go up the gondola.
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bambionskiis, doesn't rule out France, just go to a smaller resort rather than the mega ski stations, from personal experience, my wife is also a nervous skier, I can recommend La Rosiere. There is lots of skiing for the more experienced and the ski area is is shared with La Thuile in Italy so you ski in France and Italy. Have a look at www.larosiere.net for details I can also recommend a hotel - Le relais du Petit Saint-Bernard, which is right next to the main ski lift. The resort is open until the 26th April so although some of the lower pistes below the village, which is at 1850m., could be shut the slopes above the village should be fine. We own a chalet in the village and we have always skied the last week of the season without any problems, La Rosiere has one of the best records for snowfall in France.
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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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Take a look at the Radstadt-Altenmarkt-Wagrain axis along part of the Ski Amadé region or alternatively Maria Alm/Dienten/Mühlbach which form the Hochkönig ski area. I think you mean February not April don't you? Otherwise, it is not the Austrian school holiday period so you could try looking at something like Booking.com or Tripadvisor to see what hotels are available with the facilities you want. Let me know if you need any more help as I know that region like the back of my hand having skied there for the past 25 years! There are also lots of snowHeads based in the area who are really helpful as well.
There is a snowHead called Gnarbeque who has a fabulous chalet in Dienten which may not yet be booked for that week. I believe you were going to drive out to Seefeld, so it is not much different in time and may even be a slightly easier trip.
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Sorry, meant to say half term Feb 2014!
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bambionskiis, have you thought about going to a much smaller resort and not with a tour operator? All big French resorts will be busy at half term as the French are also on holiday that week - the local population has a much bigger impact on the number of skiers on the slopes, the Brits are quite a small market in comparison. Obviously with tour operators the prices are more expensive for half term regardless.
One that sticks in my mind is Oberjoch, in Germany. It's less than an hours' drive from Memmingen airport (you can fly direct from various UK airports). It was very quiet, not particuarly large, no queues, and with the clientele mainly families wanting somewhere cheap, quiet, friendly to stay and ski. I have a vague recollection of reading something about hotels offering a free lift pass with the booking (probably on here!), though the lift pass wasn't expensive. Food on the mountain was also very good and very cheap. How do you feel about drag lifts?
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If it's Feb half term, Niederau in Austria might work and has a couple of pretty nice hotels. It's on the low side but mid-Feb should be fine and I've known beginners and 2nd year skiers who love it. If you DO mean April though, the early couple of weeks would be good in Hochgurgl or Obergurgl ?
Last edited by After all it is free  on Fri 20-09-13 21:41; edited 1 time in total
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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 would think la Plagne would be perfect on april 15, high yet loads of easy blues, but queues at feb midterm will be insufferable
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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bambionskiis, Help us to help you - why did you rule out Seefeld?
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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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We ruled out Seefeld on cost really. We were trying to get accomodation with guaranteed interconnecting rooms (we refuse to share a room with the kids) or something similar. We were being quoted £5-£5500, which is beyond our budget.
I've been looking through the resorts that are being suggested, all of which seem gorgeous I have to say. We are slaves to package set ups (Crystal, Inghams, etc) because we just prefer to get it organised for us (lazy I know) so we are a bit limited in that respect. Are any of the companies better than the others by the way? Nierdau was suggested by one of the companies but it seems to be lots of "learner" slopes and then onto reds with not much in between. One comment I read said that you can only ski back to the village via a pretty tricky red. Eeek.
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bambionskiis, have a look at La Thuile, I can't see it ever being busy there, although the La Ros side did seem significantly busier than the Italian side, the ski area is massive in relation to the village and accommodation available although it does attract some weekend day-trippers. There are lots of very flat blue runs and even a few of the red runs were very wide and gentle. Pretty sure all the mainstream TOs go there but some are limited to accommodation at the Planibel which is very handy for the lifts but rather soulless. There are much nicer hotels in the village centre but it's a 15-min walk (or short bus ride) to the lifts, there are good equipment lockers you can rent at the shop at the lift base station.
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You know it makes sense.
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One comment I read said that you can only ski back to the village via a pretty tricky red. Eeek.
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No need for it to be "eek" if you have the choice of getting down in a lift (often the best way at the end of the day anyway, as resort runs can be busy and intimidating, with people who think they can ski determined to overtake the slow beginners, often on narrow tracks, rather than just chill and enjoy a gentle last run down.
Les Saisies, in France, would be absolutely ideal for you in terms of the skiing but accommodation (even the expensive ones) will be booked now for half term and there are no package tour operators (  ). It's also busy at half term because it coincides with peak French holidays.
Were your Seefeld quotes for everything, flights and all? Sounds an awful lot for just accommodation.
Don't rule out a DIY trip, which, with the help of SHs who know the areas very well, might be the best way of finding the kind of skiing you want. Anywhere where lots of british TOs go will tend to be busy at half term but resorts off the package tour track might have just what you want. At this stage, if you are determined to go with a TO and to have interconnecting rooms, your choices will be closing down a bit.
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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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bambionskiis,
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We are slaves to package set ups (Crystal, Inghams, etc) because we just prefer to get it organised for us
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If you are going peak week of the season this means you are essentially slaves to expensive holidays. Tour operators can sell packages in the February half term holidays many times over, so it is not surprising that they mark their holidays up as they may have to sell below cost at other times.
When I have travelled to Austria at this time I have been able to undercut the TO massively by DIY ing, it really is not difficult at all.
You could do worse than Galtur which has some lovely gentle blues back to the village but also some more testing skiing if your family prefer though the overall area is small .
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hi bambionskis
I have been to Niederau before. The ski back to the village is definitely not for the faint hearted, some sections are lovely wide and cruisy but there is a really really steep section which I took a confident 1 week skier and that 20 metre steep section took about half an hour for him getting down. There is, like Pam says, a gondola to the bottom. As far as runs go, its a bit limited for beginners in my opinion. I am a nervous at least 4 week skier  and like resorts that I can cruise around
These are just my opinions for my level of skiing and confidence. I am sure that better more confident skiiers will have a totally different outlook to different resorts.
I recently went to ellmau in January this year. I found this quite tough for beginners, despite many reports saying it is good for beginners and a family resort, I didnt really find this. I found a lot of the blue runs very tough, in fact almost all the blues had a tough section in it.
Valmorel is full of blues and greens and has many many wide runs. I would definitley go back here again to ski. The only drawback I found with this was that the supermarkets in the resort were quite expensive so if I did go back, I would do my main shop in Moutiers before I made my way up to Valmorel, but if its cruisy confidence building runs you want its Valmorel. We went here with Crystal - just done a quick search on crystal website and 2 adults and 2 children from gatwick on 15 jan for 1 week comes out at £2800 self catering - you would need to add lift pass and ski hire (and of course food) on to the price
Another place highly recommended as PamW has already stated is les saisies. but like you ssay you are a slave to the tour operator then I dont think there are any to go to Les Saisies but when you build your confidence up to do DIY then this is a must see cruisy paradise!
We are going to La Tania in January so cant comment on that but from what I have heard Courchevel 1650 is another great cruisy blue green area. Dont be frightened to ask questions, there are lots of knowledgable people on this forum who can help and advise you.
Karen x
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have to say Apartment Planet Mirabel La thuille (it does look souless, but is really handy so that could well be the trade-off) is looking favourite at the moment (thanks QB) and perhaps a look at Valmorel and Les Saisies would be in order.
Yes Pam the Seefeld package was accomodation and flights, but we'd need to add on ski passes/equipment etc.
Ref DIYing, I find flights the most difficult to organise.
So glad I'm not alone on Ellmau Polo; I really thought it was going to be easier than it was. Gorgeous place though.
Right, back to google now!! Thanks
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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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bambionskiis, I think you meant Hotel or Apartments Planibel in La Thuile - I've stayed there although a long time ago and the location is very good, plus there is a big swimming pool. The skiing was pretty good but we didn't manage to get to La Ros due to high winds
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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bambionskiis, Not really a fan of La Thuille - unless you get up into the slopes at the top then it's very soulless. I can't see how you'd enjoy it any more than Ellmau; in my opinion, the terrain is no easier in La Thuille than in Ellmau and the village is nothing like as charming as Ellmau.
Despite the high prices (it's half-term) pick any of the carriers to Salzburg (Easyjet/Ryanair/Jet2) and then a nice 2-bed apartment in Ski Amade, Saalbach, Flachau etc. Should be achievable for around £4k, although your flights alone are going to cost £2k.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Fri 20-09-13 21:00; 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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Yes that's it Montana. My head is spinning and they are all starting to look/sound the same now. The location really does look good.
Just looked at LesSaisies Polo but isn't much availability which is a shame as it looks really nice.
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| bambionskiis wrote: |
Yes that's it Montana. My head is spinning and they are all starting to look/sound the same now. The location really does look good.
Just looked at LesSaisies Polo but isn't much availability which is a shame as it looks really nice. |
are you giving DIY a chance? PamW might have some contacts in les Saisies or you could contact the tourist office in Les Saisies to ask if they have any availablity. we did this when we went to Neiderau and ended up at a lovely place (that wasnt on any tour operator sites or even have a website).
have a look here
http://www.lessaisies.com
did you have a look at the quote i got from crystal for Valmorel too?
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Fri 20-09-13 20:18; edited 1 time in total
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bambionskiis, DIY at half term, at this late juncture, really means self-drive as flights are an absurd price. Self drive is not a lot of fun at half-term either, come to that, and journeys have to be carefully planned to avoid the worst of the traffic.
Have you written off the idea of a holiday in the kids' Easter vacation? There's a lot to be said for it. The last thing a nervous skier needs, IME, is crowded slopes. You will find much lower prices. Need to be choosy about resort at that stage of the season, but there are plenty which are suitable. In France Easter is low season for accommodation prices. Don't know about Austria, but probably similar.
I don't recommend Les Saisies at half term (I have an apartment there and a season lift pass but I always come home for the French school holidays Feb/March).
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I'm confused, though not for the first time. The OP refers to 15 April 2014 as being half term. Several responses refer to the usual interpretation of half term, as February 2014. Choosing a ski area for a mid April holiday is very different to mid February because of snow reliability. Altitude, snow making facilities, effectiveness at maintaining snow, which way the slopes face, all make a huge difference. Personally I'd never book, for example, a low altitude Austrian ski area this far in advance for a mid April holiday. In my experience late booking deals, even at Easter, are available, once the likelihood of decent snow is known. With kids of that age (12 and 9) I'd recommend Ski Esprit. Also Mark Warner often have spare capacity. Happy to share views on suitable ski areas, though La Plagne, La Rosiere, Les Arcs could fit the bill. Places like Val D'Isere, Tignes, 3 Vallees, St Anton likely to be too challenging for what you describe.
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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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intermediate, the OP corrected herself - April was a mistake.
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intermediate, the OP corrected herself - April was a mistake
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Oops! Thanks Pam. No problem with snow then. Just traffic, lift queues and cost, so your advice is very sound.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The 2 best places I've been for lots of easy skiing are Alpe d'Huez (France I know) and Cervinia.
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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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Its France but La Plagne is a Blue Heaven, a steady novice should be able to ski around most of the resort. As for dad he will enjoy the skiing with family (I hope) and if he wants there are one or two more testing runs to explore.
I class my self as a reasonable skier and Ive been to La Plagne three times and have always loved it as I can kinda switch off and cruise
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La Plagne in Half term week will be worse than normal this coming season as Paris is off the same weeks as UK.
If nervous I would avoid La Plagne like the plague that week. 
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You know it makes sense.
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Have a look at Soldeu in Andorra.
At that time of year I would personally avoid France due to the various school holidays that could combine to make the Perfect Storm !
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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 your replies everyone.
Through a lot of surfing, I'm giving Les Saisies a good look. We're also resigning ourselves to going at Easter rather than the expensive half term. On paper (screen!) it looks just what we want; snow late in season (Easter) lots of greens and blues, not too expensive, pretty and with stuff to do (the roller coaster looks fab), an efficient lift system and doesn't look too busy. The problem I'm having is that there only appears to be one hotel with the rest being apartments. We were looking for half board, seperate interconnecting rooms in a hotel with leisure facilities. Alas this doesn't seem to exist. None of the regular tour operators go there, which is probably why it's a bit quieter. If we do go self-catering, we would want central to restaurants, but not too far from lifts, and I really can't work out where accomodation is in relation to everything, so not sure what to do. 
Valmorel looks fab too (thanks Polo), but I don't know if it will be that good snow-wise that late in the season.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Sun 22-09-13 22:38; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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bambionskiis, check out Peak Retreats, they go to Les Saisies
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks Sarah. Just had a quick look and the prices they are quoting for accommodation include ferry whereas we would need to fly. May contact them to see what options there are. Thanks. Scrub that, they give a £150 reduction for no travel costs, but it seems a little on the pricey side.
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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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bambionskiis, normally they will knock off £150 but give them a ring and see
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We went to Les Saisies a few years ago and I'd say the runs there are just what you are looking for and it is a very pretty resort - although we went in January so I don't know what it is like at Easter. The lift system is fine. Our children who were I think 8 and 5 at the time really liked it. It is one of the easier resorts to drive to from the UK so I wouldn't rule out driving there if you are looking to save money. We went by train to Annecy and hired a car there.
We stayed in le Hameau de Beaufortain (booked through Peak Retreats) which has a pool and is very good in terms of ski to and from the door. However it is 2k from the village centre so you'd need to have a car to drive into town in the evenings. If Les Chalets D'Emeraude apartments are cheaper it might be worth looking into them as they are nearer the centre of the village.
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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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bambionskiis, the accommodation on the Peak Retreats books in Les Saisies is very expensive (not over-priced, it's just that they are upmarket places). There are plenty of much cheaper places to rent, though by this time a high proportion are already booked for half term - as you discovered when you looked yourself. People say "go to a smaller resort" and "do a DIY trip" and although that's very good advice it certainly does NOT guarantee that you will avoid big lift queues. There are two fast chairlifts up out of the main bowl in Les Saisies itself and they will be very busy at half term. There are much quieter areas elsewhere in the domain but you can't get to them without using those lifts. If you do ski at half term the best advice is to start early (before the ski schools get going) have a stop/snack at about 11.30 am, then ski through lunchtime and stop around 2 pm when the restaurants empty out onto the slopes and the afternoon ski lessons start.
The other problem with Les Saisies is that ski lesson groups will be mostly Francophone, so although the instructors speak some English the main language during the lessons will inevitably be French.
I suspect you would be better off looking at the advice about Austria, trying to identify somewhere where you can get top quality lessons, not in big groups - improving your ski technique is going to be the key to having less problem booking ski hols in future.
Has it already been suggested that you have lessons in one of the snowdomes? Sorry, can't remember. It's expensive but could make a huge difference. However "easy" the slopes they can be made tricky by big crowds, icy snow, big mounds of fresh snow which has been ploughed up by skiers all day, poor visibility. Or all of the above.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w, bambionskiis is now looking to go at Easter again
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sarah, oh right! Hard to keep up. Naturally I always ski in Les Saisies in April, and it's only been bad one year when, exceptionally, the resort closed a week early (it was bad all over, that year). I had a big family party in early April last year (when the snow was terrific, of course) and will be having a smaller one this coming April. I probably wouldn't recommend Les Saisies for a late holiday though, simply because the altitude is quite low and some slopes are very sunny.
I also think the ski school situation in LS is not ideal for the OP - I would very strongly recommend they go somewhere with one of the BASS schools, or similar, where they can spend the whole week in a group of not more than 6.
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you could consider somewhere in Italy e.g. Champoluc or Madonna de Campiglio?
www.ski-2.com seem to run a nice gig in Champoluc and they have their own British instructors. Slopes wise, most of the stuff is pretty cruisy. There's one pitch from the top of Crest in direction Belvedere that might be considered a little less easy. But frankly, you're in mountains and they have fairly mountainous topography. No easy getting away from it.
It looks like Champoluc's closing weekend is April 21.
But again, if it's Easter it doesn't really matter where you go from a crowds p.o.v. Most places will be reasonably quiet and a bit of elevation may be an advantage.
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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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Complete left field, but we've booked for Trysil in Norway!
It's somewhere I've always wanted to go and the resort sounds perfect for us (daresay I'll be posting for advice on Norway in the future.
Thanks again everyone, it's been much appreciated; definitely gave me loads to think about.
Just got to start saving for the alcohol there now 
x
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How exciting, it sounds great.
Make sure you let us know what you thought of it, have fun.
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FAQ
