 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
I am after advice as to which resort/area would be best suited for living in all year round for skiing in winter and for activities like walking and cycling in summer. Not looking for a massive social scene in the evenings (I never seem to have the energy for that!) but would like a decent amount of varied/extensive skiing (red run level primarily) and some culture nearby (museums, cinemas, concerts, shops - that sort of thing). Reasonably priced accommodation a bonus!
My initial thoughts lead me to somewhere like Innsbruck or Grenoble and then travelling for skiing with the huge disadvantage and hassle of travelling each day for skiing but the advantage of a variety of resorts to choose from. Are there any resorts that have enough skiing in winter and enough character etc. to live in during the summer but are close enough to a major city to get some of the other criteria?
Any positive (or negative) pointers gratefully received.
Cheers
Al
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I would say anywhere in Salzburgerland. Fabulous skiing in plenty of resorts, plus the city of Salzburg not too far away and Munich accessible too for the occasional big city needs. It's certainly where I'm planning my retirement...
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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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you dont have to travel far from Innsbruck
i always liked the position of Jenbach but have never been
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Bourg st Maurice
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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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The summer weather in far western Austria isn't that great and the ski season only amounts to around a third of time. Salzburg area is a good call with plenty of walking to be had in the non-ski season. Near to plenty of great skiing. A train ride away to premier ski resorts (e.g. St Anton, Verbier) and larger cities (e.g. Munich, Vienna)
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scar64, welcome to snowheads.  St Gervais. Aosta. Do you speak (or want to learn to speak better) French, German or Italian? That would make a difference to the recommendations.
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| pam w wrote: |
| scar64, welcome to snowheads. St Gervais. Aosta. Do you speak (or want to learn to speak better) French, German or Italian? That would make a difference to the recommendations. |
/\/\/\/\ language will make a huge difference.
its pointless going to a resort where no one else speaks english and you dont speak the local language....
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| eddiethebus wrote: |
its pointless going to a resort where no one else speaks english and you dont speak the local language.... |
Unless you want to learn a foreign language and are prepared to put in the effort…. in that case it's the best thing you can do.
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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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Bourg St Maurice
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Bourg St Maurice
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| miranda wrote: |
| eddiethebus wrote: |
its pointless going to a resort where no one else speaks english and you dont speak the local language.... |
Unless you want to learn a foreign language and are prepared to put in the effort…. in that case it's the best thing you can do. |
I agree, kind of. although most likely it will be a long (and lonely) few years until your language skills are good enough to actually make friends that dont speak any english.
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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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Bourg d'Oisans - just to break it up a bit
scar64, Welcome to SH by the way
As has been said, maybe try and narrow down to a country first
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it was rumoured that a gondola was going to be built from bourg d'oisans upto l2a. i'd imagine that would increase property values down there about a gazillion fold!
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You know it makes sense.
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Also depends why... retirement? working there? run a business remotely?
Personnally I'd pick somewhere just out of the mountains, in a valley. Driving or hopping on a bus or train is no big deal when you can go skiing any weekend (or day of the week). Lausanne is another I'd throw in to the mix. Somewhere Salzburg way would probably be my choice. Wouldn't say no to somewhere just south of Munich, but Munich itself is probably more like London prices I'd imagine.
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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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| eddiethebus wrote: |
| although most likely it will be a long (and lonely) few years until your language skills are good enough to actually make friends that dont speak any english. |
I think it depends on your personality. I would have been too shy with my poor French to establish a local social life that enabled me to improve my French - fortunately my husband had better French and is less shy. One guy we know, however, had no French at all but had a dictionary and a massive personality and sat in the village pub every night for a few months talking to the couple who own it (who don't speak any English). Not only did his French improve big time, but they absolutely love him - they still talk about him all the time and can't wait for him to visit each year. Still, I think you would be hard-pushed to find a place in the Alps where no one spoke any English at all wouldn't you? Even in our little village, I have a friend who did a season in Aviemore so she could improve her English ( ), a few instructors with very good English and most people here with basic English still have a higher level than your average Brit's French. They're also very friendly.
For me, I'm very happy being in the mountains year round, but then it is a real village where people live, work, go to school etc. It's very small and it doesn't feel underpopulated in the summer at all. I absolutely love Les Saisies in the winter but I wouldn't want to live there year round - very pretty but I think Pam has said that the permanent population is actually less than half the size it is here, which means closed shops/restaurants/shutters in the summer. Big difference is also the fact that we run a chalet and so meet different people every week throughout winter and summer seasons, as well as having lots of visits from friends (and lots of repeat guests who are now friends) on top of our local social life. Not sure I'd be ready to live in a sleepy village without that sort of social interaction just yet.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
One guy we know, however, had no French at all but had a dictionary and a massive personality and sat in the village pub every night for a few months talking to the couple who own it (who don't speak any English).
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I wish I had the nerve to do that - what a great way to learn the language!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Vancouver (but might struggle with the reasonably priced bit!)
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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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Briancon might be worth adding to the list. It's a proper town with a permanent population and a fair bit of culture, that's in (rather than just close to) a large ski area, and within easy reach of a fair few more - Montgenevre (and the rest of the Milky Way), Graves and Puy St Vincent are all within day-trip distance, probably Alpe d'Huez and L2A are as well.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks a bunch for all the replies - seriously useful.
At the moment I'm thinking along the lines of a year out of the rat race but it could become permanent if I found the right place - I would be looking to try and earn some money out there (or payment in kind - free lift pass/equipment....) but maybe on the lines of a couple of days/evenings a week (e.g. in a ski shop translating for all the Brits!) - call it semi-retirement!
Language wise I have reasonable French but would definitely attempt to learn whatever language was local/necessary within my ability so to do. I think I would have to to get the best out of the whole experience.
I think places like Bourg St Maurice and Bourg d'Oisans would be great for the skiing (I skied Les Arcs a couple of years ago and the link down to BSM was so easy) but might potentially be a bit small for some of the non ski related criteria although I guess it is pretty easy to get the train from BSM to Albertville when required. I spent 6 weeks in Grenoble years ago visiting a friend and it was great to be able to hop on a bus and get a days skiing in whenever the weather/time permitted at various local resorts.
Thanks again and please keep the suggestions coming - if I can narrow it down to three or four places that would make the decision easier!
Al
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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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| Quote: |
I guess it is pretty easy to get the train from BSM to Albertville when required
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Can't think of too many reasons why one would want to go to Albertville, personally.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Annecy is one obvious contender which has not yet been mentioned. Though it's not cheap.
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| scar64 wrote: |
Are there any resorts that have enough skiing in winter and enough character etc. to live in during the summer but are close enough to a major city to get some of the other criteria?
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What sort of "major city" are you basing your expectations on? Have to agree with Pam - if I were relying on Albertville to provide "culture" I think things would be pretty desperate. But then you liked Grenoble and I wouldn't want to live there either.
If you are only, at this stage, thinking about a year, what is the minimum you need when it comes to galleries/museums/cinemas/shops? I'm not a "shopper" so I really don't care about that, but I do really enjoy the other activities mentioned. For me, living in the mountains proper and then taking city breaks to get my "culture" fix is preferable to a compromise solution of living in an alpine town that covers neither instant access to the mountains nor instant access to "major city culture".
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Annecy or Vancouver sound ideal really.
Annecy's not as pricey or boutiquey as it wants to be, not really. Our 2 bed apartment was well under 1k euros a month to rent. No different to anywhere I've ever lived in the UK. Shop at Lidl, season pass at the Aravis, equipment from a bourse aux skis. C'est ca.
Vancouver does have a silly housing market, and BC has high tax for Canada. But a seriously good option 
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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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briancon is about 2 hours from turin if that helps and obviously has its own ski lift in to serre chevalier plus within driving distance for day trips to the resorts Droque mentions
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+1 for the Salzburgerland. Very nice skiing, reasonably priced, and as others have said near Salzburg. Munich and Vienna and even Venice are do-able day trips. Lots of mountain biking, walking and lake activity in the summer. Good for golf too.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| scar64 wrote: |
| At the moment I'm thinking along the lines of a year out of the rat race but it could become permanent if I found the right place - I would be looking to try and earn some money out there (or payment in kind - free lift pass/equipment....) but maybe on the lines of a couple of days/evenings a week (e.g. in a ski shop translating for all the Brits!) - call it semi-retirement! |
Living somewhere and earning a living is a lot different to being on holiday. It's not unusual for sports shop workers to work 7 days a week in the winter. They don't have much call for someone who just wants do a few hours a week. In fact many ski related businesses prefer to employ people who have no interest in skiing so they are not tempted to call in sick on a powder day etc.
You might be better renting a place just for the ski season and then renting a place in the summer season where you can earn more money (e.g. in a major city near to the mountains or in a summer holiday resort)
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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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Bourg St Maurice
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Innsbruck is perfect. 10 months of skiing a year, two months kayaking/hiking/etc. If you live in Hungerburg (a suburb up the mountain above the city) you're in walking distance of the Nordkette ski area.
There's also lots going on besides skiing, which is pretty important for year round living - especially for more than just one year. Lots of job opportunities too.
Driving or getting a bus to go skiing doesn't really bother me, but if I feel to lazy I just go to Nordkette. Lots of options within 20 minutes though.
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You know it makes sense.
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| DB wrote: |
| The summer weather in far western Austria isn't that great and the ski season only amounts to around a third of time. Salzburg area is a good call with plenty of walking to be had in the non-ski season. |
Hmm... an hour of rain late afternoon is pretty common in Tirol (mostly very hot and sunny during the day though come summer; late spring is worse), but the Salzkammergut seems to get more rain than the rest of Austria put together!! gorgeous part of the world though.
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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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| Quote: |
They don't have much call for someone who just wants do a few hours a week. In fact many ski related businesses prefer to employ people who have no interest in skiing so they are not tempted to call in sick on a powder day etc.
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Not so where I live. The sports shops are happy to employ weekend-only staff as they need them on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings when guests are leaving and again on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings when the next week's guests arrive. Friday and Saturday evenings are spent checking and servicing the rental skis that have come in. Likewise, hotels, chalets and apartment owners are keen to find weekend cleaners and general porters for the changeover day. What these businesses are not too keen on is finding and paying for accommodation for part-time staff, but someone with their own accommodation is an attractive option.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm really interested that so many people have said Bourg St Maurice. Cos I wouldn't ever.
Having been through there for both work and pleasure, Summer and Winter it seems solely like it revolves around the ski industry. The major supermarkets are stop off's for chalet company's and holiday makers. Though the fact that there is a choice of major brand supermarkets makes for convenience. There is little of a 'high street' or "normal" kind of shops, not that there is where I live.
Also to get anywhere else is pain on that main road. And where do you end up, Albertville. Or still with a few more miles to go to get to Annecy, let alone GVA airport.
Bourg St Maurice residents let me know why you love it, change my mind!
Annecy and through to Ugine seems like a lovely area.
...oh, and I live in a town called Chamonix. It's a love it and hate it place all in one.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| OliC wrote: |
| Annecy and through to Ugine seems like a lovely area. |
Not Ugine though. We used to joke that it was the Scunthorpe of the Alps.
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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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| clarky999 wrote: |
| Hmm... an hour of rain late afternoon is pretty common in Tirol (mostly very hot and sunny during the day though come summer; late spring is worse), but the Salzkammergut seems to get more rain than the rest of Austria put together!! gorgeous part of the world though. |
Yes in terms of rain, Salzburg is the Manchster of the Alps. I was thinking more the temps. Last spring St Anton was only around 15 deg C whereas other areas were mid twenties (could also be because St Anton is at a higher altitude). Quite a lot of ski resorts are ghost towns out of season, but I imagine Innsbruck still has things going on in the summer.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Drogue wrote: |
| Briancon might be worth adding to the list. It's a proper town with a permanent population and a fair bit of culture, that's in (rather than just close to) a large ski area, and within easy reach of a fair few more - Montgenevre (and the rest of the Milky Way), Graves and Puy St Vincent are all within day-trip distance, probably Alpe d'Huez and L2A are as well. |
And not too far to Italy and Turin and Piemonte wine region. Oh and there is always Provence just down the road . Cycling-take your pick of the Tour de France climbs.
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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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| eddiethebus wrote: |
| it was rumoured that a gondola was going to be built from bourg d'oisans upto l2a. i'd imagine that would increase property values down there about a gazillion fold! |
That would be interesting! It's at foot of AdH and at least 5 miles as crow flies from L2A
Gondola up to AdH would however be intereting
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I love Bourg St Maurice and we lived there very happily for many years. However, you're right in that it doesn't match all of your town-requirements. There is a small, slightly random cinema; a very good library; a few cultural bits like a cheese collective which you could do in two days and a variety of music and concerts mostly of the small-town-people's-kids-singing type. Unfortunately the Seez stuffed animal museum is now closed but there is a small rock museum in Bourg - possible not quite what you had in mind!
However if you push for it there are other things around including an annual film festival in Les Arcs, lots of local assosciations etc as well as plenty of stuff within a 3 hour drive. Excellent comedy festival in Meribel, huge cinema in annecy, regular music, comedy etc in Geneva. Good clothes shopping centres in Grenoble and Annecy.
I wasn't sure from your post how much french you speak but I speak quite a lot (can happily read a book but struggle with a crossword) and still find stuff like comedy and serious theatre much more difficult to access in French than in English because of the language. If that's likely to be the case for you as well, you might be better off somewhere in the mountains where more is in English rather than in a bigger town like Grenoble - although I've never lived in Grenoble and don't know it that well.
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| DB wrote: |
| Quite a lot of ski resorts are ghost towns out of season, but I imagine Innsbruck still has things going on in the summer. |
I don't think that's true of many traditional Austrian towns. They are proper working towns, not primarily ski resorts. Plus the tourist trade operates all year round.
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Bourg d'Oisans again. I've lived there for 10+ years, it's splendid. Lots of summer walking/cycling/other stuff, nothing like a scrowded as Chamonix.
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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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clarky999, what is the cost of living/property prices like in Innsbruck?
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Kelowna, Canmore, Vancouver, could live in any one of them. Whistler or Victoria are in the also ran group.
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