 Poster: A snowHead
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Looks like we may be doing our skiing in the blazing sun (haha) of late March - early April next year (Welsh Feb half term collides with rest of the UK and will therefore be expensive, at least via TOs).
Any suggestions for a family of 4 intermediates who like blues and reds, but are not averse to a few easy blacks? Mum and dad the wrong side of 45, two girls who'll be 14 and 11. Looking for family resort, not fussed about apres, big mileage or "travel". English-speaking ski school or instructors for girls would be good (they enjoyed Swedish instructors in Norway this year). Quite like resorts centred around one village/area (so my geographically-challenged offspring don't get lost).
Resorts skied so far are - L2A (me like marmite resort and is therefore a contender - nice mix and blues and reds), Risoul (like that one too - lots of skiing with small resort feel - apart from nasty drag lifts what make you fall off), Soldeu (OK), Livigno (I have had holidays shorter than the transfer to Livigno), La Thuile (white out for a week, didn't ski much), Hemsedal (great fun, may go back DIY).
We won't book yet but would be nice if anyone has any suggestions.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Serre chevalier. Stay up in monetier. New gen ski are based there. Traditional French village.
Mongenvre haven't stay edge ther but think the skiing would meet your criteria
La plagne. Higher altitude resort but some of villages not very pretty. Lots of cruisey pistes.
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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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Trois Vallees but stay in La Tania to keep costs down.
Or perhaps try Austria? St Anton, or one of the villages like St Christoph or Stuben?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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dobby, +1 for dan100's suggestions.
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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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dobby, +2 for Montgenevre...lovely little resort, lots of skiing for intermediates, based around 1 town with all runs leading back to the same area.
Easy to ski over into Italy (Claviere) or to the rest of the Milky Way, excellent ski school (Speak to Seb at A-Peak).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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+3 Montgenevre.
Val Cenis is also good but the ski school wasn't the best.
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dobby, you are always very self-deprecating about your skiing (falling off draglifts etc). If this is not false modesty, you might consider family private ski lessons. The smaller French resorts which will not have English speaking group lessons might have good value private lessons. For example, in Les Saisies at Easter (which is not high season) you could have a two hour private lesson for 4 people for €75 and I'm sure lots of other resorts offer similar value.
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pam w, I am about 6-7 on the IOS scale - fine on most things pisted and not mega steep, but not v stylish. those lessons sound like v good value. And the ESF instructor pointed out why I fell off the horrendously long drag lift from hell in Risoul....
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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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Obergurgyl in Austria - high for late season sking and not too large at 110km of piste and often quiet compared to other resorts. But accomodation quite expensive.
Would also recommend La Tania in 3 vallees. Even cheaper than La Tania is the pretty village of Brides les Bains which has a gondola into Meribel - BLB is not ski in /out like La Tania but you will find accomodation, restaurants, drinks, ski hire etc cheaper than most places in 3V. Both La Tania and Meribel have the British ski school New Generation which are great. Meribel also has another British ski school called Parallel lines.
( we have an apartment in BLB so I am biaised towards the 3V)
La Rosiere in France also reasonably high - smaller than 3V or Paradiski but may be plenty big enough for your week. Otherside of mountain to La Thuille.
For late March skiing you really need somewhere high with good snow record.
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+1 Obergurgl. Accommodation is expensive but good qualilty. We stayed at the Gurglhof Apartments. Wonderful. booked on Booking.com. fly to Innsbruck and get a car, that time of the year the roads are usually fine.
Falling off T bar lifts and poma lifts is just a rite of passage. We have all done it. Don't worry! One of the T bars in Obergurgl was evil, a strong pull and a steep start, deep ruts, a downhill section  and half way up a steep hill, a bend! We usually ski in France where there aren't any T bars...took a bit of skill retrieval not to fall off! (also i'm 5ft 2 and he is 6 ft and our weights are 4 stone different - double trouble!)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| dobby wrote: |
| And the ESF instructor pointed out why I fell off the horrendously long drag lift from hell in Risoul.... |
Don't put yourself down! I have actually seen an ESF instructor thrown off the the long drag lift from hell in Risoul  .
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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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Take a look at Wagrain in the Ski amadé region. Only about 45 minutes from Salzburg Airport, no mountain roads to make anyone feel sick as all bar the last 9kms are on motorway. All the ski schools/ski hire speak excellent English - lots of hero blues and red runs and no drag lifts unless you really really want to find one or two.
Best thing is that your children will qualify for free lift passes as the Sportwelt/Ski amadé region always offers free lift passes to under 15 year olds (done by the year of birth by way so you may scrape another year for the 14 year old). Loads of medium priced accommodation as well with a good but not wild après scene.
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dobby, I know L2A you mnentioned but just to confirm your feelings on that one we are here right now and despite how mild it has been there is still plenty of good skiing higher up.
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You know it makes sense.
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snowyowl, I am not really worrying about the drag lift - I hadn't realise that my skis were not flat and therefore I caught an edge. Just a pain in the butt climbing up the hill and getting onto the piste. Sound like T-bars with the other half are fun! Samerberg Sue, thanks for the suggestion. I don't mind drag lifts that much - Risoul has a lot of them......and they are long. But the pistes at the top are nice and quiet. Wonder why? NickyJ, I am seriously considering LDA again. Plenty of blues and reds to keep me and Mrs happy. Some tougher stuff for the elder daughter.
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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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I'll second dan100's, recommendation for Serre Che. Last week it was very hot, but the skiing was still great. It was very quiet so even though the snow got very soft there were very few mounds of slush, even on steeper slopes. If it was a lot cooler it would've been even better.
I would say I'm a 7 on the ISO scale and the runs suited me fine. You should get a free lift pass for the 11yo too.
We did Samerberg Sue's suggestion last year and loved it. Although we didn't stay in Wagrain and had a car to visit different ski areas (as some of them are relatively small). Wagrain is now linked with Flachau this season which makes a pretty large linked area.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obertauern
Stayed there April 13
Cruise the blues central
Easy short transfer from Salzburg
Great snow record
We used ski school Grillitsch (sp?) next to apartment sunshine ... my little boys instructor was from Bradford!
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