 Poster: A snowHead
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Good afternoon. We are 4 sixty somethings looking for a decent resort for January 2016.
Three keen skiers who prefer to stick to reds and blues, and one non-skier who is looking for a variety of walking routes. We like to all meet up for lunch, so gondola accessible restaurants would be great.
We also want a nice hotel with spa, wellness, pool etc.
We have been to Hinterglemm before which ticks all the boxes, but looking at possible alternatives in Austria or, possibly, Italy.
Apres ski not a priority - indeed we will positively want to avoid places that are too "lively" (aka rowdy)!
Thoughts and recommendations gratefully received.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Big Dave, any of the Ski Amade areas.
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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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@Big Dave, I would have thought you'd need to be pretty low as most places in e.g. France/Italy/Switzerland would be hoping to be snow covered in January which I would guess would preclude walking (especially as trails not used for skiing nor nordic would probably not be cleared).
No ideas myself, never been asked the question.
Snowshoeing an option? That opens much up...
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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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@Big Dave, several hotels spring to mind in Flachau, Wagrain and Zauchensee and there are walking trails as well as snow-shoeing ones as well as lots of chairs and gondolas going up to places where there are nice lunch stops.
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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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@Big Dave, In Italy you could consider the Val Gardena valley. There are 3 towns as you go up the valley, Ortisei/St Ulrich; St Christina and Selva/Wolkenstein. (The towns have both Italian and German names, not to mention the third Ladin (local language) name!  ). Anyway, there is very good skiing in the valley itself (the SassLong Men's WC downhill course with the famous "camel bumps" ends in St Christina), and Selva is directly on the Sella Ronda circuit which the skiers can easily do in a day. The walker is also well catered for, the walking trail between Ortisei through St Christina to Selva follows the track of the old railway so is a very gentle gradient. From Ortisei you can also go up by gondola to the Alpe di Suisi/Seiser Alm (Europe's largest alpine meadow area) where there are both ski runs and walking trails
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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So, @Big Dave, is snow cover an issue or not?
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This sounds like Saas Fee would be just perfect for you, filling all the criteria you mention. There's even a gondola accessed mountain set aside for walkers with no skiers allowed. There are plenty of mountain restaurants with great lift access and they're in stunning scenery.
We went there with 2 of our children a few years ago when my wife was recovering from a foot operation and couldn't ski. She found several great walks and was even able to walk up to a point up the mountain to join us for lunch without needing a lift.
There are numerous 'Wellness Hotels' and Spas in the resort.
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Lech has a network of cleared walking paths in the Winter, some of which could link up with a lunch meeting, eg up in Oberlech.
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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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I regularly ski in Courchevel Moriond and there are winter walking paths there that I see people waking on (they are all marked). This site gives some details of the paths http://courchevel-1650.com/gettingaround
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I would suggest Val Gardena, as @Alastair Pink already did. But add to that Alta Badia, especially the towns of Corvara and Colfosco, which are also directly on the Sella Ronda.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wengen, Switzerland, plenty of winter walking routes there's even a winter walking pass, almost every mountain restaurant can be walked to so no problem meeting for lunch somewhere using trains, cablecar or Gondolas, plus lots of long red and blue runs for the skiers.
Wengen is a very quiet resort with limited Apres Ski, for a spa hotel there's the Hotel Victoria Lauberhorn with a salt spa that has marvelous views of the mountains
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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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@D G Orf, I would have mentioned Wengen, but the OP said he was looking for a resort in Austria or Italy. 
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Aviemore ? Loads of good quiet walking, good value accommodation and you'll have your car! Skiing conditions perhaps less guaranteed though than Austria or Itlay in January.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'd have said Wengen too. Cable car up, toboggan down. Glacier Express. The Eiger. Gringelwald. Murren. Piz Gloria. Schilthorn. An if you fancy Interlaken shopping. Ride around on the trains all day. Don't forget the W/C.
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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'm not trying to plug or anything but Chatel is actually very good for all the things you have listed. There are plenty of Reds and Blues available as well as plenty of Snow shoe walking routes. The snowshoeing does only instersect the skiing at SuperChatel - they like to keep skiing and walking seperate most of the time. But if the shoer is happy to 'do their own thing' and meet for lunch some days then there really is plenty to discover, I believe one can shoe on the cross country routes aswell as actual posted shoeing routes. The new SwimSpa centre in town is a real hit with our clients. Chatel isn't a major party town, like most places there are a few apres skiers around but that's never going to be fully avoided unless you go somewhere without a bar at all 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bad Gastein offers the Kaiser Wilhelm Promenade--a relatively short stroll in some woods near the town. It was a favorite of the Kaiser, who allegedly visited the town 20 times for the curative waters.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Big Dave, i would have a look at La Tania as it has marked walking routes, walker pass for the gondola, bus service to Courcheval where there is more walking and gondolas and cable car that can also get you to the top
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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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| mayr wrote: |
| I'd have said Wengen too. Cable car up, toboggan down. Glacier Express. The Eiger. Gringelwald. Murren. Piz Gloria. Schilthorn. An if you fancy Interlaken shopping. Ride around on the trains all day. Don't forget the W/C. |
This, if you can afford a Swiss holiday. My non-skiing husband enjoyed several winter holidays there, walking, sightseeing, whizzing about on trains and joining the skiers at the many mountain restaurants accessible to non-skiers. Ideal.
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