 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm looking for advice. Of the resorts that (usually) offer good, early season skiing - how can I avoid the crowds of English University students?
I went to Alpe D'Huez the week before Xmas last year and had a decent enough time, despite the lack of snow cover at lower levels. Unfortunately, so did thousands of students from the home counties with mid-Atlantic accents and a complete lack of an indoors voice control.
I love the Dolomites, but probably won't be blessed with enough snow.
Any ideas?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Student trips generally go for snow sure places like Tignes etc, so waiting till last minute to find a decent snow would be a sensible option. Livigno had some of the best last year.
If the ground is cold enough with the snow making facilities they have in the dolomites you will have plenty to keep you going, regardless of if it has actually snowed.
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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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Obergurgl? I was there pre-Xmas last year and it was very nice. All the students (appeared to) stay one village earlier at Solden
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Looks at some of the lesser-known (to Brits) Austrian resorts.
Many Brits. avoid Austria early season because "it's too low", ignoring the fact the snow level is also lower (Ischgl opens on Nov. 26th this year while it doesn't look like Alpe D'Huez opens until Dec. 5th for example).
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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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Apparently English students are joining there -equally loud- Dutch counterparts in the massive French resorts. Alpe d'Huez, Val Thorens, Les Deux Alpes, Risoul, Superdevoluy etc.
Just head for something high in Switzerland or Austria, or the smaller, more authentic villages in France
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Throw money at it, or go to "family" destinations.
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+1 for Austria. smooth grassy slopes, location North and East and excellent snowmaking make up for any lack of height, Last year most of Austria was much better than France in Dec/Jan. Anywhere in Zillertal (maybe avoid Mayerhofen which is know to Brits as a party town) and you have access to the glacier area. i have skied round there early Dec when working in Munich and had great conditions all over the valley, not just the glacier.
Various snowheads start posting envy photos of skiing in the Arlberg anytime from November onwards (and getting UK based people envious!) so I guess they usually have early snow cover as well
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"smaller, more authentic " villages in France will often not be open till the Saturday before Christmas.
But if you stayed somewhere small, rather than the big apartment blocks, where the students weren't, their lack of indoor voice control would hardly matter, would it?
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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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But if you stayed somewhere small, rather than the big apartment blocks, where the students weren't, their lack of indoor voice control would hardly matter, would it?[/quote]
Oh, outdoors they were even worse; on piste, on the lifts, everywhere! Living a life talking in quotation marks must be strange ... "And I was like, "Whatever" and she was like, .."
I will be waiting until the last minute so praying for early snow in Italy or Austria
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Or go where the money is (and thusly students aren't) - Zermatt, Saas Fee, ...etc.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Did I mention I don't have access to unlimited funds?
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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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@EddyVortex, yes, can imagine the chairlift chat was annoying. I'd wait and book a couple of days before. Maybe just book flights to a good hub airport.
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I was in Les Arcs the week before Christmas, at the same time as a big university trip last season. Didn't really impact my enjoyment at all. The resort was so quiet that the additional student numbers just provided a bit of an atmosphere rather than making the pistes of lift queues too busy. I guess I'm lucky that sharing a chairlift with some young people who are excited to be on a ski holiday doesn't make my blood boil, but I suppose if it does for you then finding a resort which is for middle-aged people or older probably is a priority.
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You know it makes sense.
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@EddyVortex, go a bit earlier, before they break up? I was in Tignes the first week in December last year, and I didn't see any students then.
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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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@rob@rar, Definitely not about young people. Go with my 20 something son and his mates and always have a great time; I think it was probably because there were thousands of them talking the same cowdoo about getting drunk that wore me down a little.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bormio italy definitely no students and 80% of the slopes coverd by snow canons.
Cheap lift passes and great italian food at good prices.
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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 love these 'I don't want to share my mountain' threads. You're crazy if you think I'm going to share my favourite mountain with the likes of you ...... 
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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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@Timberwolf, Sorry, perhaps given the wrong impression. I love meeting all types of people on the slopes, one of the great joys of skiing. I'd just like to avoid a full week of people laughing like horses 
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People bragging about how far off their trollies they were the night before are especially trying
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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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CHUNDERED EVERYWHERE
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@EddyVortex, Cervinia?
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@EddyVortex, Champoluc (Monterosa) nominally opens November 29... will be empty (apart from the Milanese holiday weekend 5-8 Dec I think)
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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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@Montana, Definitely an option and always Italy for me whenever the snow allows. As much about the food and atmosphere as the skiing.
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Eddy, you're just down the road from Raise.
It usually has some of the earliest lift served skiing in Europe. The long walk in should dissuade most hungover students, including the ones with the more irritating rising inflections. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Peter S, Every year I plan to do Raise, then don't, then look at the pictures .... and wish I had!! This season I will make the effort!
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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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@Samerberg Sue, but you would be upsetting half of the expat community in the Amade 
@EddyVortex, apologies, sometimes my irreverence manifests itself as cocky posts..... University students have got to be better than those on their gap yah
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@Timberwolf, No worries - easy to see why my original post could have been written by an intolerant, grumpy, middle-aged, old git ... oh god 
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You know it makes sense.
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@Col the Yeti, thanks for the advice
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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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@EddyVortex, I understand that Victor Meldrew likes to ski in Saalbach and has no problems with those young people, with their mid-Atlantic speech patterns, valley-girl lift, creaky voice and glottalisation.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@peter42, Skied Bormio in 2007 when nowhere else had snow - great resort
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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St Anton or Iscghl
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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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Serfaus
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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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I quite like having them around when I ski in December.
Although the university faux 'yah' accents grate a bit along with the conversation that goes '...like....yah...like.....like.......like....yah.....like'.
Overall though having some university groups around tends to liven up the place when it would otherwise be a bit dead.
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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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@EddyVortex, I know we love it here and the locals are fantastic. I hope you can come back one day. Snow down to 1600mtrs today.
looks like we are going to have a good base of snow on the higher sloopes.
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@EddyVortex, pm sent
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