Planning a pretty wild international winter- now taking advice

A snowHead

wow, lots of good feedback here. Thank you all so much.

Let me answer some questions:
Hitting as many countries as possible the possible is kind of neat- not a requirement. I'd love to try a few different resorts, and my thought was that if I'm snowboarding and trying different resorts, I might as well get a few different countries in there too!

I'll be on the trail a lot because I'm traveling alone. I'm a pretty good snowboarder. I never question if a run is too hard for me in the States and I've been just about everywhere in the States. I can't imagine a marked trail being too tough for me.

Night life is a huge plus. I'm traveling alone. No night life means I'm alone all night. I'm also good at being drunk, so that helps.

I am flying using miles, so I can fly into and out of different airports. That's not a problem. Innsburck seems to be the only airport I cant get to with American Airlines. So Austria doesn't look so great.

Definitely not going to rent a car. I just don't want to deal with the headache.

Budget? Yes and no. I'm not willing to pay $400 (USD) per night. I don't mind a short walk or short shuttle ride, it doesn't have to be on the mountain.

So how about this? Give me two good resorts that I should hit up that are relatively close and accessible by public transportation with the above criteria. I'll do 3 or 4 days at each resort. Flying out of Paris is ideal, but a secondary consideration.

A snowHead

Two good neighbouring resorts, 10 miles apart, linked by a public bus or taxi: Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn (one resort) and Zell am See/Kaprun (the other). Only one country though. Fly to Salzburg, then train to Zell am See. No Matterhorn - but a Kitzsteinhorn! Buy a Kitzbueheler Alpen card for 7 days for 253 euros and it will cover those two large areas plus Kitzbuehel, the Skiwelt and more besides. 10 ski areas, 1,000km of piste and 357 lifts.

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I'm narrowing it down to two incomplete options:
1) Flying into Milan, Snowboarding in Zermatt, then going to ??????
2) Flying into Milan, snowboarding in the Milky Way and then going to ????? (maybe 3 valleys?)

Either second leg should be of reasonable access (not necessarily close- train ride is fine) to some big airport, hopefully in a city worth spending a few days in. Paris being #1 on that list, which I recognize is a really far stretch due to geography

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

1b) Flying into Milan, Snowboarding in Cervinia (allows access over the border into Zermatt), then going up the valley to Courmayeur and into Chamonix. From there Paris is easy.

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1c) 1b) Flying into Milan, Snowboarding in Cervinia (allows access over the border into Zermatt), then going up the valley to La Thuile and over the border into La Rossiere. From there, 3V is easy as is Paris.

For this plan though, you will need to take your luggage with you as you ski over into La Rossiere as the road route round is hours and it defeats the point of skiing over the boarder if you have to ski back to where you came from then drive all the way round.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

Milan - Cervinia is only 2 hrs by road.
Cervinia - Courmayeur is 1h15

If you can carry your bag easily (and you're a bit gnarly), ride down from Courmayeur into Chamonix.
If not, get a bus through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

@abc, my thoughts for a fourth and a well known resort would be a day trip to St Anton from Zurich by the direct train, and using Zurich as an airport either coming in or out.

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There is always something! Paris to DFW has awful flight options for me, but I think I'll just go to Paris, spend a day or two and then train over to London Saturday, live it up Saturday night and drag my hung over self to the airport for my 7am flight back to the States. Otherwise, I'm spending a night in the worst place on Earth - Newark.

How do I get from Courmayeur to Paris?

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You might want to route thru amsterdam. Now there's a cool city for a few days either side of a transatlantic leg.

There is always something. Every trip I can book (online), requires going through British Airways, which requires a $1000 tax. Grrr....

You know it makes sense.

I think Courmayeur to Paris involve 2 options. -1. Turn back into Italy and head to Turin or Milan and fly up to Paris (boring option) OR...2 more in keeping with your adventure-Bus to Chamonix (45mins), then, after a bit more time on the mountains, trains from Chamonix to Paris. Sorted! https://loco2.com/destinations/paris-chamonix-train#tgv-and-mont-blanc-express

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@godspeed, Fly into Zurich or Munich - then get yourself to Ischgl! Probably the best all round apres ski in the alps (world probs). Then you get to cross off skiing in Switzerland (link to Samnaun) at the same time.

Transfer isnt too bad.

A snowHead

A snowHead

I think the Cervinia Zermatt idea is great. Cervinia has long easy runs, bathed in sunshine whilst Zermatt has some really serious skiing. You could even ski with an overnight bag, spend teh night in Switzerland and then ski back the next day. I'm sure your accomodation in Cervinia would have a lock up to leave your stuff. Zermatt is a lovely, if rather expensive town with amazing views of the Matterhorn

Courmayeur is a real old authentic town. Quite a small ski resort but worth a days skiing. Cham is the mountainists capital of the world and you'll have a blast. It also has the biggest vertical in the world and Zermatt is not far off either. This will be very different to North America.

If you're in to off piste you could also look at Gressoney in the Aosta valley. With a guide you can get from there to Zermatt too, I believe.

Im sure that, if you post where your going to be and when, some Snowheads in the area will meet you for a board or a beer.

If you contact Nexus Snowcamps they have a snowboarding camp based out of Aosta for the winter I believe. If you say Snowheads pointed you their way they may go out of their way to help you.
(They got in to a bit of trouble by posting their own reviews on here last year and have since vowed to prove they are a bunch of good people) They may be worth a try.

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I think you`ll be knackered.

Why not pick one awesome massive resort one week and another the next? You`ll stand more of a chance of meeting people to ride with.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

+1 Travel between two distant areas by public transport is likely to cost you some ski time. What are your dates? Finding accommodation which isn't Sat/Sat or sometimes Sun/Sun can be tricky in busy times and could restrict your options.

You'll need to Register first of course.

In/out of Zurich, from where you can hit St Anton (Austria) and Engelberg (or any of many Swiss resorts) by train.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I think @Nadenoodlee, has a point. Try and do toomuch and the whole thing could be a logisticalnightmare is just one link goes wrong.

I'd look at fly to Milan or Turin, to Aosta valley, stay in LaThile (train/bus to there isn't difficult or coach transfer), ski there and LaRosiere, France and day trips to Courmayeur (daily bus inc on ski pass) and Pila (not sure about direct bus but ski bus into valley then short trip on the train to Aosta then bubble lift from there. Then move on to Chamonix with a coach transfer through the Monte Blanc tunnel. then onward from there to Paris/Amterdam/etc.

After all it is free

the best public transport network is in Switzerland.

fly into Zurich, do a resort in eastern Switzerland for the 1st half. Then a resort in western Switzerland the 2nd half. Fly out of Geneva.

that said, the OP is doing this backward. If you're flying with miles, you need to pick the airport you can actually use your miles for first.

Better yet, find out which airport you can fly from DFW direct. Because the more legs you have transfer, the more likely to hit some fine print that cost you an arm and a leg. Welcome to the world of frequent flyer miles, where you can theoretically use for any airport and any time while in practice there's no seat available for most of the sensible legs.

A really good way back to paris is on the train from the Tarentaise valley from either Bourg St Maurice or Moutiers. From here you have access to the 3V (the largest linked ski area in the world) where Meribel has some cracking night life, or Espace Killy. Val d'Isere again has great night life and the ski area is truly world class. I would say either of these two should be on any one's list from over the pond.

If I was then wanting a complete contrast I would have to say St. Anton in Austria (flying into Innsbruck) again amazing night life and epic skiing with a very different flavour to that of the French resorts.

Zermatt would also be on any hardcore enthusiasts bucketlist, but having been there I would say while the skiing may be great I wouldn't advise it for a solo trip. I'd go there on a romantic break away with my wife, but I wouldn't say it is a great place for apres, for a single person. It's also horrendously expensive.

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@Markymark29,

Cross border hire car charges! Very Happy

Mountainaddict hasn't slept since that episode (& since he learned of El Niño after booking Fernie for next Feb...) Toofy Grin

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@sah,

You know it makes sense.

@sah, I can't form a fully rounded opinion having not been to St Anton - however it seems to me the general consensus is St A = better for immediate apres 4.30-7.30 just. Then Ischgl better after dinner into the early hours, theres not much between them from what I can gather and when you add in Saalbach-Hinterglemm you can probably boast Austria has at least 3 of the top 5 apres ski resorts in the world.

"Probably" also an opinion.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

St Manton does indeed have good nightlife but something of a macho sausage fest. Ischgl is kind of the same but a slightly older/richer/fatter male, a few with incredibly attractive secretaries. For a better mix I prefer places like Hinterglemm (as opposed to Saalbach) or Zillertal. What with El Nino though, @godspeed might be better off kicking around on home snow this season.

A snowHead

@Pruman, Admittedly the insanity of the Hinterhag Alm is an acquired taste (but I prefer it to the Goassstall) Smile

Having said that, I've met people who have spent a week in Saalbach without even knowing that the Hinterhag exists!
The conclusion I've reached after many years is that, in all these resorts famed for their lively apres-ski, you need to know where to go and at what time, and then you can have good nights or not so good nights. When I stayed in St Anton, the apres-ski (including the Mooserwirt) seemed to completely pass me by, and the Krazy Kangaruh was dead. Likewise Dick's tea-bar in Val d'Isere. In both cases, I accept that their reputation must have been earned, and that I must have been there at the wrong time.
Although I don't generally enjoy the Goassstall like I used to, I fully accept that, if you hit it on the right evening, and with the right people, it will be brilliant. Similarly the Spitzbub in Saalbach will be completely different on the two evenings per week when Spacey (renowned Geordie entertainer) is performing, and Bobby's Pub is unbeatable for late evening entertainment when world-class Irish band, Cuckoo, are playing (but not so good when full of Danes watching live handball on TV).
I can't comment on Ischgl, never having been there, but I gather from comments on here that it's relatively expensive and a mite middle-aged german in flavour.

A snowHead

UPDATE!

Okay, so it was like solving some sort of Chinese puzzle but I figured out a way to get to Europe via American Airlines on miles without paying $1000+ in taxes. Serious mind twister, but about the only way to get it done was DFW to Paris direct and departing from Paris back to DFW. My options actually ended up being paying $1000 for taxes or $500 to buy enough miles to upgrade to first classes, so it a no brainer (though an expensive one). 25k miles later, I'm flying first class (not that I'll notice the difference, since I'll be asleep the entire time, but c'est la vie).

Now that it's Paris in, Paris out, does that change the suggestions?

Thanks again, everyone!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Take the train to Bourg and go to Val D'isere. Best piste skiing in the world for good skiers and boarders and great nightlife too.

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@godspeed, that would certainly clarify my mind.

Absolute shortest travel to quality I think would be TGV (or cheap flight) to Geneva. From there you have hundreds, literally, of options. (TGV is the French very high speed train network and an experience in itself).

I'd be looking at Chamonix Valley, Espace Killy, Verbier, Portes du Soleil, all big names (for good reason) all easily reached from Geneva by public transport or shared transfer.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Trains go direct from Paris to places like Turin, Milan, Verona, Venice, Lausanne, Munich etc so just because Paris is in France it doesn't need to necessarily change all the suggestions and limit ski choices to just France. The pain is getting from CDG Airport via the RER with ski gear to say the Gare de Lyon via Gare de Nord, in the morning rush hour probably.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Easy to fly form Paris to Innsbruck etc too, so unless you're set on a train I don't think it makes much difference!

Help!!

Planning a pretty wild international winter- now taking advice

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