 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Guys,
I am almost back to the time of year where I am thinking of a resort for next season...
We were pretty much decided on Cervinia but I am wondering if there are better options which may be cheaper and just as good...
We have been to Bansko (not a fan!) and returning back to Soldeu in March (love it!).... I am a nervous early intermediate...(will do blues and did a few reds in Soldeu although I wasn't happy about it!) OH is a confident intermediate. (will try most blacks and feels fairly confident)...
We have a few holidays planned next year and so cost is more important than it has been before.. so we would like somewhere half board, close to ski lifts (no buses)... a resort that is known for being confidence building.. with some more challenging runs for OH.. nice hotels.. we would go out of school holidays so that means its cheaper anyway. Quiet resorts are ideal..
Like the option of heading out for a drink at night but we are not going to be partying so lively après is not too important...
We may be going with my in laws who haven't been skiing in years so anywhere that has things to do aside from skiing may be helpful and somewhere with a nice atmosphere if they were to take a walk around.
Cervinia fits the bill but for the hotels we like and the lift passes its coming in around £2600 for a week for two.... hence looking elsewhere...
I am leaning towards Italy if that helps.. love the food and It seems to be cheaper than France overall... 
Have done a tad of research myself and seen Passo Tonale mentioned... Madonna di Campiglio.... has anyone been to either of these or have any other resorts in mind?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Andorra.
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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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Generally speaking, Italy is cheaper than France for eating on the slopes but not, I think, for accommodation. Lift passes about the same. I wouldn't have thought Passo Tonale would be a particularly nice place for non skiers to walk about (though maybe Cervinia wouldn't quite answer that description, either - Madonna would but probably more expensive).
If you are going in January (good idea) a last minute booking in a catered chalet could be a good option for you - should certainly be able to get something for a lot less than £1300 each.
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Thanks Guys - we will have been to Andorra twice and although we love it we want to try somewhere else...
Thanks Pam Ill have a peak sneak 
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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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@Em1986, for last minute, think the week before....
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Having been to all three, I would say Cervinia has the best skiing to suit your requirements lots of great cruising blues and reds and linked to Zermatt for even more, but IMO has very little nightlife.
Passo Tonale is good if limited intermediate skiing, but very bleak, and the après very Limited. You will however do a whole lot better than £1300 each!!!
Madonna is a much more charming village as you would expect, and has some brilliant restaurants, but the accommodation is quite a lot more expensive. The skiing in Madonna is great, but one or two of the village descents can be challenging. You will be paying more in Madonna that Cervinia as well.
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@Em1986, Have a look at Folgarida. Its a similar area to Madonna and I think its linked for skiing but the holiday prices are a bit more reasonable. The prices were very good from this website http://www.brentaski.com/index.html . I have no experience of this company as we decided to go a different way with our group, but maybe others on here might have used them and can adivse you better??
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Of the places I have been to (which is not that many), Soldeu comes out on top. Risoul is a good resort for confidence building, but not many hotels - mostly self-catering - but lots of ski in-ski out apartments. Nice relaxed family-oriented atmosphere. La Thuile is good, with a nice atmosphere, but the runs back into town are not easy - they would be good for your other half, by the sounds of it, and you could always get the lift down. Les Deux Alpes is resort marmite - I love it, others don't. Good for nervous intermediates, but runs back to resort are not easy (get the lift down). Livigno - OK, but you will have to catch a few buses (they are frequent, though). All the above were quite quite cheap and we used tour operators. Not a huge amount to do in any of the above-mentioned resorts if you don't ski. If you are going in Jan. you should be able to book last minute and get somewhere much cheaper than £2600 per couple.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Em1986,
I too am a fan of soldeu, often underrated and overlooked imo. I have been to passo tonale and I wasnt a fan. Its not terrible, just probably my least favourite, slightly dull on and off the mountain. I know you didnt fancy france but I would consider serre chevalier, its cheaper than most other french mega resorts, has extensive and varied mountains and for the inlaws you have the thermal baths at one end of the valley and a 'real' town in briancon at the other.
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Cervinia is great for the level of skier you describe @Em1986. Your quote seems fairly high, when are you planning on going? Are you flexible with the quality of accommodation? And have you shopped about? We didn't pay much more than that for three of us to go to Cervinia a few years ago.
We stayed here https://www.inghams.co.uk/ski-holidays/ski-resorts/italy/cervinia/chalet-hotel-dragon the food when we were the was outstanding!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Pila might fit the bill. The skiing is lovely, with a view across to the Matterhorn. You can stay either up in the mountain, or down in Aosta, which is quite a big town and linked to the ski area by gondola.
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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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Tonale is a lovely place, as mentioned it is above the tree line generally, however you can ski down to Ponte di Legno which has trees and some excellent runs. You can also ski Madonna di Campiglio from here at an additional cost. Overall it is one of the less expensive places to go. Out of school holidays it will also be fairly quiet.
Check out some ofthe resorts in the Aosta valley...also good value.
Maybe also check out the Milky Way. Sauze, Clavier etc. Huge range of skiing there and not so expensive. You can also ski Montgenevre across the border in France.
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Thank you for the recommendation!
We were looking to go in March ideally just so we have a 'break' after Christmas before heading away again but we can be flexible!
We do like to stay in nice hotels, we wouldn't want to go somewhere really basic as staying somewhere nice is also part of the experience for me especially.....
We know a couple of people that cant talk highly enough about Cervinia so we are leaning towards there ... although Madonna also sounds good - really not sure which way to go.. I guess we can see what the quotes come in at and make a decision.
The one thing with Cervinia is mention of the high winds and the resort being closed, I know weather cannot be predicted but does this happen often?
Thanks! 
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You know it makes sense.
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We have been to Cervinia twice, both late March, and I can't tell a lie, but the whole place was closed for a day due to high winds on each occasion. Have to say it wouldn't put me off going again though. We went for a good walk and recharged the skiing batteries.
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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've only been to Cervinia once but yes, the wind was pretty strong (and it was very cold in the shade, and icy where the snow was blown off. But the skiing is certainly easy.).
You say you're leaning towards Italy but in case you haven't leaned all the way it might be worth looking at Austria. Somewhere like Obergurgl/Hochgurgl might fit your bill. Nice easy skiing, lovely views, good restaurants (including Italians) and cheaper than France. Decent off piste if you want to try that and good transfer times too.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Em1986, anywhere with really high altitude (and therefore snowsure) skiing is likely to be vulnerable to high winds. For example, of three occasions when I have been skiing in autumn on the glacier in Tignes all the lifts have been closed at least one day - twice out of 4 days, on one occasion.
Have a look at Pila as suggested by @sugarmoma666 - it gets a very good press here on SHs.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Have you thought about the Dolomites. The runs into Arabba might preclude that as a resort so Corvara might be better in that respect. Astonishing scenery, good food, a variety of decent hotels and fairly snow sure without necessarily the issues with wind
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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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cheaper than France.
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I don't know that Austrian hotels are cheaper than French ones, and whilst eating on the mountain is often cheaper, lift passes cost much the same. But there is probably a greater choice of nice hotels in Austria - French resorts tend to have a lot of self-catering, as French families like to keep the costs down. You can get very detailed recommendations for Austrian hotels on SHs - depending on what sort of thing you like, and your budget.
If you are still nervous to try reds maybe you should factor in some lessons too?
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Sure, Austria has some great places. Early March is better than late particularly if at lower altitudes.
If Cervinia is your thing though.....I love it there. Maybe the weather can be a bit extreme, less so in March. If you want proper extreme try it in Early January!
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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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I've been to Cervinia years ago and Madonna and Tonale more recently. If it were me I'd be looking at Madonna, the scenery is spectacular, the skiing is great for intermediates and its a nice upmarket resort. It's quite hard to find cheap and decent accommodation hence why I've only been there on day trips. The Folgarida option looks good through Crystal but it's a tiny and limited resort (linked to Madonna). Some excellent mountain restaurants as you would expect in a well to do Italian resort.
I also like Tonale but Upmarket it isn't and the resort is just a collection of hotels on a mountain pass. The skiing is good as long as you keep away from the resort runs and there are some great restaurants on and off the slopes. You can also ski Madonna for a day on your pass so an added bonus. There are some decent hotels if you want somewhere nice to stay and overall the accommodation, lift pass and ski hire charges are about as cheap as you'll get in the Alps.
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If set on Cervinia check out the Hotel Mon Reve (Crystal go there). Its halfway up the hill, access to the piste and they will drive you down to the main town and pick up again on request (only a short distance but steep walk back up).
Personally I wasn't keen on the windy conditions that did cost us a days skiing.
As an alternate try the Hotel Anova in Montgenevre: similar blend of blues/reds and mix or tree lined and open runs.
But if late March Cervinia is the better bet for the snow.
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March is usually ok for skiing in most resorts. For intermediate piste skiing, nowhere comes close to the Dolomites. Cervinia is high, long runs and you can ski over to Switzerland, of course. The pistes get s lot of sun as it's not north facing so conditions change a lot durin gthe day which isn't always great for beginners. Pila is quite French in that there are lots of pistes in the same area. Folgarida is great in that it's not expensive but allows you to ski in Madonna which is very chic.
The Milky way is extensive and offers Italian prices and hospitality.
My too favourite resorts for leisurely skiing are Risoul and Civetta. Both quite and you can expolore pretty much the whole area without being a terrific skier. If you liked Soldeu then Livigno would suit you -duty free and similar skiing - A very long transfer though.
The other side of Andorra is more delightful than the French side- Pal, Arinsal and Arcalis. High enough to have good snow in March, sunny and beautiful.
Kronplatz and Cortina are also full of wonderful blues.
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@Em1986, Stella Ronda area should suit you both. Loads of different skiing and your other half could time himself round the circuit. You could base yourself anywhere.
Just in terms of sheer loveliness my favorited has to be Madesimo. It's mostly Italian skiers so crammed at the weekend and almost empty during the week. But superb people watching. Italian people are so ... Italian. It was there that I saw a ski instructor skiing backwards, watching his class and talking on his phone.
Sansicario is another hidden gem. Quite nice skiing but a bit limited. However, it is in the Milky Way (Via Lattea) so you can (almost easily) link into Sestriere, Sausie D'Oulx and Claviere. And really quite cheap when we went there.
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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 went to Tonale last year (mainly as it was cheap and suitable for the 3 beginners that I was going with). Read a lot of negative things about it before going and I was pleasantly surprised. There are a few lovely long runs and the Ponte di Legno side is wonderful - long, tree-lined and very quiet runs that your other half will certainly enjoy. Worked out v cheap too. I've been to Cervinia 4 years ago and wasn't so impressed. I found a lot of the runs quite samey - big, wide motorway pistes and it was definitely a lot busier than Tonale and a lot more expensive, both for accommodation and eating out. Going over to the Zermatt side was magical, though. It's a slightly nicer village than Tonale, but both are pretty ugly and have little charm. However, I certainly think you get more bang for your buck in Tonale.
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As someone has already mentioned .. Pila would be the budget option.
Or La Thuile .. has self catering apartment complex which works out as cheap as it gets. + great skiing.
If you are booking last minute you could end up with a bargain in Courmayer, its an interesting town, the apres ski wont be lively but the shop-portunities are immense.
For easy cruisee skiing though Cervinia is hard to beat, and the sun usually shines.
Big queues on Sundays though 
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