 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
A recent change in circumstance has given me the flexibility to take an extended break to ski from January to April 2017… so planning starts now!
The main things that (I think) I want from the trip are:
• Good lift accessed powder – I currently get most enjoyment exploring the softer stuff looking for jumps etc. I’ve never skinned before and this is something I’d like to try out during the trip, but primarily I want to focus on lift accessed terrain.
• European resort that’s not too remote – girlfriend will be coming to visit from London and would be nice to make this relatively simple for her. I speak a bit of French and German and would love to improve upon these, or equally learn something new.
• Good social scene – I will be taking the trip on my own so it will be important for me to try and make some friends along the way. I’m 26 years of age to provide some context.
I do not want to spend more than £8000 on the trip, and the greater the saving on this figure the better. I don’t want to take up work that will restrict the amount of skiing that I can do, but appreciate that this will ease costs and be a good way to meet people. I think at this stage it would be fair to say I’d look to pick up some part time work during the trip. It would also be nice to have a room in shared accommodation or something similar.
I learned to ski in Scotland during my childhood and have since had a number of great trips skiing the 3 Valleys and Espace Killy, but that is the extent of my experience abroad. I have been pretty comfortable skiing everything on offer in these resorts, and like the variety that their scale provides.
Can anyone offer any suggestions or reflections as to which resort would suit me based on the above? I’ve looked at St Anton when organising past ski trips and at first glance I think it would fit the bill pretty well, but am aware that it may be one of the more expensive options. Any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
Also if anyone knows of any sources of information that may be useful when planning this type of trip, please let me know.
Looking forward to the replies!
Robin
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chamonix
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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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St Anton or any big linked place in Austria
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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 posted some of the numbers/costs for Chamonix in a similar thread last year - see here: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=119880&highlight=
There were loads of other suggestions too.
Sorry, feeling a little too lazy at the moment to retype my views 
You're in an awesome position though - you'll have a great time wherever you end up!
Edit: personally with £8k I go to Whistler. You'd easily spend it all, but it'd be epic... I spent 2 weeks there last year, after several winters in Chamonix, and loved every second of it. Tougher for travel for the gf though.
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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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Ticks the boxes.
£8000 gives plenty of options.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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You can spend a long time thinking about this and weighing up all the alternatives and then you'll decide to go to Chamonix. 
Every now and again we get a thread saying "I've just done 3 seasons in Chamonix and I'd like to go somewhere different but still want (all your criteria)". They end up going back to Chamonix too.
Really.
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Argentiere (Chamonix).
Val d'Isere.
Meribel.
Tignes.
St Anton.
Verbier.
Whistler.
Jackson Hole.
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i did chamonix for around 4k for 5ish months last season, that included getting all the touring gear too, so harness/crampons etc as well as a new touring set up.
would highly recommend.
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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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| Whitegold wrote: |
Argentiere (Chamonix).
Val d'Isere.
Meribel.
Tignes.
St Anton.
Verbier.
Whistler.
Jackson Hole. |
Which is your favourite?
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| stubblepoo wrote: |
| i did chamonix for around 4k for 5ish months last season... |
Give us the broad strokes on how you did it?
Was there any work? Shared accomodation? Living in a remote hut? Full lift pass for the whole season etc...
I only ask because I have frequently spanked 1+K on a week and your post forced me to question my life!! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Japan?
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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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Whistlers actually not a bad suggestion. I priced up a season on the cheap there a while back - £350 return flights (air transat), hostel accommodation is about £500 a month (in creekside less than 1 min walk to gondola), lift pass was about £800 (that was the early bird deal so more now I would imagine. So 4 months could be as low as £3150. Obviously have to add food, drink, and transfers onto that, but definitely doable for £8k.
Main advantages are there is a lot more powder. Europe just doesn't get the quantity of snow that NA gets. Due to the set up of everything in bounds being avy controlled you can ski off piste without the necessary avy gear or having to worry about that side of it. Lots of places to explore (huge area!) featuring cliffs, jumps, glades, parks, bowls etc, you certainly wouldn't get bored there! Plenty of back country skinning possibilities, or if you wanted to save the expense of skinning plus avalanche equipment there is in bounds hike to terrain like flute bowl.
Great social scene, although more in the village than creekside.
Not so good for learning languages, and a bit of a haul for your girlfriend.
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A resounding recommendation for Chamonix, thanks for all of the responses and useful information. I’m hoping to spend some time in Whistler as part of a future trip taking in more of Canada and the USA, pending the success of this one!
Reading up a little I get the impression that the ski area in Chamonix is a little more spread out than the ski in ski out resorts that I’m used to. How essential is having a car there? I have read the buses can be a little chaotic at times… I’m sure this would be more than manageable but I’d be interested to people’s opinions on the optimum setup. I am open to the idea of driving across with a car as it would offer the freedom to explore some other parts of the Alps.
@fixx, you mentioned accommodation with Insted in the post you referenced, have you stayed with them before? Is there accommodation spread across the town? Having a couple of French lessons while I’m there is appealing so I’m grateful you mentioned them, thanks.
One of the first things I would look to do upon arrival is take some avalanche safety training, any recommendations? I would also be interested in extending this to crevasse rescue if possible after reading a few Vallée Blanche horror stories…
| stubblepoo wrote: |
i did chamonix for around 4k for 5ish months last season, that included getting all the touring gear too, so harness/crampons etc as well as a new touring set up.
would highly recommend. |
Would be very interested to hear what you did for accommodation etc if you have time.
| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| St Anton or any big linked place in Austria |
Can you recommend anywhere in particular or offer any more insight into somewhere you know well?
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You know it makes sense.
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Any thoughts on Innsbruck? A couple of people have mentioned it to me, again I am slightly apprehensive that the ski area is quite spread out...
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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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| Norrin Radd wrote: |
| Whitegold wrote: |
Argentiere (Chamonix).
Val d'Isere.
Meribel.
Tignes.
St Anton.
Verbier.
Whistler.
Jackson Hole. |
Which is your favourite? |
For a season, Verbier.
Cham just has too many bums.
Whistler rains too much.
Jackson Hole cowboy schtick gets old after a few weeks.
Niseko is even better if you can rent a car and stomach fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 5 months.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@rholligan, one option if you want to get your offpiste skills up quickly would be to do a week or two with UCPA in Argentiere.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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