 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello,
We are Asia based, so all our ski trips have been to Japan, to be specific, Hokkaido. I'm looking for suggestion for a first time ski trip to Europe. We have intermediate/advanced skier, intermediate snowboarder, beginner skier, as well as a non skier in the group.
The skiers are looking for easy ski in and ski out. The non-skier is looking for activities to do during the day. Quaint villages?
The resorts we have visited in Hokkaido (Furano, Tomamu, Kiroro) are ski in ski out, purpose built ski resorts, with nothing else to do.
The 2 places we have visited in Nagano area (Nozawa, Myoko) had charm, but not convenient for the skiers.
So we are looking for:
Guaranteed snow by 3rd week of December
Ski in ski out
Some sort of non skiing activities reachable by public transportation
A variety of food options
Nothing too posh please.
Any suggestion or pointer would be very much appreciated!
Thank you
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There isn’t much guarantee of snow by 3rd week of December... Probably needs to be high and/or have a glacier, which challenges the quaint village and ski-in ski-out requirement.
It will not be high demand then, so I’d book the flights (Geneva is best I think) and leave accommodation to last minute to see where the snow is.
Not quaint, but I’d be thinking about Tignes or Val Thorens. Or maybe Zermatt or Saas Fee.
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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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Does Tignes have much for non-skiers?
Isn't 3rd week of Dec Christmas week? That puts it at peak time, no?
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| Orange200 wrote: |
Does Tignes have much for non-skiers?
Isn't 3rd week of Dec Christmas week? That puts it at peak time, no? |
Tignes, probably not, but hopefully someone will come up with a better suggestion.
I assumed 1-8 Dec is 1st week, 8-15 Dec is 2nd week, and 15-22 Dec is 3rd week.
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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 always had decent snow that week - even in poor years I got plenty of skiing in - at places like Courchevel 1850 and La Plagne.
I'd go to Val d'Isere, TBH.
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Avoriaz?
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Quant?
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This really is a tough ask.
Ski in and out tend to be purpose built resorts that usually offer little in the way of charm or for the none skier.
How about Arlberg. massive ski area. Very charming at one end with easier skiing and not so charming at the other with serious skiing and partying. A bus link for the none skier.
Enough altitude that skiing should be reasonable that time of year
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Welcome to snowHeads 
Unless you count glaciers, mostly with limited areas open, no mainstream resort in Europe has guaranteed snow these days.
For this group, at that time of year, Val D'Isere offers the best chances I think. Not quaint, quite a large town, but mostly smart and certainly a more attractive base than Tignes.
I skied this area, Espace Killy, first week of December this year. About 70% of lifts open and snow in very good condition.
Solaise mountain now very good for beginner skiers. Enough interest and activities for non skiers. Top class skiing for intermediates and advanced. Very good lift system and free bus transport around resort.
True ski in/ ski out accommodation is possible. But it may not suit beginner and non-skier. Accommodation a close walk (5 minutes) to Solaise and Olympique gondola probably best to meet important needs.
Feel free to ask specific questions or send PM.
Other resorts with good chance of snow are available!
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Obergurgl-Hochgurgl and Sölden share a lift pass, have a short bus ride between; together they make a pretty decent sized ski area. Plenty for beginners and intermediates, experts might find there aren't enough challenging pistes.
Sölden has a glacier and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl normally opens mid-November, so it's a safe bet w.r.t. snow.
Don't know about other activities though, you'd have to do some research there.
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