 Poster: A snowHead
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Perhaps this is my filter, I see so many places I think sound good, so instead of looking for the best resorts, why not have our bugbears about the ones we won't visit again , because well then other people explaining things might resonate with what we are trying to avoid, iukwim.
For me , Borovets, ice, ice more ice, it is so long since we were there but well it stuck in my head, the lifts all those years ago were slow.... so I will only go back if there is nowhere else to go.
Stowe Vermont, pretty, but skiing was a bit dull,
Flaine, off piste was good when I was there but it gets tracked, and on piste is all blues to every area, also the town lacked a bit of fun.
So are there areas you thought were going to be fantastic and disliked ? and why?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Cervinia maybe. It’s beautiful but the lift closures are too much to deal with
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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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oh why were the lifts closed? too much snow? my friend is off to Cervinia tomorrow, hope she doesn't meet the lift closures .
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Sierra Nevada in Spain.
One big mountain, snow gets blown off the top leaving ice, no trees, lift closures common because of wind.
Living in Lisbon, several of my work colleagues have gone, more than once, and never got 4 good days skiing in a row.
8 hrs drive there or 12 hrs to Andorra - latter gets it every time.
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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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@biddpyat, just generally, high winds close the upper lifts in cervinia a lot. It’s such a pain
Don’t think there’s too much wind this week though
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Isn’t this a bit of an “I was unlucky” thread?
“Flaine” “gets tracked”? Really, I am amazed that one of the most popular areas near Geneva ever gets any skiers, let alone those who like off piste.
Purpose built resort lacks “fun”? Who’d have thought?
Cervinia lift closures? You have to wonder why glacier skiing has to be at altitude. It’s most inconvenient.
I’m not sure an “I visited this place one time and it was too/not enough sunny/rainy/snowy/avalanchey/Italian/etc.” which is not necessarily representative of the typical reality is terribly helpful.
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@biddpyat, fear not I've been in Cervinia all week, not a single closure, pistes amazing. Fliping cold today though. Guess it's just altitude and wind - it's the risk you take with high resorts.
One I'd not go to again is Tignes - yep you read it right. I used to head out pre season training as a teen, always busy, no manners, nightmare. Since then I have been a couple of times as an adult and always found it over priced, full of idiots, rude people, straight liners, people standing on your skis, older teens/young adults - it's essentially a chlamydia farm with snow. Have been there 5 times always hoping for it to be better, but nope.
Italy and finland for me from now on
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Fri 2-02-18 23:14; edited 1 time in total
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Not sure I would rush back to Les Deux Alpes (excl La Grave). Nothing of great attraction in the village itself, runs home were a bit of a nighmare-choice of a green path or a black run which ran through the middle. Selective fencing of runs meant some had safety barriers everywhere and others with drops off the side had none, had to pay/use a token to use the loos even if you bought a drink in the cafe or it was in the lift station. Didn't really like the 3 stages of slopes and think queues could be a bit of an issue.
Can't say I have the same thoughts about any other resort I have been to but perhaps I was unlucky with the above.
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krangska gora and passo tonale, great for beginners but anyone else can ski it all in a day,
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+1 for LDA
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Something of a strange thread this. I agree with the earlier comment in that it should maybe be retitled, "Ski Resorts Where I Was Unlucky With The Conditions/Weather."
We will have a few coming along shortly saying they will never ski anywhere in the Alps ever again after the storms of 2018... 
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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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| Bergmeister wrote: |
| ... maybe be retitled, "Ski Resorts Where I Was Unlucky With The Conditions/Weather." ... |
Well yes, but mostly when people provide feedback on places here, good or bad, their logic is precisely that. I always laugh at those - anywhere and everywhere can be good or bad depending on the snow, so asking "where is good" or even like this "where is bad" is mostly pointless. You will have a way better time at a teeny family hill with 50cms of fresh and no one around than you can have at your macho destination.
Even so... I probably won't bother again with the tourist parts of Colorado, having ticked them off, because I like the none-tourist parts better. Maybe Scotland too, unless I can get an EU passport from them of course.
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@philwig, which is precisely why you can discount 99% of,f’rinstance, booking.com reviews and mine are yes/no to a decent shower and a good breakfast. (This assumes basics, e.g. cleanliness, temp control, noise, etc are in place).
Personally, i get ever so slightly aerated when someone criticises somewhere I know well (Chamonix, Monterosa, PdS, Grand Massif) based on a brief snapshot and transient conditions (weather, Paris holidays coinciding with UK half term, et al.).
Systematic or structural criticism, fair enough. Having a bad day, no, not really. Why, for instance, would you go to Tignes if you were neither training nor aiming to go off piste? (OK, altitude, snow, potentially, but if you are on piste, you have to expect that it will be busy and full of people who think they are special). I will admit easily that similar criticism can be levelled at many other high profile stations.
I mean, we had a poor review of our apartments in the summer because the clients in question found Chamonix “too sunny”...  
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You know it makes sense.
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+ 1 for LDA although not the resorts fault.
Mine is titled "Ski Resorts Where I Was Unlucky With The Tour operator, Airline, Transfer, Hotel Rooms, Hotel Food, Ski Hire, Conditions, Weather etc."
I'm sure there was something else that went wrong as well but I can't think of it now.
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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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This topic has come up before.
Usual suspects:
LDA
La Plagne
PDS
Tonale
I personally agree with the first two.
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Poster: A snowHead
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La Plagne
Pas De La Casa
The former I found a bit disjointed and soulless, no actual village centre just a load of self catering 'stations', and the skiing was very samey. Lots of pistes, all more or less identical. Plus the snow conditions were awful when I was there.
Pas was a dump when I visited. An ugly, dirty, noisy border town. The skiing was again pretty dull.
Similarly I wasn't over-keen on Tignes, Cervinia or Passo Tonale, I think I like trees too much, these above the treeline moonscapes don't fill me with the joy of being in the mountains.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
I like trees too much, these above the treeline moonscapes don't fill me with the joy of being in the mountains.
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+1
But, having always disliked Tignes for that and other reasons, I've had fantastic trips there in the last two years. I don't think I've been to a resort I've hated so much I would never return.
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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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I don’t mind La Plagne at all, perhaps as we got lucky with snow and were off piste a good part of the time!
Wouldn’t rush back to Tonale but we’re some nice off piste runs despite poor snow however is very limited
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Alpes D'Huez
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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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Soldeu. It’s a dump.
Winter Park. It’s boring.
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@queen bodecia, re La Plagne, why would you expect anything else from a 1960s, purpose built, brutalist inspired, affordable family skiing for the masses targetted (i.e. rabbit hutch apartments) resort?
You found exactly what was designed.
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Nowhere. For me skiing was an unimaginable privilege when I was growing up, and remains so now even though I get to ski a lot. I’d be happy to return to any place I’ve been to.
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Tyre are plenty of good resorts I wouldn’t return to. e.g. Obergurgl and Madonna di Campiglio. I had a good time in both places. However, obergurgl just felt too limited and a little small for my taste. It didn’t help that it was late in the season so the lower runs were unpleasantly slushy after mid-day thereby limiting the skiing still further.
MdC is a lovely area, but after a week I really felt I’d skied it.
I wouldn’t choose to go back to either but if that’s where all my friends were going I dare say I’d go too. Perhaps a different point is that, with the huge number of resorts in the Alps and elsewhere, it’s fun going somewhere new and a resort has to be pretty good to keep you coming back.
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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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Another interesting question is .... Which resorts have you not been to yet and wouldn’t even consider going to?
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| foxtrotzulu wrote: |
| Another interesting question is .... Which resorts have you not been to yet and wouldn’t even consider going to? |
All Bulgarian and Romanian resorts. Imagine the snow to be poor and the runs limited.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Isola 2000. I went on a university trip in the mid 80s and it was cold and windswept with about 1 small shed on the whole mountain to shelter in. And the skiing was crap.
Vail because it’s so high you use all your energy just staying alive with the thin air and low temperatures. And it’s full of ‘merkins.
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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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| Gordyjh wrote: |
Isola 2000. I went on a university trip in the mid 80s and it was cold and windswept with about 1 small shed on the whole mountain to shelter in. And the skiing was crap.
Vail because it’s so high you use all your energy just staying alive with the thin air and low temperatures. And it’s full of ‘merkins. |
Interesting! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin
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| foxtrotzulu wrote: |
| Another interesting question is .... Which resorts have you not been to yet and wouldn’t even consider going to? |
La Grave. Will never be good enough 
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You know it makes sense.
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@rob@rar, that!
Although I would take considerable convincing to return to a snowdome, but I appreciate I am spoiled.
Scottish resorts no longer hold the appeal of my childhood and youth.
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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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St Anton - to be fair I'll start off saying in not the most confident of skiers when it's crowded but.... the condition of the slopes was awful, maybe because it was about -20 for more than a week.
The 100 run down to the Flexenbahn was like playing tig on a motorway - it seemed extremely dangerous! Between looking for safe places to turn between the moguls, ice and bumps, avoiding the people who were even slower and more unsteady than I was and constantly looking over my shoulder to avoid being mown down by straightliners I'm surprised I got down at all.
The runs back down to the centre were scenes of carnage - they may as well have set up a Klinik on them!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Ugly architecture in the beautiful mountains is always a terrible shame, but in itself wouldn't put me off returning to any given place.
Some places take a bit of getting know, for example I used to hate La Plagne but now I quite like it - you just have to get out of the bland main bowl and explore the much more interesting outlying areas.
The only place I'd actively say No to would be a return to L2A at new year which had a horrible and bizarre undercurrent of drunken violence
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Scamper, I'm with you on St Anton, but you haven't even mentioned the lift queues. OK it has probably improved since I was last there 15 years ago, but it was 30 minute queue after 30 minute queue. I hope they have added more pistes and better lifts
However the real place I will never ski again in Santa Fe in the USA. basically a couple lifts up and a couple runs down. But the reason I will not ski there again is it is a long way and there are much better resorts on the way. I was in the town so one day we went skiing. Oddly enough that is the main reason many of us will never visit a resort again. There are simply better ones for what we want.
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Another interesting question is .... Which resorts have you not been to yet and wouldn’t even consider going to?
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none, what is skiing nivarna to one reporter may me hell to another and viva versa. I will only really find out when I get there. I'll even try Yad Moss
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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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| Scamper wrote: |
St Anton - to be fair I'll start off saying in not the most confident of skiers when it's crowded but.... the condition of the slopes was awful, maybe because it was about -20 for more than a week.
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Same. Although my caveat is I went with work, shouldn't have been there as I was a near total beginner, the busy runs were bumpy, everywhere including the apres seemed terrifying and crowded, and having had a terrible time coming down from Gampen on my first day, I didn't dare leave the bottom nursery slopes. Also, my colleagues were of the force feed people jager, peer pressure variety. I'd now quite like to go back to the Arlberg, but would probably stay somewhere else just because the awfulness of that trip is lodged in my head.
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I'm comforted by the opinion of some friends who went in March the same year - they are at the opposite end of the skiing spectrum from me - off piste, on piste, ex ski-instructer, international rugby player - as a group they are all extremely competent and technically expert skiers - they had a very poor opinion of the state of the slopes and vowed never to return.
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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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For any prestigious resort, experience of 15 years ago is almost certainly worthless.
Piste maintenance can’t be judged on a single week, especially out of seasonal context. They may have been doing an exceptional job with what they had to work with.
St Anton surely doesn’t have its off piste reputation for nothing.
Mind you, Alagna is not the Freeride Paradise it would try and convince you of ...
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Think it all shows that everyone has different tastes so we don't all want to go to hte sam resort which must be a good thing.
There is no resort that I absolutely would not return to given the right conditions( often friends wanting to visit)
Not to keen on the three valleys though , I have always found it very expensive , the scenery a bit dull by alpine standards particularly in the Belleville valley , being stuffed full of Brits doesn't help either . No objections to my fellow country men but when I'm abroad it's nice to feel that you are in a slightly different ambience to home.
It is all about what suits at a given time though , one of my favourite places to ski is Glencoe but I wouldn't recommend anyone fly hundreds of miles with that as the sole purpose as I may do for other resorts.
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Having started skiing late, I’m in the “I’ll ski anywhere” bucket as long as there’s snow
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Claviere and Khutai for me.
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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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| under a new name wrote: |
Piste maintenance can’t be judged on a single week, especially out of seasonal context. They may have been doing an exceptional job with what they had to work with. |
I would like to agree with you but in this case I'm not judging on a single week - we were there for 2, the friends for 1 at a different time, and friends who went this year when there had been decent snowfall were similarly unimpressed with the maintenance.
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I would consider returning to any resorts I've been to but the following are my least favourites:
La Plagne - frustrating lift system when compared to neighbouring Les Arcs. I would agree with the post above that states that there are some pretty wooded areas at the extremes of the piste map but it never seems that straightforward to get from one side of the area to the other and there are some ugly buildings and lift bottlenecks in the Bellecote area.
Puy St Vincent- ski area felt too small and did not end up with a favourite run.
Sainte Foy - Some lovely runs but it didn't feel like being in France there were so many Brits and there seemed a lack of options for eating out in the village. Considering that it markets itself as a family resort it is frustrating that it doesn't have a proper chemist and we had to drive for 20 mins to get medication. not sure how people manage if they don't come by car.
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FAQ
