 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Looking to go our 2nd proper family ski holiday at Half term next year, leaving 15/02/2020.
(our supposed 2nd ski holiday this year ended on day 1 with me fracturing my thumb and having to fly home!).
Half term is the only option (apart from easter holidays, but it's well into April again this year) ... so thinking to get good snow but avoid the crowds to go to Italy or Austria.
Wife likes easy cruisey runs, kids will do anything in front of them, and I'm somewhere in between (1 week experience each - in Avoriaz in 2018).
So looking for a resort with 40%-ish easy runs for us to enjoy together.
We'll be flying and (most likely) booking a private transfer to/from resort.
So - options I'm thinking about are:
Austria: Kitzbuhel or SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser (Flying into Munich)
Italy: Madonna di Campilglio or Passo Tonale (Flying to Milan Bergamo)
(outsider - Geneva and through to Pila or La Thuile ... but that might be a long transfer/costly, and it's driving through France at HT ... daft?).
Ideally we'd like something close to the slopes so we can either ski in/ski out or have a short walk to the slopes, and not have to queue for buses etc.
Night life not important, and likely to be SC, so a (mini?) supermarket close to hand would also be ideal. Some nices family places to eat at night would be idea though. But the slopes come first - everything else is a bonus!
I'd be delighted if anyone has any advice / thoughts on what might suit us best?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We love Italy and are planning to return to Selva in the dolomites for Feb HT 2020.
Some tricky home runs admittedly (you can always download on gondola) but lots of cruisey pistes , good days out to different places for a real sense of travel and adventure (sella ronda , santa croce , hidden valley , marmolada and many more) wonderful scenery , friendly people, delicious (and not expensive) food and drink on and off the mountain...
After crunching some numbers on a DIY route with the hotel we want , the flights always seem to kill off the costings in the peak weeks (although I am waiting for Easyjet to release the next round of flights which will cover the Feb 2020 half term). Transfers can also be more expensive than you think , work on at least € 200 each way...
So it might be worth looking at Crystal ski - they have their own airline and organise coach transfers.
Often not much in the price and you are (mostly) covered if something goes wrong and only have to pay £ 150-£ 200 deposit now and can save up the rest ...
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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'm a great fan of Corvara in the dolomites for intermediate and mixed groups looking for easy blues. We went there three years in a row at half term because of this and because the low crowds at half term are a delight compared to France.
There isn't a lot of self catering there but Residence Vallon gets good reviews and is only a short walk to the lifts (the ski school has storage lockers right besides the lifts so you don't even need to carry your ski gear with you).
Corvara has the advantage of being on the Sella Ronda (and close to Colfosco for more easy blues) if anyone in the group wants to explore a bit further. If not then San Cassiano has lovely cruisy blues right on it's doorstep but it's bit more of a journey to explore elsewhere.
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Both the Austrian options would work, Skiwelt maybe being slightly more "beginner friendly" and certainly cheaper than Kitzbühel. Perhaps look at Kirchberg which is part of the Kitzbühel area but allows very easy access to Skiwelt too. You could expand your options, both Ski Amade and Saalbach-Hinterglemm would fit your specification though better flying into Salzburg. Another option, less well known in UK (so maybe better UK half term week unless that coincides with the Dutch) would be Serfaus/Fiss, mostly car free villages, reasonably high, big skiing area and the ski school has an excellent reputation. Probably more family orientated than raucous apres.
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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'd agree with @munich_irish. Choose Austria because of the Ski School set up and likelihood of fluent English instruction but fly into Salzburg or Innsbruck (depending on where you go) if you can. Scrub Kitzbuhel from the list until you've got a few more weeks under your belts. Of the areas @munich_irish mentioned, I've spent a school holiday week in Saalbach-Hinterglemm and it coped with the crowds fine and would meet all your other needs with plenty to spare.
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hmm, not sure what level you are looking for but for families who vwant good snow, butr want to avaoid the big/busy/premium prices areas, how about
Galtur, about 1600m so good snow cover, 43km of piste, never seen it packed (even on a busy day). Also gives you access via free ski bus to Kappl, See,Ischgl.
Damuel, Appartently the 'snowiest 'ski are in Europe. Excellent ski area, not served by Brit To, so needs to be DIY, but, you will really enjoy it.
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We skied Kitzbuhel with 6 y/o beginners last year, and it was perfect - great (all day) ski school for them and a great range of skiing for us. We're all intermediates of varying degrees of confidence and it suited us just fine. There are a lot of blues if you're not keen on tackling the reds.
We're off back there again next year.
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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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| DB wrote: |
| What exacts dates are you talking about -15 to 23 Feb 2020? |
Yes - that weekend - either Saturday to Saturday (15th to 22nd) or Sunday to Sunday (16th to 23rd).
Thanks for the recommendations so far - investigating them all!
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We went to St johann in Tirol this year and loved it. Never made it to kitz but it was only 10 mins on the train if we wanted to.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'm struggling with this although not during HT (I'm working off of US holidays so different time in March). I'm 90% set on returning to Italy adn trying to choose...
Selva - absolutely love the area, the town and I have a residence in mind that is perfect for us. Just never know if I can trust the snow in mid-March or not. Cheapest flights are to Milano which is a haul. I really want to go here...
La Thuile - Great snow, near Courmayeur and St. Didier de Pres for my wife but know the town is not the most hopping. Will she be happy there. I know the kids love some of the cruisers up high. Ski pass includes Courmayeur + Pila which is a bonus.
Via Lattea - Have a friend who lives near there. He recommends Sauze but I think my mostly beginnerish family will not be as happy there as I will. Transfer time looks easy from Torino. Ski pass prices are so great, too!
Other options... Bormio or Livigno? Plan de Corones? Done Courmayeur. Cervinia... while would be interesting, don't think the town would make the wife happy and after a week at Saas Fee where winds would shut down the high lifts, I don't want to deal with that on the next immediate trip.
Again, most likely looking to fly into MXP although Torino could be an option (depends on fares or use of miles) as could Venice. Will rent a car so we can explore near our base.
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