 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
I am very new to skiing (dry slope lessons + one week in Italy this year) and would like to take my Dad on a short ski trip next year (he has skied a lot over the years but is getting on)
Do any of you have any recommendations for resorts l should look at for a 3-4 day break (weekend or midweek) for middle to end January 2020?
I'm looking for hotel or self catering but would like ski in / ski out. Apres not bothered as long as we have a bar or two to eat / drink in. I have no idea if l should go France, Andorra, Austria etc to be sure of decent snow in January. A resort for beginners / intermediates would be great.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 
Many thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Seefeld in Austria is a great place for a starter.
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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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There is a wide variety of possibilities, folk will all have their own favourites in various parts of the Alps or Pyrenees. Snow conditions are probably the most important consideration. Given that you are looking at the middle to end of January there is no need to book well in advance as it is not the busiest time. It would be best to wait until nearer the time to get a better idea of where there would be good conditions.
Given the relatively short time actually in the alps you want to make travelling easy so your choice might be dictated by flight possibilities from your local airport.
If you can get to Salzburg (not so many flights outside of weekends) then the Ski Amade area might suit it is very near to Salzburg and has lots of friendly skiing, Saalbach Hinterglemm is a bit further from Salzburg but again would be ideal. Munich is easier for flights, scheduled connections from most airports - eg KLM via Amsterdam from even small UK airports, but the transfers are generally not so easy, a hire car is best. Choices might be, Ski Welt very beginner friendly but with more variety for your father too, Ski Jewel a small area but popular with many, Zillertal lots of skiing in the valley with wide variety of types of skiing (there's a glacier too but not likely to be an attractive option in January). Zürich again is easy to get flights to and easy access by train to many resorts. There are plenty of Swiss resorts but they tend to be on the expensive side. In Austria Lech would be ideal´wide variety of skiing and picture perfect scenery but it is not the cheapest and the pass can get closed in bad weather in January, the Montafon resorts could be worth looking at too again plenty of variety and nice villages (both Lech and Montafon are easy on the train from Zürich). St Anton is very easy on the train (station in the middle of the village) but would suggest it is not the ideal place for a near beginner. Innsbruck is not so good for flights outside of weekends and has more weather problems than other places, it does have a good number of close by resorts eg Seefeld as mentioned above.
Sure others will be along to make suggestions for France and Italy.
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For a short break I would imagine you will want :
An airport with lots of flights in and out from your nearest airport to give maximum flexibility and time on the slopes.
An airport with plenty of resorts within 1 to 1.5 hr transfer
Geneva certainly fits the bill for the airport ?
Flaine for ski in and out accommodation?
Try ski week-ends for deals ... https://www.skiweekends.com/
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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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Sounds like a lovely idea - wish my kids were thinking the same! Assuming (by "ski in ski out") you are looking for villages with a blue/green run running thru it rather than stopping, I would say these are worth checking on google maps.
Val Thorens
La Plagne (Belle Plane, Paine Villages, Plagne Soleil)
Les Arcs (Arc 1950)
Lech (Oberlech)
Montgenevre (Obelisk area) - short transfer from Turin
Colfosco
Alpe Huez
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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That time of year the odds are good for decent snow, but agreed with @munich_irish, no real need to book too far in advance thus giving you some flexibility.
Personally for short trips I 'work backwards'. Find a good deal on flights to an airport with a number of resorts nearby (1-2h). I make sure I select flight times which minimise loss of annual leave and maximum slope time i.e. fly out after work in the evening and return late so you can ski on the last day. Once you have identified some options can narrow down the 'optimal' nearby resort, be it by car or public transport.
Airports to consider:
Geneva
Zurich
Grenoble
Turin
Milan
Salzburg
Innsbruck
Munich
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@daleh, Have you asked your dad for advice?
Your thoughts about mid week sound good to me. You should be able to pick up a self catering apartment for a week for only a few hundred euros. Just collect the keys when you arrive and leave. Provided you do not stop over on the Saturday night you should only need to pay for one week's rental.
Personally I would get a late fight to Genva on the Sunday or Monday night after work and return very late Thusday or Friday. We hire a car and drive to Les Arcs, getting there about midnight and leaving about 4:30 for the return.
I'm not sure why everyone wants a quick transfer at the other end whereas for me the real hassle is getting to the UK airport. Due to traffic on the M1 it once took us over 3 and half hours to get to Luton getting to the car park 30 minutes before our flight was due to leave. We made it!
Have a good trip
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@daleh, some great advice (as usual) from @munich_irish,
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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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This is brilliant -- thank you all very much for taking the time to respond
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@boabski, 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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f you can get to Salzburg (not so many flights outside of weekends) then the Ski Amade area might suit it is very near to Salzburg and has lots of friendly skiing, Saalbach Hinterglemm is a bit further from Salzburg but again would be ideal.
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Agree with this (there’s a surprise  )
Salzburg is a great little airport - super-efficient and a joy to use.
Transfers are a doddle to arrange too, with on-line booking available for the 8 times a day Holiday Shuttle, and a choice of private taxi firms (our favourite Austria-taxi.at)
Midweek flights usually available with the usual budget airlines (Check Skyscanner), and often for under £30 each).
Agree that Munich provides more options, e.g. evening flights, and the Austrian railways are again super-efficient and inexpensive. Research timings and fares on oebb.at
Ski-in ski-out accommodation is easy to find (just ask on this forum), and prices of bars and restaurants are very reasonable in most Austrian resorts (similar to U.K. prices).
It would have to be a very unusual season for the snow to be bad in mid to late January, no matter which resort is chosen.
Suggest opting for a resort with slopeside accommodation and easy pistes that bring you back to the village and your doorstep.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Thu 13-06-19 21:01; edited 2 times in total
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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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Les Gets. Short transfer and easy slopes.
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Avoriaz.. quick transfer from Geneva with lots or flights to choose from. Should be able to get short term ski in/out accommodation as out of school holidays. Good range of slopes and bars.
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You know it makes sense.
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Portes du Soleil getting a few mentions and I'd say the same, Morzine or Avoriaz i've been to and they both tick the boxes, particularly Avoriaz for ski in ski out.
I also had a really good long weekend break in La Clusaz, would recommend there as well, not so much ski in ski out though.
Not sure where @daleh, is based therefore what airport/airlins are available, but Turin might offer some cheap midweek flights, then places such as the Milkyway (Sestriere, Sauze D'Oulx etc), Pila, Courmayeur and Bardonecchia might work? Won't all offer the ski in ski out you're after though.
A friend did cheap flights to Venice and up to Cortina D'Ampezzo in the Dolomites, worked well for her, and flights are generally cheap because you wouldn't necessarily consider Venice as a ski hub.
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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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Lots of great advice as always -- very many thanks all 
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Poster: A snowHead
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I used to do lots of 3-5 day trips and found MountainSun to be the best. They arrange everything for you, to maximise your time on the slopes.
Their location at Tignes 1800 is ski in and almost ski out. It’s just had an amazing refit too. Recommended.
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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 a look at your local airports & see where you can get easily & cheaply.
Then price up transfers. See if you are happy with the Flight times, transfer time, etc.
You will find narrowing everything down comes quite quickly.
Innsbruck has a ton of options within around an hour travel by cheap public transport.
equally, fly into Venice & you have fixed priced transfers for a few resorts, however there may only be 1 or 2 buses a day - so timings would be key.
Similar for Geneva, etc.
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