 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, we are a group of 12 advance intermediate skiiers, just returned from a week in Sauze (thank goodness it snowed at last!) and are looking into where on earth to go next.
Things we love,
Snow sure
Transfer under 2.5 hours
Good for intermediates/advanced
as close to piste - ski in /out as possible
Wine and afternoon cakes included
A little bit of just after skiing drinks (loved the Nederhutte in Obergurgl!)
Places we've loved
Obergurgl
Lech
Villandary
Cirvinia
Courcheval
Places we've considered
Champoluc comes up every year, but we always talk ourselves out of it - not sure if it's big enough
Schladming - one of our couples REALLY want wine and cakes included, and can't find it here.
Please feel free to offer up your ideas, as I'm loosing my mind trying to make suggestions to the group!! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I forgot to say, we'd be looking at 1st week Feb or the week before. Looking to keep the budget max £1000 each + lift passes.
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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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Alpe d'Huez
La Plagne
Serre Chevalier
Avoriaz
Flaine
Ischgl
Serfaus
Saalbach
Kitzbuhel
Arabba
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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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Saalbach, Serre Chevalier seconded by me, especially if you end up 4 short of filling a chalet! My efforts to do the same for 18th/25th Jan stalling at 4. I agree Champoluc would be too small and Flaine too lifeless in evenings. Weren't you all set for Schladming this year? Company suggestions outside the obvious tour operators, only Ski Miquel springs to mind.
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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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Thanks all for the suggestions, we have a short list, which includes Saalbach, Mayerhofen and Champoluc - the group are voting on which they prefer. My vote is for Saalbach, it looks amazing.
I'll keep Serre Chevalier for next years' list!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Stuben - Hotel Hubertushof
Hinterglemm - Adler Resort
Both excellent. Afternoon tea at the Adler a bit basic and you need to opt in to the all inclusive to get it (you can do this per day at €60 per day). Hubertushof has better food (just)
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Thanks again,
unfortunately the Saalbach chalet we loved is already booked up, so we're choosing between 2 in Mayrhofen at the moment. Plenty of ideas here for 2021 now too! 
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@micheleperry, your parameters sound pretty close to our group... from the places you went can you specifically recommend any of the hotels/chalets you used?
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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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Hi @Sarahklt, ooh ski talk, that makes me happy!
Places we have loved, probably in order we loved them - we've always gone for chalet board, with afternoon tea and free wine, as it suits our group and keeps the costs when on holiday as low as possible.
1: Chalet-christophorus, Obergurgl Austria. It's a smallish chalet board hotel, with the famous Nederhutte as the big draw for Obergurgl, you ski in to the hut at around 4 - drink, dance on the tables and have silly fun until about 6 - then ski back or catch the skidoo on the floodlit home run, great fun. Possibly our group favourite holiday, we went 2 years in a row.
2: La Foret, Villandary - run by Ski Olympic, fantastic ski in and out chalet hotel, though limited apres ski - we didn't venture out after ski time at all - so it's a bit quieter but still loved it.
3: Chalet Hotel Ferienhof - Neilson. We broke with our ski in and out rule this January, and had a fab time in Mayerhoffen (luckily before Austria became the epicentre of the virus). We've been with Neilson 2 years now, and all really like the ski guiding they offer, and a few good evenings with quiz nights and the likes.
4: Chalet Furka, Zug (Lech). Another very quiet chalet and apres place, but fantastic skiing, and a great chalet. You can ski down to a lift, down a track, and back to Lech and bus back, or down a track to near the chalet. It's a much bigger area now it's linked more too.
Before the virus took over, we had a chalet held for next year, at the moment unsure if all the group will still commit, if the company will still book us, if the flights are available, if we can get insurance or even if we'll be allowed to travel, so feeling a bit unsure about 2021 still.
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Unless we get a vaccine the answer from my viewpoint is any resort, if it is open, that does not have gondolas or cable cars. Fresh air and more fresh air needs to be the order of the day to avoid transmission of the disease and probably later in the season rather than earlier as better chances of sitting outside on a regular basis. Self drive and self cater.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@micheleperry, out of curiosity where is Villandary?
In most French ski resorts you can find a patisserie and I have never come across one yet that doesn't have a shop selling wine so I don't think these are difficult criteria to make.
I've only been to Champoluc once and Gressony once, but I thought they are fair sized ski resort, my only comment would be that there is a big step up from the very bashed pistes to the serious off piste, which limits the appeal to advanced as opposed to expert skiers. There are no proper black pistes.
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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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@JohnE Villandary is between Les Arcs and La Plange - so you get the whole of the Paradiski area to play in, which we loved. It's so much prettier than the built up La Plange and that hotel is right on a lovely windy blue tree lined run. You walk out the door strap your skis on, and ski down to the lift station.
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@micheleperry, Ah! Vallandry. I know it well
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You know it makes sense.
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t@micheleperry, thank you v much for those will have a looky - love a bit of ski dreaming..got to have something to look forward to in all this mess...we bought the £30 easyjet flights for half term at the beginning of lockdown on the basis that if it goes bust we should get something, and if it doesnt we will have the cheapest flights weve ever got for that time, flying into innsbruck - so austria for that week definitely but in 20/21 im determined to get as many ski days as poss - lockdown has certainly taught me to 'use it before you lose it!'.
hear what youre saying @countryman maybe this year will be the one i become the sort of skier that walks up and skis down.
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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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Ski - in and out tends to limit my thinking quite significantly. Les Gets probably qualifies, I think Avoriaz is mentioned.
You may not know of the Val d'annivieres, Zinal, Grimmentz, St Luc, Chandolin, these places don't meet your access criteria. I mention them simply to suggest you broaden your search pattern. Many Snowheads will be aware of the fabulous terrain in that valley.
Heading to Austria, Badgastien, Wagrain, about to say Rauris but far tooo small.
Plenty of places but too many don't meet the search criteria......
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Poster: A snowHead
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flying into innsbruck - so austria for that week definitely but in 20/21
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From Innsbruck, and for a quieter place than a huge town for obvious reasons next year, I think I'd recommend Obergurgl then. We have loved our times there, the lift system was great, the choice of mountain restaurants is fantastic (there's a fab self service one over in Hochgurgl, as well as numerous others), but it's not the most massive ski area for hoards of people, like say the 3 valleys is. Not sure about accommodation that's not through a package, though I think there was a family apartment in the christophorus where we stayed. We liked the location, out the door to the nursery button lift for a quick warm up, then down to the chairlift (can't remember the name!) which was always quiet as it wasn't the main one in the town. Hope that helps, and hope you get your cheap break away!
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