 Poster: A snowHead
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My kids are living in Switzerland and want to ski there this season.
They are always budget minded ..
They were looking at Zermatt and Laax, then I suggested Verbier and if they could not afford the real thing .. try an apartment in Nendaz.
And now they have gone and booked one.
I just hope I gave them a good lead, rather than a disaster ... that they will always blame Opa for.
It's been a long time since I went to Verbier, and I dont remember going to Nendaz if we ever did.
Their group consists of Mum+Dad+ 8 year old, all good skiers.
Its going to be mostly self catering with pizza, are there good bars there... no night clubs required?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's not a party town unlike Verbier but now the links have improved the skiing is just as accessible, great views over the Rhone valley.
Good place for a family.
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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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Nendaz has been significantly improved thanks to the new gondola that links it with the rest of the 4 Vallées. This now takes you from Prarion up to Plan du Fou in one go. At the end of the day, you can now get on the gondola down in Siviez and take it all the way up to PdF and down to Prarion. The link station at Prarion has this and the chair up to the top of Nendaz (Tracouet) in the same building. This really makes it a much more integrated spoke to the Verbier hub. Nendaz is much more oriented to families and groups on a budget than Verbier, and you should have a wide choice of places to go out at reasonable prices. Self-catering apartments work well for younger families, as you usually get more space than in a hotel or shared chalet. The main downside of Nendaz for me is that it's accommodation has got a bit out of proportion to the lift capacity in recent years, so it can be busy. But that's Switzerland busy, not France busy.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Sun 30-08-20 8:43; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Budget minded  , Laax, Zermatt and Verbier; probably all in the top 5 most expensive places in Switzerland.
Nendaz is fine. Definitely cheaper for accomodation so for a season a big saving and more for the money. A couple of decent sized supermarkets and a number of happily busy bars and the feel of the place is not as frenetically, try-hard as Verbier.
As others have pointed out, the new extended gondola has dramatically improved the link so the itinerary run on the way back isn't crucial, though you still have the horrible, slow 4 seater after that.
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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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@DrLawn, where are they based in CH? Plenty of day/weekend skiing options for the budget conscious eg with Magic Pass
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi @BobinCH,
They are based in Zurich and they are pretty keen,
They visit Flumserburg, most weekends during the season, so my granddaughter can have her lessons.
They don't have a car so it has to be somewhere they can get to on the train, else they rent a car.
And thanks to the other guys as well, it sounds ideal for them to go to, they say the lift pass is a bit pricey, it seemed pricey nearly 30 years ago when I took my kids to Verb,
so its pay back time.
They say that Switzerland is on the No-Go list for the UK now as well 
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| Quote: |
They say that Switzerland is on the No-Go list for the UK now as well
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Not for England it isn't.
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@halfhand, probably is on the 14 day quarantine list from tomorrow
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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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@DrLawn, excellent! I also have an 8yr old little shredder. If they make it to Nendaz feel free to hook us up and would be happy to share some local knowledge.
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Hi @BobinCH, yes I've seen your lad in some videos ... make me very jealous,
I'm not sure if she at his standard yet ... but granddad has trouble keeping up with her now.
I'll pass on your message to them via whatsapp, I don't think they get on Snowheads, but they should.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| DrLawn wrote: |
Hi @BobinCH, yes I've seen your lad in some videos ... make me very jealous,
I'm not sure if she at his standard yet ... but granddad has trouble keeping up with her now.
I'll pass on your message to them via whatsapp, I don't think they get on Snowheads, but they should. |
The boy is 10. Also have an 8yr old girl who is hot on his heels!
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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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There you go ... I'll tell my misses to buy a new hat
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Quite a few Swiss, especially from the east, nowadays go skiing in Austria.
They can ski (sleep, drink and eat) in Lech at prices unthinkable in CH...The Swiss often like to think they are offering ‘Swiss Quality’
Just returned from a CH-I-A trip this summer.
‘Swiss Quality’ is a joke compared to Austrian and Italian quality
The Swiss Franc Problem...
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You know it makes sense.
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And the first snow of the season: Tracouet-Prarion-Plan du Feu this morning (30.8.2020). it certainly won't last but nice to see.
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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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@DrLawn, I’d recommend Arosa. It’s easier to get to from Zurich than Nendaz, and the setup is family friendly.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@DrLawn, from Zurich, you go to Chur and change there. It’s on a different line than Flumseberg, but generally quite easy to get to.
Arosa is linked to Lenzerheide, so your daughter might have already skied some of the terrain in Arosa.
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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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Hi @cerebralvortex I was WhatsApping with her this morning and she says, that apparently Arosa is the sunniest place to ski in Switzerland (When the sun is out I suppose).
I didnt know she knew so much about the area,
she says that Lenzerhide is the cheap backdoor into Arosa and easier to get to for her.
She thinks its on the same lift-pass as Davos.
Anyway, it looks pretty certain for Nendaz next half term, Covid permitting
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Most Swiss folks here in Basel take there Ski Holidays in Austria or Italy .. Its much cheaper & Quality is higher.
Over in Zurich most Swiss head over to Austria even for Day/Weekend trips
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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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Q. 'Is Nendaz a good budget alternative to Verbier?'
A. 'Go to Austria. Or Italy. In fact anywhere other than Switzerland.'
None of which answers the question, does it?
Sometimes the Switzerland-bashing gets a bit tedious.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@LaForet, when talking budget it really is not that strange to point to all (all!) other Alpine nations around Switzerland offering much more value for money... it’s no bashing, it’s reality. And it is -we did experience it this summer- a rather flagrant difference...
Can’t help to conclude that the Swiss have sold their souls to the Zürich, Geneva and Lugano bankers...
Switzerland is a small nation, and given the fact there are so many great alternatives just across the Swiss borders, it is quite logical this came up in this topic.
I can see from your profile that it is not something that suits you very well. But it is reality. And I think it is sad, and bad actually...
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Read the OP's posts. The booking in Nendaz is already made, done and dusted. His concern was whether his advice to go for Nendaz, based on possibly old experience, still applied and whether it still was cheaper than the same holiday in Verbier.
Cue the usual Switzerland-bashing. Not only an inconsistent and meaningless generalisation, but irrelevant to his question.
And to start calling me 'sad and bad' for expressing this view, based on experience, seems rather weird.
You clearly have had a bad experience holidaying in Switzerland, and I'm sorry to hear that, but this seems to have coloured you view of the Swiss, and of holidaying in Switzerland, to a degree that seems unreasonable.
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@Langerzug, yep but he’s right that you are a bit of a tiresome tool with your sarcastic comments about Swiss quality. And given you and Stanton are Lech / St Anton fanboys, waxing lyrical about great value is somewhat hypocritical. Despite the strength of the CHF, if they rent an apartment and self-cater a holiday in Nendaz isn’t going to be significantly more expensive than any other of the top resorts.
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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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@LaForet, I’m not saying you are sad and bad, but the “Swiss Franc Issue“ is. And I’m quite sure quite some Swiss hoteliers agree...@BobinCH, Nendaz is not exactly a top resort is it? And probably still a main course in Nendaz much more expensive than in Lech...
We stayed in two 4-star hotels in Switzerland this summer. At both the general upkeep was way below par, and simply a joke compared with their Austrian and Italian counterparts. Talking about the +300 CHF range. Interesting thing was that the reviews were raving...but the reviews were 95% Swiss .
A joke, I’m telling you...
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Tue 1-09-20 21:41; edited 1 time in total
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Hi Guys .. lets not get catty ... come on ... we are all missing the mountains ... and we don't know when we can get back up there.
So we're bound to be getting a bit grumpy.
I'm finding everywhere a bit expensive for skiing nowadays.
I must admit I found it eye wateringly expensive in Switzerland in July, but Italy wasn't that much cheaper.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Actually Nendaz because of reduced lift pass for family and an abundance of decent quality accommodation because of second home owners was a bit cheaper than the major french resorts for our Easter ski trips.
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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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| Langerzug wrote: |
@LaForet, I’m not saying you are sad and bad, but the “Swiss Franc Issue“ is. And I’m quite sure quite some Swiss hoteliers agree...@BobinCH, Nendaz is not exactly a top resort is it? And probably still a main course in Nendaz much more expensive than in Lech...
We stayed in two 4-star hotels in Switzerland this summer. At both the general upkeep was way below par, and simply a joke compared with their Austrian and Italian counterparts. Talking about the +300 CHF range. Interesting thing was that the reviews were raving...but the reviews were 95% Swiss .
A joke, I’m telling you... |
Perhaps you didn’t notice the OP is staying in an apartment and self-catering and Nendaz has easy access to the best skiing in the 4 valleys, so for top skiing on a budget IMO he’s made a good choice. Nendaz restaurants are cheaper than Verbier and the couple I’ve been to (Edelweiss and Cabane) were very good. I liked the Arlberg but cheap it was not. The most expensive ski hire I’ve seen just about anywhere. My only recollection of Lech Is the Veuve Cliquot bar beside one of the pistes. I don’t remember thinking what a great value place? I’m sure he’s really grateful for your helpful comments.
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@BobinCH, the great thing about forums like these is that its public, and many people looking for unbiased info are reading it, also in the months to come. And really, many, many Swiss are looking across the border. In Lech, at Lake Como, etc etc
Oh, and Lech is more than Veuve Cliquot, just as Verbier is....
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You know it makes sense.
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When I stayed in Nendaz, restaurants etc were much better value than anywhere I've been skiing in France! 
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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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Not sure you can hold it against a place that the sun didn't shine the day you were there. But maybe Nendaz is always sunny ...
Cost is relative. We discovered that from the UK, skiing in Switzerland was relatively reasonable at February half term but that was because there isn't the massive hike in prices of France etc. And we were self-catering: while Swiss restaurant food is in our experience good quality Brits suffer from the exchange rate (you can't entirely blame the Swiss for that, the poor state of our own government and economy is half of the story). Not sure why drinks in restaurants are so extremely expensive though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| j b wrote: |
Not sure you can hold it against a place that the sun didn't shine the day you were there. But maybe Nendaz is always sunny ...
Cost is relative. We discovered that from the UK, skiing in Switzerland was relatively reasonable at February half term but that was because there isn't the massive hike in prices of France etc. And we were self-catering: while Swiss restaurant food is in our experience good quality Brits suffer from the exchange rate (you can't entirely blame the Swiss for that, the poor state of our own government and economy is half of the story). Not sure why drinks in restaurants are so extremely expensive though. |
CHF strength and labour costs drive up restaurant prices, although VAT is much lower. Self-catering though not that different, apart from Swiss grown produce, eg meat, that is very expensive. And Aldi/Lidl are a good but cheaper than Coop/Migros if you’re driving and there’s one en route.
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FAQ
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