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Quiet half term that's good for beginners?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi all,

This is my first post, so please be gentle. I've been skiing since I was 13 (with a gap of about 20 years after breaking my tib and fib in Zell am See) and my kids, now 15, 15 and 12 have been skiing for 8 years (and are WAY better than me). My wife, although having been several times is still very timid, and rarely strays from the few blues that she's comfortable with (although she did get a bit more adventurous on our last trip). This wasn't helped by her popping her ACL three years ago when we made the mistake of going to Les Gets during half term. It wasn't skiing. It was queueing following by hours of trying to avoid people. As well as my wife doing her knee, my FiL got taken out by a skier not looking where he was going, as did my son on a separate occasion. We love Les Gets, and have been going for 6 years, but we normally take the kids out of school on one of the quiet weeks. With my kids coming up for exams soon, and my wife now working in a school, we are limited to half term skiing, or at a push, Christmas.

So I'm now spending hours trying to work out where I can go that is a) quiet during half term b) won't require me to remortgage the house c) will have some very easy blues (think the white cross area of Les Gets) and some reds/blacks for me and the kids and d) doesn't take hours to get to. Does such a place exist?!

TIA!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Welcome to Snowheads, @Timmycb5. snowHead

You're presumably thinking of 2022?

Quote:

Does such a place exist?!


Certainly not in France. And not on the list of any of the UK Tour Operators who survive the savage cull of the 2020/21 season. When you start looking, I'd suggest you start thinking about Easter 2022, rather than half term.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@Timmycb5, welcome to Snowheads Smile La Thuile sounds like it might fit the bill, although I can't remember what the skiing in Les Gets is like. We've been at half term and Easter - without kids, we were just limited to those weeks - and found it to be pretty quiet. It has lots of steady blues plus some interesting blacks and reds, great places to eat on the mountain and in the village and you can ski over into France (La Rosiere) if weather permits for a real sense of travel. We also found it cheap (definitely compared with France) and just under two hours from Geneva. You can also go to Courmayeur for one day on the same lift pass - it's about 30 mins down the valley by bus.

Downsides - it's nicknamed Little Siberia as it does get very cold. This is not helped by it's rickety old lifts, but that all adds to the charm. Also nightlife is non-existent, but looking at your ages you're probably ok with this.
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pam w wrote:
Welcome to Snowheads, @Timmycb5. snowHead

You're presumably thinking of 2022?

Quote:

Does such a place exist?!


Certainly not in France. And not on the list of any of the UK Tour Operators who survive the savage cull of the 2020/21 season. When you start looking, I'd suggest you start thinking about Easter 2022, rather than half term.

Yes, definitely 2022 (I like to plan ahead!).

Easter might be tricky as I work as a corporate accountant and that is the end of year, so all leave is usually cancelled.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Valluga wrote:
@Timmycb5, welcome to Snowheads Smile La Thuile sounds like it might fit the bill,.


Thanks Valluga. The kids first ever ski experience was La Rosiere, though we didn’t make it over the top.

I’m hoping to go skiing next Jan (presuming were allowed) with a mate so could perhaps use that as a reccy mission!
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Go to Scandinavia, generally much more considerate & polite skiers and fewer hoons.
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
ster wrote:
Go to Scandinavia, generally much more considerate & polite skiers and fewer hoons.


And the costs are the same. Oh, wait...
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Charliegolf wrote:
ster wrote:
Go to Scandinavia, generally much more considerate & polite skiers and fewer hoons.


And the costs are the same. Oh, wait...


I didnt find Norway exorbitant, but if you’re a heavy drinker or want to eat out every night then do be prepared to re-mortgage the house.

Ski pass, lessons (excellent standard), s/c flat, rental car were all close to European levels. And I believe Sweden and Finland are cheaper.

And they have loads of intermediate/ easy runs for the nervous of disposition.

Dont count it out.
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You could look at St Gervais/Megeve if you are happy to self cater. None of the UK tour ops go there, and when we went for New Year a couple of years ago it was fine, didn't queue for much more than 5 minutes anywhere. The piste grooming is also very flattering on the Megeve side for nervous skiers!
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@Timmycb5, it's always a balance between price / convenience / quality / ease of getting there / dates / etc
Everyone is different and will have different priorities. For me, looking at your priorities, I would suggest DIY rather than Tour Operator. Self cater but plan to eat out alternate nights and go for cheap and easy meals in on the others. (Or something like Austrian Adventures B & B option). Try a smaller resort with access to or close by other resorts. Try to fly out on a Friday if you can, and/or return on a Sunday. Keeps the costs down even if you add a cheap hotel for an overnight stop at somewhere like Salzburg on the way home.
Suggestion 1. Flight to Salzburg. Easy access to Radstadt. Haus Susanne (Austrian Adventures) or similar.
Suggestion 2. Carinthia / Kaernten area of Austria. Mostly small resorts but some are larger - Nassfeld. Flight to Austria or even Lubjljana. Maybe hire car
Suggestion 3. Flight to Verona or Milan or Innsbruck (but Innsbruck can be an expensive flight at half term). Hire car and drive to one of the quieter parts of the Dolomites. Alleghe. San Vigilio. But the transfer time is longer than the other options. To balance that, the experience would be something well worth remembering in future
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One more vote for Scandanavia. Did Lapland and was very very pleasantly surprised. If you do it through a tour operator then prices are broadly similar and eating out (compared with France) seems a little cheaper and the buffets are extremely good value for money. Alcohol is expensive but if you make use of the local Alko then its palatable. As a bonus they’re well sorted for off slope activity so you can take the opportunity to try something new. Flights are longer but transfer’s shorter (15 minutes from airport for Levi) so total travelling time is similar. Once your more confident rent a car and take advantage of the super ski pass that allows you to try different resorts.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Thanks for the responses everyone. Lots to go on, Google here I come!
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@Timmycb5, I'd go Austria too, if only because with 3 teenagers your lunch bills on the slope will be about 25% less than France or Switzerland and that's a lot over a week. I've been there! I'd add to earlier comments that you find somewhere that is valley based with plenty of off-slope activities when you've had enough. @JohnHSmith, suggestion for Radstadt and Haus Susanne is a good one. We're based in Flachau and Wagrain and do self-catered options if you're interested in that. Best of all its a 50 min transfer from Salzburg. Just PM me if you'd like some more help.
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You know it makes sense.
RedandWhiteFlachau wrote:
@Timmycb5, I'd go Austria too, if only because with 3 teenagers your lunch bills on the slope will be about 25% less than France or Switzerland and that's a lot over a week. I've been there! I'd add to earlier comments that you find somewhere that is valley based with plenty of off-slope activities when you've had enough. @JohnHSmith, suggestion for Radstadt and Haus Susanne is a good one. We're based in Flachau and Wagrain and do self-catered options if you're interested in that. Best of all its a 50 min transfer from Salzburg. Just PM me if you'd like some more help.
Cheers. Will have a look at those places.

We're actually more used to self catering. The first couple of trips with the kids were fully catered with Esprit, but since then it's been self catering all the way.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Quote:

with 3 teenagers your lunch bills on the slope will be about 25% less than France or Switzerland

I did holidays with teenage kids and grandkids and never bought them lunch on the slopes. Either self-catered near the slopes, or gave them modest pocket money to last the week and let them decide what to spend it on - and it was never lunch in a restaurant! Depending on age it was more likely to be Old Lady Gin and beers..... I always took loads of snack chocolate bars and the like - they ate a big breakfast, stuffed a couple of bars in their pocket and then came in and demolished baguettes and jam for tea.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Timmycb5,

Welcome!

Ideally you'd avoid Feb HT.
This will be the first Feb HT we have missed in 15 years so I obviously don't think its bad but it is busy and expensive.
You mentioned Xmas but not easter - personally I think Easter is a great time to ski and more timid skiers often really appreciate the good weather.

Les Gets is of course a good choice but perhaps less so at Easter (may be that influences your thinking?). If Easter works for you the lower prices could allow you to go upmarket a bit - I think you'd enjoy Tignes, Courchevel (La Tania or 1650 would be good choices) for example.

If you are limited to HT then I'd add Les Contamines to the other good suggestions you have had. It is near St Gervais and Megeve but considerably quieter than either at HT. I think the skiing would suit your group but it is a smaller ski area. It is also a good option at Easter - because it is lower than many of the French mega resorts it doesn't get a lot of attention from Easter skiers but it is much more snow sure than its altitude suggests (its position means it get hit by a lot of weather systems, its elevation protects the snow, the grassy base doesn't need huge amounts of depth). Several Easters I have found myself thinking that is stupid how quite Les C is given the quality of skiing...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes - Les Contamines is a good choice - but the OP has said his job as an accountant tends to rule out Easter.

I would do Christmas (but not New Year) over Half Term, but snow is a bit of a gamble - less of a gamble at Easter, normally. And Christmas is dark!
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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?
look for smaller resorts with less than 100km of pistes & avoid the large ones offered by tourist operators.
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@pam w, [/quote] I did holidays with teenage kids and grandkids and never bought them lunch on the slopes.[/quote]

Never washed with two 90Kg Rugby playing lumps and a Freestyling Daughter, we did try. But to my point, the Ski Amade Menü des Tages run at around €13pp for two courses and on Sunday of course, it is always Austria's finest Schnitzel. Mum and I shared a Goulash Soup!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@jedster, so true about LC being more snow sure at easter, it's my go to place if StG is a bit patchy. Did I read somewhere that the LC area had expanded by joining another area?
One massive question for the OP , where do you live? You say half term but if it is a Scottish half term then you don't need to worry. I once extended our half term stay to 10 days (2days into the english/Paris week) and I was amazed at the crowds , I love my skiing but even I would think twice about country's again. I had never seen anything like it
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Avoid France, then you don't need to skip lunch!

Austria and Italy both better experience, cheaper and less crowded at school holidays.

echo comments above, scandi self catering isn't particularly expensive, especially if you stock up on booze at the duty free at the airport on landing. But don't go drinking in hotel bars etc..
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@Timmycb5, Ok...my take is a bit different. Scandanavia - woah the prices. I would rule that out. It sounds as if you want to enjoy skiing...and in a relaxed way. I would go small. Head to a small place with the right grade pistes. You can have an incredibly chilled-out and unpressured experience in small resorts, Italy and Switzerland. We have skied Feb half term for many years driving around the small villages in the Valais, to get a combination of extremely uncrowded skiing and variety. No need to be in a huge resort with high crowds and pinch point Qs if you simply want to chill out in an uncrowded place and won't be travelling all over the resort. Better to go to a smaller place and ski it out. Practice on some of the steeper bits, experience a bit of deeper snow by the side in the woods etc. All the villages in Val D'Anniviers are far quieter in Feb than the big places - just go to Grimentz, St Luc, Chandolin, Nax, Vercorin, etc. Cheap accommodation via AirB&B, plane or train to Geneva, hire car from Geneva.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Quote:

Avoid France, then you don't need to skip lunch!

Laughing We skipped lunch in Austria too..... but then I've only done self-catering or catered chalets in Austria, so a "sit-down" lunch not a big priority for a family of keen - and not very well-off - skiers, between a big breakfast and a big tea. Italy is definitely by far the best bet for lunches (not to mention coffee and hot chocolate) - and I've greatly enjoyed lunches now I only have to pay for myself. I think Scandinavia sounds a good bet - with a bit of thought you can take with you a lot of the ingredients to feed the family for a week.
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I helped on a school ski trip to Passo Tonale in Italy three years ago and was surprised that it wasn't absolutely rammed. There were queues but never excessive even at peak times. The main slopes are good in they are in a natural bowl that increases in difficulty as you go round so you are all fairly central even if you have different abilities.
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Thanks for the updated replies. Yes I probably need to avoid Easter as I work as a corporate accountant and 31st March is our year end. I have been in Easter before though, so not completely out. One Easter in Les Gets and it was 15C! Too hot for me. Also live in England so can't take advantage of Scottish half term.

I like the suggestion of a smaller resort. My wife rarely ventures out of the Chavannes in Les Gets, and if she does, it's only into the bowl and back, and almost never down to Morzine, let alone the rest of the PDS. My kids don't like going into Morzine either because they seem to have it in their heads that it's not as pretty as Les Gets (which is true!), the lifts are a pain in the backside and there's more icy patches! rolling eyes So a small number of runs isn't a problem for us.

Top tip for anyone going to Les Gets re: lunches and saving money.... There are some lovely restaurants half way up the Chavannes, but you'll be €150 lighter for meal for 6. We normally go do the Yeti cafe and get 3 baguettes (which are about as long as my arm) and 3 chips and share it between 6. It's more than enough, and doesn't cost a fortune.
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@Timmycb5, It sounds very much like a small resort would do you well. Take Vercorin, near us. Easy blues at top and down to middle station. Although small, has a single big new gondola from bottom to middle to top - great for bad weather. Very small, but nicely varied terrain. Never full. Nice top restaurant with stunning views, and buvette at middle station in the forest. Long runs, but easy. North facing so good snow condition and not usually icy. Nice cafe at the bottom for the end of the day. I have never waited more than 5 minutes for a lift. Ever. Excellent local ski school. Cheap parking in large car park with only a 20metre walk to the lifts. Car park never full. Cheap lift pass. Plenty of air b&b but note must be in Vercorin - b&b list loads of ‘local’ places which are in fact on the other side of the valley...https://www.airbnb.co.uk/vercorin-switzerland/stays
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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.
Jonny996 wrote:
@jedster, so true about LC being more snow sure at easter, it's my go to place if StG is a bit patchy. Did I read somewhere that the LC area had expanded by joining another area?
One massive question for the OP , where do you live? You say half term but if it is a Scottish half term then you don't need to worry. I once extended our half term stay to 10 days (2days into the english/Paris week) and I was amazed at the crowds , I love my skiing but even I would think twice about country's again. I had never seen anything like it


Not yet, there is talk about linking it to Espace Diamont via a big new lift from Hauteluce. I'm really sceptical it will happen - would be lots of money and would not open up new skiing (lust link areas).

The BIG (well fairly big) news is that they have started building the replacement for the slow, long, 3 man chair (Roselette) - a new 6 man detachable. It's the one main lift that needed updating*. I really like the offpiste skiers left of that lift and down into the Olympique bowl but the 15m chair journey used to limit laps Very Happy
(*wellll, in an ideal world they would also replace the Grevettaz drag with a chair but I just don't see it happening)

I just looked at the webcams - 80cm IN THE VILLAGE - bloody virus!
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:

Thanks for the updated replies. Yes I probably need to avoid Easter as I work as a corporate accountant and 31st March is our year end. I have been in Easter before though, so not completely out. One Easter in Les Gets and it was 15C! Too hot for me. Also live in England so can't take advantage of Scottish half term.


Sorry - missed that.
Lots of options for HT outside France but in France I'd say Les Contamines and St Gervais are well worth a look given your tastes
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Gerlos?
https://www.sno.co.uk/ski/austria/gerlos/

I don't think UK tours go there so it would be DIY but it's a pretty village. There are gentle, wide blues in the main area, lots more blues and good reds in the interlinking resorts. If you include the Zillertal arena it's quite extensive although I didn't enjoy Zell as much as the other places. There's a good bus network making it easy to choose an easy route and then use buses to get back if you don't want to ski a particular slope.
For a day out you can get the train to Mayrhofen from Zell.

https://www.skiresort.info/ski-resorts/zillertal/

From the autobahn it's an easy drive along the valley to Zell (although I wouldn't recommend doing it on a Sat)
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valais2 wrote:
@Timmycb5, It sounds very much like a small resort would do you well. Take Vercorin, near us. Easy blues at top and down to middle station. Although small, has a single big new gondola from bottom to middle to top - great for bad weather. Very small, but nicely varied terrain. Never full. Nice top restaurant with stunning views, and buvette at middle station in the forest. Long runs, but easy. North facing so good snow condition and not usually icy. Nice cafe at the bottom for the end of the day. I have never waited more than 5 minutes for a lift. Ever. Excellent local ski school. Cheap parking in large car park with only a 20metre walk to the lifts. Car park never full. Cheap lift pass. Plenty of air b&b but note must be in Vercorin - b&b list loads of ‘local’ places which are in fact on the other side of the valley...https://www.airbnb.co.uk/vercorin-switzerland/stays


Just going through my video of being there 2 years ago (I decided a MagicPass and a month in the mountains was a good way to deal with marital separation Cool ) . I concur that its lovely there, and that long blue top to bottom is great. Fingers crossed by next year they will have replaced the Tracuit drag lift to a chair to make the Mont Major section less of a drag (pun intended) to get up to. Looking forwards to getting back to the area. snowHead
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