where to go next?

A snowHead

hi first time poster here and looking for some resprt advice please.

I've been to Val d'isere, Meribel, La tania, bad gastein and most recently Zermatt... where next please?

SO looking to book a trip end of Jan beginning of Feb for me and my GF. both of us in our 30s she's only been on one trip ive been on 4. We can tackle blues and a few reds no problem so I guess we are intermediates.

We absolutely loved Zermatt in 2019, we are very much a fan of the alpine holiday feeling with good resort facilities, a good hotel preferably with a spa/pool. But Zermatt was expensive and wouldnt go back to the same place in quick succession. Zermatt was also a bit of a pain getting to the funicular and getting up the mountain so would perhaps like to consider a ski in ski out but not essential.

we love a good atmosphere with lots going on, good mountain bars and restaurants and a lively vibe but we are not into any late night clubbing, usually shattered and tucked up in bed by 10pm! Cool

I was considering courchevel but having been in La tania and Meribel I have done quite a bit of skiing there. I have also been recommended saalbach buy an austrian friend and I like the idea of Kitzbuhel for the fact it has lots going on in a larger town....but I feel its not the most convenient resort.

to sum up..... I have no idea where would suit us so looking for recomendations please? I am also a photographer (this is why Zermatt was top of my ski bucket list!) so a really pretty town is essential.

thank you in advance Very Happy

A snowHead

It won't tick all of your boxes, but San Vigilio is a pretty town with good quality hotels (too expensive for me so i self cater). The ski area is Kronplatz www.kronplatz.com which is very suitable for red / blue skiing.
The reason I mention it though, is because of this : https://www.lumenmuseum.it/

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Hey Peter. I've been to Saalbach (stayed in Hinterglemm actually but makes no odds for you) quite a few times and really enjoyed it. I think you would enjoy the skiing there based on your ski level/experience. Lots of great blues and reds, not many blacks and you can get around most of the area without being forced to take a black.

The towns are nice enough, plenty of decent bars and restaurants etc.

Highly recommend.

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@peterhughes88, welcome to snowHeads

I’d say Saalbach Hinterglemm probably fits the bill quite well.

The skiing options are many and should suit your level comfortably.

Plenty of accommodation choices, much of which is only a short stroll from the lifts.

Excellent array of Apres ski choices, without feeling as though you’re out clubbing every night (though clearly, one can do that too Laughing

). There is a buzz about the place and I’ve not come across many places that have the same combination of great skiing and fun nightlife.

There is an excellent ‘library’ of information on SH on snowHeads or, alternatively TatmansTours may come along and offer his rather excellent insight into the resort…well worth having, should you decide to go.

All my early skiing was in France and, more latterly, Italy and Austria. Personally, I found Austria had more to offer….but then I would say that. Now. Laughing

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

+1 for Saalbach

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@peterhughes88, Welcome to snowHeads

All of them are good choices, always relevant for the period you mentioned. Choose a different one each year, based on the best offers available each time:
SkiWelt, staying in Brixen. Best Austrian apres after Arlberg and Saalbach.
Solden, which includes Obergurgl.
Saalbach of course.
Budget friendly in France: Les 2 Alpes ( awesome apres at Pano bar before descending all the way to the village, plenty of blue and reds) and Serre Chevalier

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Megeve - St Gervais.

After all it is free

If you like the resorts you visited in France - Les Arcs might be a good choice. 1950 gives luxury; 1800 more lively; 1600 more compact.
Montgenevre has character and access to the Milky Way/Italy.

In Switzerland - Saas Fee and Wengen might work

Austria - Possibly St. Anton

I have skied in many countries, but keep coming back to what the large French resorts offer....but maybe that's because I haven't been to The Dolomites.

I would suggest anything on the Sella Ronda in the Dolomites, if you're both a photographer and an intermediate skier. The scenery is stunning, it's an intermediates' paradise, great snowmaking, fun and delicious on-mountain huts/restos, not much night life. Selva in Val Gardena is expensive-ish but certainly the other Val G towns (Ortisei, Santa Christina) are probably within most people's budget. On the other side of the Sella Ronda you have Corvara, Colfosco, Arabba, and San Cassiano is quite close and near a ton of great blues. Late January would be an ideal time to go, also. There are some ski-in/out places if you look carefully.

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For photography...

Wengen will take some beating on a sunny winters day. Up on the choo-choo, Eiger, Monch and the Damsel in distress. Isn't cheap though, and suffers the same access issues as Zermatt unless you chose your hotel location wisely.

Just about anywhere in the eastern Dolomites from March onwards. Fantastic reddy-orange sunsets, and miles and miles of cruisey blue/red terrain.Cheap (by alpine standards) resturants.

I'd also give St Moritz a "mentioned in dispatches", particularly if you use the choo-choo from Zurich.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Saalbach, St Anton or Whistler (if you can stretch that far).

snow reports

Ischgl or St Anton

I love St. Anton but I can't consider it a good destination for blue pistes early intermediates trying to avoid an expensive place. Same goes with Ischgl or with Tignes.
Those places, expensive and wide with a huge array of challenging pistes are best enjoyed when reds become the main flavour IMHO

You know it makes sense.

@drporat, totally agree re St Anton. Tignes, less so.
Better than St Anton would be Lech: picturesque with runs flattering enough that those with enough money to ski for the social status rather than the sport, can ski-to-lunch and return to the spa/shops without their sense of their own elegance being challenged.

+1 for the Dolomites though. One of the most photogenic areas there is IMV.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

One can't fault Tignes, you can find some nice unmenacing blue pistes near Tignes Le Lac and Val Claret. The moment you reach Bellevarde above Val d'Isere you have a beginner's paradise.
But IMHO paying a steep skipass price for a mega resort (3V, EK etc.) when you can only enjoy a limited portion of its wealth is simply not worth it, if you compare it to places like Val Cenis or Risoul.
Lech or Courchevel 1850 have perfect blue and red pistes but the accommodation plus food budget will top the skipass bill a lot.
Like everything else in life, it always come down to your budget.
You pays your money and you takes your choice.
And yes, Les Arcs 2000 bowl is perfect for beginners and early intermediates but it doesn't have Solden's Fire and Ice or Obergurgl's Niederhutte.
And don't let me start talking about Brixner Stadl. I wanna be buried in their parking lot so I can still hear them dance.

http://youtube.com/v/1EDFeE0rDOc

A snowHead

@drporat, you're right - Lech is a great beginners' resort but not a great cost-conscious beginners' resort.
Tignes is fine for beginners - but again, as it's such a big ski area, the lift pass is pricey (unless you get a super-special deal like the PSB Wink

). It's not really a great spot for photography though - great for skiing in: not so great to look at.

That said though, "Val d'isere, Meribel, La tania, bad gastein and most recently Zermatt" is far from a selection classic budget destinations. So that in mind, I'd be leaning hard towards the incredibly photogenic Dolomites. Either the Sella Ronda area or the Brenta Dolomites eg. Madonna di Campiglio. Madonna's not cheap but it's a beautiful area.
Sella Ronda can be done on a budget by, for example, joining the PreBBWUW. Alternatively, head over to somewhere like Colfosco which is on the Sella Ronda route but has lots of nice beginner friendly slopes nearby.
Oh and the food is definitely best in Italy too snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Dolomites for you, and +1 for Kronplatz at least for a day since you are a photographer you'd probably like Lumen (the MMM is good too) and Kronplatz has terrific intermediate terrain. As for St Anton, no. Fabulous hill but always crowded, lots of fast skiers making bad decisions (I've only been hit once in 52 yrs of skiing, guess where) and not much terrain for you; Lech would be better in the Arlberg. Italy is also the least expensive of the big four and has the best food. Given where you've already been, it is clearly time for you to see the Dolomites.

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@peterhughes88,

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Gainz, I am with Tatman on this.
The issue with St. Anton is that it often snows. NehNeh

And that might be a problem when the snow is thick and heavy and doesn't get bashed right away. Plus most people there ski the right way instead of just cruising straight down Parisian style. NehNeh

So you quickly get moguls on blue and red pistes, which might be a problem for folks with 1 to 4 weeks of previous ski trips.
Not of least importance, the local authorities sometimes decide to shut down a lift without caring to update their app, resulting in amusing experiences.
My first time there I took a lovely blue short piste from Galzig to try and check my new skis. It was early afternoon, it was snowing and they suddenly stopped the Osthang 4 seater.
That specific piste was used by many early intermediates happy to find a blue, easy to control short piste. Only to find out the only way down to Mooserwirt was by a lovely red ski road (#51, I checked the app) which was full of elephant traps. At some point you could see an upside down skier with his legs spread apart in the air at every few meters.
Hence my firm recommendation to enjoy it at a better level/higher skill.
They can also go to Chamonix and do the blue pistes there. But why?

After all it is free

Just go to Alta Badia in the first week in Feb. Loads of cruisey blues that won't freak you out then also some more challenging to progress into.

At that time there will be about 130 Snowheads around. You could agree to meet up and we could show you some nice places to get your bearings then you can avoid us for the romantic break for the rest of the week. Happy

@peterhughes88, Welcome to SnowHeads.
You've dived in at the deep end with most of the resorts you have been to before ... except for "Bad Gastien"

I thought immediately of the Dolomites which have been well mentioned above.

I would not point your towards Sankt Anton or Ischgl though they are fun, I'd say "Kitzbuhel"
Enjoy wherever you go.

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If you don’t get blown away the first time you see the Dolomites I’d be checking for a pulse. Having said that… there are a few iconic mountain views to be had, you have already seen the Matterhorn, I reckon the view of the Eiger from Wengen trumps that. Just for proximity.
Take your pick this year, pick another next year.

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