 Poster: A snowHead
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]Need help this year where to ski
Been sking to Val Thrones twice love it, Mayrhofen ok, and Cooper Mountain last year which was the best but can't do that every year as very expensive.
This year 8 people going 4 adults and kids 14,12,9.and 7. Two of the adults are beginners, one advanced, the kids all ski well.
We love Val Thorens but the bus jounery kills us every time. Looking at Austria this time, but has to be half term due to school holidays[/b]
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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katie, welcome to snowHeads! 
If the transfer bus to Val Thorens is killing you then how about hiring a car or booking a private transfer. Geneva to Val Thorens was ~£230 one way with 3 Vallee Transfers (http://www.3vt.co.uk/) took us ~ 2hours 20 mins for the return (used the Altibus public bus on the way out which took about 6 hours in total). Other people around about can tell you about hiring cars.
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Good Lord! Snowheads now has a Val Thorens fixation. There are other resorts you know.
katie wants Austria: then she can have Austria.
The only place there I know is Obergurgl. I went there for 3 half terms. It was wonderful.
Fly to Innsbruck and the transfer is about an hour.
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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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Jonpim, but she also says she loves Val Thorens 
I'm quite a fan of Austria too - I've skied more there than anywhere else, but only in Obergurgl and Westendorf (including Ski Welt and Kitzbuhel) ...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ian Hopkinson: you are right (as usual).
And of course there is an alternative: go by train.
katie - where are our manners: welcome to snowheads - you dont indicate where you live, but if anywhere near London then you can go by train, and the bus trip up from Moutiers is only an hour and 15 mins.
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i've never been to austria but have heard really good reports about st anton
welcome Katie
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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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Thanks for all your replys, we live in the North of Scotland so driving to Europe is too a long a trip but lots of ideas now, I like the look of Kitzbuhel and the reviews are good. Half term is so expensive its shocking what they are allowed to charge. On the other hand It may be back to good old VT as you can not beat the snow there.
thanks Katie
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katie, Welcome, do not be put off by the lower altitude of Austria, it’s further East, and seems to have a better snow record for its altitude than you would expect. IMHO once you have skied in Austria, and sampled their Aprè Ski, food, and standard of hotels, you won't go back to France! Most resorts are within a short distance of either Innsbruck or Salzburg, so transfer times are minimal. If you want to try DIY, Salzburg Airport website has a list of Taxi companies that will pick you up, and whisk you off to your resort in minutes of you picking up your luggage. Most resorts have their own tourist information website, and you can book direct, saving ££££’s off the TO prices. A good site (apart from this one) to read users reports is www.ifyouski.com , just hit resorts > resort finder.
According to the “Good Skiing Guide” the most snow sure resorts in Austria are: kaprun; Obergurgle-Hochgurgl; Obertauern; Solden. I’ve been told that the depth of snow is not so critical because in most Austrian resorts, the snow lies over pasture land, so no rocks, or boulders to cover up. We have been to Zell am See and Hinterglemm/Saalbach, (not far from Mayrhofen) both very pretty, & not purpose built. In Zell you do have to get a bus up to the main cable car, but it’s frequent and a very short journey. Hinterglemm was fantastic for our group, but I found their grading of blue runs a little optimistic, in that they were a bit redish! So that maybe a problem for beginners once they get off the nursery area (which is very good) but they might be braver than I. For everyone else though, there is so much to ski, as Hinterglemm and Saalbach are joined by the lift system, forming a large & varied ski area.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Welcome to snowHeads katie
I've recently rediscovered Austria myself but... on the Val-T by train topic, here's a combo u might not have considered.
Since you're coming from Scotland, the Eurostar out of Waterloo is hardly convenient but see if you can find cheap flights from a local airport to Paris on Friday afternoon/early evening, returning Sunday daytime. This would allow u to take the 22:23 overnight sleeper train to Moutiers.
The benefits are:
8 days sking instead of 6
The kids lurrrrv the sleeper train.
u get 2 extra days sking.
With 8 of u, get a minibus cab from the station up to VT: it's about the same price as the bus but only takes 45-50 mins.
u get 33% more skiing in.
Although the journey is technically a little longer, it seems shorter because you sleep for much of it.
Did I mention the extra skiing?
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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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| katie wrote: |
| ] and Cooper Mountain [/b] |
Ok, Katie, were you here:
http://www.skicooper.com/
or here:
http://www.coppercolorado.com
Ski Cooper is a nice little place, but I'd be amazed if someone flew 5000 miles to have a holiday there.
They are two commonly confused resorts. In fact, I once knew a Swiss girl living in Steamboat, who made that same mistake.
And welcome to Snowheads - don't worry, they're not all as pedantic as me - some are more so 
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katie, if you were going at Easter you would be right to be concerned about snow reliability. If you are going mid-Feb that is generally the best time, and you have no real need to aim as high as Val Thorens. Get yourself to Saalbach: friends of mine took a large mixed-ability group there this season and absolutely raved about the place, the skiing, the apres, the snow.....
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You know it makes sense.
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admin, that's what I did with my kids, got them on a plane to Paris from Newcastle, and sleeper to Briancon.
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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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Martin Bell,
We were in cooper colorado this march, its been our dream for a few years, and it was wonderful but a very long way to ski for 10 days .The kids sking came on so much as the instruction is so different form Europe, but sadly we cant do that again for a while.
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Poster: A snowHead
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sharon1953,
thanks sharon, Great information on Austria, just been trying to book flights from scotland w/b 17/2/07 to Salzburg and they are fully booked already, looks like we will have to fly from down south. thanks again.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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katie, the week commencing Sat 17 Feb 2007 is not most people's half term, so you might just be lucky with a TO. I think you would love both Kitzbuhel and Saalbach, but it is a very different ski experience from Val T and the 3V. I love both, but Austria is much more folky with a sense of travel and visiting communities. You should not worry about low altitudes in Austria in Feb.
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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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katie, SkyEurope goes from Manchester if that's any better!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Chris Bish, my kids are on half-term then, is everyone else earlier or later?
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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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Helen Beaumont, the week before, I think.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes. We fly on the 10th for our ususl 3V fix.
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katie,
I would secondHywel,'s suggestion of Obertauern. We went there last year with two families children aged 9-11 years. The children really enjoyed the ski school and the terrain was varied and suitable for most standards. (Didn't have beginners so cannot comment on the nursery slopes )
We flew from Scotland to Munich which is a bit of a longer drive.
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the ice perv, I absolutely disagree that Feb is the best time. It often snows a lot in April, although it's clearly holiday time, no-where is nearly as offensively crowded as Feb, and you can quite often ski powder at Easter!! It's also often a bit cheaper.
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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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katie, fantastic. Presumably you were staying in Leadville - highest city in the US at 10,000 feet? Strange old place, isn't it?
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easiski, if you look at the wording of my post I am talking about snow reliability, not crowding. In GENERAL, for most resorts including low-level areas, February is the most reliable time for snow cover and %age of runs open.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Katie, How about taking the kids out of school rather than school holidays, we have done this for the last few years with permission from school, its half the price at least, much quieter and you can pick whatever week you want. First week in March has been good for us going to the Tarentaise area.
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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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livetoski, welcome to snowHeads .
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We have taken the kids out of school up to this year but my daughter going to High school so it really is not done once they reach S1
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You know it makes sense.
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| Martin Bell wrote: |
| katie wrote: |
| ] and Cooper Mountain [/b] |
Ok, Katie, were you here:
http://www.skicooper.com/
or here:
http://www.coppercolorado.com
Ski Cooper is a nice little place, but I'd be amazed if someone flew 5000 miles to have a holiday there.
They are two commonly confused resorts. In fact, I once knew a Swiss girl living in Steamboat, who made that same mistake.
And welcome to Snowheads - don't worry, they're not all as pedantic as me - some are more so |
i was amazed as well. where did you stay? BTW leadville is the highest incorporated town in north america. how did you fare with the altitude?
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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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Been to both Obergurgle-Hochgurgl and Obertauern liked both but I preferred Obertauern and have booked for Feb 07 nice short transfer and plenty snow
Both places can be cold and exposed if the weathers bad but no worse than VT
Lower Austrian resorts it safer to book late when there has been plenty snow probably not an option at half term though ?
TOs do flights from Glasgow they tend to be early morning so would recommend staying at airport night before
I have had a couple of "interesting" trips to the airport trying to get there for early flights in January & February
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Poster: A snowHead
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the ice perv, Just looked back in on this thread, and actually I reckon March is normally the best time for snow conditions - unfortunately for families there aren't any holidays in March. however all my best families come at Easter and we've never had bad snow yet. I grew up skiing in Wengen at Easter and we never had a problem - that was well before the days of snow cannons too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Garfield, oh that's a coincidence, I have just spent last 7 days trying to decide between Obergurgl and Obertauern, and having done a lot of searching, opted for Obertauern. As there are a limited number of hotels in Obergurgl, DIY was proving difficult with many of the hotels already showing fully-booked for Feb, the TO prices are extremely high. I found the Obertauern tourist board website very user friendly, with most of the hotel’s own sites in English (very similar to Saalbach/Hinterglemm site) but this is not the case with many in Obergurgl. We really wanted to stick with SkyEurope and Salzburg airport too, so Obertauern ticks those boxes as well, and we are used to cold temperatures and winds having skied in Cervinia 4 times, the terrain looks pretty similar.
I notice that there seems to be a cluster of accommodation near the tourist office, then they seem to spread to the left and right, so you how far out of the centre is the Sporthotel Marietta, as it’s difficult to tell from just looking at the street map.
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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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I'm with easiski on this one. Having skied Feb and April the last three years....April conditions have been better each time
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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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| Quote: |
Having skied Feb and April the last three years....April conditions have been better each time
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High altitude resort by any chance? For most resorts Feb is better: go to teletext ski and access the historic snow records, which list snow depth and %age of runs open. For most resorts Feb consistently has the highest percentage of runs open. For higher places March is often as good, but places like Tignes are in the minority.
And before you start lauding the wonderful fluffy springtime off-piste bear in mind most people stick to the runs and the %age of these that are open is the most relevant barometer of conditions for most skiers.
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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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High altitude? Nope.
Wengen (Feb & April) - 2 yrs ago
Saas Fee (Feb) Wengen (April) - Last Year (Saas is significantly higher than Wengen)
Zell am See/Kaprun (Feb), Too many to mention...but including Zell (April) - This year
None of this is in reference to off piste, as I have been with a school group on most of these tirips.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Okay, let's take Wengen for example. From the teletext/Ski Club of GB figures:
Feb 04 average 95% open
Apr 04 average 63% open
Feb 05 95%
Apr 05 32%
Zell am See:
Feb 04 100%
Apr 04 50%
Feb 05 93%
Apr 05 21%
Case closed!  If you disagree with these figures you will have to ask the SCGB about their methodology.
I am glad you love skiing in April - so do I - I had great conditions in Champery over easter but would never recommend April over February in that neck-of-the-woods, or many other resorts.
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Just because it's open, doesn't mean that it's good condition. I'm surprised that you take SCGB stats over someone who was there!!
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serre Chevalier???
i couldn't put you up in my chalet as we only sleep 7 but i do have a friend who has a lovely 8-10 apartment right next to the piste. It is very reasonable. If you interested send me a pm and i'll pass on your details to my friend for you.
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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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| Martin Bell wrote: |
| katie wrote: |
| ] and Cooper Mountain [/b] |
Ok, Katie, were you here:
http://www.skicooper.com/
or here:
http://www.coppercolorado.com
Ski Cooper is a nice little place, but I'd be amazed if someone flew 5000 miles to have a holiday there.
They are two commonly confused resorts. In fact, I once knew a Swiss girl living in Steamboat, who made that same mistake.
And welcome to Snowheads - don't worry, they're not all as pedantic as me - some are more so |
Nobody would like SkiCooper that much. Copper Mountain on the other hand it great especially late season, for a full vacation, however I would prefer Breckenridge.
Anyway, you get the best snow in the world, and the skiareas are truely pleasant with high service quality and freindly in a way a frenchman would never dream of
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FAQ
