Resort Recommendations?

A snowHead

Hi,

With a disappointing year this year I'm looking to visit a more snow-sure resort for late January 2024. I've only learnt to Ski in the UK in more recent years and have only done Bulgaria, Im beginning to research the more high altitude and glacier resorts.
So there's two of us going.
I'm an intermediate skier and ski mainly ski reds and occasional black. My friend like I did has learnt to ski in the UK over the past year, he skis parallel and after a week of lessons in resort later this month I imagine will be looking for intermediate slopes.
Plan will be for one of us to rent equipment and then just ski together on the mountain, preferably some night skiing aswell.

We would like a ski in and ski out resort with some nice bars, food and a good atmosphere. However our focus will be skiing we're not interested in partying, in the evening we want to go to the kind of bar where we can have a couple of drinks and just chat. (No dancing on tables etc)
Excursion wise would be cool to see what other activities there are such as ski-dooing, ice skating, snowshoeing etc
We want to book the hotel, flights and transfer with a package provider such as crystal just for ease.

It would be really helpful and insightful to get recommendations from the rest of the group on resorts they feel we might enjoy Puzzled

I'd be very thankful for any input Very Happy

A snowHead

Personally I think that literally anywhere across the alps would give you a better experience than Bulgaria. Yes, you'll end up paying more but just everything is better.....

Late January is pretty snow sure anywhere across the alps. Yes, the start of this season has been poor, but we have seen heavy snowfall the past week with more due in the immediate forecast. Late Jan is almost as safe as it gets in my opinion.

So I'd say, the mountains are your oyster. I'd happily go to a lower resort without a glacier at the end of Jan. Pretty much every resort will give you what you are looking for in regards to bars and food as well as additional activities.

Ski in/out would tend to land you in France or Switzerland (although there are spots in Italy and Austria, just not as common). A package from a TO would tend to give you less options for resort than going DIY but you don't have to worry about anything, just pay and turn up.

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May I suggest getting a copy of Where to Ski and Snowboard. A second hand copy from Amazon would be best and start reading. There are just so many resorts out there to make any really comprehensive suggestions.

Bearing in mind the limited skiing experience you have I would be looking for resorts with gentle slopes and smooth pistes. The Dolomites might be best and for evening entertainment one of the bigger town : Canazai, Wolkenstein or perhaps Corvara

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Taking your own skis can be costly. Might be better off renting & taking just your boots.

After all it is free

If you have had a bad time in Bulgaria due to lack of snow I understand why you want a degree of certainty about snow .But I don't think you really need to be looking at very high resorts with glaciers to be reasonably confident of snow at the end of January. I would caution that in nearly 40 years of skiing I have lost far more days skiing due to storms at altitude than I have to lack of snow low down , though I don't book ahead for low resorts where lack of snow is likely to be a problem nor do I avoid mid altitude resorts mid season which is essentially when you are going. At that time of the year I would certainly look at booking a resort with decent access to tree level skiing if the weather should be stormy.
Most resorts should have access to good food and bars, atmosphere is always a bit personal. Personally if good food is important at a reasonable price Italy is a country I would look at though there are a few Italian resorts with less than stellar snow records. I have to say night skiing is something which you seem to see less of nowadays and on the few occasions I have done it it hasn't really been a great pleasure.
If you are looking at Canada the East and centre have a reputation for being pretty cold in January, I've only skied in the West which is fine but if your budget is relatively low it may be quite pricey as a destination.

What they said. If budget is an issue, then Canada doesn't make much sense as it's a fair way away and it's not aimed at the cheap end of the market, especially the places you'll have heard of. France is obviously cheaper to get to and as pointed out has some cheap ways of doing it. If you don't know where to go, then pretty much anywhere will work. Bigger/ well marketed places cost more, smaller places cost less. I would look at small places: if you're asking, then you don't need massive amounts of terrain.

If you've been skunked by lack of snow, then please go to the threads on here where people deny that's just happened. But Bulgaria hasn't exactly ever had a good reputation for snow, and early season seems like a risk to me, for a place like that.

Late January is not early season so is way less risky.
Bulgaria is cheap, but it's risky.

Most glaciers are boring and access may be subject to closure through wind or other issues. Sölden's pair (which you can get to by lift or bus...) are the best I've ridden, but limited in scope compared to the entire resort (look at the map). I ride the glaciers at the closing party in May most years, and they have an early World Cup race on the main glacier run there each year. It probably doesn't meet all your other requirements though, and somewhere slightly less "bomb proof" may well be better. Oh, and note that if it rains all the way up, then it doesn't matter if you've got snow, because it'll be horrible.... that doesn't happen often, but just because you have a glacier doesn't mean the weather can't screw things up.

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@Gored, the OP is planning to go with a tour operator. T/O ski carriage is cheaper than ski hire.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Crystal still has a 109 holidays available “this” year for a 28 Jan departure …(based on 2 people, Manchester airport and France , Austria , Italy or Andorra).

Am sure Inghams and others will have options too.

So if you are flexible - I would leave it last minute . Go where conditions look best with a few weeks to go ?

Once I don’t have to plan around kids , dogs , time off work etc - this is what I will be doing !

snow reports

Best way of avoiding bad conditions is booking late rather than looking a particular resort.
Worst January conditions I have had was in Tignes which is one of the most reliable resorts there are but it conditions can still be indifferent.

You know it makes sense.

My point was to illustrate there is often plenty of availability late Jan even as close as a couple of weeks off …

So book the week off work now and leave the holiday booking until last minute and go where looks best ?

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

@Leox5000,
Any of the three Tarentaise mega-resorts should tick your boxes, and many UK tour operators go to them.

A snowHead

V impressed by Norway last week (Voss, Myrkdalen both near Bergen and v easy train from airport) - good snow, v quiet, a lot cheaper than I remember Scandi being. And rust a lot more relaxed than the Alps. Yes, food/beer a bit more, but some really good deals for flights and hotels with ski pass. Google Norway home of skiing or talk to them at one of the shows...

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