 Poster: A snowHead
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hello,
we are family of beginner skiers. We are planning to go to Zakopane for 4 nights/days only from Scotland. Our dates are 28th dec to 1st january or 3rd to 5th january or feb 12th to 15th. I am aware of the local schools holiday in feb. I cant find online if ski slops are open on new years day or not. Could anyone please give me all pros or cons of those days?
Thanks in advance.
Shana
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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huge NO for school holidays and between Christmas and NY!
I don't know what to compare it to but it gets crazy busy between christmass and NY with traffic jams lasting for hours because of very limited options for getting there. 3rd to 5th January is probably the best. Bear in mind skiing conditions may be far from great depending on what the weather is in December. I was lucky last two Decembers but it was getting much worse later closer to new year eve.
I've been there couple times at different times of year so happy to answer your questions.
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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 really wouldn't have Zakopane as an option ... particularly at that time of year.
This period can be relatively hit-and-miss for European resorts - you might get lucky, you might not (more than likely).
At least, if you were to go to a more mainstream resort (it doesn't have to be the 3 Vallees or Val d'Isere) you will get the benefit of decent snow making, better piste preparation etc.
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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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Welcome to Snowheads, @mystiq1. Sorry to add to the negative responses, but why four days? That makes each hour of skiing a lot more expensive  , not least because your timing might well not fit in with the usual ski school week. Yes, 3 - 5 January the best - but even if you travel there and back on the 2 and 6 January, that's still only three days skiing.
Are you looking at a package or (more likely given the dates, I guess) putting something together for yourselves?
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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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Dear All.
thanks for the response.
We are planning to go for 4 days as we are beginners. when we did ski in scotland last time, we felt it was very tiring but we enjoyed it. We dont want to over extend it to one week to get exhausted.
We will be booking everything by ourself. One of my Polish friends advised me to go to either zakopine or Szaflary. We are prepare to take taxi to go to different resorts if necessary as someone mentioned it before in this forum.
If there is no snow we will still enjoy walking or enjoying the food too. it seems zakopane area is beautiful.
Please feel free to advise us more.
Thanks
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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On average, the final week of Dec is (statistically) Zakopane's snowiest week of the season.
Yall be good.
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@mystiq1, I strongly recommend that you take a full week. Book everyone in to group lessons, in most places these will be morning only which means anyone who is tired can recover on the afternoon. Everyone learns at a different pace, and it is very likely that at least one or two of you will not really start making progress until day 4. Especially adults tend to take a couple of days to just get used to the equipment.
I also strongly recommend that you consider a different week. I don't know how old your children are, but if primary school age just take them out of school for a week in January. Select a snow-sure resort. The area will be less busy and the holiday will be cheaper overall. Book a private lesson for the Sunday after arrival to get a head-start on the basics before ski school starts on the Monday.
In my experience starting out with only 4 days runs the risk of being a waste of time for most people. Some at least are likely to return disappointed with the who thing as they have not managed to do anything other than struggle down the nursery slopes with their instructor for a couple of hours each day. Athletic individuals, especially kids, can make much more rapid progress but even for those who do you deny them the opportunity to take advantage of that progress by constraining yourself to 4 days.
IF you do decide to do 4 days, then you need private lessons every day for everyone to have any hope of it working.
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@mystiq1, I dont think you should base choices on your experience in Scotland, without wanting to knock the skiing there it is very different to that elsewhere. The Scottish mountains have a semi arctic maritime climate, which rarely gives the sort of conditions found elsewhere. It is a challenging environment for beginners. I would suggest that a week elsewhere would be a more relaxing, less tiring experience though likely to be more expensive.
I also think you would be much better off in one of the larger, well known areas. Plenty to choose from, Austria, France, Italy, Andorra. An ideal option might be the Dolomites in North East Italy. Pretty much guaranteed piste skiing, beautiful scenery, good food (mixture of Tirolean & Italian). Andorra has always been popular for beginners but not so snow sure, cheaper than many other places though. Austria could be good but not so cheap these days. France has been the "british" choice for many years, lots of options and fairly easy to get to most places.
If you can, avoid New Year, it is the busiest and most expensive time to go skiing. Not ideal for starting off. I agree that 4 days is not long enough to start to ski. Two weeks would be best but can see that might not be practical. Yes a new form of physical exercise can be tiring (adults really need to build fitness before the holiday) but the experience of being in the mountains usually more than compensates for that.
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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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@Whitegold, thanks
@zikomo, we are still planning. dont think why we cant add more days.
@munich_irish, i thought about andorra. but coulnd find much info on ski resorts. where to land when coming from scotland? barcelona or Toulouse? or how to book a transfer? or ski school? is it easy to book when arrive there? if you have some tips then please share.
I will look for Dolomites too.
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| mystiq1 wrote: |
@Whitegold, thanks
@zikomo, we are still planning. dont think why we cant add more days.
@munich_irish, i thought about andorra. but coulnd find much info on ski resorts. where to land when coming from scotland? barcelona or Toulouse? or how to book a transfer? or ski school? is it easy to book when arrive there? if you have some tips then please share.
I will look for Dolomites too.
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At that time of year, I'd look for somewhere higher.
I've been to a lot of resorts, and my favourite ever for Apres, nightlife, and restaurants is Soldeu. I've been about 6 times, and two of those we've had only man made snow. I've also been at better times of the year, ie early Feb. I've also flown to both barcolona(2 airports) and Carcasonne. I imagine but can't remember, that hire cars were more in France. Sodeu is an amazing place, but you're taking a big risk with snow.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@mystiq1,
Andorra from Edinburgh is relatively easy, fly to Barcelona or Toulouse, regular subsidised busses from both from the Andorra travel service. Car hire from Barcelona is also very cheap in winter, you can also arrive and depart anyday you wish there.
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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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My wife is from near Zakopane. I wouldn't describe it as a ski resort. It will be really busy that time of year, as in grid locked traffic, huge queues for the few scattered about lifts they do have. It's a really lovely place but you'd be better off elsewhere.
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@mystiq1,
If you are unacquainted with @Whitegold, cryptic posting style and skiing and how conditions can alter over time with snow accumulation
I would point out that there may well be a big difference between the historical time of heaviest snow fall and probability of best conditions.
I am wholly unfamiliar with Zakopane but few European resorts are at their most reliable in late December.
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