 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello! I'm new here and a bit overwhelmed by the amount of info, so I'd start my own thread–thanks anyone who'll chime in! 
I'm trying to decide whether I want to do half a season in Italy or Austria (mid Feb to end April, 2024) but very conflicted on which to pick. Hoping someone here can share their experience/suggestions.
Context: I'm actually Italian and sort of grew up between Milan and the Italian the Western Alps, so I'm familiar with a few areas (Champoluc, Cervinia, Pila). However, I moved away from Italy when I was 19 and didn't get to explore other areas e.g. the Dolomites. I've also never skied in Austria. So I'm currently torn between Western Alps, Dolomites, Austria (Tirol).
Leaning more toward Tirol or Dolomites as they're new areas I haven't been to yet, and both offer a regional skipass at a similar price point (which Valle d'Aosta doesn't offer). I have a van and would be hopping around throughout the season, but also need a base as I travel with 3 cats. Now the question is, which area would be most suitable to have a base somewhere, and be able to explore as much as possible from there? E.g. I found a house in Knaus, Tirol, which would have access to a whole bunch of resorts within 30-40 min tops. How easy can this be done in both regions and what would be the best area/town to do it from?
Bonus point if there is a climbing gym somewhere in the area, too.
Terrain-wise, I'm an ex-skier turned snowboarder and comfortable on any sort of terrain and have the most fun in deep powder  I like big, relatively uncrowded playgrounds (like Monterosa Ski). Don't care about apres ski and mountain party life, if anything when the vibe is too "commercial" it puts me off.
Based on all of this, what would recommend?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A good chunk of your trip will be fairly late in the season. for that reason I would probably be looking at a season pass with good access to higher, north facing resorts. Tirol and the Tirol Snowcard tick those boxes. That area is usually also better for powder (and steep terrain, I think).
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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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@pizza123, Not quite sure where Knaus is, have you spelled it correctly? What's the nearest large village or Town? I would also echo the concern that April really is end of season, it might be good for early ski touring and maybe glacier skiing but most resorts will have closed at the beginning of the month (especially in the Dolomites).
The Tirol is full of climbing gyms (unsurprisingly climbing is a popular local activity) so you should not have any issues finding one nearby
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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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| pizza123 wrote: |
(mid Feb to end April, 2024)
Don't care about apres ski and mountain party life, if anything when the vibe is too "commercial" it puts me off.
Based on all of this, what would recommend? |
Dolomite resorts tend to start closing early-mid April, the Sella Ronda has a projected closing date of 7th April 2024. Something may stay open through late April, but not a lot.
Best to head further North. The Tirol Snow Card covers 5 glacier areas Hintertux, Stubai, Kaunertal, Pitztal & Solden as well as late season resorts like Obergurgl & Ischgl which will serve you throughout April. You can start low and move higher as the season progresses.
https://snowcard.tirol.at/
https://www.tirolergletscher.com/en/index.html
You might want to find 2 or 3 bases to fully explore the possibilities as the resorts are spread over a wide area.
As to avoiding commercialism and apres parties, that might be difficult in the bigger ski areas in Austria, but it's not compulsory to dance on the tables in your ski boots!  
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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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St Anton.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi guys, I'm going to Italy in December to ski. I will be there for the first time. Do you recommend a slope where I can have fun? In my opinion, I am a good skier, so these may be ski resorts where it is a bit more difficult.
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1. Courmayeur
2. Cervinia
3. Livigno
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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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@Layne, welcome to this thread. First, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth things first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth: 1. (not #1) you don't know how to use an apostrophe?! 2. (not #2) you don't know when an apostrophe is called for, and when an apostrophe is not called for?! 3. (not #3) you use an "s" when that letter is superfluous?! 4. (not #4) don't order people about, whilst passively-aggressively using "comic" emojis to try to cover that behaviour and pass it off as being "funny"; 5. (not # 5) don't be patronising, nasty and condescending; 6. (not # 6) people who say "People who say "n [SIC] my opinion, I am a good skier" often aren't!" often aren't good skiers, and often don't understand appropriate use(s) of the punctuation mark known as the "apostrophe"!
@skier98, I can't recommend you resorts in Italy with technically more difficult skiing, compared to others. However, as you are going in December, one thing to maybe consider, first, when you make your choice is how high the resort and its slopes are, and if it faces north, etc, to have the best chance of (good) snow cover. You may know these things already...Please let us know where you go.
Others will be able to tell you about challenging skiing in Italy.
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@TSVW1906, calm down mate! 3 posts and you’re getting all uppity. @Layne is right to call out someone for hijacking a thread, otherwise confusion descends. With 17,667 posts, I know which of the two of you I’d rather read comments from!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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This thread has got off to an unfortunate start. First, @skier98 drops into the thread with an unanswerable question, then @TSVW1906 pitches in with nothing useful to say, apparently just to be unpleasant in a particularly pointless and poorly expressed manner.
The OP is Italian and knows a number of Italian resorts. If @skier98 had told us which of the hundreds of Italian ski resorts he was going to, he could probably have suggested some difficult slopes to try.
Lots of people know the Austrian resorts well and will be able to suggest some places which should have decent skiing till the end of April. But yes, that is very late and lots of resorts throughout the Alps will be closed well before the end of the month.
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FAQ
