Is there anywhere in Europe with decent skiing conditions at the moment?
I've got the time and money to go skiing in the next few weeks, but to be honest if conditions are "meh", I'd rather save my money.
Piste skiing or off piste? Piste skiing is fine above 2000m. Need 30cm of fresh for the off piste but the base is excellent
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@BobinCH, what do you mean by "fine"?
Okish or good?
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Kramer, it depends what you want. I was in St Anton last weekend, pretty much everywhere was open except one of the blue runs back to St Anton (avalanche danger because of the very heavy snow in December). Piste skiing was generally good though the home run slopes above Lech & St Anton were the usual soft mush. Off piste pretty much gone though guided groups were clearly finding decent skiing away from the lifts (overheard conversations in lifts) and the ski routes were ok, moguls rather than powder. From reports during the past week conditions have been changing on a daily basis, some days similar to above but other days crap. It is due to snow and get colder in the next few days (how much is, as ever, a guess) so given the huge base (over 3m at the main measuring station) it wont need much to go from OK to good. Wherever & whenever you go skiing you take a risk with conditions.
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.
Skiing Alpendorf to Flachau and back today, the pistes ranged from very good and grippy to slightly gluey - a couple of degrees colder than yesterday when it was pretty soupy by midday.
As above, fine is all perspective - and for piste skiing here is definitely the better side of fine!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Conditions are poor pretty much across the alps and it's the most crowded 3 weeks coming up.
Wait until the March 9th - 23rd period would be my choice, if you can
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@red 27, that's when I'm looking at.
I can't help reading people's opinions on here and think that they've adjusted their expectations of what "good" ski conditions are. The descriptions mostly sound, at best, OKish to me.
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.
@Kramer, ask again a bit nearer the time?
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Hurtle, I'm keeping an eye open, but I'm not optimistic.
However, last year, we only booked two weeks prior to departure. We are hoping to go two weeks earlier in the season this year due to Easter being earlier.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I think most opinions are generally influenced by 2 parameters:
1. How skilled the responder is. Will he be able to enjoy icy/moguls/slash due to better control technique.
2. How much he enjoys skiing. Many folks can't be bothered to ski all day long. Others go 9 to 16 with a minimal break.
I attended the BB and to me it was excellent. Nevertheless I am sure others might hate the icy mornings or the slushy elephant traps after lunch time.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I can ski ice, I’m not a fan. I like slush a lot, but I’m aware that the people I go with struggle in it.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Just had ten days in the dolomites. The pistes maintenance is excellent and the pistes were skiing well, bases didn't see a scratch at all. The warm weather meant that lower south facing runs softened and popular connecting pistes lumped up as the day progressed, but there was a lot of very good skiing. The off piste didn't look promising at all though. Doubtless if you knew the spots there was spring snow to be had but it wasn't something I looked at.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Kramer wrote:
@BobinCH, what do you mean by "fine"?
Okish or good?
Firm but pretty good I’d say, particularly with the cold temps and 10-20cm forecast tonight and more next week. You need to go high though. Below 2000m it’s going to be icy/slushy.
Judge for yourself. That’s around 2500m and on light touring skis. Would have been perfect for a GS ski
Swiss 4 Vallées: Not the best, not the worst, based on last week and skiing most years since the 1980s. This is for piste skiing only, as an intermediate. My analysis for this year is that where it’s thin, you have ice underneath, not ground surface, so more ice than usual but given the relatively low snowfall since the New Year, better than you’d expect. And above 1800m our pistes in the 4 Vallées were fine if a little churned and sugary on south-facing slopes later in the day.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 11-02-24 12:18; edited 1 time in total
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Okay, it is not the greatest season/conditions, but what would you rather be doing? Working? Cleaning the bathroom? …or, skiing?
Just back from a week in Obergurgl, I wasn’t expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. Despite the warm temps it was actually pretty good. If I was on my snowboard, I may not have enjoyed it too much (but I only really want to board in powder..) but on skis, we had a fab time. A bit windy/poor viz yesterday so stuck to the lower slopes, turned out to be the best day of the week, the wind moved the snow around nicely, and skiing amongst the trees was a hoot.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
If you define skiing as on piste, we’ll groomed (completely flat), cold dry snow then conditions are not great. And you are missing the point of the sport. I like skiing like that, first to last lift, variable terrain and conditions, on and off piste.
Equally many quite rightly want easy skiing in good weather with nice scenery and good lunches/apres. That’s equally valid as a winter holiday. But it’s not skiing as a sport. I like holidaying like that, especially with the family and essentially just skiing to lunch and back.
So the answer is it depends what floats your boat. Tell us more and we can advise you better.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Head for Japan.
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.
Have been skiing around 10cm of fresh powder for the last 3 days in Andermatt above 2000m. Quite windy so some areas gathered more depth than that which was nice. Visibility generally not great though and rain at resort level means lower water off piste pretty hard and runs either slushy or icy hard base.
The base here is actually pretty good given the season so far.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Kramer, have just spent 3 days in Kleinwalsertal. They have plenty of snow on the mountain and valley runs are ok. It has been incredibly warm so conditions were slushy, which I like... but some were struggling. Things are scheduled to get cooler, and it will snow this weekend.
The situation is better than what is being reported
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I wanted to avoid crowds so I opted for what turned out to be a lovely day at See yesterday. An almost deserted hill and good snow conditions given most of it’s skiing is above 1800 metres and it primarily north facing.
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.
ulmerhutte wrote:
Okay, it is not the greatest season/conditions, but what would you rather be doing? Working? Cleaning the bathroom? …or, skiing?
Well, that's exactly the root of my problem, opportunity cost.
A week's skiing costs me £2-2.5k all in.
For not much more, I can have two weeks lift served mountain biking in the Alps, or three or four weeks mountain biking in the UK.
Skiing, when it's good conditions (good snow cover and skiable all over the mountain so that links are open without having to schlep around on buses etc) is great fun. Mountain biking (to me) is even funnerer, it's just hard to do it reliably in winter.
Hence my dilemma.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Kramer wrote:
I can ski ice, I’m not a fan. I like slush a lot, but I’m aware that the people I go with struggle in it.
I'd second the comment above about the Dolomites. We were there last week (3-10 Feb), staying in Selva. We all remarked how it was perhaps the best week's skiing we could remember. To put that in context, we all learned as adults, ski one week per year in most cases, and are probably at the typical lower-intermediate plateau... if I was being self-critical, I'd say I am permanently A-framed, in the back-seat, and all my turns are skidded Zs. I suspect you know the sort. If you're familiar with Carv, my highest Ski IQ on this trip was 105. Net-net: we don't like it super icy/scratchy and we don't like it super soft where every turn is like wading through mashed potato.
The reason I liked it so much was:
* Everything was open... I don't think I encountered a single closed run or lift
* The snow was sufficiently crispy/hard in the morning without being icy/hard-packed
* It softened up later in the day in some places (eg it was very soggy even quite high in Alta Badia after lunch on the day we did the green Sella Ronda and explored up lifts 49 and 50 after lunch)... but we quickly learned to avoid those places or do them in the mornings
* But other areas, if anything, firmed up in the afternoon... eg skiing from the furthest point in Alpe di Siusi back to Ortisei was noticeably scratchier than the way there)
* But, to note: it was very different on Friday 9 Feb, as it had snowed overnight and was still snowing lightly. The pistes were a lot more chopped up, and earlier in the day.
If I compare it to our trip to the Three Valleys at the same time last year, it was unrecognisable. We stayed in La Tania there and I still remember how unpleasant the hard-packed reds down to Meribel were. Indeed, even the Folyeres run back to La Tania was highly unpleasant. There was none of that nonsense this week in Italy this week.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:
A week's skiing costs me £2-2.5k all in.
Is this just for you or the family. It seems rather a lot.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@johnE, yeah, I’d think circa a grand for a week
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Kramer, the problem for many people is being restricted by school holidays and/or getting time off work and/or working around other commitments.
If, as it sounds like, you are not really time bound I would wait 3-4 weeks as things are only OKish (from what I am reading, I am not out skiing) and it's peak season. I don't it will be worse in 3/4 weeks but it will certainly be cheaper and less busy.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
johnE wrote:
Quote:
A week's skiing costs me £2-2.5k all in.
Is this just for you or the family. It seems rather a lot.
Ha ha, snowHeads never changes does it?
Based on previous holidays:
Half board in a decent hotel with a TO - £1000 - £1400
Lift pass - £320
Ski hire - £120
Getting to airport - £30
Insurance - £40
Spending money - £350 - £700 = £50 - £100 per day
Total between £1860 - £2610
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?
@Kramer, looks right to me. Ignore the ‘sandwich in your pocket’ brigade
@Kramer, the problem for many people is being restricted by school holidays and/or getting time off work and/or working around other commitments.
If, as it sounds like, you are not really time bound I would wait 3-4 weeks as things are only OKish (from what I am reading, I am not out skiing) and it's peak season. I don't it will be worse in 3/4 weeks but it will certainly be cheaper and less busy.
I've got the week of the 9th of March booked off work, but I can cancel it pretty much up until the Friday before. I don't have flexibility to move it later though.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@gendal, thanks that's useful information. Last year was definitely dire, and we only booked in mid-March two weeks prior to departure, when we were sure that it had snowed.
If I'm in a resort I know then I can usually follow the sun and temperatures around to get on the pistes as they're in better condition in the morning, however lower down and the afternoons if it's warm and that becomes almost impossible.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Kramer, haha in fairness, my last ski “holiday” was 2012* but flights don’t seem very different, nor hotels… I didn’t include eating as what’s the difference between eating out in Verbier vs Sth Kensington?
* errr, omitting Mürren Inferno weeks which are a different level of CHFs.
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.
@under a new name, just checked quickly on Easyjet - return flights to Innsbruck from Manchester £267 with hold bags or a large carry on.
That would add £70-£100 to my getting to the airport and transfers cost though because of the flight times.
That makes £917 in fixed costs (insurance, ski hire, lift pass) before accommodation and sustenance. Which I need both of.
At home I tend to cook. Which is cheaper. And part of the reason why I like to be catered for on holiday.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
I’m with you, @Kramer. I’d guess, all in, we couldn’t ski for less than £2k per person either (no kids, so outside of school holidays). That’s parking, flights, transport, 3-4* hotel, half board, lunch, incidentals, ski rental. I’m sure we could do it for less if we self-catered, but we refuse to clean or cook on holiday.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
