 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking for some recommendations on a resorts for Feb 2024 half term (2nd week). We have typically taken the kids out of school and skied early March but this is not an option now due to school commitments. We had been due to go to Saint Gervais this week but had to cancel due to a broken leg. We would have probably have rebooked the same for 2024 but reading the comments Feb half term in France is super crowded. I had looked at La Thuile (Airbnb & using air miles to Turin) but wanted to canvas opinion from fellow skiers. Our requirements:
- Budget is £4000 for everything.
- Can use air miles to fly to Geneva, Turin, Milan and perhaps Munich. Need to book within next couple weeks hence question.
- Good intermediates who like skiing on reds and some blues although parents not as fit as before 
- Doesn’t have to be piste side - can walk for 10mins or get the ski bus.
- Willing to stay in AIRBNB, go self-catering.
- Kids go into ski school (we have previously used Family Ski, SnowBizz, Crystal).
- Resorts I have looked at - Saint Gervais (Le Bettex a bottleneck?), La Thuile, Montgenerve….
Thanks for your help.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome to the forum @FoxGlove7,
From Turin it's worth looking at Sauze d'Oulx and Cervinia. Very different in aspect and layout but both with good variety of piste, each having access inside criteria. Italian ski school in both I've found to be very good for my own, adult, use. Going as far as exemplary in teaching method, knowledge and progression.
Bus direct cheapest transfer, not the fastest in both destinations, but not huge mileage to cover in getting there. I'd say reasonable balance against fairly low cost for this element.
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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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Saint Gervais is busy but not quite as busy as the resorts that have the big tour operators in them, so don’t be so quick to dismiss returning.
Look at webcams for examples
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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.
As @Jonny996 says, once on the mountain St Gervais doesn't seem as crowded as other French resorts we have been to in busy weeks. However getting on to the mountain in the first place is a different story, there are long queues at the bottom lift between 9 and 10 - many of them families trying to get to ski school.
Italy is the most obvious alternative as you realise, I imagine you would find La Thuile or Montgenevre fine. We preferred Sestriere to Sauze d'Oulx (or Montgenevre) for access to the wider Milky Way area.
If your air miles would get you a flight to Zurich, you might want to price up Switzerland as well. It has a reputation for being expensive but French prices ramp up so much at half term we found it competitive. There were only three of us, and our daughter no longer needed ski school (we did book a few private lessons) but my guess is you might find something in your budget. We went to Davos (twice), Laax, and Lenzerheide (twice) during successive half terms.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Italy.
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All,
Thanks for your recommendations. We can up our budget if required from the holiday pot but after booking the DIY trip to Saint Gervais this year, we realised we got so much more for our money than booking with TO. The £4k covered everything and with a good amount for eating out on the mountain and at night. With the kids being older it’s easier to do this.
- I will keep an eye on the Saint Gervais webcams. I had chosen Saint Gervais due the easy transfer (husband not keen on driving from Geneva and we must fly as we are in the north of Scotland), ski lockers at the top, lots of non-skiing activities, good restaurants in Saint Gervais and a lovely AirBnB apartment. Really gutted we cannot go.
- I hadn’t thought of Cervinia. I would love to go though. My honeymoon was in Zermatt (post kids too expensive) but could not ski due to another injury . My husband said Cervinia was great skiing. Sauze has never appealed as I think it’s a party resort full of young things in bars. Sestriere isn’t somewhere I would have thought of. Will investigate and webcam.
- I have been to Champoluc/Pila at half term pre marriage/kids due to teacher friends. It is a great resort and really enjoyed skiing over to Gressoney. We did have a long drive from Milan in bad weather so not sure how we would get there cheaply.
- Switzerland - I would not discount. I went to Lauterbrunnen at half term pre marriage/kids and skied mainly Wengen. It’s probably too expensive but would look at the resorts mentioned. From experience it is easy to get to resorts on SBB. Switzerland does have a special place in my heart as it is where I learned to ski as a teenager.
Typing this has made me realise that the other very important factor is transfer costs if we are relying on bus, taxi, train. There is so much choice now with AirBnB that it does really cut costs as does airmiles.
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Three years ago we did Les Contamines just up the road from St Gervais at half term - apart from the uplift scrum at 9am, and lunchtime spots it wasn't that busy on the piste at all. We didn't stay in the village proper but the Hameau du Lay at the bottom of the gondola so only a little walk. Both kids did afternoon ski school as we booked relatively late but that was fine. We managed to find a seriously budget apartment through the tourist office so it cost us just over £3k door to door from S London (including fuel, tolls,tunnel,accommodation, passes, all food, overnight hotels, eating out, ski school). I'd recommend it for a family trip if you're not hung up on high mileage places.
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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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The year before that we did La Clusaz- pricier than Les Contamines as accom was pricier but I'd recommend there too and am sure you could bring it in for £4k.
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Take a look at Valmeinier and Valloire - linked ski resorts with plenty of blue and red runs to keep you occupied. Valmeinier is purpose built on the mountain whereas Valloire is a typical French village with all the facilities you could need and with easy access to the slopes.
Travelwise to resort you are looking at about 1hr30 from Turin and 3hours from Milan through the Frejus tunnel or around 2 hours from Geneva (motorway all the way to Saint Michel de Maurienne from either direction then the last part of the journey approx 30 minutes to either area).
Even at half term it is not stupidly busy as the bigger French resorts can be. In the same area you could also look at Val Cenis which would suit your requirements with similar transfer times - car hire tends to be cheaper in Italy than Geneva, you just need to make sure you are allowed to cross the border as some hire companies do not allow it or charge a small fee to allow it.
Bonne vacances
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Le Bettex is a total bun fight. Slow lifts and long queues. And low altitude. Never again.
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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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Switzerland - I would not discount. I went to Lauterbrunnen at half term pre marriage/kids and skied mainly Wengen. It’s probably too expensive but would look at the resorts mentioned. From experience it is easy to get to resorts on SBB. Switzerland does have a special place in my heart as it is where I learned to ski as a teenager.
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I've been working in Switzerland this year near Geneva and it is HORRENDOUSLY expensive. As in an espresso was 4CHF60 - so just under £4 in a village bakery. You might be able to get good prices for flights or accomodation, but you may need to remortgage to eat (even with supermarket food).
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Odd resurrection.
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