 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, my wife and I are looking to book our next ski trip for this upcoming January 2025 and I wanted to ask for advice. My wife is a cautious early intermediate skier in my opinion, and I'm a more confident intermediate. The only resort in Europe we've been to so far has been Zermatt, which we both loved but my wife struggled with some of the steeper blues. Planning on getting some more practice before this next trip but still wanted to book a resort that she'd be comfortable skiing the blues at to progress. We've been looking at Lech, Cortina, Val Gardena and some of the French resorts. Wondered what people's experiences are and pros and cons of each. I will say we both enjoyed the village type atmosphere of Zermatt vs what seems to be mega resorts in France.
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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 Snowheads
I'd have a look at Les Arcs - great for blues and easy reds. Possibly Peissey-Vallandry which is a bit more village like.
I've not been to the others, so I can't compare 
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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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Cortina is a bit steep, so is Val Gardena. BUT in the middle of those is a nice big area called Alta Badia which is Blue heaven. Huge, wide, flat blues; amazing scenery, fabulous restaurants.... Corvara, Colfosco, La Villa would for the bill perfectly. Mrs KF was so impressed she doesn't want to ski anywhere else ever again!
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| Klamm Franzer wrote: |
| Cortina is a bit steep, so is Val Gardena. BUT in the middle of those is a nice big area called Alta Badia which is Blue heaven. Huge, wide, flat blues; amazing scenery, fabulous restaurants.... Corvara, Colfosco, La Villa would for the bill perfectly. Mrs KF was so impressed she doesn't want to ski anywhere else ever again! |
I'd second this. You could probably add San Cassiano to the list also.
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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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@Kyskiyee, I'd make a recommendation I often do. Somewhere in the Dolomites, on or near to the Sella Ronda. Especially suitable for a cautious early intermediate could be Colfosco, Corvara, Pozza di Fassa, Canazei/Alba. The first two are on opposite sides of the 'circuit' to the other two, but both have access to gentler areas, as well as good lift connections for venturing further afield.
The pros include likely good snow, wonderful scenery, good quality food at more reasonable prices than major French areas and huge amount of piste skiing. Main disadvantage is you're likely to put on weight.
Peisey-Vallandry is also a good shout, as are some parts of the La Plagne side of the Paradiski area, eg Belle Plagne, if you weren't too bothered about them being large French resorts.
Austria has many options, though I don't think Lech is really one of the best for your wife, assuming your assessment of her ability is accurate.. Other snowHeads will almost certainly offer some Austria options.
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Thanks for the replies all. How is the snow conditions usually in mid Jan in the Dolomites? I've seen some videos and articles about limited snow in the area at that time which gives me pause. As far as Lech goes, it seems like there's a lot of blue runs there, are they underrated, as in rated easier than they likely are?
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@Kyskiyee, given that you've only been to Zermatt (how many times?), it's not clear what your impression is of French resorts, but there are hundreds of them, many a great deal more "villagey" than Zermatt which is a sophisticated international resort. It doesn't sound as though you need the vast mileage of the French "mega resorts". The Dolomites recommendation above is terrific and their brilliant snowmaking and piste-bashing tends to more than compensate for any lack of fresh snow (fresh snow can be a real sod for timid intermediates, actually - rapidly making "trip you up" lumps which call for good commitment to get right on top of your skis). If you were interested in a French resort which is ideal for early skiers, especially timid ones, have a look at Les Saisies, which would likely be cheaper than the Dolomites. And there are plenty of alternatives.
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