 Poster: A snowHead
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I know it's a bit early, but since my season unfortunately ended quite early this year, I need something to keep my mind in the right mode. So I’ve started looking into our options for buying a season pass for next winter.
However, there are a few “challenging” requirements:
1. It has to be somewhere in the northern French Alps. We usually spend three weeks skiing in France: Christmas, the Half-Term (or ideally Carnival Week), and 7–10 days during the Easter holidays.
2. My wife will be returning to skiing after an ACL reconstruction, which means we need to find a resort that fits the difficult combination of: northern Alps, school holidays, as much as possible uncrowded slopes, and enough of green and blue runs.
Here’s what I’ve found so far:
Flaine & Co season pass – available with a 50% discount until September.
I love Flaine and I know my way around, including when and where to go. However, I assume it’ll be very crowded during Carnival Week. On top of that, it comes out to almost €2,000 for the whole family – which isn't exactly a bargain considering we’d get around 20–24 days on the slopes.
Valloire-Valmeinier season pass – I believe it also comes also with a decent discount.
I’ve never been there, so I really don’t know how crowded it gets compared to other resorts. Any insights? I suppose better as PDS Flaine and the othe big ones...
Haute Maurienne season pass – probably the best option?
Relatively low prices (about €1,500 for the four of us), and even though we’ve never been there, I’ve read from several people that these resorts tend to be much less crowded than the well-known ones in France.
Portes du Soleil season pass –
The main issue here i suppose is crowding, especially during the holidays.
Sure, Avoriaz could be a good option for the April week, but for the other trips? Places like Châtel and Les Gets are lower in altitude for December, aor even February.
One idea would be to mix it up: one week in La Rosière, one in Verbier (or nearby), and the April week in Avoriaz. Maybe December in Verbier and February in La Rosière?
But are these resorts actually less crowded during the holidays compared to others?
A big advantage of the PDS pass and whats me extra tempted, is that it includes some days in Switzerland, which we could use for weekends or shorter trips. So we could keep the costs for the whole season relativ low. But on the other hand the first priority is a safe return to the slopes for my wife = is maybe PDS a no go according to this requirement?
---- any thoughts or suggestions? i am totally free to any other option....and of course there is the option to use none of this above and book everything separately according to the offers-snow conditions etc
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@turms2, Valmeinier and Valloire season pass gives you circa 160kms of skiing and the slopes do not get excessively busy when compared to other areas. There’s a graduated price usually starting off in September for a season pass which the year just gone started at about €400, riding in price in October to just over €600 then full price in December.
Haute Maurienne Vanoise season pass was just over €400 this year and gives access to Val Cenis, Valfrejus, Aussois, La Norma and Bonneval sur Arc - again none of these get excessively busy even during school holidays. You also get a few days at Bardonnechia, Montgenevre and Pralognan la Vanoise.
Can’t help on any of the other areas as our base is in The Maurienne so not looked at PDS etc for some time.
Depending on your plans you could also look at something like the Skiogrande card that gives daily discounts on the 17 Maurienne valley resort passes and a free day every 8 days. Probably works well if you base yourself in the valley and drive to different places as you can only use in the same place (to get the discount) on 3 consecutive days in a rolling 7 day period.
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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 think the Skiogrande is not for us, since the kids want definitely to take part in the ESF Courses (they are stick with the batches, do not ask why, i cannot explain it also  )
the prices for the Valmeinier and Valloire & Haute Maurienne have already check them. I find the Valmeinier and Valloire as regards as skiing better as the resorts in the Haute Maurienne, but i suppose in Haute Maurienne i have more options to find a good accommodation in the peak weeks...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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If this then will buy them later for 958 so that I can get the kids for free.
For me, it’s generally the best option in terms of price/service combination, but I’m a bit worried about how overcrowded it might be
If course everywhere in ski holidays is not empty and if i see that is Getting risky i prefer to Drink a Bier...however i am in this Dilemma
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@turms2, I just picked up my PDS season pass today for E595 as described above. It’s a great deal in itself but also has all the other 26 free ski days at other resorts attached. The lower elevation not an issue for Châtel as all the skiing happens about 1500m as it’s only home runs below that which you can avoid if snow is poor. Avoriaz can be accessed by 2 lifts from PLJ and 3 lifts from Linga. The 40 yo TC Linga being replaced this summer to eliminate the bottle neck when skiing across from Super Châtel. Crowding not really an issue during holidays once you know where to go to avoid them - we avoid Avoriaz and stay in Chatel. 1:30h transfer from GVA is great for long weekends to maximise your season pass.
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PdS is really a great deal. I've only been to Châtel for one day — otherwise only Les Gets one day and a week in Avoriaz. I’ll need to double-check, but since you said it, I trust you know what you're talking about. Just to clarify, do you mean Châtel in general, or a specific area like Pré-la-Joux?
The lower elevation isn’t such a big issue for us — crowding is more of a concern.
By the way, we live in Germany, so long weekends in the PdS are an option for us, especially on the Swiss side. But the 12 free days in Switzerland that come with this season pass are more appropriate for that.
If I get a season pass, do I need to pay attention to whether I start on the Swiss or French side?
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@turms2, i comments about all three sectors: Super Châtel, Linga and PLJ. You will be fine with snow unless it’s an exceptionally bad year in which case it’s bad everywhere and higher resorts get overcrowded as we saw a few years ago. Chatel ski gets crowded during holidays but not overcrowded as the area is vast and people spread out quickly - many just flock to Avoriaz which we are happy to avoid as plenty to do in Chatel. It would be unusual to queue more than 5 mins during normal time to get in a lift. It’s obviously busy when the ski schools start which can be avoided. This season we skiied in Super Châtel for the new year week and SC, Linga, PLJ and Switzerland in Feb holidays - only dipped into Avoriaz a few times. It’s cheaper to buy the season ticket from France and you do need to start your first lift of the season from France (info about this on the PDS thread). I do have a spare code for the private sale that ends tomorrow 9/4 afternoon which is €595 - you can DM if you would like it if you are going to pull the trigger - otherwise I’ll offer to others.
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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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@Ozboy, send you a PM
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This definitely isn't what you asked for so very much a wild card option:
Epic Australia Pass: [url=]https://www.epicaustraliapass.com.au/pass-access/europe[/url] includes some European Ski resorts (and all the US resorts) - Currently £550 per adult + £314 per child (based on current exchange rate which is particularly good right now).
The Epic Australia Pass provides up to 32 days of lift access to European resorts across Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria (Plus you can go to all the Epic resorts in North America and Japan)
5 days unrestricted lift access each in Crans-Montana and in Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis
5 consecutive days restricted lift access in Verbier 4 Vallées (Acces starts in 2025/26 season. Restricted peak dates apply)
7 consecutive days unrestricted lift access in Les 3 Vallées.
7 consecutive days unrestricted lift access in Skirama Dolomiti.
3 consecutive days of unrestricted access with a lodging purchase at participating properties at Ski Arlberg.
+ All North America Epic Pass resort destinations
+ Al Japan resort Epic Pass resort destinations
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| AliAfro wrote: |
This definitely isn't what you asked for so very much a wild card option:
Epic Australia Pass: [url=]https://www.epicaustraliapass.com.au/pass-access/europe[/url] includes some European Ski resorts (and all the US resorts) - Currently £550 per adult + £314 per child (based on current exchange rate which is particularly good right now).
The Epic Australia Pass provides up to 32 days of lift access to European resorts across Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria (Plus you can go to all the Epic resorts in North America and Japan)
5 days unrestricted lift access each in Crans-Montana and in Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis
5 consecutive days restricted lift access in Verbier 4 Vallées (Acces starts in 2025/26 season. Restricted peak dates apply)
7 consecutive days unrestricted lift access in Les 3 Vallées.
7 consecutive days unrestricted lift access in Skirama Dolomiti.
3 consecutive days of unrestricted access with a lodging purchase at participating properties at Ski Arlberg.
+ All North America Epic Pass resort destinations
+ Al Japan resort Epic Pass resort destinations |
this could be interesting but the problem is here 5 consecutive days restricted lift access in Verbier 4 Vallées (Acces starts in 2025/26 season. Restricted peak dates apply)
I am obligated with the school holidays, so i suppose 4V is out of the Game and Crans - Montana or Anderammt are not for us...otherwise could be a nice option using Dolomiti in Dezember, 4V in February and 3V in April and the rest days in Andermatt for day trips
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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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@turms2, I'm sure you've said before, but I can't remember the reason now. Why do you go to the French alps from Germany rather than Austria?
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You know it makes sense.
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| swskier wrote: |
| @turms2, I'm sure you've said before, but I can't remember the reason now. Why do you go to the French alps from Germany rather than Austria? |
Generally speaking:
I'm obligated to travel during school holidays, and I find Austria much more crowded compared to France. Especially during the Carnival week in southern Germany, which always overlaps with the Krokus holidays in the Netherlands, Austria is really overcrowded.
I’ve spent that same week twice in France, and the experience was much better. I assume it's because Carnival week doesn’t always coincide with the UK half-term, the Paris region holidays, etc.
During that week, it's almost impossible to find a reasonably priced ski-in/ski-out apartment in Austria, while in France it's still doable. Sure, French apartments are smaller compared to Austrian ones, but for example:
For Carnival week (1st to 8th March) I paid €660 for a relatively spacious apartment in Flaine Forum, just 200m from the ski school. You won’t find prices like that in Austria during that week – and if you do, the accommodation is usually far from the lifts.
In Serfaus, for instance, the cheapest option I found was €1,400 for the week.
And that means: waking up, getting the kids ready, driving to the lifts, finding a parking spot, then getting the kids ready again for ski school… it just doesn’t compare to true ski-in/ski-out convenience.
After our first time in Flaine in 2022, the kids became addicted to ESF and the badge system. I once dared to suggest going to East Tyrol for a week – you can’t imagine the reaction, especially from my daughter!
My son is now at competition level and has collected all the badges. Of course, my daughter wants the same… and if I even mention going somewhere else, she takes it personally 
Many Austrian resorts offer full-day kids’ courses, and
a) they’re expensive, and
b) I don’t want that.
After many years in Austria, I get the feeling that ski schools are more about "parking" kids so the parents can ski alone all day, rather than really teaching the kids how to ski. Especially during peak weeks, it often feels chaotic.
I’ve seen mixed-level groups, with advanced kids skiing alongside others who are still doing snowploughs… and at the end of the week: everyone gets a medal, everyone’s happy — but that’s not how real learning happens.
Except that : life is unpredictable, we do not know what will come. I do not know if i manage ever to go to Norway or Salt Lake City , Japan or Canada for skiing, but at least i want to ski the alps as much as possible....i love Austria (it was the reason to leave Greece and come to Germany) but i also want in Serre Chevalier, Valdisere etc etc
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Thu 10-04-25 13:06; edited 1 time in total
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@turms2, makes sense. For sure, accommodation in France is much cheaper, we used to go there a lot ourselves before moving to Austria. If you want ski in ski out too, then that writes a lot of Austria off.
Collecting the badges through ESF I can also understand.
No judgement, just wondered the logic 
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Poster: A snowHead
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@turms2, I cound not agree with you more about the Austrian ski schools vs ESF. As you know we skiied Serfaus / Fiss for many years and we initially thought parking kids for the day was a great idea. Kids seemed to like the kid-freindleness and mascots etc to a point but the lac of English speaking among the oter kids and teachers made them starting to dislike it. In hindsight, after having been exposed to ESF, the system did not seem to have progressive stages, not that we understood anyway. Our kids skiing have progressed much more since we began coming to France and they have done well under ESF - they have leared that its not easy to ski well and they need to work at it and sometimes you dont get a medal. One has now finished Gold and the other is in Silver and understands it might take a few weeks of classes as its a big step.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| swskier wrote: |
@turms2, makes sense. For sure, accommodation in France is much cheaper, we used to go there a lot ourselves before moving to Austria. If you want ski in ski out too, then that writes a lot of Austria off.
Collecting the badges through ESF I can also understand.
No judgement, just wondered the logic |
yes i know. I understand Its a little bit comfusing if someone thinks that i am almost 3 hours eg away from Arlberg but i insist to go somewhere else. At least for 1-Week holidays...
PS honestly i wanted also move to Austria, but my wife wanted in Mannheim...so i make a compromise somewhere in the middle
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Thu 10-04-25 13:08; edited 1 time in total
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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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| Ozboy wrote: |
| @turms2, I cound not agree with you more about the Austrian ski schools vs ESF. As you know we skiied Serfaus / Fiss for many years and we initially thought parking kids for the day was a great idea. Kids seemed to like the kid-freindleness and mascots etc to a point but the lac of English speaking among the oter kids and teachers made them starting to dislike it. In hindsight, after having been exposed to ESF, the system did not seem to have progressive stages, not that we understood anyway. Our kids skiing have progressed much more since we began coming to France and they have done well under ESF - they have leared that its not easy to ski well and they need to work at it and sometimes you dont get a medal. One has now finished Gold and the other is in Silver and understands it might take a few weeks of classes as its a big step. |
exactly... i really cannot understand how in France, Italy and Switzerland you could find the same concept in all ski resorts (ESF, Schweizer ski school or Scuola Si italiano) where you can "follow" the progress, but in Austria , where skiing is somethling more than a hobby, almost every ski school has its own concept, badges, teaching system etc etc etc...
Maybe for introducing the kids to skiing lets say ages 3-4, somethling like Serfaus or Fiss with Berta and Murmli are perfect. but for more progress i do not think its the best option.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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i just realised that i made a mistake...life is unpredictable, not unacceptable
my God...sorry for "killing" your language....dont do it with purpose
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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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forgot to mention another one reason : my sonn want to be a ski instructor in Tignes...my daughter in Flaine (but she want to teach only kids till 1*)
dont ask why...but at least they have a motivation for our ski holidays
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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well, the deeper my wife goes in the Rehabilitation Programme , and i see how she "suffers" (she didnt had a problem with the OP generally, but she is not excited with the whole Reha Programm and the discomfort which come after the sessions) the more i am moving away from the PDS and Flaine Option...i am more heading to the Option not buying a season pass, and trying to find the best option each time + some day trips in some small and empty ski resorts, probably in Switzwerland...or Haute Maurienne...
The main goal for the next season must be the easy return to the slopes, and i think PDS or Flaine in the peak weeks add one more risk...
At Present i think this must be the top priority and not how many days we manage to ski... quality vs quantity
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