 Poster: A snowHead
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I find myself unexpectedly with a week’s leave over the Easter weekend (w/c Sat 4/4). There will be two of us. Both adults. Both very competent mile-hungry but happy to repeat pistes PISTE skiers. Zero interest (for this trip) in off-piste/ itinerary routes.
For… reasons… it has to be a T/O package trip.
Currently deadlocked between:
*a half board trip to Passo Tonale (we’ve been before but not for 12 or so years, and remember it as somewhere with nothing much else to do if the skiing is poor, but “town” is at 1800m)
* B&B to Sr Anton. Never been. But love Austria and the Europop immediately post-skiing/ pre dinner apres scene. Is Easter pushing our luck for reasonable snow? If the snow is cooked by 13:00, what else is there to do? Are we likely to be able to find reasonable evening meals (looking in the €30/head bracket) or do we look at the more expensive chalet hotel options?
Guidance / further input gratefully received. Unless you say “drive to xyz destination”. We won’t be driving / DIYing this time.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Watching with interest as I might be in a comparable position. Where still has good snow left?
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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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St Anton.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Whitegold wrote: |
| St Anton. |
Because? (Not being argumentative - genuinely know next to nothing about the area. Despite having tried to read the Arlberg thread here).
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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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@KNoceros, just check season closing dates. Whether they have snow or not, some ski areas close after Easter weekend. My local ski area has about 2-3 metres of snow pretty much everywhere and closes on 6th April.
Our small local area (Arcalis) has 4 metres and has announced they will stay open until the 12th but they can run that place on a handful of lifties and pisteurs.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Drive to Les Arcs - that’s what we’re doing 
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The piste from the top of the Presena glacier should be good pretty much all the way back to Passo Tonale as it is high and crucially faces due North. The rest of the resort faces South and will likely be porridge by mid morning. St Anton doesn't really have any high altitude north facing sectors. Is there nowhere else you could go? An awful lot of resorts will offer better on piste April skiing than these two
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No driving, @Boris!
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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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@rambotion, agreed, I don't tbink either or these two options are great for Easter.
@KNoceros, you should be looking to go somewhere with mostly north(ish) facing slopes and a reasonable amount of altitude, and probably focusing on France because they've had more snow this season. (Or western Italy / far western Switzerland, but I can't think of many high, north facing options there which are great for piste skiers). The top three options get trotted out all the time but for good reason:
- Les Arcs / La Plagne
- Three Valleys
- Tignes / Val d'Isere
Possibly also:
- Avoriaz / Chatel
- Flaine
- Valloire / Valmeinier
- Serre Chevalier
- Vars / Risoul
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@KNoceros, St Anton is open until the 18th April. Off for a final weekend there tomorrow (sadly cant do any more for various reasons). My understanding (not been for a few weeks) is that conditions are typical late winter / spring with cold nights and often sunny days though some snow is forecast in the coming 10 days. I think you will find decent snow but that the home runs will be not so good from late morning (they are south facing and often busy so end up with piles of gloop). Conditions were a bit thin earlier in the season but the very heavy snow a month or so ago has meant that pretty much everywhere is now open (see https://www.stantonamarlberg.com/images/stories/pdf-dateien/berichte-homepage/Schneemeldung.pdf for latest snow depths and https://winter.intermaps.com/skiarlberg?lang=en for a map showing open lifts and pistes). Plenty to do in the village, it isnt the cheapest place by a long way but that primarily affects the price of accommodation. Some of the apres spots close before the end of the season but the best known, Mooserwirt, stays open until the end. Do check the location of the accommodation, some places which are advertised as St Anton which might be technically true are in fact a bit of a trek from the centre and also the buses are on reduced service from 07.04 which might be an issue if you are not in the centre. If you are completely piste focused then Ischgl in the next valley might be better. Some of the better runs in St Anton are ski routes not pistes but are in fact groomed and would be pistes in most other places.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks for the input so far all. @munich_irish, very helpful indeed.
There is only so much I can glean from reading the piste maps etc and they often seem not to include aspect. I remembered that most of Passo was “opposite” the glacier but couldn’t recall what direction they faced.
Will head back to the TO sits and keep hinting but it’s so last minute there’s not much left.
There was an interesting one in Livigno. And some Cervinia stuff that’s a goodly way from the lift and slog up hill each day (and also quite expensive)
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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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(We know Cervinia reasonably well)
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The no driving thing is mostly (but not entirely) that we have recently changed vehicle. It doesn’t have winter tyres or chains and we can’t any in time.
And no Crit’air or German sticker but that’s not desperately important.
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You know it makes sense.
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Tour operator isn't the only alternative to self-drive. Plenty of accommodation available - fly to Gva and rent a car with winter tyres! Not that it should be difficult to pick up some chains last minute unless your new vehicle is particularly tricky to fit.
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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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Can you pre order chains to a Norauto en route? It’s a problem but not a major one.
And chance of needing chains in April…?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Maybe consider Ischgl if you’re looking at Austria. I’m not the biggest fan, but most of the skiing is above 2,000 m, and you also get that immediate post-skiing, pre-dinner après-ski scene—maybe a bit too much in a negative way, but it’s still there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Update: Mr Noceros got fed up with my inability to make a decision and has booked.
We’re going to St Anton.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I’m sure it will be brilliant. Any trip that involves skiing beats a week at work!
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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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We quite often drive and will do again in the future.
I wasn’t massively bothered re chains except that in many areas there is a legal requirement for tyres or chains often until 15/4 and we currently have neither.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| KNoceros wrote: |
| I’m sure it will be brilliant. Any trip that involves skiing beats a week at work! |
Indeed. Which tour operator out of interest?
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In the end we went with Crystal, but we’re seriously considering some Ingram’s accommodation (location not great).
Also looked at Neilson, Heidi and SunWeb sites.
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We have a flight booked to Geneva for a few months already arriving 31 march. We have not booked accommodation yet as wanted to see snow. Our original plan was to go to Val Cenis in France. What does the good minds think of that. Seems decent altitude and north facing. Seems good prices for accommodation.
The wife is getting twitchy about leaving things too late.
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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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I recommend you go where
1. You have 3 valleys on your skipass
2. You dont wait on weekdays, and max 10 minutes the weekend
3. You have endless room on perfectly groomed slopes (see the picture)
4. You buy a bowl of pasta on the slope that is just TOO much for 12,-
5. You buy half a liter you local beer on the slopes for 5.50
6. The cuisine is the best of all Alps
7. Cost is 30% lower than France and Austria, not to speak about CH
And 8.
Where they already had an enormous snow base. And then, last weekend, got another 1.50 meter fresh on top.
Using shovels in the village, because they did not know where to leave all that snow.
The best ski area for those who want perfect gradient slopes of 1100 till 1800 meters vertical.
Where?
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@heffsta, there is a snowhead skiing and reviewing the maurienne resorts including val cenis now, reported very good conditions the other day. Looks like some more snow and cold next week. There's tonnes of accommodation available in that and other resorts in the valley. I would be happy with your choice. You can also drive to bonneval for skiing over 3000m. Not a bad easter to ski slightly lower resorts rather than the usual purpose built high altitude offerings. Very high snow levels in france and easter earlyish. Save the space stations for bad years / later easters.
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=176269&highlight=
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