 Poster: A snowHead
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The urge to book a (cheapish) second week on the slopes is proving too hard to resist!
Just seen what looks to be a reasonable £369 HB, F & T for a week in Passo Tonale mid-March. I really don't know too much about the place other than the resort being c1800m and the highest skiing range in Italy. The skiing seems very much beginner/intermediate and although this would better suit the SO, I'd prefer something that had more of a challenge. Snow depths look superb.
This is all weighed up against a slightly more expensive week in Livigno.
Advice and/or experience muchly appreciated!
Thanks.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 17-02-08 10:10; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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 was in Livingo last year and really enjoyed it. if my memroy is correct the Biata Cuisini is just outside the main town near to the Motellino gondola. This is good in that you will be the one of the first drop offs and the last pick ups. This will drop the tranfer by at least 30 mins.
Snow was excellent last year, plenty low down for beginners and lots of steeper stuff for the more experienced compaigners. If you want some really picturesque skiing try the bowl off the back off the Costello gondola on a sunny morning - beautiful skiing.
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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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Mark Hunter,
Been to Livigno once and off again next week. Also been to Tonale twice. Livigno is probably the better of the two with a better variety of skiing.
The transfer is about 4.5 hrs from Bergamo, but that includes a full 1 hr stop at a big cafe/ restaurant.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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just got back a week ago from livigno and the snow is very good at the moment.....it may have been a slightly more expensive holiday but i think things in the resort are cheaper. baita cusini is a pretty good place, never stayed myself as we usually go in the motorhome. they are run by the same family who runs the hotel alpi and we have stayed in one of their apartments....it was great, very clean and very friendly.....we even arrived a day early and they let us in and not pay.....(it was out of season) website here http://www.alpi-hotels.com/
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I went To passo Tonale last Easter for very much the reasons as you, For me it was a 3rd trip and cost £250 half board, so not complaining.
I will not bang on about the lack of snow as 2007 was not exactly a vintage year and it was April, But there was virtually nothing. I have some pics I will see if I can work out how to post them later.
The bar/restaurant prices are much much cheaper than the usual Alpine destinations. The only run worthy of any mention in PT is the Black (red really) Paradiso piste. The ski area in the linked Ponte Di Legno is much better with nice tree lined runs, but all the runs in the area are really short.
OK for a cheap 2nd/3rd break but do not expect anything on the scale of the major Alpine resorts. An advanced/good intermediate skier could ski the whole area in a morning, therefore depending on your ability a week does get a bit monotonous, but as mentioned previously this does encourage you to spend more time in the good reasonably priced restaurants.
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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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Think I have loaded all my pics here, but the ones of Passo Tonale are the ones that have the Passo Tonale title underneath. The bare pistes that you see with the odd bit of snow on were actually open. The one which actually looks like a piste is the Paradiso
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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hannah34, just had a look at your piccies and was wondering if you actually got to the piste at all? 
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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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unfotunately not as much as i would have liked with a little one in tow.....hubby and eldest did though.....the joys of motherhood!!!! its pretty good snow there this season compared to the last 5 seasons!
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Kel,
Shame you didn't have good snow. I have experienced fantastic conditions in Tonale, and it is a good resort for intermediates.
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You know it makes sense.
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johnboy, Just shows how the conditions can taint your view of a resort. I went to Tonale three years ago and also had fantastic conditions and we had a great time.
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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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Ickabodblue, johnboy.
Think you might have got me wrong here. The fact is I booked this 6 months prior to going away at an absolute bargain basement price. Before booking I did my research as always and Passo Tonale is promoted as a snow sure resort, as you can see from my pics it isn't and this is not just because it was April it had been like this all season. The only decent conditions were on the glacier which as you will know is not very extensive. After saying this I have never seen a resort working so hard against the odds to keep the pistes open, in France they would have just closed them and left the glacier open.
We made the most of the conditions, skiing up till about lunchtime, then going for long lunches in the superb restaurants around Ponte di Legno, a slap up meal and a nice bottle of wine cost about the same as takeaway burger in Tignes.
If you look at the webcams www.adamelloski.com you can see that the conditions this year are great. The point I am making is that it cannot be compared to Espace Killy or 3 Valleys etc, but not everyone wants that.
Would I go back, if there was a last minute cheap booking to be had and conditions were like they are now, then yes I would but it would only be me and the missus. The terrain is far too limited to take my sons back too who are more used to the mega resorts and the high mileage that goes with these, PT simply does not offer this, but as I said previously not everyone wants this.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just had a look at the webcams myself and the pista paradiso cam shows the whole of this run which is the resorts signature run. As you can see its not very long about 3km if I remember.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks everyone - much appreciated.
As we've booked Livigno now, I've changed the thread title to see if there's any advice on ski instruction.
The SO will be on her third week, so will be after lessons. I'm on my 15th and am thinking of taking some off-piste tuition.
Cheers.
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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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One other thing, what is the ski pass system? And, is there an Italian equivalent to the French Carte Neige?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hi Mark,
It's a photo ID type ski pass system that you swipe through turnstiles at the bottom of each lift. Take a couple of passport sized photos. I think you get a 5 euro refund if you return the pass at the end of the week.
I've had lessons there a couple of times but I wouldn't rate them as anything special. Most instructors speak very good English so language isn't something to worry about.
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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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hi mark
lift pass prices are here http://www.skipasslivigno.com/en/tariffe/0708.php
you basically go and buy one for however long you need. they will take your photo if necessary as they only do this on certain types of passes. then put it in your right hand pocket and forget about it. the lifts have automatic readers so no need to swipe and yes if you take them back at the end of the week you will get 5 euros back....you only need to swipe the points passes
hannah
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thankshannah34 and Clive grateful for the help.
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Just bouncing this back up for any instructor advice - thanks
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hi mark
my suggestion is to ski together in the morning and both of you take one to one private tuition in the afternoon....3 or 4 lessons that way will get your SO very confidently skiing most of the pistes....private tuition is not very often given in the morning as they are tied up with ski school....in my opinion after 3 weeks of skiing your SO would go backwards going into ski school as the groups they are put in tend to have very mixed abilities....it will also work out cheaper than ski school and you will not be tied to lessons and times
hannah
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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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Once again, many thanks hannah34 - good tip regarding time of day for lessons. One to Ones have always been the way forward for me 
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