 Poster: A snowHead
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Sorry my first post has to be looking for help, but i could really do with some advice on resorts. Im looking to go for a week next mid-january with a group of about 8, mostly skiiers and a few boarders, all pretty competent. Weve been researching possible trips with tour operators( as this is our first time booking our own trip, and noone is adventurous enough to take on the responsiblity of a DIY!). Our main priorities are lots of nice reds and the occasional testing black, we do put in some reasonably heavy mileage so thats a factor too, and although were very ordinary off piste skiiers we would like the opportunity for some easy stuff to try and progress a bit(with a guide), but thats not vital. Our buget is about 750-800 pounds each.
Some of the options were looking at are: Les Arcs 1950, Val thorens, Tignes, all in self catering apartments, and possibly zermatt or gressoney, but any other suggestions would be much appreciated! (not la rosiere thou!  )
Again sorry for the slightly self serving first post, i know you must be inundated with this kind of thing, but id be extremely grateful for any help on resorts accomodation or tour operators! As you can appreciate organising a trip for the first time is a fairly daunting task!
James.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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jms, Welcome to  .. enjoy the asylum.
The volume of posts may cause you to receive few replies ( I hope not) .. so perhaps do a 'search' on the word 'groups'. This question or similar has been asked a few times.
My own (uninformed) observations:-
- Your budget is high-end, the world's your oyster
- You're travelling when prices will be at their cheapest --- take advantage of that
- You're going DIY so pick a resort first .. you can afford them all. Then research apartments via the resort's website.
- Lower resorts will suit mid-Jan .. some of the higher ones may be very cold and wind-affected ( if like this year)
- Dont forget Austrai and Switzerland .. places like Ischgl get good reports here for your skiing standard.
- You're doing DIY so avoid TOs ...
Good Luck, Im sure others will assist more
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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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jms, davos fits the bill... can you fly from London City?
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agenterre, thank you very much for your quick reply and welcome!
red27, yes but probably at extra expense, and hassle. I probably should have mentioned were irish!
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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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St Anton?
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yes have thought about st. anton, but the lack of affordable accomodation(apartments, cheap hotels) and the dear flights tip it over our budget. It seems hard to justify spending 300 euro (sorry i dont know what that is in pounds!) more on st. anton, than some of the mega french resorts. But that could be ignorance talking, as Ive only ever skiied italy, and dont know anything bar what ive read in brochures and online.
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jms - dear flights to St Anton? Ususally Friedrichshafen, Innsbruck and Salzburg are far cheaper than Geneva or Grenoble.
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maybe! Pretty much limited to flying out of dublin or cork though, and I was thinking in relation to tour companies, in specific crystal, who charge extra for flights to austria from ireland.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Try a hotel Garni in lech or Ischgl, if you go throught he resort websites you can get decent places for 650 Euro for 2 BandB. or even cheaper Both are easy to get to, should have good snow and are big enough to satisty. They are also very nice places!
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Thank you very much! I will investigate, but I may have phrased my first post misleadingly: Were very reluctant to go DIY, as this is the first trip that were attempting to organise, all others have been with parents, schools, etc. Im extremely dubious about takeing on the responsiblity of organising everything, and would much prefer to go with a tour operator. I could be way out with that though, I dont know. Is it very easy go DIY, bearing in mind hiring a car isnt an option?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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You mentioned Arcs 1950, don't be put off by what you may of heard about Arcs 2000. We have stopped in Hotel Augllle Rouge in 2000 quite a few times and would highly recommend the place. It really is ski in/out and your budget would definitely cover it, but instead of apartment you would have good quality half board.
If you want to go down to 1950 in the evening, you can via a short pedestrian lift, but you won't stay there.
If you have never organised DIY for a group before, I for one do not blame you for going with T.O.
If you are going mid Jan you would almost definitely be able to grab a last minute bargain for around £300 (Hotel H.B.) if you were flying from mainland UK, not sure about Ireland though.
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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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I was actually quite taken with the idea of arc 2000, but some of the less diehard amongst us seemed very pleased with the sound of arc 1950. As it turns out arc 1950 is working out at about 800 euro including lift passes and ski hire which seems quite reasonable. But whats it like as a base? Id love to here peoples opinions of val thorens and tignes too if anyone could help?
I also had considered waiting until the last minute deals come out, but it seems a little risky with a largeish group.
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jms, late booking in mid Jan. You will get some great late catered deals. Try a chalet holiday, they can be ace with the right company.
£300 tops.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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jms, I'm in a similar boat to yourself, albeit with a smaller budget and a more mixed group. One of the places we've been looking into is Davos-Klosters in Switzerland, which you never seem to hear much of over here. It has 305km of piste spread out over six mountains linked by bus and lift, the large majority of which are reds and blacks. Davos is a bona fide small city, Klosters more of a village. There are various apartments available in Klosters in the range of £100-150 pp/pw which I thought was an excellent price, plus there are flights from Dublin-Zurich in the £120 area which connect direct to Davos via the famously reliable Swiss railway network Ski pass comes to about £151 for 6 days, which is fairly reasonable for the sheer quantity of skiable terrain. Hope this helps!
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Poster: A snowHead
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jms, don't think you'd go far wrong with Val Thorens. You've got a good mix of local slopes and if you're mileage hungry you've got the rest of the 3 valleys to play with and your budget would easily cover the pass for that. Very high so could be pretty cold min Jan but tis a great resort, lots on here about VT if you do a few searches. I did cheap appartment DIY there but you have whole range of appartments to nicer hotels and lots of TOs go there.
Wish I was going there mid Jan 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| jms wrote: |
| As it turns out arc 1950 is working out at about 800 euro including lift passes and ski hire which seems quite reasonable. But whats it like as a base? |
From a skiing point of view it couldn't be better. All the accommodation is ski in/ski out, and it serves extensive intermediate terrain with a wide choice of reds and blues, plus a nice selection of blacks to tempt you. The lift network is reasonable modern in Les Arcs, with just a few very slow chairlifts. In mid-January lift queues are non-existent. If you want to travel a long distance you (hopefully) will have the option to head across to La Plagne, either on a day's extension to your Les Arcs pass or with the full Paradiski pass for the week. From Arc 1950 it is one chairlift and about a 30 minute ski/ride to get to the Vanoise Express (the lift linking the two resorts). If any of your group wants ski or boarding lessons the ski school in Arc 1950, called Spirit 1950, has a good reputation. As a high altitude resort with extensive snow-making facilities Les Arcs is as snow-sure as you can hope for at that time of year. Les Arcs has a large amount of tree-lined skiing for a high altitude resort, which is useful if the weather closes in.
The accommodation in Arc 1950 is spacious by French standards, finished to a high standard and very comfortable. There are good facilities including outdoor pools and spas in most of the accommodation, and I think it is possible to use the facilities in other buildings (but check this if it might be useful for you). Apres-ski facilities are relatively low key - if you want a big party town this most certainly isn't it. There is one club which runs until the early hours, and a choice of a few bars, restaurants and cafes. These are all very close together in a pedestrian centre, with nothing being more than a couple of minutes walk from anywhere else. You also have the facilities of Arc 2000 which are a short ride away on the cablecar which links the two villages (this stays open in the evening). As Arc 1950 is a newly created village it does not have any traditional alpine charm, although to my eyes at least is considerably more attractive than any other purpose built resort I've visited. So if being in a traditional village is important to you this isn't the right place for your trip, although I'm guessing from your shortlist that it isn't an important consideration.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 20-05-08 7:51; 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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| jms wrote: |
| Is it very easy go DIY, bearing in mind hiring a car isnt an option? |
The hardest part about going DIY is the transfer from the airport to your resort, especially if you don't want to hire a car. You could organise a private minibus if you have a group of 8, with a number of companies offering that service to the French resorts you've been looking at (and I presume the others?). You can also use some of the scheduled coach services (see here for example). Booking flights and accommodation is pretty straightforward, and for me the in-resort services that Tour Operators offer have never been useful. Although it can sometimes be difficult to compete with the TOs on price alone I prefer to have control over all elements of my trip and mostly think I get better value-for-money if I DIY.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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SurferRosa_, bear in mind that Davos-Klosters won't be cheap once you're there!!
jms, if you look at Austria or Switzerland, many of the resorts can be transferred to easily by train/bus.....so car hire wouldn't be needed.
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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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jms, Welcome to 's! We have been going DIY ex Ireland for 15 years now. In the past there was not the choice from the TO's ex Ireland. PM me if you have a specific resort in mind, chances are from the list mentioned we have done that route.
I would prefer not go with a TO on a ski holiday anymore, mainly becauase,
-You do not get the best choices of hotels and if you do they do not always have full allocation for a large group. IME the bigger TO's have about 5 rooms in the the hotels they feature unless of course they are chalets or chalet hotels they own.
-You dont need the help of a rep to find good bars/restaurants!
-You have your pick of ski shops and get a better deal as you are not paying a shop to give a commission to your friendly operator!
-The Bus/Taxi is waiting for you at airport and you leave not having to wait around for that inevitable delayed flight from Southampton international!
Do not be scared about doing it, it is a easy!
BTW where are you based?
It not always cheaper, but often it is.
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I organised a trip to ADH last year and am doing another this year and have Val Thorens and Les Arcs on our shortlist. We really liked ADH but have done it for two years so thinking about somewhere different. I could thoroughly recommend ADH for a mixed ability adult group. 8 is a good number for a Chalet.
One problem with groups is appealing to a wide range of budgets, so I took the view that if we could get better value on the accommodation then the party would feel less thrifty eating and drinking!
Late January/Early Feb is a good time for adult groups imo
I would advocate hanging on until November/early December to see what deals are on offer, we got a 4* catered chalet incl. flights and transfers at GBP360/head, the following week was GBP 700/head, no complaints and a GBP 50/head refund cos the jacuzzi wasn't working! Through Thompson.
The plan this year is to have a resort short list and maximum agreed budget and book early December for a late Jan/early Feb trip.
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Val d'Isere, Zermatt or St Anton should cover it.
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jms, Why not Portes du soleil? Ticks all the boxes. Esp. Avoriaz - central location, many apartments, reasonably straightforward transfer, reasonably high, huge mileage, gentle off-piste, busy nightlife.
Grand Massif also worthy of consideration.
Gressoney - while an excellent ski mountaineering destination - (if as in recent years) often has to rely on it's snow cannons, doesn't have huge mileage, village(s) is very, very quiet, may not have a T.O. operating to it... I don't see why it would be on your shortlist.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Ok! thank you all so much, never anticipated theis level of response!
Roy Hockley, were all based in or around limerick city, so obviously wed be delighted if we could fly out of shannon!
David Murdoch,
Portes du soleil sounds resonably good, but was somewhat put off after reading about poor snow cover..
We were looking into Gressoney, as crystal were giving pretty good prices, and we quite like italy.
Which Grand Massif resort would you reccomend? Whats Flaine like?
Just on a general note were really not bothered by the night life, theres 8 of us, all very good friends, so we should be able to make our own fun wherever we are!
Very taken with Zermatt, but ive heard its very expensive, and haveing a hard time convincing anyone to pay 200 euro more to got to zermatt than to any number of huge french resorts.Is it really worth it?
Id love to wait for a late deal, but unfortunately with a group of 8 it doesnt seem practical, people wouldnt have that sort of cash ready on short notice, and would have spent it if they were saving! The most practical thing to do is to book, and then people have to save or risk losing deposits.
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jms, "poor snow cover". Hmmm. That'll be the popular press then. PDS gets massively better snow than Gressoney/Monterosa. At least in the last 8 years that I've been checking (I could talk about the PDS over the last 20 years...).
Sure, Morzine village is not ever going to be snow sure. But who cares? If you can't ski in Avoriaz/higher PDS links, you'll have problems across all the Northern French Alps. Yes I know VT, Vd'I, Tignes, Grands Montets are higher - but you aren't looking for a Glacier skiing holiday - you're looking for a skiing holiday. As said before height is not the only factor in the equation.
Flaine is not very pretty and I've never stayed there. Samoens or Les Carroz probably a better bet. I would (of course) recommend Chamonix as well 
I wouldn't leave it too late to book.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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haha..yes that would be the popular press. Ive more sense than to go by that though. Chamonix you say? How would that be for a group who would not all be comfortable skiing tough terrain? So many resorts out there, its so hard to pick one!
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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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jms,
Val T, Tignes and Les Arcs are all pretty snow sure and all fairly unattractive resorts IMO ( This does not apply to 1950 which I have not seen) They all have very snow sure skiing and none are cheap. Out of them I would go for Les Arcs as the views are better and it has a fair amount of wooded skiing in the domain.
If you are looking for other suggestions how about Flims? It is a low resort with some fairly high skiing and even a small glacier. There is plenty of tree lined stuff lower down. The skiing is fairly much as you describe and from memory it has some 'free ride areas' Which can give you a taste of off piste without having to hire a guide to be avalanche safe. (I would check on this as it is a while since I went and these situations change) . The resort is reasonably easily reached from Zurich by a short train journey and a connecting bus.
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| T Bar wrote: |
jms,
Val T, Tignes and Les Arcs are all pretty snow sure and all fairly unattractive resorts IMO ( This does not apply to 1950 which I have not seen) They all have very snow sure skiing and none are cheap. Out of them I would go for Les Arcs as the views are better and it has a fair amount of wooded skiing in the domain.
If you are looking for other suggestions how about Flims? It is a low resort with some fairly high skiing and even a small glacier. There is plenty of tree lined stuff lower down. The skiing is fairly much as you describe and from memory it has some 'free ride areas' Which can give you a taste of off piste without having to hire a guide to be avalanche safe. (I would check on this as it is a while since I went and these situations change) . The resort is reasonably easily reached from Zurich by a short train journey and a connecting bus. |
Films/Laax does sound like a good choice based on your requirements. You can fly to Friedrichschafen which is the same distance from the resort, which would make it alot cheaper than going to the popular french airports/resorts.
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You know it makes sense.
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jms, Chamonix has a rather unusual reputation. Yes, you can ski the wildest possible stuff, but the piste skiing seems to have suited two winters of our guests (including a couple of groups of absolute beginners). The on-piste skiing is just not as difficult as reputed. Most of the skiing is above 2,000m which helps too.
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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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Saalbach worth a look. Loads of very pleasant skiing. Nothing too extreme, but there are a few blacks. Possible to do a stress free day trip to Zell am See as well.
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Poster: A snowHead
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David Murdoch,
what about convenience? could that be an issue for a group? i know its not ski in ski out, and thats not a problem, but would it be difficult to get around?
o and one more question..how hard is the valee blanche ? aside from the difficulties of the arete, and the obvious dangers of a glacier, and the necessity for a guide. Is it doable or an experts only?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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jms, welcome... 20+ replies in less than 24 hours is pretty impressive huh... rock!
Having organised three DIY trips... you're at an advantage with 8 in your group... it means a private transfer should be no more than about 50 euro pp return (depending on where you go), it will pick you up from direct from your flight (no waiting around for coaches etc) and also pick you up at your convenience not theirs. We booked our last trip accommodation in Avoriaz with Erna Low and they have quite a wide selection of properties all over the alps. Then you just need your flights... internet is a dream for that these days try www.flight.co.uk but remember to book the actual flights direct to save some pennies or in your case cents. Avoriaz would meet your needs for sure, but if the "low" PDS worries you then others will provide plenty of other ideas!
Finally you can pre-book your ski passes and ski hire, but usually it's no more expensive to take your pick when you arrive in resort.
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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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jms,
Vallee Blanche may not be open in January ( or at least guides may not want to take you down it is never officially open or closed) as the crevasses need a lot of snow. Aside from that the skiing itself is straightforward.
As for convenience it is not something that bothers me but if convenience is important to you Chamonix is probably not the right place particularly if you don't want to have a car. Great place though and a 'must do resort'.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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ok! i would think at least 3 of us would love to do the valee blanche, but wed get over it if we couldnt! convenience not all that important, the skiings the thing! How does chamonix rate against somewhere like zermatt? Im beginning to like the sound of it..
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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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jms, We did Shannon - Milan Bergamo and on to Selva this year. PdS as David Murdoch, said is a good idea. We have a place in Avoriaz and convenience is the name of the game. From front door of apartment to ski locker to piste 5Meters!!!
This could be a reasonable cost for your group, not as pretty as Selva or Zermatt but far more convenient. IME other places in the PdS should not be a problem with snow at that time of the year, of course you can never guarentee it. However that is why I took the insurance and bought up at 1800M.
Do not wait for a late deal, with 8 of you it will be highly unlikely. Better off getting flights to whichever airport you think will service the best choices for you. If hotel book directly fairly early. If apartments are appealing you can leave that until about a month before. The agencies if they have not got bookings may panic. However we find that once the apartments are put on the market (around Sept. in our case) they go quite quickly. But you should get something for about €600 a week that for 4 persons sharing, and I do not mean a 4 person apartment, bearing in mind the French sense of humour in relation to space per person!!!!
This is a good site and you will get a lot of advice here, no doubt you are finding this out with your post.
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yep, thank you all so much!
right..what advanatages does avoriaz have over somewhere like tignes, val thorens, flaine, les arcs or la plagne? And im talking skiing here, cos that is the single most important factor,as we will be able to find apartments in any of the resorts to suit, even with a TO, and were not picky, so well get over long transfers or waiting around!
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jms, Access both from Geveva and location to pistes, you will not need to walk from apartment / hotel to the slopes re Tgnes, Flaine, Traffic free resort. Skiing wise they are about the same IMO. Val Thorens is naturally higher but sometimes that can be a problem with winds etc. Any of the places mentioned have good skiing and you will be spoilt for choice and variety in any of the places.
If doing apartment as opposed to hotel, do the DIY option as it will probably be about half the price! For the same accomodation. Quite a rip off when it comes to apartments!!
Hotels and chalets may not neccessarily be so much cheaper with a DIY option.
Alas Shannon do not give so many options, it might have to be Dublin or Snn - Gatwick/Stansted/Luton and then on. Done this route many times but make sure you have time in hand. Use Shannon for Italy and Chamonix, but when going out of the country it is easier and cheaper to hire a car rather than taxi.
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I'd go for Val d'Isere/ Tignes, or Les Arcs: They have lots of good skiing. Val d'Isere is less ugly (it has many chalet style buildings and an old church while Tignes is big modern blocks but possibly a bit more convenient.
Les Arcs is very convenient - with some tough Blacks mixed in. However the good off piste at Les Arcs mostly needs a guide and much of it is difficult. Arc 1950/2000 is rather marooned in the bleak high mountain and may not have much Apres Ski (but I'm rather out of date) but is right in the middle of some of the best skiing,
Tignes/Val d'Isere has loads of off piste and lots of guided groups you can join off-piste (try Alpine Experience at Val). Lots of good reds. The proportion of black runs is actually quite low, though there are enough because it is such a huge place.
La Plagne has almost nothing in the way of tough pistes though the off piste is very good - a good place to learn I'd guess.
Chamonix you need to take buses to the various sub-resorts along the valley. Of these Argentierre has the best skiing, though none of it is easy, The Vallee Blanche is something to do once if it is open (but with a guide because of cravasses)- it is spectacular but the main route is easy. The main town is a proper nice, small French town, not a modern purpose built resort. Personally I wouldn't think it was the best for you - but somewhere to go if you get good at the off piste.
St Anton is more expensive but if you don't mind using the ski buses to get to the skiing there are slightly cheaper places to stay in outlying Villages. Wonderful skiing on and off piste, though perhaps not so good for beginners. Possibly my favourite resort but the price might count it out for your group.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Hi, I'm new to SH's and have been reading threads to try and get an idea of where to ski in France this year. Looking for reasonably priced self-catering for 4 adults, ski-in/ski-out if poss with snow Christmas week. Need comfy reds and blues for a mixed group and easy going apres ski. Any suggestions please?
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judaz, i'm not sure "reasonably priced"+"snow"+"Christmas week" are easy to find... but others may know some secret spots...
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FAQ
