 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
I'm in the process of planning next year's ski trip, which is likely to be for the last week in March. As usual I've been given strict criteria by my very nervous other half. I need to find somewhere that has:
very easy skiing
empty slopes
not too many chair lifts (T-bars are OK, oddly)
a pretty village/town
reasonably good snow. I don't think we're looking for a glacier necessarily, as that might be crowded. We'd like to try cross country, so some reasonably snow sure loipe would be good.
Any ideas? I'm leaning towards Norway, but I'm not sure about the attractiveness of the ski resorts there. Some of them look a bit untidy/functional. I've been looking all over europe - here are some places that I've come up with:
Tromso (not sure about the easiness of the downhill ski-ing at Kroken - I can't find a map!)
Hemsedal (does it get crowded?)
Geilo (does it ming?)
Voss (does it ming?)
Trysil (ming?)
Are (does it get crowded?)
Salen (the tourist office seems to have a complex about the lack of dramatic scenery)
Yllas (is/was it a real village or a resort?)
Colfosco (looks promising, but I'm worried about crowds)
Meiringen
Bettmeralp
St Luc/Chandolin
Pitztal
Zell Am See (though I don't expect cross country at that time of year)
(France not allowed for some reason)
If anyone's been to any of these places I'd love to know what you think! Any suggestions gratefully received.
The most important things is easy skiing.
Many thanks!
Liam
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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 know the perfect place but it's in France, so no good!!
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lrx28, I've been to Geilo:-
does it ming? - not really, but
a pretty village/town - not really it's functional
very easy skiing - yes nothing too long or steep
empty slopes - pretty quiet when I was there
not too many chair lifts (T-bars are OK, oddly) - mostly chairs with a few drags
reasonably good snow - I think it's pretty safe as it's so far north but low
We'd like to try cross country - cross country is catered for although I didn't try 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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Another thought - lots of places have pathetic little flat cross country circuits down in the valley, at low altitude. Not likely to be too good at end of March, and even if there is snow, not a lot of fun. For decent cross country you need lessons; it's harder than you think!! I'm a fairly competent downhill skier, but found it extremely hard (much harder than snowboarding, for example) and I didn't think my alpine skills helped much at all.
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I would suggest Murren, Switzerland .....as its ticks all the required boxes but like all other resorts it has chairlifts
Take a look thou - http://www.muerren.ch
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No "very easy" slopes will be "empty" at any time of season really, as that's where all the schooling will be going on.
Disallowing France for an unstated reason is peculiar, since that's where you will predominantly find slopes marked as green which is a really good psychological cushion for nervous beginners (was for me at that stage anyway).
So I'm going to ignore the 'no France' thing, because it's silly - sorry 
Try Alpe d'Huez. It won't be terribly busy in late March, and the huge expanse of genuinely green terrain (served by gondola or drag lift - not chair) is unrivalled. There's so much there that a rank amateur can feel as if they actually have a resort to play in, rather than feel relegated to some miserable 'beginners area'. The town is no beauty, but you can't have everything. If the most important thing is easy skiing, AdH is a good choice.
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paulio, If you are going to suggest somewhere in France then the resort that pam_w has in mind would be better.
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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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Blimey! What a quick response. Thanks for the info so far.
Liam
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Actually yeah. lrx28, you should definitely go to the one pam_w has in mind.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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come on pam_w - which resort?! I'm intrigued.
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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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pam w,
Yes but you must admit La Rosiere does get quiet busy. 
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Seefeld, AT
very easy skiing - check
empty slopes - check
not too many chair lifts (T-bars are OK, oddly), - check
a pretty village/town - check, check, check
reasonably good snow. I don't think we're looking for a glacier necessarily, as that might be crowded. We'd like to try cross country, so some reasonably snow sure loipe would be good. - check
Seefeld is possibly the top xc resort in the Alps. They have plenty of snowmaking for the xc, so you're pretty well snow-sure on that. The downhill skiing is pretty tame, but that sounds like what you are looking for. It even seems to fit the bill on lack of chairlifts (they have a funicular, a couple cable cars and some drag lifts).
Truth be told, though, cross country skiing in the last week of March could be hit or miss anywhere, because the bulk of the trails are in the valley. Many resorts will advertise high altitude trails, but they are rarely more than a short couple of kms.
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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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DB, Les Saisies has 140km at that altitude.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Les Saisies has 140km at that altitude.
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Plus very easy skiing (in Les Saisies itself, as opposed to the rest of the Espace Diamant which is more challenging), very quiet slopes, pretty village, great scenery, superb snow record. Got a few chairlifts, though. But also quite a bit of skiing you can do on drags (buttons, not T bars) if you prefer. Mais, tant pis, c'est la 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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I think Les Saisies could be the new La Rosiere.
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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 love the look of Les Saises. The only problem with France (apart from my partner's unreasonable dislike of french ski resorts which is based on one week in Les Angles) is that we're probably going to make this a six night trip. Perhaps I should have mentioned this before! If it's reasonably priced I suppose we could pay for a week and just leave a day early....
Seefeld has piqued my interest as well. I didn't know it was at such a respectable altitude. Is it a bit dripping in fur 'n' gold? I'm not that classy.
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| DB wrote: |
| I think Les Saisies could be the new La Rosiere. |
I hope not, I've only just learnt how to spell La Rosiere 
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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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| lrx28 wrote: |
I love the look of Les Saises. The only problem with France (apart from my partner's unreasonable dislike of french ski resorts which is based on one week in Les Angles) is that we're probably going to make this a six night trip. Perhaps I should have mentioned this before! If it's reasonably priced I suppose we could pay for a week and just leave a day early....
Seefeld has piqued my interest as well. I didn't know it was at such a respectable altitude. Is it a bit dripping in fur 'n' gold? I'm not that classy. |
Affirmative on the fur and gold. But here's a tip: stay in Mittenwald across the border in Germany. It's a very short train ride to Seefeld, it's MUCH cheaper, and it's a more down-to-Earth Bavarian town. If you're lucky there will also be plenty of cross country trails open in Mittenwald as well (they connect with those in Seefeld), although at that time of year I wouldn't count on it.
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Pam_W - How about Crest Voland?
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Thanks for the tip ami_in_berlin! I love this site.
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| lrx28 wrote: |
Geilo (does it ming?)
Are (does it get crowded?)
Yllas (is/was it a real village or a resort?) |
Out of the above IMHO Ylläs (Äkäslompolo) is the one with the easiest slopes. We didn't ski from Ylläs itself.
In Äkäslompolo there is not much of a "pretty village", most of the accommodation is set back in the woods, leaving only a few shops and things visible from the "main" road (I like it but it's not what I would consider a "chocolate box" village). Ylläs was being expanded quite considerably, mostly in a Nordic style but (from our brief view) it looked very modern. Geilo and Åre are larger places. However, Duved is often thought of as part of the Åre in tour operators brochures but is a very small place with only two or three restaurants. Geilo has the non-skiing option of a trip on the Flåm railway, if that is of interest. I'm sorry but I can't quite work out what you mean by "ming" in this context  .
Drag lifts (either button or T-bar) seem very common in all three but I guess they are gradually getting replaced. We've never really found any of them especially crowded.
They all have cross country skiing that is likely to be open in March. Also probably dog-sledding and maybe reindeer and horse riding if that is of interest.
Levi (in Finland) is another choice that is similar. Although IMO the skiing is not quite as easy and the resort is again a town, but that may be what you want.
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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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Crest Voland is linked to Les Saisies. It's lower, so a bit less snow sure, but otherwise mostly fits the bill and has the advantage of some tree-lined pistes, good in poor vis. It's a bit of a straggling village though; Les Saisies is more compact. I don't know Les Angles; what was so wrong with it as to put your partner off an entire country, and the one visited by more tourists than anywhere else in the world?
Which 6 nights? And which dates? The Easter school hols, which are all over the place this year, could complicate many late March dates.
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Try Bessans a large high altitude x-c ski area with downhill skiing available next door at Bonneval or Val Cenis ,i do fancy Les Saisies but all the accommadation is way too dear for my budget during school holidays ,two other resorts i am looking at are Villard des Lans or Chamrosse so if anyone been to Villard please let us know your thoughts on it,BTW both my sons love cross country and both race alpine slalom etc
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Pam_w, Les Angles is a smallish resort in the French Pyrenees near Font Romeu. It's got 40km of rather easy but fun ski-ing, and some lovely cross country. This was my partner's first time skiing in France. The resort has been developed somewhat unsympathetically, but it does retain a rather nice old village. I thought it was alright personally, but not great. We were unlucky in that the weather was FOUL for the most part (90 mph winds), so bad in fact that it made the news. I don't think my partner was all that keen on the French skiing children culture either (we made the mistake of going at half term). Obviously none of this justifies discounting an entire country, however, since my partner's a reluctant skier as it is I have to try and go along with all his whimsical requests otherwise I'm on my own! I have to pick my battles. Personally France would be my first choice as I learnt to ski there (Argentiere). You're right in that Les Saisies/Crest Voland tick my boxes quite nicely. I just need to work on my pitch!
We'd be looking at arriving on the 28th of March. Like I say I would consider paying for 7 nights but leaving after six if the price is reasonable. this doesn't usually present any problems does it? Can't think why it would...
Thanks again! Liam
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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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lrx28, go to Wengen. You can ski and your other half cn play on the nursery slope, admire the scenery, and ride on the trains
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lrx28, nowhere's nice if you get bad weather. There wouldn't be any problem leaving an apartment on Friday rather than Saturday, I'm sure. Your timing should be quite good from the point of view of crowds, though it's a bit late to go to a lower altitude resort. Quality of instruction is the make or break for reluctant skiers. LS is not ideal for group lessons unless you speak reasonable French, but there's good value private tuition available. tomf, where have you looked? I'd be surprised if LS was very much more expensive than other small French resorts - there is some more upmarket accommodation, but also a fair number of more basic apartments. But there are no bargains at half term, sadly, if that's when you have to go. As for cross country, there are some knowledgeable in the sport who reckon it's better than Seefeld. I wouldn't know; I've never been to Seefeld and I can only do the easy cross country trails in Les Saisies. 
see for example http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Rec/rec.skiing.nordic/2006-03/msg00749.html
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You know it makes sense.
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Have some lateral thought. End of March is peak season in the Cairngorms. Lots of skiing options, XC & downhill. Almost no chairlifts, absolutely no french! This means days of blue sky & sun with empty pistes during the week. Weekends can be a bit busy (but that won't matter to you).
You shouldn't stay in Aviemore with its (thankfully diminishing) 60s monstrosities. But with a car, stay in Nethybridge (gorgeous), Carrbridge (direct by train) or Boat or even Grantown, 3 separate downhill centres (>50 lifts between the 3, how many do you want) - all good for beginners, all within 45mins drive. Little chance of straying into any steeps (the steep ski centres are out West). At least 4 or 5 XC areas within 30mins. Cheaper, quicker, easier & everyone speaks English.
Don't need to mention skiing until you get here, she won't consider it either! Just look dumbfounded that this pesky white stuff is everywhere 'but if it's here, might as well use it, here's a nice instructor who won't say bend ze knees' . You won't even need Euros and can get a decent pint. You don't believe me... look at this, April this year, on a Sunday, you can (just about) see a few skiers. A week earlier it was even better:
http://picasaweb.google.com/neil2829/CairnGorm20thApril/photo#5191470302871386898
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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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Geilo did not ming for my daughter. Great cross-country and beginner /intermediate skiing. It is expensive to eat out or drink, but other costs are not too bad. Long transfers though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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This means days of blue sky & sun
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A brave statement...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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This week, yet again, I have returned from a long weekend visiting the folks... with sunburn. I checked the met office weather on the internet while I was up there. My parents have an all singing all dancing weatherstation in the back garden. They live 16 miles from Aberdeen. I shall compare. The met office said Aberdeen reached a max 17C over w/e & was cloudy & rainy. My parents system said we hit 29C on Sat am. Then we had a proper tropical style rainstorm for about 2hrs. Then the sun came out again. It reached 23C on Sun pm & 22C on Mon am & my forehead has only just about stopped hurting from sunburn. It was really hot, again. 17C, my back bottom! Yet again my experience & what is punted to the RTW are miles apart. This is typical of my experience since I moved to that house in Jan 1982 (there was 3ft of snow on the drive, it's one of my first memories).
Before I went to university I went skiing at these places often. At university I ended up doing other sports and I hardly skied for 10 years. I was fed up with scottish skiing because of the crowds (not the poor snow). The crowds are now (mostly) gone (to the Alps). We have decent places to ski urgently in need of custom. The pound has fallen in value, air fares are up, train fares are (slightly) better value & the service is (slightly again) better. There are many more air services to Inverness (only 40 miles of good A road from Aviemore) now.
If you want to compare Scottish skiing to the 3V or ValD/Tignes or a big Austrian resort then: yes - absolutely...nothing like it. Nowhere can you get on lift after lift & arrive at some nice cabin for lunch then peruse the map & plan a route home, then get changed & hit restaurant then bar. But you don't do that much as a beginner. More normally you fall over & start hurting+++. There is a morale boost in being able to see your car & a nice warm cafe just below you when you are completely fed up. Then you want a hug and friendly banter. That's what these places are like: very high carparks (530-630m), 'interesting' access roads, short slopes, friendly attitude. The weather in the Northeast is regularly better than you think it would be, and it gets good snow. Scottish skiers need more people at our ski centres, especially midweek, otherwise these places will not get better infrastructure and some might even close. That would be very disappointing.
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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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Bullox bloomin' SH's. I said AARRSSEE (not fudgin back bottom)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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what...snow,  I have nothing against Scottish skiing; in fact I've done it, when I lived in Scotland. However, the fact remains that to tell someone they "will have" blue skies and sunshine even a week ahead, let alone many months ahead, in any climate as changeable as that of Scotland (or the Alps) is either a "brave statement" or complete rubbish, depending on your point of view. I, unlike you, was being polite.
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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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Stranda, Norway
very easy skiing - check and some excellent advanced too
empty slopes - check
not too many chair lifts (T-bars are OK, oddly) - check. all t-bars
a pretty village/town - check. right on the fjord
reasonably good snow. I don't think we're looking for a glacier necessarily, as that might be crowded. We'd like to try cross country, so some reasonably snow sure loipe would be good - check
http://www.strandafjellet.no/Sider08/default.asp?lang=eng
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Thanks Mike_Pow. I've actually considered Stranda already. The slopes look perfect. The only problem is we'll be relying on public transport! According to their site buses from Stranda are few and far between. Have you any experience of this?
Liam
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www.altabadia.com - Beautiful mountains in the Dolomites. Armentarola (next to San Cassiano) have fantastic cross country skiing, lots of nice blues for those that don't want a challenge, plenty of more challenging stuff for those who do. Near to Corvara (next village) but much quieter.
Other than the cross country though, there're very few t-bars - it's mainly gondolas and chair lifts (except the small nursery slope at Armentarola is still a drag lift!).
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pam w,
I'm still not sure why you think I've been rude but since you do, sorry.
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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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| Quote: |
Bullox bloomin' SH's. I said AARRSSEE (not fudgin back bottom)
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Fair enough. I apologize for saying a rude word. I was reading a (political) blog littered with naughty words at the same time & got caught up in that sort of language. Must try harder. Have slapped my own hand.
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