 Poster: A snowHead
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Thinking of going to Cervinia for New Year's skiing... At this stage, after much message board checking and chats with various ski fan friends - not to mention serious consideration of budget - we have narrowed the search to Sauze d'Oulx, Les Arcs and Cervinia. We're a group of improving beginners in search of nice, confidence-building, snowy wide pistes... Any advice on how to choose between these three???
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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wkndtripper,
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nice, confidence-building, snowy wide pistes...
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Don't know about the other places, but this is exactly what Cervinia is best for!
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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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in search of nice, confidence-building, snowy wide pistes...
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I know a relative beginner (few lessons on the dry slope) who found Sauze D'Oulx totally unsuitable last January. He was a competent snowplougher on the nursery slope but could find no runs less than terrifying/steep as soon as he left the said nursery slope.
Even with an instructor he went to pieces and spent a sad week going up and down the kids travellator thingy...... 
I agree re. Cervinia but think that maybe Les Arcs has better, more gentle confidence building runs? (eg round the mid station of the Transarc above 1800, above 1600 and above 2000). Plus plenty of harder stuff to progress to.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hi wkndtripper, never been to Les Arcs, but I definitely agree that Cervinia is gentler than Sauze D'Oulx. I thought the pistes were wider and just easier to navigate in Cervinia too - I managed it fine back in the days when I was a snowplougher. The snow was better too, but that's not a given I suppose.
Some of the more experienced in my party were complaining that Cervinia didn't have enough of the difficult slopes for them - we couln't get over to Zermatt because of too much snow! But if you find yourselves progessing, you should be able to get to Zermatt.
Hope you have a great time whatever you decide.
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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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wkndtripper, it's been a very long time since I was in Cervina so I can't really remember it well enough to compare, but I do think that Les Arcs has lots of terrain suitable for improving beginners. Perhaps as important as choice of resort is choice of ski school, and there a couple of well regarded ones in Les Arcs. The Brit-run New Generation is based in Vallandry, one of the lower Les Arcs villages, while Spirit 1950 is based in Arc 1950. Both these villages offer lots of gentle, wide piste skiing on the doorstep. Any of the Les Arcs villages would be a good base for improving beginners, perhaps with the exception of Villaroger.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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wkndtripper, the suggestion from rob@rar that you ought also to consider the availability of high quality tuition is spot on. Les Arcs sounds good.
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At New Year you should also consider the lift infrastructure and the general busyness of the resort... As a nervous beginner you dont want to be on a stupidly crowded run, and no one likes to queue all day... Mind you, im afraid i cant comment on these resorts but maybe someone else can.
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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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Les Arcs 1800.
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We were in Cervinia about 10 years ago . we loved it , great snow and good beginner runs and short transfer, the only downside was we did not like the Italian instructor ...that may have been just the luck of the draw .
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Went to Sauze d'Oulx and Cervina (twice) last season. My mate came, that was a total beginner, and loved it in Cervinia. The snow was good mind. He got private lessons and the instructor that was called Angus (English parents but brought up in Italy). I have his email address somewhere if you are interested as he runs a school there and had my mate up and down the pistes after a few hours. His brother owns the pub there called the Dragon and Thistle I think. My mate came to Sauze d'Oulx with me and my mates again and preferred Cervinia with it nice wide rolling runs. Personally I would not go near Sauze d'Oulx as lot's of drunken yobbo's there, plus the snow was no good when we went as well. Went skiing with my wife and kids to Cervinia again and my wife, who had about 10 days under her belt, loved Cervina. Her favourite is still Le Thuile as that has excellent wide pistes. In the evening La Thuile is dead as a door nail, so not for me. Lessons are a lot cheaper in Cervina, that was also mentioned in last Sundays Times supplement. On the drinks front (Very important for me) we found quite a few bars doing happy hour in Cervinia with 2 beers for one at 4.5 euros per pint for the two until 6:30pm or 7pm I think. Cannot comment on Les Arcs as not been there, but would like to go. Problem I have in French resorts is the cost of beers... But don't let that put you off!!! Hahhaha 
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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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wkndtripper, if you're user name means what it sounds like then Les Arcs is no place for a 'wknd'.
Cervinia is a cracking resort... great for beginners, snow sure early in the season, and experts can drop over in Zermatt should they feel the need for a bit of dark Swiss Austerity.
Sauze's lift system is creaking I'm told - sorely needs some investment....
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I agree with red 27 Cervinia is good for beginners and it's really near Swiss border, so you have plenty things to do beside skiing 
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You know it makes sense.
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Sauze d'Oulx almost always has bad snow conditions! Go to Cervinia or Les Arcs.
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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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Les Arcs 1600 is not suitable for improving beginners - the home runs are quite steep. 2000 and the new one just below it would be best, I think. I agree Cervinia would be very suitable (but any good skier would soon get tired of the lack of challenge and need to spend a large proportion of their day going over to Zermatt).
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Poster: A snowHead
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| snowball wrote: |
| Les Arcs 1600 is not suitable for improving beginners - the home runs are quite steep. |
Sources and Gollet pistes to 1600 are very easy. Marked as blue, but would be green in most other French resorts IMO. The Mont Blanc piste to 1600 is wide, gentle and excellent as a confidence booster for novice skiers. very But I agree, if you have improving beginners in your group some of the other Les Arc villages are a bit better.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Oh OK rob@rar, I always ended up on a fairly steep, often icy red piste or even steeper off-piste. However, looking at a map I now remember there was that long scoop out to the north of the ski area, which was rather out of the way unless you were out on that edge anyway, or two paths which do a huge traverse cutting accross the pistes, and which I hadn't considered as pistes (but would bring a beginner back to the 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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snowball, yes, in addition to the pistes which have been cut across the hill (which are now quite wide for that kind of man-made track) there are some great on and off-piste routes down to 1600 through the trees.
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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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wkndtripper,
Any updates?? Where do you fancy then? We're all dying to know??!! 
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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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bart_bdv, i'm sure there would be a few around here to challenge that.
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