 Poster: A snowHead
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Greetings all,
Me and four friends are planning a ski trip mid January and are considering a few options. Main criteria are that it be cheapish and have potential for some fun in the evening, but not comprimising too heavily on decent skiing as that's the main reason for the holiday.
As I said five of us, old uni friends (early-mid twenties) all skiing, as abilities go two of us have only a few dry slope lessons/ sessions behind us. The other three have done a bit of skiing but are probably more in the intermediate than advanced camp.
I've had a look at some of the Eastern European resorts and found massively differing reviews they seem to divide people quite dramatically. On another post I've seen someone recommending Austria as a cheaper alternative to France and Switzerland that outperforms Eastern Europe in most criteria. There are also, I'm sure, places that fit our criteria and I have so far overlooked so please point them out.
Given the above I'm after any comments/ advice/ recommendations - go nuts.
Thanks for reading.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi jonbnorman, welcome to snowheads 
Try Saalbach, Ischgl, Solden, Kitzbuhel or Soll in Austria, should fit the bill, lively apres. Gotta be better than E. Europe, especially if you value a decent-sized ski area.
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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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jonbnorman, welcome to Snow Heads
Do you want catered or self-catering? The latter will usually be cheaper but you may compromise on size and quality of accommodation, although not always. Five of you will need an apartment for at least 6 people if s/c., whereas catered would mean a twin and a triple is easy to find. Are you flying or driving? You may be as well to check out flights to a central place such as Geneva or Chambery for your dates. Be aware that it will be much easier to find accommodation if you have Saturday - Saturday (or failing that Sun - Sun) flights than if you go for odd days because they are cheaper. Smaller resorts that have their own ski area but with easy links to larger areas will be cheaper than staying in the main resort, and have other attractions too.
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Hi jonbnorman. Although not to everyone's tastes, I think yuo'll find Livigno in Italy ideal for what you're after. It's great for a group of friends, fairly lively in the evenings without being Ibiza-esque. The runs are very good for beginner to intermediates - nice wide, confidence giving pistes. Prices tend to be cheaper than France for bars etc. It's duty free so electronics and booze / fags in the supermarkets are dirt cheap.
The one major downside is that the transfer is usually 4-5hrs from the airport. If you can put up with that (just get drunk like I did - you sleep the whole way) then I think it's cracking.
As I say, it's not to everyone's taste - certainly not a haven for black runners and off pisters - but for a good fun holiday for your abilities, i think it's great.
I had a great time there.
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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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Soldeu, Andorra.....
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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hi jonbnorman,
if you find the right chalet it can end up being cheaper than self catering - obviously depending on how much you eat!! also, the hosts can usually point you in the direction of the best skiing / bars/ nightlife. You may also find you can negotiate a good price to fill a space in someones calender.
have a look at the Portes Du Soleil in France, it's near Geneva airport, loads of accommodation options to suit every budget and a lot of great skiing!!! Look at a resort like Chatel or Morgin, rather than the centre of Morzine where it can be more expensive.
Austria is definitely a good place for nightlife although it can often be quite expensive, I'm afraid I have no knowledge of Eastern Europe so I'm sure others can offer you better advice on that one.
Enjoy your trip whereever you end up!!
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jonbnorman, here's what happens in Bulgaria. After a day spent 50% queueing, 50% jostling with nasty people on dull icy runs your group returns to the 'hotel' to find there has been a power cut and there's no hot water.
So, you go for a drink.... "2 large scotches, a gin and tonic and a glass of red wine please". Barman tells you they've only got beer and vodka, and the beer's run out.
Porte du Soleil is a good choice.... Morzine maybe
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| red 27 wrote: |
jonbnorman, here's what happens in Bulgaria. After a day spent 50% queueing, 50% jostling with nasty people on dull icy runs your group returns to the 'hotel' to find there has been a power cut and there's no hot water.
So, you go for a drink.... "2 large scotches, a gin and tonic and a glass of red wine please". Barman tells you they've only got beer and vodka, and the beer's run out.
Porte du Soleil is a good choice.... Morzine maybe |
Have to agree - went to Bulgaria once, and every day was pretty much as you've described. Once queued for 50 minutes for a mountain restaurant (hut...) pizza, nothing but cherryade available once day, or lemonade the next. No choice of wines or beers and the food was dire. The skiing was - at best - average, at worst, dreadful. We did have a good time though as we were a group of 16, and we decided to make the best of it, but if it had been just two of us, it would have been a different story. Our hotel was supposedly one of the better ones, but the Reception area was populated by prostitutes every evening - have never been back, and on the strength of our experience, would not recommend
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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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Thanks for the info guys and gals. Think the amount of bad experiences make Eastern Europe a no no for us, some good advice on other venues though which I'm looking into now.
One more question - anyone had experience of booking late and getting a good deal with a group of five or more?
Ps. loved this, only in the former Eastern bloc eh...
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Barman tells you they've only got beer and vodka, and the beer's run out.
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jonbnorman, what dates are you looking at? Makes a difference on the recommendations. Given the experience of the group, you should also factor in the availability of good quality tuition.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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jonbnorman, sorry, I see you're looking at mid-Jan!  Should be a good time for bargains, if you're flexible about where you go.
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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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hi jonbnorman, if you're happy to trawl the internet and do a bit of phoning around you should be able to find something. As PamW says make sure you're as flexible as possible with regards to not only where you go but also the type of accommodation you want. Leave it as late as you dare! If a chalet has 6 spaces left it's worth them selling them to you at a good price rather than having the beds empty. Having said that if you know your budget and see somewhere you fancy going, it can be worth getting in touch sooner and saying 'Hi there, I'll book 6 adults in right now if you give it to us for XXX price'. So long as it's not a ridiculous discount it's been known to work. I can only talk from the experience of small independently owned companies, I doubt the large operators would have that flexibility.
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jonbnorman, Welcome to
From my limited experience I'd echo two recommendations. No to E Europe, and yes to Kitzbuhel.
You could go somewhere like St Johann in Tyrol, decent nightlife and access to the huge Schneewinkel ski area via the very punctual (and free) ski buses.
Kitzbuhel itself is very expensive, but worth a day (or night) trip. St Johann is only 10 mins away by train.
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