 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I need your help knowledgeable European skiers!!
Myself and my brother are planning a ski trip to explore the Alps for 3 weeks. We are either going to fly to somewhere, rent a car, and drive from resort to resort, or else use the trains. The only place we have planned so far is Valmorel in France. We are both strong skiers looking for cheap good slopes with lots of snow. Would someone be able to recommend a route to take, places to ski or know of any good deals?? We have three weeks free so maybe we could visit three resorts?
Thanks for the help.
Aisling
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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aislingleonard, welcome to Snowheads.  That's a nice plan; you'll get lots of suggestions. First off, what dates are you planning? That makes a difference - if you want uncrowded slopes in France it's better to avoid the big holiday weeks (which are the last three weeks of February and the first week of March). Maybe a different country would be a good choice at that time - though there are holidays to be aware of elsewhere, too.
Very near Valmorel the obvious choice is the Three Valleys (and actually Valmorel isn't a terribly obvious choice for strong skiers). Sticking to France, Chamonix would be a good choice - lots of skiing including some of the most challenging, a big town with lots going on and stunning high alpine scenery. Perhaps the most beautiful areas are the Dolomites in Italy and the Jungfrau (Wengen, Murren) in Switzerland. Zermatt.
Good slopes, lots of snow, and cheap? Hmm. Nobody knows about the snow yet - it does vary a good deal from year to year. Cheapest skiing in Europe is in places like Bulgaria but might not be the best experience - do a search for it here, or trawl through the "resorts" part of the site.
Might help if you enlarge a bit on what kind of skiing you're looking for - big linked mileage on piste (France), off-piste, quiet places or party towns. challenging skiing, rowdy bars and apres-ski dancing with a load of half-cut guys in ski boots? Pretty alpine villages with lots of interesting small local areas? Lovely old town, more gentle skiing. Austria has all those, but not really in the same place. Sophisticated town with good restaurants and coffee shops and loads of people in mink coats (Cortina).
The choice is really endless.
All these places have their downsides (some people can't stand Chamonix, some can't stand the high, stark, snowy places like Tignes, some can't stand drunken European skiers who think it's hilarious to dance in their ski boots and throw up in the streets later.
Make sure you get the downsides, as well as the upsides.
Personally I'd be inclined to use a car for at least some of the trip- though the trains are brilliant in Switzerland they're more of a hassle elsewhere.
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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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Hi,
Thanks a million for your speedy reply!! Myself and my brother are planning our trip for the 1st of Jan to the 21st. We are both good skiiers and are looking for some good red and black slopes. As we are going for 3 weeks we are looking for some cheap and cheerful towns, cheap accomodation and so on. We are mainly interested in skiing, apre ski and what the town has to offer is not important to us. We will be driving I'd imagine from town to town so I was just wondering if you might know of 2 or 3 good resorts near each other??
Thanks again for your help so far xx
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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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aislingleonard, have a look at ucpa.com - French youth-oriented sports organisation, all-in holidays, some of them very physically demanding, others more holiday-oriented. Guaranteed plenty of company, and you'd get a real "European feel". some centres have just dorms, others have double rooms at a small supplement.
Your dates are good - until Saturday 2 January everything will be pretty hectic, then it will go quiet (at least in France). If you have 3 weeks it would be a pity not to sample more than one country. Chamonix has a lot of things to offer (though a large joined up ski area isn't one of them) and you can drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel into Italy very easily. You're also not far from Switzerland. About 3 hours drive to Zermatt, I think - though that's quite a pricey resort there are some cheap options too.
Chamonix has some hostels, as well as the UCPA.
You might like to try one of the really big linked areas like the Espace Killy (tignes and Val D'Isere) which has a great range of skiing of all types, including a lot of off piste (and a lot of it very dangerous at times, as are places like Chamonix and Zermatt - guides strongly recommended though the UCPA does off-piste weeks which can be a lot cheaper). the Espace Killy can be an expensive area but a number of us have stayed with this organisation - very good value http://www.mountainsunltd.com/
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Jivebaby, yes, good idea - I was wondering about a season pass, though some of the best "early purchase" deals are now closed. And from Flaine they could easily visit Chamonix, Les Contamines, Megeve, La Clusaz etc for the odd day trip. But obviously means missing out on some special places for people who have not visited Europe ski areas much.
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Jivebaby, that sounds really good. Our early purchase closed 30 November.
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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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aislingleonard, if you're talking really cheap you could get a 20day pass at 335€ that covers these umpteen resorts in France and Switzerland: Abondance, Avoriaz, La Chapelle d'Abondance, Châtel, Les Gets, Montriond, Morzine, Saint Jean d'Aulps, Champéry, Morgins, Torgon, Val d'Illiez, Les Crosets, Champoussin.
You could even try putting 3 weeks of gear in a rucksack and skiing to the new base each Saturday (unless you wangle short-stays).
Check out the PdS map here: http://www.custombreaks.co.uk/images/_morzinePisteMapLarge.jpg
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