 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, my first post on Snowheads... Am gutted that the 09/10 season is now all but over, and the only way I can console myself is by planning next year's trip... So I wondered if anyone has any recommendations to meet this diverse wish-list:
Four skiers, ranging in ability from nervous 2nd week skiers, to fairly experienced, will ski any piste, likes a challenge;
Two small children (will be 2 and 4 at the time).
Two non-skiers (grandparents).
Our last similar trip was to Arc 1950 which was good for the skiers, but less so for the children & grandparents (not much for them to do).
Not too fussed about what country, and will tolerate long-ish transfers for the right resort.
Any thoughts appreciated!
Chris
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Go to Austria as the towns are (generally) prettier with more to do than custom built French resorts. Anywhere out of Salzburg means non skiers can have days out to the Mozart/Sound of Music Tour or Kitzbuhel is a pleasant little town in its own right with lots of coffee shops/museums and galleries.
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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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Our last similar trip was to Arc 1950 which was good for the skiers, but less so for the children & grandparents (not much for them to do).
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 I can just imagine!
There are loads of better places, depending a bit on what sort of things the grandparents like doing. Sophisticated shopping, a casino, spa facilities, top class restaurants? (Megeve) A real town and nice walks without being at the top of a mountain (Zell am See). Fabulous scenery, plenty of opportunity to explore the surroundings on buses, get up the highest cable car in Europe to be stunned by the high mountans? (Chamonix) etc etc etc Small, unsophisticated but pretty village, not a purpose built ski resort, with some nice places to have coffee and cakes, and some sheltered walks (hundreds of places in Austria, Italy or France) Are grandparents also baby sitter? If not, also need some good child care facilities?
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Thanks for the suggestions. I guess all the grandparents will want is, as pam w, says, is sheltered walks, coffee, cakes. Austria would be nice as most of my recent skiing has been in purpose-built French resorts and I last went to Austria in 1989! Zell am See looks nice - any thoughts on places like Mayrhofen or Lech?
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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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N10skier, there are all kinds of grandparents, you know! Perhaps you ought to persuade yours to learn to ski. Skiing grandparents are very useful when you have small kids - leave them to pootle round on blue slopes with grandma while you dash off to the steep and deep. Skiing on gentle groomed slopes with modern skis and good instruction is a piece of cake - you're never too old.
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N10skier,
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any thoughts on places like Mayrhofen or Lech?
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Lech is one of my favourite places on this planet but have based myself in Oberlech as it's ski in ski out and if you stayed there you can use the Oberlech creche free of charge but I'm guessing that's why the grandparents are going. It is also expensive to stay there and expensive by Austrian standards to eat out etc - but no more and (in my experience) slightly cheaper than the mega Franch resorts. Very nice winter paths for walking etc. We last stayed there three seasons ago (when I could afford it  ) and one of the couples had a very young baby so would go walks all the time and they raved about the walks. The skiing is very easy around Lech but the more adventurous could go off piste or to St Anton for more testing stuff (same pass). There is no sports centre or anything so if they wanted to go swimming or anything like that you would need to ensure the hotel had a pool, which a fair percentage will.
Zell am See is a lovel town but I've only been in summer. There are more shops/cafes than Lech to keep your parents amused and same goes for Mayrhofen. Kitzbuhel is another good suggestion and you could also consider Serfaus as a great family resort. We skied Kappl this year with the family and liked it so much we're going back next year BUT not a lot to keep the grandparents entertained so would leave that a couple of years until the kids are skiing.
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N10skier, Mayrhofen would be ok but if your second week skiers really are nervous they may struggle on a few of the Mayrhofen reds, and there's not too many blues in the main resort. I think Mayrhofen is great, but you'd have to decide if they are up to a week of predominantly reds. Otherwise the "beginner" side of the mountain (Ahorn) is on a different side of resort to the rest (Penken), and is accessed by a separate cable car, so skiing together or even meeting up for lunch could be a bit of a chore.
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Dav, thanks for the info re Mayrhofen, sounds like we should leave that for another year then.
boabski, I'd never heard of Serfaus before, but it looks really nice and like it ticks a lot of boxes. Kitzbuhel seems like a recurring suggestion too, and it looks really good in a lot of respects my only concern would be snow reliability...
Thanks again for all the suggestions, if only it wasn't so long til the next season - the wife and I are going to go to the Snozone at Hemel at some point but its no substitute!
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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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We had a big success in taking an older non-skier to Kitzbuhel for Christmas a few years ago. There are good rail connections to Salzburg and Innsbruck as well as the town itself being very pleasnat. There are runs for all abilities with plenty of blue stuff. Best of all, you can park your non-skiers at the restuarant 2000m uo on the Horn and ski around them. Gets them really involved. I would definitely go for Austria and would not expect too many issues with snow if you go main season. It has been good 2/3 Christmases for us and there is a smashing pool for the kids.
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Would second Kitzbuhel - was a long time ago when I went, but the Mother in Law did trips to Salzburg etc. Was a 2nd weeker and the skiing on the Kitzbuheler horn as I recal from my scardey second weeker head was just about right. Great views. Good food in the cafs. The town itself is very pretty and vibrant in the day, with loads of fur coated ladies [Nice Beaver] having cake and coffee. Also if it is still there there is a municipal baths with sauna etc that you can get a day ticket for.
If it wasn't for all the walking for ski buses and the poorish snow, I would happily go back. N10skier, you might want to look at a website that has predictions/records of the best weeks in that area.
Serre Chevalier is one of my favourite resorts too. Three main villages/townlets along a long valley with loads of nice blues and reds. Accessible mountains via gondola and Briancon, the main town with loads of history to see. The villages have walking itineraries, and usually lots of things going on. I cannot vouch for the childcare stuff though.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Wengen might be worth a thought. It is traffic free and is up a cog railway from the valley. Grandparents can go up the cable car or on up the cog railway to the col between Wengen and Grindelwald skiing to meet you for lunch. Then on to Grindelwald or, instead, even further up in the train right through the Eiger mountain (stopping to look out of a window halfway up the sheer North face) to a glacier beyond. Plus they (and you) can take the railway back down and go up the other side of the valley to ski pretty Murren which I seem to remember has some slightly more challenging skiing (and visit the revolving restaurant at the top, featured in one of the James Bond films).
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Thu 15-04-10 19:05; edited 1 time in total
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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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How about Courmayeur, stunning views and more going on than somewhere like 1950. Grandparents could also get the gondola up from the town and join you for lunch or do some snow shoeing.
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MarjMJ, interesting that you mention Serre Chevalier as its somewhere that had crossed my radar as being a 'more interesting' French resort. Would it be a nice place for non-skiers to hang out? And is it easy for non-skiers to get between the different villages?
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You know it makes sense.
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Would it be a nice place for non-skiers to hang out?
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In my opinion yes. Monetier, the older parts of Villeneuve/Bez, and La Salle are very olde worlde villages which the Tourist office has info on walks around etc. For example, Monetier's old church is very nice inside and and they sometimes have musical recitals in there. If the rels are more active you can go on guided walks up the smaller side valleys, or round the villages, or snow shoe [great fun]. Briancon is certainly worth a day out - there is a great big walled town designed by Vauban which has all the buttresses, gargoyles and revetements a history buff might wish for along side a lovely steep street cobbly old town. Villeneuve and Chantemerle are the more substantial sized villages so have more shops etc.
It is not too difficult for pedestrians to get up the mountain to meet - for example there is a big cable car at Chantemerle that goes to Serre Ratier - on a sunny day, you can take a book, buy a coffee and sit at Cafe Soleil or the Relais, watching the skiers come down into a woody bowl in glorious weather. If it is snowy, you can sit by the big fire in the Relais [but it will of course be rammed with folks trying to dry and warm up ]. You can go up from Monetier to Bachas on the chair and again go to the caff there [not so nice food, but passable and a lovely view]. At Villeneuve, there is the Casse de Boeuf chair, which I think you can go up as a pedestrian, and there is a big caff a bit higher up the slope, but I wouldn't recommend that as a trip.
Getting about is by ski-bus. I think you can buy a pass - Snowangel works for the lift company I think, so if you look in the Serre Che thread in snow conditions you should be able to get that info from her if you PM her. The buses run the length of the valley from Monetier at the Lifts all the way to Briancon near the Prorel lift station so it is possible to this. They are reasonable regular and are proper coaches.
We have been both summer and winter and there is plenty to do. We must have had at least 10+ trips and still haven't skied all the runs yet.
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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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Briancon is a World Heritage Site.
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Poster: A snowHead
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1. Lech, Austria;
2. Val Thorens, France;
3. Courchevel 1850, 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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Whitegold, what would non skiing grandparents do in Val Thorens?
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Whitegold, what would non skiing grandparents do in Val Thorens? |
Who cares. I'd be off sliding somewhere 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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monetier has a very nice hot natural springs spa and a creche by the foot of the slopes. also creche in villeneux close to foot of slopes as well
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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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OK, plenty to recommend Serre Chevalier then. Next up, discuss options with wife...!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I forgot to mention the baths  Haven't been to the refurbished ones, but it was nice enough before. Definitely recommend it!
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there are all kinds of grandparents, you know! Perhaps you ought to persuade yours to learn to ski. Skiing grandparents are very useful when you have small kids
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Indeed they are - my parents are still skiing (combined age 145) and the added benefit is that at that age the lift pass is free in many places. Mine are great for collecting kids from ski school and helping at bed time - my kids being a bit older now can outski them (and me )
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