 Poster: A snowHead
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With just so much choice out there, the more I look the harder I find it so I am once again asking for help for next years skiing holiday.
We will be going probably beginning March for 1 week
2 adults and 2 children age 10 &12 (although 12 year old is classed as an adult now)
would consider anywhere in Austria, Switzerland, Italy not really sure if Finland would be too cold for the kids and at a push I would consider France although we went this year and it was so so expensive!
would not consider Bulgaria, Spain
Looking for nice cruisy blues, easy reds
Would prefer ski in ski out if possible or right next to lifts
Would not like to get ski bus to lifts
looking for self catering
not looking for any nightlife of any shape (tend to spend most evenings in chalet)
somewhere we could take kids tobagganing one night, we could get taxi to this
dont need ski schools
would prefer a larger style resort
Some places under consideration are Saalback or Leogang and Ellmau/Scheffau
I cant think of anything else at the minute.
Many thanks in advance for your help, it is much appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Saalbach would be ace - contact Furstauer Ski School for good self catering apartments. Ski Welt would be a good choice. Normally I'd reccommend Westendorf as the best base, but they don't have any dedicated toboggan runs (ASFIK). Kitzbuhel/Kirchberg would work too, not sure if they have tobogganing thouh. The Nasserein end of St Anton could also be an option - it's quieter than the main bit, and you be right next to the (awesome but scary!) tobogan run.
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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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polo99, Any of the Ski Amadé resorts would be ideal and there are lots of self-catering places, it is just that a lot of TOs do not use them as it is easier for them to contract the local hotels.
Schladming is superb and you have a really wide selection of slopes and activities
The Sportwelt Amadé (Zauchensee/Altenmarkt/Radstadt/Flachau/Wagrain/St Johann im Pongau have a fantastic selection of accommodation available and are all easily reached from Salzburg Airport (less than an hour away if you're lucky with transfer!)
Bad Gastein and Zell am See have a good selection as well and are all snow-sure.
Are you going to DIY it (organise everything yourself) or use a TO? Drive or Fly is another question that will help people to help you if you answer that one.
Flying to Innsbruck opens up all of the Tirol regions for you - Zillertal, Oetztal (Sölden, Obergurgl) The Ski Welt area (Söll, Scheffau, Brixen in Thale, Westendorf, etc) can also be easily reached from any of the 3 main airports feeding into the eastern Alps.
Sue 
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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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What about Scotland! 
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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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I'm a convert to Austrian and Italian resorts (tend to avoid France for accommodation/cost reasons) and you might find some of your requirements a bit tricky. Ski in/out is less commonplace, but it's usual for lift stations to have rentable lockers to store your gear so you don't have to lug everything about. This is a big plus for me, I don't mind a nice walk at the beginning and end of the day in comfy boots. It's not easy to find self catering in Austria either, the majority of accommodation is hotel/B&B, especially through TOs. It's a bit more common in Italy but still not on the scale of French resorts.
In terms of ski area, Kitzbuhel would be ideal for you. Lots of generally easy runs to cruise about on and a big town with plenty to do off the slopes. But unless you book accommodation near the Hahnenkammbahn, you will have a walk or bus ride at the beginning and end of each day.
Oh and it would be a shame to go to Austria and not sample the legendary nightlife. 
I went to La Thuile in Italy this season which might be even better for you. Again the runs are generally easy and if you want self-catering, the large Planibel complex is right at the foot of the slopes. Pretty sure you can rent toboggans and the TOs organise a 'snow tubing' night too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Obergurgl seems to tick all of your boxes for the resort but I've not self catered there.
The toboggan run at Hochgurgl is a proper run (like a bobsled run) about 1km long, serviced by a bubble lift.
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polo99, We skied Kappl this year with family (kids aged 6 9 and 12) and we all loved it. Absolutely brilliant family resort. Only around 45km of skiing in Kappl itself bit you have Ischgl/See/Galtur to ski if you want to broaden your horizons. We skied Ischgl one day but to be honest would have been happy just skiing in Kappl as we loved the skiing. One of the attractions was the fun park up the mountain for the kids, and the timed GS course. Also from two of the main chairs you can ski black red or blue back down, all of which meet up at bottom, which was great for us as it meant I/my wife/older 2 could ski the black (which were pretty easy in fairness) and one of the adults could take our 6 year old down the red/blue option. The place was deserted (2nd to 9th Jan and only the 3rd and 4th Jan were reasonably busy) and the runs lovely and long (one is 9km from memory).
The village itself is pretty much not much going on and no pool - although there is one in Ischgl. The toboggan run was great fun too, although not that great when you've got a 6 year old passenger on tow. Toboggan run (6km) is open two nights a week but pretty sure you can use during day too as we saw plenty of folk using it during day.
Great value too. We will be returning this year again with friends this time and staying at http://www.alpenfrieden-kappl.at/index.php?id=13&L=1 which is right on the piste. There is plenty of self catering accomodation beside the piste.
Only an hour from Innsbruck. Memmingem Friedrichshafen Zurich and Munich all options too but would take 3 hours.
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We found the dolomiti resorts to be very good; and have a close fit to what you want. Arraba, Cofosco, Selve all could ski in/out. Down side is quite long transfers - 3hr plus from Venice, about the same from Innsbruck. Some of the drops into Arraba can get a bit steep, icy and crowded, but there are also some fantastic cruisy blues on the Prolongia. A great tobbogan run near Armenterola - made my aged in-laws grin like fools after doing it. Mountain food excellent, relatively few brayying Brits. All in all quite a close fit. I took my son skiing in Sweden last February and it was very very cold - also windy and scandanavia seems to be the home of the T bar lift. I have cross-country skied in Finland while on a teaching exchange - good but again very very cold = net result, rather joyless. Having said all that, we have just bought a place in the Alps and are loving Ski Paradiski. Hope this helps.
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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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Cervinia?
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another recomendation for kitbuhel. although i did enjoy axamer lizum, and it has an ace tobogan track
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We always have DIY ski holidays, and I have to say I usually choose Austria because self catering is so easy to organise, although Queen Bodecia is quite right that TOs don't seem to offer it (God knows why!). If you're travelling independantly, most Austrian tourist offices will have an online apartment booking facility, or at least forward your request to apartment owners. The whole thing works very smoothly. Just choose a resort based on the recommendations here, find it's website and off you go!
In terms of recommendations, Saas Fee is probably the closest place I've been to meeting your requirements. Some nice easy blues, no need for a ski bus, although not much ski in/out. Our ski hire place (close to the lifts) let us leave everything there, which was handy. Self catering easily booked through www.saas-fee.ch, a whole mountain and gondola dedicated to walking and tobogganning. Loved it!
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