 Poster: A snowHead
|
Firstly - greetings to everyone! This is my first post on snowheads after only discovering the site yesterday morning!
Secondly - apologies for coming straight on and asking the kind of stupid questions new people always ask!
Thirdly - an introduction... My name is Sarah and I'm 30 years old, and I'm not an alchoholic! I've never skiied before (apart from a few times on the dry slope in llandudno as a kid, does that count  ) but have always wanted to go on a skiing holiday and learn properly. Until now i've never really gotten around to it, but i've decided to take the plunge and go somewhere next Jan/Feb.
Fourthly - my questions... I have absolutely no idea where to go! I've picked up a load of ski brochures and everywhere looks great (but it would wouldn't it!). I found a decent site called ifyouski.com that had reviews and stuff on it, but i'm still unsure of where to go! Thought i'd ask people with experience and see what people suggested!
These are my things to take into account...
I want to learn to ski. And i want to learn to ski well.
I want to eat out, so want plenty of nice cafes/restaurants.
I'm not a drinker or a clubber so am not bothered about that.
I have a "no country twice rule" for holidays so that counts out France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
I don't want somewhere really expensive as i'd like to have cash left for a scuba diving holiday in the summer
So far I have considered Andorra and Bulgaria (on the recommendation of a travel agent). I discounted Bulgaria because every review i have read says that the food is disgusting.
So, at the moment i am leaning towards Andorra - would i be making a mistake? Is there a better options?
Cheers for any comments, much appreciated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
magic_hat, Welcome to Snowheads  I can't offer advice on Andorra but shortly you will receive plenty of Advice! Meantime use the search option, it's part of the drop down menu called user facilities top left of the first page.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
magic_hat, welcome to Snowheads. Andorra's a great place to go to learn to ski. Apart from the fact that it's a duty-free principality, so not as expensive as most of Europe, the ski schools are excellent. We've been a few times in the past, and our children learnt there.
There are others on here who know Andorra better than me, I expect you'll hear from them 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
magic_hat, sorry, Welcome to snowHeads , but can't be of any help re: Andorra other than that by reputation it's a good budget choice. I'll be extremely impressed if you stick to your "no country twice rule" through your skiing career and wish you every success. It's a goal worth pursuing and to get you started other places to consider include Spain, Romania, Norway, Sweden, Canada, USA, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Scotland, England, Cyprus, Lebanon, Iran, India
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
magic_hat, welcome to snowHeads
As IncogSkiSno says, once you've got the skiing bug (guaranteed!) you'll have to change to a "no resort twice rule"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I would recommend Andorra for the learn to ski part, Id lean towards Arinsal, they have an excellent ski school, some gorgeous restaurants and a really amazing hotel ( Princesa Parc) There are loads of adult beginners so it can make for a really nice atmosphere. Arinsal itself is much prettier than other resorts in Andorra, but its quite small. We ( family) love it there, id recommend it to you.
The ski area for a beginner is fine and the instructors are all excellent english speakers, most are scottish, kiwi, british, aussie, or Spanish. I had a Scottish guy called Robin for private lessons and he was amazingly good!
The Atmosphere in Arinsal is really relaxed, everyones there to have a laugh and if you do fancy going out theres a good few bars to try! Theres more than enough restaurants to keep you going, and a regular bus service into the capitol, Andorra La Vella- excellent for shopping, and a huge Spa!!
The Spa in the Princessa Parc is AMAZING! on a par with Caldea ( the one in ALV) , just on a much smaller level!
Prices are pretty cheap, cheaper than France for certain, in my experience. And the learn to ski packages laid on by TO's are very good value.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
magic_hat, sorry to say this, but by cutting France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany out of the list you are reducing your choices a bit too drastically! As IncogSkiSno says, if you want to ski then eventually you are going to have to do repeat vistits to some of these countries, cos that's where the skiing is in Europe!
My personal recommendation for a first time skier would be Austria. Possibly the Ski Welt which is also the biggest connected ski area in Austria lying between Hopfgarten, Brixen im Thale, Soell, Itter plus a whole bunch of other villages. Another possibilty would be Kitzbuehel, or as an alternative that gets little mention on this forum: Seefeld.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
magic_hat, if you insist on sticking to your "no country twice rule" that leaves you with the following european ski countries: Andorra; Spain; Bulgaria; Romania; Slovenia; Serbia; Norway; Sweden; Finland. There are plenty of small resorts in other countries but you won't find british tour operators runnning packages to them, and for your first ski trip it is probably best not to DIY.
If you want good instruction, reasonable eating out, and a cheap-ish trip, Slovenia could be your best bet. Scandanavia tends to be on the pricey side. Andorra a good choice but not as cheap as it used to be.
Personally, I would recommend one of the smaller, cheaper resorts in Austria.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Crikey! This is a much busier forum than i was expecting! Thanks everyone for the replies!
boredsurfin - should have done this before posting, will do it now - ta!
IncogSkiSno - I really hope i do get the bug, skiing in winter, diving in summer - Perfect! I know if i start to go regularly i'm going to have to abandon the rule at some point!
RachelQ - this is what i was hoping for! Good ski schools that will really help me to learn properly and somewhere that's not as expensive as some of the main euro resorts
slikedges - Thanks! I had no idea you could ski in some of those countries - certainly gives me some hope about not having to break my rule for a while! Skiing in Lebanon or India would be interesting!
Elizabeth B - Probably i will one day! But hopefully not for a while!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Nadenoodlee, Mike Lawrie & the ice perv
Missed your responses while posting my message above.
Thanks for all your comments and help.
iceperv - Hadn't considered Slovenia, so that's an interesting option. Cheers.
Mike & iceperv - more people recommending Austria! Food for thought definately...!
Nadenoodlee - thanks a lot. very helpful. That was going to be my next question - which resort? Much appreciated!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
magic_hat, buy a book. They're very informative and generally quite accurate. Where to Ski and Snowboard 2006 or the Time Out one, I understand are good, and the Which? one if it gets published! (see the other thread on this forum board).
My first Alpine ski instructor taught scuba in summer in corsica. I did the ski/dive winter/summer holiday thing for a few years in my youth!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
magic_hat, welcome to snowheads, if we can tempt you to La Rosiere you can ski in both France and Italy, La Rosiere is a super resort for beginners, 3 good ski schools and lots of English speaking instructors. Have a look at our ad in snowShops or go to our website for more details, my daughter who runs our chalet, and her boyfriend work for Indepth in the summer as diving instructors in Turkey, so maybe we can offer you a summer option as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
How's Manchester these days, still rainning?
If going in Feb beware that the European kids are probably on holiday, late Jan will probably be better than Feb.
Austrian lower slopes tend to be grass as opposed to rock/stones so require less snow cover to ski. Austria is more land locked and although lower it tends to get cooler than other countries. In general the Austrians speak very good English.
The larger resorts tend to be more expensive, there's a whole host of smaller cheaper resorts ideal for learners that the UK brochures don't touch. This is true in Austria and I expect the same is true elsewhere.
Group lessons will work out cheaper than private lessons.
No one knows when, where or how much snow will fall next season, booking later is advisable especially for lower altitude resorts.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
magic_hat, Welcome to snowHeads, sorry can't help with any Andorra questions, but as others have mentioned don't dismiss any of the other countries/resorts. (D G Orf seems a bit slow today with a recommendation) 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
srobbo, Wengen's in Switzerland and magic_hat, said she didn't want to go there, otherwise I would of course have mentioned it
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
How about you change the no country twice rule into no country twice for the time of year.
I don't know where you have been in the listed countries, but an alpine resort in winter in any country will be so different to a non-alpine one in summer that you wouldn't even realise it was the same country.
Or declare the ski vacation as an 'sporting/educational excursion', instead of a holiday.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
magic_hat, There's also a few divers here as well! (Not me I hasten to add!) Once again try the search facility and see what turns up
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Magic hat, in addition to Nadenoodles comments, my first ski holiday was to Pas de la Casa which was a brilliant start to a whole new interest. Nads' comments about Arinsal sound as though in some respects its a better place than Pas as it has a boozey image so being a bit of a non drinker may be an issue. However that does not mean Pas is not a good place to go. The hotel we were in was a bit too much on the 'budget' side of things but overall not too bad. Restaurants were fine on the mountain for lunch but may not suit everybody.
From a beginners point of view and in my experience the ski school was fine although classes could be a bit large in terms of numbers but proberbly no different from other resorts. The main thing I remember was that the piste were so wide, very much like the whole of the hill rather than a track 30 - 40 yards or whatever (which might be an advantage when learning). That said there were a few that were very narrow with a steep drop off although in some places it is netted. Another advantage is its high altitude so a good chance of good conditions.
I would confidently predict that if you take to skiing as much as people here seem to have done you will definetly change your attitude to not revisiting the same county more than once. Have a good time wherever you go.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Hi magic_hat. My recommendation is to go with Andorra and stay in Soldeo, which I think is linked with Pas de la Casa now. It reasonably cheap, has good accommodation / food, but most importantly has good beginner slopes and instructors. I went with friends about 5 years ago, two had never skied before - they had a great time, as did we all. Also stayed in Pas de la Casa, which is set up more for those who want the night life, so might be best to avoid stating there.
Hope you enjoy yourself wherever you go, remember to get fit first, if you are not already!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
magic_hat, Have lessons in the UK first ! You'll enjoy you're holiday (and find out that you haven't forgotten as much as you think you may have) much much more. Enjoy !
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
magic_hat, Got to disagree with Nadenoodlee...we took complete beginners to Arinsal and they had the most rubbish time! They hated the nursery slope (big cliff at the end with a net does not inspire confidence!), the instructor was unhelpful and our beginners had stopped skiing by day three and gone shopping! The same group were on blue runs the next time out so it was the resort/instructor combination not the skiers.
That said I learnt to ski in Soldeu and would rate it very highly.....if you want to do Andorra that would be my first choice as a recommendation. There are some nice hotels in the town, but in my experience (a good few visits but some years ago) the food in Andorra is nothing to write home about - even in the posh hotels it was never much more that average and the less said about the mountain fare the better!
Wherever you got you're bound to have the time of your life....and be addicted to snowHeads for years to come!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
D G Orf, good for you! It hasn't stopped the other usual suspects!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quote: |
I have a "no country twice rule" for holidays so that counts out France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Germany.
|
magic_hat, skiing is different to normal types of holidaying. I can understand a no resort twice policy, but ruling out all those wonderful ski countries does not make any sense. All you will see is the ski area and the town. Tignes e.g is linked to Val D'Isere by chair lifts but the 2 places, apart from language bare no resemblance whatsoever. For good ski schools, reasonable price, and good resort to learn in, I would go to La Rosiere in France. Have a look on http://www.ifyouski.com/Resorts/favourites/beginners/ and this will give details of supposedly favourite learner resorts. Looking at the list I would happily holiday in any of them
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
I agree that the 'no country twice' rule won't work with skiing.
However, if you're thinking of going to Romania (in Poiana Brasov I guess), I'll be able to offer some advice (that's where I'm from, and I skied there many times).
Positives: cheap, including the instruction. Food also cheap, and I'm pretty sure you can find good places to eat (I could recommend a few).
Negatives: snow cover erratic so book late (deals should be available); you need a couple of days' lessons before you can get to the top of the mountain and really enjoy the scenery.
You'd get a more satisfying holiday if you get some lessons in the UK first, preferably at a snowDome. (that's valid for any destination).
(But I love the food in Austria and France...)
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Soldeu is an excellent choice.
Can be noisy at night if you stay down near the Aspen Bar end of town though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gosh - so much to think to think about!!
Thanks to everyone who contributed with advice and comments! Much appreciated!
I'm going to print it all off and have a good read through it with my other half!
Some great suggestions in there, Thank You!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
magic_hat, Andorra is a good place to start but beware of the trasnfer time from the airport. When I went we flew into Tolouse whixh is a four hour transfer and if there is a lot of snow the roads can get blocked and you have to go a different longer route. Many French and Austrian resorts have much shorter transfer times which will be a bonus at the end of the holiday when you are knacked and have discovered muscules that you did not know you had.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
An update... (!)
Thanks to everyone who had something to say! I had loads to think about over the weekend and have decided (shock, horror) to relent on my "no countries twice" rule. I'm still considering Andorra, but have also spent the weekend considering the rest of Europe!
I have narrowed it down to a choice of Andorra or France (cheaper than Austria or Switzerland).
At the moment I'm looking mostly at La Rosiere (which was suggested by a couple of people on here as well as being recommended for beginners on a few other websites i found).
I just have one more question!
I was hoping to go in February, but have decided against this after people pointed out that thuis is the euro school hols and resorts will be hammered! This means i will probably have to go late January - being new to all this, i have no idea how to even guess whether i have a good chance of snow at this time of year. I know it's fairly early in the season, but La Roseiere is at 1850m - is this high enough to be guarenteed ok snow late January?
Thanks again people!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
magic_hat, La Rosiere is a high altitude resort, so should good for snow in late January. Glad to hear you've relented on the 'no country twice' rule - it was going to kill your skiing career!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Any European ski resort that doesn't, in an average year, have good snow in late January might as well give up (cue snow drought in early '06).
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
magic_hat, La Rosiere has an excellent snow record, certainly as good if not better than all the comparative high altitude resorts. We have traitionally gone to France on the first week after the New Year (skinflints) and although we had poorish snow on a couple of years, we have always had more than enough for a great holiday. Last week of Jan in La Ros should be superb.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
rob@rar.org.uk, Good job you dont have the 'no country twice' rule.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you haven't skied yet, then your rule can't have started yet, so you can go to Austria and you should as a first timer. Check out Soll..!!
And for a newbie, you seem to have done your homework
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cheers all!
You've all been amazingly helpful, i wasn't expecting this kind of response at all! It's much appreciated!
My skiing trip is 5 months away and already i'm looking forward to it! I'm planning a trip to a snowdome and am hoping to go shopping for some clothes next weekend.... I haven't even been yet and i think i'm already a snowhead
JT, That's what i eventually figured! The "no country twice rule" does not now apply for ski holidays! The problem was mainly that I had been to Oberstdorf, Val d'Isere, Chamonix, Meribel, Albertville, northern Italy, Kitzbuel and a couple of other Austrian and swiss resorts, but all in the summer, so i've decided they don't count!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
magic_hat, Keep an eye on TK Maxx in Manc. Ctr. They get last years kit in at a very good price. I got a Scott jacket last year for 50
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Six trips to the same resort planned for next season (plus a visit or two to other resorts), so a 'no country twice' rule would be a bad thing for me!