 Poster: A snowHead
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Ok, I promised myself I would stay off ski sites until November, but already started looking at 2013 holidays! After going les arcs last season, I need a large resort with lots if motorway blues (ideally tree lined). Would like somewhere cheaper than LA and better flights. Not bothered about sores ski buy hood to have bit of life. Been looking at ellmau. Anyone been? Or may be flaine in france. Hope haven't been spoilt by runs in LA. But deff needs to b cheaper! Anywhere large in Italy. Been passo tonale which was ok but after a prettier village. Thanks for any advice[/u]
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Austria.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Have to say I would go with Where to SKi and snowboard rather than Hardys which covers fewer resorts and is less informative.
Serre Chevalier is cheaper than Les Arcs and has plenty of good tree lined skiing. Sauze d'Oulx has a slighlty more erratic snow record but has loads of tree lined skiing and should be cheap.
If you want a pretty village avoid Flaine, the other attached resorts are more attractive and have better access to the tree lined skiing.
Loads of good resorts in Austria would suit 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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Thanks. Would like to go ellmau as meant to b nice. Just not as snow.sure. won't b booking for a while so plenty of time to look round.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Not bothered about sores ski buy hood to have bit of life |
I would worry about Ellmau for this though (whatever it f*ing means) 
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| Jon Ford wrote: |
| Ok, I promised myself I would stay off ski sites until November, but already started looking at 2013 holidays! After going les arcs last season, I need a large resort with lots if motorway blues (ideally tree lined). Would like somewhere cheaper than LA and better flights. Not bothered about sores ski buy hood to have bit of life. Been looking at ellmau. Anyone been? Or may be flaine in france. Hope haven't been spoilt by runs in LA. But deff needs to b cheaper! Anywhere large in Italy. Been passo tonale which was ok but after a prettier village. Thanks for any advice[/u] |
Dolomites somewhere - lots of crusy blues/reds and a huge amout to ski. On mountain prices generally quite a bit less than france...
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Did you ski La Plagne? Wouldn't have thought the blues in LA were great, a lot of them flat or connecting, though a decent intermediate could do most of the reds there. LA main draw for me is the blacks above 2000, I wouln't rate it as great place for motorway runs.
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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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Val Thorens would be great but perhaps not cheapest and not the nearest to the airport
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I'm based 70km south of Salzburg in Austria.
I'm lucky enough to have the ski area of Ski Amadé on my doorstep!
90% of runs are tree-lined. Many areas within Ski Amadé ski back to a pretty town in the valley, and if they don't then they are only minutes away from one on the ski bus!
Zauchensee, Hoch Koenig, Wagrain plus loads of other areas within Ski Amadé (plus Obertauern of course!) offer cruisy blues. Distance really isn't an issue either as in 6 seasons I still haven't covered all of the pistes available to me!
Prices are pretty good out and about, beer is around €3 to €4, main meals can be scored under a tenner and goulash soup for around a fiver.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads  on Fri 8-06-12 7:49; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Sorry Colin B, meant to say not bothered bout apres ski but bit of life would b good (using phone to write this) patricksh, skiid first bit of la plagne. Couldn't get all way over and back in a day. For me, the.blues were great. I thought they were quite wide, esp compared to previous resorts. Would love to go Austria just want to make sure snow is good as not as guaranteed as France. Would go back to LA or maybe stay in la plagne but just too xpensive when there. Done passo tonale. Good value and nice runs so may consider Italy again. Just want lots of coasting blues. We are intermediates but prefer the long blues than reds. More chilled out and means I can film it without worry of falling.
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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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Jon Ford, Folgarida/Marilleva could suit the requirement with the Madonna di Campiglio ski pass extension. Loads of tree-lined cruisy reds (Italian, so probably easier than French) and blues. Reasonable prices, even on the mountain.
Trip Report
Trip report
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks for info flangesax, sounds just what I am after. If booking through a TO would I book to go to Salzburg or is it a different resort that would stay in
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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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Jon Ford, take a look at flangesax's web site about their place and book in with them. I've stayed there several times and always had a fantastic time as have all the snowHeads who have made that decision. I will be staying there over the summer as well as many times next season because they always go that extra mile to ensure that you have the holiday you are looking for.
You can fly into Salzburg using anyone of a number of regional and major airports as your starting point in the UK. Even BA are offering flights into Salzburg from Gatwick. It is so easy to organise yourself, why bother with a tour operator? Transfer can be by bus, train, taxi or hire car and you will still be quids in compared to what you have paid in the past. Hüber Taxis for example do a transfer for 25 Euro a head, whether there is is one of you or 8 in the minibus taxi.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Samerberg Sue,
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Yet another sucker for the French rip-off merchants!
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Lots of non rip off resorts in France.
Having said that I would agree that Austria offers great value and though I have not had the pleasure of staying at flangesax's, place, when I skied Zauchensee I was most impressed.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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take a look at flangesax's web site about their place and book in with them
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Seconded.
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had a fantastic time as have all the snowHeads who have made that decision
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Yep, that too! We'll be going back 
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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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Thanks everyone. Been looking through brochure again. So many resorts that look good but all have negatives. Suppose will never find perfect resort when on budget. Will keep reading up.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Don't worry about snow. Good snow cover is needed fopr steep blacks and off-piste, but much less an issue for coasting blues, so you'll (most probably) be alright wherever you choose
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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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went to soll in March and spent a bit of time over at Ellmau, Scheffau, Westerndorf. More snow than you could shake a stick at. It is lower but also much further east into the Alps than France so is generally plenty cold enough with plenty of snow. Don't be put of by its altitude. Lots of great slopes over there are tree lined.
I also did La Plagne in January, great wide long slopes plenty of which are tree lined below 1800.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
More snow than you could shake a stick at
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There was loads of snow pretty much everywhere this season - it's not guaranteed anywhere other than glaciers, really, whatever the country. they all have rubbish times, pretty well unpredictably. Jon Ford, if you're not going at a peak time, or very fussed about accommodation, there's a lot to be said for leaving it later to book - perhaps when there's a chance to see how the snow is falling.
If pretty village is on your priority list, then Flaine probably shouldn't be. Samoens, maybe, provided doorstep skiing isn't important.
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Whatever else one might say about skiwelt their snow making is sauperb and they use it regularly when it is cold enough to lay down a huge base. Thanks for the tip about Flangesax - bookmarked for when I know what my dairy will look like next year if everyone hasn't got there before me!
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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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flangesax, How far are you from the nearest lift station, just looked on your website and couldn't see this info, it says ski bus ride, how long/ far and can it be walked? Is the bus typically crowded?
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Markymark29, flangesax are on holiday right now so I will attempt to answer.
The ski bus picks up and drops off at the bottom of the road, about 100m away. As I have never used the bus I'm not 100% sure of the time it takes, but 10 minutes is what I usually here on the way out and sometimes less on the way back. The bus sometimes drops off at that the stop first on the return journey.
I have a car because I live relatively locally, so I always drive to the slopes. Driving directly takes less than 5 minutes to the Radstadt slopes, 20 minutes to Zauchensee (as long as the road is clear and you don't get caught behind a long convoy), 15 minutes to Flachau and maybe 25 to Schladming.
Last winter we had some really heavy snowfall just after Christmas and the snowHeads who were there with their own or hire cars tended to use the buses to get around, or flangesax's minibus. The roads were cleared but they were nervous about getting caught in more snow!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Samerberg Sue, Sounds great, will contact them re March, many thanks
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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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Les Sybelles is a very good, cheaper French ski area with lots of Blue + Red skiing.
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Samerberg Sue - few questions if you could come back to me sometime please?
Train links from Munich Hbf Ok? and how far is the chalet from Radstadt Bahnhof?
Is snow record early March historically ok?
Is there plenty of off piste/ challenging stuff as well as rolling reds/ blues?
Are links to rest of Amada like main resorts quick or need car? Or is bus ok? Prefer not to hire a car if poss!
Cheers
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You know it makes sense.
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Markymark29, The train links from München Hauptbahnhof are very good as far as Salzburg or Bischofshofen. From Bischofshofen you may need to take a taxi to the chalet. Radstadt has a railway station and I know a few people have used it to access the place, but usually they are travelling from Salzburg. If you can fly into Salzburg then there are places in group taxis run by Taxi Hüber and Taxi Habstätterer that cost 25 Euro each way. Others have booked these, and even if you are the only customer in the taxi, the price remains the same.
If you want to ski off-piste there is more than enough available, but a car or an agreement with Ben (one half of flangesax) is the best idea because he knows most of the good places and he often puts small groups of similarly minded folks together. The tree skiing is phenomenal, but it is not always permitted due to the people owning the forests not always allowing access.
A car is a very useful piece of kit if you want to make full use of the Amadé ski pass or its big brother the Super Salzburg pass. Hiring a car locally may be the solution as you then know it comes with all the necessary kit at no extra cost!
Admin and a few other fat ski people had loads of fun with flangesax last year while I was staying there in January, rarely on piste except to access whatever off-piste they had decided to play in. Local knowledge is necessary if you want to get the best out of the region. Scarpa, Geepee, Waynos to name but a few powder hounds from last year can probably give you a better guide to the off-piste as I can no longer participate due to too many injuries to my much abused knees. I am usually the one sulking in the corner when they start waxing lyrical over the various slopes and forests they have run-riot through! 
As for snow, it is in in the lap of the Gods these days. I have never in nearly 30 years of skiing in the area had problems finding somewhere to ski in March or April. There is always good skiing available somewhere right up to the beginning of May. I buy the Salzburger Superski pass which obviously widens my options.
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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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Samerberg Sue, Thank for this, sounds excellent. Hire car locally, are these reasonably priced what sort of companies, Buchbinder? Only problem with Salzburg flights from the north UK is that they're mega bucks, will start looking at options now.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Markymark29, Scarpa and others from "oop north" use Liverpool and Manchester in the ski season. I'm pretty sure Frosty the Snowman has not travelled sarf either! Ask around, it could be that the timetables are not yet public knowlege.
As for car hire costs, no idea to be honest. Geepee and Geepee Junior rented a car locally I think for their week last January but often used either the local buses or travelled with Ben. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Jon Ford, Flaine is not very cheap, if you want lots of motorway blues/easy red and not expensive then La Thuile in Italy would suit, They groom everytning very flat and is a reasonably big area when linked to La Rosiere and no crowds/queues at all. Quiet village however
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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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Jon Ford, FWIW in the really poor snow 2 seasons ago at Easter I was skiing top to bottom in Austria, whilst some French resorts that are normally fine were skiing thin strips of snow with brown either side of them...even higher up
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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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Jon Ford, try Cervinia in Italy. Lots of very wide blues. Relatively cheap to eat/drink similar prices to Austria. It's high so pretty snow sure (although snow has never been a problem for me when skiing in Austria either )
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Cervinia is not tree-lined, it's above the tree line, but hammerite is quite correct that the runs are very wide and easy. The snow was rubbish when I went in March but we were in the midst of a freaky heatwave. Definitely very cheap on the mountain and some good hotel deals but the cheapness goes out of the window when you cross the border to Zermatt...
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Hi all. Just come back.to a load of replies. Thanks. Really useful. Deff thinking Skiwelt now. Deff leaving it a while before booking though. Thanks again for all your help.
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Hi all. Just come back.to a load of replies. Thanks. Really useful. Deff thinking Skiwelt now. Deff leaving it a while before booking though. Thanks again for all your help.
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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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Hi Jon
Why dont you try the Milky way in Italy. Plenty of motorway pistes and should be a lot cheaper than LA. Italy offers great value for money. Around 400km of pistes if you ski the whole Milky way area.
Good luck with your search
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Hi Jon,
Not to burst your bubble but Skiwelt drove us insane with their utterly confusing piste map. Based in Soll, we didn't find it particularly cheap either. Lots of blue and red cruisers though they do like their canted or slanted slopes...
Would second the Dolomites or consider Portes du Soleil, staying in Morzine or Les Gets both of which have lovely tree lined runs and nice views for your filming.
Good luck!
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FAQ
