 Poster: A snowHead
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Righty,
I need some advice please. I'm planning a trip on the 5th of January with a friend who has never skied but is getting lessons in Glasgow before we go. I don't want to take him to France because the food and drink prices on the mountain might induce a cardiac arrest.
I'm looking to do it on the cheap and the above listed places seem to get a reputation for being kinder on the wallet. I've only ever skied in the 3V and PDS (posting from the Dixie Bar in Morzine  ) and realise that it won't be the same but don't really care as long as there is snow to ski and beer to sup.
I've heard that the food is generally awful in Bulgaria and that prices are on the rise - around £24 per day for the lift pass.
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=146086 Still cheap but getting close to local area rates in more established resorts.
How cheap are lessons and ski hire?
Are Andorra and Livigno similar pricewise?
Any advice is much appreciated.
Cheers
Sean
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sean1967, I suspect Bulgaria will be hard to beat on purely a price comparison.
I'm not sure Andorra is quite as inexpensive as a few years ago - many reports suggest it is not dissimilar to mainstream European destinations. Probably on a par with Livigno (been to both). That said, Livigno is a tax-free (or tax-lite) resort, so beer not vastly expensive IIRC, along with some spirits etc. I don't recall it being pricey food-wise either.
Of the three places, Livigno would be my choice, although transfers can be on the long side.
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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 Chasseur,
I'm trying to avoid Bulgaria but I suppose it would be a wee adventure into the unknown.
I'll see what's available for Livigno and Andorra and book late just after new year. Should be plenty of rooms available as its not too busy a week.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
I'm trying to avoid Bulgaria but I suppose it would be a wee adventure into the unknown.
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Or the unsnown, Andorra Soldeu is high cheap and good.
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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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Personally, if you can bag a late deal, it's Austria all the way. JMO.
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sean1967, of the three, Livigno (booger of a transfer  ) but a nice place for a week's holiday . . . please note, you can ski it out in less than two days if you're just interested in bashing away at new terain . . . But it is a place to go, relax, good food, cheap booze, work on your technique . . . have a vacation. I love the place and if there's been a big dump there's some great off-piste but local laws require you to have a guide (iir)
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Never been to Bulgaria, so can't comment on there. Andorra is OK (especially if you are 19 and a boarder). It seems to be improving all the time. I like Livigno, and the new regime with regard to OP skiing defo sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to going back.
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| musher wrote: |
| Never been to Bulgaria, so can't comment on there. Andorra is OK (especially if you are 19 and a boarder). It seems to be improving all the time. I like Livigno, and the new regime with regard to OP skiing defo sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to going back. |
How dare you ! 
I don't off piste and if I do, something has gone far far wrong.
I'm up for Livigno as I did a wee bit of Italian at school.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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From a skiing point of view would never go (back to) any of above, but I can confirm food on Livigno was excellent and from what I remember very reasonable
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| patricksh wrote: |
| From a skiing point of view would never go (back to) any of above, but I can confirm food on Livigno was excellent and from what I remember very reasonable |
That's interesting. I've only ever skied in the 3V and PDS. I ski the lot bar the majority of blacks and the swiss wall - I'd rather use the energy enjoying reds and blues at pace than tire my legs on the on the moguls and bumpy stuff.
I'll maybe have a look at deals for Sella Ronda or Austria.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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If you can book last minute , you will probably have a choice of these three and others at a reduced price esp in Jan
Livingo, unbeatable snow record (Hi Altitude), nice town , reasonable resort prices ; apes, Ski hire lift pass etc, 4/5 hour transfer from Bergamo or Milan
Lots of pistes for a week and decent lift system, food good and reasonably priced.
The long transfer puts people off, so lots of last minute deals
Andorra : Pas de Casa, Soldeu and Arinsal..... Arinsal is approx 4 hrs , the other two a bit less. Good lift system and Pas and Soldeu lift linked.
Arinsal linked to Arcalais by bus. Can only comment on Arinsal; on mountain food terrible, town food not too bad.
Adequate amount of pistes, quiet a boozy atmosphere at night, and seems to draw the Chavs. A lot of out of control and inconsiderate skiers . All the pistes look very similar, so can get boring.
Was in Pamporovo years ago, low altitude , check the webcams carefully before you book, nice tree lined pistes but tiny compared to two above
Food awful, especially half board, long ski school, so plenty of tuition at right price. Transfer short enough. When I was there 10 years ago ancient lifts
If you can put up with a 4.5 hour transfer and very cold temps ; :Livingo hands down
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Thu 20-12-12 22:09; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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dublin2, don't forget the Arinsal telecabin link to Pal, more challenging runs to be had there 
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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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| Quote: |
If you can book last minute , you will probably have a choice of these three and others at a reduced price esp in Jan
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This. booking on 20 Dec for a holiday on 5 january doesn't make a lot of sense.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Callum , thats a good point about Pal, nicer and less crowded there
La Massana (Pal) could be a nicer place to stay/ski
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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PS
Livingo walk from your hotel to a lift and piste 2 mins
Arinsal 10-15 Gondola ride to ski area, add to that bus ride to Gondola from some non central hotels
Pamporovo, overcrowded bus 15 mins, some people standing
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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: |
| Quote: |
If you can book last minute , you will probably have a choice of these three and others at a reduced price esp in Jan
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This. booking on 20 Dec for a holiday on 5 january doesn't make a lot of sense. |
I don't plan on booking until the 3rd or 4th of Jan. Fancy Austria too.
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sean1967, If you want somewhere like Livigno but with a wider range of hills, add Passo Tonale to you list if a last minute cheapy flags up. Piste is a walk across the street, again great food and booze prices ok.
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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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| sean1967 wrote: |
| patricksh wrote: |
| From a skiing point of view would never go (back to) any of above, but I can confirm food on Livigno was excellent and from what I remember very reasonable |
That's interesting. I've only ever skied in the 3V and PDS. I ski the lot bar the majority of blacks and the swiss wall - I'd rather use the energy enjoying reds and blues at pace than tire my legs on the on the moguls and bumpy stuff.
I'll maybe have a look at deals for Sella Ronda or Austria. |
If you have skied 3V and PDS, you will be very disappointed with skiing at your suggested resorts. No question. Sorry
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Can't help with Livigno or Bulgaria. We quite enjoyed it when we skied in Andorra (Grandvalira), certainly be fine for a beginner. Dirt cheap to get there and stay if going with a TO compared to most places. You can often get an offer pass/hire/lessons bundle.
Drinks we're similarly priced to Austria/Italy iirc, but echo what has been said above about food on the mountain, it was pretty poor and relatively costly. Austria and Italy win hands down for vfm when it comes to cost/quality of food.
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True, food not brill in Andorra but good food can be found, I found food in Italy no better, some of the worst Italian food I've ever come across.
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sean1967, lots of good points above re Andorra and Livignio. I would add another in favour of Andorra and that is British ski instructors - it does help being taught by a native speaker of your own language.
Either way - hold out for a last minute deal, your dates are perfect for that.
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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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dublin2 has Andorra and Livigno sopt on (not been to Bulgaria).
Livigno gets my vote, heading out there on 5th January also.
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| Masque wrote: |
| sean1967, If you want somewhere like Livigno but with a wider range of hills, add Passo Tonale to you list if a last minute cheapy flags up. Piste is a walk across the street, again great food and booze prices ok. |
Each to their own and all that....but I would till put Livigno way, way above Paso Tonale - I found it soulless, and very repetitive. Should qualify that by saying I went on a day pass extension from another resort, however, i would not go back.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| tangowaggon wrote: |
| True, food not brill in Andorra but good food can be found, |
Like the Argentinian place in Arinsal 
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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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| patricksh wrote: |
If you have skied 3V and PDS, you will be very disappointed with skiing at your suggested resorts. No question. Sorry |
Really? So, in other words, patricksh, once you have skied a mega resort, it is futile skiing anywhere else. I must be the exception to the rule then  Having skied in the 3Vs 6 years or so ago, I rate quite a few smaller places well above the place. Its not just down to "hey there are so many options and so much distance one can ski"
When I went to Livigno, the conditions were about as good as one might get, the variety of skiing was great, the instruction outstanding, the food (Baita Cuisine) memorable, the town and apres very good, getting around was pretty easy. Whilst the 3Vs was a good experience...when all weighed together, Livigno was the better experience. All in my opinion, naturally.
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Chasseur,
Another vote for the food in Livigno. There are 2 or 3 top class restaurants all with very reasonable prices, especially the wine.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Chasseur wrote: |
| Masque wrote: |
| sean1967, If you want somewhere like Livigno but with a wider range of hills, add Passo Tonale to you list if a last minute cheapy flags up. Piste is a walk across the street, again great food and booze prices ok. |
Each to their own and all that....but I would till put Livigno way, way above Paso Tonale - I found it soulless, and very repetitive. Should qualify that by saying I went on a day pass extension from another resort, however, i would not go back. |
PT itself is no better than Livigno but that glacier run is a real thigh burner  and the link down to the next town on the pass offers some very nice tree lined runs. I would put the skiing overall at more variety than Livigno but not quite as fun to stay at.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Chasseur, that next area is very nice, all tree lined and very mixed runs with some crackin' fast reds to turn the wick up on. and that long blue to get there is one of the best warm ups you can have to start the day. for some daft reason most take the gondola ride down there 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Another vote for Livigno for all the above mentioned reasons. The skiing in the valley is great for beginners, and most of the skiing higher up is wide cruisy bluish reds, with a few steeper tree lined runs about. There is some difficult terrain and good off piste to be had, but as mentioned above, you have to go with a guide. With Mottolino Freeride, this is 50euro for a 3 hour session with transceiver, shovel and probe provided. However, this year they've opened up a patrolled "powder zone" at the Federia chairlift, which as far as I can gather is just a relatively gentle ungroomed piste where you can practice "off piste" on your own in safety. They also have two of the best snowparks I've been in, both with airbags and crazy features - they've just made a feature out of an old fighter jet! Compared to other resorts I've been in, they really seem to make an effort to make the ski area interesting.
I found it a much more pleasant place to spend a week than Andorra, (or the three valleys).
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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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Just re-read the OP, there's a newbie going too. OK that's it settled. Livigno has acres of green and gentle blues and a nervous skier can get up (and down) to the top of both big hills without having to ski the steep bits. The schools are fine to take him on and most instructors speak perfectly good english. It is a perfect place for a fresh one as there's no long schlep to the bar when the lesson's done and always easy to hook up with mates between times.
Actually feeling a bit nostalgic thinking about this and wondering if I could snag a cheap flight to Milan . . .
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Hello sean1967,
Livigno every time from your 3 choices
Skiing is nice for a week-Do the one side morning t'other side afternoon type of routine.
It's a long but scenic transfer (some of it alongside lake Como where we stopped for a very nice meal).
Food and drink reasonably priced and good.
Town is a bit of a ribbon village along valley floor, so convenience may depend on accommodation chosen.
Cheers, Geoff
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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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PS Take no notice of patricksh,
3v, espace killy, paradiski, gastein valley, ski circus etc, done them and would def. go back to Livigno
Cheers, Geoff
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sean1967,
Livigno; food was excellent & bar prices very good value. + very friendly locals. Try & go via Innsbruck if you choose it as transfer is approx 3 hours .
Have heard that schools in Andorra are top rate so you might want to take this into account... also I understand the booze is a fair bit cheaper there ( so I,m told by a mate whose recently been there).
Enjoy wherever you choose
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Whenever the Times, Mail or Telegraph do a "Top 10 ski resorts for beginners" article, Soldeu in Andorra is always included in the list. It has loads of long wide gently sloping blues & an English ski school that always has lots of excellent reviews. For a first timer it would be a good choice.
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cheers for all the replies,
There's some cheap deals available for Livigno and I quite fancy trying out my Italian after 10 years off.
I also quite fancy finding an Austrian deal for the apres.
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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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I have been to Bulgaria and Andorra but not to Livigno. Basically my rankings would be
Soldeau,
Borovets,
Bansko,
If I found myself in Barcelona I would make the effort to go to Andorra for a few days, but personally from the UK I wouldn't bother, there are better cheaper resorts. Similarly if I was in Sofia I would go to Borovets. ( When working in Sofia I did go to Borovets and Bansko for weekends. I thought Borovets was much better that Bansko).
I do not know about Livigno so using the Cynic, criteria I would go there.
Yes, the food in Bulgaria is generally awful (unless you actually like cold fry ups) , but if you can find a Turkish restaurant then these are generally very good. However I cannot recall one in Borovets.
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