Ideas on where to ski next Feb

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 21:13:48 +0100, "Steve Olive"
wrote:


"ash" wrote in message
...
Les Arcs, though a slightly longer transfer time.


Looks good on 1ski.com

Airport transfer times are 2.5-3 hrs to the resort proper, but you can
get a bus from Geneva-Bourg St/ Maurice which is somewhat shorter and
just take the funicular up to Arcs 1600. Not ideal for everyone, but
very convenient if it is.

Alternatively, depending on your starting point, you can take a train
from London or Paris to drop you directly in Bourg. Check-out
http://www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/...pageUK&WB= HP
and www.eurostar.com


--
Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk
All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club.

On Fri, 23 Sep 2005 20:53:10 +0100, "Steve Olive"
wrote:


resort recommendation or two.
Wife, child (12), and me have skied 6 times before, and the only times in
Europe were twice to Courcheval 1850 which we enjoyed. (Not surprising
really)

This time we'd like to try somewhere else in Europe, France is still fine of
course.

Here's what we liked about 1850, and therefore what we are looking for in
another resort.

1/ Plenty of snow in mid feb, and lots of beginner/intermediate terrain
2/ Excellent lifts, with manageable queues
3/ A small town, with shops to browse and plenty of eateries
4/ No more than 2.5 hours transfer
5/ Not too rowdy/brits on ****. Skied over to Meribel once, and really hated
the full English Breakfast nonsense etc..

Really, your criteria don't arrow it down very much. The 'not-rowdy'
requirement rules out some others. Val d'Isère, St. Anton, Chamonix
(arguable), Val Thorens spring to mind as party towns, but there are
others.

So, other requirements - small town, short transfer, good lifts,
varied terrain... I'd probably go for one of the Portes du Soleil
stations. Massive area, mostly well-linked, and very short transfers.

Morzine is a nice oldish village/town allowing direct access to a
large part of the area, although a ski bus is needed to get you to the
Avoriaz lifts.

Avoriaz itself is a purpose-built resort, but has its own charm and
certainly excels on the good lift front. It probably also has a
greater, but not excessive, rowdy element.

Another option would be to stay in would be Chatel, which is even
closer to Geneva (~1 hr? transfer) and is a much smaller village. I've
not stayed there for some years but it retains a special place in my
heart as the place I first skiied on snow. But it is "nice".

--
Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk
All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club.

"Steve Olive" wrote in message
...
Hi all.

I wonder if I could pick the brains of you experienced skiiers and get a
resort recommendation or two.
Wife, child (12), and me have skied 6 times before, and the only times in
Europe were twice to Courcheval 1850 which we enjoyed. (Not surprising
really)

Many good recommendations have been made, I would second Zermatt (fits all
your criteria except for transfer time, and not really beginner but plenty
of intermediate slopes with unbeatable scenery).

Some more bits of info:

- UK half term coincides with the busiest weeks of French half term. I would
avoid France just for that reason. Switzerland is also busy but less so, the
Swiss holidays are more spread out and there are only 7M Swiss... Italy does
not have February half term holidays, though many schools close the week of
mardi gras (in March this year).

- Most Swiss resorts are easily reachable by train, with transfer times
similar to car. If you are on a budget, this is definitely an option to
consider (why hire a car for a whole week, when it will be parked -
expensively - for 5 of the 7 days?).

- If flying to Geneva, avoid Saturdays if you can, those two Saturdays are
the busiest of the year. Sunday is also busy, but less to. Additional
advantage of Switzerland over France is that hotels are much more flexible
about length and starting/ending day of stay.

--

"Ace" wrote in message
...
Airport transfer times are 2.5-3 hrs to the resort proper, but you can
get a bus from Geneva-Bourg St/ Maurice which is somewhat shorter and
just take the funicular up to Arcs 1600. Not ideal for everyone, but
very convenient if it is.

On the mid-February Saturdays? You'd be lucky to be in Albertville in less
than 2 hours, and I doubt you can get to anywhere in Tarentaise in less than
3 hours, if the weather is good.

--

Not many suggestions coming through for Austria. Schladming is a reasonable
town with large ski area.
"Marco Cattaneo" wrote in message
...

"Steve Olive" wrote in message
...
Hi all.

I wonder if I could pick the brains of you experienced skiiers and get a
resort recommendation or two.
Wife, child (12), and me have skied 6 times before, and the only times in
Europe were twice to Courcheval 1850 which we enjoyed. (Not surprising
really)

Many good recommendations have been made, I would second Zermatt (fits all
your criteria except for transfer time, and not really beginner but plenty
of intermediate slopes with unbeatable scenery).

Some more bits of info:

- UK half term coincides with the busiest weeks of French half term. I
would avoid France just for that reason. Switzerland is also busy but less
so, the Swiss holidays are more spread out and there are only 7M Swiss...
Italy does not have February half term holidays, though many schools close
the week of mardi gras (in March this year).

- Most Swiss resorts are easily reachable by train, with transfer times
similar to car. If you are on a budget, this is definitely an option to
consider (why hire a car for a whole week, when it will be parked -
expensively - for 5 of the 7 days?).

- If flying to Geneva, avoid Saturdays if you can, those two Saturdays are
the busiest of the year. Sunday is also busy, but less to. Additional
advantage of Switzerland over France is that hotels are much more flexible
about length and starting/ending day of stay.

--

"Steve Olive" wrote in message
...
Hi all.

I wonder if I could pick the brains of you experienced skiiers and get a
resort recommendation or two.
Wife, child (12), and me have skied 6 times before, and the only times in
Europe were twice to Courcheval 1850 which we enjoyed. (Not surprising
really)

This time we'd like to try somewhere else in Europe, France is still fine
of
course.
snip

In my equally limited experience, the La Clusaz area worked well for us last
season, especially the Cols de la Croix Fry and Merdassier, where there are
some scenic and flattering blues. La Clusaz is a pretty and largely
unspoilt town which should meet your time-out criteria. There's a shuttle
bus between the lift systems, and you can also link to the Eauregard and
Balme areas.

Alternatively, Cervinia has a good snow record and, again, flattering
pistes, with the option to cross over to Zermatt if you feel up to it, but
it may be a bit more expensive.

I can't remember exact transfer times, but I think both are about two hours
(La Clusaz perhaps a bit less).

Hope this helps,

Steve (P)

Hi Steve

Blimey, Ischgl looks very good.
I was oly one time there, but to my opinion you should not go to Ischgl
if you do the following exclusion:
...
5/ Not too rowdy/brits on ****. Skied over to Meribel once, and
really hated the full English Breakfast nonsense etc..
...



Florian

Marco Cattaneo wrote:

snip good advice

- If flying to Geneva, avoid Saturdays if you can, those two Saturdays are
the busiest of the year.

Busiest on the roads, quietest on the slopes. When we were working I
always tried to travel out on Friday evenings and back on Sundays, thus
including an extra peaceful day at the start of the week when you
appreciate it most.

Felly sgrifennodd Steve Olive :
1/ Plenty of snow in mid feb, and lots of beginner/intermediate terrain
2/ Excellent lifts, with manageable queues
3/ A small town, with shops to browse and plenty of eateries
4/ No more than 2.5 hours transfer
5/ Not too rowdy/brits on ****. Skied over to Meribel once, and really hated
the full English Breakfast nonsense etc..
[..]
We'd happily rent a private apartment and book our own flights/car so
suggestions there would be good if anyone is in that market.

Central Switzerland. Many resorts easily accessible if you're hiring a car,
and some are snowsure (though Engelberg - one of them - may still be closed
due to storms last month). Stay somewhere in the middle and you can do a
different resort every day; resorts such as Andermatt, Klewenalp, Melchsee-
Frutt, Engelberg (maybe), Rigi, Mythern, all within a short drive.

If you really want to get away from the brits, that's the best place I've
found! And I can also tell you where I like to stay (email me: I don't want
to advertise it too widely )

Adrian
--
Adrian Shaw ais@
Adran Cyfrifiadureg, Prifysgol Cymru, aber.
Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru ac.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ais uk

The more ideas I get given, the harder the choice becomes. :-(
I've decided that I'd perhaps like to avoid France during the holidays,
though opinions on Serre Chevalier would be welcome.

So, currently considering Zermatt as a well regarded choice, but I'd also
been pointed at Crans Montana (slightly dodgy snow record, but this is
mid-Feb) and Sestriere in Italy.

I just know I'm going to end up in Lake Louise and Banff
again.......................................

Cheers all