Can beginners snowboard in Switzerland in October? Is it worth going?
Started by Panda_girl in Switzerland 25-Feb-2012 - 10 Replies
Panda_girl posted Feb-2012
We are only beginners (we just came back from our first trip to Whistler at the beginning of this month), so we'd be wanting to board beginner runs and have a lesson on our first day.
Is it worthwhile going in October?
What are prices like at this time of year? Is it expensive (keeping in mind that we are Australians, so the Swiss Franc is on par with our dollar at the moment)?
Is the snow "soft" enough in Switzerland at this time of year for beginners (i.e how much ice will I be landing on?)?
Or would it be best to leave Switzerland for another time and just put our $$$$ towards a New Zealand snow trip next July? (It's quite hard to find info about Swiss ski packages etc on Australian travel sites etc; Canada BC, Japan and New Zealand trips are the most popular amongst Aussies).
Thanks!
Edited 4 times. Last update at 25-Feb-2012
OldAndy
reply to 'Can beginners snowboard in Switzerland in October? Is it worth going? ' posted Feb-2012
It would be a real gamble for you.
You could get fresh snow, you could get atrocious weather, you could get sunshine - anything really.
If it were me I would save the money to ski during the core season (whether Northern or Southern hemisphere) and use your time in Italy for other activities.
Admin
reply to 'Can beginners snowboard in Switzerland in October? Is it worth going? ' posted Feb-2012
panda_girl wrote:Is it worthwhile going in October?
If you need guaranteed snow, and "easy" conditions then - probably - no.
There is just no way of knowing what snow there will be in The Alps in 8 months time.
...but if you're happy to roll the dice a little... DO IT!
You might end up walking grassy Alpine meadows, or you might be up to your knees in powder. TBH, you won't know which until the week before.
Warren Smith runs his ski academy courses in Saas Fee every summer and they regularly seem to get good conditions. This is a video taken in July 2011 ...
:thumbup:
Panda_girl
reply to 'Can beginners snowboard in Switzerland in October? Is it worth going? ' posted Feb-2012
Verbier_ski_bum
reply to 'Can beginners snowboard in Switzerland in October? Is it worth going? ' posted Feb-2012
Daved
reply to 'Can beginners snowboard in Switzerland in October? Is it worth going? ' posted Feb-2012
http://www.cervinia.it/pages/Giornalieri_plurigiornalieri_i_en/464?#ixMainSection
Verbier_ski_bum
reply to 'Can beginners snowboard in Switzerland in October? Is it worth going? ' posted Feb-2012
daved wrote:have a look at Cervinia..they advertise preski from October...and are high...very very high
http://www.cervinia.it/pages/Giornalieri_plurigiornalieri_i_en/464?#ixMainSection
Yeah, but when there is no snow it doesn't matter how high the resort is; that's the main problem. High altitude preserves the snow for longer that's why it's preferable for the end of the season trips, but this snow needs to fall first and early season/pre-season record is very mixed in this respect. Can be powder and can be sheets of ice.
Daved
reply to 'Can beginners snowboard in Switzerland in October? Is it worth going? ' posted Feb-2012
Topic last updated on 18-March-2012 at 09:43