Abetone

First of all I would like to say how happy I am to be the latest new member of J2SKI.COM :) Thanks guys!

Now I noticed that you list Abetone as one of the Italian resorts, but your info is a bit sparse and somewhat inaccurate!

Firstly, there IS a board park. Not a huge one, but all of the usual stuff (half-pipe, rail etc.)

Secondly, you say that Venice airport is 3 hours away. Maybe that's true, but Pisa is a whole lot nearer - around 2 hours or less. LOTS of budget airlines fly there from all over the UK and many places in continental Europe too.

Having skied in almost every European country and Canada too, I have experienced more than my fair share of resorts, so why did I buy a house in Tuscany?

Quite simply because the skiing is fantastic! Exciting and challenging, yet uncrowded and inexpensive - and when I'm not skiing theres so much else to see and do!

In spring there's cycling and white-water rafting.
In summer there's windsurfing and surfboarding.
In the autumn there's hiking and climbing!

We do sometimes rent our house out to help cover the costs - not for profit.

If you're interested then take a look at our web-site www.CasaMarginetta.com

There's lots of info about Abetone, links to the resort pages, piste map, and info about the area in general.

Now a bit more about Abetone:

My preconception of Abetone was that it would be like Scotland - only a bit warmer! ;)

(Sorry Scotland, but honestly I found skiing there to be totally sh*t - cr*p slopes, cr*p lifts, cr*p facilities, expensive, miserable - yes, I had been warned, but I thought I knew better! &|)

In reality, Abetone is a dream come true! Fantastic slopes that are practically empty except at weekends. Low low prices for passes, food, drink etc. Even private tuition is affordable! !amazed

Really well thought out for beginners, the main nursery slope is entirely separated from the rest of the resort, so no need to play 'skittles' with the beginners as you try to keep up momentum to reach the lift as in most resorts! :@

Also the nursery slope has a rolling carpet travellator. Remember the fun you had endlessly sidestepping up the slope during the first day or so of ski school? x)
Not at Abetone!

Then there's the TWO chairlifts. Yep! Not a drag lift in sight on the nursery slope! !heart
With friendly staff to help people on and off, beginners get to ski a whole lot more and queue a whole lot less. !heart

Meanwhile, those of us that are past the nursery stage can enjoy the wide range of lifts (most are new) and multiple interlinked resort areas. Only a single drag lift :p needs to be used in order to access all areas! !amazed

Then there's the almost unlimited off-piste opportunities. Fabulous! 8)

All this and not a package tour operator in sight! :p

We call it "Italy's best-kept secret!" :)

Have fun!

Skifan.

:) I'd rather be skiing! :)

Hi skifan, welcome aboard and many thanks for the info regarding Abetone... we will get it posted shortly. Please be patient though as we will be rolling out some quite significant changes over the next month or so.

We will also be in touch soon about a new site we expect you might be interested in... 8)