Post holiday blues- please help

Having returned from Andorra a couple of days ago after a great week's skiing I'm now well and truly depressed at the thought of waiting another year for a ski fix. :(

I'm therefore straight back on the case for next year in the hope that it will cheer me up, but to be honest I'm getting a bit of information overload so thought that you guys may be able to point me in the right direction in making my decision.

To briefly explain my situation-

The Andorra trip was my gf's first experience on snow and she absolutely loved it. She's now skiing parallel but resorts to a bit of snow plough if she gets in trouble- blue runs are good for her but with a bit more confidence i think she'll be able to handle some reds next season. Though i'd not skied for many years (and to my surprise TBH) i was put in an advanced group for ski school so i'd like somewhere which will keep me on my toes a bit as well!

Here's the killer- the OH is a teacher so we're confined to school hols and the hike in prices these weeks incur. We therefore need somewhere reasonably priced and where i wont have to remortgage for a round of drinks!

I've seen some reasonable deals about but by the time you add ski school (a must as far as I'm concerned), ski/ boot hire (though i'll probably be buying my own boots this year) and ski passes etc etc the numbers quickly escalate. BTW considering Sauze but only cos i went there a few times a a kid.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated :thumbup:

ClipperJon wrote:Having returned from Andorra a couple of days ago after a great week's skiing I'm now well and truly depressed at the thought of waiting another year for a ski fix. :(

I'm therefore straight back on the case for next year in the hope that it will cheer me up, but to be honest I'm getting a bit of information overload so thought that you guys may be able to point me in the right direction in making my decision.

To briefly explain my situation-

The Andorra trip was my gf's first experience on snow and she absolutely loved it. She's now skiing parallel but resorts to a bit of snow plough if she gets in trouble- blue runs are good for her but with a bit more confidence i think she'll be able to handle some reds next season. Though i'd not skied for many years (and to my surprise TBH) i was put in an advanced group for ski school so i'd like somewhere which will keep me on my toes a bit as well!

Here's the killer- the OH is a teacher so we're confined to school hols and the hike in prices these weeks incur. We therefore need somewhere reasonably priced and where i wont have to remortgage for a round of drinks!

I've seen some reasonable deals about but by the time you add ski school (a must as far as I'm concerned), ski/ boot hire (though i'll probably be buying my own boots this year) and ski passes etc etc the numbers quickly escalate. BTW considering Sauze but only cos i went there a few times a a kid.

Suggestions would be greatly appreciated :thumbup:

Why wait until next year? Book a week in Feb or at Easter?
Ok, so suggestions from me based on experience:

Sauze - yes lovely skiing and great for you and the OH based on stated ability. Only problem is the snow, can be erratic. Cheap deals available usually.

Mayrhofen - helped me develop into a decent skier over the past 4-5 seasons. Some challenging blues and reds but also some lovely quiet areas to find over the back of the ski area. Ok if you dont mind getting up early and hitting the first lift, which is a 15 minute gondola ride up to the slopes. Nice lively town with plenty to do, and well priced deals available too.

Serre Chevalier - perfect all round ski area for all abilities, and loads of mileage. Quieter apart from during French holidays. Fairly chilled out at night and cheap for France.

Why not go back to Andorra? I had a weekend there before Xmas and saw there was loads to go at, especially over the Grandvalira area. Soldeu would be the best resort IMO and not expensive either.

Other cheaper places include Livigno in Italy and Soll in Austria but each have their own drawbacks, either long transfer or low lying. But you will always find deals to these places.

You just need to decide where to go, and either book up as demand is high in peak times or chance it and wait til the last minute and get a right deal - there will ALWAYS be something if you can wait and want to keep costs down.

Glad the OH loved it and that you are back in the zone.

Clipperjon welcome to addiction :D Europe has quite a few ski areas open for most of the summer. So it might be worth doing a little research and scoring an "out of season" ski trip ) This would free you both from the tyranny of the Tour Ops and their school holiday price hikes.

Just a thought.

Thanks for the pointers.

I must admit that I'd been thinking of another trip this season but hadn't thought about summer- i take it we're talking about glacial skiing here. For some reason that sounds a bit scary!

I'll definately check out some of the places you suggest to feed my renewed addiction.

Got a feeling this is going to get expensive!

Hi ClipperJon, welcome :-)

Don't rule out North America either. As Tony_H stated, if you are prepared to risk it, there are often some incredible deals to Canada to be had at the last minute.

Also, if you are in a position to arrange things yourself, it is possible to use Resort websites to locate cheap deals on accommodation, then either drive out there or sort your own flights and transfers. Driving is not necessarily the cheap option, but it can be very convenient as you can take what you want and don't have to worry about the transfers etc.

:twisted: You never know, if you get them cheap enough, you could get away for half term and also at Easter :D