where shall we go?!

jimmi85 wrote:Been doing some research and Vaujany seems like a good option. Seems good for beginners, lots of gondolas and cable cars, not many chairs, and can explore other areas like Alpe'd'huez if we get bored. Resort is high so snow should be good,
has anyone been there before?

Done ADH and its a fantastic ski area. Didnt stay in Vaujany though, looks a quiet pretty little place. Might be ideal.

Austria with resorts like Soll, Zell am See are nice places in Feb had some great skiing there in my early beginner years.

Tony_H wrote:
Can you answer these questions:

* Do you like plenty to do off the slopes?
* Do you like a cutesy village or a bustling town?
* Is apres ski important to you?
* If the GF doesnt get out, do you want a variety of terrain or happy to slide around on the same old slopes?
* Any other factors that are important to you?

It would be nice to have other options other than skiing, more so as a back up than anything else i guess but certainly not essential. the GF will be happy going back to the hotel/apartment and sleeping/read a book if she gets tired while i'll ski the rest of the day.
Apres ski isnt particulay important no, but a few bars and restaurant would be nice.
I'd happily try and ski all the 400km the paradaski area has to offer, or the 250km in the ADH region if on my own, but happy to ski same slopes as long as i was with my gf.

i have looked at soll but was concerned about the village height and i think the highest lift was pretty low too?
snow at resort level i think is important to gf.

i will check out Are in Sweeden. We did Levi in Lapland in Nov but couldnt ski due to a severe lack of snow, so she will probably like Sweeden!

Tony_H wrote:Nothing wrong with smaller resorts as such.
But choice of country and then resort in that country is vital. You dont want to run the risk of not getting on the slopes or not liking the place. With that in mind, I'd forget eastern europe. Andorra I think is marmite territory, you either love it or leave it well alone. I did a long weekend and it was ok, but I wouldn t be booking a weeks holiday there, its really NOTHING like the alps.

Can you answer these questions:

* Do you like plenty to do off the slopes?
* Do you like a cutesy village or a bustling town?
* Is apres ski important to you?
* If the GF doesnt get out, do you want a variety of terrain or happy to slide around on the same old slopes?
* Any other factors that are important to you?

No

Village

No

Variety

lilywhite wrote:Twice last season we managed to get a week in Are Sweden for 600 each including snowboard school for my other half, lift passes for us both and hired ski's for me. Google skistar sweden or check out neilson for cheap deals. We went self catering, ate in at night, bought beer from the national offy (roughly same price as GB, pubs much more expensive for spirits, beer about same as euro resorts) food on hills not too bad pricewise, good quality and most places free coffee refills, warming huts and bbq's scattered so you can heat your own food too. Skiing was great approx 100km across 3 areas, plenty green and blue for your GF, some more challenging reds, few blacks, great off piste available too. By feb whole mountain opens up and days are longer, we skied til about 5 plus there was option of night skiing on same lift pass. Don't be put off by the amount of drags, my BF progressed real quick from zero to red runs by end of first week probably because of the drags! Oh and the snow was awesome, fresh snow a plenty.

have looked into Sweeden and it does seem appealing. i can get flights and accomodation for £350pp which seems pretty reasonable. i am concerned though about the amount of drags and chair lifts. I know it seems silly, but because she Boards she says there really difficult to use! I have seen there are 2 gondolas though, are they at village level or higher up?

Re Sweden, Theres a chondola from base to 3/4 way up then a smaller gondola to the very top, if your GF is very nervy it is unlikely she will want the very top of Areskutan tho. There is also a cable car to the very top that usually runs from Feb onwards, an 8chair, 6pack and twin chair not to mention the funicular railway which all access parts of the main Are and Are By slopes which are interconnected, the other areas Tegerfyall and Duved have only 1 6chair and the rest are drags.
If your GF is planning lessons she will almost certainly unless private lessons have to use the drags at least part of the time. I'm a lower intermediate with a serious back injury and struggle with drags, I had a couple of private lessons the second trip (not so cheap but learned more in an hour than a week of snow school!) Then avoided all but the shortest drags for the rest of the time without feeling short changed on choice of terrain. However my first time snowboarder BF progressed very fast BECAUSE of the drags, he fell a lot first few days but was competently doing red runs on day 3. He's in his 40's and not very skinny so anything is possible!
P.s best restaurant on the hill is Ulladalsstugan which is well worth suffering a very long drag for- potato pancakes, smoked bacon and lingonberry preserve, AMAZING!!!

Jimmi85,
Just occurred to me, Cervinia would be perfect for your GF ( slopes wise)........not much in town but sure she would get to grips on those easy blues & reds of Cervinia
Go for it.
FB