J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by steverandomno

I'm off to Val T for a weekend in mid December - I am very worried!

With 15 m of annual snow - you will be doing a lot of shovelling!

I'm very envious. I went to Niseko a couple of years ago and was very impressed. So much snow and a great place to hang out. Be sure to check out Sekka Deli for some great bistro food. The Sushi at the traditional Japanese restaurant on the main road running through town (same road as Sekka Deli, it's called Fujizushi I think) is the best I have had and very good value. A Bu Cha is a friendly bar/pub, also with good food.

Top tip - The powder course that they run from the building near the top of the Annupuri gondola (need to get a short rope tow to reach it) allows you to access some great powder terrain that is off limits unless you do the course.

Thanks for all of the useful advice. Dave thanks for the link to the snow reports - that is a useful feature I have not used before. Solden is now looking like a good bet.

But like Ian says its still a bit early to judge by current conditions. I might leave booking until the week before and go with the snow.

Having looked around a bit - I fancy Obergurgl, Austria. It looks nice. They open in November, but again, most tour operators only start from Dec 10. Any thoughts?

I have an unexpected free week beginning 3rd December.

Which resorts are likely to have decent snow at that time. I don't want to go to Val Thorens (going later in season) or Zermatt (Too expensive and a hassle to get to) and I don't realy want to fly more than 7 hours.

Seems like my choices are:
-Chamonix
-Tignes
-Banff
-Trembelant
-Norway?
-Ischgl, Austria?
-Obergurgl, Austria?


Looking at most tour operators, they mostly don't advertise package deals departing before 10th Dec. Are there any good operators that specialize in earlier dates?

Any ideas?

Still a blindingly good offer though!

Bandit - Yes, I meant Snowcard, not Snocard.

I remember your story. It seems like you were treated poorly for essentially being honest.

Seems to be the way with everything these days. :cry:

bandit wrote:Oh great, can we revive the epic insurance debate then :D

Oh dear!

I insure with Snocard. They offer a very flexible set of options but they are also quite pricey. I have not looked into any changes they have made for this year. Do be careful as to what is defined as 'off piste'. Take a look at the link provided by OldAndy to see some of the issues.

BMC are supposed to be worth a look too.