Latest posts for the topic "Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss."

Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 18:04:56 GMT

I have skied in Austria or France for well over 100 weeks and leaving the skiing aside for a moment I am certain that the overall standard of accommodation in Austria far exceeds that of France. In addition, the general character and ambience of a typical Austrian village resort is generally better than a typical French resort. And Austria tends to be cheaper and hence better value for money overall than France.

If we now consider the skiing areas then for sure they both have an excellent selection of areas to suit everybody and I would call them as equal on this.

I think it is fair to say that the amount of skiers/boarders in Germany is much greater than in the UK and they are certainly as enthusiastic about snow sports as we are on this forum. The number one destination for German people is Austria by a country mile, and so I don't understand why we in the UK choose France more often than Austria, albeit that the statistics are relatively close.

So these are my thoughts, I would be interested to hear the opinions of others on this subject.

PS I will be skiing or snowboarding for 14 weeks this season as I am training for ISIA, 2 of those weeks will be in France, 1 week in Italy and the rest in Austria..........which is where I am now. :)

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 18:38:51 GMT

I'm not really qualified to comment as I've not skied in Austria (but hope to one day).

However, I have skied France 4 or 5 times and enjoyed the experience each time.

By the way, there is a specific category on the forum for Austria......

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 19:00:02 GMT

I think your thread would be better titled "Anyone who chooses a whole country in preference to another needs to think again".

Overall and average qualities are completely meaningless, unless you're going to stay everywhere all at once! 8)

There are (relatively) cheap French ski areas and very expensive Austrian ones, and plenty of areas in both countries to suit just about anyone. You'd have to have some pretty bizarre criteria to eliminate every resort from one of the greatest ski countries on Earth.

As for national preferences; geography and language are pretty obviously major influences on both Germans heading for Austria and the Brits heading for France, although a huge number of Brits go to Austria each year anyway.

Each to their own; there are many great places to ski, whatever you're looking for, in both countries.

BTW - The Austrian section of the forum is cunningly indicated by the word Austria in the forum index... -)

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 19:43:53 GMT

Bedrock Barney and Admin, I stand corrected about a separate category on this forum for both France and Austria and so have edited my original post accordingly.

Bedrock Barney, I too enjoy skiing in France, but in my opinion Austria is generally much better and I would thoroughly recommend you give it a try.

Admin, I take your point, so let me clarify a little and say I am comparing the major resorts of France versus the major resorts of Austria as classified by those featuring in most British ski brochures.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 19:55:03 GMT

Furthy34, shhh please.

I would much rather keep the relatively empty pistes of Austria and the Dolomites to myself. Along with the cheap beer, excellent great value food both on and off the mountains and of course locals who are actually friendly and happy to have tourists in their resorts :)

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 20:09:37 GMT

Just go to Italy......much better

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 21:41:23 GMT

Oh. FFS. I wonder why Germans ski in German-speaking Austria. And from Germany you have to go through Austria to get to the French ski resorts.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 21:51:50 GMT

Not quite Dobby, it depends on where in Germany you are, but don't forget they have a border with France as well. And tbh the rest of them would be better off going through Switzerland if they wanted to get to France.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 22:36:05 GMT

Furthy34 wrote:featuring in most British ski brochures.

Ah, well, step away from the brochures! There's a whole 'nother world where the tour operators don't go... 8)

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 22:41:58 GMT

Well said admin. And there are some great little French resorts even where the TOs go, such as Risoul/Vars.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 22:47:54 GMT

Final comment on this topic. There will be good skiing everywhere and bad skiing everywhere. Since taking up the pastime in 2010, I've skied in France, Italy, Switzerland, Norway and Sweden. All have been enjoyable and all distinct in their own ways. We will make it to Austria before too long (and I will be looking forward to it). Maybe even the US and Canada at some point.

I have a soft spot for Val d'Isere and also have found Zermatt to be an amazing place to ski.

.....and Val d'Isere is not full of hooray henrys although I'm sure they can be located if one looks hard enough. I just go there for great skiing.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 22:58:22 GMT

Furthy's post does raise the interesting question about why people ski where they ski. I guess a lot of it is habit/cultural. I am a recent convert to skiing in Scandinavia but five or six years ago I would never thought of skiing there.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 06:05:28 GMT

dobby wrote:Oh. FFS. I wonder why Germans ski in German-speaking Austria. And from Germany you have to go through Austria to get to the French ski resorts.

Far Queue is right. I think you need to look at a map Dobby as French resorts are closer for many Germans. In any case, most Brits fly to their ski destinations and whether we are skiing in France or Austria the journey time is very similar.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 06:08:54 GMT

Admin wrote:

Furthy34 wrote:featuring in most British ski brochures.

Ah, well, step away from the brochures! There's a whole 'nother world where the tour operators don't go... 8)

Yes, I am more than aware of that as I have been fortunate enough to ski in many of them and I haven't booked via a brochure for many years. But the thrust of this post is about the average British skier/boarder who skis for a week or two each season and most tend to stick to the resorts we see in the average British brochure and most go to France, although I fully accept that there are only a few percentage points in it.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 06:21:53 GMT

dobby wrote:Well said admin. And there are some great little French resorts even where the TOs go, such as Risoul/Vars.

Dobby with the greatest respect as you say yourself you have never been to Austria so you cannot compare. I think skiing/boarding is great wherever there is good snow and I would be very happy but in my humble opinion the standard of Austrian resorts is far better than in France. It would be interesting to know why you have chosen France rather than Austria as you are one of the people I am talking about.............in the nicest possible way of course.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 06:29:07 GMT

Gareth Fair wrote:Just go to Italy......much better

I certainly agree that Italy is great and in many cases similar to Austria, so a question would be "why is France the number 1 ski area for Brits in preference to Italy?" because in this case the difference in the amount of British visitors is massive.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 07:23:44 GMT

Hi Furthy. Chose les 2 alpes because it was cheap, good snow and I am one of those who like this marmite resort. I know lots of people don't! Chose Risoul because nephew did a season there and recommended it for families. Good resort for beginner kids with easy greens. Recently been to Hemsedal and are. Also skied in Italy, Andorra and Slovenia. Will hopefully ski in Austria one day and got my eye on trip to St johann which looms good for family trip

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 08:25:38 GMT

We/I have a second home in France and I ski about 40 days each year, mainly there but I also ski in Austria,often a few days a year, doing some form of training (I am also a part time instructor). They both have their pros and cons, Austria is cheaper, has almost as good skiing, better apres and very vibrant resorts. Brilliant if you are single or just a couple. However, the quieter French resorts are better for families as quicker to get to by car with empty pistes, low key night life good restaurants.Just stay away from the resorts the Brits flock to - 3V, PDS, Les Arcs, Val D, Flaine.
We also tend to think just of the Alps and completely forget the Pyrannees which are fantastic too.
Italy is also lovely, also cheaper than France, but does not have the apres that Austria has.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 10:07:16 GMT

The whole premise of judging an entire country's 300+ ski areas is completely daft. They're all different, massively diverse, so pick one that suits you and go and have fun!

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 17:42:53 GMT

I absolutely agree with the picture postcard villages and lovely skiing but I am afraid it's the smoking in public places i.e the ski huts that has totally put us off, when it's -29c outside you really need somewhere inside to warm up and you end up with your ski gear stinking of smoke, as soon as Austria catches up with everyone else we will surely return.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 18:41:59 GMT

I've boarded in both Austria and France for about 13-14 years now (plus Swiss and Italy) I've had great trips to all every time but I've gone back to Austria 9 times and next march will be my 10th and the same area (ski circus) which is odd for me as I like different places but I can't get enough of the place. Love it. That's not to say we haven't enjoyed France because we really have but Austria is always top of my list. Love the villages, the people, prices..... the list goes on. Switzerland on the other hand, as lively as it was I felt financially violated on my return flight. Never again. I'm not tight but I felt robbed out there. France-Austria??? Easy do both.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 19:12:29 GMT

Julier wrote:I am afraid it's the smoking in public places i.e the ski huts that has totally put us off, when it's -29c outside you really need somewhere inside to warm up and you end up with your ski gear stinking of smoke, as soon as Austria catches up with everyone else we will surely return.

The great news is that it will be banned in Austria after this May (might be slightly out with that) so next season will be smoke free in bars etc. Yahoo!! :) :) makes it an even better place to visit now.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 19:44:43 GMT

Admin wrote:The whole premise of judging an entire country's 300+ ski areas is completely daft. They're all different, massively diverse, so pick one that suits you and go and have fun!

It certainly isn't completely daft at all. There is no question that the vast majority of ski resorts in Austria are much prettier and have a much higher standard of accommodation than the majority of resorts in France.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 19:47:39 GMT

le minceur wrote:We/I have a second home in France and I ski about 40 days each year, mainly there but I also ski in Austria,often a few days a year, doing some form of training (I am also a part time instructor). They both have their pros and cons, Austria is cheaper, has almost as good skiing, better apres and very vibrant resorts. Brilliant if you are single or just a couple. However, the quieter French resorts are better for families as quicker to get to by car with empty pistes, low key night life good restaurants.Just stay away from the resorts the Brits flock to - 3V, PDS, Les Arcs, Val D, Flaine.
We also tend to think just of the Alps and completely forget the Pyrannees which are fantastic too.
Italy is also lovely, also cheaper than France, but does not have the apres that Austria has.

I agree with most of what you say but when you talk about "quieter French resorts" there are also numerous quieter Austrian resorts.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 19:51:09 GMT

dobby wrote:Hi Furthy. Chose les 2 alpes because it was cheap, good snow and I am one of those who like this marmite resort. I know lots of people don't! Chose Risoul because nephew did a season there and recommended it for families. Good resort for beginner kids with easy greens. Recently been to Hemsedal and are. Also skied in Italy, Andorra and Slovenia. Will hopefully ski in Austria one day and got my eye on trip to St johann which looms good for family trip

Hi Dobby, I worked a complete season in L2A and was there this summer and the one before. The skiing is good but the village is rather incongruous and the general standard of accommodation is not very good and nowhere near the standard to be found in Austria. You will love St Johann I am sure.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 20:01:14 GMT

I'd also say that the one thing that Austria could learn from French resorts is the catered chalet package. It's nice when we take the kids and it's all done for us.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 20:09:40 GMT

Ade73 wrote:I'd also say that the one thing that Austria could learn from French resorts is the catered chalet package. It's nice when we take the kids and it's all done for us.

Yes, I take your point on this but then what is wrong with a nice pension with a large family room as will often be cheaper than a catered chalet?

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 20:24:02 GMT

we stay in a great pension every time we go in leogang with a great host. ferrienhaus sonnrain, lady called nadia. Absolutely Fab. and we are booked again in march , so Ive no problem with it and its hugely cheaper. I'm just saying, I'm surprised that the austrians (who do everything so well) don't tap into this market as its huge business in france as we know. the place we stay has a super market 5 min walk away and a fantastic restaurant literally 1 min walk. fab place. the ski area is amazing and vast.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 20:37:51 GMT

Ade73 wrote:we stay in a great pension every time we go in leogang with a great host. ferrienhaus sonnrain, lady called nadia. Absolutely Fab. and we are booked again in march , so Ive no problem with it and its hugely cheaper. I'm just saying, I'm surprised that the austrians (who do everything so well) don't tap into this market as its huge business in france as we know. the place we stay has a super market 5 min walk away and a fantastic restaurant literally 1 min walk. fab place. the ski area is amazing and vast.

Ah yes I understand now. But then the Austrians would seem to prefer building hotels and than building chalets!

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 11 Nov 2016 20:50:24 GMT

as much as we are on the same page with regards to austria "you sir are not to be turned" haha. enjoy austria, I'm hoping to have along weekend there on my own not talking to anyone. like a retreat. :lol:

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Sat, 12 Nov 2016 12:11:05 GMT

Great to hear about the change in the smoking policy, thanks for that.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Sun, 13 Nov 2016 10:14:40 GMT

Had some great holidays in various Austrian resorts, Kitzbuhel, Filzmoos, Niederau etc and been ripped off in Chamonix but now ski mostly in Italy.
We find the Italians welcoming, the food and wine good and the skiing more than adequate for our intermediate abilities.
Might go back to Austria at some point but France is a definite no - as a Frenchman in Sardegna explained to me he rarely goes back to France himself because "the Italians welcome you with open arms whilst the French look at you through binoculars".
That's my broad brush in need of cleaning again............

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 08:41:29 GMT

Furthy34 wrote:
There is no question that the vast majority of ski resorts in Austria are much prettier and have a much higher standard of accommodation than the majority of resorts in France.

In your opinion!!!!!

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" so you may NOT say on my, and every other member's, behalf that there is "no question" about Austria being prettier and having a better standard of accommodation. I may find France prettier and you can not tell me different (as it happens I find mountains beautiful whatever country they are in).

As previously mentioned there are subtle cultural forces at play in the, general, choice made: Germans speak German so Austria is appealing, the Brits are, pretty uniformly, taught French at school so France appeals (yes we mostly fly but the travel isn't the issue).

I've been to both countries and enjoyed skiing in them both.

I'm suspecting you are posting this thread purely for devilment as no-one can be this blinkered for real?

I love skiing, wherever I find myself. As Adders said - to compare whole countries and categorically state that one is better than another is just daft

Mic drop

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 08:57:39 GMT

Firstly I think you need to read my original post more carefully. Of course The Alps are beautiful from wherever they are viewed and I love skiing in the mountains no matter where it is. But I was talking about the general standard of accommodation and the general architecture/aesthetics/prettiness of the villages. And of course it is my opinion; if you read all the other posts on this thread you will see that most agree with me.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 09:30:16 GMT

Furthy34 wrote:Firstly I think you need to read my original post more carefully. Of course The Alps are beautiful from wherever they are viewed and I love skiing in the mountains no matter where it is. But I was talking about the general standard of accommodation and the general architecture/aesthetics/prettiness of the villages. And of course it is my opinion; if you read all the other posts on this thread you will see that most agree with me.

Give it a rest Furthy. I'm not sure what your motivation is for this topic other than, dare I say it, trolling.

I've just provisionally booked accommodation for 17th to 24th Dec in Val d'Isere. I fully expect the holiday to be as epic as the previous 4 holidays we've enjoyed there. We will be a modern spacious 3 bed apartment within walking distance of the town centre. The shopping is excellent, as are the restaurants both in town and on the mountain. The lift system is super efficient and the skiing ticks every box. A lot of people will be speaking french but I'm happy with that as, of course, we will be in France and we've always found everyone to be friendly and welcoming.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 11:05:00 GMT

Furthy34 wrote:F And of course it is my opinion; if you read all the other posts on this thread you will see that most agree with me.

No they don't!

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 11:35:06 GMT

bedrock barney wrote:

Furthy34 wrote:Firstly I think you need to read my original post more carefully. Of course The Alps are beautiful from wherever they are viewed and I love skiing in the mountains no matter where it is. But I was talking about the general standard of accommodation and the general architecture/aesthetics/prettiness of the villages. And of course it is my opinion; if you read all the other posts on this thread you will see that most agree with me.

Give it a rest Furthy. I'm not sure what your motivation is for this topic other than, dare I say it, trolling.

I've just provisionally booked accommodation for 17th to 24th Dec in Val d'Isere. I fully expect the holiday to be as epic as the previous 4 holidays we've enjoyed there. We will be a modern spacious 3 bed apartment within walking distance of the town centre. The shopping is excellent, as are the restaurants both in town and on the mountain. The lift system is super efficient and the skiing ticks every box. A lot of people will be speaking french but I'm happy with that as, of course, we will be in France and we've always found everyone to be friendly and welcoming.

No I will not give it a rest and I am not trolling. As I have already said I will be in Espace Killy before Christmas. And unlike you I like to hear people speaking French, funny that in France! I also know I will have a great time. However, there is no doubt that I can find better accommodation etc for a lesser price in numerous Austrian resorts. The reason I am going there instead of Austria is because we have a week of private lessons with a brilliant (British) instructor who works there.
Also, the most populous nationality to visit Espace Killy are the Brits, go figure!

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 11:39:52 GMT

Fight fight fight. FFS guys it's just a discussion which I was enjoying. Horses for courses. I get what furthys saying. Everyone's getting a little precious. Ha

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 11:56:26 GMT

Ade73 wrote:Everyone's getting a little precious. Ha

Seems to be a world trend these days :( especially when someone is on the wrong side of a vote or popular opinion :(

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 11:57:35 GMT

Just to lighten the load, I've just had to look up what country I'm skiing in next year as I didn't pay enough attention when Bald Eagleman was booking it!

Who knew La Thule (I have also been
Pronouncing it la Thool) was in Italy

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 12:08:16 GMT

andyoneil wrote:

Furthy34 wrote:F And of course it is my opinion; if you read all the other posts on this thread you will see that most agree with me.

No they don't!

Er, yes they do. The people who go to France religiously every year in preference to anywhere else are the ones this thread is about. I am just trying to give them honest and well meant advice having worked in the ski industry for many years.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 12:21:57 GMT

Haha. Yep your not wrong there FQ.

Far Queue wrote:

Ade73 wrote:Everyone's getting a little precious. Ha

Seems to be a world trend these days :( especially when someone is on the wrong side of a vote or popular opinion :(

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Mon, 14 Nov 2016 19:45:49 GMT

davidsa2 wrote:Just to lighten the load, I've just had to look up what country I'm skiing in next year as I didn't pay enough attention when Bald Eagleman was booking it!

Who knew La Thule (I have also been
Pronouncing it la Thool) was in Italy

Ha ha! I have been there and so I knew it was in Italy and I think you will find it is actually La Thuile in the Aosta Valley. From there you can ski over the border into France into a resort called La Rosiere which is near to St Foy and also Espace Killy. I hope you have a great time

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 08:08:49 GMT

I can only base this on my own personal experience and as I've only been skiing 8 years accept that my viewpoint is very narrow but surely anyone choosing ANYTHING over something else will be based on either their own experience or reviews / recommendations?

Back OT, I personally book based on who's got the best snow! There was a time we did 3 years on the trot for St Anton but as my confidence grew, looked at other resorts. Did Chamonix 2015 but it wasn't great snow (couldn't ski down). Did Val D'Isere and felt it wasn't the "friendliest" resort in the world but again, I'm basing that on my own experiences which is why we put up with the long flight \ long transfer and do Whistler every chance we get (snow conditions permitting!)

Just my 2 euro.

T1b

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 12:18:13 GMT

Well personally I love them both, and in each country there are pros and cons. I'm, not a big fan of Chamonix because I like the ski in ski out of other resorts, and Tignes I can give a miss in the future.
Overall, when the sun is shining, and the skis are on then the World is a happy place....and then beer with live music after? Perfect, regardless of country!!!!

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 14:40:56 GMT

stevie999 wrote:Well personally I love them both, and in each country there are pros and cons. I'm, not a big fan of Chamonix because I like the ski in ski out of other resorts, and Tignes I can give a miss in the future.
Overall, when the sun is shining, and the skis are on then the World is a happy place....and then beer with live music after? Perfect, regardless of country!!!!

Post of the day for me!

It's made me trawl back through my photos from last year. Pic below taken on Christmas day sat eating lunch at nearly 3000m in glorious sunshine. Bliss!!.... :mrgreen:

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 21:43:53 GMT

Furthy will love this one. It's about British skiers in France....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ski/articles/most-annoying-things-britons-do-in-ski-resorts/

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 24 Nov 2016 17:13:08 GMT

I think I agree, If you are looking for nice villages...Austria now has the most advanced ski lifts in Europe, the snow making means that even the lower ski resorts get good snow cover. Where France wins for us Brits, many of us speak school boy French, but few speak Austrian. France also has the really big connected ski areas, without the need to board a bus, something that few Austrian ski resorts have. But if you are looking for value for money Italy is hard to beat. Personally I hardly ever return to the same resort on a ski holiday. Being a travel agent I'm lucky to get away skiing 5 or 6 times. For a real treat try skiing in Canada.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 24 Nov 2016 18:57:55 GMT

Angus. What do you particularly like about Canada? I've skied there a few times and find the skiing is good but not great. It is also a long journey, expensive for lift pass and no apres ski worth talking about.

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Fri, 25 Nov 2016 09:34:36 GMT

Its a combination of the snow, hospitality and standard of accommodation for me. Ive only ever skied in Whistler, Banff and Lake Lousie and all have been exceptional trips. I agree a journey in a mare, but for me its not an every year ski trip, and when ever Ive done it Ive combined a Canadian City break into the trip. To be honest Brucie Im at my happiest when Ive got my ski's on, I even loved Andorra last year which was a bit of a surprise to me!

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 12:26:53 GMT

Furthy, you'll be interested to know I'm off to Austria at the end of January (Ellmau) - I'll let you know how I get on.....

Re:Anyone who chooses France in preference to Austria needs to think again......discuss.

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 15:51:27 GMT

Newbie Here. Can someone give me some advice on Chamonix? I'm hoping to get there end of January. Typically, how are conditions around that time? This will only be my 2nd Alps trip. I skied Zermatt two years ago and loved it. Can you someone recommend an Austria resort too? Within a couple of hours from the airport?

Thanks!