Latest posts for the topic "Recommended ski resorts???"

Recommended ski resorts???

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 14:25:55 GMT

Hi all. Im new on here, and hope some of you will be able to help me out.

I have regularly travelled to Italy (Sauze d'oulx) for holidays at New Year and March, but Im looking for a new destination.

Must be quite lively, not family orientated, with good snow with a varied piste. Like to Party on a night time with live music etc. Can anyone help? Please give details of destinations and include any recommended hotels / bars etc.

Also, does anyone know where to get some good deals as Crystal ski (who I normally use) have inflated their prices??

Many Thanks,

Rob

Recommended ski resorts???

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 15:58:10 GMT

Rob Charlton wrote:Hi all. Im new on here, and hope some of you will be able to help me out.

I have regularly travelled to Italy (Sauze d'oulx) for holidays at New Year and March, but Im looking for a new destination.

Must be quite lively, not family orientated, with good snow with a varied piste. Like to Party on a night time with live music etc. Can anyone help? Please give details of destinations and include any recommended hotels / bars etc.

Also, does anyone know where to get some good deals as Crystal ski (who I normally use) have inflated their prices??

Many Thanks,

Rob

Welcome to J2ski :D Most of the Tour Ops prices seem to be up in price for next winter. There is tons of detail on J2ski to help you with the resort stuff. With your criteria, perhaps start looking at destinations like St Anton or Ischgl. You could always put your own package together, if paying a Tour Operator is getting too pricey.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 19:06:40 GMT

Hello and welcome to our little world!

Val Disere has tons of skiing and great apres ski, however it is tres expensive. Saying that I've found a chalet (if that's your thing), half board for under GBP500, although it's with Crystal but they do generally seem to be cheaper than some of the other major TOs(in my experience).

Also have a look at the Where to Ski and Snowboard website or buy the book for other suggestions on what you are looking for, they will detail the good and the bad of each resort, and they have a handy glossary at the back with all the TOs details on to avoid trawling the inter-web.

Lots of people have lots of advice on here, they will often go off topic and talk about something completely different for a while but if you read for long enough you'll find what you're looking for.

:D

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 19:28:42 GMT

Val d'Isere :shock:

The OP said they wanted somewhere that's not family orientated, most of the bars and nightclubs in Val d'Isere are like somewhere you leave the kids (up to and beyond 30) so you can have a nice meal out in peace, whilst they make themselves sick with booze! Hence meaning you can ski in peace the following morning also.

It's like an adolesent creche!!

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 19:59:58 GMT

It might be right up his street. Or maybe not. I don't do 'nightlife' in Val - can't afford it after the extortionate lift pass price, just find a chalet with unlimited wine :D

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 07:03:37 GMT

NellyPS wrote:It might be right up his street. Or maybe not. I don't do 'nightlife' in Val - can't afford it after the extortionate lift pass price, just find a chalet with unlimited wine :D

Remember Nelly it's quality not quantity.......and keep it on thread please :D :D

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 07:40:52 GMT

Well, if you want a good time off the slopes, DONT go to France. Simple.
I can recommend, from experience, Mayrhofen and St Anton in Austria. Both have excellent ski areas, and great nightlife off the slopes, although St Anton is generally a lot more expensive.
You ought to seriously look at Ischgl and Solden too. If you have been to Sauze and liked it, they should be on your radar.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 08:47:36 GMT

Tony_H wrote:Well, if you want a good time off the slopes, DONT go to France. Simple.
I can recommend, from experience, Mayrhofen and St Anton in Austria. Both have excellent ski areas, and great nightlife off the slopes, although St Anton is generally a lot more expensive.
You ought to seriously look at Ischgl and Solden too. If you have been to Sauze and liked it, they should be on your radar.

Yes Tony is right, I have never found much night life in France, but then again I go to ski and entertainment for us is a pleasant restaurant washed down with a nice glass of red :D

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 13:12:17 GMT

Ian Wickham wrote:

NellyPS wrote:It might be right up his street. Or maybe not. I don't do 'nightlife' in Val - can't afford it after the extortionate lift pass price, just find a chalet with unlimited wine :D

Remember Nelly it's quality not quantity.......and keep it on thread please :D :D

Sorry Mr W - slapped wrists for me :oops:

Good call on Mayrhofen Tony, I'd forgotten how 'lively' the nightlife was, probably because I was inebriated for most of the time I was there :shock:

I think when it comes to nightlife its down to personal choice, Val is massively expensive but has a good nightlife (even if it is more of a creche, but isn't most of the nightlife these days?), as I said before, I'd rather sit in a nice cosy chalet and have a few wines.

I would choose your resort and then do some digging around for bars, hotels and the like.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 18:46:01 GMT

St Anton appears to be the perfect answer to me.

Plenty of nice posh chalets.
Plenty of nightlife if you want to go out.
Fantastic ski area.
Flights into Innsbruck.
Short transfers.

When can I go?

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Tue, 7 Jul 2009 22:04:23 GMT

Ian Wickham wrote:

Tony_H wrote:Well, if you want a good time off the slopes, DONT go to France. Simple.
I can recommend, from experience, Mayrhofen and St Anton in Austria. Both have excellent ski areas, and great nightlife off the slopes, although St Anton is generally a lot more expensive.
You ought to seriously look at Ischgl and Solden too. If you have been to Sauze and liked it, they should be on your radar.

Yes Tony is right, I have never found much night life in France, but then again I go to ski and entertainment for us is a pleasant restaurant washed down with a nice glass of red :D

That must give you hellish indigestion :shock:

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 00:27:31 GMT

tino_11 wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:

Tony_H wrote:Well, if you want a good time off the slopes, DONT go to France. Simple.
I can recommend, from experience, Mayrhofen and St Anton in Austria. Both have excellent ski areas, and great nightlife off the slopes, although St Anton is generally a lot more expensive.
You ought to seriously look at Ischgl and Solden too. If you have been to Sauze and liked it, they should be on your radar.

Yes Tony is right, I have never found much night life in France, but then again I go to ski and entertainment for us is a pleasant restaurant washed down with a nice glass of red :D

That must give you hellish indigestion :shock:

Indigestion no, I normally only eat one :D :D

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 13:56:41 GMT

Thanks for the replies.

Anyone been to Alpes d'heurs?? What is the skiing like, and more importantly the nightlife??

How much is it for a pint??

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 14:31:12 GMT

Rob Charlton wrote:Thanks for the replies.

Anyone been to Alpes d'heurs?? What is the skiing like, and more importantly the nightlife??

How much is it for a pint??

If you mean Alpe D' Huez, I've been. A few years ago, but the skiing is good and varied, something for all ability levels. The Sarenne is long and tiring, but not as tough as it's made out to be. The resort has a very interesting chairlift ride, which goes down a ravine and up the other side. The 1st time is quite :shock:
No idea about beer prices, or nightlife as I go for the skiing, and I'm always too tired!

I have read on other forums about folks being charged up to Euro10 for a beer in French ski resorts. If money is tight, buy your beer in a supermarket down the valley before you reach resort. Or ski in another country :D

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 17:44:31 GMT

Rob Charlton wrote:Thanks for the replies.

Anyone been to Alpes d'heurs?? What is the skiing like, and more importantly the nightlife??

How much is it for a pint??

Alpe d'Huez you mean?
I am going for the first time in January. I have been looking at it for the past 4 years and considering it, but this time we got such a good deal on a quality chalet with lift passes for GBP10 we could not refuse. It appears to have a wide and varied ski area which is perfect for me.

I have spoken to several people who have been, and prices are nothing like they are in the 3 valleys or Courcheval/Val d'Isere and expect to pay around 4 euros a pint, same price as in Serre Che and Sauze by the way... It may be possible to find it cheaper, happy hours etc, but also probably higher at late night bars or clubs....not for me with the chalet and free wine flowing!

I cant comment on the nightlife. As long as there is a selection of bars slopeside at the end of the day for a couple of sneakies before dinner, we will be happy.

You certainly can get some good deals to ADH.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 20:10:49 GMT

Tony, had you heard that there are published plans to build a link between ADH and L2A? This would make a super resort to compete easily with the Tarentaise on km of pistes.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 08:39:58 GMT

bandit wrote:Tony, had you heard that there are published plans to build a link between ADH and L2A? This would make a super resort to compete easily with the Tarentaise on km of pistes.

No, didnt know about that one.

I see that the ADH life pass allows access to several other resorts, including L2A. Any you would recommend for a day trip?

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 08:48:18 GMT

L2A is worth a looksee for a day, because it's just down and road, and quite different in style and layout. If you fancy splashing out, it used to be possible to get a helicopter transfer over, which would be nice and quick. Not sure if this still runs, or what the prices are like.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 09:01:48 GMT

Food and drink pricing.

Shamelessly stolen without credit from the public pages of another ski forum.....

LDA in town 5 - 6.50 euro a pint, 8 - 10 euro for a pizza, 12 euro bottle house wine

These are current prices AFAICT.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 12:22:27 GMT

tino_11 wrote:Val d'Isere :shock:

The OP said they wanted somewhere that's not family orientated, most of the bars and nightclubs in Val d'Isere are like somewhere you leave the kids (up to and beyond 30) so you can have a nice meal out in peace, whilst they make themselves sick with booze! Hence meaning you can ski in peace the following morning also.

It's like an adolesent creche!!

Excellent description :D

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Thu, 9 Jul 2009 22:47:52 GMT

bandit wrote:L2A is worth a looksee for a day, because it's just down and road, and quite different in style and layout. If you fancy splashing out, it used to be possible to get a helicopter transfer over, which would be nice and quick. Not sure if this still runs, or what the prices are like.

GBP60 per person return, which I dont actually think is bad for what you are getting TBH. Might think about that option.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:49:53 GMT

If you ever visit the states, check out Colorado! Breckenridge is the cutest, most quaint… but at the same time utterly majestic… town that I have ever seen in my entire life! And I've done a lot of travelling! My husband and I decided to venture out to the snowy lands of Colorado in March for our honeymoon. We both grew up in California, and had visited the beach scene countless times, so we decided to try something a little different for our honeymoon. We had friends that had been to Colorado skiing, but had never been there ourselves. Although we had heard many good things, we both consider ourselves to be beach people through and through, and I honestly wasn't sure if I could take the change of scenery. But let me tell you! Not only could I stand it for a week, I seriously (maybe if I actually learn how to make it down a mountain without falling flat on my face, that is) could spend a lot of time there. It's absolutely beautiful. Besides being a little ill-equipped for the cold (I think I drastically underestimated how many layers I would need!), we had a blast. The only thing I had on my head was some hat may husband found on some skiing website ([no links ta - Admin] maybe?) and an old helmet I borrowed from a friend. My husband ordered himself a winter jacket off of e-bay, and I brought a Columbia vest my mom had given to me a few years ago for Christmas. I talked to a guy on a lift who had been in Breckenridge his whole life. Besides the cold…I don't blame him for not wanting to leave! But I suppose once you get used to that, the scenery of the place would make even the coldest winters worthwhile. I would highly recommend a visit!!!

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:04:23 GMT

Welcome to J2ski. As SPAM goes, I think your post is quite good :D Mind you, I've been to Breckenridge and to describe it as cute is a bit far fetched. Still, it's all depends on just how much travelling and how many resorts you've visited eh )

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:14:59 GMT

I would endorse many of your comments about the Breckenridge area, mountainlover. The Breck skiing is very good. What is extra special is that you can ski several other resorts off the same lift pass, most within an hours drive. So in one visit, you can access some of the greatest skiing in Colorado.

My recommendation is that if you are an intermediate/good intermediate skier, looking to improve, then Colorado can be a good platform to do that. The mountain management is excellent. You really need two weeks to justify the travel time and cost.

The upside of 2 weeks skiing is that your capabilities improve to the level of 3/4 weeks skiing.

The downside of skiing in the USA is the cost. Two weeks lift pass in Steamboat costs nearly GBP500.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:26:55 GMT

Could you perhaps move the resort of Breckenridge a few miles eastwards so it is not too far for me to travel 8)

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:38:28 GMT

No problem Wickers, I still have friends in high places. I do need to know how many miles though.

It's just that in order to get the benefits of this move, we would also need to move:

Vail
Beaver Creek
Keystone
Arapahoe Basin
Copper Mountain
and the big low cost ski warehouse at Dillon.

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:42:03 GMT

I'll get there one day when the little one is a tad older, I think the wife is trying to get me there next summer :shock: :shock:

Re:Recommended ski resorts???

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:32:31 GMT

Personally night life is my lowest priority for a skiing holiday - theres plenty of drinking to be done in Glasgow but not enough skiing!