Skiers - advice needed

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ShinyF1

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Tying to organise a 'cheap' long weekend skiing for a small group of friends for a 50th but a little stumped on where to go. Criteria as follows:

Travel mid March 2017
Fairly cheap (I know there is an inherent contradiction here)
Quick airport transfer
Reasonably snow sure
Intermediate level only
Reasonable apres-ski entertainment

Any suggestions for either resorts or hotels? Tempted to do the last minute thing which overcomes the snow point, but being of a certain age the lack of an organised plan is problematic too.

All suggestions appreciated
 
Personally, I thought that Andorra was a bit of a tip. Like a council estate with snow. And not as cheap as I was expecting.

We are doing St Anton in Feb for my mates 50th. I have been there many times and it's not too expensive. If you want cheap go to Bulgaria. I haven't been there and if you want to do something completely out the box then northern Greece may surprise you.
 
Levi in Finland? - Fly in to Kittila and catch the bus (or drive) to the resort ~15 minutes away, plus if there isn't snow in Lapland something is very wrong.

Probably more expensive than somewhere like Pyha or Luosto, but they're further away and seem quieter in the evening. - Luosto is where I went last time and we had the slopes to ourselves for most of morning whenever we went out. Pyha is where the Finnish national team train, so there's more going on.
 
Well I always liked Livigno Italy,it is near the Austrian border,set in a bowl in the mountains,a great little hotel is St Michael's ,Livigno is great for early or late skiing as there is always snow even when other resorts have very little,the hotel is right in the middle of the town with a circular bus service so that you can pick which slope you want to use,it is cheap,but suggest you book with a tour operator as Livigno is a fair distance from airports either Milan or Innsbruck,Zurich.
 
zipdip said:
Well I always liked Livigno Italy,it is near the Austrian border,set in a bowl in the mountains,a great little hotel is St Michael's ,Livigno is great for early or late skiing as there is always snow even when other resorts have very little,the hotel is right in the middle of the town with a circular bus service so that you can pick which slope you want to use,it is cheap,but suggest you book with a tour operator as Livigno is a fair distance from airports either Milan or Innsbruck,Zurich.

Have been there but it's a hellishly long transfer. Good place though.

I remember Saux a Doux (spelling) has a short transfer.
 
Sierra Nevada although might be a little late in the year. Very reasonable and some excellent tapas.
 
If you're going in mid March you'll need to go high if you want to ski rather than water ski after lunch.

Tignes or Alpe d'Huez would be my suggestions, both about three hours (ish) from the airport. Plenty of intermediate skiing, long runs too which means you spend more time skiing and less time on lifts.

Both resorts have plenty of catered chalets, in my opinion the way to go skiing. The rooms aren't the most plush, but you get a good breakfast, tea, coffee and home made cakes when you get back from the slopes, and a hearty dinner with copious plonk all included in the price.

Crystal Ski, Inghams, Neilsen and Ski Beat are good places to start.
 
Thanks for all suggestions - we've done Obergurgl in Austria as a family holiday for the last few years which on the face of it ticks a lot of boxes, but is very dull after about 8pm. It's only 45m from Innsbruck. Short (<2hr) flight and quick transfer are key in this decision. St Anton has appeal but might just be a bit too lively for us (did I really say that?), and Innsbruck flights are not cheap. Will keep researching
 
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Mid March could be a gamble with the snow on the continent except Scandinavia or going somewhere really high but worth checking these places:
Bad Kleinkirchheim
A lot of very good hotels and B&Bs
Good slopes
Thermal outdoor pools for night swimming
Nice restaurants and bars
Modestly expensive
Les Houches/Chamonix
Great slopes for all (green to black)
Chamonix offers more in terms of night life with lot of pubs and restaurants. Les Houches is more family orientated.
Can be pricy.
Geneva airport is the usual transfer point.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Similar to Chamonix
Can be pricy
Munich airport is the transfer point.
Verbier
With probably the highest possibility of having snow in mid March but comes with high price tag.
Very good slopes for all. A lot of hotels and B&Bs. Decent after ski entertainment.
Geneva airport again

Geneva airport again.
 
Go high is a good idea. Zermatt has all year round skiing on the glacier but of course being Swiss it'll be far from cheap.

A better idea is to flip over the other side of the Matterhorn to Cervinia. 2100m in the village and 3500m at top station IIRC. Did my last skiing holiday there, too many years ago now I'm afraid - I'd class myself as intermediate (I can do a black without killing myself, but shall we say my marks for style might be somewhat lacking) but there were plenty of nice wide reds to go quick on..

Turin's the nearest airport, 90 minutes in the car according to Google so probably a couple of hours in the coach if you go that route.

Cheers,

Gaz
 
We've been to Val Cenis the last three years, It's in on the French/Italian border. Snow is good that time of year and MGS ski (the folks we've been with) offers all in prices for accommodation, passes etc so you know what you paying for. They also offer group ski every weekday afternoon. Small groups defined by ability, lead by ECS ski instructors, at no extra cost. These guys really show you the mountain and the runs that are less used. The day finishes at bar and the lifts are never busy. Plenty of social life in the village, fantastic burgers at Howard Bar and Grenoble is 60 minutes, I know as ad to pick up the wife and daughter this time as my son was on a two week video shot for MGS.

As others have said snow could be an issue that late but we started our two weeks this year on 18th March and there was plenty of snow (and bluebird clear skys) and mostly intermediate level skiing. The Ski and Snowboard show is running over next weekend in Battersea. MGS and others with be there, it's a great place to strike a deal. Tell them Greg and Oli recommended you, we might see you out there.

Link to MGS facebook page and video should be here:https://www.facebook.com/mgsski2013/
 
I'm on holiday in Seefeld at the moment. It's been a very warm winter up to now, so I'd certainly recommend somewhere high up, like Cervinia. Same snow conditions, but cheaper than Zermatt. Seefeld is currently relying on snow cannons in the night to keep the runs open.


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