Winter Resort Report thread

Post above has pretty much it all covered.


The Skiing

I skied for the week. Found the school very different from last year even though it was the same one. They were like militry trying to progress people up the ranks. Had two lads who were out of their depth in my class be rescued from a steep red on the 2nd day, 1st by a piste machine because he was scared of heights and the instructor hadn't told us we were doing a steep red. The 2nd guy was rescued by a snow mobile because he couldn't make it down. Neither had injuries I might add. The classification was terrible on the first day.

For beginner skiers there is very little runs. There is one blue at mid station but it gets crowed with kids lessons and every other beginner in the place. The next step up in run is a big enough jump so unless you are a quick learner you would be stuck to one run for the week. There are more beginner runs in Scheffau and Ellmau but they are supposed to be quieter towns.
I think the Soll area is mainly suitable for intermediate skiers and at that level you can take advantage of the Skiwelt pass and travel/ski to other areas in it.

Equipment

Rented equipment in Edinger Sports booked this online http://www.sport-edinger.at/ They also have a garage facility and are located under the gondola in Soll.

http://www.stoll.at/skicenter/ who the tour operators use are useless. Fire boots at you and don't ask how they fit etc.

Snow and Fun in the centre is also supposed to be good for rental although I haven't used these guys.

Restaurants
Giovannis across from hotel austria does amazing pizza and pasta. Lasagne regularily sells out and is 7.50. Pizzas are 9 Euro. Bottle of house red for 17Euro.

Place across the road from Whiskey Muhle is great for trad austrian food and cheap and cheerful.

Bella Vita few doors up from SalvenStadl pub is great for steaks/lamb and it also has lovely thai cuisine. It's a bit pricier that the rest in the town.

Salvenstadl is great for your apres ski, regularily has live bands. Beer is 3E and pizza is 6E.

There is the most amazing cake shop at the miribell Pension. Worth skipping apres ski one of the days for a cake and tea. I'd go back for this place alone!

Things to recommend
It was dutch half term when we went and the beginner slopes got very crowed. I'd advise to do homework (like I should have) and go at a time when there are no mid terms for ANY country. We had lots of space to ourselves last year at a different time in the season.

Would I go back?
Might go back in a year or two when the beginners in our group get experienced on slopes elsewhere.

bovril wrote: »

Things to recommend
It was dutch half term when we went and the beginner slopes got very crowed. I'd advise to do homework (like I should have) and go at a time when there are no mid terms for ANY country. We had lots of space to ourselves last year at a different time in the season.
QUOTE]

We were in oberstdorf from the 1st~9th march and was told it was a good time as there were no mid-terms in europe that week

1. Where and when you went.
Saas Fee Switzerland March 12th - 20th 2010
2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
On Piste excellent conditions with wonderfull snow and quiet slopes not a lift q in sight. Off piste could have done with a big snowfall but there was still pockets of fresh pow to be found and great conditions in the trees
4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Group of 7 Instructors
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Amazing food and great quality eatires both on and off the mountain Don Chichio in the Village is one of the best Italian resteraunts you could imagine.
6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
It is incredibly high 3,900 at the top pure picture postcard territory with a car free village and surrounded by 14 mountains that tower over 4,000 meters
7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Amazing tree skiing under the plattejan bubble with no one around and very few tracks with fresh pow to be found days after a fall
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
A mix of everything with no one nation overwhelming the resort.
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
An amazing resort within easy reach of Geneva and Zurich airport and close access to Zermatt and Verbier for day trips quiet, beautifull resort with skiing for everyone. A little on the pricey end but overall I would consider it value for money

1. Where and when you went.

Livigno, Italy 22nd - 29th January

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.

Ski

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

On-piste only! Overall- very good. Runs are well groomed and never got chopped up due to little traffic and cold weather (veeerrryy cold!). Very little ice around at all. 1cm of fresh snow fell during the week otherwise blue skies every day. Amazing. Bit crunching on slopes that were in shade but as soon as the sun hit them everything became even more skiable.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Had to do a bit of digging around/ walking around to find them to be honest. Had one drink in Benny's pub but the drains smell meant a move after one pint. Daphne's pub up the road (10 minutes walk - this is Livigno) was small but nice. Bars on the slopes were ok-ish except the Pasta restaurant on the Mottolino side that was excellent for food (first floor up the stairs). Ate there twice during the day.
Bellavista restaurant in town was the bees-knees and lived up to the hype. Highly recommended. As was the pizzeria, Canoa near the ski school. Mikeys pub was ok, the 1816 microbrewery showed promise but was empty when we went.
Overall, food was great and much better value than Dublin (and France!)

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

I would say it is the best resort we have been to for beginners & intermediates. Ski school was praised by our "learner" on the trip. I think I preferred the Mottolino side to the Carosello side (esp the Trapalle runs first thing on a sunny morning).

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

Bellavista Restaurant. The purpose built spa in town, the Aqua Grande - fantastic design and function - ask for a discount card from your hotel and you can get in for a fiver for 75 minutes rather than nearer 30 euro. Amazing choice of pools, saunas, steam rooms etc but you will get lost in it AND you get charged full whack as soon as you overstay your 75mins allocation. never got changed so fast in my life!

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.

Mainly Italians, Poles, Russians judging by accents and number plates. A few Irish and British skiers too.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.

Would definitely go again but would try to get a hotel in the main area of town. We were on the hill away from town so had to take busses and taxis everywhere (free bus and cheap taxis - no more than a tenner a journey). This is a stretched out resort with 2 main ski areas only connected by a trip in a taxi/bus. Lots of walking/fares in the resort. Bus system is good but needs getting used to - would hate to do it all with kids in tow. Ski hire and passes are much cheaper than France /Austria. There were a few button lifts. Lift system was okay in general but the interconnections between the two main gondolas on the Carosello side left a little to be desired especially at the bottom of the valley runs. The old chairlift on the Mottolino side that takes you to the very top of the mountain is LOOONG. I got cold on it in bright sunshine so it would be a killer in wind / snow. Avoid it if you can.
Otherwise, a belter of a holiday.

Where?

Avoriaz, France

When?

26th – 30th January, 2011

How / Cost?

Aer Lingus to Geneva – can’t remember cost, but I got a (very) early flight on Wednesday morning and a return flight on the Sunday afternoon at 15.45. This allowed of a half day’s skiing on each of the arrival / departure days.

Transfer – skilifts.com, think it was €80 return with a drop off in Morzine and a pick up in Avoriaz, which I thought was okay given that I was on my own.

Accomodation:

Morzine – stayed one night in the Ridgehotel. Cost €88 for their smallest room, en suite, with breakfast and dinner included. Place was clean, well run, friendly and cheap. May have been the same price if two of us were staying. Food was also good. Located a little outside Morzine town but you could walk to one lift and was on the bus route to the Ardent lift which gave prob the best access to the best slopes which were in les Hautes Fortes region in Avoriaz.

Avoriaz – stayed in a Pierre and Vacance apartment in the Elinka complex. €212 per person five people sharing from Thurs through Monday. There were five of us and it was about the right size for that number with two bathrooms and two toilets. I slept on the couch bed downstairs. There was talk of access to a swimming pool and sauna but we didn’t get that far and I doubt there was one.

Anything about the resort I liked:

Liked the fact that it was car free, I am convinced I am more at risk of death walking around resorts than on the slopes. You either get a horse and cart transfer (expensive) or walk from the car park / drop off point carrying your bags or dragging them in a sledge thing behind you. Ski in is a massive boost to any ski holiday.

Bars / restaurants / apres Ski:

There were lots of restaurants but it was all the same fare – burgers, pizzas, Savoyard specialities. Could do with an Indian or a chinkie but these rarely seem to be found at altitude.

Didn’t massively indulge in après ski. It certainly wasn’t Austrian style but there were plenty of bars with Frenchies watching hand ball games. Good few cute French and English chicks but, alas, I had just returned from my honeymoon.

Level:

Intermediate skier.

Conditions:

Very bad for Jan. Had been unseasonably warm and apart from 1cm snow the night before I arrived it hadn’t snowed in over a week and didn’t snow while we were there. That said, gorgeous blue skies every day.

Pistes:

As such, the pistes that were low down or facing the sun were no fun. Ice was also a massive problem. Some of the popular blues would have forty meter long ice stretches that you got zero purchase on. In fact the only real half decent skiing was in les Hautes Fortes and on the ungroomed mogul fields / canyons off and around the Fornet lift. Both regions had ungroomed semi off piste mogul fields / blacks which in parts retained something approaching good snow. Went into Switzerland and the slopes seemed to be getting a lot of sun and had taken a real hammering as a result. Didn’t try the pistes above Morzine or elsewhere in the Portes du Soleil (the wider lift pass region) as they looked bad / were lower down.

That said, if conditions were good there was prob two weeks worth of pistes to explore in the broader region.

Off piste:

Off piste was almost without exception out of condition. Did do a few private lessons which included a class descent down a chute into Switzerland which was prob the best line I have ever skied. There were a lot of obv off piste lines around and if there was snow a guide would be a great investment. Also a lot of accessible semi off piste / ungroomed blacks with moguls around the lifts. So it would be good if there was snow.

Any hidden gems / hints or tips:

Best skiing in bad conditions as noted above. In particular the furthest ungroomed black to the right off the lifts in les Hautes Fortes. If the lower runs are closed you must keep your height on this run and follow the lines of poles to get to the next piste. Otherwise a steep ice mogul fest or forest walk awaits you, both of which I subjected myself to with equal measure and equal frustration.

If a piste is closed do not think, ‘great, I get to ski something with feck all others on it, less icyness etc.’ while ducking the fence. These were without exception rock hard steep ice mogul fests. Unless you are an expert you will not be able to ski them without fresh snow, you will spend your time in damage limitation and will come off them tired and with reduced confidence. This was particularly the case with ‘the wall’ – le chavanette, which every gringo, including yours truly, has to ski. Twas closed, crap, and to be honest, wasn’t steep enough to be scary. The fear was rock hard waist high ice mogul related.

Buy one of those lift maps on your goggle cleanser on line, assuming they're not a complete spider as I've never seen one. There are next to NO piste maps on display at the lifts. You expect this kind of crap in Italy, and to a lesser extent in France, but you’d expect better from the Swiss. To my astonishment, the only such display I came across there was a map of mountain bike trails – very useful in January. How hard is it to put up a few displays at the top of major lifts? In circumstances where there are almost a dozen little towns in the area, some in different countries and some a couple of hours apart by road, this isn’t really good enough. My rental place the first day had no paper maps so I was skiing around, in different countries, with no real idea where I was going or how to get back. My transfer driver confirmed that calls for expensive pick ups after the lifts have left people stranded elsewhere are regular.

Population there:

Mostly French. The après ski handball matches were intently watched. A lot of English, a handful of Irish, Spanish, Scandies and unknowns.

Would I go again:

If there was fresh snow, yes. A lot of other resorts around Geneva I need to tick off though....

1 Where and when

Courchevel, 29 January 2011 to 2 February.

2. Skiing on my own. Pretty good skier. Much better at skiing ice when I was finished.

3. Conditions
Not even the valient efforts of the pisteurs could conceal that it had been a month since there had been any real snow, and runs were like sheet ice. Even the pisted runs were bashed back into ice by afternoon, and the ones that hadn't been pisted that day were seriously scary. They did make a point of pisting all the green and blue runs, and a couple of the interesting reds and blacks every day. The bottom lifts had a sign saying "Pistes de jour" telling you which reds and blacks had been done.

Conditions were slightly better in other parts of the 3 Vallees, but often much darker.

Don't even think of going off-piste. If the pistes were like ice, off-piste was like badly set concrete.

4. Bar/restaurant
Bring a second credit card, this is one expensive resort. Typical coffee is €3.50 up to €6, and a pizza costs between €20 and €48 euro. For obvious reasons, I didn't eat out much. If you must, then head over to one of the other valleys.

5. Resort.

Amazing. I swear, I've never been in a resort like this. Original artwork all over the piste. Bronze and marble statues scattered throughout the resort, including the toilets. Horse drawn carriages. An altiport for your private plane. Polo ponies playing matches on the snow. An Olympic ice rink. A gym (only €20 a session). A picnic room that's heated and fully equiped. Free Wifi everywhere.


6. Flew to Paris on Ryanair cheapie, overnight train to Moutiers, then bus to Courchevel (worth 20% discount in ski hire shop). Stayed in Courchevel 1550 in Renouveau Vacances "Roc Merlet". Must be the cheapest place to stay in the whole resort, had my own room and bathroom, and fully catered, including all the wine I could drink (and that's a lot). Also cheapest bar on the mountain, beer from €1.20 a glass, coffee €1.30, vin chaud €1.70.

I reckon the only way to do Courchevel is to stay somewhere which is totally catered, or in an apartment where you cook everything yourself.

1. Where and when you went.
Sauze D'oulx, Italy from 27/02/11 - 06/03/11

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Snowboard

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
One word - perfect. It hadn't snowed in about a week by the Sunday we arrived but it started snowing on the Sunday we arrived and didn't stop until Wednesday morning, meaning conditions were absolutely amazing. On-piste got a little choppy, but off-piste was brilliant. It started snowing again on Wednesday night, all day Thursday, and for half of Friday, and the conditions off-piste on Friday morning were the best I've ever experienced, and made this the best snowboard holiday I've ever had. Seriously, 2 - 3 feet of snow, falling so heavily that there was fresh snow cover by the time we came back to the same route again. I hadn't really done off-piste before and it really is something else. It's not legal in Italy so not many people do it, which makes it even better!

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Good, though not cheap. Prices similar to Dublin, both for food and drink. On the slopes the food was quite expensive and for the most part pretty poor. Apres-ski was very lively though and it was quite enjoyable eating pizza after a feed of beer at 2am!

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Off-piste! As mentioned, it's illegal, but well worth the risk if it has freshly snowed. Red 11, hanging left onto red 16 (a road) with plenty of places to go off-piste, and down red 12. Or follow red 12 from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the lift - really good run.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Not really. In terms of bars/clubs/restaurants, it's lively, though quite rowdy. We saw quite a few fights as the population was predominantly male, I'd guess somewhere around the 70/30 mark, and the main late club (open until 6am), the Cotton Club, is a real kip, holding somewhere around 200 - 250 people with one toilet and lots of trouble.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Mainly English and Scottish, with a good helping of Irish.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
I would definitely go again, though the hotel was a really tough uphill walk away from the centre of town and although lifts were available, we'd try to get a hotel in the centre next year. The slopes were excellent though. One word of warning - if you're part of a bunch of single lads looking to head over there on the pull as part of your apres-ski, it's not the spot! We will definitely be considering it as an option next year though.

1. Where and when you went.

Saas Fee Switzerland 21st April 2011 - 25th of April

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
For the last week of the season conditions are amazing snow from 3,900 down to 2,000 meters is amazing from 2,000 - 1,800 in the village is is sugar and syrup all man made but still skiable and not overly sticky or wet.

Off Piste, Still a little about but either moguls or variable some fresh tracks to be had in places. From 10:30 - 13:00 Most of the stuff above 2,000 meters is amazing.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Advanced, Instructor type

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Its a high end resort and sadly the prices reflect that although there is plenty of good value to be had in the village and lots of cheap places to buy a packed lunch and grab something cheap.


6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Its the last week of april and you can ski from 3,900 meters to 1,800 meters on 80% fantastic snow. The Park set up this time of the year is incredible and they have a full super pipe and apron 25 different kickers to hit.

Lots of off the hill activites to he had swell for the afternoons.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

Gletschergrot restaurant off the beaten track but amazing runs around Spielboden and Popcorn Plaza where deserted and in great condition with plenty of off piste options.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.

Mostly German, Swiss and a few Brits scattered about. THe resort has 3 resident Irish families so there are always one or two irish about.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.

Yep will be back here on the Glacier in August! Great resort a little on the pricy side but you get what you pay for.

Bobby1984 wrote: »

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Just of the blue Bella Vista (lift 28) run, to the left there is a great off piste section which many people didnt seem to know about or use. Great powder and gentle slope made it great to practice jumps etc

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
I would go again, its a big area. Lots n' lots of great runs and I didn't get to try the Mottolinio (mountain on the opposite side of the valley with a 7K blue run)

Hey Bobby, a bit confused as to your description of that off piste area: under lift 28, left is uphill, you surely can't sustain enough momentum to get over the big cat track above you on the left? Unless you hiked it? Could you have been on an ungroomed blue slope - there should be 2 or 3 in parallel under that lift?

A nice off piste spot on the Carosello is over in the Federia area (back of Carosello) relatively unused and very safe. But the Carabinieri allegedly take a strong dislike to off-piste antics, so keep the kickers small! I never had trouble, in my 4 or 5 trips there.

It's a shame you didn't get to the Mottolino, the park over there far surpasses anything the Carosello staff can muster, I've found. There's a few reasonable blacks over there too. Nothing particularly challenging, gradient wise, but fun to be had.

WHERE:

Mayrhofen, Zillertal Region, Austria

MAPS and WEBCAMS:

Piste Map
Webcam

WHEN:

18th Feb – 22th Feb, 2010

LEVEL:

Happy to say again, an intermediate boarder. Got my Mojo back! (Didn't ski this time out, but intermediate)

CONDITIONS:

Arrived Wednesday evening, Overcast from mid afternoon until almost every evening for the entire time. Little trickles of snow here and there, but not cold enough so first day was a bit marble-y by the end of the day.

Second day, feckin mountain closed shop due to high winds(A regular occurence I have been informed) with non stop snow.

Third day, poor visibility. Unbelievable how much snow there was, and it never stopped. It was pow pow all you could eat! Sun came out at about 16:30 and the place looked magnificent. Had already had a couple of beers at the penken at that stage so never made a run from the top with the sun on my face .

Last day was a tiny bit overcast with the sun trying to break, and the snow had stopped so visibility was fairly good.

THE SLOPES:

On piste skiing was very good in the morning, piste well groomed. Little bit marble like in places towards the end of the day. Coldest I saw it was -5, but normally around 0 or -1, so was too warm for any run to hold up all day. The third and last day, due to the sheer amount of snow, meant soft moguls were developing quickly even from morning.

Off piste was EPIC. Aside from the first day, and second due to closure. Even just outside the markers, the powder was amazing and even in well tracked out areas, due to how much of it, it just stayed soft and fluffy all day. Glorius! Tons of potential for tree lined runs etc.

As for the lay of the land, plenty of twists and turns to keep an intermediate skier/boarder happy. I have to say it is all poorly marked, not easy to get your head around the place, particularly from the Kombibahn station, and can be confusing. It could just be me though. Not a lot of long wide blues either, which was a shame. I didn't get to check out the entire Mountain as only had 2.5days - 2 of which with lessons but what I saw I certainly enjoyed. Lots of chair lifts/gondolas, etc fast too and very few t-bars/button lifts which is nice. All very well interconnected. An awful lot of steep terrain which wouldn't be ideal for beginners or those looking for a nice leisurely ski. Especially steep at the end of runs to get back to the chair lifts and extremely steep when getting off the chair lifts, and with the usual 'This seems like a great place to stop and have a chat'. I'm surprised there wasn't a constant flow of beginners to the hospital.

Ahorn - Came here for a half day on the last day. Gondola takes 160 people, and takes 6 minutes to reach the top, which is ridiculously fast. Homerun is obviously the longest run available and a bit of a challenge as it can be quite steep and there was a lot of moguls, which can be tough on the legs if you are boarding, so the 6 minutes back up will actually feel like its come too quick! Its absolutely lethal in places too for boarders, as some sections are very narrow, flat and polished like an ice rink, with no barriers and a fairly big drop to the side. Theres nice powder runs in between the trees just off the piste outside the markers. Even at the short runs at the top. I didn't venture in too far myself as I wasn't with anyone. Everything else is all based around the top, pretty short runs and fairly tame, but wide which is a nice change to Mayrhofen itelf, which can be narrow in places. This makes the top, ideal for families and beginners.

NATIONALITIES:

Mostly German/Austrian, alot of Dutch and Russian too. There is a large community of ex-pat british living and working here, mostly as instructors, so I got the feeling everyone knows everyone. Most people spoke english, but a few words will always help how you are dealt with.

COST:

Flight - Dublin - Munich, 173, including ski carrage
Train - Munich -Mayrhofen, 85 return
Siegelerhof, for 4 nights, 200
Ski pass - €120 for 3 days. 200 for 6
Ski gear - €60 for carriage
Private/Group Lessons - Highly recommend SMT
Food - Reasonable enough. About 8-15 for a main, 20 and up for steak.
Drink - Large bier 3.80-4.20

ACCOMMODATION:
Siegelerhof

Hotel itself was basic and really close to the main street and the rail station, and the ski bus stopped right outside. Ski room was unlocked the entire time! Only guests were German or Austrian. They were smoking in the bar, that only opened from 7-10 in the evening, which meant the whole place was pretty grim and had a hum of stale smoke in the hallways. The room was a single but a decent size, separate toilet and separate shower (not together, which was weird), shared balcony and tv. Breakfast was a pretty poor selection, but enough to keep me ticking until lunch. Wi-fi was 2 euro for an hour or 3 for a half hour.

It was all I needed, and a great location, but I wouldn't stay here again!

GETTING THERE:

Flight was about 2.5hrs to Munich. Train to Ostbanhof 30m, from there to Jenbach 1hr20, then change to Mayrhofen about 50m. So about 3 hours transfer time, by train, which is a beautiful way to travel, as it has mountains on both sides and the views are stunning. (about 2hrs15-30 by car).

Wasn't in the slightest bit difficult to manage either. The efficiency of the trains are amazing. Train and platform is divided into sections and at the start of each platform, a diagram of what section is what carriage and basically where you should be standing.

TIPS:
Book a seat if you buy your train ticket online(its free). Save you the trouble of dragging your gear up and down.

Get to the lifts before 8.30 or after 10. Otherwise you'll be waiting a while.

Don't go here expecting to buy gear or clothing. Prices are ridiculous!

Manni's on the main street has free Wi-Fi. Very few places do.

If you are looking for something different to Brukl Stradl (translates as sweat barn) or whatever its called, the Elisabeth hotel do a Poker tournament every Monday night at 8 (20 + 4, and 2 re-buys), and a good few of the instructors go here to let off some steam. Normally finishes about 1 in the morning. Cash games every other night from about 11/12 (until 6/7).

RESTAURANTS / BARS:
Ciao Restaurant just off the main street have a pocket friendly pricelist compared to most other places I checked out. They have daily specials and the food was absolutely excellent.

Manni's on the main street have free wi-fi as I said, and the pizza's are nice, not the cheapest but not the worst either. Try the Tiroler Grostel too, very tasty!

Avoid the traditional looking place on the corner, half way up the main street(can't remember the name, something stohl or strohl). I thought the food was a bit tasteless but the bill was ridiculous. Charged 5 for a side salad which I thought came with the meal.

Ate in Mamma Mia's too and the pizza wasn't great either.

WOULD I GO AGAIN:

I probably would. I would like to come back when my freestyle skills have improved, and check out the park.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure my missus would have a great time here, although the town is nice enough. There wasn't enough diversity of slopes. They all seemed to be pretty steep bar one or two. So not really for the leisurely or beginner skier/snowboarder. Ahorn would be ideal for this, but could get boring after a day or 2. The zillertal train serves the whole region though, so this could always be an option if you are an early riser and have your own gear.

1. Where and when you went.
La Plagne/ Les Arcs Feb 4th-11th

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Snowboard

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Off piste was decidedly choppy and custy, with a tendancy towards small slides but luckily no avalanches. There's a firm base in, this year. Everything was tracked out to bits.
On piste, a mixed bag. High winds and low temps made things icy at times. Lazy grooming made things lumpy.
Overall good snow thanks to the altitude and variety of faces. Would definitely return.


4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Advanced, generally freestyle but freeride when conditions are good too

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
In belle plagne, the bars were so-so. One good one in town in particular, by the spar. Avoid "le saloon" at all costs.
In Plagne Centre, croque neige was good value for money.
In Bellecote, we saw nothing of value.
Similar with arcs 2000 and 1800, poor value and choice.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
The glaciers. The off-piste. The ski-schools.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Nothing hidden, but the glaciers of bellecote and de la chiupe, and the aguille rouge are well known and offer high quality skiing.
Oxygene ski school gets a mention. Some of our group went with them, and I have to say the rest of our group were impressed by their teaching methods and professionalism overall.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
French, dutch, british

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
It's an ugly complex of many resorts, belle plagne certainly seemed to be the best of the lot.
The transfer was awkward from geneva, with bus-to-taxi transfers.
The piste grooming wasn't great (though the parks were well shaped, in fairness)
I would definitely go again. This place rivals the portes du soleil, for me. Great variety and good value for money.
On the money front, it was expensive in places, but definitely possible to cut costs.

1. Where and when you went.
Arinsal, Andorra

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Board. Girlfriend was first time skiier

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
On piste was ok. Morning was hard and frozen and afternoon was soft and slushy due to the heat! There was about 1-2 hours in the morning where conditions were nice. There was only fresh snow on the last day which really helped as there were a number of bare patches on some runs. No off piste done.

4. Are you beginner/Intermediate/advanced.
I'm now just about an intermediate.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Arinsal is pretty small. Several bars but not a huge selection of resturants. We were usually getting dinner in the hotel which was not great (Hotel Patagonia).

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
The Derby Irish bar for the atmosphere and live music every night.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
No.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland.
Mix of mostly British and then followed by Irish.


9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
I did enjoy myself but I would not go there again. Not enough different runs to keep me entertained. Essentially there is only 3 blue runs and as i was a beginner at the start of the week i got bored by the end. Also the transfer is the best part of 4 hours which was a PITA.

WHERE:

Ellmau, Skiwelt Region, Austria

MAPS and WEBCAMS:

All accessible from link above

WHEN:

17th Mar – 24th Mar, 2012

LEVEL:

An intermediate-advanced boarder (Can tackle anything, but have been focusing mostly on freestyle last couple of trips and its improving but very slowly! I rock the piste and snort powder like charlie sheen! (Didn't ski this time out, but intermediate)

CONDITIONS:

First day, we were both too tired to go out after the early flight so we just checked out the village which is nice enough.

Second day, conditions were grand, choppy and sloppy in the evening though.

Third day, poor visibility. Nice little dump of the fresh stuff, which was needed. Visibility was pants but conditions off piste got better and better.

Sun was beaming down the rest of the week and by the end the slopes were patchy.

THE SLOPES:

On piste skiing in most places was very good in the morning, piste seemed well groomed. By evening almost everywhere was mogul city. Conditions heading towards scheffau were always worse especially when it was snowing.

In Ellmau and in fact the entire Skiwelt region, almost every run has a form of steep bottle neck somehwere which means just before it and in the bottle necks its absolutely terrible within a couple of hours. This wasnt entirely down to the fact it was quite warm, but just people slowing up and side slipping to get through it.

And although the entire region is well connected, its a bit of a mess getting from one place to the next. It can take 2hrs from ellmau to westendorf, and 3 hrs back.

Off piste was great after the little dump, and held up for a couple of days. Not perfect, but enough to keep me giddy. Very few tracks due to the lateness of the season also.

The area is quite big but maybe not for beginners due to the bottle necks, lack of wide blues and the sheer confusion. Its hard work from midday onwards with the moguls but the views are stunning regardless of what part you are in.


NATIONALITIES:

Mostly German/Austrian, alot of Dutch. Some English. Ellmau is quiet (very quiet) so I think soll is tailerd for the english/irish revellers.

COST:

Went with Crystal. 450 HB in 3 star.

ACCOMMODATION:
Schonblick

Hotel itself was basic, ran by an 85 year old Austrian woman (not even kidding and she looked about 60), and a 30 year old slovakian girl. Between the 2 of them they run a tidy ship, and I would highly recommend this hotel! Food was basic Austrian fare with some italian miced in but was fantastic. And for a 3 star this was without a doubt the cleanest hotel I have ever stayed in. The views were breathtaking too.

You could ski to just outside the hotel by taking the lift opposite side of the car park from the hartkaiser. But there was also a small connector ski bus that was free which would drop you right at the door if you didnt fancy that.

GETTING THERE:

Usual early flight and transfers with Crystal. The taxi sent to get us from the main coach to the hotel, didnt have the space for my boardbag, so it was stuffed in with someone 'small' sitting underneath. What I have come to expect from Crystal.

TIPS:
Avoid snowboard or skiing lessons with Crystal recommended school. Shocking! AVOID! AVOID! AVOID!

I was looking for 3 days freestyle with a school. Paid on the Saturday, and when I arrived I was told because I was the only one in the class that I would either have a 2 hour private lesson, or my money back.

My fiance was already booked in with a class for 3 days, and as it was 10 on a Sunday, all other schools on the mountain had started their classes, so I had no choice but to haggle for about 30 minutes, while the crystal rep (who I paid for the pleasure) stood there saying nothing. Eventually she agreed to 2 days, 2 hours each day, of private lessons.

First day it was apparant the instructor was clueless at instructing freestyle. He wasn't wearing a helmet, which I have never seen with an instructor recently, and I felt that it was more likely he was just called in to cover for someone. He finished early and said we would make up the time the following day.

The second day, he was over an hour late! I waited for 1hr 15 minutes at the top of the hart kaiser, and when he got there he told me that he could only give me 1 hr of a lesson. So I told him to do the lesson the following day instead.

He was only 20 minutes late so not too bad. He always went ahead and never said much, even when I was drilling him about my technique. I felt I learned more on the last 3 days by myself. I didn't bother complaining because I didn't want it to take over the week.

Berkaiser at the top of the hartkaiser, and Memory bar on the main street has free Wi-Fi.

The bottom of the hartkaiser lift there is a cafe. The Girl who runs it has a Bf who does all the paragliding off the top. I think its 115/125 with a dvd.

The run from the top of the brandstadl to scheffau is steep (marked as black in places but it feels mostly red) but holds up really well, even in the heat and late in the day (for the most part). And is worth checking out if you want a nice steep long fast run.

RESTAURANTS / BARS:
Pizza and Pasta in the memory bar are nice. 7-9 or there abouts, and as mentioned, the free wifi.

Food in the bergkaiser is also very good but probably the most expensive in Austria!

2 main bars are the Mexican (which is also a restaurant) and Pub 66. I gave up the cigs 2 years ago so I tried to avoid these as they were fairly smokey!

WOULD I GO AGAIN:

I probably would. It has snow so I could never turn it down. But there are better places out there, for beginners, intermediates and advanced for that matter.

But if I have a choice, and only have 1 week, Zell am See is probably where I'm heading back to.

Cervinia Italy
1. Where and when you went.
Feb 2nd - 9th 2013

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Ski conditions were amazing. Lots and lots of snow and the pistes are very well groomed and kept. Looked like lots of off piste too but I didn't venture into that much

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate, but resort is brilliant for beginners and timid intermediates. Lots of long easy wide blues and reds. Some of the blacks would be considered red in Austria.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Bars and apres was very quiet. The Dragon bar was recommended but was very very quiet. We drank in the Yeti bar most nights as it had jugs of beer for a tenner during happy hour and had free wifi. Beers in the town are 5-6 Euros for a large one. Wine was slightly cheaper. Large glass of red wine for 3.50e-5e

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
The runs are great for confidence building and I found the ski instruction with Breuil ski school very good. Chalet Etoile is the best mountain restaurant off blue run 4. Really good home made pasta and desserts. Mountain restaurants are very reasonably priced in general. 5-6e for huge panini with lovely Italian meats and cheeses. Hot wine on the mountain is 3.50-5e. Loved blue home run 5 and new black run 62 is fantastic.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
- Didn't venture to Zermatt or Valtournenche this time.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Brits and Europeans. Think we might have been the only Irish there that week

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
I probably would go again because of the runs. It was very very cold and Cervinia has no tree shelter and suffers from high winds. The whole resort was shut for 1 day while we were there. Another day only a very small blue run and lift was open for the day. Nearby Valtournenche resort is lower down the valley and was open when Cervinia wasn't so you could use the free bus to get there although when Cervinia was closed Valtournenche pistes were packed. Ski pass for Cervinia covers Valtournenche too. There are links to Zermatt from Cervinia but unfortunately we never made it as the links were closed most days. Skiing in Zermatt would require an add on to the Cervinia ski pass. The locals said this year was unusual with the weather. Although they do suffer from high winds the odd time, they said this year there were more windy days than normal.

Other info about transfers and accom
Flights Aer Lingus to Milan Linate 170e, taxi Milan Linate to Lampugnano bus station 38e (didn't have enough time to public transport it but that option is available (bus + metro)). Transfer Savda.it bus 31.60e return Milan Lampugnano to Cervinia. Apartment with Castelli family in their Rosalp apartments (http://www.castelli.biz/) 480e for 7 nights (2 people). Don't let the basic website put you off. We got the e-mail address from the cervinia.it website and the service was great at the apartments. Very friendly family run place. Our apartment had cooker/oven, iron, hairdryer and safe. Basic but did the trick!