Winter Resort Report thread

5starpool

I'm not sure what sort of response this thread will get, but sure we will try it anyways, and if there is enough useful information we might sticky it.

What type of things to put in this thread:

1. Where and when you went.
2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.


I am off next week so I will update here too after that. I am hoping that this will be somewhere that people in future times can look at and say "That sounds like somewhere I want to go". Anyone who wants to add in recent trips feel free

robinph

1. Meribel - Mottaret, 3valleys, France -13th Jan '07
2. Skiing and blading
3. Was slightly rubbish snowfall before hand but on piste was fine on the runs from the top of the mountains, but the runs down to the various resorts were a bit messed up towards the end of each day but there are lots of nice wide open runs available down into all of the 3 valleys and plenty to choose from whatever the conditions. Off piste was not really possible for my rubbish abilities at that to even attempt really though due to the conditions.
4. Erm, dunno depends what scale we are measuring on. Bode Millers got nothing to worry about yet though I've no problem getting down any run, just with slightly less style on the blacker/ bumpier ones.
5. It seemed to be mostly self catering apartment in Mottaret, but we could never be bothered to cook, the few restaurants that we sampled around the top end of Mottaret were very good though. But this can of course add significantly to the cost of a trip eating out every night, but it was worth it.
6. Direct ski in/ ski out access, or very short walk for pretty much everywhere in Mottaret as far as I could tell. No chance of getting bored of the variety of runs.
7. Dunno, wasn't paying enough attention as I was too drunk on cheap wine and beer.
8. The resort looked to be nearly empty when we were there, compared to what the number of lifts suggested that it could cope with, but it seemed to be possibly 50% British/ Irish 50% Rest of Europe but that is had to tell really.

sharingan

2007 Holiday report: Soll

1. Where and when you went.

06-jan-2007, Ski-welt Soll

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

Mixed group, but I skied.

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Not great, interconnecting runs between different parts of the Ski-Welt were in poor condition and unnavigable for beginners or unconfident intermeds. Off piste almost non-existent. Soll ski-school pass limited to almost nothing in terms of runs, best skiing was found in westendorf, more interesting runs, that actually had some snow to boot.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Intermediate that has hit his plateau.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

One hell of a session here. 5am drinking available for the hollow-legged holidaymaker. Beer cheap, around ~3 - 3.20 € per pint.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

Good variety of non-skiing activities on offer (some of our group did an Olympic bob-sled run). The session in particular is pretty hardcore here. In good snow conditions the runs must be fantastic - the descents in particular. Piste operators really know their stuff here, managing to maintain at least decent snow conditions based on <30cm snowfall. The view from the summit of the Soll mountain is breathtaking, one of the best mountain views I have seen.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

Westendorf only accessible via taxi, or organised bus, or if you ski over to Brixen and descend and get the Brixen - Westendorf shuttle. But the best runs are there, real long, twisty and tree-lined. Westendorf is meant to be really pretty and scenic, but it was shrouded in mist when we got there.

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

Highest paddy count ever. Lots of brits too, but the irish presence here is huge. Lots of Austrians too etc. But irish are a huge proportion of foreign holidaymakers here.

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

We tend to never visit the same resort twice, and if we were to break that habit, we would probably choose a different resort anyway (like Chamonix). Also Soll/Ski Welt is low altitude, which meant that it got the short end of the stick with respect to snowfall and snow conditions. Also, your ski-school pass in Soll is very limiting. Only 6 runs are available, and only in the Soll area to a ski-school lift pass. This is quite restrictive by comparison with other resorts, the Soll area in particular ramps up in slope difficulty quite fast.

Static M.e.

1. Where and when you went.

Bankso, Bulgaria January 2007

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

Board

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Conditions were average due to a poor winter, snowed on my 2nd last day which opened up another 4-6 runs.
Off piste is a no no. Trees are very close together and even on the main runs alot of rocks and roots are just under the surface. I would be very carefull.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

intermed/advanced

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Bars/Restaurants were quite cheap, but you really have to bring your own fun. Apres Ski was quite tame.
They dont seem to believe in Breakfast near the gondola we had to have main courses pasta/pizza 3 or 4 times (Mostly due to us not scouting around and being generally lazy.)
On the mountain your best bet is pizza slices the rest of the food is all deep fried and not the best, alot of chips, some sort of meat on a stick that kind of thing.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

Very Cheap, lift pass was ~€130, Ski lessons were €30 for 4 hours. I found the instructors to be quite poor though. For instance my advanced lesson also had a begineer in it.
local beer is about €1.5 to €2 quite nice too.
They sell pancakes on the way to the mountain which are lovely
Quite a large area for begineers

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

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

Mostly Eastern Europeans

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
The main gondola lift up to the mountain takes about 20 minutes after queueing which is a nighmare, more of a push up the stairs. They dont have ANY queueing system in place think masses of people pushing in from all sides. The lift down the mountain had a large queue from 3 on wards. This is not a place I would personally bring children.

Just a point to note, the nearest bank to the gondola + the pass machine at the gondola dont accept Visa, or AIB/BOI cards even though the show that symbol that they should. We eventually found a Bank down near the town square that did accept them though. The bank is off on a side street.

I might go again on account of the cheapness for a quiet holiday but I wouldnt go again for my main holiday.

MadsL

1. Where and when you went.

Bad HofGastein, Austria - 2 weeks late Jan 2007

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
I own my own boots and salomon SB9 blades. One day I will own a pair of Revel8 skiboards http://www.skiboardsonline.com/Merchant2/graphics/rvl8/06/rvl8_emp06.jpg
and scoff at Salomon snowblades -
whats wrong with salomon snowblades
My SB9s are not too bad as they are a full skiboard shape - symetrical tips/tails - but suffer the same flex problems as they have 8 hole bindings whic makes them stiff. Not sure if salomon still make them - they seem to have gone to a 120cm length with a skibinding (4 hole) - id like to try them, might test them and give 'em a shot next trip. Hard to get good skiboards in europe.

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
4 days of very little snow - sunshine runs on hardpack with lots of ice patches - blades performed fine. offpiste - either Hard crust or grass!unskiable for the most part.
2 days of rain :mad: - 2 days off
4 days of snow - including a massive dump that put a foot of new snow (powder) on piste and +2 feet of powder offpiste.

Blades performed very well but struggled badly off piste in deep power, hence my yearning for a pair of Revel8.

Life queues very short, rarely had to wait more than 2 mins, most times ski straight through the liftpass machine.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Depends whose asking Basically I can blade (skiboard) most of the mountain, comfortable on high level reds, easy/med blacks.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Half-board at 4* so didnt eat out that much, but food was excellent in the mountains (especially the germknodel - a giant dumpling filled with plum sauce and served with a kind of custard - essential ski food)
Nothing special about the bars except for great austrian/german beer!

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Access to the Alpentherme - sheer heaven http://www.alpentherme.com

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

My wife was there for the 'cure' - she has asthma so the heilstollen (natural thermal radon caves) are really good for her...she doesn't ski so we found this to be a great resort for non-skiers (this is our second year there)
http://www.gasteiner-heilstollen.com/en/index.php

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

Few Brits/Irish, mostly Austrians, Bavarians, Poles, Slovaks, Russians and Finns (for some weird reason)

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

Recommend this as a ski destination for mixed ski/non-ski couples. Alpentherme is great and you can spend most of the day there if conditions are crap, I often packed up at 1/2pm (I'm an early starter - like to be making first tracks at 8am when the rest are crawling down to breakfast) and hit the sauna/outdoor pool. Nice feel to the place as it feels like a town rather than a few huts up a mountain. Strongly recommend this over Bad Gastein.

Good resort for intermediates, plenty of good reds, not fantastic for black experts (but some good blacks nearby - skibus service) Offpiste can be limited at Schlossalm, but some other nearby resorts on same pass are good/great in good conditions. Offpiste is bloody fantastic at Bad Hofgastien with 2+ feet of powder

For some weird reson there is no snow park in any of the ski amadé skipass area. Plenty of boarders about, but very few kickers or halfpipes or rails laid out

Some natural halfpipes are around just on the piste edges and some fun to be had there - but it is crying out for a proper snow park, or to do some maintainance to convert/groom the natural features. For some reason, few boarders here want to get air...

And finally, throw away those poles people - half of you don't know how to use them anyway :rolleyes: - rent blades to get the feel for it and then buy a decent set of skiboards. It's the future! For those of you struggling to get parallel I guarantee you be parallel (and carving) in 2 days tops. I had a german friend of mine visit for one day's skiing, who had not been on skis for 7 years, and had severe upper body position issues - crap skier basically - and he was pulling 360s by the end of the day after I insisted that he try blades.

Lex

1. Where and when you went.

Meribel, 3 Valleys, France - 2 wks ago.

Direct Ski package. Flights to Geneva and bus journey to the resort.
We had our own chalet, fully catered.
Rep visited us twice and was helpful but we had no probs so didn't need him for anything.

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

Mixed group (11 of us!). 3 of us boarded. The rest skied (sp?).

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

As mentioned. On piste was fine everywhere except a few ice patches (man do they hurt!!) and the very end of the runs where it became slushy and crap from high traffic.
The only fresh snowfalls for the week were at the very top of the mountains but the pistes seemed excellently maintained and managed.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Beginner boarder. never been skiing.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Lots of lively bars in Meribel and all stay open till 2am which was fine when we had to get up at 9am for shcool every day!
The only club we want to was Dick's Tea bar on the last night. It's hugely over priced with not much to offer!! The pubs are way better value and craic imo.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

We had a lift pass for any run in the 3 Valleys. But there are so many runs it seemed like you'd need a month to cover them all! Amazing spot.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

I stuck to the pistes but the other two boarders ventured off piste on one of the red runs near Motarett and said the powder was amazing.

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

Alot of Brittish with a good mix of irish and mainlanders thrown in.

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

Imo, wrist guards are a must for beginner boarders. I caught so many bad edges they saved me big time!

The fully catered chalet was a huge bonus. We had a 22 yr old english guy named Donut (yup!) who was there for the snow season. He basically got up every morn and cooked us a warm breakfast, went boarding/drinking everyday and returned raound 6pm each eve to cook us a 3 course meal.
He was a great cook and went onthe p!ss with us a few nights.
He had one night off. We went to a restaraunt in Merible village and the food was excellent. Large portions and resonable price.
Excellent spot and and would recommend it to anyone.

Necronomicon

1. Where and when you went.
Livigno, Italy, 2 weeks ago.

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Terrific, considering the poor conditions in many other areas around Europe.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
One crap club but one unreal bar! Anyone going, check out Marco's!

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
It's tax free; functional town rather than purely a tourist spot; slopes weren't packed...in general a lovely place!

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
As I said, Marco's Bar!

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Mostly mainland Europeans. From what I gathered, we were outnumbered by Italians who came from mainland Italy for the season. Met a few Northern Irish guys alright.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
I'd definately go to Livigno again, beautiful place. One thing that people might get fed up of (although it didn't bother me so much) is how spaced out some of the slopes are, and the fact that you sometimes have to get a bus from one slope to the next.
If anyone is going to Livigno, I'd highly recommend the following activities:

1) Skidoos: Tearing around a snow mobile on a bumpy track, it was unreal!

2) Tobogans: This was the cheapest activity available, but probably the most fun! You get so wet but it's so, so worth it.

3) Visit San Moritz: Beautiful (albeit expensive) town, good slopes as well. Twice held the Winter Olympics. It was a great day out.

4) Tea Borch: I didn't do this one myself because it was €40 which I didn't really have spare after paying for all the other activities, but a couple of my friends who went said it was brilliant fun.

Imposter

1. Where and when you went.
Saalbach, Austria - Jan 27th - Feb 3rd

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
The first few days they were ok as it dumped snow on the 27th. Later in the week pistes that were open were closed. Lots of green patches. A lot of pistes not open, but in saying that there is a lot of the resort open. There weren't many people (compared to what I was expecting - and a lot signs for free rooms to be seen) so the pistes weren't that full. Proper Off-piste is virtually impossible

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
It's Saalbach, they're great. Restaurants all have similar fare. Austrian stuff, steaks, pizzas etc. Same is available on the pistes. Reasonable enough by irish standards. Bars are good. Apres ski is super. Bauers at the bottom is good but there's a place a little up the hill (about 200m from the bottom) that is super. Both of these are by the Kohlmais lifts. Hinterglemm has some good spots too - Goaßstadl is a good laugh.

Late night in Saalbach - depends on age. Don't go to Bauers late on sober. If drunk it's probably good. Turm is ok but older crowd. Bobby's has a younger crowd and Castello seems to be the disco of choice.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
The skiresort is huge, the infrastructure is second to none. The apres ski is super. The nightlife is a good laugh and the food is great. Really good for a mixed group as there are pistes for everyone.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Mostly a mixture of Dutch, German, Austrian, English and Irish. Mostly Dutch German and Austrian though (although we avoided the holidays which brings a lot more Austrians)

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

Toboggoning in Hinterglemm is also good. They've built brakes into all the toboggons this year (there's been a few accidents in the last few years)! The course is a tad tricky at the bottom but it's some laugh.

Dubhthamlacht

1. Where and when you went.

Livigno - last week

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

Ski

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

It had a good dump of snow the week before we arrived and it snowed on the night we arrived but that was the last snow we got the whole week. Towards the end of the week it really could have done with a snowfall. Most affected by this were the learner slopes at the botton which became fairly icy especially in the afternoon. Saying that they do really take care of the main slopes up the mountain with snow machines and ploughs keeping them well groomed. Off piste I didn't try.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Intermediate.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

The bars and Restaurants are generally good. Galli's Hotel restaurant was superb but book early as it gets packed out fast. Food and service was very good. Prices also reasonable. The pubs were grand. Check out the slide into Miky's and the elevator down to the toilet in Daphne's As said before Marco's is a fun pub and Galli's pub is okay (but has a smelly toilet which they openely acknowledge). The only nightclub is a shi*t hole as stated in previous post and i was only in it twice but thank god I was so buckled out of my head i hardly remember either time

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

There is an organised Mountain Feast night. Do it, it's great fun.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.

Mostly Italians with a healthy sprinkling of Irish/Brits.
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.

Absolutely no hesitation in going again. It's a cheap place (€5 for big Smirnoff Vodka bottle), skiing is good and lively resort.

Bad points - I flew into Brescia , a nasty 5 and half hour bus journey away. Hotels are functional without being great. But these are minor gripes.

5starpool

1. Where and when you went.
Bad Gastein, Austria, Jan 27th - Feb 3rd.

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Conditions were lovely for the first few days as the resort had only recently got a nice dump of snow. Towards the end of the week though it was getting a somewhat bare in patches and icy in others, but mostly still well skiiable, especially at higher altitudes.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate, but every year I feel like I am regressing instead of progressing. Go figure.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Restaurants were very so-so. Found a couple of nice places but service tended to be on the slow side. There was one bar in particular that I went to a lot, The Silver Bullet Bar. There was a great covers band that played there twice a day, 4.30-6.30 and 10-12. They were drinking during their performance and the buzz was fantastic around the place. A mad crowded pub hopping at 5 in the evening was slightly surreal though.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
The spas are something that I did not visit, but from anyone I know that did said they were brilliant. A 2-3 hour visit cures lots of aches and pains I was told. Beware the naked sauna there though.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
I didn't go off track much, although a few of our group went to an underground sauna type place where you need a medical check to go into caves full of radon and mad heat to lie down for an hour. Odd experience but they felt strangely refreshed afterwards.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Largely Irish as I was on the TodayFM ski trip. I beleive apart from the 420 that were officially on it, there were around another 400 Irish in the resort, so it was utterly crazy and loads of late nights. I am sure the resort has a totally different buzz other weeks.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
The tobogganing track was great fun, but the run down to the finishing area was the steepest part. Brakes are non existant, so use your feet liberally!!! I am not sure if I would go there again as I like to try different resorts each year. The different ski areas were largely only accessible by bus, though you could ski between some of them. Good point is that the hire shop we used had a storage lift at the bottom of the main Gondola area in Bad Gastein so no carrying skis or boots too far which can only be a good thing.

tippbhoy

1. Where and when you went.
Livgno for a week, just back today

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
snow was a bit thin in parts, the resort could do with another heavy snow fall as it was a bit icey in places and was showing the ground on some slopes

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
intermediate...ish

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
reasonably lively, the food and service was excellant i thought. It took a while to get used to the idea that the second course is a lot smaller in Italy than home. A good mix of male and female which helps...

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
The resort is in a valley between 2 mountains. You should alternate between morning and afternoon to allow for the sunshine at different times of the day on the slopes

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Can't think of any

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Irish and European, very few Brits which surprised me, i was in Andorra last year and it was like a piece of England

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
I liked the resort but the transfer was ridiculous, we were with directski who flew to Brescia. 5 hours!!!! I would go again if it didn't involve that transfer

ditpoker

1. Where and when you went.

Pamporovo in bulgaria, late january 07, when there was "little snow"

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

skiiiiiii!

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

first few days were ski-able but not great due to lack of snow. the snow arrived late in the week and the place was great. there's only a handful of runs but if you dont mind that this place is great, and the off-piste once the snow fell was great fun!

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

beginner-intermed.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

bars, great fun and cheap.
restaurants... bring a packed lunch, food was terrible. i ordered lasagne... i got cheese sauce ham and peas!!

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

very beginner friendly.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

im pretty sure the "masseuse" in the hotel offered "additional services" for a fee... but my sources are unreliable.

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

eastern europeans and brits.

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

if i was going again i'd make sure there was plenty of snow, probably book late on. met alot of people over tehre who were back for a 2nd holiday there who said the place is amazing with full snow fall.

BigDragon

1. Where and when you went.Last week in Jan Zell am See, Austria
2. What you did there ski/board/blade.Second time only skiing.
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.We were very lucky as it snowed just before we arrived and was getting pretty bad off piste when we were leaving.
4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.Beg-ish...can now ski reds without falling.
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.OKish Ate in hotel as was half board. There are not too many bars but something for everyone from 'local' to 'posh'.
6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.The skiing is great and great variety for a whole week.
7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.Didnt venture far at all but will give the glacier at Kaprun a go next time.
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.Good mix of both
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.Good skiing and OK social so I enjoyed it and would go again but definately for the skiing over anything else.

Static M.e.

1. Where and when you went

Soldeu Andorra 11th - 18th Feb

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

Board

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Conditions were average due to a poor winter, Soldeu normally has a huge number of runs open (320Km) but this year alot were closed. Still even saying that you still had a lot of choices just using the El Tarter and Soldeu runs. This was my fifth time in Soldau and normally you can do alot of off piste but this year I just didnt risk it, you could see the rocks just below the surface.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

intermed/advanced

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Bars/Restaurants were average I find Soldeu getting more and more expensive every year though. Main bars are "The Villager" which claims to be Irish or English depending on the night..decent enough food for apres ski. Then you have the T-Bar, Ice Berg and Avalance, the main nightclub is called the Pussycat and it fairly stinks.

My favourite restaurant was Fat Alberts, starter, main + wine is about ~30. very nice though.

Best place to get food on the slope is to do the run all the way down to the gondola and their is a restaurant up the left that does nice pizza and hot wine.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

People are lovely, restaurants are nice, lots of runs, they maintain the slopes very well, Bars are decent too. Its a great spot for the begineer to Intermediate can also be very good for off piste in a good year. They also sell Poncho in The Ice Berg pub, great stuff

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

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

Mostly Irish/Brits

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
Yes I plan on going back next year again, I love it

ZorbaTehZ

1. Where and when you went.
Auffach-Oberau-Niedarau Chained Resort in the Austrian Alps.
(buses go between resorts every 5-10 minutes - each resort is no more than 3 minutes from each other. Buses are free if you're carrying ski's/Boards)
Went Early January 2007. (2nd time there)

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste?
When we arrived, quite a lack of snow. Picked up during the week nicely - snowfall for ~12 hours midweek thrice.
Quite a few closed runs - quite ironic since some if these were the nicest in regards powder and non-iciness.

4. Are you beginner/intermediate/advanced?
Advanced.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like?
Nice. Local beer was good, food was good. Restaurants were steep but the food stores and markets were cheap.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort?
If you're an old person you'll love this place; loads of nice scenery, places to go walking, craft shops etc.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby?
Super-jump, race-park and board-park in Niedarau, another board-park in Auffach (excellent). Some of the slopes in Auffach were excellent for boarding, very nice soft powder. Some intricate runs between trees/pistes/resorts. Lots of capability for off-pisting. Nice steep slopes with hops/jumps.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland?
Unfortunately majority was Dutch, Germans and Austrians. There were a few British and French. I think we were the only Irish there though lawl.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again?
Queues were quite insane mid-day particularly after lunchtime.
LOTS of newbs - Oberau in particular.
Some of the locals were asses.
But I really liked the Auffach resort and I'd think I'd go again (this was my second time ofc).

mollser

1. Where and when you went.

Meribel, Les Allues to be precise on 24th Feb, 12 minute gondola up to the main lifts and town.

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

Ski

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Strange, we ski'd in all snow and weather conditions. Huge snow falls during the week but very mild temperatures meant we started in deep powder and finished in slush. Off Piste was in general closed, as were some high altitude runs

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

2nd week skiing, became a very comfortable intermediate, reds etc.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Fantastic! Nowhere near as expensive as its made out to be (cheaper than Ireland), sit down lunch can easily be had for less than €10. Beer can be pricey at €6 a pint, however wine is very reasonable and theres no end of happy hours which are great value.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

Its not one of the worlds best skiing destinations for nothing, its fantastic.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

Rond Point, Rond Point, Rond Point! Apres ski from 4 to 7 is quite possibly the best 3 hours of fun EVER. Burger in the restaurant at the top of the Loze chairlift is truely magnificent as well, as are the views.

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

Mainly Brits and French, remarkable amount of Aussies there actually!

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

We did a chalet holiday staying in les allues. Great holidays with brekky and dinner laid on. Make sure to get a locker at the saulire chairlift, this actually made the holiday! Have no fear of staying down the valley slightly (Les Allues, La Raffort) as the transfer up is effortless, and if you're with a good ski company they will taxi you all around anyway. Super holiday, will be booking for next year soon.

Imposter

1. Where and when you went.
Obertauern, Austria, 10th and 11th March

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Super for both. The drive to Obertauern everything was green and then you go round a corner and start to climb to Obertauern and everything is white. Pistes were super, they did tend to cut up a bit on the sunday when it was very busy. There were quite a few nice large moguls but the resort was crazy busy as it was really sunny and this is by far the resort with the best snow in the area at the moment.

Off piste was also ok. There was a small dump of snow all day saturday but under that was icy. Loads of possibilities for off-piste and most of it is safe as you can see your way out of it. No real knowledge of the area needed for off piste.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
On the mountain they were the same as always. The bars were a little more expensive than i'm used to. In the town the nightlife was good but everything was a little pricy compared to the other resorts I know.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
The skiing was super - off piste and near-piste too. Given the amount of snow in Austria this year the resort is unreal! So much more snow than anywhere else. Lifts are great as is the case in most Austrian resorts. Runs seemed a little shorter that other places - or maybe i'm just going faster and travelling better than before.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
not really.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans. Some english voices to be heard but mostly german and austrian.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
I found the town very expensive. Accomodation is crazy expensive compared to other places. Drinks are 20-30% more expensive. Food in the village the same. Food on the mountain was ok though.

I'll definitely go again. Probably just as a day trip though unless I win the lotto or rob a bank sometime. It would make for great skiing in early and/or late season as it seems to have it's own climate.

eoghan.geraghty

1. Where and when you went.

Pas de la Casa,Andorra,18 - 24 March

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

Board

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

On piste,powdery in the morning but faster in the afternoon usually.
Odd patch of ice.
Off piste, once the visibility improved for 2 hours each day, was perfect. Plenty of soft powder to carve through.With no visibility wasn't as adventurous, (stayed away from trees etc.),at one stage it was like riding through a cloud, all i could see was white, no ground or sky. ( Only did it cos I knew the run well so knew where I'd hit the piste again)

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Inter

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Cheap and cheerful, with a rare find. La copa, don't go to la perla negra, no matter how tempting all you can eat ribs is.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

Cheap and cheerful.Now is a good time to go as plenty snow falling of late with the least crowded pistes I've ever seen there ( 4 times ).

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

No

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

Mostly French and Spanish. Some Brits and fewer Irish.

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

I'll defo go again. Mainly because it has everything I need, plenty of slopes, some great off piste, and yet again cheap as chips.
The whole week cost me 800 euro, 400 for a late deal and 400 for food and not much drink.

smurph

1. Where and when you went.
Alvoriaz, France 17th - 24th March
2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski for the whole week
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
The best snow conditions I have ever skied in. It started snowing on the Monday and snowed night and day for the week. It made it a bit tiring in the afternoon, as the wind picked up then, but fluffy snow all round. Off piste was a bit limited as they were doing avalanche controlled explosions alot.
4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
I would be an Intermediate, and have skied in France Italy, Andorra before
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Night life was a bit quiet, but not dead. The French people like the meal and wine, over 2hours or so, and if you were a vegetarian who didn't like cheese you would starve. Beer was €6 for large Stella Atois, and €6 for a vodka + mixer, Food on the Slopes were about €10 for burger + chips & €12 for Omlette or Spaghetti Bolognaise
6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
We had a pass for the whole area which covered 3 resorts in Switzerland as well, and I have to say that you need longer than a week to get around it all. No ques for chair lifts etc., and there was an abundance of runs, Blue runs were wide and fast, and red runs were scary enough to get the adrenalin running. The Resort itself does not allow any cars into it, basically there is a huge car park that you drive to and then all around the resort is horses with sleighs and people walking around. Very rustic feel to the whole place and it was one of the few resorts that looked the same as the brochure. Ski instructors were the typical French, tell it as it is, take no bull**** and boy do you learn to ski better. The hotel we stayed in was 80 meters walk to the ski school and you could ski straight back to the hotel. It was a 3star hotel and the food in it was brilliant. our room had cooking facilities awell for so you could stay without breakfast and evening meal. The package cost us €1,500 per person for the week, all inclusive Flights Accomodation, ski-school, pass, food etc.,. We flew to Geneva and the transfer was 2hours in total, which was great. Also Geneva is tax free so you could bring back loads of duty free.
7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Our Ski instructor on the last day brought us skiing to a different ski area called morriaze, and brought us through jumps and brilliant runs, then we had a picnic of wine and Parma ham which he had in his haversack. It was brillant, the instructors went out of their way to find a class which was good for you. The Ski Classes wre 9.30 a.m. to 12 noon or 2.30 p.m. to 5.00 p.m.
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
There were alot of french, and english there, not that many irish.
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
I cannot recommend this resort enough. If you could get a group together and hire out a chalet you would be absolutely sorted. Most of the chalets have a sauna or steam room in them, and it would work out a bit cheaper per person. You can check out the resor on the following attachment, and have a look at the virtual tour of the map of the resort on the left hand side. www.avoriaz.com

osulljp

1. Where and when you went.
Pas de la Casa, 31/12 to 6/01/07

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
No off-piste, only many made (icy) snow.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Liked La Copa restaurant. La Perna Negla next door was awful. Avoid.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Big ski area, if snow is good. Almost ski to door conditions.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
No

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

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

Would go again. Stayed at Sandy IV. Cheap & cheerful and not as bad as painted in some reviews.

osulljp

1. Where and when you went.
Garmisch – Partenkirchen, Germany Feb 19th to Feb 28th

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Poor conditions this year. Little off-piste, spring snow conditions.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
La Baita Italian restaurant on Zugsptstr is highly recommended. May need to book. Irish bar in Partenkirchen is great.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
You can ski the Kandahar, the world cup run. If you time it (like we did) you can be there for the world cup races. Great to see those guys up close.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
The ski pass covers 5 resorts. If snow is poor you can head to the Zugspitze glacier, snow is great up there but it is an 80 min train trip. In previous years we skied Lermoos across border in Austria . A nice resort, half an hour on the train.
Also have a great watersports facility in Garmisch.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
German 90%, American 10% (there is a US Army recreation facility there)

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

Have been there 3 times. Fly Aer lingus to Munich and take a train from airport to the resort (2’20”). Get a “lander” train ticket…it is not mentioned on the English version of bahn.de, but it is much much cheaper for a group. It’s a good value venue. I did a week Feb mid term in 2006 for 7 people for Euro 3,500 (flight, train, SC accom, ski hire, lift pass). This year did 6 for 3,600 as flights were dearer.

mcgratheoin

1. Where and when you went.
Hemsedal, Norway. February

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski (twin-tip freestyle skis)

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Unbelieveable. Had 2 feet of a powder dump the 2nd night I was there

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
intermediate to advanced. Can ski anything, but will be pretty ragged looking off piste. Not a huge fan of tree skiing. Have skied off an ice waterfall (~30 foot drop) and skied serious couloirs in my time though.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Hemsedal cafe is reputed to be the best apres ski in europe, but it's Norway, so be prepared to take a financial hit. You'll almost certainly be cooking yourself most of the time.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Pretty much guaranteed good snow this high up and this far north. Excellent off-piste and touring if you're into that. You probably need a guide or local knowledge to access some of the best stuff though.


7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Some great off-piste runs and an excellent snowpark.

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

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
Well worth a visit, especially if the weather around Europe starts to look dodgy. It's a bit difficult logistically to get to though, as it's maybe 4 hrs from oslo. There is a bus direct from the airport in Oslo (not the Ryanair airport - you need a car from there!!!). Hemsedal is the best ski spot in Norway by a good distance (much better than Trysil, Lillehammer or any of the others) - if you want to go somewhere different, then this could be for you.

Imposter

1. Where and when you went.
Flachau, Austria - Dec 01, 2007

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Snow was super. I wouldn't chance off piste though. There was enough snow on the piste but not deep enough for off piste.

It's before christmas so there are virtually no tourists and the locals are too busy doing their christmas shopping (everything is closed on Sundays here!). This meant I/we could abuse the snow as much as we liked

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Things were quiet in the huts. Still it was a daytrip and the focus was on skiing so this is good

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Nice place for a daytrip - possibly a weekend. A bit small for a week and i've seen it very crowded in the main season. In the off-season though it is super especially for a daytrip.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Mainly Austrians, some germans and some hungarians. As I said though - very quiet and too early for tourists.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
It wasn't my first time there so yeah of course i'd go again.
Hopefully I can hit the snow again next weekend and get as much skiing as possible in before the pistes get crowded and I have to slow down

ZorbaTehZ

1. Where and when you went.

Niedarau/Oberau/Auffach et al,
Wildschonau,
Tirol Valley,
Austria.
27/12/07 - 3/1/08

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

I boarded for the week, and also did a 3 day ski school.

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Conditions were somewhat better than last year. Decent snowfall. 2 inchs on the Saturday followed by 15 inches on the Sunday and regular enough snowfall there after. Auffach was very icy from mid station down, which isn't surprising - from top station down it was very meh as well. Niedarau was very nice especially near the summit with decent powder. Oberau was quite good this year too, with the the furthest T-bar actually open this early.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Advanced snowboarder and beginner skier.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

I stayed Oberau, where the food and drink was ok priced and good. The Italian restaurant(get a pizza) and the food in the Kellerwirt hotel(get the steak) were amazingly good. Decent bars, the snow'blau(great music) and the starchenthof probably being the best.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

New Years Eve here is excellent. There was an absolutely massive fireworks display in Oberau with the mountain lit up and the instructors doing a torchlight descent + loads of beering at the bottom of the slopes + loud music. Great craic.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

Tirol Valley is the only place in the whole of Austria that is licensed to produce krautinger an extremely strong schnapps. Everyone there is mental about it.

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

Germans and Brits mostly

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

Nope.

mcgratheoin

1. Where and when you went.
St. Anton, Austria - first weekend in January 08

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski (€79 for a weekend pass)

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Good conditions all around, bad visibility with flat light everywhere, but had about 20cm of fresh snow on Saturday night/Sunday that meant it didn't really matter - no need to spot bumps in powder eh?
Off-piste was great then, plenty of untracked areas with knee-deep powder to play in. Snow park was in bad condition due to fresh snow - slowed down approaches to kickers and made it difficult to spot landings. The rails were all covered in snow as well. It's a pretty small snowpark though, so it wouldn't be a reason for going here.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
intermed-advanced I guess

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Standard ski places - plenty of decent cheap restaurants around with Austrian food if you head a bit away from the main lift area.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Off-piste - lots of "ski-routes" marked that are ungroomed but can be done without any hiking etc..

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
If the snow is good, ski through the snowpark and instead of getting on the drag lift at the end, keep going. Nice off-piste descent to a 2-man chair lift. (I'll try to put a photo in the photos thread)

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Big mix - very popular place to ski (although it was very uncrowded and we never really had to queue for a lift)

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
The better a skier you are, the more you'll get out of this place. Other places are more suited to beginners and also cheaper, so wait until you can comfortably ski groomed black runs before hitting St. Anton. The off-piste is the best thing about this resort so if you're not able to handle powder and moguls, you won't get to experience the best runs here.

Necronomicon

1. Where and when you went.
Les Deux Alpes, France, 5th - 12th January 2008

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Mixed bag. Les Duex Alpes is a fairly high resort, so snow is almost guaranteed, but that doesn't always make conditions good. When the days are overcast, the snow can be quite harsh which makes visibility a big problem. Also, on our second last day, there were incredibly violent winds which effectively shut down the gondolas and most chair lifts. However, when the days are clear, conditions are unbelievable. I've actually never seen so much snow in front of me, it was a sea of white in some parts. It snowed very heavily on the last day, so whoever arrived today is gonna have some serious fresh powder!
So as I said, a bit of a mixed bag; when conditions were good, they were great, but at times visibilty issues became a problem. Very unpredictable place.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Apres ski was pretty good, bars like Smithy's and the Polar Bear, but you're almost guaranteed to be priced out of a good night out. Seriously, this is the most expensive place I've ever been to. You're talking €6 a pint - my friend was charged €8.50 for a pint bottle of Bulmers. Shop around in the supermarkets for drink, then go out for one or two depending on your budget.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
A trip to the glacier is a must! On the main gondola you have to go past the half way point and up to the top, it's a bit of a pain, but when you get there it's worth it. We went there twice; the first time conditions were harsh enough, it was a cloudy day and snowed like hell. We couldn't see much, but the snow was incredible. The second time we had the best of both worlds, it was a sunny day and there was still fresh powder up there. It is almost always snowing up there, even if there is no snow in the village. The snow park is also great; it really caters for both beginners and advanced. If you don't fancy the advanced area (which is cut off from the rest) then there is a great little begginers/intermediate park with kickers, rails, a big air, where I spent most of my time.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
There is a boarder cross run near the park which is excellent. Didn't know about it until we were up there, but it was a hell of a lot of fun.

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

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
Tough one, not sure if I would go again because it was so expensive, but we did have a great week.
Oh, but just one thing - if you are going, avoid Residence Du Soleil. The place is a kip, and it's almost as high up as the freakin' glacier which means a walk of 300+ steps every night if you go out.

oclugg

1. Where and when you went.
Zell am See, Jan 08

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Superb.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Pretty good if you can manage to avoid the cliche Irish who thing getting drunk is a cultural badge of honour.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
The town is small, ideal for groups. Slopes are excellent and the lifts are easy to manage.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
A local health club that offer use of pool, sauna, jacuzzi for 14 euros a day, 10am-10pm no time limit.

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

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
Going again next month thanks to some cheap midweek ryanair flights!!

Imposter

1. Where and when you went.
Schladming, Austria - Dec 18th-20th, 2008

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Snow was pretty bad. Last big snowfall was early december! Weather was really warm, something like +6 in the valley! Off-piste up top was icy and well worn so not a good idea. Towards the bottom there wouldn't have been enough snow.


4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Messy. That was our own fault though

There's a great bar/disco at the bottom of the planai. 1500 people 3 floors and seems to be free in (but not the night of the race next week).

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Nearish to where I live.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Mainly Austrians, quite a few germans, some dutch, some english and some eastern europeans.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
It wasn't my first time there so yeah of course i'd go again.
[/QUOTE]

ShayK1

Imposter wrote: »

1. Where and when you went.
Schladming, Austria - Dec 18th-20th, 2008

[/QUOTE]


AAAHHHhhhh TIME TRAVELLER!!! Can you tell me what conditions will be like in oberstdorf in 3 weeks?

MadDogGreener

1. Where and when you went.
Cervinia 13th-20th January 08

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Excellent on piste all week. Wasnt "off" much but it was deep!

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Hmmmm - linking turns on a red? Late Beginner-Early Int I suppose.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Excellent restaurants in the village. Good few bars but they were quiet enough. Some nice places on the mountain (Chalet Etoile) Avoid the main mountain station "Plan Maison".

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Snow reliability. Lots of nice easy blue and red runs.
The view from the top of Monte Rossa (~3500m) on a clear day is stunning.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Not "hidden" - but Red run 29 was a fantastic run and mostly empty due I think to the slow old 2seater lift.
Food wise the steaks in Lucas "Jour et Nuit" were amazing.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Hardly any Irish. A few brits. Seemed to be mostly Italians on the slopes.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
Definitely would go again. Great conditions, friendly locals, shortish transfer from Turin (~2 hours by bus), good snow reliablity, access to Zermatt. On the down side its slightly more expensive than some Italian resorts,quite a few flats spots which was a pain on the snowboard (Although by end of week was starting to get the hang of them).

Johnny_Fontane

1. Where and when you went.
17-22nd January 2008
Alagna/Gressoney, Monta Rosa, Italy
Stayed here at 2,800m for €50 each half board:eek:
http://www.rifugioguglielmina.com/en/firsthome

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
excellent snow, 120cm at bottom, 200cm at top
metre of fresh the day before we arrived, off piste was literally untouched, Italians dont like going off-piste, nobody can see them.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Advanced

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Its not st.Anton or anything close, you go to ski. Very inexpensive on the restaurant front, on mountain restaurants are like €5 for a bowl of pasta, €10 for three course meal with wine

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
1600m vertical, the place is empty, tons of off-piste, no tours, very quick lifts and cable cars

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
There's actually a published book available for €23 with all the off piste runs in the area. Anything off the Col d'olen is epic.

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

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
Check out the rifugio, its the most amazing place I've ever stayed and its so so cheap, you need to negotiate a black run though to get to it or walk for like 15 minutes. This place is a gem, any powder hounds should try getting here. Its definitely NOT snowsure though, make sure there is plenty of snow before you go.

Static M.e.

1. Where and when you went.
Livigno, Italy, 26/01/08 - 02/02/08

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Conditions were good, they had a great base and even though we had real bluebird days the pistes didn't turn to slush.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
We stayed above Marco's Bar, which was an experience in itself. The apartments were quite nice but because you living above a nightclub earplugs are a must and then some, even with the earplugs in I could still hear the base pulsating through me. On saying that the staff in Marco's are really nice and very helpfully, they also do a decent food and drinks list.

We ventured out to two different restaurants one called Bella-vista which do good pizza's (You wont need a starter if you order one) and another just past Bella-vista called Ristorante Vallentiun (Or something like that, it has a bright red neon sign, and is located on the basement level) Food and drink is so cheap, on average you will spend more on Wine than on your dinner and the food is top notch stuff, for 10 people on average it was costing us €310 euro, which would include a bit of wine (5 bottles+) starters, mains and some deserts.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Tax Free, food is excellent and they have some lovely local wines. Anyone I meet was really nice to deal with. They have built a new park on the Carosella Mountain is lacking but has potential, they have also installed a new Mini gondola at the other end of the town but its only for beginners really. The Montolino Park was in great condition, runs were well groomed.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Restaurants mentioned above were quite nice, you will need to book for Bella-vista

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
A good mix of nationalities, meet a good few Irish north and south.

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
Going again in March but one of things that will annoy the advanced people is the lack of runs, its not that big of a resort and you could cover each mountain in a day. Also the trek from one side of the mountain to the other is annoying.
On the plus side they have lots of Free buses running all the time so its very easy to wait for one and just hop on. Taxis are also really cheap if you stay in Montolino for the day its really nice to get a cab home for 4-6 euro.
The Bus journey is tough too, 5 hours with a stop from Burgamo.
All in all though its a great little spot with a lot of pluses to it, this was my second time and I'm going back again in March.

Tea Borch: On a Tuesday or Thursday was great fun, dancing on tables, LOTS Of wine and decent food at a little bar on top of the black. It books out early though. Good for a serious night out.

mcgratheoin

1. Where and when you went.
Meribel Mottaret - 3 Valleys - 2nd to 9th of Feb 2008

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Unbelievable - snowed the day before we arrived and all night Monday - half a metre of untouched powder on Tuesday morning and nobody on it!

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Advanced

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Bars were ok, Mottaret is a quieter village than Meribel, but better for skiing.
Some excellent restaurants there - ZigZag in particular is fantastic - very small though, so needs to be booked for the evening well in advance. Ordered the Cote a boeuf with a friend - let me tell you know that 800gr of medium rare steak is a lot of meat between two people!! - never paid more than €50 a head for dinner (inc wine or beer)


6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Ideal skiing location - especially good for exploring the entire 3 valleys resort as you are in the middle one. Quicker to the top of Courchevel than if you were in Courchevel itself even!

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
I was the second person on MT Vallon one morning - freshly groomed piste that gets really churned up after about an hour - unbelieveable high speed run when it's fresh - get tucked in and start humming the ski sunday music in your head!
ZigZag restaurant is also well worth a visit

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
A good mix of nationalities, lots of Brits, but plenty of French as well

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
In the middle of the biggest ski area in the world, what's not to like? Val Thorens may be a little better bet as it's 2700m and will have a better snow hit rate but Mottaret was excellent. Courcheval or Meribel itself may be better for beginners in terms of green runs, but for advanced skiers and people looking for off-piste, I would definitely recommend it!

bonkey

1. Where and when you went.

Zweisimmen/Gstaad, 09-16 Feb

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

Ski.

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

There hasn't been any snowfall in over 2 weeks, and the current temps are even too high for the snow-cannons to be fired up. As a result, the pistes were quite hard, with one or two becoming simply too icy to use.

I tend not to do off-piste, so I can't comment on that.

The pistes themselves are mostly easy going...a large amount of blues, fewer reds, and only 3 or 4 blacks. But with something like 250km of connected slopes, there should be enough to keep the on-piste skier happy.

There's also a small snow-park, only opened this year. Not my thing, so I can't really comment.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Good intermediate, I guess.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Typical Swiss piste-based stuff...so good nothing high-class, and they all tend to serve more-or-less the same type fo fare. We found a proper restaurant just off the bottom of the Saanenmoser station that did a bit more variety, and was a bit higher quality than normal, which only cost a couple of francs more. The tradeoff was that the view doesn't compare to one of the mountain-top stops.

Didn't do apres-ski and only ate out one evening...so I can't really comment on that side of things.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

Its not-so touristy and very family-oriented. Kids under 10 ski for free (not that this helped us).

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

Not really hidden...but night-skiing on Rinderberg is so worth doing. The lower half of the slope is floodlit, and open from 18:00 or 18:30 till 22:00, and the entire evening costs only 10 CHF. Can take sleds up on that run too.

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

Mostly Swiss, but with a good mix of tourists. Surprisingly large number of Irish compared to previous years.

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

I'll definitely go again, cause the region is my "local hill" and I have a holiday home pretty-much beside it.

I can't really comment on how costs stack up for tourists, cause I only ski in Switzerland (where I live), but the Swiss media have been reporting in recent years how more and more Swiss stay home instead of going to Austria/Italy/France now, because the price-difference no longer makes it worthwhile. With the Euro doing nicely against the Franc, you could find its not unaffordable.

The region itself is quite low down (1000-200m) so its not the safest bet snow-wise....but other than last year, I've never been let down in the second week of Feb

bohsman

1. Where and when you went.

Tignes, France - Le Lac and val claret.

2. What you did there ski/board/blade

5 boarders 2 skiers
.
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Very Icy, 1 day snow so far in February, saw snow cannons used a couple of times. The more experienced boarders said off piste was better.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Beginner.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Good but very pricey, 6.50 for a pint, food was a bit more reasonable. 10-15euro for a very good pizza.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

The snow park was very good apparently, the one in VC not as busy as the one in le lac but just as good according to a friend of mine who is out there for the season.

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

Seemed to be mainly French and English

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

Val Claret and Le Lac are about a 10minute walk/30minute board apart, Le Lac seems to have more family stuff, bowling, arcade etc while Val Claret has the better nightlife.

The accomodation was tiny, basically a corridor with a bunk bed and a fold out couch that slept 4 with a cooker and sink in a corner, it came with 3 meals a day which consisted of around 8 boxes of food parcels containing rice pasta, tinned food etc and a sheet listing how to eat them - "day 6 - Rice with eggs" It cost a hidden 50euro to use the tv for the week.

Id probably go again if I improved as a boarder but Ill probably try somewhere cheaper next time, thinking czech republic in the next 2 months if theres snow.

jameshayes

1. Where and when you went.
16th - 23rd Feb - Mayrhofen - Austria
2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Snowfall was good previous week, poor our week, didn't snow at all and temps got to +8 on slope at night so snow didn't freeze. Lucky we weren't going a week later.
4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Mix of all levels in our group. Stayed on Blues and Reds.
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Good value for money, local food was great. Beer ~€3.50
6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Peter Habelar Ski school is great. (Peter was the 1st person to climb Everest without tined oxygen. Chris(son) now runs the school. Excellent lessons.
7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
The Harakuri 78Degrees flat! Filled my ski boots with pee when I looked down.
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Lots of Irish, but loads of Germans & Dutch (went on Dutch mid term break)
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
Dont book it through an agency - Fly to salzburg / munich & rent a car(or get the train)

gamblor101

1. Where and when you went.

Lillehamer/Hafjell Norway 24/02/08 - 02/03/08

2. What you did there ski/board/blade

Ski

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Snowed on the second day. Conditions were great. 1.2m at the top and 0.6m at the bottom.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Started as Beginner. Would say intermediate now.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Food quality was excellent but bring plenty of $$$$$$$$$

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

The instructors were great (went from green slopes to red in less than 90 min). Not too busy and a good variety of slopes. They are also are nice and wide so plenty of room for everyone.

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

Majority seemed to be local but most of them were fluent in english anyway.

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

2hr train journey from Oslo airport to Lillehammer and 20min bus ride from Lillehammer to Hafjell. Bus is free with the 5/6/7+ day lift pass. Would go again in a heartbeat.

Orion

1. Where and when you went.
Chamonix. 1st March 2008
2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Icy up high and sugary down low to start due to lack of fresh snow. Got some snow during the week which improved things greatly. Off piste very crusty at start for same reason.
4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
OK. Found one great bar in Chamonix town called Chambre Neuf which rocked but it was jammed. Queues outside most evenings for apres ski.
6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Not really - see #9.
7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Very mixed.
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
There is some great skiiing for all levels in Chamonix. 3 main regions all with all grades of skiiing. Le Tour for easier runs, Flegere/Brevent for a little higher level and Grandes Montes for the best skiiing. Grandes Montes also has some excellent glacier off-piste for you experts. Some of our group did it and said it was great. Vallee Blanche is the best known off-piste run in the world and starts at about 3800 metres on a glacier and is 28km long.

However, I don't think I'll be going there skiing again. The only links between the three regions are by bus - no lifts/cable cars. And you have to then queue (for up to an hour at certain times) to get the cable cars/chairs to the ski regions. This makes it a pain if you have a mixed group skiing in different areas. Difficult to meet up after lessons etc. If you have a group all of the same level though it would be fine - you could just pick a region every day and stay there. The bus system isn't great either - not as regular as some other resorts I've been too. We were blessed in that our chalet owners dropped us to to the lifts in the morning and collected us in the evening but during the day we were on our own for travelling. Once you're up there the lift systems are excellent. The bars in the regions are only ok. But at the end of the day it's a fair trek back to the town for apres ski.

5h4mr0(k

Macros42 wrote: »

1. Where and when you went.
Chamonix. 1st March 2008
2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Icy up high and sugary down low to start due to lack of fresh snow. Got some snow during the week which improved things greatly. Off piste very crusty at start for same reason.
4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Intermediate
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
OK. Found one great bar in Chamonix town called Chambre Neuf which rocked but it was jammed. Queues outside most evenings for apres ski.
6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Not really - see #9.
7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Very mixed.
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
There is some great skiiing for all levels in Chamonix. 3 main regions all with all grades of skiiing. Le Tour for easier runs, Flegere/Brevent for a little higher level and Grandes Montes for the best skiiing. Grandes Montes also has some excellent glacier off-piste for you experts. Some of our group did it and said it was great. Vallee Blanche is the best known off-piste run in the world and starts at about 3800 metres on a glacier and is 28km long.

However, I don't think I'll be going there skiing again. The only links between the three regions are by bus - no lifts/cable cars. And you have to then queue (for up to an hour at certain times) to get the cable cars/chairs to the ski regions. This makes it a pain if you have a mixed group skiing in different areas. Difficult to meet up after lessons etc. If you have a group all of the same level though it would be fine - you could just pick a region every day and stay there. The bus system isn't great either - not as regular as some other resorts I've been too. We were blessed in that our chalet owners dropped us to to the lifts in the morning and collected us in the evening but during the day we were on our own for travelling. Once you're up there the lift systems are excellent. The bars in the regions are only ok. But at the end of the day it's a fair trek back to the town for apres ski.

I was there for the same week and I'd have to agree with most of the points.

1. Where and when you went.
Chamonix. 1st March 2008
2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski 2 days, blade 4
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
It hadn't snowed in a month and the weather was quite warm in the start of the week. Snow was quite slushy first day. After the snow fall things improved a lot. Last day was very warm and not doing conditions any good
4. Are you beginner/intermediate/advanced.
Advancedish
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Chambre Neuf was great. Live music everyday. Jammers but friendly. South Bar was good two.
6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Can get to all the ski areas from the centre of the town
7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Some good restaurants at decent prices. The Cavern comes to mind. Most pubs do pitchers of beer - if you're in a round they're great.
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Very mixed. Seemed to be quite a few Northern Europeans there. Norwegians, Swedes and Finns.
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
The distance from Chamonix to the different areas by the bus can be 30+ minutes. That in itself ain't bad if you plan to do a different area each day, but when lifts get closed, due to high winds etc., it can waste a lot of time switching areas.
It's not possible to ski to the bottom in some of the areas. This is a real bummer. Bad enough queueing for 1.5 hours to get up the hill, without having to repeat the process coming down (at least there's a bar at the top for the return journey).
Overall it was a good week. I'd consider going back, but wouldn't put it top of the list.
From what I heard from beginners I wouldn't recommend it for lessons.

Orion

5h4mr0(k wrote: »

It's not possible to ski to the bottom in some of the areas. This is a real bummer. Bad enough queueing for 1.5 hours to get up the hill, without having to repeat the process coming down (at least there's a bar at the top for the return journey).

From what I heard from beginners I wouldn't recommend it for lessons.

Forgot about that bit. You could ski to the bottom on a red from Le Tour and Grand Montes. Didn't do the Le Tour run but I heard it wasn't the best. The Grand Montes red was lovely except for the bottom section which was artificial snow.
The Le Flegere black run down was closed due to it being green. And I don't mean patches of grass - You could walk it in shoes

as for beginners - one of our group was a first-timer and she loved it. Good greens in Le Tour and gentle blues up top. And at the end of the week she was on blues in Grandes Montes.

justdoit

1. Where and when you went.
Mayrhofen, March 15-22
2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Board
3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Pistes were crowded and got quite icy quite quickly. Consistent snow fall for the week gave a break from spring conditions experienced in February. To be honest though, barely skied a piste all week, as there was heaps of great spots to be found off-piste. Off piste conditions were better nearer the top, and quite tracked at the bottom. Visibility generally wasn't great, but when it opened up, it was really pretty epic, and most people didn't seem interested in riding powder.
4. Are you beginner/intermediate/advanced.
Advanced
5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
We had a pretty big group, so most bars we went to became pretty busy anyway, but Eisbar is a typical cheesy apres spot that gets pretty manic, Mo's isn't an apres bar as such, but can still get crazy...
6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Loads of terrain and not many people taking advantage. Get a guide and go nuts!
7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Not particularly hidden, but riding under the 150 man lift gives loads of off-piste bowls and powder fields, bringing down to a restaurant doing good pizzas and affording you a great view of the amazing park, where some genuinely video worthy skiers do their thing...
8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
A lot of English, but no one nationality really standing out. A lot of locals also
9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
A bit strange that you have to download at the end of the day, but given that the town is at only 700 metre this is not a surprise. A lot of terrain, and a lot of pistes to suit all levels. Would recommend

bonkey

bonkey wrote: »

1. Where and when you went.

Adelboden, 22 Mar

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

Ski.

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

There was a fresh dump of snow the previous night, resulting in what were arguably the best conditions all Winter. Pistes weren't fully prepared, so they had a lot of fresh, cut-up snow on them, making them a big mogul-ish.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Still good intermediate, I guess.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

Can't comment, beyond lunch being typical fare for a Swiss resort.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

Large number of varied runs...including an FIS World Cup downhill run.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

Not this time.

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

Mostly Swiss, but with a good mix of tourists. Again...I was surprised to hear some Irish accents around.

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

I'll definitely go again, cause the region is the nearest after my "local hill" (Zweisimmen).

edmund_f

1. Where and when you went.

Whistler 13 - 25th March

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

Board

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Very varied - freezing level was constantly moving, so could be anything from snow to ice to spring conditions lower down

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

all good, pretty much lived in Dusty's, would not go to Zen (you will know it if you come across it)

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
Fresh tracks
any of the supergroups
Dustys


7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

did not even get near blackcomb so no

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

Am i the only one to find this question slightly racist?


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

go again - yes
things to note, they add tax and then a tip, so budget probably 20% extra on everything - for transfers, resort cabs, very good service. Get a lesson of any description as soon as possible after arriving, even just as a guide. Fresh tracks is worth the early rise.

EileenG

1. Where and when you went.

Just back from Arabba in Dolomite region of Italy, flew out via Treviso on a Ryanair cheapie on March 23, came back March 28.


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

Went skiing with my family, including husband and three skiing daughters.


3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Piste conditions were amazing. Very well groomed pistes, excellent snow. It snowed while we were there, but off-piste was variable. Might be good if you were with a knowledge local guide.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Generally confident on piste, in almost all conditions, need good conditions off piste. The girls started the holiday as slow intermediates and finished as near-advanced.

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Way too many to report. Every single lift seemed to have at least one restaurant at the top of it, and many runs had another couple on the way down. I can highly recommend the local drink called Bombadino. It's a hot mixture of eggs, sugar, brandy, all topped with whipped cream, and very strong. A round of 2 bombadinos and 3 hot chocolates with cream cost around 12 euro in most mountain bars.

The girls pretty much stuck to pizza and pasta, but enjoyed them over and over again. We tried various things, generally good. Dinner for five, including wine and water, generally cost around 60-70 euro. Lunch was around 40 euro.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

Absolutely massive ski area, around 1200km on one lift pass. We skied the Sella Ronda one day, a popular circuit of around 40km. Watch out for closed link lifts, we had to hike up a mountain ridge carrying skis at one point. Not popular with the children! We skied different areas every day and hardly repeated a run.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
If staying in Arabba, get to Marmalada in the morning, great runs from the top all the way down. If you have a guide, ask about the Hidden Valley.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Fair mixture of nationalities, but generally all pretty good skiers. Didn't seem to be many packages to there. You could order a meal in any language. Actually, my schoolgirl German got me further than my Lingaphone Italian.

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

Would definitely go again. I've got a long list of runs I want to do again, and ones I want to try. I would not recommend it for non-skiers, but perfect for keen skiers. Lots of easy runs as well, you just have to be keen, not expert. A total disaster if you are on a diet. If you are looking for somewhere cheap to stay google "garni" and your chosen town to get a list of B&B type places rather than 5 star hotels.

Static M.e.

1. Where and when you went.
Morzine\Avoriaz 5-12th April

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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Pistes were in great shape, plenty of snow and well groomed. We had two serious big Snow drops on the Sunday and Tuesday night so Off Piste was also really good, alot of tree runs mixed with big open mountain made the off piste action very enjoyable

4. Are you beginner/intermediate/advanced.
Advanced

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Bars\Restaurants were decent. We mostly ate in a place called Changabang on the mountain, food was good and very reasonable. Down in Morzine, the good bars are The Cavern and the Budda bar. They also have a beer called Mutzig which should come with a warning label..

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
The resort is really nice, we stayed close to the bottom of Avoriaz in chalets and loved every minute of it. We had a 5/10 min walk in the morning but it was very scenic and good for warming up the legs. Its also a huge mountain area, in one week I barely touched alot of the runs. We found two park areas one for begineers and one for Pros. I only tried the jumps in the begineer area but they were big enough and are sign posted as green, Blue, and Red. They also have a park that goes through the trees called the stash. All the Stash features are made from the trees so you find a lot of wall slide, tree rails, Tree boxs and Picnic table jumps, its pretty cool. The resort is only a 90 Minutes from Geneva Airport so its got a very small transfer time.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Not real gems that I can describe. We had a guide for the week so we were shown alot of hidden off pistes areas and hidden runs through the trees which were really good once the main pistes got cut up.

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
A lot of English and French

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
I would definetly go again, infact I will be going again this time next year. Its my new favourite resort.

Tripp

2008 Holiday report: Borovets

1. Where and when you went.

First week in Feb, Ski-welt Borovets, Bulgaria

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

Ski

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Conditions where excellent for the most part. It snowed for maybe half of our week long stay. The last day was pretty icey though because the sun was beaming so you had to watch out for the evil black stuff

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

The resort had a great selection of good bars and restaurants.
We could be found in:
Alpina( Opposite the Gondala ) - Small bar+restaurant, €1 a beer at happy hour, €1.80 at usual hours.
Alpine - We went to this place for breakfest every morning and it was top quality. Very cheap aswell.
Samokov Hotel sports bar - We stayed in here some nights because they had couches + pool table ( sort of free if you tip the barman :P ) Lovely little bar. Drink was abit more expensive but still cheaper than home

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

We booked with Topflight so that we didnt have to worry about doing any of the leg work. For the 08-09 season we have DIY'd it and it is working out at about €100 cheaper after Flights,Hotel,Transfer, Ski/board equipment and lift passes

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

Hmm not really

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

There was 2 many brits
There was also alot of bulgarians + maybe some irish

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

Already booked again this time without a tour operator.
We are going back this time a week earlier. Would highly recommend this resort for beginners - Intermediates, There is alot of runs to keep you occupied

edmund_f

1. Where and when you went.

X-cape Braehead Glasgow

end of November '08


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

board

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.

Indoor slope, so a lot of recycled snow - a lot better than i expected

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.

Intermediate

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.

sure they are all lovely, but we stayed in Edinburgh where they are excellent!

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

open 365 days a year, this was our plan B if the Caringorms were closed (which they were)

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

The arena has a lot of other activities, rock climbing, zip lines etc etc

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

Scottish

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

Was plesantly surprised, thought it would be complete rubbish.. the run takes about 60s or so - but better than a lot of real pistes I have been on in the past. You have to be able to use a poma, do linked turns and control your speed to be allowed out. If you are a beginner you have to have an instructor and you will have to book a few weeks in advance

General opinion was, better that we expected

Goodluck2me

1. Where and when you went.
Alpes d'Huez - Mid January 2008



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

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Excellent, best many of the lads who often ski 2-3x a year had seen.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
Beginner

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Bars were ok, the nightclub was dodgy enough, where you HAD to pay in your coat regardless, and they sold €20 buckets of drink, literally. Was a trek to get around but good overall/

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.

The long black run and "The tunnell" run, are the longest - physically enduring, and the highest (one of) in Europe. Both were ridiculous challenges.

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.

Snow cars, where you basically could drive BMW's and whatever as fast as you liked around a snowwy track. To give an idea of the amount of snow, you could just see the cross bars of the goal posts in the football pitches.

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

Europeans on the slopes, but almost exclusivley Irish in the bars etc

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

Yeah I'd go again, the lifts took an age to get to the top but it took about 15-20 mins or more to ski all the way back down again. It was ski-in ski-out in a lot of the places too which is ridic handy.

istabraq1000

Pomporovo 22/02/08
Boarding
Fantastic weather. T shirts on, but snow melting for the nexts weeks batch
Beginner
Bar & Restaurants OK, but food crap and everytime you went to the toilet they charged 50cent
Recommend to go, cos its cheap in this recessionary time.
Mainly Irish and Brits
No I wouldnt go again

Overflow

Hmmm cant have been that good

istabraq1000 wrote: »

Recommend to go, cos its cheap in this recessionary time.

istabraq1000 wrote: »

No I wouldnt go again

skibum

1. Where and when you went.
Livingo, Dec 11- 18 2008

2. What you did there ski/board/blade.
Ski, (brother boarded)

3. How were the conditions on/off piste.
Excellent snow conditions on and off piste, record start to the season (Locals said best in 20 years), while we were there the visibility was very poor, very flat light, little contrast on slopes to see what the conditions a few meters ahead.

4. Are you beginner/intermed/advanced.
High intermediate (brother beginner)

5. What were the bars/restaurants like.
Best bar was "Daphne's", best restaurant just across the road "Bellavista". Staff and atmosphere in both places were fantastic. Huge fillet, cooked to perfection €18 inc. side order, T-bone same price.

6. Anything in particular to recommend about this resort.
High altitude (Village 1800m, highest lifted point approx 3000m). Booze and cigs very very cheap. 750ml smirnoff €5, 200 marlboro €22)

7. Any hidden gems you found nearby.
Daphne's & Bellavista

8. Was the population when you were there mostly Irish/Brits or mainland Europeans.
Very few brits / Irish as the package tours don't start until dec 23. Huge amount of polish 80%+

9. Any other relevant comments, and whether you would go again.
If you are hiring a car, make sure that the snow chains (if it is snowing you will NOT make it from Bormio without chains.) are the correct ones for the size of tyre. I was assured by the rental company that they would - they didn't, result: 3 hours wasted trying to fit chains that would not physically fit, find a helpful soul who organised a new set of chains at 9pm.:mad:

They will give you a bottle of additive to help stop the diesel freezing - it dosn't work. When you arrive fill up the car as the local stations sell fuel with antifreeze in it. However after putting a full bottle of the additive and 35 litres of local diesel the car still froze twice :mad:

The free local ski bus can get very hectic, every man for himself getting on, didn't seem to be as regular as before.

What ever you do, go down to the lake and hire the skidoos, they give you a helmet, tell you "this makes it go, this makes it stop, try and keep up!" think it was €30 for 30 minutes, fantastic value, you are taken on a prepared run with bumps, jumps, twists and turns... You can also hire ice karts, quads and a rally car.