Skiing at Xmas

Fabrizio

Hey myself and a few friends - about 10 in total are thinking about going on a skiing holiday around Xmas. We are all in our early 20's and have never been before so we are looking for somewhere were there is a good nightlife and where the skiing is fun!

Any good websites i could check also that you would recommened.

Thanks for the help.

irishguy

Friends of mine go to Andorra every Easter snowboarding, they love it and its very cheap €299 for a week including flights and accommodation [probably more at xmass] they book through limerick travel. The night life is supposed to be very good. You might get it cheaper on the net though.

If money isn’t a big concern go to Whistler, just north of Vancouver. It’s the biggest ski resort in North America and its class. There is a load to do there and its very beautiful also the nightlife is crazy. I would cost a pretty penny at xmass though

have a look at http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/index.htm

Imposter

Best thing to do is get yourself to a travel agent. As you are all beginners book a package as nothing will be overlooked. I'm not sure of the companies but there are 3 or 4 biggish ski operators that do most if not all european countries.

One thing to note though is that snow isn't a guarantee at christmas. Most resorts here in Austria only got going after christmas 2 years ago and after new year 3 years ago.

Fridge

Can anyone reccomend good resorts in Europe like in Poland or Slovakia? Heard good and bad things about Zakopane in Poland.

tywy

go to livigno in italy! great resort, duty free so drink is cheap and plentiful. I brought a 1L bottle of smirnoff home for €5.50. Also its pretty cheap to get there. The only downer is there is a fairly long trasfer from the airport but once you get there you will have the best craic EVER! Loads of young ppl go and there are loads of cool places to go out plus the italians are savage craic

limbovski

in following on this thread I have a few more questions. I'm dying to go skiing myself in late jand or early feb (is this a good time?). Was thinking of going to Andorra with a few of my mates? But i need to know whats the story with packages i.e. do they generally include hiring the gear and possibly lessons or what comes with them. wheres a good spot in andorra for beginners or do all resorts typically have beginners/intermediate/experts areas...

Whats the craic when you get there do you get lessons, would they be included or can you just go on a kamikaze mission... anyone been to andorra (dunno why I'm opting for here) or where would you recommend??

Thanks in advance

penexpers

Andorra is good for starting off in, but the resort I was in (Arinsal) was packed. Also worth noting : I was there for a week and I saw at least three accidents a day on the slopes, in France I saw one the whole week I was there. I think the problem with Andorra is it's a dangerous mix of over-crowded slopes with mostly beginners and that always leads to problems. IMO, you'd be better off going to France, but you'll pay alot more.

Generally you pay a base fee for flights, transfers and accomodation and then you can buy lessons etc for extra. I think in Andorra most package holidays will give you ski pass, lessons and gear for about 220 for the week which is pretty good value. I would advise you to get lessons and to avoid going in February cos the slopes are packed due to French school holidays.

Imposter

As penexpers said school holidays in europe last pretty much all through February. The slopes are really packed then and that can be quite dangerous. End of January is good but is perhaps the coldest time. Once you have the right gear though this isn't really a problem. March is a great time for skiing as there's generally less people about and the weather is usually quite warm.

Andorra is more of a party destination than other areas and as a result it has a huge amount of beginners and people who are there more for the nightlife than the skiing. If this interests you then Andorra is probably the best place to go. Livigno in Italy is similar.

One thing i've noticed is that a lot of resorts than have Irish and english package tours going to them don't tend to have huge amounts of other nationalities. If you were interested in a more international atmosphere then i'd check out other places but these might be a bit harder to organise through an irish operator.

homeOwner

Chamonix in france is a great resort. Loads of bars/clubs/restaurants and the slopes are fantastic - there is something for everyone. It might be a bit too advanced for your first time but if you are going for a week then you should be well able for it by the end of the week.

You can get Ryanair flights to Lyon and rent a car or get a bus from there. Or fly to Geneva and get a bus/car from there. Packages tend to be expensive so shop around and try to do it yourself if possible, it can sometimes work out cheaper. If there are a bunch of you, hiring a car wont work out too expensive.

Andorra is supposed to be good fun and cheap but its really only for beginners. People who can ski/board dont tend to like it, they head for the bigger slopes.