Winter Resort Report thread

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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

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

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.

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?

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.