Best Ski Resort for thirty year olds

sanka11 · 22-10-2018 10:17pm #1

Hi all,

Looking to book skiing for January or February 2019. Any recommendations?
Looking for something decent for beginners skiing and obviously apres ski craic too, we are single ladies and up for a laugh.

Thanks
AK

cormee · 23-10-2018 12:45pm

sanka11 wrote: »

Hi all,

Looking to book skiing for January or February 2019. Any recommendations?
Looking for something decent for beginners skiing and obviously apres ski craic too, we are single ladies and up for a laugh.

Thanks
AK

From any of the resorts I've been to I'd say Val Thorens or Les 2 Alpes, both have somewhat OK looking green/beginner slopes, and a fairly active nightlife.

Static M.e. · 23-10-2018 1:37pm

Austria and specifically San Anton is meant to be very good for Apres Ski. It's expensive though..

Livigno in Italy and Soldeu in Andorra are both good for beginners and night life while being cheaper. They are both about a 3-4 hours commute from the nearest airport but have very good slopes for all all levels.

I would suggest you both join a ski school and you can meet with your ski group in the evening if you so choose.

DaeryssaOne · 23-10-2018 2:11pm

Livigno is a good recommendation for cheaper nightlife and decent enough skiing. Val Thorens has excellent skiing and possibly better nightlife but would be a little more expensive.
Both places have long-ish transfers of a few hours from what I remember but a mini-bus private transfer would be possible with both and are definitely worth it.

incentsitive · 23-10-2018 2:18pm

Mayrhofen or Kirchberg are the best I've experienced for Apres Ski. And great for skiing too.

anthony500_1 · 23-10-2018 9:27pm

Mayhofen would get my vote too there is a bar at the gondola called the ice bar, but only by name, super spot. Skiing is super with well groomed runs.

[Deleted User] · 23-10-2018 11:03pm

any ski resort is good for women - men outnumber women about 6 to 1 typically. you see some girls who let us say who wouldn't do well on their home pistes being in high demand lol. the law of scarcity.

but St.Anton (known as Man Anton!) has very good nightlife for sure. Ischgl has great skiing and lifts but the town is a bit tacky. they are more expensive than some other Austrian resorts but top resorts in France are more expensive again for going out for drinks. but the skiing there wouldn't be the best for beginners, especially the run down to the village in Ischgl.

Kitzbuhel also if the snow is good (lower than some resorts) -> nicest ski town anywhere in Europe imo and good nightlife. More beginner friendly also.

Have never been but Soll is supposed to have decent nightlife. A bit downmarket from the top Austrian resorts tho.

incentsitive · 23-10-2018 11:13pm

Soll is crap if you ask me, you might as well be in Carlow or Durham as Austria.
Any attempt at speaking German, doing anything remotely Austrian, trying to find the tacky Austrian Apres Ski music (which is mighty craic), is a waste of time in this Irish/English invaded kip.
Go somewhere with the traditional vibes. Not Soll!

[Deleted User] · 23-10-2018 11:15pm

incentsitive wrote: »

Soll is crap if you ask me, you might as well be in Carlow or Durham as Austria.
Any attempt at speaking German, doing anything remotely Austrian, trying to find the tacky Austrian Apres Ski music (which is mighty craic), is a waste of time in this Irish/English invaded kip.
Go somewhere with the traditional vibes. Not Soll!

well glad that I have never been then - may be what the OP is looking for tho!

cocker5 · 24-10-2018 4:27pm

anthony500_1 wrote: »

Mayhofen would get my vote too there is a bar at the gondola called the ice bar, but only by name, super spot. Skiing is super with well groomed runs.

I honestly think the ice bar is the worst apres ski place ever.. alcohol is pure muck in there .. it’s Barron !

cormee · 24-10-2018 4:38pm

Static M.e. wrote: »

Austria and specifically San Anton is meant to be very good for Apres Ski. It's expensive though..

Livigno in Italy and Soldeu in Andorra are both good for beginners and night life while being cheaper. They are both about a 3-4 hours commute from the nearest airport but have very good slopes for all all levels.

I would suggest you both join a ski school and you can meet with your ski group in the evening if you so choose.

The two famous apres ski bars in San Anton - the Moose (or something like that) and the other one, are both up the slopes. And I think the slope that leads to them is a fairly fast red. Not sure it would be ideal for beginners. Maybe there is a lift up to them as well.

incentsitive · 24-10-2018 5:17pm

cocker5 wrote: »

I honestly think the ice bar is the worst apres ski place ever.. alcohol is pure muck in there .. it’s Barron !

Ice Bar Mayrhofen is great, the place is intentionally barren. Alcohol is the same as everwhere else if I remember correctly - bottles of Schneider Weisse and the like, sure that's all that is in any of them!

Having said that, its a few years since I was there.

maddness · 24-10-2018 8:47pm

If it’s your first holiday Livigno is a great bet. Tax free so very cheap with loads of easy wide open slopes for beginners too.
St Anton is great for apres but the mountain is too difficult for beginners.

cocker5 · 31-10-2018 1:10pm

incentsitive wrote: »

Ice Bar Mayrhofen is great, the place is intentionally barren. Alcohol is the same as everwhere else if I remember correctly - bottles of Schneider Weisse and the like, sure that's all that is in any of them!

Having said that, its a few years since I was there.

I was there in December 2017 - before that February 2008 - its the same it hasn't changed

... I've been to many après ski bars over the last 10 years and its by far the worst IMO...

Diemos · 31-10-2018 3:06pm

maddness wrote: »

St Anton is great for apres but the mountain is too difficult for beginners.

This is the best advice you've had in this thread.
It has the nightlife you are looking for but most of your group will never ski again, as a resort it's the least beginner friendly I've ever seen.

Tignes is a pretty good all-rounder, beginner friendly (though the return to the village gets very busy by the end of the day) and the upper village has a good nightlife.

cocker5 · 31-10-2018 4:50pm

Ok as someone who just started skiing around 30 ish here what I think…

Arinsal, Andorra – small ish resorts, ok runs, chair lift system ok (ish), town ok (lots of English speaking), après ski consists of oasis songs – ok for beginners

Mayerphofen, Austria – nice skiing, lift system ok, new gondola which is great, town not too bad some proper German / Austrian après ski, après ski places are pretty good - ok for beginners

St Anton – great après ski, Mooser best in Europe (mental stuff) BUT hard resort for beginners… stressful in fact… happy valley has a new name for most skiers “unhappy valley” – chair lift system good… ski / ski out

Town itself is also good BUT currently being invaded by English and Irish

Lech – great for beginners – easy ski… Uber Lech stunning!!! Après not so much quiet enough with some small bars – hotels expensive. Lots of champagne drinking visitors

Ischgl – has everything – amazing lift system (best I’ve seen to be honest) excellent après – caters for all, tons of restaurants, lots of accommodation cheap and expensive,

après as mad or as tame as you want with proper German après songs (exception the utter tacky Shatzi bar) – Idapl area is good for beginners – can ski into Switzerland, in fact between runs and après there is faaar too much choice

Saalbach – super resort too – ski in / ski out – great après, pretty town and good for beginners – more relaxed than Ischgl / St Anton / Lech in terms of rich German d*ckheads – great for beginners

DoraDelite · 31-10-2018 4:53pm

If I was to recommend somewhere for beginners and good aprés ski it would be Saalbach. it ticks a lot of boxes that some of the places mentioned above don't.

It's cheaper than St Anton and Tignes. Beer, ski hire and lessons are cheaper.
It has a short enough transfer than most, typically 1.5hours.
It has a good variety of blue slopes for beginners.
It has great aprés ski.

After Saalbach, I'd give a vote for Mayerhofen.

sheesh · 03-11-2018 4:17pm

soll isn't that bad although every thing the previous poster said is kind of true it is full of brits and irish and dutch but it is a real village so a lot of the instructors and other staff are local e.g the people in the spar didn't speak much english if you want to practice your german not the right place.

I have gone a couple of times as it is cheap and found it chilled out and fun and if you want some traditional austrian food there is a nice small restaurant opposite the whiskey mule.

I have got it for about €400 for flight accommodation and transfers. Iwouldn't rule it out.

prunudo · 07-11-2018 2:00pm

If you want cheesy euro pop music, relatively cheap food/ beer, good lifts and pistes Austria is the place to go.
Mayrhofen or Zell am see would get my vote, Mayrhofen probably slightly wilder with more groups of people, while Zell am See is a nicer town, more family/couples, nice restaurants but still plenty of busy bars if you want to let your hair down.

Best Ski Resort for thirty year olds

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