Ski Season 2019/2020

Donie75 · 11-12-2019 1:14pm

Thanks a148pro. I'm looking forward to trying out France. I've done Italy twice and Austria around 14 or 15 times. I've heard so much talk about France I had it on my list for a while. Conditions look great.

Rew · 11-12-2019 3:44pm

I find piste layout, grooming and marking generally better in France but prefer the towns and restaurants less then Austria. The lack of German music in the bars is a plus though

maddness · 11-12-2019 6:09pm

Donie75 wrote: »

I'm off to Val d'Isere next week for a few days with Highlife. Staying outside the town in Le Fornet. Never skied France before, I usually ski in Austria, Mayrhofen, Zillertal, Soll, etc. Is there much difference? I know beer & food are pricey but I don't mind that.
Are the slope classifications the same? I read somewhere that the reds can be tougher in France than Austria.

I was there two years ago at the same time of year, it’s a brilliant but very expensive spot.
Le Fornet is a bit of a hike outside Val but there are regular busses. As for variety of skiing there are hundreds of pistes and you’ll never get bored.
Skiing in France is absolutely awesome but paying the prices for lift passes, food and drink are less awesome.

Billy Mays · 11-12-2019 7:49pm

Haven't been to the EK since 2015 but I don't remember there being much of a difference in the price of the lift pass between there and the larger Austrian resorts

Northern Monkey · 11-12-2019 8:00pm

I prefer the skiing in France but the apres in Austria

Bloody Nipples · 12-12-2019 12:54pm

Northern Monkey wrote: »

I prefer the skiing in France but the apres in Austria

What makes the skiing in France better? I've skied Austria, Andorra and Romania and Austria is definitely king of the bunch but price has put me off France and Switzerland. I'd miss the Grostl and Spatzl as well

maddness · 12-12-2019 1:08pm

Bloody Nipples wrote: »

What makes the skiing in France better? I've skied Austria, Andorra and Romania and Austria is definitely king of the bunch but price has put me off France and Switzerland. I'd miss the Grostl and Spatzl as well

Bigger resorts, more pistes and longer descents if you pick the right resort.

Rew · 12-12-2019 1:23pm

Bloody Nipples wrote: »

What makes the skiing in France better? I've skied Austria, Andorra and Romania and Austria is definitely king of the bunch but price has put me off France and Switzerland. I'd miss the Grostl and Spatzl as well

Go ski the 3 Valleys, thats pretty epic, you can do it for reasonable money if you look out for deals.

kal7 · 12-12-2019 2:00pm

Agree France , has much larger areas, longer pistes, much quieter apres.

Rew · 12-12-2019 3:31pm

kal7 wrote: »

Agree France , has much larger areas, longer pistes, much quieter apres.

Best apres we have ever done was Le Rond Point Bar, Meribel. Quiet is not a word you could use to describe it!!

irlirishkev · 12-12-2019 5:13pm

France also better for self catering and ski in/out in my experience too.

Rew · 12-12-2019 7:07pm

irlirishkev wrote: »

France also better for self catering and ski in/out in my experience too.

Def better for ski in/ski out and for chalets (which would make sense

) self catering id say is much the same or better in Austria.

trashcan · 12-12-2019 7:32pm

maddness wrote: »

If you have a 100% tear I’d strongly recommend getting it repaired. I did the same over ten years ago and have no issues now skiing but would feel a lot less confident without the reconstruction.

Appreciate the advice. The MRI wasn't definitive, but said it was either a high grade tear or a complete one. The surgeon I spoke to at the time didn't recommend surgery, given my age, and level of activity.(i.e not much !) I'm investing in a good quality knee brace specially designed to support, or compensate for the lack of ACL, so hopefully that will do the trick.

Northern Monkey · 12-12-2019 10:02pm

Rew wrote: »

Best apres we have ever done was Le Rond Point Bar, Meribel. Quiet is not a word you could use to describe it!!

We are off to meribel this year. Will have to look out for it!

Rew · 12-12-2019 11:30pm

Northern Monkey wrote: »

We are off to meribel this year. Will have to look out for it!

https://lerondpointmeribel.com/#1

If you ski down after watch out for snow cannons and piste bashers :eek::D

irlirishkev · 13-12-2019 5:17pm

Rew wrote: »

Def better for ski in/ski out and for chalets (which would make sense ) self catering id say is much the same or better in Austria.

For us it's the combination of the 2 together (aparthotels over chalets for us), and then with the vastness of the three valleys that makes France a winner over Austria. Spent many years skiing Austria before needing those two boxes ticked every time.

blue note · 13-12-2019 5:21pm

Surely the skiwelt and ski circus in saalbach would be up their with the biggest French resorts for size.

a148pro · 13-12-2019 8:12pm

You can't beat 3vs for balls to the wall piste skiing. And it has been measured as the largest interconnected ski area in the world. What the resorts publish is exaggerated by about 30 per cent. Dolomites has more kms under one lift pass but not interconnected.

A good day in the 3vs with headphones is hard to beat. But you do have to interact with the french and the sense of you are the quarry / inconvenience is a real annoyance.

fulldnod · 14-12-2019 11:12pm

i prefer austria over france due to value for money and the apres, pint in arlberg €5.50 or less in Zillertal ect compare to val d'isere €8, and the lifts are better quality in austria, the only place i didnt like in austria was saalbach

maddness · 15-12-2019 8:03am

fulldnod wrote: »

i prefer austria over france due to value for money and the apres, pint in arlberg €5.50 or less in Zillertal ect compare to val d'isere €8, and the lifts are better quality in austria, the only place i didnt like in austria was saalbach

Try Italy, it’s a bit cheaper than Austria and full of charm.

fulldnod · 15-12-2019 2:50pm

maddness wrote: »

Try Italy, it’s a bit cheaper than Austria and full of charm.

i must do, just for the food alone:D

maddness · 15-12-2019 8:19pm

fulldnod wrote: »

i must do, just for the food alone:D

I’m fairness I’ve had some of the nicest food I’ve ever had in mountainside restaurants in Italy.

Donie75 · 16-12-2019 2:55pm

Madonna Di Campiglio in Italy is worth a try. Maybe not as challenging as some Austrian or French resorts but very nice town with great food. It's a great place to go if you are trying to build your speed and confidence on ski's as it is easy skiing.

a148pro · 16-12-2019 10:35pm

I am dying to ski madonna. I think it's number one on my list, beyond maybe the states. Hopefully this year.

Jcarver · 17-12-2019 12:43am

fulldnod wrote: »

i prefer austria over france due to value for money and the apres, pint in arlberg €5.50 or less in Zillertal ect compare to val d'isere €8, and the lifts are better quality in austria, the only place i didnt like in austria was saalbach

What did you not like about saalbach? I've just been recommended there by a friend

olaola · 17-12-2019 5:04pm

Jcarver wrote: »

What did you not like about saalbach? I've just been recommended there by a friend

It's our favourite resort, the only one we've gone back to time and time again in the last 21 years. We stay in Hinterglemm now. But great skiing and the link over to Zell has just opened up. So huge amount of pistes to be covered.

fulldnod · 17-12-2019 8:51pm

i didn't like the apres, the skiing is very good but i wont be back

a148pro · 18-12-2019 9:14am

fulldnod wrote: »

i didn't like the apres, the skiing is very good but i wont be back

Interesting. I just walked through the town with skis once but thought it looked charming and had a few nice small bars. What didn't you like about the apres? Sorry to ask I'm just interested. Headed there in Jan but with kids so no apres for me beyond maybe the sauna.

ep71 · 18-12-2019 2:22pm

Hi All,

have not posted in here before but going skiing in La Plagne on the 27th for a week.

Went there last year at Christmas, also Skiied Flumserberg in Switzerland last Christmas for 1 day and Zermatt for 3 days at Easter.

In 2017 / 2018 I lived in Vancouver, Canada and Skiied the following
Cypress mountain - Vancouver
Mt Seymour - Vancouver
Mount Baker - Washington
Whistler - Canada
Big White - Canada
Mt Washington - Vancouver Island
Revelstoke - Canada

Looking forward to this years trip and would also like to try a weekend in Scotland and possibly Sierra Nevada in southern Spain this season if funds and time allow.

fulldnod · 18-12-2019 10:59pm

a148pro wrote: »

Interesting. I just walked through the town with skis once but thought it looked charming and had a few nice small bars. What didn't you like about the apres? Sorry to ask I'm just interested. Headed there in Jan but with kids so no apres for me beyond maybe the sauna.

before i went, i was told the apres was one of the best in austria but it didn't come near any of the rest of the places i was before and full of ignorant german middle age men

a148pro · 19-12-2019 12:17am

Seemed more rock bar than euro techno ski boot frenzy to me alright

qwabercd · 19-12-2019 12:46am

Anyone know the best apres spots in kitzbuhel?

dzer2 · 19-12-2019 1:22pm

qwabercd wrote: »

Anyone know the best apres spots in kitzbuhel?

Place a cross the road from the hanenkam. Dont cross the railway tracks.

If you smoke there's a little popup bar behind the hahenkam.

The londoner good enough loads of brits in there.

maddness · 19-12-2019 7:56pm

If you can get to the alps now, awesome skiing to be had. I’m in Italy and it’s warm so raining at resort level so snowing up the mountains.

kal7 · 20-12-2019 10:56am

Snow looking good so far, but Foehn wind, causing some thaw at lower levels.

Just 4 weeks to wait now.

Must stop watching Ski A&E on tv, too many injuries.

A guy from dubai went straight up hill, first time on snow on a black and predictably fell and broken two bones. I suppose the indoor slope in dubai has a "Black" section, all of 3metres.

Donie75 · 23-12-2019 12:02pm

Just back from a few days in Val d'Isere. Great trip, very good snow but the conditions were a bit mixed. We only had one afternoon of sunshine out of 3 1/2 days skiing. The rest was cloudy with very flat light. Plenty of snow and it was a whiteout when we left yesterday but it wasn't very cold at resort level around zero degrees. We had about 8-10 inches of fresh powder on Saturday morning so that was nice.
Overall, I was a bit disappointed with the infrastructure in Val. Lots of old chairlifts and gondolas and a lot were not running. Some seemed to be having work carried out and there were also a lot of runs closed. We tried skiing down a red to the resort but it was closed so had to ski down a very tricky black that hadn't been groomed at all.
Overall it was a great trip but I think I'll stick to the old reliable, Austria. Especially for value for money.

mollser · 27-12-2019 7:32pm

Going to Kirchberg on Sunday, weather looks to be the polar opposite to last year's blizzards, snow conditions look good with plenty of sun on the way! Can't wait!

maddness · 27-12-2019 8:45pm

Donie75 wrote: »

Just back from a few days in Val d'Isere. Great trip, very good snow but the conditions were a bit mixed. We only had one afternoon of sunshine out of 3 1/2 days skiing. The rest was cloudy with very flat light. Plenty of snow and it was a whiteout when we left yesterday but it wasn't very cold at resort level around zero degrees. We had about 8-10 inches of fresh powder on Saturday morning so that was nice.
Overall, I was a bit disappointed with the infrastructure in Val. Lots of old chairlifts and gondolas and a lot were not running. Some seemed to be having work carried out and there were also a lot of runs closed. We tried skiing down a red to the resort but it was closed so had to ski down a very tricky black that hadn't been groomed at all.
Overall it was a great trip but I think I'll stick to the old reliable, Austria. Especially for value for money.

I’d a very similar trip weather wise to Champoluc last week and it was snowing hard when we left on Sunday. I believe that Val had a lot of runs closed due to avalanche risk last week so it sound like you were a but unlucky. How did you rate the skiing compared to Austria?
As said in previous posts, Val is probably the most expensive resort in France which is generally expensive as a rule.

Donie75 · 29-12-2019 12:32am

Maddness, I found the skiing good in general but there were a few slopes that didn’t seem to have been groomed at all this season and were very soft mogully slopes. There were also a few runs that just weren’t ready yet. There was a red mentioned on the radio one morning and they said they hoped to have it ready to open soon. There was loads of snow so I’m not sure what the delay was.
With the santons red closed into Val and The Face on the other side a black, there are limited options for skiing back into Val.

maddness · 29-12-2019 10:19am

Donie75 wrote: »

Maddness, I found the skiing good in general but there were a few slopes that didn’t seem to have been groomed at all this season and were very soft mogully slopes. There were also a few runs that just weren’t ready yet. There was a red mentioned on the radio one morning and they said they hoped to have it ready to open soon. There was loads of snow so I’m not sure what the delay was.
With the santons red closed into Val and The Face on the other side a black, there are limited options for skiing back into Val.

That doesn’t sound great in fairness.

a148pro · 29-12-2019 10:47am

I have the feeling too many of those places are trading on their reputation, val, St Anton, Chamonix, with creaking lift systems compared to other places with a lot better lifts but a much lesser profile. I did like tignes though, but I remember a lot of old chair lifts towards the top of val.

Sheedy234 · 29-12-2019 10:53am

Heading back to saalbach next Saturday again after been there in January.Can't Wait fantastic chair lift system .

Donie75 · 29-12-2019 2:51pm

Yeah, it’s really hard to beat a lot of the good mid-priced Austrian resorts. I’m a regular in Mayrhofen and find it hard to beat when you include the neighbouring resorts. There were a number of lifts closed in Val and they were not all due to wind. Came across two being repaired or maintained.

a148pro · 02-01-2020 7:23pm

Short notice but planning a jaunt tomorrow, ryanair flights to munich 200 euro return, fresh snow for fieberbrunn / ski circus, seems to be 2 hour drive, plan is to ski the snowfall Saturday, get a guide for some safe off piste sunday then ski the sun monday, if anyone is interested pm as I'm otherwise alone. Have mates in neighbouring resort but they're with family, might see them on the pistes monday.

Basically need to get away from the kids after a long Christmas.

andyd12 · 02-01-2020 7:52pm

Heading to Solden for a week on 18th of January with group of 9 snowboarders, different abilities and different motives when there ha! Organized through crystal ski, half board etc. Looking to get up to hochgurgl/obergurgl at least 2 days, looks like a really good resort!?

Then on Paddy's weekend in March for 4 days, heading to hopfgarten-markt with 4 snowboarders. Will be the first time doing a DIY trip. Flying into Munich, car rental to the resort and self catering etc when there.
Interested to see how it is compared to organized, half-board etc trip which we usually do.

maddness · 02-01-2020 8:15pm

a148pro wrote: »

Short notice but planning a jaunt tomorrow, ryanair flights to munich 200 euro return, fresh snow for fieberbrunn / ski circus, seems to be 2 hour drive, plan is to ski the snowfall Saturday, get a guide for some safe off piste sunday then ski the sun monday, if anyone is interested pm as I'm otherwise alone. Have mates in neighbouring resort but they're with family, might see them on the pistes monday.

Basically need to get away from the kids after a long Christmas.

I've just booked flights to Munich for Friday 17th early flight and back late flight Sunday with a couple of friends. Will wait till a day or two before to decide on a resort.
Be good to hear how you get on. Enjoy

a148pro · 02-01-2020 8:53pm

maddness wrote: »

I've just booked flights to Munich for Friday 17th early flight and back late flight Sunday with a couple of friends. Will wait till a day or two before to decide on a resort.
Be good to hear how you get on. Enjoy

I'm actually back here one resort over on Thursday next week with the kids. The car rental staff in Munich airport will know me by name!

a148pro · 02-01-2020 8:55pm

andyd12 wrote: »

Heading to Solden for a week on 18th of January with group of 9 snowboarders, different abilities and different motives when there ha! Organized through crystal ski, half board etc. Looking to get up to hochgurgl/obergurgl at least 2 days, looks like a really good resort!?

Then on Paddy's weekend in March for 4 days, heading to hopfgarten-markt with 4 snowboarders. Will be the first time doing a DIY trip. Flying into Munich, car rental to the resort and self catering etc when there.
Interested to see how it is compared to organized, half-board etc trip which we usually do.

Was in Solden last Easter and really enjoyed it. Good apres too if that's what you are after. Obergurgl well worth a visit, but quite sedate. If you're into wellness there's a great wellness resort about 15 mins down the road from Solden, ease those tired muscles.

andyd12 · 02-01-2020 9:40pm

a148pro wrote: »

Was in Solden last Easter and really enjoyed it. Good apres too if that's what you are after. Obergurgl well worth a visit, but quite sedate. If you're into wellness there's a great wellness resort about 15 mins down the road from Solden, ease those tired muscles.

Super thank you. Little bit of apres but for me its mostly about the snowboarding. Ye looking at the webcams, Obergurgl looks pretty quiet, which I love. As for the wellness, I dont bother too much but thanks for the tip anyway:)

Bloody Nipples · 03-01-2020 12:47pm

Just back from 3 days skiing in Borovets, very much a "you get what you pay for" experience.

Accommodation was €250 for 4 nights B&B for two people and paid €190 pp for transfers from Sofia, equipment rental and lift pass.

Flew on the 27th and there was basically no snow in resort coming into Christmas week but luckily it snowed the 3 days before we arrived and continued snowing the 3 days we were skiing.

Upsides were price, convenience from Sofia and there's 50km of slopes if they're all open.

Downsides were slope management, slopes closed despite good cover, didn't seem to have enough piste bashers to groom what they had. I'd say it could be a great place to ski in Jan/Feb but we were just a little early and had some unseasonably warm weather beforehand which melted any snow cover they had.

As a result, skiers were funnelled into 5-7 pistes with queues being a little crazy as a result. I wouldn't rule out Borovets again but I wouldn't be rushing there as an early season skiing spot.

Girlfriend managed to strain her knee as well on the second day which called a halt to things early on as well

Ski Season 2019/2020

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