Who is going skiing and where in 2017
Discussion
Welshbeef said:
Reports from friends out in Bansko are that the resort is very very busy loads of snow ?? great apres ski just need to get up early for the Gondela or you'll be waiting in a queue.
Again though it's fine for beginners but you wouldn't have to try very hard to ski every run on the map in a day. My parents are in Val Cenis, conditions there are ok but not great apparently.
gregs656 said:
Again though it's fine for beginners but you wouldn't have to try very hard to ski every run on the map in a day.
My parents are in Val Cenis, conditions there are ok but not great apparently.
For sure but when you have young kids you cannot be far from them anyway so a smaller resort fits perfectly as you can get back to them reasonably quicklyMy parents are in Val Cenis, conditions there are ok but not great apparently.
jammy-git said:
Anyone consider America/Canada as a viable alternative to the Alps next year? Can't be that much more expensive I imagine, the long haul flight is a bit of PITA though I guess.
I haven't been for a few years, but have thoroughly enjoyed trips to Whistler (my favourite, epic enormous ski area all in one place, great town too), Banff (skiing as good, but split across three 'sub-resorts', you have to travel between them) and also Steamboat Springs/Winter Park in Colorado many years ago, I was a beginner so not really able to fully exploit the terrain there. The long-haul flight wasn't a problem. If you take the view that the first and last day of any ski holiday is generally swallowed by travel then that's it, you're travelling. Canada leans more towards hotel or self-catering apartment accomodation than catered chalets (hardly any of them).
We are in Bansko now. Came here as it's our first ski trip (complete newbies bar 9 hours at Snozone) and we left it last minute so all the popular resorts were either down to the dregs of accommodation or silly expensive.
Don't have anything to compare to but there's snow on the slopes and queues are minimal if you time things right. The only time we've had to wait was for the gondola the day before yesterday. We avoided it and jumped in a taxi instead.
Not sure if I've watched too many Russian YouTube videos but Bansko as a town comes across as slightly edgy, not helped by a shop nearly opposite the ski gondola selling big nasty looking hunting knives and piles of knuckle dusters on a table outside and the bar/restaurant opposite the gondola (Ethno) banging out hugely loud music about fornicating with mothers and the like. Not great when you're with a 6 and a 9 year old and the queues for the gondolas, taxis etc are right next to this venue so partly unavoidable.
The locals don't do smiling either, it's just not what they do so they all look moody and sour faced which doesn't help the atmosphere. They aren't rude, they just don't do smiling in the main. The pavements are largely knackered and large swathes of the town look like a ditched building project with part finished abandoned building scattered everywhere.
On the plus side the locals do seem friendly and helpful (if you ignore the lack of smiles), the staff in our hotel and at the ski centre have all been good, the gondola and lifts all work well, lots of places to eat on the slopes and the skiing suits our novice ability. The minimal slope options isn't a problem for us as it takes is hours to one top to bottom run anyway. The after ski beer (or two) in Happy End is great and the atmosphere and music in there is superb.
I'm still smarting from my kids running rings round me (they've been taking lessons at Snozone for 12 months), especially my six year old lad, but I'll 'av em eventually. There's fight in the old dog yet!
Don't have anything to compare to but there's snow on the slopes and queues are minimal if you time things right. The only time we've had to wait was for the gondola the day before yesterday. We avoided it and jumped in a taxi instead.
Not sure if I've watched too many Russian YouTube videos but Bansko as a town comes across as slightly edgy, not helped by a shop nearly opposite the ski gondola selling big nasty looking hunting knives and piles of knuckle dusters on a table outside and the bar/restaurant opposite the gondola (Ethno) banging out hugely loud music about fornicating with mothers and the like. Not great when you're with a 6 and a 9 year old and the queues for the gondolas, taxis etc are right next to this venue so partly unavoidable.
The locals don't do smiling either, it's just not what they do so they all look moody and sour faced which doesn't help the atmosphere. They aren't rude, they just don't do smiling in the main. The pavements are largely knackered and large swathes of the town look like a ditched building project with part finished abandoned building scattered everywhere.
On the plus side the locals do seem friendly and helpful (if you ignore the lack of smiles), the staff in our hotel and at the ski centre have all been good, the gondola and lifts all work well, lots of places to eat on the slopes and the skiing suits our novice ability. The minimal slope options isn't a problem for us as it takes is hours to one top to bottom run anyway. The after ski beer (or two) in Happy End is great and the atmosphere and music in there is superb.
I'm still smarting from my kids running rings round me (they've been taking lessons at Snozone for 12 months), especially my six year old lad, but I'll 'av em eventually. There's fight in the old dog yet!
Edited by foxsasha on Saturday 25th February 16:41
Foxsaxhe
Make sure you go to
1. amigos great food and superb live band playing very late
2. Queens its 1950's retro style and great food
3. Happy end bar inside has the live music and happy hour each day while on the side of it has happy hour too but house or more youth style music
4. lol about the music - yes they don't dub and they like Electric 6 "naked pics of your mother" or "thrift shop" (which to this day I've not seen the undunned version anywhere).
Enjoy.
There is only 1 titty bar it's tiny, and rubbish even the most randy gent wouldn't spend more than a minute inside.
Make sure you go to
1. amigos great food and superb live band playing very late
2. Queens its 1950's retro style and great food
3. Happy end bar inside has the live music and happy hour each day while on the side of it has happy hour too but house or more youth style music
4. lol about the music - yes they don't dub and they like Electric 6 "naked pics of your mother" or "thrift shop" (which to this day I've not seen the undunned version anywhere).
Enjoy.
There is only 1 titty bar it's tiny, and rubbish even the most randy gent wouldn't spend more than a minute inside.
Just back from eight days skiing in Niseko....had fresh snow every day! I've done maybe 200 days skiing in the last twenty years and certainly three of my top 5 best days skiing were in the last week and all of them would feature in the top twenty! There's so much snow there that it doesn't get tracked out quickly either. The tree skiing is probably the best thing...just fantastic. The trees are silver birches bot fir trees so the visibility is fantastic and you can nip in and out of them really easily. Massive amounts of very accessibly off piste too.
Yes it's a long way and yes it's expensive but if I had to give up a year's skiing in Europe so I could go the next year to Nisko I'd do it.
On the last day we did a days Cat Skiing...had a whole area to ourselves....did eight runs with fresh tracks of 1ft to 2ft of powder on every run.
Yes it's a long way and yes it's expensive but if I had to give up a year's skiing in Europe so I could go the next year to Nisko I'd do it.
On the last day we did a days Cat Skiing...had a whole area to ourselves....did eight runs with fresh tracks of 1ft to 2ft of powder on every run.
Welshbeef said:
Foxsaxhe
Make sure you go to
1. amigos great food and superb live band playing very late
2. Queens its 1950's retro style and great food
3. Happy end bar inside has the live music and happy hour each day while on the side of it has happy hour too but house or more youth style music
4. lol about the music - yes they don't dub and they like Electric 6 "naked pics of your mother" or "thrift shop" (which to this day I've not seen the undunned version anywhere).
Enjoy.
There is only 1 titty bar it's tiny, and rubbish even the most randy gent wouldn't spend more than a minute inside.
I'll have a look, thanks. The lack of strip joints is surprising, I initially had the impression of it being Blackpool by the snow but I don't think it is. It's hard to judge it's nature as Bulgaria is a pretty big culture change from the UK so the norms are different. We hired a car from the airport and the drivings interesting but I'm a big fan the prolific overtaking. Generally safe with none of the horn blaring and light flashing that would accompany the same manoeuvres in the U.K. Theyre calm in Bansko town centre though and very courteous with drivers stopping time and time again to let you cross the road. Drivers in Sofia weren't so calm, it was a full on free for all! Hugely entertaining 😄Make sure you go to
1. amigos great food and superb live band playing very late
2. Queens its 1950's retro style and great food
3. Happy end bar inside has the live music and happy hour each day while on the side of it has happy hour too but house or more youth style music
4. lol about the music - yes they don't dub and they like Electric 6 "naked pics of your mother" or "thrift shop" (which to this day I've not seen the undunned version anywhere).
Enjoy.
There is only 1 titty bar it's tiny, and rubbish even the most randy gent wouldn't spend more than a minute inside.
foxsasha said:
I'll have a look, thanks. The lack of strip joints is surprising, I initially had the impression of it being Blackpool by the snow but I don't think it is. It's hard to judge it's nature as Bulgaria is a pretty big culture change from the UK so the norms are different. We hired a car from the airport and the drivings interesting but I'm a big fan the prolific overtaking. Generally safe with none of the horn blaring and light flashing that would accompany the same manoeuvres in the U.K. Theyre calm in Bansko town centre though and very courteous with drivers stopping time and time again to let you cross the road. Drivers in Sofia weren't so calm, it was a full on free for all! Hugely entertaining ??
I know that shop selling interesting tools - turns out it is a martial arts shop. No idea what knuckle dusters are for though. You can easily buy old de triggered AK47's and the like much more do hunting guns as hunting is common for locals. One great place to stop for food is on the ski road about 2/3rds down before a bridge where it turns right you'll see on the left hand side skis and poles at the side of the Piste. Stop there and walk over you'll find a great place to eat dirt cheap and really good.
Another great place to eat is at the bottom Gondela you'll see an old Piste bashed stuck to the wall it's a small outdoor bar great meeting place for friends however go inside and the food is good.
If you go upstairs in Happy end there is the enterence to a great place to eat worth trying.
craig1912 said:
Currently in Sauze d'oux and snow is good. Warm in pm but first time in Italy for 30 years and a pleasant change from France and it's rip off prices. Two thirds less here than many French resorts and better food and friendlier people
Off there tomorrow, how was the snow at the end of your trip?DaveOrange said:
Out to the PdS on Wednesday and must admit very concerned about conditions. There is 60-70cm forecast over the next few days which will undoubtedly help but I do feel this will be my last trip to this area.
Is any one out there at the moment and if so what is it like?
I don't think you're alone in that sentiment....great skiing in the PDS but low altitude resorts in Europe have had some shockers for the last few seasons. Booking up months in advance for these resorts is too risky these days! Is any one out there at the moment and if so what is it like?
foxsasha said:
I'll have a look, thanks. The lack of strip joints is surprising, I initially had the impression of it being Blackpool by the snow but I don't think it is. It's hard to judge it's nature as Bulgaria is a pretty big culture change from the UK so the norms are different. We hired a car from the airport and the drivings interesting but I'm a big fan the prolific overtaking. Generally safe with none of the horn blaring and light flashing that would accompany the same manoeuvres in the U.K. Theyre calm in Bansko town centre though and very courteous with drivers stopping time and time again to let you cross the road. Drivers in Sofia weren't so calm, it was a full on free for all! Hugely entertaining ??
Did you try any of my suggestions? Just booked Tignes for mid April. Flying into Lyon. Any advice?
Welshbeef said:
Did you try any of my suggestions?
No, we only ate out once on an evening as we were half board and with a couple of young kids in toe at the end of the day we were happy to grab a beer then head on back to the hotel (out of town). foxsasha said:
Just booked Tignes for mid April. Flying into Lyon. Any advice?
2x ski holidays - Welshbeef said:
Did you try any of my suggestions?
No, we only ate out once on an evening as we were half board and with a couple of young kids in toe at the end of the day we were happy to grab a beer then head on back to the hotel (out of town). 
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