Find me a great skiing/snowboarding resort !!
Discussion
I am a bit stuck at the moment and I need to ask for the assistance of the Pistonheads snow brigade !
I have been snowboarding for about 9 years now and have been to (in order) Livignio, Soll, Killington, Verbier, Zell am See, Saalbach, Val D'Isere, Kitzbuhel, and Mayrhofen which have all been pretty good resorts but this year my girlfriend who will NOT be skiing (had a few injuries and now doesn't fancy it) wants to come along for the apres ski but also a resort that has a few things to do in the day - nice to walk around, a few (non-skiing) shops and cafes, etc.
What do you recommend?? We normally go somewhere new each year but to give a comparison to somewhere which ticks the boxes would be Kitzbuhel and probably Verbier...... It needs to have a pretty mad nightlife !
Budget wise is around the £450-500 going on 24th Jan which we have got all the resorts for normally. I would love to go to St Anton or Ischgl but seems too expensive. Sauze D'Oulx is the current favourite but since I have never been there, I don't want to go there and the missus will be completely bored.......
The voting lines are open.....
Oh yeah - She's not too keen on the french but may be persuaded!
I have been snowboarding for about 9 years now and have been to (in order) Livignio, Soll, Killington, Verbier, Zell am See, Saalbach, Val D'Isere, Kitzbuhel, and Mayrhofen which have all been pretty good resorts but this year my girlfriend who will NOT be skiing (had a few injuries and now doesn't fancy it) wants to come along for the apres ski but also a resort that has a few things to do in the day - nice to walk around, a few (non-skiing) shops and cafes, etc.
What do you recommend?? We normally go somewhere new each year but to give a comparison to somewhere which ticks the boxes would be Kitzbuhel and probably Verbier...... It needs to have a pretty mad nightlife !
Budget wise is around the £450-500 going on 24th Jan which we have got all the resorts for normally. I would love to go to St Anton or Ischgl but seems too expensive. Sauze D'Oulx is the current favourite but since I have never been there, I don't want to go there and the missus will be completely bored.......
The voting lines are open.....
Oh yeah - She's not too keen on the french but may be persuaded!
I know you said St Anton is expensive but keep an eye on the prices... It is well worth it.
firstly for non skiiers there is the wellness centre - a great indoor/outdoor pool and spa. The town is much more 'picturesque' than a lot of the French resorts, with some good shops and restaurants. There is also a train station in resort so its easy to get away to some of the more major towns in the area Innsbruck being the main one.
The mountain apres ski is also accessible by taxi so no missing out for non skiiers.
No comments needed on the skiing as I wouldn't be able to do it justice!
firstly for non skiiers there is the wellness centre - a great indoor/outdoor pool and spa. The town is much more 'picturesque' than a lot of the French resorts, with some good shops and restaurants. There is also a train station in resort so its easy to get away to some of the more major towns in the area Innsbruck being the main one.
The mountain apres ski is also accessible by taxi so no missing out for non skiiers.
No comments needed on the skiing as I wouldn't be able to do it justice!
You might be able to get some deals in Whistler Canada about that time as the Olympics are being held there in Feb 2010. Now contrary to popular belief it will not be that crowed during this time.
As for the Après I think it’s hard to beat. They have a number of kick arse night clubs and bars. The shopping goes from cheap and cheerful to "How Much???" and the various eateries cater for all tastes. You can go bowling, the cinema swimming etc plus various other non ski snow sports.
The village is also pedestrianised so you can walk everywhere and for a bit of culture they have some great art galleries.
As you may have guessed I love the place and am off again in just over a week
As for the Après I think it’s hard to beat. They have a number of kick arse night clubs and bars. The shopping goes from cheap and cheerful to "How Much???" and the various eateries cater for all tastes. You can go bowling, the cinema swimming etc plus various other non ski snow sports.
The village is also pedestrianised so you can walk everywhere and for a bit of culture they have some great art galleries.
As you may have guessed I love the place and am off again in just over a week
Both St Anton and Whistler sound fantastic and are both on my 'list' but i can't see them coming down by another £200-£300 pp for a half board / catered chalet to bring it into budget.
I've found that Turin is only about 90mins on a train from near Sauze and my missus quite likes the idea of going around the city so it may be there. Has anybody been to Sauze recently (ish) and can comment on the place - nightlife, etc ?
Have a great time in Whistler- i am very jealous, I'm sure it will be brilliant - I cna't wait to go, only just over a month left......
I've found that Turin is only about 90mins on a train from near Sauze and my missus quite likes the idea of going around the city so it may be there. Has anybody been to Sauze recently (ish) and can comment on the place - nightlife, etc ?
Have a great time in Whistler- i am very jealous, I'm sure it will be brilliant - I cna't wait to go, only just over a month left......
benaldo said:
I am a bit stuck at the moment and I need to ask for the assistance of the Pistonheads snow brigade !
I have been snowboarding for about 9 years now and have been to (in order) Livignio, Soll, Killington, Verbier, Zell am See, Saalbach, Val D'Isere, Kitzbuhel, and Mayrhofen which have all been pretty good resorts but this year my girlfriend who will NOT be skiing (had a few injuries and now doesn't fancy it) wants to come along for the apres ski but also a resort that has a few things to do in the day - nice to walk around, a few (non-skiing) shops and cafes, etc.
What do you recommend?? We normally go somewhere new each year but to give a comparison to somewhere which ticks the boxes would be Kitzbuhel and probably Verbier...... It needs to have a pretty mad nightlife !
Budget wise is around the £450-500 going on 24th Jan which we have got all the resorts for normally. I would love to go to St Anton or Ischgl but seems too expensive. Sauze D'Oulx is the current favourite but since I have never been there, I don't want to go there and the missus will be completely bored.......
The voting lines are open.....
Oh yeah - She's not too keen on the french but may be persuaded!
I've been to all of these places too!I have been snowboarding for about 9 years now and have been to (in order) Livignio, Soll, Killington, Verbier, Zell am See, Saalbach, Val D'Isere, Kitzbuhel, and Mayrhofen which have all been pretty good resorts but this year my girlfriend who will NOT be skiing (had a few injuries and now doesn't fancy it) wants to come along for the apres ski but also a resort that has a few things to do in the day - nice to walk around, a few (non-skiing) shops and cafes, etc.
What do you recommend?? We normally go somewhere new each year but to give a comparison to somewhere which ticks the boxes would be Kitzbuhel and probably Verbier...... It needs to have a pretty mad nightlife !
Budget wise is around the £450-500 going on 24th Jan which we have got all the resorts for normally. I would love to go to St Anton or Ischgl but seems too expensive. Sauze D'Oulx is the current favourite but since I have never been there, I don't want to go there and the missus will be completely bored.......
The voting lines are open.....
Oh yeah - She's not too keen on the french but may be persuaded!
Sauze is great, I think I've done three or four weeks there over the years (maybe five?).
Lots of pubs and bars, but not a whole lot there for the daytime other than skiing or eating. It's definitely not like Kitz for the shops and cafes, nowhere near as big. More a bustling village than a small town. Turin is great, but I honestly think you'll struggle to find enough to do in Sauze for a week.
Innsbruck and Salzburg are both only an hour from Kitz on the train, and easy to get to, although they're both 'pretty' rather than exciting.
Bear in mind if you're heading to Kitz on the 23rd January (Saturday), it's the Hahnenkahm World Cup weekend, so it's likely to be fully booked, or expensive, or likely both. I'll be in Kitz from the 22nd Jan. for 6 weeks, arriving on the first day of the World Cup weekend for the slalom on Friday afternoon.
Have you thought of Chamonix?
Not a particular favourite of mine, I must admit, but it's a big place, probably 10 times the size of Sauze. Lots to do for a non-skier, loads of shops, cafes, restaurants, etc. and the skiing is pretty excellent too. Only problem is for day trips, as the only really close place is Geneva, which is a dump. There's no other big cities close by.
What about Cortina in Italy? About 2 hours from Venice, good nightlife, charming nice old resort.
Or Cervinia in Italy, that's about 2 hours from Milan, 1:30 from Turin, pretty lively place too.
There's a good book called 'Where to ski' which is pretty good for this, but if you want to know about any of the above, just shout!
All of these ^^ will be cheaper end of the scale, not Zermatt/Klosters/St Anton prices....
You'll find Val d'Isere pretty much empty this year at the moment. Apparently, having got fed up with being ripped off for the past 10 years, the Brits are staying away from France this year, bookings in Val d'Isere are supposed to be massively down on last year, and they're struggling to get anywhere near capacity! Might be a last minute bargain to be had unless things change, certainly in Val d'Isere and Chamonix, etc, the big resorts with lots of accommodation to fill.
HTH
maser_spyder said:
benaldo said:
I am a bit stuck at the moment and I need to ask for the assistance of the Pistonheads snow brigade !
I have been snowboarding for about 9 years now and have been to (in order) Livignio, Soll, Killington, Verbier, Zell am See, Saalbach, Val D'Isere, Kitzbuhel, and Mayrhofen which have all been pretty good resorts but this year my girlfriend who will NOT be skiing (had a few injuries and now doesn't fancy it) wants to come along for the apres ski but also a resort that has a few things to do in the day - nice to walk around, a few (non-skiing) shops and cafes, etc.
What do you recommend?? We normally go somewhere new each year but to give a comparison to somewhere which ticks the boxes would be Kitzbuhel and probably Verbier...... It needs to have a pretty mad nightlife !
Budget wise is around the £450-500 going on 24th Jan which we have got all the resorts for normally. I would love to go to St Anton or Ischgl but seems too expensive. Sauze D'Oulx is the current favourite but since I have never been there, I don't want to go there and the missus will be completely bored.......
The voting lines are open.....
Oh yeah - She's not too keen on the french but may be persuaded!
I've been to all of these places too!I have been snowboarding for about 9 years now and have been to (in order) Livignio, Soll, Killington, Verbier, Zell am See, Saalbach, Val D'Isere, Kitzbuhel, and Mayrhofen which have all been pretty good resorts but this year my girlfriend who will NOT be skiing (had a few injuries and now doesn't fancy it) wants to come along for the apres ski but also a resort that has a few things to do in the day - nice to walk around, a few (non-skiing) shops and cafes, etc.
What do you recommend?? We normally go somewhere new each year but to give a comparison to somewhere which ticks the boxes would be Kitzbuhel and probably Verbier...... It needs to have a pretty mad nightlife !
Budget wise is around the £450-500 going on 24th Jan which we have got all the resorts for normally. I would love to go to St Anton or Ischgl but seems too expensive. Sauze D'Oulx is the current favourite but since I have never been there, I don't want to go there and the missus will be completely bored.......
The voting lines are open.....
Oh yeah - She's not too keen on the french but may be persuaded!
Sauze is great, I think I've done three or four weeks there over the years (maybe five?).
Lots of pubs and bars, but not a whole lot there for the daytime other than skiing or eating. It's definitely not like Kitz for the shops and cafes, nowhere near as big. More a bustling village than a small town. Turin is great, but I honestly think you'll struggle to find enough to do in Sauze for a week.
I didn't rate the skiing that highly compared to other places either, but then I did go during freakishly low snow covering so that's probably skewed my opinion somewhat.
A bit of a curve ball idea - have you considered Pas De La Casa in Andorra? It seems to tick all the boxes for you, night life is easily described as mental, it's quite a big town that you could easily spend a lot of time wondering around, plus bars/coffe shops overlooking the bottom of the runs to watch the world go by. The skiing is pretty good too, especially now it links over to Soldeu, plus there are a couple of parks if thats your thing. Oh, and it easily fits your budget!
Thanks for the Sauze info guys - My missus is now having a good look at what Turin has to offer and if it is a place where she can walk around easily and safely from the main train station.
I'll still be keeping an eye on other destinations, the prices tend to take a tumble about this time each year......
I'll still be keeping an eye on other destinations, the prices tend to take a tumble about this time each year......
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