Trying to plan Euro ski-trip. Suggestions?

[skiNEwhere]

I've never skied outside of North America, but I'm planning to ski abroad next season. I'm going to visit France (Charmonix), Germany, and Switzerland. Can anyone recommend some good ski area's around that area? The only resort I've heard good things about is L'espace Killy.

 

[skiNEwhere]

Really? Over 250 people have looked at the post and NO ONE has skied in Europe? You guys SUCK!

 

[ScottySkis]

Really? Over 250 people have looked at the post and NO ONE has skied in Europe? You guys SUCK!

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In my dreams I have.

 

[Puck it]

Not yet. More reliable snow out west then to waste it on Europe. Waiting for a work trip in winter to go.

 

[Nick]

I've skied Verbier in Switzerland, Sellaronda in Italy and Kitzbuhel in Austria. I don't really remember Verbier as I was about ten years old. Kitzbuhel was only for 2 days while I was on a road trip. The Sellaronda was fantastic (in the dolomite) ... will dig up pics later

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[Smellytele]

Chamonix - Ski the Vallee Blanche. The whole town is a ski area

 

[rev bubba]

Been to Europe a number of times including Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland but never skied there. Going on my first Euro ski vacation in February but since it is with a ski club, I can't tell you much about the arrangements. We are going to Trois Vallees, France which includes seven interconnected ski areas and is accessed through Geneva but that is about all I know.

 

[bobbutts]

Chamonix is the only place I've been in Europe. It's huge and diverse beyond what you can imagine coming from NE with several major ski areas to choose from right in town. One thing you might want to consider is hiring a guide. If you want to go off trail, it's dangerous without one and the off trail terrain is unbelievable.

 

[Smellytele]

Chamonix is the only place I've been in Europe. It's huge and diverse beyond what you can imagine coming from NE with several major ski areas to choose from right in town. One thing you might want to consider is hiring a guide. If you want to go off trail, it's dangerous without one and the off trail terrain is unbelievable.

Yes we hired a guide to ski the Vallee Blanche and it was well worth it.

 

[skiberg]

What month are you going? This is important first. For instance, many European areas are great all the way until May. I skied mid-April last year at L'Espace Killy and it literally snowed non-stop the entire time. Sounds great, but its often unskiable due to visibility when they get snowed in like that. If you are going in February instead of April, I would try somewhere a bit lower, so if it snows you can ski below treeline and not be forced to wait out the storm.

 

[farlep99]

You said you're going to France, Switzerland, & Germany. How long is this trip? I hope at least 2 weeks if you're planning on hitting multiple areas. Most of the areas in the Alps are huge by US standards & you'd lose out on some great skiing with too many travel days. You could easily spend a week in Chamonix alone & not get to everything. I wouldn't plan on hitting any more than 1 resort per 5-7 days (unless you're hitting smaller local areas, or the areas are very near one another like St.Anton/Lech/Zurs in Austria which are separate towns but are the same area as far as skipasses go).

And definitely hire a guide for anything off-piste. It's well worth it for both safety & amazing skiing. Guides there will know where to go without ending up lost or in a crevasse.

 

[skiNEwhere]

Yea I plan on 2 weeks. And it's not revolving completely around skiing. I just want to see what people think about the ski resorts around there, and then well see where I go after that

 

[arik]

I went to Switzerland to ski at Saas Fee a few years ago, and lived in southern Germany (near Garmisch-Partenkirchen) many years ago.

I posted a trip report on Saas Fee in the "non-northeast trip reports" forum which you can read if you like.

There are MANY excellent resorts in France and Switzerland while German ski resorts tend to be crowded, (would skip skiing in Germany.

Snow can be variable so higher altitude is key.

Time Out London magazine publishes a great guide to European ski resorts. It's basically a magazine format so not expensive, you can purchase it on Amazon, it has very solid information and I would strongly recommend you look at it.

With regard to flights, the tax on flights into Swiss airports is lower. You can get a flight into Geneva or Zurich for a good price, and there are non-stops to both from NYC. Swissair lets you fly into one and leave from another which would work well for France, Switzerland, and Germany.

With regard to 2 weeks but 3 countries, less is more, you may appreciate having time to settle in and relax and enjoy a place, after a while all the sights look the same, and too much travel plus skiing with jet lag can be no fun.

hope this is helpful,

Arik

 

[All World Skier]

For Good Europe Skiing I recommend Sochi Russia! It has great Powder. Just be sure not to upset the Elite Security force member at the top.

Germany is great but they step on your skiis trying to get to the lift

I would go for personally because of crazy tradition/ view of the Matterhorn/ Suisse Cortamajor no I think Courcheval no thats in France

uhh er the one with the famous Bobsled run! The Olympics

 

[JimG.]

For Good Europe Skiing I recommend Sochi Russia! It has great Powder. Just be sure not to upset the Elite Security force member at the top.

Germany is great but they step on your skiis trying to get to the lift

I would go for personally because of crazy tradition/ view of the Matterhorn/ Suisse Cortamajor no I think Courcheval no thats in France

uhh er the one with the famous Bobsled run! The Olympics

Zermatt for the Matterhorn
St. Moritz for the Bobsled run, The Cresta Run
Skiing in both areas is amazing and there are no cars allowed in Zermatt so I recommend it as a don't miss ski resort in the alps.

 

[PWDR8S]

I used to live there(France) and go every few years now....

The question should be more focused. What level skier are you? Are you looking for ambiance? Are you traveling with companions? Challenging skiing? High mountain vistas? Or long long long valley ski run(s) and taking train back to your town. Do you want good night life/apres ski? Mind you, you might be too wiped out from skiing hard all day that you cannot stay awake enough to go out! Another great thing is that the lift tickets are cheap for the acreage you get to ski.

Biggest point not to miss..... Most of European schools vacation in March, so expect big crowds and lines that month everywhere. Feb/late Feb is best for lightest powdery snow and best coverage down low as mentioned before. You do need those trees to see the trails during the snowstorms otherwise you're in whiteout conditions which can lead to vertigo or even be downright dangerous. I flew off a 20' cliff by mistake in a whiteout... the trails are marked with random bamboo poles along the edges, spaced far apart.

Many Europeans will walk on your skis... It's a fact of life and you have to get over it if you want to enjoy your day.

The recommendation for guides is very wise... Some places will let you cut lift lines(ask if they do) with a guide AND if you're good, they might just show you private stashes. Common courtesy is that you pay for their lunch and drinks and give a decent tip. Best option is get a guide for the 1st day or so at each area (provided you stay for more than a couple days at resort)and then you explore on your own afterwards. If you plan on bouncing from resort to resort then staying inbounds would be your cheapest without paying for guides but schlepping your gear from place to place can be tiresome and takes some serious logistics in booking lodging for each well ahead of time.

Someone had mentioned basing yourself in a central location and branching out from there. OR just park yourself at a mega-resort(actually several resorts interconnected and the multi resort-skipass is offered(best deals always)) and you'll be too busy covering ground to even think of venturing beyond.

Sooo many options available.... you need to narrow down your choice.
BTW - Zermatt, while incredibly beautiful is expensive like St Moritz. Zermatt is one of the coolest towns.... not big on nightlife... Davos or St Anton would that choice. Les Trios Vallees is huge..... There are almost a dozen villages you can stay in, each with their own flavor (and price tag). I went there a couple years ago for a week... never covered it all. Want to go back. Another mega-resort is Valle du Sol which straddles France and Switzerland.

Europeans tend to be more relaxed about skiing.... They go out early and then do a good sized lunch at one of the many mountain refuges/restaurants with copious wine and then meander back to their lodge to prep for the evening parties. Skiing is but a fraction of their vacation. Socializing is big.

Damn.... now I want to get myself back there THIS year after all this talk. More on this later.

 

[gladerider]

suggest doing some thread search. we had some long threads on this in the past. also, some people don't come as frequently during off season, including myself.

i agree with the poster above. depends on your skiing level. if you are going to go off piste, recommend getting a guide. you can die if you don't know what you are doing. another resort not listed here is val d'isere.
of all the places, i like les trois vallee the most, prolly the biggest inter-connected resort in the world.

have fun...

 

[fbrissette]

Chamonix is a great village. However keep in mind that it is not a 'ski-in ski-out' location and it may involve transfers. If you want to ski Vallee-Blanche, you definitely need a guide unless you have training on glacier skiing. For ski in ski out, Val Thorens (3 vallées) is hard to beat. High altitude, it is nested in the middle of the largest ski area in the world. Nothing to do there beside skiing.