Where to go skiing in February? | ExpatWoman.com
 

Where to go skiing in February?

59
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 08:03

My DH and I are wanting to go skiing in Feb in Europe. As we will only have a week, I need to find somewhere that is easy to travel to/from. Have any EW been on a fab skiing holiday and can share some info?
TIA

237
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 January 2013 - 12:41
Yes April can be late for skiing so def choose high altitude or could be slushy and a waste of time. My DH went once in April and said it was horrid so now we always go Jan or Feb to be guaranteed snow and cold lol !
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 24 January 2013 - 09:16
Thank you all! Such great advice from everyone. We have had to change our holiday to April now - do any of these places get good spring snow? Tia x Ski Dubai always has good snow ;) Better do your skiing holiday another time then. April is a lovely month for holidays. Not too hot or cold anywhere in the world.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 23 January 2013 - 22:45
Thank you all! Such great advice from everyone. We have had to change our holiday to April now - do any of these places get good spring snow? Tia x It's always a risk. Choose a high altitude resort and try to go the first week of April.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 January 2013 - 21:21
Thank you all! Such great advice from everyone. We have had to change our holiday to April now - do any of these places get good spring snow? Tia x
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 January 2013 - 08:31
Hi BacktoBlonde We went skiing last year in Feburary to Morzine in France. You fly to Geneva and it's a 90 minute transfer by coach. The town of Morzine is lovely, really picturesque, there are plenty of chalets to choose from, some very inexpensive and others with whistles and bells. The skiing is for every level, I am a relative newbie so there were plenty of easy runs for me and hard core black and red for my husband. You can ski across to Switzerland too from there.The restaurants are lovely and if you need a day off from skiing there are a few spas and some lovely shops to be found. Hope you have fun wherever you go.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 11 January 2013 - 07:51
We had booked at Zell am See but due to different situations we cancelled but now have just (hopefully) booked at Chamonix. I say hopefully as I have found an apartment thru www.homeaway.co.uk. And he wants us to pay thru PayPal . So who has booked thru this website and does everything go as planned?
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 January 2013 - 07:37
We had a wonderful ski vacation in Lermoos, Austria. There is plenty of different slopes. You fly to Munich, and take a train from there (1 hr).
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 January 2013 - 14:53
Back2Blonde, have you looked at La Tania in the 3 valleys? We went there last year with Le Ski and had a fantastic time - you can ski right up to the chalet. We also went to Morzine which was lovely too, the company we stayed with there was "ski in luxury". We're saving annual leave this year and looking at doing a long weekend in Lebanon instead of Europe.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 21:02
We've had great fun in Lebanon - Cedars and Faraya ! Mountains in the morning and beach in the afternoon!
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 20:34
We went to Serfaus in early Feb 2012 and are going to Lech in Feb 2013 - both in Austria. Both carefully selected as being family friendly as we have a 4 and 7 year old. It will my 4 year old's 4th ski trip (he's also been to Japan twice) and my 7 year old's 6th ski trip. We've also skied in NZ and Canada. Japan is the best skiing but while we're in Dubai we'll stick with Europe!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 19:39
I think I have left it too late - it seems everything is booked up because of school holidays :(
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 16:53
I'm not sure if Andorra is on your list to check out, but I loved it there too.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 16:35
Wow - thank you for all the suggestions! Still sitting at the PC doing my research and they all look so wonderful. Thanks again!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 15:50
I don't know anything about skiing, but my family went last yeat St. Moritz, Switzerland and it was beautiful! they said all the ppl there came to ski and its a very popular ski destination..They stayed at the Palace, which they loved
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 14:58
Verbier is lovely. If you wanted to go a little further, you could also try Crans-Montana, Zermatt or Gstaad... all are brilliant!
237
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 13:46
We are going to Val d'Isere in France in Jan and very excited ! DH been there and loved it. Before we went to Meribel and La Plagne and both were great. We chose France as thought may be more snow but DH also loves Austria, we skiied St Anton before but I did not think it would be great for the kidlets. We booked with Esprit who were quite a bit cheaper than Mark Warner. We need childcare so we can sometimes ski for hours and have the kids in ski school and then lunch and entertained after until we get there ! Good luck choosing !:)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 12:56
Do you have LO and taking them mid term break? If not ,either 1st or last week is your best bet as UK and here are on holidays so is really expensive. I have booked months ago at Zell am See in Austria but doubt if you will get anything now for mid Feb. <em>edited by basil on 18/12/2012</em>
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 11:43
B2B, for me now that my ski-bum days of only wanting to ski are long gone, my preference is for nice skiing in a nice mountain village atmosphere with nice restaurants. So I prefer to ski in Switzerland and Austria rather than France ! I totally support mum2girls on this one. The atmosphere in Swiss and Austrian ski resorts us so much nicer then in France, and in some of them you can combine atmosphere with fantastic challenging skiing and high quality lifts as well. In Switzerland, be prepared to pay, as it is hugely expensive. Many villages are car free zones which I find a big plus. Best skiing in Zermatt, Saas Fee, Verbiers and St. Moritz. In Austria check out Ischgl and St. Anton. Accommodation will probably be similar as in Switzerland, but all other costs will be slightly less.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 11:24
Have a look at Ski Magic.co.uk and they also have a FB page. This is a company run by good friends of ours and they have several fully staffed catered chalets in the French Alps. They have excellent snow at the moment.
439
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 11:07
B2B, for me now that my ski-bum days of only wanting to ski are long gone, my preference is for nice skiing in a nice mountain village atmosphere with nice restaurants. So I prefer to ski in Switzerland and Austria rather than France. All of our recent ski holidays have been to Switzerland though, just because we find it easier to get to ski resorts in Switz rather than Austria. Pretty much, all the Swiss ski resorts are expensive, and their lift system is not as high tech as the French resorts, bothers DH but it doesnt bother me ! Have skied several times in Verbier, big town, great skiing, great restaurants, good range of accommodation, it's close to Geneva airport, but it can be expensive. I think you can ski Verbier from Nendaz which is much less expensive resort, but not 100% sure about that. My favourite Swiss ski resorts are Zermatt, Saas Fee and Wengen, they are all picture perfect, pedestrian and pretty much snow sure because they are high. But they all have their inconveniences. I love Crans Montana too, but it is a low resort and if it is a poor snow year than it is a disaster, we were there 2 years ago in February and there was literally no snow, I am not exaggerating ! Megeve in France is also a beautiful resort, it's low. The other French resorts I like are Meribel and Courchevel, but it's years since we were there and it seems the rich Russians have taken over and prices are through the roof. A very good all round ski town is Val d'Isere (my DH's favourite), nice town but big, incredible skiing, great lift network, restaurants and accommodation for all budget's. I have never skied in Italy, would love to though ! Good luck, I probably have confused you more than helped you ! I second Wengen! Granted, it is the only European ski resort I have been to, but the past two years that I have gone have been excellent. It's a lovely village, with loads of great skiing all around (I have some complaints as a snowboarder there, though...but not enough to dislike the place). We've gone in late January and the snow's been wonderful, so I'm sure in February it's really fantastic. From Dubai, we fly to Zurich, then grab a train up to Wengen (about 2.5 hours, I can't recall?). It's a pretty easy journey, all in all.
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 10:50
B2B, for me now that my ski-bum days of only wanting to ski are long gone, my preference is for nice skiing in a nice mountain village atmosphere with nice restaurants. So I prefer to ski in Switzerland and Austria rather than France. All of our recent ski holidays have been to Switzerland though, just because we find it easier to get to ski resorts in Switz rather than Austria. Pretty much, all the Swiss ski resorts are expensive, and their lift system is not as high tech as the French resorts, bothers DH but it doesnt bother me ! Have skied several times in Verbier, big town, great skiing, great restaurants, good range of accommodation, it's close to Geneva airport, but it can be expensive. I think you can ski Verbier from Nendaz which is much less expensive resort, but not 100% sure about that. My favourite Swiss ski resorts are Zermatt, Saas Fee and Wengen, they are all picture perfect, pedestrian and pretty much snow sure because they are high. But they all have their inconveniences. I love Crans Montana too, but it is a low resort and if it is a poor snow year than it is a disaster, we were there 2 years ago in February and there was literally no snow, I am not exaggerating ! Megeve in France is also a beautiful resort, it's low. The other French resorts I like are Meribel and Courchevel, but it's years since we were there and it seems the rich Russians have taken over and prices are through the roof. A very good all round ski town is Val d'Isere (my DH's favourite), nice town but big, incredible skiing, great lift network, restaurants and accommodation for all budget's. I have never skied in Italy, would love to though ! Haven't visited Megeve for a while, but agree it is very pretty also... Good luck, I probably have confused you more than helped you !
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 10:09
B2B, for me now that my ski-bum days of only wanting to ski are long gone, my preference is for nice skiing in a nice mountain village atmosphere with nice restaurants. So I prefer to ski in Switzerland and Austria rather than France. All of our recent ski holidays have been to Switzerland though, just because we find it easier to get to ski resorts in Switz rather than Austria. Pretty much, all the Swiss ski resorts are expensive, and their lift system is not as high tech as the French resorts, bothers DH but it doesnt bother me ! Have skied several times in Verbier, big town, great skiing, great restaurants, good range of accommodation, it's close to Geneva airport, but it can be expensive. I think you can ski Verbier from Nendaz which is much less expensive resort, but not 100% sure about that. My favourite Swiss ski resorts are Zermatt, Saas Fee and Wengen, they are all picture perfect, pedestrian and pretty much snow sure because they are high. But they all have their inconveniences. I love Crans Montana too, but it is a low resort and if it is a poor snow year than it is a disaster, we were there 2 years ago in February and there was literally no snow, I am not exaggerating ! Megeve in France is also a beautiful resort, it's low. The other French resorts I like are Meribel and Courchevel, but it's years since we were there and it seems the rich Russians have taken over and prices are through the roof. A very good all round ski town is Val d'Isere (my DH's favourite), nice town but big, incredible skiing, great lift network, restaurants and accommodation for all budget's. I have never skied in Italy, would love to though ! Good luck, I probably have confused you more than helped you !
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 09:57
I've been to Nendaz, really lovely place, check it out!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 09:50
Thank you everyone! So helpful! Has anyone been to Verbier - looks beautiful. We are only going for a few days, so I need to find somewhere that is ski in-ski out and we can make the most out of our time there.
1692
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 09:46
Have to say, Flaine has great skiing but it is one of the ugliest ski resorts I have ever been too (sorry emlsnre ), I found there was no atmosphere in the 'resort' although I could never even call it a resort, it's just purpose built ugly apartment blocks. They do have a great mountain restaurant and wonderful views of Mont Blanc from the top of the mountain though. Avoiraz is another purpose built ugly(ish) resort, but it does have a village atmosphere. No I quite agree with you, the majority of buildings are ugly, but didn't go for the architecture, just the fab skiing and stunning scenery. We found the apartments really good, nice atmosphere, stuff for the kids to do, had an indoor and outdoor pool.... If you are looking for pretty stuff Briancon (sp?) was very quaint, but the skiing not as good as Flaine. <em>edited by emlsnre on 18/12/2012</em>
1692
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 09:43
We fly to Geneva and then get collected and taken about 1.5 hrs, weather dependant to Flaine. Stay at Montsoleil Apartments, ski in and out.. Just been looking at this on the internet.. is it self catering? I saw that eating out is very expensive? Can I ask who you booked through? Thank you for all the wonderful advice - going to spend today doing all my research! We booked flights with the airline, and then booked apartment through holiday lettings, so basically directly with the owner. The apartments have a nice little kitchen, so we prepared our own breakfast, there is a delivery of breads, pastries etc directly to the apartments, we cooked one or two evening meals and ate out the rest. Like most ski resorts you are fairly captive so yes it can be quite pricey, but you can also do it yourself and make it a little easier on the pocket....
59
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 09:38
Have to say, Flaine has great skiing but it is one of the ugliest ski resorts I have ever been too (sorry emlsnre ), I found there was no atmosphere in the 'resort' although I could never even call it a resort, it's just purpose built ugly apartment blocks. They do have a great mountain restaurant and wonderful views of Mont Blanc from the top of the mountain though. Avoiraz is another purpose built ugly(ish) resort, but it does have a village atmosphere. Thanks for that Mum2girls. I have been to Livigno in Italy and it was simply gorgeous! Would love to go to another ski village like this one and not an ugly built up area. Which would you suggest out of the ones that you mentioned?
1097
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 09:35
Have to say, Flaine has great skiing but it is one of the ugliest ski resorts I have ever been too (sorry emlsnre ), I found there was no atmosphere in the 'resort' although I could never even call it a resort, it's just purpose built ugly apartment blocks. They do have a great mountain restaurant and wonderful views of Mont Blanc from the top of the mountain though. Avoiraz is another purpose built ugly(ish) resort, but it does have a village atmosphere.
1097
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 09:30
If you are booking now, try for a high altitude resort, just in case the season is a bad one (although it's looking good so far) Lots of the French resorts are close to Geneva, there are also some gorgeous Swiss ski resorts close to Geneva. Emirates are now flying directly to Lyon (yippee), which makes a lot more of the French ski resorts even more accessible. Swiss resorts close to Geneva, Verbier, Nendaz, Villars, Crans Montana, Gstaad, Les Diablerets. French resorts close to Geneva, Megeve, Les Houche (Chamonix), Avoriaz, Les Contamines, Flaine. Ski Club of Great Britain has a great website with a review of all the ski resorts. http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/infoandadvice/planningyourholiday.aspx#.UNAC746hIUU
59
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 December 2012 - 09:19
We fly to Geneva and then get collected and taken about 1.5 hrs, weather dependant to Flaine. Stay at Montsoleil Apartments, ski in and out.. Just been looking at this on the internet.. is it self catering? I saw that eating out is very expensive? Can I ask who you booked through? Thank you for all the wonderful advice - going to spend today doing all my research!
 
 

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