Skiing/snowboarding

[Fish-Finger-er]

Right, just going to throw this one out to the masses, if i was to go skiing in january/februaryish, to somewhere in europe (would love to go to america/canada, but certain police records prevent me from using their visa waiver program,and its really not worth going to the embassy for the small chance of getting a visa for a week or 2's skiing).

where would i be looking at going thats best for apres ski stuff, basically i know if i use the web, and my head, i can find places with decent skiing, but bearing in mind to the average skiier that i am, providing theres a good few km's of runs im not going to get that bored. But im more concerned about finding somewhere thats going to be semi entertaining for the 8 or so hours ive got free every evening. Now im not expecting club 18-30 wild parties or the like, but looking on the web, apres ski information is very limited to the sayings " a selection of bars" and "the local late night hangout *insert name of strange sounding place here*" but i cant really find any information on them, as a local late night hangout could be a large bar, with a life jazz band playing till 12-1, a large french discotechque full of locals, playing second rate euro gash, or it could be a large bar with a dance floor, mainly english speaking, playing indie music till 2-3am.

Was wondering if anybodies been to any of the following, or if theyve got some alternative suggestions

Chamonix(wasnt on my list, due to price, but theres a 7 day deal there for £245 inc flights for room only, and obviously skiing is good there, and supposedly the hotels 50 metres from the cable car)

Val d'isere (was on my list, as a lad i know who used to go france every year always wanted to go, as it was supposedly the young persons ski resort)

Infact anywhere in france that fits the bill.

Austria (I would say lock up your daughters, but chances are they already have)

Andorra (dont know a lot, but have read its very popular with younger people, due to the lack of tax on alcohol, and so has several clubs)

Italy (know nothing at all, but i dont mind a good carbonara).

Not really that concerned with having 80 bars to choose from, or an all night club, just somewhere where i can go for a few quiet pints in the evening, and a decent night out or two if possible. Also if those people that have been there could stick down the minimum drinking ages/clubbing ages for those places(as i know france is 16 for lager, 18 for spirits, so not sure what the age is for attending a club) and if they bother enforcing it too much with tourists.

[TheCircus]

Courchevel is pretty nice, I did a season there a while back and while the snow wasn't amazing at the time it's a moderately acceptable place to live for a bit.

• Part of the Three Valleys network, meaning you effectively have 600km of runs to play with, with a majority of the runs green/blue and some relatively easy black runs.
• You either stay at 1850, which is the most built up, has the most bars and arguably the best nightlife. 1850 is convieniently placed next to the ski lift to the top of the mountain. However the downside is that it's the most expensive of the 3 towns that make up the Courchevel Resort.
• Stay in 1650, mid price range, chair lift to 1850. A couple of bars most of which will be populated by season workers.
• Stay at 1300, lowest prices in terms of accomodation. A gondola to 1650. 2 bars which are pretty okay, don't miss the weekly highlight of a covers band! Mostly filled with season workers. Buses to 1650-1850 until the later hours for apres ski.

I'm not 100% on the legislature regarding the drinking ages there, but I think as long as you aren't a toddler they will take your money and give you drinks.

Other than that, you could just watch the snow reports and just get a last minute week wherever the snow is good.

[Tomm]

YOU FORGOT CAPS LOCK!

[TheCircus]

YOU FORGOT CAPS LOCK!

NO YOU

[Fish-Finger-er]

Courchevel is pretty nice, I did a season there a while back and while the snow wasn't amazing at the time it's a moderately acceptable place to live for a bit.

• Part of the Three Valleys network, meaning you effectively have 600km of runs to play with, with a majority of the runs green/blue and some relatively easy black runs.
• You either stay at 1850, which is the most built up, has the most bars and arguably the best nightlife. 1850 is convieniently placed next to the ski lift to the top of the mountain. However the downside is that it's the most expensive of the 3 towns that make up the Courchevel Resort.
• Stay in 1650, mid price range, chair lift to 1850. A couple of bars most of which will be populated by season workers.
• Stay at 1300, lowest prices in terms of accomodation. A gondola to 1650. 2 bars which are pretty okay, don't miss the weekly highlight of a covers band! Mostly filled with season workers. Buses to 1650-1850 until the later hours for apres ski.

Other than that, you could just watch the snow reports and just get a last minute week wherever the snow is good.

Magic, yea the last minute idea has ran through my head, but im not 100% on flying yet, as ive priced up driving to switzerland for the weekend as a joke/experiment/something to do/a hell of a timelapse video before, and going 4 up in my car with the chunnel, it works out at like £65 each with the tolls on the french motorways, and obviously we wouldnt be going as far as france. So kinda tempted to extend the holiday a couple of days, have a bit of a roadtrip,as well as avoiding all the baggage limits, 3 hour check ins, delays etc, that may come with flying. Also it means having everyone booked off work etc,for us to maybe not get a holiday (not a problem for me, as i got 7 weeks in the first twelve of next year off anyway, so its no biggie for me, but a couple of mates who are semi interested will have to take unpaid leave)

when you say arguably the best nightlife, what does this mean, what is the nightlife? ive only ever been skiing twice, and have done a week in serre chevalier, and a week in chatel, neither of which had much in the way out of stuff to do in the evening, the one place there was 1 english bar, and it was always too packed(like literally couldnt move in there) and the rest of the bars were either the bar in the hotel, or crappy french bars.

Are there clubs there? and if so, what are they like (i.e english/french people,is there a selection of music, or is it being france, full of french dance crap), do the bars stay open late, is it lively? are there a fair few english speaking people in most of the bars. Because i remember i was looking at somewhere a couple of months back, and it had like 2 big nightclubs, playing mainly english music, populated entirely by young ski/snowboarders. or so the reviews said, somewhere like that would be ideal.

[Tomm]

Pretty much most places I've been have at least one or two bars like you're talking about. Some places are aimed more upmarket than others, with expensive hotels and posh bars, whereas other resorts can be more yoof-friendly. There's often one of each kind in a ski area. E.g. in Espace Killy, Tignes is supposed to be a cool trendy place for young-uns and Val D'Isere is a bit posher. But to be honest it's much of a muchness, go anywhere moderately big and there will be plenty to do

[downhill_rob2@hotmail.com]

Theres 38 of us going away on januray 17th to Mayrhofen in Austria. £495 for EVERYTHING half board aswell. Its got one of the steepest blackruns in europe (78% gradiant) if you dont know how steep that is, il post a vid in a couple of minutes for you...

Been there before a few years ago, the snow was brilliant, and supposidly like that every year...

Last year went to Alp d'huez, and that was fricken awesome to say the least. The snow was amazing, and the nightlife was pretty cool (strip club ) its also got a 16km black run, which was harsh on the legs (snowboarder) but was cool to fill the whole morning up to 2pm lol. Its also just a hours bus journey from Les duex alp, which was cool aswell, some awesome tree runs ect.

[nc7r]

Theres 38 of us going away on januray 17th to Mayrhofen in Austria. £495 for EVERYTHING half board aswell. Its got one of the steepest blackruns in europe (78% gradiant) if you dont know how steep that is, il post a vid in a couple of minutes for you...

Been there before a few years ago, the snow was brilliant, and supposidly like that every year...

Last year went to Alp d'huez, and that was fricken awesome to say the least. The snow was amazing, and the nightlife was pretty cool (strip club ) its also got a 16km black run, which was harsh on the legs (snowboarder) but was cool to fill the whole morning up to 2pm lol. Its also just a hours bus journey from Les duex alp, which was cool aswell, some awesome tree runs ect.

I'm going to Mayrhofen on Friday woo hooooo!

There's 135 of us going from my University - 2 double decker coaches there and flights back - can't wait.

[Sneakers O'Toole]

Courcheval has always been good to me for apres ski although it is getting full of rich angry russians. Trick is to bus it up to 1850 then use the sledge run to get home.

Tignes is pretty good too. We went when there was a big air comp on so there was plenty going on, just watch out for the american athletes and their bodyguards oh and the big angry russians.

[Joe_Elding]

Last year went to Alp d'huez, and that was fricken awesome to say the least. The snow was amazing, and the nightlife was pretty cool (strip club ) its also got a 16km black run, which was harsh on the legs (snowboarder) but was cool to fill the whole morning up to 2pm lol. Its also just a hours bus journey from Les duex alp, which was cool aswell, some awesome tree runs ect.

I'm going to Les Duex alps in three weeks is it any good? Is it worth getting a bus to Alps d'heux dyu reckon? (That 16km run sounds amazing...)

[Tomm]

I've been to 2 Alps before, yeah. It's fairly big so there plenty of stuff going on. Pretty standard resort really, can't say it was that memorable. But still good fun. Yeah it's probably worth getting the bus to D'Huez for one day. When I went (A few years ago), the week pass for 2 Alps actually gave you a free day at Alp D'Huez so all you pay for is the bus. So definitely worth it if you can do that - I seem to remember that Alp D'Huez was fun. Mind you, a 16km black run sounds like a pile of shite to me. Black runs are either steep or full of moguls, and given that this one is apparently 16km long, it's unlikely to be very steep. So, er, just a load of moguls on a shallow gradient, then

[Iain C]

I'm going to Les Duex alps in three weeks is it any good? Is it worth getting a bus to Alps d'heux dyu reckon? (That 16km run sounds amazing...)

I did a season snowboarding in Deux Alpes a couple of years ago and it is good. Park on the glacier is huge if that's your thing and there's also some well good powder runs and off piste down to la grave if it's open plus the nightlife is good. But yeah defo worth getting a bus to D'huez for general piste skiing as it's a bit more varied over there. And as said it's included on your lift pass so you may as well, does involve getting up quite early to make the most of it though. You can get a helicopter over there as well if you fancy spalshing out...although it does cost like £40 for a 5 minute ride...maybe not the best idea ever..

Answering your question though, Tignes is alright for nightlife as is Val D'isere and the skiing there is well good. One of my favourite places in terms of skiing is flaine but there is lieterally no nightlife at all so probs not the best bet, same with les arcs and la plange, loads of skiing just not that much apres ski. Morzine is also well good with the whole of the portes du soliel and loads of apres ski, just it doesn't always have the best snow being quite low. I'd probs go for Val D'isere or Tignes overall.

Edited December 8, 2008 by Iain C

[tomturd]

I'm going to Mayrhofen on Friday woo hooooo!

There's 135 of us going from my University - 2 double decker coaches there and flights back - can't wait.

I'm going on saturday haha. Not entirely sure where in Mayrhofen, its an unspecified B&B, but £152 inc. flights

Not liking the sound of that 78% gradient black run, there used to be a (edit, thinking about it, its probably still there) 25% gradient hill in Aberywstwth, that was pretty mental, and it was tarmacced.

Sauze D'ooooxze in italy had some quite lively bars. Might be worth checking it out.

[downhill_rob2@hotmail.com]

I'm going to Les Duex alps in three weeks is it any good? Is it worth getting a bus to Alps d'heux dyu reckon? (That 16km run sounds amazing...)

Awesome, yeah, alp d'huez is a pretty awesome resort, alot of runs and one of the highest peaks around that range. The powder runs were fooking immense! Defo worth the 50euro it cost for the bus

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLvp1MXcoA&...feature=related

to show how steep the Harakiri is

Edited December 10, 2008 by terror-error

[Monkman]

Awesome, yeah, alp d'huez is a pretty awesome resort, alot of runs and one of the highest peaks around that range. The powder runs were fooking immense! Defo worth the 50euro it cost for the bus

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=wxLvp1MXcoA&...feature=related

to show how steep the Harakiri is

LOL FAIL ADH is in france!! im off on sat :D

[Iain C]

LOL FAIL ADH is in france!! im off on sat :D

He never said it wasn't in France...he said he was going to Mayrhofen in Jan...hence the link to the harakiri...