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Ski and snowboarding

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Original poster

Easter skiing help

49 replies

monkey42 · 17/02/2018 20:23

Hi, for weeks/months I have been checking out our first family ski trip to see if we like it. DH, DS1 and DS2, 14 and 11, haven't skied before but I have.
Having got over the fact that the prices are beyond ridiculous, the reason for not booking so far, I am now paralysed with fear at the prospect of no snow
If we go with the package groups we have to leave march 31 for one week.
Which of myaerhofen, morzine and ortisei would be best? Feel free to choose none of the above oh wise ones...
Thank you!

OP posts:

dontcallmethatyoucunt · 20/02/2018 13:08

I think they've worked hard to improve it. Some angles on the village are nice, others not so much.

Todayissunny · 20/02/2018 15:09

Saas fee or zermatt are picturesque. Although not on a budget.

I don't think you need to worry about there being snow this year. Yes it will be spring snow as others have said (hard in morning slush in afternoon) but as beginners I don't think that matters too much either.

Be aware if you aim for high resorts the altitude may affect you. Years ago as a beginner I went to saas fee. I couldn't ski on the glacier because of the altitude.

Todayissunny · 20/02/2018 15:16

Just googling. ... welove2ski.com has a report specifically on skiing in Scandinavia at easter.

lizkt · 20/02/2018 16:40

Oh yes Saas fee is gorgeous. But lift passes are crazy prices.

memyselfandmoi · 23/02/2018 18:29

I live in Les Gets which is the village next to Morzine. Trust me, there is SO MUCH SNOW. I've been here 7 years and the only year we weren't still skiing after the resort had closed was last year which was crap all over the alps.

I work for an agency managing self catered places but have friends here who run really nice, family friendly chalets. Honestly Les Gets is so kid friendly and everything is set up to make skiing with children really easy.

BonApp · 23/02/2018 21:39

@memyselfandmoi could you share some chalet recommendations please? I live a couple of hours from you and always interested in hearing of some good spots!

BonApp · 23/02/2018 21:40

Or self catering for that matter...

Ragusa · 25/02/2018 10:57

Regardless of the level of snow I personally would not pick somewhere relatively low like les gets, sorry. Beginners and afternoon spring snow is a recipe for broken leg gst and knackered ACLs. You need somewhere relatively high but crucially where most of the slopes face north. Otherwise by 1pm you will have piles of crud which are horrible if you are snowploughing. Val Cenis has good high easy north facing pistes. It's fairly attractive. Cervinia is one of the least attraction places I have ever skied. Montgenevre might do the trick.

dontcallmethatyoucunt · 25/02/2018 14:19

I think Cervinia has had a bit of a facelift. The very centre is almost alpine pretty now. Some views of the village still show concrete carbuncle, but it isn't that on first impressions now.

TrappedInSpace · 25/02/2018 14:40

I had a really pleasant stay a couple of years ago at the Hotel Lac Bleu in Cervinia. Good food..very helpful hosts.

I didn't notice it being a particular carbuncle. Not like 25 years ago at Flaine, a concrete dystopia.

gnomeisland · 26/02/2018 10:16

Spring skiing is always a gamble. It is likely to be hard boiler plate on the pistes first thing thawing quickly to slush by the afternoon.

Don't expect to do a whole day's skiing at any of the resorts you've picked, especially for beginners. It will be fine for morning skiing, followed by a long lunch and then some non-skiing activities in the afternoon though.

I would suggest Val Thorens

CruCru · 27/02/2018 18:09

We spent a day at Val Thorens last week. They've done it up and I was surprised by how attractive it now is (although perhaps that is damning it with faint praise - when I stayed there in 2002, it was really quite ugly).

memyselfandmoi · 12/03/2018 17:36

Depends what you're looking for really. We've got 4 bed self catering apartments in the centre for 350€ for the week at Easter up to chalets with cinema rooms and gyms for 20,000€ for the week. I love Les Gets but it's very different from Cham obviously. Really easy to get around with kids though, I'm a reasonable skier and have skied here 5 times a week for the last 7 seasons without getting bored and we have really nice restaurants. We actually had a french guy with a hotel in Cham in the agency the other day asking if we had any hotels for sale in Les Gets because he liked it so much so I'm obviously not the only person who loves the place ;)

memyselfandmoi · 12/03/2018 17:37

That post was in reply to @BonApp...

BonApp · 13/03/2018 06:18

Thanks @memyselfandmoi Do you have a website you could pm me??

Tiredemma · 13/03/2018 06:23

Morzine will be like slush. This seriously put me off skiing as it was horrendous.
Anyone who is familiar with skiing in morzine there is a slope and then you get down to a bridge that you have to haul yourself across? The slushy snow there was just ridiculous and no fun at all

memyselfandmoi · 13/03/2018 08:09

@bonapp done

dontcallmethatyoucunt · 14/03/2018 16:03

Les Gets at Easter! No way.

lampygirl · 14/03/2018 19:39

I know it's not quite easter yet, but we are in Saas Fee at the moment, which was suggested up thread but is not a cheap place, and ski'd til last lift today, however even here with a glacier to ski on it is not ideal for beginners already even coming down the blues as it is going slush where the sun is and where the sun isnt it is largely bumps with a boilerplate strip down either side of the piste. I'd hate to be somewhere where 2000m was the top...

However, if you go high, you should get decent mornings if you are happy to go first lift to lunchtime and also arent afraid of getting lifts down if needed.

BonApp · 14/03/2018 20:04

I wasn’t thinking for Easter, just for future ref.

Bodear · 14/03/2018 20:07

Another vote for Val Thorens. You need to
go high.

dontcallmethatyoucunt · 14/03/2018 21:03

memyselfandmoi · 18/03/2018 09:42

Not really, I've skied Les Gets with kids at Easter for the last 7 years and it's always been enjoyable but then I love fast pistes in the morning and slushy bumps in the afternoon :) all depends what you're looking for from a ski holiday but then people rarely come to LG looking for a Cham experience. Having said that we've got 20cm due tonight and tomorrow then nothing above freezing but with sunshine for the rest of the week. It's incredible conditions.

dontcallmethatyoucunt · 18/03/2018 10:55

memy it might be enjoyable, but when one has a week, or possibly 2, better conditions are usually more desirable.

I'd ski on anything if nothing else was offered, but I don't live in a ski resort and if I'm gambling on weather, I like to hedge my bets. Ice then slush v's powder. Let me think!

I don't think Les Gets would make the cut for offering good Easter skiing. Being able to ski is a bit different.

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