Where is the most like Canada (but isn't Canada!)?

[whycantwegoonasthree]

We've gone to Canada every Christmas/New Year week for the past five years - it's the only place my kids have ever skied. The jet lag is a bitch and the journey is long, but we love it when we get there.

Unfortunately while Canada is now open, it's not open to unvaccinated over 12 year olds - and while our 14 year old will have had one vaccine they won't have had two, by all accounts. We'd booked to go, but thankfully it's all cancellable and refundable. But still,

So. Where should we go instead that will allow us in the country with an unvaccinated 11 year old and a half-vaccinated 14 year old (with two fully vaccinated adults) and will feel as much like Canada as possible?

We've had some lovely trips as a couple to the three Valleys, but expect it to be crazy busy at that time of year, and that we would spend half our time queueing for lifts... In Canada if you're with an instructor (which we will be happy to fork out for, not least since it's been a couple of years since we were last on skis) you get to jump the queues for lifts - is that even a thing anywhere else?

Also we love skiing in trees, and moguls, not just wide groomed pistes that I've experienced in France and Switzerland... but my skiing outside of Canada is super limited, as is DP's, who had gone exclusively to Canada for nearly 20 years now.

We're prepared to splurge, since we won't be paying for transatlantic flights, and we didn't go anywhere last year – this is our big family holiday, and well, we're fortunate enough to be able to.

Where would you go?

TIA,
3

You get to jump the queue if you're with an instructor anywhere AFAIK, certainly in France and Austria. You could try Courchevel in the Trois Vallees in France - it's a huge ski area and has trees, moguls, tbh a lot of places in Europe have those. Just don't stay in Val Thorens if you want trees, as it's above the tree line.

Japan for big fluffy powder drifts up to your waist, in the tree line, and no queues. Not sure of the vaccination/isolation requirements currently.

Best place on earth to ski imho.

Scotland?

Selva in Italy? Years since I've been but was pretty and when I was there wasn't as busy as Three valleys

Ah, I'd love Japan, but I don't think they're letting anyone in…

Scotland would be nice and easy but not sure about the snow levels in December…!! Good to know about the queue jumping in France et al. I didn't want to pay for lessons to get us back on our ski legs and then spend most of them standing in queues...!!

Will look up Selva - thank you!

Does anyone know anything about Val D'Isere? Its been recommended to us…

Thanks for your input - much appreciated. I haven't been skiing for that long, and while DP has been skiing for yonks he decided years ago that Canada was it and hasn't really been anywhere else since...

Italy, specifically Madonna di Campiglio. Pinzolo is a great resort.

Les Gets or Val d’Isere in France?

Just saw your update OP. Val d’Isere is gorgeous, loads of options for all levels. The town is picture perfect with lovely apres ski.

Definitely not the three valleys.. so busy.

Oh god no don't come to Scotland. Especially not in December. It'll put you off skiing for life!!

Val D'Isere is lovely but is always very very busy. The skiing is good in France but if you're used to Canadian hospitality then it'll seem pretty harsh. Especially the lift queues!! If you do go to France don't use ESF, had bad experiences with them. Would say use a ski school that employs British instructors but not sure that's allowed anymore! 🤔

I would go somewhere in Austria, much more hospitable.

Anywhere you go ski school gets to skip the lift queues.

We usually go to France at the same time of year - to the Portes du Soleil region. However, this year we're not sure what to do because of also having young teenagers that are only eligible to be part vaccinated in the UK.

From what I can see that while we could still all go to France, because our children are over 12 but won't be fully vaccinated they would still need to have regular PCR tests if they were to be able to use the facilities of the resort as they wouldn't be eligible for the French health pass (which applies to over 12 year olds from end of September).

So I'm not sure it's that simple in lots of the European destinations either if you're travelling with children that are over 12 but under 16. The rules may obviously have changed by then - but probably worth factoring this into your decision making also.

Sweden - loved it! Doesn’t have the dramatic scenery of alps but then also has none of the queues & rudeness.

www.skisafari.com/sweden

No more expensive than Alps & lots of self catering options in a range of chalets.

Val D’Isere has fantastic ungroomed blacks that give you trees and moguls to your heart’s content but early season you sometimes find a lot of them closed because there’s not enough snow. I’d still pick it any day over the 3 valleys though as the mountain is steep so the skiing is challenging and the queues aren’t too bad once you get away from the base station. As it currently stands your teens will need a PCR test every 72 hours in france. Verbier also has some great skiing including powder bowls like you get in North America, but I haven’t been in years so can’t attest to what it’s like now. Could be worth a look though. Also unsure of the covid rules for teens in Switzerland but google can probably tell you. Happy planning!

I like Val d’isere, have been a few times. Oxygene is a good ski school there. You can ski over to Tignes which is nice. The runs down to Val are sketchy, you’ve either got a very steep Black or a rather gripping “blue” which is more of a red, narrow and full of people falling over….always the cable car back though. The town is nice, nice swimming pool.

I think we've binned Val D'Isere - not enough skiing suitable for the kids, likely far too busy and it's early in the season, so snow might be sketchy...

A friend mentioned Cervinia, Italy - anyone know anything about that?

Thanks for all your help... Where is everyone else going this year?

Cervinia a good bet for December as it's high. It can be prone to lift closures in bad weather.

We've not booked yet. Getting itchy feet. Looking at the Dolomites for half term but flights are really expensive as limited this year. Wonder if they'll open up more flights?

Jungfrau region in Switzerland might work - but there might not be enough through trees. You can get a skipass that works both sides of the valley, so you can have plenty of variety

One DC went on a school ski trip to Geilo in Norway, and loved it - excellent family resort, but the skiing is best for novice/intermediate rather than advanced

The Ski Club GB has resort reviews on its site - you can browse from thus one to others

www.skiclub.co.uk/norway/resorts/geilo

PS: Norway, being that bit further north, tends to have more reliable snow cover early in the season

I would make sure anything you book is cancellable. The European skiseason is not predictable in December. But go high.
Also who knows what new rules everywhere will have for then...

How about Colorado? - they have more predictable snow and more like Canada.
Don't know their rules with vaccination and teenagers though.

I would look at Morzine/Chatel and the surrounding resorts (they are a linked area, can’t remember its name). Also St Anton/Lech/Zurs.

Val d’Isere/Tignes and Trois Vallees are great out of holidays but I wouldn’t go in school holidays.

Dolomites are less snow sure than the (higher parts of the) Alps.

Courmayeur worth a look. Also Flaine - snow sure but not pretty.

Any decisions made?

I don’t like skiing in France, too busy in school holidays. We love Canada and also Colorado- favourite place is winter park. It has amazing snow and huge area. The resort at the base is small but there’s a town a short drive away with shuttle buses running or you can hire a car. I don’t know if US are letting us in yet though so we haven’t booked for February

Scandinavia. :) Norway is stunning but by far the most expensive option. They’re all expensive though.

Also we love skiing in trees, and moguls, not just wide groomed pistes that I've experienced in France and Switzerland...

So in Canada, the ski areas are compact. You have "in bounds" and "out of bounds". In bounds is the resort area. It is all hazard controlled and patrolled. The official trails might be groomers, gladed runs (thinned out trees), mogul fields etc, and you can also take routes around and between them.

In Europe, the resorts can be much bigger and spread out. You have "on piste" and "off piste". On piste are the formal runs. Usually (not always) groomed. Off piste is everything else and it is not managed or patrolled even within a resort. You can still ski there (as long as insured) unless it's been closed for danger but it's a little riskier. In Europe the people who do the sort of skiing you enjoy (moguls, trees) generally ski off piste.

So, what I think you need to do is go to one of the big resorts that has a lot of lift accessible off piste and hire an off piste guide to take you around. They will find exactly the type of terrain you want. You can do it individually (private guide) or sign up for a group.

In normal times a few good areas for this would be Val Thorens end of the three valleys, St Anton, Serre Chevalier. (Not just those 3, but those are ones I know). But I don't know how the travel restrictions apply right now.

Europe the people who do the sort of skiing you enjoy (moguls, trees) generally ski off piste.

Plenty of moguls in Austria, they don’t groom the way the french do.
Through the trees I agree is less common.

Not sure Whistler is compact. The whole resort is inbounds.

I’ve skied every resort mentioned on this thread (plus Finland, and others) and if Europe was the only option, I’d be prepared to be slightly underwhelmed. If forced, Les Gets would get my vote.

We were supposed to be going to Whistler and will go to Austria ischgl