Skiing in Europe

Hi All.

I'm thinking of giving myself a graduation present and taking a trip to Europe for some skiing this winter. I wanted to see if anyone had recommendations. Lift-assisted, touring... I don't care. Alps? Scandanavia? Everything is on the table at this moment. Where have you gone? Where did you like? Dislike? Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Brian

Chamonix, France and if you buy my ticket I'd be happy to show you around. ;D
Incredible piste and off-piste and access to much touring- Haute route etc.

Chamonix, France and if you buy my ticket I'd be happy to show you around. ;D
Incredible piste and off-piste and access to much touring- Haute route etc.

Is this where I butt in and tout my genuine French quality, Monsieur SCOTSman? Ideally you'd want both of us, of course, for a truly European experience. Our extensive knowledge of the American ways and culture will be priceless to you for sure.

There is Chamonix of course, and then in France if you want to mix a variety of places and still real mountaineering, you can look into staying in Briançon and hitting Serre-Chevalier, la Grave la Meije, les Deux Alpes, l'Alpe d'Huez, etc. etc.

drC

Is this where I butt in and tout my genuine French quality, Monsieur SCOTSman? Ideally you'd want both of us, of course, for a truly European experience. Our extensive knowledge of the American ways and culture will be priceless to you for sure.

There is Chamonix of course, and then in France if you want to mix a variety of places and still real mountaineering, you can look into staying in Briançon and hitting Serre-Chevalier, la Grave la Meije, les Deux Alpes, l'Alpe d'Huez, etc. etc.

drC

Mas qui Dr Crash, touche!
Didn't like les Duez Alpes and La Grave too " ski sauvage" pour moi!
Make that two tickets Mr. BCglaxer, mon ami Yves et moi will show you the high lights and low-spots.

You could always try Scotland  : www.flickr.com/photos/stevenjudypictures...s/72157615070854657/

Don't overlook Italy.

Don't overlook Italy.

Where in Italy would you recommend? Just over the border from Zermatt or Chamonix? Over in the Dolomites?

Mas qui Dr Crash, touche!
Didn't like les Duez Alpes and La Grave too " ski sauvage" pour moi!
Make that two tickets Mr. BCglaxer,  mon ami Yves et moi will show you the high lights and low-spots.

Wow, this is suddenly becomming an expensive trip. I'd only budgeted for one ticket. Now, apparently, I need to buy three.

If you had a week, would you spend it all in Chamonix? Or might you take a couple of days and ski somewhere else like Zermatt (skiing under the Materhorn sounds quite enticing)? I'm kinda leaning towards flying into Geneva, spending a few days at Zermatt, then spending a few in Chamonix before flying out of Lyon. I'm not sure if that's trying to squeeze in too much. Then again, a travel day in the middle might be a much-earned rest.

Hi Brian,

it depends how much time you have. Late February is a good time to go. The density of ski resorts is so high that you can ski all day and then drive to a different ressort in the evening. You could arrive in Munich (usually a cheap destination) in the afternoon , pick up a car and be in the Alps in the evening. Check the weather when you get there and depending on the snow conditions you go southeast to Salzburg, south to Tirol/Italy or southwest to Switzerland/France. Accomodation is easy to find.

Salzburg: Gastein, Saalbach, Obertauern
Tirol: St Anton am Arlberg (ski the chutes on Schindlergrat), Ischgl, Soelden, Stubaier Gletscher
Italy: Sella, Cervinia (Matterhorn), Courmayeur (ski from Punta Helbronner to La Palud (you may need a harness to get to the glacier )
France: Chamonix can be reached through a tunnel from Courmayeur

Bring your backcountry gear. Access is fantastic. There will be many backcountry skiers but you'll never see a snowmobile. Browse the trip reports, e.g.at
www.lwz-salzburg.org/fototouren.asp (don't be disturbed by the recent reports about the Cascade Volcanoes ;-) ) , on www.alpintouren.com or www.skitour.fr/

A good place to find accomodation is www.tiscover.com/.

You can ski wherever you want, without being attacked by paramilitary ski patrols, so enjoy the freedom!

Alex