Ski resort recommendation in Europe
 

I know that this is a wide [geographically] rangeing question but, We ski in Australia and always prefer to stay above the snow line, can anyone give me a recommendation for a place in Europe (don't care what country) that provides a good level of moderate skiing in end of February beginning of March. I have looked at websites but they all make the resorts look perfect, I am looking for "real people" recommendations. Thanks

For business I traveled twice to La Plagne in the French Alps. I am not a great skier and there were slopes that I was able to handle. In addition there were other outdoor activities including snowmobiles, snow shoeing, iceskating, bobsled etc. The scenary was beautiful and I would go back in a second. As far as the accommodations...we stayed in a very modest apartment..but I think they have several 4 star hotels in the area.
As far a glamourous etc...this was more of a mellow place with many families.

Consider Briancon in the Serre Chevalier ski domaine in the Hautes Alpes. Briancon is the larger town at the end (or beginning) of the ski valley; there are many little villages along the valley. It is a beautiful area and not as well known as the super posh places; one great advantage is that it is a traditional area, not purpose-built as are most French ski resorts, thereby escaping the concrete monolith-look! My family and I spent a wonderful week there in March of 2000. We stayed in Briancon, which has a charming old town section, with restaurants that specialized in the hearty fare of the region. Our hotel was literally just across the street from the Mont Prorel ski station; could not have been more convenient. Check it out at www.briancon.com or www.serrechevalier.com The little inn was Auberge de Mont Prorel. Great, hearty food, typical of the region. This whole area will probably become better known, alas, when the Olympics are held in Turin in 2006, since it is less than 2 hrs. away. We actually flew into Milan.

thank you

Marko - You might want to consider some of the following ski areas of Spain, most of which you can ski through April. Remember, Spain is the second most mountainous country in Europe, after Switzerland.

1. Astun: Resort located in the Aragon Valley, in the Jacetania area, in the Aragonese Pyrenees.

2. Candanchu: Ski resort on the French-Spanish border in the center of the Pyrenees.

3. Cerler: 38 slopes and approximately 45km of pistes. Situated in the heart of the Benasque Valley in Huesa, in the Pyrenees.

4. Formigal: Resort located in the center of the Pyrenean Aragonese, to the north of the province of Huesca and in valley of Tena.

5. Javalambre: Resort located in the Sierra Javalambre region of Spain.

6. Panticosa Los Lagos: Small village resort situated in the Tena Valley at the center of the Aragon Pyrenees.

7. Sierra Nevada: Spain's most southernmost ski resort. Well connected with Granada. Basic overview.

8. Soldeu El Tarter: Located in the principality of Andorra, between France and Spain.

9. Valdezcaray: Mountain resort located at the North-Eastern end of the Iberian range in the Sierra de la Demanda, Rioja.

You can get some unbiased information on the various resorts from the Ski Club of Great Britain web site (www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/home.asp). For the scenery and variety of places to go and things to do we particularly like the Jungfrau Region (Grindelwald, Wengen, Muerren). Cervinia (Italy) is a huge all-intermediate bowl with up to 7000' of vertical, some glacier skiing, and access to Zermatt on the other side of the ridge. Ischgl (Austria) is my personal favorite - the skiing is superb and the nightlife is, well, like no place else. We're probably in the minority in not liking the Trois Vallees area in France. Most European areas have their greatest snow depths at the end of February/beginning of March, but some are more snow-sure than others - elevation is the key, so if skiing back into the resort is important to you look for resorts above 1500 m or so. We'll be in Lech/Zurs the second week of March this year - first time there for us, so I can't report on what it's like.

spain ski info very very poor. to include javalambre is an absolute joke for any serious skier.

and not to mention Baquiera Beret.. well.. just about the best skiing in spain. this is where i would go for sking and restaurants, and other activities.

astun is very small.
formigal nice for families.
cerler very small.
andorra has some great slopes.

spain is great in the pyrenees and the sun and snow together are fabulous.

you might get more exact info on a ski forum.

Well, Ezcaray it's the one I find a joke. I have friends who go skiing there, and they don't get a lot of snow :)

Cerler is bigger than what everybody usually thinks, but I find it a bit far away and difficult to reach.

A good option could be Jaca : stay there and you can go skiing either in Astun (too many snowboarders), Candanchu (good mix of easy and very complicated slopes), Formigal (they have become better with the years), or places in the french side.

I have right in front of me the new Baqueira magazine, and it can certainly be recommended. New slopes for this year, quite a few good restaurants and the Pallars Sobirá nearby, with tiny romanesque churches ...

Rgds, Cova

Thanks for the great info, it will keep me googling for hours !