Opps meant to add will check out Val Gardena as we have never been and there certainly are a lot of recommendations

Thanks guys, ok, Austria is now out.Its between Val Gardena, Val D'isere and Grindelwald. I couldn't really get good websites for Val D'isere and Grindelwald any ideas there? Val Gardena has the best website.
Val Gardena looks like a good option, as per Steve's input, there are many places for sightseeing around it as well as easy slopes.
Smeagol kindly let me know if there are any sightseeing around Val D'isere.
flyfish would you please let me know if there are any sightseeing around Grindelwald.

I am sorry to come into this trend a bit late but I have the feeling that you are heading to the must expensive-challenging-crowded ski resorts in Europe.
It is obvious that Vald'isere in France, St-Moritz in Switzerland and Valgardena in Italy are great Ski resort but I will not recomnend them for beginers. You will hardly take any advantages in the high and difficult slopes but you will sure have all the incoviniences of fashion and demanded areas.
I will rather start in ski resorts such as Megeve or Morzine in France, Villars sur ollon or les Diablerets in Switzerland.
Regarding clothes and ski equipement
you have lots of information in the trend.
Rgds

HAD
I would probabaly suggest sticking with Val gardena as you are able to find loads of info. I generally only Ski when we go to Val D so don't really know about the sightseeing and would hate to give you a "bum steer"

HAD -

The Grindelwald web site is www.grindelwald.ch and you'll find lots of information there. Please note that I'm not necessarily recommending it over Val Gardena, only suggesting it as an option you may want to consider - I think either would work out well for you.

That said, there are a number of sightseeing opportunities in the Grindelwald area. Probably the best known is the train trip up through the Eiger to the highest train station in the world, the Jungfraujoch. Most of the trip is inside the mountain, but the train stops twice to let passengers look out through 'windows' cut into the rock. The views from the top are really amazing. You can get a good idea of what this area looks like by renting the Clint Eastwood movie "The Eiger Sanction" which was filmed on location.

The ski area actually encompasses the towns of Wengen and Murren in addition to Grindelwald itself. Over on the Murren side of the ski area you can take the cable car up to the revolving restaurant, Piz Gloria, made famous in the James Bond movie "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," which was also largely shot on location. Advanced skiers can ski down from the restaurant on the ski run known as "The Inferno" which also figures prominently in the movie.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, you have the option of ice skating, tobogganing, curling, or hiking in the area - of course, at least some of those activities are available in other resorts as well. There is also some limited cross-country skiing, parasailing, and sightseeing flights.

A bit farther afield, you can take the train down to Interlaken or even all the way back down to Bern, though those places would be better visited either before you head to the resort, or after.

The big attraction in the area is unquestionably the scenery, however, and it ranks with just about any on earth. Val Gardena is also spectacular, but the Jungfrau region is like a picture postcard everywhere you turn.

I was a bit surprised to see Val Gardena described by an earlier poster as trendy and overcrowded - I was just there last year (and two years prior to that) and it didn't seem that way at all. If you end up there, be sure to spend a bit of time in Bolzano, and especially visit the archaeological museum to see the "Iceman."

Car - I have to disagree with you about Val Gardena. If HAD and her family are beginners, obviously they are not going to be tackling Saslong or Ciampinoi.

But there are plenty of beginners slopes up on the Alpe di Siusi - reachable in 3 minutes by cable-car from Ortisei.

That's why I suggested Ortisei rather than Selva as a base. It's also more convenient for sightseeing days elsewhere as I said ...

December in the 3 weeks up to Xmas is uncrowded (- with the exception of the holiday weekend of Dec 8). That's why many hotels, ski schools etc. offer a discount at the start of the season.

Steve

P.S. As for 'trendy' - I agree with FlyFish.
If you want a trendy resort, the posers and fashionistas go to Cortina, not Val Gardena.

I didn't start skiing until I was in my mid-40s, and now go every winter with my teenagers (despite my bad knees!). We go to Bulgaria because it's very cheap, but not necessarily best for first-timers as it can be a bit hit-and-miss with the instructors.

We always take advantage of a 'ski-pack' which you can buy through tour operators - it's more expensive in resort - and this includes your lift-pass, lessons, boots and skis. Also this often includes an invitation to a party on the last evening where you get a medal and/or certificate and a kiss from your instructor! Actually this can be a great fun evening. Although I now have my own boots I still buy a ski pack because it is the cheapest option for the rest.

I don't have a lot of money to spare buying loads of clothes we only wear once a year and my teens are still growing, so we have learnt to do with the minimum.

We pack as light as possible and what we take is...

One jacket and one pair of salopettes/ski pants per person.

One pair of heavy shoes or hiking boots for walking around town in the evenings. It is important for the soles to have good grips as you will be walking on ice some of the time. Some people wear moonboots, my teenage boys wear trainers. Definitely no high heels!

2 pairs of thermal underwear per person. This is a long-sleeve vest and long-johns. You can wear each for a couple of days, rinse out and they dry quickly. They don't really get smelly as they are 'wicking' - that is they allow moisture to flow through while staying dry next to the skin. We get these from a local camping/hiking shop or from various shops that sell them. Matalan, Primark and M&S all sell them in the UK.

3 pairs of proper ski socks each. Again wear, wash out, and they are dry by the time you need them again 3 days later!

Forget heavy sweaters/jumpers. Lightweight fleeces are the way to go. They dry in minutes, and again do not retain moisture. We have 2-3 per person, and also wear them in the evenings.

Gloves - quality counts for a lot here. My children all prefer mittens with liners. I wear gloves and do not need liners. I find one pair of gloves is fine for me, skiing daughter has one pair of mitts, but the boys snowboard (therefore have their hands and wrists in the snow quite a lot)and need 2 pairs each.

Headgear - I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a helmet, even if you are pottering on a nursery slope and think you don't need one. My children have worn helmets since they started as it was compulsory for U14s, and as my boys snowboard they do realise it is necessary. I didn't bother with a helmet for myself as I am slow and careful and being little more than a green-run-gal I thought I didn't need one, but last winter I was gliding gently down a blue and was totally wiped out by an out of control boarder. I never heard her coming, just felt this incredible blow to the back of my head, saw bright lights, stars and infinity before coming to to about 50 metres down the mountain. The rest of my group couldn't believe I got up from it, the impact made such a noise and I was knocked so far down. I did have a concussion, but was back on the slopes the next day though much shaken by it and very sore. I will definitely be buying myself a helmet before I go skiing again in February! No doubt about it.

I also have a fleecy tube thing that goes round my neck. I can pull it up over my mouth and nose for warmth and like it very much. You can buy these in resort.

Sunglasses and goggles. I carry both, wear sunglasses most of the time - not fashion sunglasses, but the wraparound kind worn by sportsmen so they stay on, but you do need goggles when it is snowing or quite gloomy. Yellow or orange lenses are best, and preferably double lenses because they fog up less.

Have a look on ebay for a lot of this stuff, especially goggles and gloves and the outerwear. There are some good bargains to be had, and often the stuff is brand new if you get it from one of the ebay shops. It is where I get a lot of stuff for my kids.

As for apres-ski clothes, boots, trousers/jeans, and a warm top. You really don't need a lot of fancy clothes unless you are somewhere like St Moritz! Apart from the boots, I take a pair of slip-on loafers to wear in the hotel going down to breakfast, and one pair of black pumps for dinner or going to the bar. Next year we are renting an apartment so I'll just need boots and slippers!


Hope this helps, and have a really great time. It is a wonderful family holiday. You will all have such fun learning together, though don't be at all surprised if after the 3rd day your kids are all way ahead of you and whizzing off! I only see my lot in the evenings apart from the occasional late afternoon when they reluctantly agree to accompany me on a slow run and then they moan because they have to wait at the bottom for ages for me! But it is fun and we love going.

wow Julia thanks a lot, very informative and to the point. I really appreciate your help. You are an angel, I will definitely check ebay , didnt cross my mind before, I hope to find bargains.

We decided to go to Ortisei. We will go to Milan first for few days. Can anyone tell me whether its better to take the plane to Ortisei. If a car is a good idea then what is the best route? Thanks

Kindly tell me which towns are worth a visit on our route to Milan.

Hello again HAD -

I think you'll really enjoy Val Gardena. We've been through that area a few times, and I'd highly recommend driving from Milan, if you enjoy driving vacations as we do. It's a relatively simple trip and most of it is very picturesque.

The towns we've spent a bit of time in and enjoyed very much include Sirmione at the southern end of Lake Garda - already a highly regarded resort in Roman times. From there, the drive up along the west side of Lake Garda is very interesting, passing through numerous tunnels as it winds along high above (and sometimes right alongside) the lake.

My wife and I like Riva, at the northern end of the lake as it was the first place we stayed on our two-week honeymoon in the area. There's a fascinating drive through a series of tunnels up from Riva to Lago Ledro, site of a prehistoric lake dwellers community, with a small museum at the site.

We also stayed in Bolzano, which is a very comfortable smallish city. If you go there be sure to visit the archaeological museum and Oetsi, the ice man. The museum is worth a visit even without him, but the iceman exihibit is unique in the world. I understand Trento is also worth a stop, however we have no direct experience there.

From Bolzano, if the weather and road conditions are amenable, you might want to consider taking a bit longer route to Ortisei via the western part of the Great Dolomites Road through Canazei, eventually looping back through Passo Sella and then into Ortisei via Selva. It's a wonderfully scenic route and the last part runs very close to a number of the pistes dropping down from the pass into Selva.

Thanks FlyFish, how many days shall we provide for the drive? Or do you mean a night in each of these towns? I'm confused.

Sorry, HAD, didn't mean to confuse you. I wasn't necessarily suggesting that you stay in all, or any, of those towns, only recommending them as places I think are worth seeing, depending on your schedule.

Depending on how comfortable you are with driving after a (presumably) long flight, you could drive straight through from Milan to Ortesei in perhaps 4 hours or so. That wouldn't leave any time for real sightseeing, of course. Not knowing how many days you have planned for doing things prior to arriving at the resort, or when your flight arrives, I can't recommend where and how often to overnight. One option would be to do a single overnight at Bolzano, taking your first day to get there, then spend the morning in town before driving to Ortesei. Or you could add an overnight in Riva and spend additional time exploring Trento, etc.

FlyFish I appreciate your advice and I'm depending on the advice I get from you guys since we've never been to Italy. I was thinking of spending 3 nights in Milan to buy hiking boots and warm clothing since we can't find those in Bahrain, then from there I can schedule 2 nights for the towns on the way to Ortisei since I didnt book the airline yet. I booked 4 nights in Ortisei on 14th Dec. for skiing so we will have to leave Ortisei on the 18th. I was thinking maybe drive to Venice for a 3 day visit through Cortina, and other towns, then back to Milan. Any suggestions?

HAD - Why not save your clothes shopping till you get to Ortisei? There are some excellent clothes shops there and in the other Val Gardena resorts.

Steve

I know I'm very late in on this thread, but I just wanted to say that the Val Gardena area is wonderful and my husband and I are going back in January for our second ski trip (although we stay in Selva).

Definitely spend a night in Bolzano/Bozen and check out Osti the ice man. We stayed at the Hotel Figl and really liked it.

Have a great trip!

HAD -

I'm happy to share my thoughts with you on what I'd do and see in that area, but please bear in mind that they're just that, thoughts, and not even necessarily recommendations. We tend to gravitate toward the country and mountain scenery, history & archaeology, and with a few exceptions (Venice being one) we tend to avoid cities, so if that sounds somewhat like you then these suggestions might work out for you.

I would second Steve's suggestion not to spend the first few nights in Milan buying ski clothing. I've been to Milan and, while others may disagree, I don't think there's much to see. If you're planning to, e.g., take in a performance at La Scala or view The Last Supper, then fine, but otherwise just go directly from the airport. The resorts are full of ski shops and they're going to be much closer to each other so you won't waste time running around.

With the time you have available, you might want to first consider heading north from the airport to either Lake Maggiore and/or Lake Como. I have not been to either but they seem to get great reviews here and elsewhere, with Bellagio on Lake Como being mentioned frequently. I’d then head east toward Lake Garda. Again, with the time you have, a visit to Verona might we worthwhile. You could then drive up along either side of the lake – I’ve only driven the west side, and it’s a spectacular drive, but I understand the east side is very scenic as well. As an alternative, consider going further east from Verona toward Vicenza and then taking the S46 through the Passo Pian di Fugazze to Rovereto before continuing north. If you don’t mind very narrow and winding mountain roads it’s a spectacular drive – be sure to leave extra time. Riva, at the north end of the lake, is a pretty little town with a nice little harbor area but not necessarily worth a stop otherwise.

We haven’t been into Trento, but again I understand there are things worth seeing and doing there. As I mentioned in an earlier post, we really liked Bolzano and I can’t recommend the archaeological museum strongly enough. If you don’t spend the extra nights in Milan, you’d be enough ahead of schedule to hop over the Brenner Pass from Bolzano to Innsbruck and spend a night there. The old downtown area is very interesting. If you don’t do that, then consider taking the Great Dolomites Road route into Val Gardena as I mentioned earlier.

After skiing, I think your idea of heading to Venice via Cortina is great. You could take the Passo Gardena over to Corvara and then from there to Arabba where you’d rejoin the Great Dolomites Road for the trip down into Cortina. If you do that, you’ll have driven most of the Sella Ronda ski route. There’s a fantastic view down into Cortina from the road, just as it turns sharp left to enter a tunnel – be sure to stop for that. From Cortina, you can take an alternate route out of town on S48 over Tre Croci to the east, then rejoin the highway to Venice at Pieve de Cortina.

Be sure to leave enough time to explore Venice. I’m not a head-over-heels mad about it as some, but there really is no other place in the world like it. I’d recommend getting a good tour guide for the entire area and looking at what there is to see and do in the various towns and locales I’ve mentioned, then map your own course and decide from that where it makes sense to overnight.

We’re skiing in Grindelwald this year – well, next year in February/March, but all this thinking about Italy and Val Gardena has been reminding me what a special place it is. You’re going to have a great time.

BTW, you might want to consider starting a new thread for suggested itineraries with a more general title. There may be many regulars here who know the area well but aren't skiers so haven't read through this thread.

Lots of good suggestions from FlyFish.

The drive over the passes from Val Gardena to Cortina is spectacular - especially the San Cassiano route.
But these passes are at 2000m - so you'd need to check whether they're open.

(The same applies to the Canazei/Sella Pass detour to Ortisei which FlyFish mentioned).

If the passes are closed you could route to Venice from Ortisei via Val Pusteria/Dobbiaco/Cortina (- still through the mountains but no high passes) - or take the autostrada via Verona if you're in a hurry.

Steve

HAD where do you live? For first timers, I think the ski school and village is more important than the slope as you will spend most of your time on runs that can be found anywhere. If you are living in North America, I would suggest Grey Rocks in Quebec or Smugglers Notch for a beginning ski week.

If we can get all our clothing from Ortisei then thats much easier. The kids however want to see Milan so maybe we can spend one night.
FlyFish I like your suggestion about starting a new thread. I will do that.
Steve very good remarks about the passes, Is there a way to check if they are opened before we leave on the day?