Derek

Can anyone recommend a few of the better ski resorts in Europe for a group of intermediate to advanced skiers going in February? All guys, early thirties, mid-price range. Thanks!

Sue

Monica at www.all-mountain.com has been very helpful in planning 3 trips for my family-- not tours, but packages that include air fare and hotels. The first was in Briancon, in the Serre Chevalier ski domaine in the Hautes Alpes of France, then Les Arcs, further north in Alpes, and 3rd (which never took place due to family emergency but was planned and deposited for) to Innsbruck.<BR><BR>Check out the website and prices. And have fun!

jenviolin

Derek, I always check out possible ski areas on www.complete-skier.com<BR>(wich may also be www.ifyouski.com)<BR>because they have lots of information about altitude, vertical drop, lifts, kms of pistes, snowboarding, cross-country tracks, and other activities (try sledding - it's not just for little kids!!!). There are trail &amp; lift maps and price indications, as well as links to accommodations. And it's in English.<BR>What do you mean by 'better'? The most kms of slopes, the highest summit, the best apres-ski scene, the most exclusive shops &amp; hotels, or the most dependable snow conditions? <BR>In general, the Austrian alps are a bit cheaper than France or Switzerland, and there are some great areas (dependable snow, good slopes): Gerlos/Koenigsleiten, Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis, Lech, Kaprun. And about 250 more.<BR>February is the most popular month so try to make your reservations immediately! And choose a resort that starts at an altitude of at least 1000 meters, just to minimize the chance of rain instead of snow at the bottom.

xxx

Sounds like you want the whole package (good skiing, good food, good nightlife...). Then try: Zermatt or Verbier (Switzerland); St. Anton (Austria), or Val d'Isere or Chamonix (France).<BR><BR>

Georgine

For your age range and skiing ability, I would also recommend some of the Austrian resorts. <BR><BR> I personally have a preference for Ischgl. The accomodation prices are less than most in St. Anton, it has just as good an apres-ski environment, and the on-mountain facilites are great.<BR><BR>Ischgl's ski area is up at 10,000 feet with a multitude of varied ski terrain and lifts. Because of its location, you can ski down into a village in Switzerland --which most people do to have lunch, do some shopping or purchase VAT free merchandise. There is a huge double-deck cable car to take you back up to the Austrian side of the mountain (price included with your regular ski pass.)<BR><BR>At the end of the ski day, you can take a gondola back to Ischgl or do a two mile ski run back to town, which includes a shoosh through a tunnel as part of the run.<BR><BR>Ischgl has a very good web site, and their tourist office will send you tons of material.<BR><BR>Because of its location, you can easily do a day ski trip (by car) to St. Anton, Lech, the Stubai Glacier outside of Innsbruck, or to other resorts in the Galtur Valley where Ischgl is located.<BR><BR>I wouldn't recommend Innsbruck as a base because the mountain resorts immediately surrounding the town do not have sufficient altitude to guarantee great snow conditions.<BR><BR>As another poster mentioned, February is &quot;high&quot; season so you will need to make reservations soon. If you were going in January, the prices would be lower and the crowds smaller.<BR><BR>Get yourself prepared, their is no ski line etiquette in Europe ---the person who crowds the most goes first on the lift!! Additionally, there is definitely more on-mountain, eating, drinking and lying on lounge chairs in the sun than you will ever find in the USA.<BR><BR>Whichever area you choose, you will have a great time!!

mj

Derek,<BR>I've got (admittedly) a biased view, none the less, I'll offer it....Chamonix and surrounding areas in France. <BR><BR>My SO's (American) sister/(French) brother-in-law, he's an ESF instructor/guide, own an inn in Demi Quartier (Megeve). We visit Europe almost annually and sometimes use it as a base for our Europe &quot;road trips&quot;.<BR><BR>Over the years (12), we've gotten some feel for ski areas in AT, CH, FR and some of IT. General cost guidelines:<BR>Italy/Austria (least), France (middle), Switzerland (most).<BR><BR>Other places skiied (I'm an intermediate) and would recommend you look at:<BR>AT: Kitzbuel (? advanced)<BR>CH: Davos, Mt. Moritz, Engelberg, Andermatt<BR>IT: Cortina<BR>FR: Alpe D'Huez, Les Arcs, Val D'Isere<BR><BR>I know you know this but I'll say it anyway; BEFORE DOING ANY off piste or advanced runs in the areas mentioned, talk to the natives (Rescue/instructors) and strongly consider using a guide (off piste), especially in Chamonix/Mt. Blanc areas. <BR><BR>And excellent site for reviewing areas is the UK ski club - I'm not a member or affiliated:<BR>http://www.skiclub.co.uk<BR>Click on the resorts link for a wealth of info. They also provide one stop info for area prices, size, current &amp; historical snow/weather conditions, piste maps, linked/nearby areas, etc.<BR><BR>Last, from talks w/the folks in Megeve, the &quot;local wisdom&quot; is this winter should be a good one (snow wise) for the whole of the European Alps. Good news since the last few have been so-so.<BR>hth,<BR>mj

mj

Derek,<BR>One other thing. Mid-to-end Feburary is (ski) vacation time in Europe. If you can, go before or after to avoid the more crowded conditions.

Jan

Derek,<BR>I have been doing a bit of research on this as well. We live in Switzerland and want to go skiing somewhere affordable. We have chosen Italy, specifically, Val Gardena, and intend to purchase the Dolomiti Superpass which gives you access to the entire area. We were also interested in Sauze d'Oulx.<BR><BR>Switzerland has great skiing, but it is by far the spendiest. Verbier, Zermatt, Saas Fee...all excellent. Austria is rapidly catching up. I agree with the poster who recommend Ischgl and St. Anton. We did the Portes du Soleil (les Gets and Avoriaz) last year and were disappointed but had mediocre conditions. I recommend go high and look at the ratio of lifts vs tows. We skiied Grindlewald and were amazed at how my tows they had!! Esp. as they pull down some major cash!<BR>Have fun!<BR>Jan

ski queen

First, if you go past the first week of February you are smack into school holidays which you will HATE...why confront all those queues for nothing. Second, St. Anton is a very popular destination for male skiers, has nightlife but we found the slopes very crowded in late Jan-early Feb. We stayed at the Hotel am Post, which is wonderful with a great package and a marvellous spa and lots of groups of men, and we drove each day after the first to Lech, 30 mins. up the front, to ski their gorgeous empty slopes and to lunch in some of the best restaurants in Europe. You would adore the Trois Vallee (Meribel-Courcheval, Vals Thoren) but don't do it during French school holidays. The ski area is IMMENSE-- in 7 days of skiing you would NEVER have time to ski every slope even once. I love Zermatt which is cold and very challenging, and has the option of skiing down to Cervinia in Italy. Lots of pubs and nightlife. Davos has ski runs that can take up to two hours to cover end-to-end and St. Moritz is total sun and beautiful views. Austria is much cheaper than any of these. The Dolomite Region is a bit trickier to get to from the States. All around best total experience including apres-ski: either St. Anton, Zermatt or Trois Vallee.