I'd plum for Chamonix.

Great and varied Skiing. Plenty of black runs and the famous Vallee Blanche.

A real working town with a good atmosphere.

Close to Geneva (1hr) and has good transport links with Paris.

Ischgl is well known as a heavy duty party town for German (male) skiing fanatics rather than a family spot. If your girlfriend goes out on her own, don't be suprised if half the Gunthers and Hartmuts in town try to hit on her. It does have a fabulous 5-star hotel, the Royal Trofana (www.trofana.at) with the largest spa in the Alps.

http://www.finetravel.com/skiing/ski...chglgaltur.htm
The site noted above also has some interesting advice about Austrian skiing:
http://www.finetravel.com/skiing/ski...striaindex.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ma...31/etaus31.xml

This thread will surely result in the first of my annual "ski dreams" they usually don't start until August. lol

Over the years I've skied Austria, Italy and France. Each one has been such a positive experience that I couldn't possibly narrow it down to a favorite.

Kr did a nice job summing it all up. I would reccommend staying "high" based on everything I've read.

We spent two years skiing the slopes of Switzerland and France and our favorite place was St. Moritz. The runs have long, consistent vertical drops. We also loved Zermatt. You can't beat it for the combination of ambiance and good runs. I also agree with Tuplips - Megeve is a fun mountain. And Chamonix - Argentiere - also a favorite.

The only thing I didn't like about skiing in Europe was the lack of an organized queue system at some mountains. If it's crowded, which February can be, you might find yourself elbowing your way to the front of the line. Perhaps this has changed in the last few years.

All of this reminiscing is making me quite envious. Have a great time.

Any thoughts on Garmisch-Partenkirchen looks nice, might go there new years week.

Only one other poster mentioned the school holidays. What dates do you want to ski??
We're planning to ski in Austria this Feb in Lech and booked our hotel in June. I hate to look at the airfares from the UK at this point!!
It is wall to wall kids and families at almost every resort for the Feb holidays. The two main weeks look to be Feb 10 and 17th.

The arlberg region of Austria gets great reviews and is the area I'm most familiar with.
Where ever you end up remember to look at rail links from one city to another. The eurostar runs ski train sin the winter that would work great for you.

My husband and I grew up skiing Whistler/Blackcomb and absolutely love skiing in Europe. Our criteria for booking our ski trips over there are snow sure, lots of advanced intermediate runs, fun/pretty village and if possible runs in the sun.

We were in Breck for their last ski week and believe me you will not be disappointed with the skiing in Europe.

We have been to St. Anton twice and I read someones posting that said "once you go to St. Anton you won't want to go any where else" - he is right. Although, for visiting new places we force ourselves to try different mountains.

Zermatt was wonderful. The village is absolutely spectacular - especially for the ambiance. You really know you are not in the USA.

Grindelwald had really bad snow conditions when we went in late December. It is definately not snow sure. Can't even understand how I booked it. Although if it weren't for that fact, it would have been great. I understand that December is early for snow on the lower mountains.

Ishgl was fantastic and we are contemplating a second visit there.

For a new place we are looking at Meribel. Although we are totally thinking Zermatt or Ischgl once again for our second week.

Let us know where you choose and how it goes. Great Skiing!!

I've skied Austria and Switzerland six trips. The Jungfrau region of Switzerland is the complete package. It rivals St. Anton (actually Wengen/Murren scenic beauty are HARD to beat) You can have a bit of it all in Jungrau. I have stayed in Murren (desire some sick skiing, ski above Murren for a day or two...)
I have also stayed at the Alpenrose Inn in Wengen. I have reservations to return this coming Jan. 07. It's that great! Wengen is a car-free village (I've never encountered crowds or lift lines)and while there isn't a HUGE selection of nightlife what is there is fun. I've skied Zermatt twice, ST. Moritz, St. Anton (Arlberg region), Davos, Innsbruk...but I will say the entire atmosphere and skiing can be found with a base in either Murren or Wengen. ENJOY! You really can't go wrong.