r/skithealps

Hey all, annoying tourist question incoming. Looking for a trip in mid late March of next year potentially.

We are a family of 4 with 2 relatively strong skiing kids age 9 and 13 with lots of North American off piste experience / skills. Kids are very comfortable in our typical double black avy controlled steep chutes , bowls , trees . Ive skiied off piste and backcountry in the Alps before and am fully aware of the differences between NA. We have avy gear but I wouldn't consider going into seriously consequential terrain or conditions w the kids, no serious mountaineering terrain ,and plan on getting a guide for at least part of the trip .

Our easiest gateway is ZRH as we can get direct flights there easily ,but could potentially try for GVA with more cost and difficulty. We have Ikon passes ,but given the cost of lift tickets in Europe, if we can use it part of the time , great, but Ikon only is not a necessity.

Kids definitely prefer ungroomed terrain (bumps, rocks , trees ,bowls ,moderate chutes ) over groomers. I know snow totals are lower and it could be all groomers given conditions, but I have gotten lucky w Alps powder and corn in the past and it was amazing. Like I said before , generally safe avy conditions would be a must .

Given these options , which resorts would have the most relatively accessable side piste , easily accessable off piste (no big long hikes or skin w kids) and fun challenging pistes , while giving the full first Alps trip ambiance. I figure mid late March limits us to higher elevations for the most part. Ski school a couple days for the youngest would be something we are looking at also, in addition to a few guided days for the 3 or 4 of us.

Thanks!

We’re travelling to La Clusaz (France) in August (taking the dog, doing some walking / cycling etc.) via Lyon Airport. For 6 passengers, private transfers are quoting between 700-900 euros for a return trip.

Does this sound about right? Does anyone have recommendations for a company?

Thank you!

I (62M) am in Colorado so ski the Rockies every season. My son (27M) moved to Minnesota but comes back to Colorado to ski each winter. We are both black diamond skiers but also enjoy the long cruising runs. Neither of us drink so we like good food but not the bar scene.

I have been to Europe skiing 35 years ago and it was awesome. I skied 1 weekend at Zermatt and one weekend in Warth, Austria. Both were pretty reasonable at that time but I understand Zermatt has become more like our American resorts.

Is there a recommendation for a resort area that is similar to Zermatt but not as expensive?

We are looking at January or February 2027.

Planning a lads (4 blokes, all mid 50s) long weekend in Cervinia for March 27. Travelling from UK via Heathrow or Gatwick.

Looking for recommendations for Hotel or Apartment - Doesn't need to be flash, but we will all need a bed . Thinking maybe 2x twin rooms or two 2 bed apartments in the same complex.

Ski hire

Places to eat

Hire car or transfer from Milan or Turin

and Cervinia top tips

I’m looking for advice on where to take my family next year, last week in March.

This year I took my oldest daughter, 13, to 3 Valleys, staying in Brides Les Bains, as I had a free week included with my Epic pass, which will unlikely have this year.

This time we will be joined by

Wife: Non skier

11 year old: non skier

6 year old: first time skier

13 year old: second trip

Me: 2 years back on skis after 25 year break

We will be driving from the UK, and wife speaks fluent French, hence sticking to the French Alps.

We were obviously spoilt by the 3 valleys for a first trip in Europe, but isn’t affordable with the whole family, plus no epic pass this year, plus the amount of snow so late in the season, last week of March, was rare.

Looking for somewhere snow sure, with inexpensive accommodation, ideally less than £1,000 for 7 nights in a 2 bed. I couldn’t care less about Apre. Cheaper lift tickets would be a bonus.

Options that have caught my eye are

Val Cenis

Valloire

Valmorel

La Plagne

Brides Les Bains again

Would love to hear your opinions, experiences, and if you think this is possible for under £4k, self drive.

Does anyone know of a book of piste maps (coffee table type) that focuses mainly (if not exclusively) on European destinations? I know about ‘The Man Behind the Maps’ but I think that is heavily North American focused so would ideally like a Euro equivalent.

Thanks

We are planing a ski trip in Schladming, Austria December 10th-17th. The resort is open November 27th, but I am concerned for the snow condition for early December. Does anybody know the snow over there?

And anybody interested in?

Looking at going to St Anton early March but accommodation options are fewer and significantly more expensive in the week 6th - 13th of March than they are the following week 13th -20th. Anyone know why? It’s not a holiday week and a quick google search doesn’t throw up any major events - but maybe I missed something.

This year we visited Les Menuires and thoroughly enjoyed it. Both Méribel and Val Thorens offer blue slopes that lead straight into town. However, I’m considering trying something different next year.

My wife, a beginner skier who favours blue slopes, has skied with me on reds but lacks confidence. My five-year-old daughter, on the other hand, is confident on blue slopes. We’re thinking about enrolling her in ski school for half a day and possibly looking into a day care for our youngest.

So, I’m hoping for some suggestions for similar resorts with enough blue slopes from top of the mountain to down to resort that are open from late March to mid-April.

Hi! My (36F) husband (41M) and I are looking to take a trip to Switzerland for snowboarding in Jan or Feb 2027. We live near Whistler, Canada so we usually get an "epic" pass which would give us access to the resorts mentioned in the title. We are intermediate to advanced level snowboarders but wouldn't be doing any backcountry etc.

What would you recommend for the following:

1. compact village that is walkable (similar to whistler if you are familiar) with lots of shops, bars, restaurants.
2. Ski in/ski out accomodation, again, access to the lifts near a main village
3. Lively with some apres options, evening bars, maybe DJs
4. Easy access from Zurich / Geneva airports without a vehicle

Thank you in advance!!

** PS If anyone has any specific hotel recommendations for the above spots (must have a hottub in the hotel!) I will gladly take them!

So next week we go for mölltal glacier for 3 days of skiing.

As i see there is plenty of snow but not that many slopes are open. Why are they closed ? Is it possible to freeride on them ?

Also is the some other resort nearby thats still open ? I was looking at kaprun/kitzsteinhorn as an alternative. But i do understand that its still pretty late in the season.

Thanks !

Hi! I'm planning on studying in France next year and have a nice month long break between my studies from December to January. I am thinking of working at a ski resort in France during this time. The only thing that worries me is that employers won't hire me since they don't want to spend time training me just to have me leave in a few weeks...I was wondering if anyone has done ski resort work for only 1 month, or if anyone has any suggestions.

Idk if this helps at all, but I'm fluent in French, English and Mandarin so language barriers should not be a problem.

Thank you :)

Hi everyone !

I miss the snow already... I want to go skiing next week in the French/Swiss Alps...

I'm 9 hours away from there but I know that I will regret it if I don't go right know before it's too late.

Is there anyone who's down to stay there maybe for a little ?

If you're interested don't hesitate to dm me !

Thanks y'all