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International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) Effective resort advice in Europe

DanishRider

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At least France runs largely on nuclear power for electricity. It makes me glad we're headed to Chamonix this year. (We still have rooms available if anyone wants to join us on a ski club trip.)
The electricity market is actually shared between countries in the EU, and sold across borders, so despite them having nuclear power as the primary source, it is no guarantee that they will be able to use it cheaply themselves, since they will need to go into a bidding war with the rest of Europe, to buy their own electricity back. One of the great joys of the EU;-)
 

jcjpdx

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I'm in luz Saint Sauveur, just south of Lourdes. Ski in bareges.

Luz is a small town, lots of good restaurants, limited shoping.

Nice old town character.

On piste skiing intermediate, backcountry phenomenal, if you like steep couloirs with half an hour approaches.
Thank you.
 

jcjpdx

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Only been once to the Pyrenees as a kid - St Lary and Piau Engaly. Bareges and Superbagneres have a decent rep though. Snowfall can be vastly different from the Alps for good or bad.

But the obvious opportunity and perhaps the most developed combined skiing would be Andorra which you could easily combine with Barcelona (one of Europe's great cities).
Thanks.
 

slow-line-fast

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The electricity market is actually shared between countries in the EU, and sold across borders, so despite them having nuclear power as the primary source, it is no guarantee that they will be able to use it cheaply themselves, since they will need to go into a bidding war with the rest of Europe, to buy their own electricity back. One of the great joys of the EU;-)
Aside from any formal restrictions that may or may not be imposed, there is also the effect of high energy prices. At some point you simply can’t run a business. According to this article, many ski areas in France will need to renegotiate their three-year contracts with electricity providers, at a time when prices are very high.


There’s a lot of uncertainty.
 

Itinerant skier

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I figure this thread is the best place to ask... As the holder of a shiny new Cooper Pass, bought mainly to spite Indy, I have three days this winter in Masella, Spain.

I've skied Grandvalira in Andorra on a bus trip from Barcelona before. I'm hoping to go back there in January and use the Masella tix at the same time.

Is there ski season transportation between Andorra and Masella? Particularly to stay in one and ski the other

Google maps doesn't show a transit option. Rome2Rio shows a once daily bus. Not sure how reliable either are regarding ski season availability. I could hire a car, as it's just over an hour, but I'd like to avoid that option if possible.
 

fatbob

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Pretty sure rental car will be your best option. Euros don't really do the leave a resort to travel an hour to another resort thing.
 

Tex

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Sorry if this question has been asked, I tried to look for it. One thing I like about skiing in the US, or at least CO/NM I been skiing last few years, is everything is pretty much cashless. I take my ID and credit card, maybe a little cash that I never end up using. We are going to Chamonix my wife is telling me everyone in france uses euro's, and getting euros in the US is a better exchange rate. I was going to call my CC company/bank ATM and see what they say, exchange rate... Thoughts what's best? Is credit card use a bad idea over there? I put everything on CC in the US.
 
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Cheizz

Cheizz

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I never carry cash in the Alps. Ever since COVID-19, electronic payments have been much more widely accepted (that used to be a problem in mountain huts before).

As for exchange rates, don't know about that. Whenever I'm in Switzerland, when using my credit card, the machine asks me if I want to pay in CHF or EUR.

I am sure some of you fellow Americans can offer better advice on that than I can.
 

dbostedo

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Is credit card use a bad idea over there?
No... credit card companies usually have good exchange rates. Better than if you got cash there for sure (out of an ATM or money exchange place). Maybe you could get cash at a better rate here before going over? But I'd be willing to sacrifice that for the convenience of not worrying about cash.
 
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Tex

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No... credit card companies usually have good exchange rates. Better than if you got cash there for sure (out of an ATM or money exchange place). Maybe you could get cash at a better rate here before going over? But I'd be willing to sacrifice that for the convenience of not worrying about cash.
Yeah I just talked to my CC company, they said no fee, and they charge market exchange rate when it posts, which normally the day after. I'll call my bank tomorrow about ATM.
 

Tex

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My wife is also telling me everyone talks via the "whatsapp.com".
 

James

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My wife is also telling me everyone talks via the "whatsapp.com".
Yes. Even here! Check your phone plan. My texts in Europe are free as is low data but phone is like $0.50/min. But I’ve only used whatsapp on wifi there. I guess it would go under data.
 
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Jim Kenney

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Once in a while, a member might seek advice on which ski resort in Europe (mostly the Alps) to visit. In most cases, others first have to find out what characteristics that member is looking for during this trip, both in the skiing sense and in the ‘alpine experience’ sense of things.

Here are some areas, themes, or criteria - whatever you want to call them - on which you could base your starter question. This serves a double purpose: 1. it eliminates that awkward first response on more clarification, and 2. it gives you some guidance and factors to think about and do some research on yourself. In both cases, it will help the one asking the question (and obviously, also the one answering it).

When are you planning to travel? And for how long?
The time/month/period you are traveling may limit your options. Some resorts or types of skiing are ‘better’ or come more into their own in certain conditions. Holidays and crowds are a factor in that (some areas handle crowds better than others), but typical snow cover is also something that is closely linked to the timing of the trip.

The length of your trip goes to the size of the ski area. Some areas are so big you could spend a week or more there. These monster ski areas are relatively expensive and sometimes crowded (the two main downsides of these huge areas, in my opinion). These areas may be overkill if the skiing part of your trip is only two days, for instance. For a short trip, I would rather suggest smaller areas for better quality skiing and a better overall experience.

View attachment 176068
The Alps. Ski areas in blue, cross country tracks in yellow. Source: www.opensnowmap.org

What type of skiing are you looking for? At what level?
Europe is diverse. Some ski areas are groomer heaven, others are mostly great off-piste. Some areas have it all, but maybe only from February onwards (because of snow cover). Bear in mind: anywhere off the marked runs is technically backcountry skiing in Europe, meaning you’re on your own as far as (avalanche) risk management is concerned, or insurance.

In the off-piste department, things are not as black and white as the official rules suggest, though. In some areas, there is a tonne of accessible, low-risk terrain between the runs. That’s where all the local kids and instructors ski if conditions are favorable. Areas with a lot of terrain above the tree line in France are great examples. They can completely white out during snowfall, though. That’s a downside of that open terrain above the tree line.

There is also the technical, advanced type of off-piste skiing, for which I recommend hiring a guide. Examples are La Grave, Vallée Blanche (Mont Blanc), Val Mezdi (Dolomites), and anything that involves off-piste skiing on a glacier. Do hire a guide for this. Not just to mitigate avalanche and crevasse dangers, but also because they know the terrain well, obviously.

Food and drink, both on and off the mountain
What food are you into? In some areas, there is a lot of fine dining - Michelin star-grade - even on the mountain. In other places, you may find a simple but heavenly pasta almost for free. And then there are areas that just have those massive boiled-in-fat-fries kinds of places to eat. If you care about this stuff, tell us about it. It helps narrow things down a bit. Or at least manage expectations.

The same goes for the village you will be staying in. Do you want to cook yourself? Do you want to go out for dinner every night? Drinks? Parties? Après-ski? And what kind? Party on the mountain and then glide home? Or more of an after-skiing kind of place at the base? A club for parties late into the night? Some villages offer these things, others not so much.

View attachment 176069
Food on the mountain

Practical stuff
Finally, there is the practical stuff, like transportation to and from and within the ski area. Car rental, public transport, airport transfers, etc. Ski rental, ski schools, and maybe other activities than skiing (snowshoe walks, winter hiking, cross country skiing, sledding, ice skating, ice diving, you name it). If you have specific interests, name them.

The more info you give beforehand, the better the quality of advice that is given. And yes, some of the most well-known places may not be the best for your specific list of requirements. And other ski areas - that you may never have heard of - perhaps are.

More information
On weather zones and snowfall in the Alps: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/know-where-to-go-in-the-alps.24434/
On transport to and in the Alps: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/getting-to-and-through-the-alps.24620/
On school holidays for the 2022-2023 season: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/when-to-ski-the-alps-in-2022-2023-season.26790/
Sorry if this was already discussed, but another question might be: is there an interesting European city you'd like to visit for non-skiing tourism before or after the skiing portion of the trip? And which cities are good to visit in conjunction with which prime ski regions. Many Americans are interested in this option.
For example Salzburg for the non-skiing portion of the trip might pair well with ski resorts such as Kitzbuhel, Gastein or Saalbach.
 
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Cheizz

Cheizz

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Salzburg, Innsbruck (Austria), Venice, Verona, Trento, Bolzano, Milan, Turin, Bergamo (Italy). I don't know any French or Swiss cities that I would find interesting enough to combine. Unless maybe a flight-hub city such as Paris or Amsterdam. But that would be an additional destination besides skiing, not something non-skiers could do while you're shredding the slopes.
 

1Turn2Many

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Yeah I just talked to my CC company, they said no fee, and they charge market exchange rate when it posts, which normally the day after. I'll call my bank tomorrow about ATM.
They say no fee but their “market exchange rate” will be about 3% higher than the actual exchange rate. CC companies typically use a rate published in the Wall Street Journal which is higher than the actual exchange rate. You can call them and ask for their rate source if interested.
 

James

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The question is when the card scanner at the store in France gives you a choice between USD and Euros, whose rate is likely to be better? Your CC company or whoever’s running the machine?
 

SBrown

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Sorry if this was already discussed, but another question might be: is there an interesting European city you'd like to visit for non-skiing tourism before or after the skiing portion of the trip? And which cities are good to visit in conjunction with which prime ski regions. Many Americans are interested in this option.
For example Salzburg for the non-skiing portion of the trip might pair well with ski resorts such as Kitzbuhel, Gastein or Saalbach.

On my trips, we have flown into Zurich, Munich, Frankfurt, among others. Most times we put the touristy stuff in the first couple days, on the way to our ski destination, partly to get un-jetlagged before trying to ski. It's nice to have a couple of days to get a little bit settled IMO. We toured each of those cities, as well as Salzburg and some other areas in CH.
 

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