International (Europe/Japan/Southern Hemisphere) When to ski the Alps in 2022-2023 season

[Cheizz]

Every year, the Dutch skiing federation compiles all available data on school holidays and crowd numbers and puts it into one nice little overview of which weeks are most crowded in the Alps. Here's the picture for next season:

Pol = Poland; TSJ = Czech Republic; OO = Austria; DUI = Germany; all others speak for themselves.

Complete article (Dutch): https://www.wintersport.nl/weblog/04/03/2022/drukke-vakantieweken-in-het-wintersportseizoen-20222023

 

[newfydog]

Fabulous info! You don't want to hit it wrong in Europe..

 

[Cheizz]

Yeah. You want THIS Europe

 

[Rod9301]

Fabulous info! You don't want to hit it wrong in Europe..

View attachment 162812

Actually, compared to Vail or squaw, it looks pretty good

 

[Bolder]

Here's the French calendar: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/actualites/A15047

Paris region midwinter vacances are Feb. 18-March 6 (Zone C). Those are the weeks you really want to avoid in France...regarding Xmas/New Year's -- we've had better luck in Christmas week in the 2-week window because many people prefer to spend Christmas with family rather than skiing. I have not found crowds to be bad at all around the actual Christmas holiday.

 

[Bolder]

Actually, compared to Vail or squaw, it looks pretty good

Yeah. You want THIS Europe
View attachment 162813

The difference between holiday and non holiday periods is astounding. The few times I've skiied out of school holiday periods I've had to quit by 3 p.m. because my legs were jelly from endless ski-right-on-the-lift laps...

 

[Tony S]

Every year, the Dutch skiing federation compiles all available data on school holidays and crowd numbers and puts it into one nice little overview of which weeks are most crowded in the Alps. Here's the picture for next season:
View attachment 162793
Pol = Poland; TSJ = Czech Republic; OO = Austria; DUI = Germany; all others speak for themselves.

Complete article (Dutch): https://www.wintersport.nl/weblog/04/03/2022/drukke-vakantieweken-in-het-wintersportseizoen-20222023

This is fascinating to me, for a reason you might not expect.

What, exactly, is the "Dutch skiing federation"?

As consumer of goods and services in the US, I can tell you that you will NEVER see anything like this published by any organization that is remotely connected with the industry it's reporting on. It's just not done. They'd be run out of town in front of a posse of Chamber of Commerce vigilantes with shotguns. At minimum they'd never get access to the data a second time.

It must be very different to live in a country where capitalism is not the official state religion.

 

[Cheizz]

Nederlandse Ski Vereniging (Dutch Wintersports Federation) acts under the umbrella of the Dutch Olympic Committee in representing winter sports such as alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, etc. It's like our national FIS, basically. What FISI is in Italy, DSV in Germany, etc.

They do not just run competition programs and support local clubs, but they also advise recreational winter sporters through their website wintersport.nl. They are not linked to 'the industry', other than they set quality standards. There are different organizations that represent Dutch entrepreneurs in the winter sports business.

In this specific case, they rely on available (and for the most part already published) data from tourism boards, government sources etc. Nothing secret about these data. They have just compiled and connected them.

Your view of the American way of (not) doing things hints at a bad case of hyper liberalism mixed with a religiously fanatic form of paranoia the country is known for

 

[Tony S]

Nederlandse Ski Vereniging (Dutch Wintersports Federation) acts under the umbrella of the Dutch Olympic Committee in representing winter sports such as alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowboarding, freestyle skiing, etc. It's like our national FIS, basically. What FISI is in Italy, DSV in Germany, etc.

They do not just run competition programs and support local clubs, but they also advise recreational winter sporters through their website wintersport.nl. They are not linked to 'the industry', other than they set quality standards. There are different organizations that represent Dutch entrepreneurs in the winter sports business.

In this specific case, they rely on available (and for the most part already published) data from tourism boards, government sources etc. Nothing secret about these data. They have just compiled and connected them.

Your view of the American way of (not) doing things hints at a bad case of hyper liberalism mixed with a religiously fanatic form of paranoia the country is known for

The fact that I'm paranoid does not mean that they're not out to get me.

 

[James]

Fabulous info! You don't want to hit it wrong in Europe..

View attachment 162812

Heh. I had scenes worse than that in 4Vallées. It was of course the week of the tallest block on the graph.

The good news is step off piste and it won’t be like that.

This is fascinating to me, for a reason you might not expect.

What, exactly, is the "Dutch skiing federation"?

As consumer of goods and services in the US, I can tell you that you will NEVER see anything like this published by any organization that is remotely connected with the industry it's reporting on. It's just not done. They'd be run out of town in front of a posse of Chamber of Commerce vigilantes with shotguns. At minimum they'd never get access to the data a second time.

It must be very different to live in a country where capitalism is not the official state religion.

Nothing preventing your ski club from compiling the data. Ironically, I suspect it’s easier to do it for Europe than even just the Northeast US. So many school districts.

 

[newfydog]

Heh. I had scenes worse than that in 4Vallées.

The good news is step off piste and it won’t be like that.

That was the 4Valle's. And yes there was room to spread out for people who can ski!

 

[James]

That was the 4Valle's. And yes there was room to spread out for people who can ski!

Interesting! Where?
One of the pitches below Fontanet heading down to Les Ruinettes and Mayenzet was the worst I saw. It really was the Visa commercial. I sometimes ski with an old school French guy, beret/gaiters/80’s rear entry boots. He just heads right into the pack making it through at a good clip. I just wait for moments if I can’t off piste it.

 

[newfydog]

Sorry, I can't remember exactly where, but it was a busy day, and we came in from the back side on the incredible 45 minute gondola out of Orelle, from the dry valley floor to the glacier. We had oceans of fresh corduroy to ourselves when we got up there, and were surprised to hear about and see the crowds when we ventured down below. We retreated to the high lifts. Amazing place.

 

[Cheizz]

That's the Three Valleys in France. Other ski area, other country than 4 Vallées (Verbier, Veyzonnaz, La Tzoumaz, Nendaz, Switzerland) @James has been talking about.

 

[James]

Yeah want to get to 3Vallées. That will give me 2,3,4.
Les 2Alpes,(summer), 3Vallées, 4Vallées.
And I went to Tignes/Val d’Isere years before it was L’Espace Killy. So that could be 1. Is there a 5?

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

We loved the 3 Vallées! One of my best vacations ever!

 

[Cheizz]

Yeah want to get to 3Vallées. That will give me 2,3,4.
Les 2Alpes,(summer), 3Vallées, 4Vallées.
And I went to Tignes/Val d’Isere years before it was L’Espace Killy. So that could be 1. Is there a 5?

Cinque Torri, Dolomites, Italy.

 

[fatbob]

Dunno what 6 is but there is Les Sept Laux...

 

[fatbob]

Maybe it's just Sixt Fer a Cheval?

 

[James]

Hey, I’ll take those.
Now I can get to seven. Surely there’s an eight.
Not a bad way to pick ski areas!