resort advice

hey everyone,

ive not been out skiing for a few years now and im looking to take my gf and little girl away but im not sure where would suit us best, i have a bit of a list of requirements i know they wont all be met but going in order of preference id like the following:

uncrowded slopes
decent size ski area
activities off the slopes
good ski school
some form of apres ski
nice surroundings

the first 3 are the main things really, oh and we would be limited to europe so canada and usa are out the window really. any ideas?

Uncrowned slopes will very much depend on when you go. If you go in half term, its going to be busy.
Late jan, early feb, or mid march would be ideal times to go to avoid crowds.

Alpe d'huez would be my suggestion. Massive ski area but centred around the greens and blues in the bowl above town.
Good lift system.
Choice of apartments, chalets and half board hotels.
There's an ice rink and outdoor pool. You can do dog sledging too.
Prices are cheaper than normal for France, and at la grange restaurant you can get fantastic pizza on the slopes with deck chairs to sunbathe in!!!!

Hi Shapes, and welcome

There's loads of places that could meet all of your requirements and different people on here will give you different opinions on their relative merits

However you probably need to give us a little more info before we get specific:

when? (as, if this clashes with major half term weeks your uncrowded slopes will be tricky)

where? (I know you say Europe but do you have a strong preference for, or aversion to, any particular country due to language skills, previous experience etc)

how? (self catering, hotel, chalet board - as some resorts are far better than others for the latter)

Sorry to ask more questions than give answers but this will help you in the long run

well im hoping we can avoid the half term in feb and either before or after but this may not actually be possible and if its not then i know resorts are automatically going to be much busier but we are going to try and get around the half term in feb or even look at march

as for where well i dont fancy going back to andorra i found the snow a little hit and miss. i dont particularly fancy Bulgaria just from reading a few reports etc. i've been to italy and found that reasonable so im not adverse to going back there, but also france, austria and switzerland im more than open to trying as well.

i would prefer half board just for convenience, i did the self catering in canada and it did work out expensive and was a bit of a pain in the mornings to sort breakfasts out

I would seriously consider Are in Sweden, it would appear to meet all your criteria, check out various threads in the scandinavia forum and if you want any other info send me a message. I have no connection to TO's etc I just love the place and keep going back.

Shapes, you'd probably like the catered chalet experience, everything done for you in terms of food and free wine with dinner too.
You can share with others or take a larger group and have a place to yourself

Westendorf in Austria is a great place to learn to ski and for kids - well worth a look! Nursery slopes right in the village and the Alpenrose Gondola to take small person up to show real mountains and lovely views! I seem to remember there was a little train that picked the kids up for ski school. Also has a train station if you want a day off the slopes to sight see!

As Tony has already stated, 'when' is crucial to uncrowded slopes.
If you are looking at this year then the w/c 16th March is the best option as pretty much all european schools will be in class.

Activities off the slopes are commonly requested but in reality are quite sparse and they a pretty much always the same kind of thing. Snow shoeing, dog sleds, ice skating, bowling.

I would recommend La Plagne, belle plagne in particular.
They have Snow shoeing, dog sleds, ice skating, bowling, zip line, cinema, pool, bars and restaurants, olympic bobsled run,igloo village and snow mobiles.
Its a nice little place in a large area with several ski schools.
Crucially it is ski in ski out in pretty much all the accom which will really help with little ones. No faffing about with heavy gear on buses.