Les Arcs or Niederau? please help

In relation to Filzmoos, for beginners it is perfectly fine. It is a small ski area but if you are a beginner it doesnt matter really. Snow is often fairly good (first time i went there it was epic powder. I've been there 3 times, last time was Feb 2007 so not that long ago.

So i recommend it!

thanks for your input.
to be honest I am all over the place at the minute. I thought I had definitly made my mind up about Austria, then I changed my mind and thought I was set on Swizerland and I am now back to Les Arcs. it is price really.

to be honest we are not really bothered where we go. we dont really want apres ski cause I could think of nothing worse or boring for the kids than sitting in a pub all night. just a restaurant or 2 would do to go to when i get sick of cooking. I think for this first time that we go (bearing in mind we will not be making the use of large skiing areas as the majority is beginners) looking at the price in the brochures it is £150 more expensive to go in the Feb school hols than the April school hols. So I just need to make sure that we are at a high altitude resort. so this should narrow it down.

So what I am looking at now is:
somewhere that is high altitude that is good for beginners, dont really need apres ski although some entertainment like a swimming pool or ice rink or toboganning for the kids would be a plus although we could travel to another resort. somewhere that is quite cheap too.

I hope this has narrowed it down a bit. It has gone from quite interesting to looking for this holiday to a real challenge, especially as we havent really got a clue what we want.

karen72, I will no doubt add to your quandary by suggesting you consider Valmorel in the Tarentaise. The resort has dedicated learners areas, and a good long term reputation for teaching children to ski. The area is short on tough, pisted skiing, plenty of long blue grade runs, largely untouched off-piste. Maybe a search on the Tourist Office site will tempt you.

Then again, somewhere in Austria with good teaching, and lots of stuff to do off the slopes (kids may not want to ski all the time)would suit just as well. Austria does do apres-ski quite well, way past sitting in bars and restaurants :D

Instead of simply looking for high altitude in a resort, check out how many snow cannons a resort has, how much of the terrain is covered. Many low lying resorts have perfectly acceptable snow depth in "poor" winters, because their slopes are grassy and they top up the levels with snow cannons. Their high altitude neighbours need much greater depth because it's all rocky underneath!

Karen, I am a Niederau person so cannot discuss France. Daily costs in Austria are a lot cheaper than France. As Tony H would say ~ Fact.

Easter. End of season is dictated by tour operators. Most years I leave Tirol with the mountains complete with snow, but hotels and lifts closed. Also, at the end of the season, even at higher resorts, skiing in the afternoon is sometimes curtailed because the snow is heavy/dangerous ~ and this affects beginners most.

February. is more snowsure, but more crowded, not just UK skiers, but Dutch and Germans also have school holidays ~ Austrians too. Snow is better quality than Easter. Crowds influence lift queues, so tend not to affect beginners too much.

Artificial snow is less effective at Easter when the ground and air temps are warm. If you are thinking high resorts, they tend to be tree-less, and involve more mountain travel to get from your resort to the snow.

Flights/Accomodation. Normally, I always book flights first, I know I can always get accomodation. But your accomodation needs are specific. So you need to get a few options stacked up.

Accomodation. There are a fair number of apartments in Niederau. Because it is such a nice place, many places get rebooked, year on year. Email the tourist office, and ask for a list. Perhaps you can start with the Auhof, if Jan cannot offer you your dates, he may suggest some alternatives.

Don't worry too much about your accomodation location if it is in Niederau. You can usually arrange to leave your ski gear at the hire place, in the village centre, and walk easily to your house.

Flights. Choices, both with Easyjet, are Edinburgh/Munich or Manchester/Innsbruck. I use the Edi/Mun 3/5 times ayear, it is very good. Either choice it is about two and a half hour airport drive from Newcastle. Problem is that you can only book about 5 months ahead, so the cheap flights go in minutes ~ hence the advice to get your accomodation options open.

Transfer. You could take the train, but for five of you this would be a bit costly. Car hire is pretty good, costwise, although you won't really use it much when you are in Niederau. Drive time, under two hours from Munich, hour and a quarter from Innsbruck.

If you do move your thoughts forward along these lines, I can give you more detailed info.

Oh, if you did want a child friendly hotel, go for the Harfenwirt.

If you want to go at Easter, you might find sunny days and fresh snow, which if your lessons are in the morning would be nice. February will be colder, although it was 25c in Sauze this Feb on a couple of days!!!!!
Therefore the comments re the snow cannons is relevant, as in April it probably wont be cold enough to use them, so you are relying on the Gods for the snow.

Feb half term does however get mentally busy in many places. I have avoided is like the plague and taken the kids out of school - unauthorised absence is not an issue unless they are in key exam years.

If you want my opinion, and you are choosing between Les Arcs and Filzmoos for instance, I think you will find Austria will cost a similar amount for the hoiday, but your in resort costs will be considerable lower.
Filzmoos is perfect for first timers, and as many on here will tell you, Niederau is also very good for mixed ability groups and beginners.

Example:
Coffee average in Austria, approx 2 to 3 euros
Coffee average in France, approx 4 to 12 euros
Spag bol in Austria, approx 9 euros
Spag bol in France, approx 12 to 20 euros

Hope this helps, although the suggestion of Valmorel is one to be given some serious consideration too.

thanks for your input. I have been non stop emailing places for prices and availability and I seem to have missed the boat in Filzmoos which is a pity and some just didnt even bother returning my email. I tried the Auhof, the obermoos, Haus SchnAlps and I also emaild the Sonnschien which didnt reply. I might try ringin them. If anyone has any other suggestions I am open to anything at the minute. Doesnt have to be a big resort.Does anyone have any idea of how much an easyjet flight to innsbruk or salzburg costs in Feb half term? just a rough guide so I can factor in to my budget. I dont really want to take the kids out of school because my son will be taking his SATS this year, but next year I think we will be looking at going at a cheaper time! Thanks again for your patience and suggestions...keep em coming lol xx