Help with ideas for next winter

[Telepath]

Wouldn't get la grave vert, but from watching tgr movies and knowing how big the superski area is, it looks like there's enough terrain and challenge to satisfy.

Yup, big and good stuff here and there for sure.

Is it hit or miss from a season standpoint?

As far as I've got experience with it, yes!

[verbier61]

Dolomites?

Just throwing ideas out. I'm no expert, but I've heard Italy is more inexpensive than france or switzerland or austria.

Definite culture and I'm sure it would be mrs. friendly. Not sure about snow though. Is it hit or miss from a season standpoint?

sorry, it's no more true. In euro era, Italy is more expensive than france and can be even more expensive than switz
as a matter of fact, at the italy/switz border switz people used to go shopping in italy, now it's the opposite.
And dolomites are SWEEEEEEEEET, but their cultural background is austrian, not italian. Most people there speak german, BTW.

[horizon]

I'm Romanian and I used to ski a lot in Poiana and Sinaia. I got great memories but I'm not sure these would be good for you for a whole season. The snow situation is more erratic by the year (though they've done well starting with end of Jan this year). But more likely you'll be limited by the terrain. Poiana Bv's vertical is 600m, between 1100 and 1700 (approximately), and nothing really difficult (though you can try what I did - jump a fence underneath the gondola and consider while you're flying whether the next gondola will hit you in the helmetless head). Sinaia's lift-accessed skiable area is 2000 to 1400, so also 600m, less than 2000 ft. However, there's some good terrain there - actually if you're willing to go BC there might be a lot of great terrain accessible - I don't know, the last time I skied there I wasn't that much into offpiste.

If the two were really close together it might work a lot better. But without a car you'd need close to 2 hours from one to the other. (or 0.5 hr to Poiana and 1 - 1.5 hrs to the slopes in Sinaia if you were based in Brasov).

On the other hand: food, beer, rents would be cheap...good cultural experience - yep...

PM me for more info if you're considering it.

[AH]

http://www.monterosa-ski.com/

Or on the other side of the mountain, www.saintefoy.net, cheap, bigass mountains, great for touring, not too crowded...

[Nate Dogg]

bump - some real interesting suggestions here, I think I'm nearly as interested in mulletizer's next winter as he is...

[hop]

The obvious answer is obviously Gulmarg, Kashmir, India.

Mass pow, huge vert, cheap, and no worry about showing skin as it's COLD! And you want culture? You gots it baby!

This answer was brought to you by the J&K Tourism department's Department of Redundancy Dept., AKA the Asst. Director of wasting time. The gondola will be opening today in a few weeks, as soon as the towers are fixed from the avalanches that didn't happen.

[powder11]

you should look into B.C. sick ass skiing, big vert and endless backcountry. canadians wrote the book on ski/dirtbagging, so it can be done cheap, but still civilized. typically the snowfall in the PNW following an el nino pattern is huge (98/99season). you can easily buy a beater truck w/sled to access the mindboggling backcountry terrain or just go touring euro-style on the many glaciers. many deals to be had as the current season is sucking and many people are bailing. the exchange rate from euros is much better than the US. being a brit in canada, you won't take the crap you will in america. i live in pemberton which has a big 1st nations population for some different culture. almost forgot, BC bud...

[Idris]

Baring decent employment opertunities elsewher in the alps (slim chance of that) I will be back in Chamonix for the winter, ignoring the attitude and lemmings...roadtripping alps hopefully....Here in Alberta/BC there is limitless skin to possibilities but almost no lift accessed or lift assisted backcounty...call me lazy but I do miss 5-9k lift vertical of the alps. I woould love todo Engelberg, Andermatt or Algna for a winter but haven't worked out how...

[Jiehkevarri]

Just saw this thread...

Logically Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia should be high on my list but, illogically, I don't feel that keen on them. No idea why, just a feeling... But I heard the beer in those countries is g-oooood.

At least in Slovakia the beer is good. This winter has also been really snowy there...wouldn't suggest it for the whole winter thought...maybe for a month or month and a half. Based on Powder article Bansko, Bulgaria is worth of checking out too. The mountains and lines seem really similar to the Tatras too, with usually maybe a bit more snow?

A few this winter's pics from Slovakia..my friends (and my ex-clients) were there this winter. The place was my stomping grounds (or actually I don't stomp that much but anyway) for -03 and -04...so I guess I' have the priviledge to link these pics from their site... Anyway, there's a good snow situation this winter (if someone is interested on "different" kind of road trip or something?). And the place is quite nice when the conditions are good. Lots of funny and variable lines, although less vert than in the Alps. Funny little tree lines and very tasty chutes. When the weather is bad you can always drink cheap beer or visit cultural and natural sightseeings etc. (there's a suprisingly many things to do on down days...spas, old castles and villages, climbing, snow shoeing/trekking in the forests if you're in to that kind of stuff etc.)









If you're interested here's a much more pics from -04 and -05 (The server is a bit slow though):

http://spederacing.kicks-ass.net/gallery/albums.php

Anyway on the end note I have to say that after LaGrave you probably find the mountains in Eastern Europe (Carpaths/Tatras, Balkans) quite small at first. At least I have to say that after spending most of my two previous seasons in Jasna, Slovakia, LaGrave was bit of a shock again!!! In a positive way that is... but damn the mountains felt big, rough and steep there.

[IE]

Elbrus

I don't know what people mean about the food...

P.S. I'm russian

[Mike Pow]

My 2p worth.

Canada
Kicking Horse, BC
www.kickinghorseresort.com
Nearly all of your criteria and great road tripping / backcountry opportunities.

Idris,

Did you ski here? 'Cos they've got some great lift accessed backcountry IMHO


USA
Utah, but I'd base myself in Ogden for Snowbasin and Powder Mountain and roadtrip to Cottonwoods. Plus it's a little closer to Wyoming than being in SLC.
www.skiutah.com


Italy
Aforementioned Monte Rosa circuit (Alagna, Champoluc and Gressoney)
Also the Dolomites could be worth a shout. Spent a month close to Cortina this winter (Valzoldana circuit) and the touring, hiking above the lifts in that part of the range looked great.

Austria
St Anton
Most of your criteria except it's full of Brits


France
There's always Briancon for Serre Chevalier, Montgenevre and La Grave if you're looking for more people.

[verbier61]

... La Grave if you're looking for more people.

d'ya know where mulletizer has been recently?

[Mike Pow]

From his posts it looked like he was living in La Grave.

Big difference between La Grave and Briancon if he wanted to stay in the area.

[bad_roo]

I thought La Grave was in Briancon. Is that near Wales?

[Mike Pow]

They should be so lucky.

[Idris]

I thought La Grave was in Briancon. Is that near Wales?

just a little to your left and down a bit.

[Mulletizer]

Been meaning to post it for ages - here's what we'll probably be doing this winter. Thanks to an unexpectedly decent job for the summer our financial situation is not as dire as expected so we should be on the move a fair bit. After suffering at the hands of Ullr last winter (ski days = about 110, deep days = 1) we are aiming for quality rather than quantity. But quantity is good too. And 110 days ain't actually that much so I'll have to avoid breaking bones this time... Anyway:

Early season:
Not sure yet. Keeping an eye out for very cheap deals to stateside, otherwise chilling at home after a year away.

Probably season starter: New Year in Verbier (Mrs M's family get-together...) then
Storm chasing in the Alps for a few weeks. Could head east to Bulgaria or Slovakia if the snows attract us. Likewise Pyrenees or Corsica. Or Spain. Or Maroc. Or Turkey. Hehe.

Mid season: time to get exotic
I'm all for Kashmir or Kullu, Mrs Mullet wants to go to Japan. Damn, I hate these disagreements. We'll be aiming for a month or six weeks away.

Spring: North America. Not sure where yet. Would love to check out the Cascades, Sierra, San Juans and BC. SO, not much then.

I'll soon be off to check out round the world tickets. Woohooo!

[ulty_guy]

damn, not bad. if the weather there looks good, i've already got designs on alagna 12-16 of jan and hopefully again at the end of jan for another 4-7 days. it'd be great to ski with your lady again (cause i can't keep up with you! )

[bad_roo]

I'm coming to burgle your house.