Hot answers tagged snow-sports
13
There are literally hundreds of ski resorts in North America. Flying in to any of the major ones will be no problem at all. Some of them have their own airports, and almost all will run shuttles from the nearest major airport.
If you are used to skiing the best of the Alps then you will need to go to one of the really top resorts to get the same experience ...
11
There is a daily train leaving Amsterdam at 20:31 and arriving in Munich at 7:10 the following day. The trains leaves Munich at 22:47 each evening and arrives in Amsterdam at 8:56. The price very much depends on when you travel, when you book and how much comfort you want to have. Details can be found on the Cityline website.
From Munich you can take a ...
11
The European Biathlon Championships can draw sizeable crowds: In 2004 in Belarus, they attracted some 80,000 visitors, and given that the World Championship in Germany in February 2012 attracted more than 200'000 visitors over 6 days, you can expect that the Bansko region's ~100,000 beds will be rather well occupied.
The competitors in the Biathlon event ...
9
There are a large number of ski resorts in the states, with varying degrees of notoriety, and almost all of the big ones are fairly easy to reach. Depending on where you're starting from, you may need to change planes once, but from most major European airports it shouldn't need twice. There are even charter flights to some of them! Nip into your nearest ...
8
It is very difficult to answer since there are hundreds or thousands skis resorts in the Alps. But to narrow down the potential candidates, I would focus on very small ski resorts in Austria. The reason is quite simple, smaller resorts are generally cheaper than big resorts and Austria is generally way cheaper than Switzerland, and cheaper (at least ...
8
Here's a quote from my Vancouver informer, with a little copying and pasting from their websites:
You can go to Cypress http://cypressmountain.com/ by bus:
By Public Transit - Take Skytrain or Bus to Waterfront Station,
connecting via Seabus to the Cypress Mountain Shuttle Bus at Lonsdale
Quay in North Vancouver.
If you only have a few hours, go ...
8
In Switzerland, there are 2 ski resorts where it is possible to go skiing in summer. This is because of the glaciers there. The ski resorts are:
Saas-Fee: Saas-Fee is not open year-round, but the summer season is between: 14.07.2012- 28.10.2012. For 2013 you can assume that more or less the same dates are available.
Zermatt: Zermatt is open year-round. You ...
7
If you're willing to drive 2.5 hours from Munich you can reach some of the famous ski resorts in Austria. A good starting point to find some resorts is this website, that maps a lot of them to a map. You're particularly interested in those on the left side of Austria. This site is very similar, but maybe even easier to understand, since here Munich is also ...
7
I'm not a winter person but I heard on the news that many dutch people come to Willingen Hochsauerland for skiing. That is a 4h ride from Amsterdam by car. The longest ride is 2km and an altitude difference of 240m. They even have floodlights to ride at night.
7
I know of a few options you can have in the Northern Hemisphere that may appeal:
Timeberline Lodge in Oregon, USA - open twelve months a year.
Whistler-Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada. I was there 3 days ago :) Has a glacier you can ski on in summer!
Italy has quite a bit of summer skiing at Cervinia Zermatt, Italy. The link is some photos showing ...
7
Although the other answers are OK, I will use the opportunity to advertise one peculiarity in the area where I live: midnight sun skiing..
Yes, you read that right. The ski resort of Riksgränsen, Sweden advertises with midnight daylight skiing, possible every year in May, and midnight sun skiing. Midnight Sun skiing is usually heli-skiing offered a few days ...
6
I don't know if it will have sold out yet, but if you're quick probably the best bet is the Thalys Snow Train. Tickets start at €69 one way, from Amsterdam to Chambery, Albertville, Moutiers, Aime la Plagne, Landry and Bourg St Maurice. Most of those are either in ski regions, or a short bus ride away. The Seat61 Snow Train page has good connection advice ...
6
I'm going to combine all the good points into a single answer. Feel free to edit if something else comes up.
You will absolutely need:
A ski jacket or other warm, waterproof, breathable jacket. Make sure at least one of the pockets can be zipped shut, so your car keys can't go flying down the hill when you fall.
Ski pants or other waterproof, breathable ...
6
Supporting Roflcoptr's answer:
Kitzbühel was a wonderful place to go on a ski vacation, and I say this as a dyed-in-the-wool Colorado native. While I was there with a friend, and thus wasn't so much looking for a romantic dining option, the actual town is a fairly charming Austrian town, with lots of cozy, dark restaurants and the like that with a romantic ...
6
Summer skiing is definitely a thing. For Europe, I found an article that says many places used to offer it, but now it's pretty much just Les Deux Alpes, near Grenoble. But then this article disagrees and lists a bunch of others (and has pictures.)
And according to this Globe and Mail article, if you head to Whistler you can be taken by bus up to a glacier ...
5
I couldn't find anything in Japan - my Japanese isn't that great, and search results are mainly about an apparently new fad called "water jump", which seems to consist of riding a snowboard down a rather small ramp into a lake or pool.
Here's two event agencies offering two-day ski jumping lessons in Germany or Austria:
...
5
I can recommend Livigno in northern Italy. It is a tax free zone so everything is a bit cheaper than in the rest of Italy. It is close to the swiss border. The skiing is probably boring for the advanced but there are lots of smaller slopes for the beginner. They also have a sleigh track which is fun and easy regardless of your skiing skills.
5
Cypress Mountain has announced that it is opening November 14, 2012, though it is only at higher elevations with artificial snow, and not suitable for beginners. (In 2011, opening day was November 9.)
Grouse Mountain, reachable by TransLink bus 232 or 236, opens November 13, 2012.
Whistler, reachable by private coach, opens [November 17, 2012].
5
Colorado native chiming in:
There's all manner of ski resorts within easy reach of Europe in Colorado. There's a direct flight from Frankfurt to Denver International Airport, and if you're willing to accept a stop-over, a large number of flights that pass through Chicago.
From there, you have options. You can hop another flight to some of the nicest ski ...
5
Fortunately from the Axamer Lizum webcam there's already snow base, and they're making snow too. In addition, it's at altitude, so there's an added advantage for colder temperatures.
However the start of the season is always weather dependent, and there it's usually mid/late November. So it all depends on which runs you want to do, and luck, and how late ...
5
Yes. It is easy and you have several options. From the Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Airpot, you can easily reach ski resorts located in the Salzburger Land or even in Tyrol. There are busses. You also have tthe possibility to take a taxi or shuttle. Eventually, you can rent a car.
As an example, Faistenau and the Fuschlsee are only a 30 minutes car drive from ...
5
I don't know where you got it from, but the Wachau is definitely not a ski region. So, yes it is fine for non-skiers. By definition, so to say. The Wachau a quite picturesque region. It has some interesting historical monuments. The Wachau is also famous for its wine. An interesting way to explore the place and enjoy the landscape is by cycling. Have a look ...
5
I would not do this. I would rather buy some bread and prepare sandwiches every morning and take them in a backpack, together with some drinks. When you are hungry, you can stop wherever you want and eat your sandwiches. There are enough places in Val Thorens where you can get a fresh baguette in the morning. You can even by your sausages, cheese, jam, etc ...
5
You probably have been there already and should give some feedback. I provide here some background for later reference.
I do not know specifically about Val Thorens but I can give an overview of budget for skiing in the French Alps, I think it could apply to any resort there.
First, ski pass, accommodation, equipment renting are the biggest budgets. A ski ...
5
Val Thorens has multiple moving carpets: Castor and Pollux, Musaraigne and Campagnols. Free, and easy for small kids. Roc is a small draglift, so less suitable.
http://www.valthorensguide.co.uk/beginners-area.html
In the next valley there's Courchevel 1850, which has three longer lifts: Cospillot, Bellecote, and Etoiles.
...
5
The problem with arranging a group trip involving anyone other than close friends is that you (as the organiser) can easily be left out of pocket or worse if things go wrong; people can and will cancel at the last minute, pull out without telling you, miss their flights, trash their rooms etc. leaving you with the liability. That's why I'd recommend using a ...
5
www.bergfex.com has a list of Swiss ski resorts, including an overview of the closing dates of some of the major resorts.
Engelberg/Titlis officially closes on May 26, and is one of the resorts that are pretty close to Zurich.
4
According to Snow Japan,
For most resorts, the ski and snowboard season in Japan generally
starts around mid-December and goes through until around early April.
Opening of course depends on the level of snow that accumulates at a
particular resort, and some resorts do actually open as early as late
October ("early skiing") and can continue to ...
4
Some options in Sweden.
Romme Alpin outside Borlänge in Dalarna Sweden is a good place to start snowboarding. It got 23 slopes of varying kind, 3 chair lifts and a good small beginners area with a slow short button lift that is manageable for beginners. For intermediate snowboarders it may get boring after a couple of days though. A good thing with Romme is ...
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