Karen Knows Ski
Obviously in lots of places it is the fabulous memories that make it such a great resort, but let’s not get too romantic over this and stick to facts.
Here are a few ideas- Niederau First time family skiers – my recommendation would be Niederau in Austria, a classic Tyrolean village oozing with charm and character. It is in the Wildschonau region and is absolutely perfect for beginners and intermediates and in my opinion the ‘Best’ resort for families.
Great hotels many piste side, I would recommend the hotel Austria, or the hotel Simmerlwirt, a mere stone’s throw from the piste, great atmosphere and decent standard of accommodation. I would definitely recommend the Horse drawn sleigh ride in Niederau, it takes you all through the forest absolutely magical, but dress up warm.
Obertauern Looking for one of the best snow records in the Austrian Alps? Then look to Obertauern for high altitude and queue free skiing. Not hugely known in the British market, the après ski here was lively to say the least!!! I would say the Obertauern has fabulous slopes for any level of skier.
The accommodation here is very smart and quite upmarket, my favourite is the Hotel Steiner, the food here is fabulous and it is only around 150m from the centre of the resort and the slopes are literally just across the road.
This is also a superb hotel if you are looking for good leisure facilities as it features an indoor pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, steam room and a host of beauty treatments.
Saalbach & Hinterglemm
Definitely worth trying one season here. It has the highest ration of high speed lifts, a great town centre which is virtually traffic free, excellent après ski and good variety of hotels.
I would recommend these resorts to any level of skier, and I would personally stay in Saalbach. I stayed at the Hotel Saalbacher hof, and was one of my most memorable ski holidays, this hotel is run by a lovely family and offers really high standards.
It is right in the centre of town and a very short distance to the lifts, it hosts the Castello nightclub and après ski bar, with live bands an amazing atmosphere and a fabulous end to a day on some awesome slopes. The hotel also has great leisure facilities, including an indoor pool, Jacuzzi, gym and lots more.
St Anton I cannot leave Austria without a visit to St Anton. Challenging skiing, and legendary après ski! If you are looking for long and very challenging runs, spectacular scenery and lively après ski this resort has it all.
I would not recommend this resort for beginners, you need to be a competent skier to make the most of the runs in St Anton. St Anton does tend to be more expensive than many other Austrian resorts but there is a good range of available accommodation here in both hotels and Chalets.
I stayed in the 3* Rendlehof which offers excellent value for money, only 3 mins walk to the centre and the main Nasserein Gondola and at a great price you get full use of the facilities and your evening meal at the Hotel Alberg, it’s posh sister hotel just across the road. The rooms at the Rendlehof are really nicely furnished and spacious, a great little place to stay.
These are my favourites in Austria but I have skied at many, many more resorts so if you are looking at one of the others just let me know and I will be more than happy to advise you.
On to France, and I have to say one of my firm favourites if going with a group of friends of varying abilities is a little resort called
La Clusaz This is a lovely resort which does offer character and charm within the resort unlike some other purpose built French ski resorts.
La Clusaz has a traditional village atmosphere and a decent variety of slopes, one of the bonuses is that it is only a short transfer from Geneva so you could also use this resort for a short break.
There is a great village centre bursting with shops, cosy bars and restaurants, this is a lovely charming family or group resort.
I would not say there is a huge variety of decent hotels here but there is an absolute gem of a Chalet, I like to keep it a secret as it is one of the best places I have ever stayed on a skiing holiday, if you are interested in knowing more you will have to get in touch.
Meribel Perfect to explore the ski areas of the Three Valleys, excellent skiing for all levels of skiers, and a good variety of off piste ski opportunities for non-skiers travelling with you. It is a lively resort with great après ski on offer too.
Meribel is in the centre of the biggest linked lift network in the world, offering a superb range of skiing. It is a pretty resort with lots of traditional chalets offering ski in ski out skiing. Also hugely popular for those adrenalin junkies of you who enjoy good off piste skiing.
Accommodation – my recommendation is Chalet Hotel Tarentaise, right on the edge of the piste, cosy lounge with roaring log fire, great food, unlimited wine with your evening meals, hearty afternoon tea far better than very many others, spacious, comfortable rooms and great beauty salon offering a range of very relaxing pampering treatments.
For those of you looking to travel with children, this is the perfect hotel with outstanding childcare and facilities.
Les Deux Alps This is one of France’s oldest ski resorts, and you are guaranteed skiing at Les Deux Alps thanks to the high altitude location and of course the stunning glacier which is the largest in Europe.
Lively après ski, a good range of shops, bars and restaurants and magnificent scenic skiing. This resort also has the advantage of a short transfer if you fly into Chambery airport. I found the lift system to be pretty efficient here and don’t suffer from long queues.
I stayed at the Chalet Hotel Berangere which is just alongside the piste , a lovely comfortable hotel, offering a cosy lounge with a log fire, great food, unlimited wine with dinner and food is plentiful, not just croissants and jams here for breakfast.
This is an ideal choice for families, groups, and singles as they offer a large singles table every night at dinner an ideal opportunity to meet new friends and enjoy company whilst travelling alone.
France is such an extensive ski area, I have just given a taster here of a few of the resorts I have skied, but I have experienced many more, if you are looking for advice on one of the others just get in touch.
Switzerland
Grindelwald If you are looking for high altitude skiing and guaranteed snow then what about Grindlewald. Spectacular scenery at the foot of the Eiger, a pretty traditional Swiss village, there are lots of long gentle runs which are absolutely ideal for the intermediate skier. Few places I believe could rival the views it is truly spectacular, but not as convenient with the necessity of taking gondolas or trains up to the slopes, therefore could be a bind with young children.
I went with a friend and we had a superb time, the village is lovely with lots of choice of restaurants and chocolate box chalets. Whilst there we took the opportunity to go to Jungfraujosh the highest railway station in Europe with the most awesome views, and at the top an ‘Ice Palace’ carved out of the glacier.
I stayed at the 4* Sunstar ideally located right opposite the ‘First’ gondola, and only 3 mins walk from the centre of the village.
St Moritz The glamorous resort frequented by the rich and famous. I have never skied such well-manicured pistes than I did in St Moritz, the weather is glorious for much of the time, I swear it is one of the best groomed ski resorts out there, I would recommend this resort best for intermediates as long as you have plenty of spare cash, even the mountain bars and restaurants serve Krug champagne, it has the ‘Wow’ factor the resort is also host to world famous Cartier world Polo tournament which is played on the frozen lake.
St Moritz is full with designer shops, chic restaurants and bars, it is elegant and stylish. But bring your credit card with you, this is the resort to come to if you want to impress and be impressed. I stayed at the Badrutt’s Palace Hotel, a majestic, stunning hotel situated right on the lake, a perfect vantage point if you are there for the polo.
The hotel is one of the best hotels in the world, the rooms are sumptuous, the facilities outstanding and offers a choice of 7 restaurants. This is a lifetime experience not just a skiing holiday!!
USA
I am only going to touch on the USA, as I believe we have such amazing skiing opportunities on our doorstep in Europe. I personally do not see the point in spending 10- 12 hours flying all the way to the USA, to ski, however now and again you have to try these things so I headed to Lake Tahoe, world class skiing with views!
Lake Tahoe offers 19,000 acres of skiable terrain, 600 ski runs and 20 terrain parks all on the same lift pass. Heavenly is on the South Shore and this is where I stayed, Squaw Valley is in the north. Lake Tahoe also boats 5 lively casinos it is like a little Vegas in the snow.
Beautiful scenery, awesome slopes with amazing variety and a fabulous destination if you are travelling with non-skiers in your group as there is so much to do. You can ski here from late November right up until June with good snow conditions.
I stayed at the Embassy Suites resort which is right next door to the high speed gondola to Heavenly, most of the other hotels are on a room only basis but the Embassy suites off a great Full American breakfast and free après ski drinks. It offers really comfortable spacious rooms which can take up to 4 adults, the hotel also offers an indoor swimming pool, gym, whirlpool and sauna.
So there we go a whirlwind guide to Karen does ski.
Feel free to get in touch for expert help and advice with your ski holiday plans this winter, there is no charge for my service but I do hope I will be able to recommend and book the most perfect ski holiday for you.