4 seats are available, but you have to commit that 25% deposit next February a year in advance.
That may be correct this time.
2026/27 season plans
- Thread starter Sbooker
- Start date
Yes there was, initiated by sbooker
and now belatedly merged. The older thread is posts 1-26.The National Park pics and discussion is moved here. Not only does it keep the Season Plans 2026-27 more on topic, I think the separate thread will be easier to find in the future when someone is considering combining activities, especially in spring.
My searching skills are obviously deficient. Not to mention ruin my Alzheimers.Yes there was, initiated by sbooker
Edit. Yes. I remember it now. Obviously I am not at all engaged in my work and most thoughts are for the coming winter. I expect it will be a record for days on snow for me.
berkshireskier
Active member
I went to college in North Carolina, so I skied at Beech Mountain once. One of my hall mate's, who lived in Charlotte, family had a house at Beech and we all went skiing there for a weekend. I don't remember much about the mountain other than it truly had the worse skiers I have ever seen on a mountain. It seemed like there were a lot of frat bros from the University of Georgia or wherever who had never been on skis before (and probably never seen snow before) and rented skis, went to the top of the mountain and then went straight down until they wiped out (and they were probably drunk or hung over too). I've never seen so many total wipe outs and bad crashes as on those days at Beech. In North Carolina, many people have houses at Beech or Sugar Mountain to get away from the high heat and humidity during the Summers in the low lands of Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro, etc. and skiing is a secondary consideration.
Probably hasn't changed that much since I last skied Beech almost 20 years ago. I took my daughter to Beech a few times after she could ski the blacks at Massanutten . . . at age 6. Stayed once at a house of a family who had a house on Beech Mountain. However, there are also people who are regulars at Beech who know how to ski and would take 1-2 trips out west per season to ski. I learned how they did budget trips to Denver or SLC from SkiSoutheast threads. I also learned the importance of arriving early enough for "rock star" parking. They would arrive at least an hour before lifts opened, ski for a couple hours, then tailgate in the parking lot until the lift lines were manageable again or until after the afternoon grooming session (not done any more). Night skiing makes a difference in the southeast.
From what I've heard from someone who grew up "falling down the mountain" near Pittsburgh, weekends at Pennsylvania mountains have been on the crazy side too. That hasn't changed with Vail Resorts having bought seven of the largest ski resorts in PA and putting them on an inexpensive Northeast Epic pass.
I'm hoping to get a chance to check out Hatley Pointe in between trips out west. The new owners are creating a "boutique" 4-season resort from the former Wolf Laurel. Guys who loved the terrain there were skeptical. Rebuilding the lodge, the snowmaking infrastructure, and putting in a new lift took longer than the new owners expected. But the retired Beech ski patrollers I know thoroughly enjoyed a day there last December. HP opened up lift-served mountain biking this summer that seemed to be well-received. HP has limited the number of season passes, as well as day tickets on weekends. Reminds me of the mission behind building Deer Valley next to what existed at neighboring Park City & Canyons back in the 1980s. HP is near Asheville and on Indy. It appeals to a completely different market than Cataloochee about an hour away. There are people who drive from Atlanta to ski at Cat. Cat is also on Indy.
Certainly a less sexy mode of transport but if you want to avoid schlepping your baggage in a transfer, the Arlberg Express bus works fine.
Yes
Thanks. I didn’t know about so had not thought of a bus. I’m going to fly into Munich and catch the train to Innsbruck for a couple of days and then catch the train to St Anton.
Now I’m doing the next week at Les Arc I’ll catch the train to Geneva for a night and then catch a bus to LA I guess.
I haven’t worked out the next bit yet but considering I’ll fly out of Geneva and don’t have a car I suspect I’ll do some group guided days at Cham before returning home.
ChrisC
Well-known member
I agree with the bus suggestion, though I didn't find the five train/cable car transfers from Zermatt to Mürren that difficult, as long as you limit yourself to two bags (a wheeled ski bag and a large boot backpack). That said, the frequency of hourly trains compared to once-a-day buses definitely makes them a more convenient option for flexibility.
However, for a Stag/Bachelor party ski trip to La Grave in the late 2000s, I took a round-trip bus from Lyon Airport to Méribel-Mottaret for four days in the 3 Vallées, then skied La Grave via a shared rental van from Lyon, and later took another bus for a three-day stint in Val d'Isère with a few guys from the group.
At the time, I honestly assumed I’d never ski Europe again, yet I still managed to cover:
- Chamonix trip: Les Grands Montets, Brevent-Flegere, Le Tour/Le Balme, Les Houches, Megève, Les Contamines, Courmayeur, Verbier
- French Alps trip: Val d'Isère/Tignes, 3 Vallées, La Grave/Serre Chevalier/Les 2 Alpes, Chamonix (Aiguille du Midi).
- Summer: Zermatt/Cervinia (ski), Mürren, Grindelwald-First (hike/mountain bike)
Also, Zermatt looked a bit rocky (somewhat true), and I lumped St. Moritz/Davos and other Italian ski resorts as pretentious and/or scenic but a waste of time. Kitzbühel - I grew up watching the Hahnenkamm being canceled almost every year. Why would anyone ski a low-altitude Euro resort?
Obviously, I switch focus/obsessions: Vermont->Colorado->Tahoe->BritishColumbia->Alaska->Alps
Next? Less travelled places? Georgia and the Stans? India?
Maybe
Kyrgyzstan cat skiing is what to consider there but it's at the ends of the earth unless you're close to central Asia for other reasons as we were in 2025.
Gulmarg is like Las Lenas in terms of lift operation but with minimal avalanche control. The TRs from the Adventure Project convinced me I didn't want to go there.
I sort of get the Patrick mentality of rolling the dice for Southern Hemisphere destinations, but taking a flyer on an obscure or unreliable northern destination in the peak timeframe you could be in Japan, the Alps or western North America, too much FOMO I think.
Or you're Jimmy Petterson, who collects ski countries when us lesser mortals just collect ski areas.
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Could always tag it on the beginning/end of a trip to Japan
ChrisC
Well-known member
No. There has to be some travel efficiency involved. I'm not ready to travel just for the experience if it means dealing with significant downtime or logistical mishaps.
Regarding Gulmarg, I’ve heard from close friends who took two different trips there and ended up skiing maybe only 20–30% of the time. It sounds more like a travelogue to a beautiful but unstable region of Kashmir; I have no desire for that. The "Stans" feel the same way.
My last trip to Alaska offered multiple days of stable weather, but the groups there in the two preceding weeks were essentially skunked, with guides admitting they only flew about 1.5 days. I’ve hit the major lodges in the Valdez area; I might look into Majestic on the north side for better weather and more fly days.
Moving forward, I’d like to ski New Zealand, Japan, and Austria again—provided the conditions don't mirror the last two Januaries. British Columbia is perhaps the best combination of terrain, snow, and value, and it feels endless; I’d never say no to a trip to Whistler. As for the more obscure options, my friend from the UK talks about cat skiing in North Macedonia. That seems like a fun, "crazy" trip, but only as an extension of time already spent in the Alps - $200/day for cat skiing or so (Greek yogurt and powder?)
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ChrisC
Well-known member
The train from Munich Airport to St. Anton/Glazig looks easy - even some high-speed trains for part of the route.
Innsbruck - Understand the setup. I was wondering how crowded the buses are on weekends to the more popular mountains with university students and city dwellers.
Kitzbuhel/SkiWelt - This region touches the main train line. I wasn't sure whether staying slopeside here would be more fun, and whether having massive connected terrain like KitzSki and SkiWelt available would be better than busing to Innsbruck ski areas.
Assume you vetoed the Jungfrau area for another trip?
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Let me know when you are going to be there. I'll meet you to share a warm up run and then a beer at the end of the day.
I won't keep up after the warm up run.My wife didn't bat an eyelid at the Snoworks week in Austria. She won't do that kind of thing and she understands it's best for me to do it by myself. When I said I was doing the Les Arcs course the next week she semi jokingly says "Austria I can handle but you're going to France without me?" If I also did the bucket list Jungfrau without her...............
I don't know how reliable travel to ski above the Norway Fjords would be but I think I would take a chance on it. That scenery......
Norway Ski & Sail | Ski Tour Norway's Arctic Coast by Sailing Yacht
Ski‑sail expedition in Norway's fjords with Sawback Alpine Adventures: tour Lyngen Alps, sail Tromsø‑Alta aboard a classic sailing vessel; chase aurora & powder.
sawback.com
ChrisC
Well-known member
New Zealand: When it finally snows.... I'd like to see 75% or more of expert terrain (or better) open before August 1st. That will likely require a 100cm snow base. (The problem: these conditions probably occur <25% of ski years.)
This should let you find decent airfare. Also, snow bases often increase into the Spring at altitude. The issue: the lower mountain starts to melt and go to slope/spring conditions.
For example: NZ North Island: Whakapapa never really accumulated enough snow even by Spring to warrant a trip/$. In reality, most years it's not worth visiting.
Unless you are Patrick, why would you even entertain a trip to New Zealand to ski this: current conditions
Versus this - good year
Les Arcs/La Plagne are about as "soulless French" as one can get. Beautiful mountains/big terrain/m,odern lifts. At their core, they are modern, efficient (sometimes ugly?) resorts trying to provide the best experience for the most skiers at a decent price point. Industrial, yet economical.
If you told a Francophone that Les Arcs is their only French ski trip, they might go cry. Serre Chevalier, Chamonix, Mégeve, Samoëns, Morzine, Les Gets, etc., are "Skiing in France".
Note: Vail should study these industrial ski complexes more and not make every ski resort a 'premium experience'. Some are really not all that special (Keystone, etc). However, this goes against every MBA mantra/HBS Case Study: Either be the low-cost provider, or cater to the premium market - you just get squeezed in the middle. Likely too late - almost any ski town's average home is $1M from Whitefish, Sanpoint, Driggs, etc.
Most of Switzerland is a bucket list: Zermatt, Jungfrau, St. Moritz, Verbier....
I survey my US Skier friends:
- Most know/consider bucket list: Zermatt, Chamonix, Val d'Isere, 3 Vallées (Courchevel).
- Verbier - not really; some freeriders
- Jungfrau --> well, specifically, Interlaken is something you do cheaply in your 20/30s, a stop on a Eurail itinerary with hiking
- St. Anton/Lech - Arlberg - wth is that? Best skiing in Austria? Never heard of it.
- Dolomites - seems to be a strong interest. Outside of Cortina/Olympics, cannot name anything. Part of the Instagram Italy universe of the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany/Florence, Lakes Region, etc
- Aosta - you mean the Dolomites?
Yes. I follow my Euro Guides on social media—a lot will take off to Norway in the Spring for touring, etc.
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That skiing is nearly all touring. You had better be in shape. The premier destination there, Lyngen Lodge, expects you to climb 3,000 vertical feet per day at a rate of 1,000 feet per hour. At least the altitude is low. The lazy but expensive way to get that experience is at Arctic Heli in Iceland, as Liz and I did in April 2018.
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ChrisC
Well-known member
Agree. I never really got into ski touring myself. I always preferred lift-served telemark skiing, especially after the advent of hard plastic boots. The gear felt much more capable than the AT touring setups back in the 90s and 2000s, and it was significantly more fun on resort terrain.
However, I still regret never taking even a 3-day or overnight tour using the San Juan Hut System. However, time is limited: one day.....
The San Juan Huts ski system features a 5-hut network connecting Telluride, Ridgway, and Ouray, Colorado,
Backcountry Ski Hut Trips - San Juan Huts Systems
sanjuanhuts.com
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We've stayed there twice before. As long as there is a boulangerie and some restaurants and a supermarket that Kylie can talk bad French to French people she's happy.
We'll be at some of these in March I suspect. We'll have the kidults and their partners the group. Should be fun.
Actually I have cancelled the reservation in Val Thorens. We have some concerns that one or both of the kids partners might not love skiing and one of them are prone to headaches (altitude issues??) so we'll take them to Serre Chevalier for the week. That way if either are not taken with skiing there is the town and the hot springs at Monetier to keep them interested. And I've been told by someone who has done a season in SC that the learners area above Villeneuve (Pontillas gondola) is a big sunny bowl at 7500 feet and is a fantastic place for lessons.
We've stayed here twice and loved it both times. Underrated in my opinion. Even humble Pila has got a lot going for it. I'd like to ski it with some fresh snow. It was very hard when we were there a few Januarys ago.
I like the sound of that. I like walking up hills and I like skiing. I have touring boots and shift bindings and I will make time this winter to do some in resort uphill travelling.
ChrisC
Well-known member
Yes, Arc 1950- for example,
A Canadian real estate company's vision (IntraWest) of 'French Skiing' built in the mid-2000s, before the Financial Crisis. We have prototypes and replicas of this littering the United States and Canada at Keystone, Solitude, Snowmass, Squaw, Panorama, etc.
Mont Tremblant's Intrawest village might even have less English being spoken, and more French (Québécois) than Les Arcs. I liked it, and it's functional, especially for the East Coast and typical access road sprawl, but not sure it's a Francophone delight.
My point: I just feel culture is intertwined with a strong sense of place/community/authenticity/history. And the French mega resorts don't have that. It's somewhat the price of developing massive, sprawling resorts at high elevations.
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ChrisC
Well-known member
You are kind and brave to take 2 newbies halfway across the globe to learn to ski.
I'm somewhat hesitant to invite true beginners - unless it's just for a weekend or I am personally invested. (Expired Level 1 PSIA Cert). Even with a set daily meetup, too many shifting schedules and issues; I miss the 00s/10s or mountains that cannot support text/data of any sort.
Serre Chevalier?
While Serre Chevalier might be an excellent ski resort for intermediates and above, I think it's just an average setup (maybe below) for true beginners. There is a lot of 'friction' to get to the snow, and its upper mountain beginner area is unfinished. Specifically:
- Serre Chevalier is very low and just has magic carpets at the base. So you have to clear the hurdle of assembling ski gear, walking to the gondola, and undergoing an elevation/temp drop starting up high. (Again, don't join a gym more than 15 minutes from your house; Don't create the friction of a 30-60 min setup for a ski day).
- Gondola Location. The Pontillas Gondola is nice and new! However, it's in a parking lot away from most lodging, so you'll need a bus ride. (Just a few lodges nearby.) Most Villeneuve lodging is near the older (almost decrepit 1970s Aravet Gondola), which doesn't really lead anywhere appropriate.
- The redevelopment at the top of Pontillas is incomplete. They did install one short fixed lift last year, but it's mostly 1960/70s surface lifts waiting for an eventual upgrade to a High-speed 6-pack. It's OK but not great. It seems like a crime to go to Europe and not have simple, easy-on or easy-off high-speed lifts.
Again, Serre Chevalier's high-altitude beginner area is still under construction.
The planned construction of the 6-seater high-speed (detachable) chairlift Méa is a project under study for the Serre Chevalier ski resort in France. [1, 2] The primary goals and details of this proposed upgrade include:
- Consolidating Infrastructure: The new detachable chairlift is designed to streamline the ski area by replacing four aging button (J-bar) lifts along the route from the Fréjus area up to Col Méa:
- Méa (built in 1968)
- Barres (built in 1968)
- Crêtes (built in 1978)
- Clot (built in 1992)
- Complementing the Méa Plateau Revitalization: This project follows recent modern upgrades targeted at beginners and intermediate skiers in the Villeneuve sector. This includes opening the Pontillas 10-person gondola (which lands directly at the Méa sector) and recently installing the Pré de Jeanne beginners' lift.
- Consolidating Infrastructure: The new detachable chairlift is designed to streamline the ski area by replacing four aging button (J-bar) lifts along the route from the Fréjus area up to Col Méa:
Replacing the older surface lifts with a high-speed 6-seater chairlift will drastically reduce transit times, eliminate bottleneck queues, and provide a much smoother connection between the Fréjus hub and the higher altitude slopes. [1, 2]
From my 2025 visit, one can see surface lifts around the Pontillas Gondola
SnowHeads photo - a new fixed grip added somewhere
Again, beginner area in red; OK, but too many surface lifts.
Some resorts I found amazing in the Alps for beginners - the best is Alpe d'Huez. Multiple high-speed lifts from every corner of the village serve green runs; there are funiculars, gondolas, and HS chairlifts. Then lots of blue runs. Lots of mileage. Everything slopeside. No choices/no wrong turns/everything idiot-proof.
See insert pic
I actually thought Val Thorens has lots of blue/green routes.
British Columbia: Whistler vs. Interior Resorts
It's a bit of the Whistler phenomenon. A few beginner lifts at the base, but then a schlep to the summit for high-altitude beginner terrain. Again, more Washington State families (and some Aussies) opt instead for the condo-slopeside convenience of higher-altitude Sun Peaks or Big White.