Europe 2025/26

[Tony Crocker]

The second week we'd be based in Bern because of potentially complimentary accommodations.

I'm guessing you're flying in/out of Geneva with that second week in Bern. You know our official advice. Rent a car for the entire two weeks. Decide where the first week is based upon weather forecasts/snow conditions a week or so in advance.

Aiguille du Midi and the Valle Blanche tour, which I'm not sure I want to do?

I can't imagine why not. The Classic Route is very intermediate. In fact, you and your son might investigate a guide that would take you on one of the Envers du Plan routes through some icefalls. But for someone who goes to the Alps rarely, I'd say don't pick Chamonix for a week until that upper Grands Montets tram gets rebuilt.

Zermatt would be nice. I'm not sure it fits a moderate budget? We've visited in the summer 40 years ago and were blown away by the Matterhorn scenery.

You can't count on any off piste being available that early in the season. But if it's a good year like Liz and I experienced in 2014 we would recommend highly.

St. Moritz or Ischgl both sound like they could be good for a week-long visit, but I know little of the scope and quality of skiing at them?

St. Moritz profile is somewhat like Zermatt's but not quite so rocky. Our visit was late January but in 2019 which was a big year for the Graubunden region.

Late January is a high probability bet for the Arlberg, and I don't think that was the region of Austria jimk visited before. Again, with these visits being rare it seems logical to go for one of the best. Val d'Isere/Tignes should always be on the short list with that in mind.

I've always wanted to ski the scenic Dolomites, but I'm not sure I want to tangle with the place two weeks before it hosts a Winter Olympics?

The only Olympic events in the Dolomites are in Cortina. The Sella Ronda resorts should be business as usual (we liked Arabba as the base). If your wife is an intermediate skier, the Dolomites are a great choice cruising around that amazing scenery with high quality dining options. If she does not ski at all, you should aim for a destination best for you and your son. Thus my recommendations of the Arlberg and Val d'Isere, both of which have nice resort towns too. But I would still wait until close to departure time to commit any lodging $$$.

Recall that day tickets in the Alps are in the $75 range. Thus choice of resort should not be constrained by your season pass like it might be in North America. That said, you could easily spend a week or more in the Aosta resorts if snow is decent.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

You know our official advice. Rent a car for the entire two weeks.

Travel by train may be fun/romantic but you're giving up convenience and flexibility. Renting a car is also significantly cheaper, especially when there are multiple travelers involved.

The following is a yearly tradition, at least for me. What we FTO oldtimers might call a "Gpaul Exercise" -- creating itineraries that the OP never requested and will in all likelihood never use -- however, I can quickly copy/paste this from previous iterations so here's the Graubünden itinerary from Zurich airport that I've done twice. From point to point, it's a little less than three hours; however, you have the opportunity to hit one of the excellent locals' joints (in red) in both directions along the way and also use an Ikon pass for five days at St. Moritz. Click on each bullet for the reports.

• Flumserberg
• Pizol
• Tschiertschen
• Savognin
• Bivio
• Corvatsch (2 days)
• Corviglia (2 days)
• Diavolezza (1 day)

 

[jimk]

Thanks for the feedback. Aosta and St. Moritz are in play. One thing about this long shot and since I probably won't know if I'm going until a few weeks before traveling, I can factor-in early season snow conditions for choice of destination. Of course, that could make it tougher to reserve close-to-travel-time accommodations. Maybe I'll try making a couple fully refundable reservations?

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Maybe I'll try making a couple fully refundable reservations?

That's fine if it gives you peace of mind; however, as long as you're not trying to book:

1. An in-demand high-value hotel (a serious deal for the quality vs. what you're paying)
2. During the peak school-holiday period (second week of Feb through the first week of March_

... you can nab a hotel right up through the afternoon of when you're there. I'm not exaggerating; it's that easy during off-peak periods.

 

[Tony Crocker]

... you can nab a hotel right up through the afternoon of when you're there. I'm not exaggerating; it's that easy during off-peak periods.

Jimk said he's going in late January. That's the time frame both James and I have used most. It is not necessary to commit advance $$$ to lodging then. The sole exception in our experience were those Winter Sports Weeks at the Sandhof in Lech. I checked their website last night and no longer see those offered. It looked like late January requires a one week stay. I checked Jan. 24 start date and 3 people and it showed $430 Euros/night, which is not bad considering it's half board. But I was not able to get the website to move forward. James, maybe you can do better in the German version?

 

[ChrisC]

Your choice for mid/late January is all snow-related. Snowfall over the Alps generally decreases from N/NW to S/SE, and the same is true for the expected coverage and snow bases during the time period.

Which is the single best place from that list for a full week of skiing for my son and I? He's expert, I'm advanced. My budget would be moderate. My wife the non-skier might benefit if we stayed at an interesting base village, but that's not a make or break factor. Her time would come the second week.

Given the mid/late January timeframe (and Ikon restrictions), I would most likely choose Chamonix. Followed by Zermatt and maybe then St. Moritz. Aosta next (why? Cervinia is essentially Zermatt; other areas receive less snow than Chamonix/one could ski Courmayeur from Cham). Last/likely a pass Dolomites and Kitzbuhel.

Why Chamonix? High, reliable snowfall area (generally, the town will have snow cover in January, but not always). Lodging at any price point. One town mountain - Brevent/Flegere, but otherwise by bus/car. Easy to join a cheaper 'guide' group for off-piste or Aguille. Lots of nearby resorts that get good snow and others that are weather-proof (trees for visibility). Again, the highlights are:

• Grands Montets (it is horrible that it has taken almost a decade to replace the summit tram - next year 26/27 S3! - but it's the equivalent of Jackson missing a tram for a decade. Again, the current lifts can provide great skiing!
• Brevent/Flegere - solid intermediate to expert terrain, great views, face south?
• Le Tour/Tete de Balme - uncrowded open freeride skiing
• Aguille du Midi - Vallee Blanche and Envers variants are all global ski world classics! Issue: glacial crevasses just filling in by January
• Courmayeur - easy Mont Blanc tunnel. Classic town, and Dolce Vita scenic mountain with surprisingly great off-piste!
• Verbier - easy day-trip. My favorite in all the Alps for pure, easily lift-served, steep skiing! (rank it slightly ahead of St. Anton/Arlberg, Val d'Isere, Andermatt/Engelberg - other favorites)
• Megeve - a massive area with great tree-lined runs. Better than Les Houches.
• Flaine? La Thuile? Huge areas with great snow potential.

Zermatt and St. Moritz are strong contenders. Both get high-quality snow, are super scenic, have great terrain, but sit deep in the Alps, almost on the backside of the Alpine Divide, and get less snow than other West/Northwest Alps resorts. They are very similar to the USA's Aspen, Telluride, Crested Butte, and Sun Valley - snow can take a while to accumulate, and expert terrain often becomes available reliably after February 1st (or 15th?) most years. Some years sooner. For example, last year St. Moritz was <50% until late January and a 3-5 ft storm.

If snow does materialize, I prefer Zermatt's experience and expert terrain to the piecemeal approach of the current Chamonix. And no car is necessary for Zermatt. It will just sit in the Tasche parking garage for $20/day. Improves Zermatt's affordability index (3-3.5 hrs from Geneva/Zurich on a beautiful train ride).

If they have good early snow years, they might be better choices due to fewer crowds, less hassle getting to the lifts, an overall better experience, and more reliable snow.

Discussion:
- I've always wanted to ski the scenic Dolomites, but I'm not sure I want to tangle with the place two weeks before it hosts a Winter Olympics?

As Tony suggested, the Olympics are spread throughout the Dolomites, with events in Livigno, Bormio, and Cortina. Like the Salt Lake Games, spectators generally show up, but in overwhelming numbers. And skiers were a no-show in Utah for the entire winter of 2002. Will not be an issue.

- Zermatt would be nice. I'm not sure it fits a moderate budget? We've visited in the summer 40 years ago and were blown away by the Matterhorn scenery.

Zermatt is quite large, and you can find reasonably priced accommodations around the train station (north side) or on the south side. Avoid the city center—same advice as St. Moritz (Dorf=expensive, Bad and Celerine = more reasonable). Surprisingly, Ischgl is quite upmarket and priced more similarly to these resorts.

Again, the issue is not accommodations. You can find lodging at a similar price to mid-market Colorado. Keystone, Steamboat, Park City, and Winter Park are not cheap anymore! Kinda picey.

Food is an issue - anywhere in Switzerland. Breakfast is most often included. However, lunches and dinners can add up! Lunches are more often sit-down meals versus takeaways, and dinners are generally more expensive (with fewer casual pizza and brew pub places). Combined with an unfavorable exchange rate compared to recent years (1 CHF = $1.25 USD, down from almost parity), the cost of food adds up.
My Swiss workaround is (lunch is often Coop groceries, breakfast remnants, or Goulash Soup), and dinner is half-board. As you can see in many reports, when I am not with friends, I mostly ski through lunch, and I will bring protein bars from the USA. But will splurge or stop for a refuge or restaurant with a good view/location, or food reputation.

- St. Moritz or Ischgl both sound like they could be good for a week-long visit, but I know little of the scope and quality of skiing at them?

Both are excellent. Lots of reports online. St. Moritz has more choice since it's three unique areas (Corviglia (sunny, south-facing/cruisy town mountain), Corvatsch (big, burly, short bus ride), and Diavolezza/Lagalb (open, freeride, big vertical trams).

-I get the impression that the skiing around Chamonix is somewhat disjointed. Is there excellent recreational skiing beyond the renowned route up the Aiguille du Midi and the Valle Blanche tour, which I'm not sure I want to do?

Chamonix = St. Moritz = Davos = Aosta. All are disjointed/unconnected with one town hill, and everywhere else is a drive or bus. Chamonix's buses can be jam-packed, and having a car is a nice option (Verbier, Megeve, Les Contamines, etc.)

 

[ChrisC]

Here are some maps to understand Alps' snowfall:

This red line indicates the approximate crest of the Alps (the highest point). The exact placement of ski resorts seems a little off in places (Andermatt-Engleberg), but it gives an idea.

Here is a detailed precipitation map for the Alps and Europe. This is not snowfall, but a more liquid equivalent - and not just winter but yearly.

Now the Alps are enlarged. One can see much higher precipitation totals in the Northwest.

See January - it's all northwest precipitation in the Alps!

 

[ChrisC]

Zermatt is relatively easy to evaluate.

Just look to see if the Yellow itineraries are open (freeride/controlled). An even easier indicator: if the Rote Nase cable car (from Hohtälli to Rote Nase) is open, freeride is open, and conditions/coverage are excellent for Zermatt. (Note: some terrain will always be a bit rocky. The Hohtälli cable car itself is NOT an indicator; it can be opened with a single snowmaking piste for connection purposes.)

I personally would not ski Zermatt unless I saw that cable car open, and some yellow areas -preferably the Hohtalli zone - open on its conditions map.

Zermatt-Cervinia https://zermatt.swiss/en/map?type=winter

If these areas are closed (all yellow itineraries), freeride will be challenging, with little expert terrain available, and you will mostly be skiing on machine-made groomers/pistes.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

at the Sandhof in Lech. I checked their website last night and no longer see those offered. It looked like late January requires a one week stay. I checked Jan. 24 start date and 3 people and it showed $430 Euros/night, which is not bad considering it's half board. But I was not able to get the website to move forward. James, maybe you can do better in the German version?

They ended the off-peak Sport Weeks during the pandemic. At the current disadvantageous exchange rate, the 430 euros per night for three people is $165 pp/per night. Not terrible but not the excellent old deal, which also included a one-week Ski Arlberg pass.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

It can be overwhelming to parse so much information and so many maps. The best advice is to pick one of the three nonstop gateways from the U.S., rent a car, and decide very close to the arrival date which region you want to visit.

 

[ChrisC]

It can be overwhelming to parse so much information and so many maps.

Well, I go to the Alps to primarily ski its freeride/off-piste expert terrain in - hopefully - powder. Therefore, snowfall and maps are very important. If I cannot find snow/experiences equivalent to or better than those in Telluride/Snowbird/Alta/Jackson/Whistler, an Alps trip is unsuccessful. Hopefully, it is on par with BC/Alaska heli/cat skiing at a cheaper price point. Terrain-wise, it's often/always better. Snow-wise, it's a bit less predictable, but one can always find untracked.

The best advice is to pick one of the three nonstop gateways from the U.S., rent a car, and decide very close to the arrival date which region you want to visit.

In short, Zermatt/St. Moritz might (will likely?) not have enough snow to be worthwhile, especially for experienced skiers. Major pistes will be open. But the Dolomites could be dreadful - White Ribbon of Death WROD - pistes. Check the conditions in early January, a week out, and then decide, as James said.

Chamonix is the best/most reliable of the Ikon possibilities.

However, Austria/Arlberg typically has even better snow. And Val d'Isère/Tignes already has 1.5 meters of snow. Both of these will likely have better early-season conditions than any Ikon Pass Partners.

Kitzbühel is a strong "no" due to the Hahnenkamm Race from January 19th to 25th. A 100k fans invade town and prices are at their highest levels of the year!

 

[Tony Crocker]

James has the big picture right about starting with only picking the airport and car rental. But Jimk can educate himself with ChrisC's maps and be better prepared when the time comes a week or so ahead to choose a resort.

However, Austria/Arlberg typically has even better snow. And Val d'Isère/Tignes already has 1.5 meters of snow. Both of these will likely have better early-season conditions than any Ikon Pass Partners.

These are the areas I mentioned earlier as consensus top resorts for advanced/expert skiers. And in Jimk's time frame they are among the most reliable for snow. That's why I looked up the Sandhof info. If you can get a lodging deal in either of those resorts it might be worth considering advance booking. But as in North America in December, it's a very short list of areas worth considering that idea.

These two resorts also have the advantage that you can be based in one place for a week without needing a car. That means Jimk's non-skiing spouse can have the car and do other activities that interests her. For example, when it was dumping in Andermatt with limited lifts in 2013, Richard and I took daytrips to Lucerne and Lake Como.

Why Chamonix? High, reliable snowfall area (generally, the town will have snow cover in January, but not always).

ChrisC's maps are useful. It's logical that Atlantic storms will hit the NW quadrant leading edge most frequently. The problem is that most of the resorts in that leading edge (Portes-du-Soleil through the Jungfrau region) are lower with not that much terrain over 2,000 meters. Since this is also the sector of the Alps with highest rain incidence, I'm not in favor of booking it in advance.

Next in line are Flaine up to 2,400 meters and Chamonix. At Chamonix lift served, you have at high altitude the Aiguille de Midi (one day bucket list if crevasses are covered) and Grands Montets without the upper tram. Brevant-Flegere goes up to 2,400 but faces mostly south. Other areas near Chamonix like Megeve are low altitude. At Chamonix (and also Aosta) it is essential that the skiers have the car to commute to different ski areas.

The next line of mountains somewhat behind but mostly to the west of Mont Blanc contain the huge Tarantaise ski complexes from Val Thorens in the west to Val d'Isere in the east. They may get less precipitation than the leading edge but they are more reliable because their higher altitudes up to 3,000+ meters mean less rain and better snow preservation.

The Maurienne Valley is behind the Tarantaise with moderately less snowfall. South of the Maurienne (Serre Chevalier, etc.) it's mostly considered Southern Alps climatology dependent more on Mediterranean based storms which are more erratic. Alpe d'Huez, Les Deux Alpes and La Grave are south of the Maurienne but so far west that they still get some Atlantic based storms.

Aosta is drectly behind Mont Blanc but east of the Tatantaise. The areas near the France/Italy border (Coumayeur, La Thuile, La Rosiere, Fornet sector of Val d'Isere) get storms from both directions. I'd speculate that some of the western storms get across Aosta to Cervinia. I realize that in both 2014 and 2018 I skied Cervinia with huge snowpacks that facilitated lots of easy powder pickings.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Zermatt/St. Moritz might (will likely?) not have enough snow to be worthwhile, especially for experienced skiers.

I've never been to Zermatt but have read many times how the offpiste is rarely in play until later in the season. You're saying that St. Moritz isn't in good shape by the end of January? I guess that my two visits were outliers.

 

[MarzNC]

-I get the impression that the skiing around Chamonix is somewhat disjointed. Is there excellent recreational skiing beyond the renowned route up the Aiguille du Midi and the Valle Blanche tour, which I'm not sure I want to do?

Having spent a few days in Chamonix last April, skiing around the valley has some similarities to LCC/BCC/Parleys. For someone who can't decide which resort to choose (and has Ikon), it may seem disjointed looking at the map. But each section of Chamonix seems to have plenty to offer for a day or more. It was a bonus during my trip that my daughter and I got to ski a few hours at Grands Montets. The one day we had available turned out to be a good day to ski. It snowed several inches overnight and was blue sky until lunch time. Saw plenty of folks traversing out to get powder turns in the bowl that will be under the new cable car line. Our trip was set up to be more about scenery with time for easy hiking and going up Aiguille du Midi . . . which is amazing! My daughter picked a date and time for those tickets several weeks in advance. We were extremely lucky and had clear weather until mid-afternoon that day too.

With a guide, from what I've read and videos, I see no reason you wouldn't enjoy Valle Blanche. At least after the initial walk down from the entrance of the access tunnel.

I booked the first night at Hôtel La Verticale, right in town. It's essentially an upscale hostel with small rooms. For the rest of the stay I booked an "apartment hotel" recommended by an Australian who had stayed there with his family. Since it was late season, getting a unit for a reasonable price was easy. I used Hotels .com because that was simpler.

A big difference from a travel planning standpoint between LCC/BCC/Parley's Canyon is that the public transportation around the Chamonix valley is much more organized. Between the train and the ski bus, there would be no reason to drive for ski days. We used Eurail passes since we started in Basel (visiting my old friend and daughter's godmother) and finished in Geneva. For people with snow driving experience and ski gear, having a rental car could make sense when the trip involves destinations other than Chamonix.

Snow photos are from Grands Montets, April 25, 2025.

People starting the hike/traverse for fresh tracks

Can you see the people along the traverse between the blue lines?

Off-piste looked fun but was quite frozen under the new snow, we had rental gear and stayed on groomers

View from our balcony of paragliders landing in the field near the base of Brévent-Flégère

 

[Tony Crocker]

You're saying that St. Moritz isn't in good shape by the end of January? I guess that my two visits were outliers.

Snow was abundant in January 2019 but the glacier run from Diavolezza was not open yet. Corvatsch had a few big boulder fields similar to Zermatt's. Overall St. Moritz is more intermediate than Zermatt (not Cervinia though) and probably requires less coverage.

I've skied with Jimk and his son is a Snowbird instructor. For a rare trip to the Alps they should be taking ChrisC's advice on where to go in terms of off piste terrain and required snowpack. And probably hiring a guide for a day or two to get the most out of the trip.

I'll reiterate, do not let the Ikon tail wag the dog of resort choice. And pay up for guides in unfamiliar territory especially if there is powder. If you need to trim the budget, do that with lodging and food.

 

[Sbooker]

If you need to trim the budget, do that with lodging

Which is easy to do. You’ll get a modest self contained apartment on snow in a French resort for under 150USD per night at that time of year. Same goes for Italy.
I’m going to challenge myself to average 150aud (about 100usd) per night when I go in March next year.
I spend the savings on group guiding and better restaurants.

 

[MarzNC]

The second week we'd be based in Bern because of potentially complimentary accommodations. I may ski a day or two from there to Grindelwald/Wengen or Gstaad, but also do non-ski activities with my wife. My only previous skiing in the Alps is a week in the province of Salzburg, Austria about 20 years ago.

Worth pricing out the train for the second week. With a senior Eurail pass, would have a fair amount of flexibility without having to deal with a car. Driving would probably be fine, but then have to deal with parking at the destination of interest. I was born and raised in Manhattan, so using public buses and subways was the way my family normally got around. Only took the car when leaving the city.

When my daughter and I took the train from Basel to Chamonix in late April, we made a last minute decision to make a small detour and stop by Grindelwald for a few hours because it was a blue ski day. Put our luggage in a storage locker (small cases, no ski gear) right across from the train station. There was a friendly staff person available to help with the process since it was our first time. Need a smartphone with WiFi access. After that experience, we added a stop to see a tulip festival on the day we left Chamonix and headed to Geneva. We literally made that decision a few stops before needing to get off and change trains. By then, changing trains with less than 10 minutes until the next train arrived wasn't stressful. As we guessed, there was a luggage storage area at the train station in the town with the tulips. It was a short walk. Would've been more complicated to figure out the one-way streets and the best place to park in some ways. After taking the train to Geneva, still had time to get from our airport hotel (lower budget) to downtown Geneva to walk around and have dinner. The public bus was free because we had booked a hotel room.

Grindelwald view, April 23, 2025

Tulip festival, April 27, 2025

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I go to the Alps to primarily ski its freeride/off-piste expert terrain in - hopefully - powder. Therefore, snowfall and maps are very important. If I cannot find snow/experiences equivalent to or better than those in Telluride/Snowbird/Alta/Jackson/Whistler, an Alps trip is unsuccessful. Hopefully, it is on par with BC/Alaska heli/cat skiing at a cheaper price point.

You go for the Euro variant of U.S. elite resorts with expert/far-flung offpiste. I take a more serendipitous, less data-heavy approach to visit what most would consider oddball locals' joints with low-hanging, less challenging offpiste that doesn't require a guide to access. I'll keep comments about detailed maps and snowfall minutiae to myself.

 

[jimk]

Worth pricing out the train for the second week. With a senior Eurail pass, would have a fair amount of flexibility without having to deal with a car. Driving would probably be fine, but then have to deal with parking at the destination of interest. I was born and raised in Manhattan, so using public buses and subways was the way my family normally got around. Only took the car when leaving the city.

When my daughter and I took the train from Basel to Chamonix in late April, we made a last minute decision to make a small detour and stop by Grindelwald for a few hours because it was a blue ski day. Put our luggage in a storage locker (small cases, no ski gear) right across from the train station. There was a friendly staff person available to help with the process since it was our first time. Need a smartphone with WiFi access. After that experience, we added a stop to see a tulip festival on the day we left Chamonix and headed to Geneva. We literally made that decision a few stops before needing to get off and change trains. By then, changing trains with less than 10 minutes until the next train arrived wasn't stressful. As we guessed, there was a luggage storage area at the train station in the town with the tulips. It was a short walk. Would've been more complicated to figure out the one-way streets and the best place to park in some ways. After taking the train to Geneva, still had time to get from our airport hotel (lower budget) to downtown Geneva to walk around and have dinner. The public bus was free because we had booked a hotel room.

Grindelwald view, April 23, 2025
View attachment 47946

Tulip festival, April 27, 2025
View attachment 47947View attachment 47948

Nice.
My wife and I used a 21 day eurail pass to visit Ger, IT, FR, Switz in May-June 1983! Also rode buses and boats with that pass. Visited Jungfrau, Zermatt, Garmisch, Paris, Rome, etc. Terrifically memorable trip totaling 25 days in Europe, carless.

 

[Tony Crocker]

We have always rented a car in Europe. But we've driven to some locations and never used it until we left, so car not needed at some places. Most Euro cities are like that, including our non-ski excursions on ski trips. But getting to and from ski resorts to those diversions was surely easier with a car. Examples were Saalbach - Venice - Ischgl in 2017, Verbier - Cinque Terre - Les Arcs in 2022 and Serre Chevalier - Monaco - Alpe d'Huez in 2023.

I relied on rail passes for a summer trip and one of my two ski trips to Japan. But lugging ski bags through multiple train stations is a hassle. That's one more argument for the rental car if the trip is for skiing. Given that their ski profile is in the direction of ChrisC's, I suspect Jimk and son will bring their own ski gear.

I think it's obvious Jimk needs the car. Even if he's in a single base ski resort for a week, his wife will want the car to do something else.