BTW, if anyone is looking for off piste guiding in Davos or Klosters, i can really recomend Ski school Saas, SSSD and In and out (they have an instructor called Christian Stockli who has given us all the best days skiing we've had).
Yup, have seen those maps too. I also spied in the Davos Bahnhof Platz kiosk a guide book to ski touring in Graubunden (in German), the book looked really good, so I think I'll invest this year in that and hopefully the avalanche course (I'm really hoping our work schedule works out for that one).
What we need from all these extensive websites is where to stay from cheap to expensive - its often difficult to find good cheap or good expensive accom in resorts - zermatt for example is ridiculously expensive but someone must be able to share a hidden gem of cheap but cheerful and central accom?
Couple of hostels in Zermatt. The Swiss Youth Hostel one is very good, with everything from bunk rooms to ensuite. Then there's always the Monte Rosa Hütte....
what is expensive? a 6 bed apartment for 7 days/ 6 nights to rent out for a price between 1600-2200chf i dont think thats expensive? we had it in flims, zermatt, verbier. the quality of all places were great.
I always try and include details on good cheap accom where we can but this information is always the hardest to keep up to date - www.worldsnowboardguide.com/resorts/switzerland/zermatt/resort_staying.cfm We are working with our accomodation provider to get lots of places listed in addition to our own recomendations, so that will be on the site in a month or so.
I've always loved the idea of having more detailed off-piste routes, as much for my own benefit as to it being great content. The worry from getting sued when things go wrong has been my main issue, getting beaten up by the locals for sharing the best spots, and how best display the information on the website, rather than just have an annotated piste map and lots of photos. This season i'll be going everywhere with my GPS, so it should be easy to link it into google maps/earth ...
I think that any good recommendations of reasonably priced places to stay over a weekend would be really useful - as a lot of places (e.g. in Verbier in particular) only take reservations for the full week.
Unless you are looking for Verbier's night life, the other resorts are cheaper and, in the case of Nendaz, are more convenient for a lot of the good slopes. If you're driving (or training) Martigny is well worth considering since you just take a train to Le Châble and from there a gondola up. The Motel Des Sports is relatively inexpensive and is fine.
I tend to stay a lot in youth hostels. They are in a lot of the resorts or in towns convenient for getting to the resorts.
Haus Bonnetti (sp) in Andermatt is 50 CHFs a night (approx) and is right near the slopes...
I think it can be quite hard to find short stay accom in the winter in the alps.
Our flat in Davos, website here , is available for short stays as are other some of the other properties on our agent's website all these are self catered though and it's all abit in between seasons so email the agent direct for prices etc.
I think the hardest cheap accom to find is for singles / couples. Most places do have hostels though that can be pretty reasonable. Klosters has a great one as does Scuol. St Joseph's House in Davos is Ok too.
If you have 7 or 8 people you should be able to find chalets in Verbier, Saas Fee and Zermatt and then the price can work out pretty cheap per person.
Also trawl the UK holiday sites, last year the company I work for was giving holidays for 7 nights in a catered chalet for £199 per person in Zermatt and Verbier. Now that is cheap!!!! (that price also included flights and transfers by coach though could be booked accomodation only).
In switzerland I don't think you will ever find cheap and good hotels. Depends on your definition of cheap I suppose.
For good deals I think it's also worth checking out smaller resorts.
For example Grimentz and Zinal in the val d'Annivers (we had an awesome days skiing there last year)
Reideralp and Feisch in the Aletscharena
Saas Grund as a great area, with awesome powder potential and links to Saas Fee by bus.
Cheapest way to visit zermatt is stay in Tasch.
Vallis has so many overlooked ski resorts, most of which have plenty to offer the weekend skier + less people
P
If you want a really good deal for a week's boarding or skiing - look up
the Ski Company, based in Greenwich but specialists in the Portes du Soleil, with chalets, appartments in Torgon (ski pass for Torgon, Chatel/super Chatel, Chapelle d'Abondance, Morgins + Champoussin. The best deal for family and friends groups- over New Year. Even better deals if you are flexible with dates and do not mind sharing the dining-area with a school group - ask for any 'filler' dates.
I still have the tinnitus....
so no Alpine Ski for me thanks.
So why not try cross country skiing? The Jura is the best place as you ski on the mountain ridges with fabulous views. Very cheap - no special clothing required - equipment hire 25CHF day 1, then CHF 15 for consecutive days. At your own pace - fabulous. For beginners I'd recommend Les Cluds near Chasseron - with fab views of the Alps and totally on the flat, with a restau at either end of track. Or La Brevine, but it can be VERY cold.
I love downhill and boarding - but langlauf (ski de fonds) too - so very different all of them.
Cyclocross from Oct-Dec and XC skiing from Jan-Mar is my plan
Sounds great - hope you get to our beautiful Jura. The hire shop in La Brévine is called Siberia - they are on the net. A good tip - the half day rental goes from 2pm, but if you get about 11.45 they will let you have half day from then (closed betw. 12 and 14).
Hi
We have a B&B chalet in Lens, 10 mins drive from the lifts at Crans Montana. If you avoid New Year and Feb Half Term you can stay here for the weekend or a few nights in the week. Prices are around 100 - 120 CHF per room per night with buffet breakfast. There is a regular bus service from Sion Railway Station.
Have a look at our web site www.chaletdesalpes.ch
We are very flexible and open all year.
Good to see that I am not the only person who has started thinking about winter and the prospects of some great skiing.
After a year in Switzerland life/work has settled down and I'd be interested to meet up with any Zurich / Baden based BC skiers who might be interested in to buddy up for some days out early in the season and tours later in 2011.
Hugh
Social time indeed lumi... watch this space.
Ocshner have a promo' on ski and binding servicing @ half price starting next week:
Big service - 27
sml service - 17
bindings - 15
Now might also be a good time to think about more skiing / snowboarding specific exercises - especially for those who don't tend to do much in the way of exercise outside of skiing.
This will reduce your chances of some injuries and allow you to enjoy yourself better and for longer.
You really need to be starting them now and not in the first week of December.
There was some good advice on a thread here for last season (Thanks Eire ) which certainly helped me due to back problems which really crippled me the year before.
Anyway, core and leg strengthing exercises are what's needed and if you really are unfit, some gentle running or cycling probably wouldn't go a miss.
It's probably better to add anything regarding exercises to that thread to keep this one more calendar specific.
Have you checked Club Med ?
Out of school holidays they offer 6 days' ski pass, Swiss Ski School Instruction (5 days), 3 meals a day, free wine and free bar - and piles more. A week in St Moritz in March will set you back CHF1420 pp based on 2 sharing.