Off to a flying start
With the new season almost here, these lesser-known resorts offer great skiing at prices you can’t resist
LA NORMA, FRANCE
EVEN the most experienced powderhound would be hard pushed to place La norma on the map ( la-norma.com).
It’s located in the Maurienne valley, the final frontier of French skiing.
Prices here, along with the 21 other resorts in the valley, are less than half those in the parallel Tarentaise valley, home to the Trois vallees.
The village, easily reached by an all-weather road up from the valley town of Modane, has wooden-clad apartment buildings and traditional chalets clustered around the nursery slopes. It’s traffic free and child friendly.
The dish of the day in a mountain restaurant costs around £9 and supermarket food prices are no higher than in valley towns.
Strong skiers will find demanding terrain with lots of off-piste above and below the treeline. For beginners, the green Ste Anne run winds around the whole mountain. Modane is just four hours away from Paris by TGv. DETAILS: Chambery airport is 90 minutes away. A six-day lift pass costs £134 and allows you a day’s skiing in each of four other resorts in the valley — Aussois, val Cenis and valfrejus. Together they have 300km of piste.
Accommodation is in apartments. Erna Low ( 0207 584 2841, ernalow. co. uk) offers a one-bedroom, family apartment sleeping up to four people from £195 in Les Chalets et Balcons de la vanoise.
KRONPLATZ, ITALY
THERE are no fewer than 21 gondolas here, more than in any other single resort in the world ( kronplatz.com).
Kronplatz, also known by its Italian name of Plan de Corones, is tucked away in a largely German-speaking corner of the Sudtirol.
Its lifts — 31 in all, serving 110km of piste — are included in the giant Dolomiti Superski lift pass. You can reach val Gardena and the Sella Ronda by skiing across into a neighbouring valley and taking a short bus ride.
This is the most popular resort in Italy for German and Austrian skiers, but it remains largely undiscovered by the British. It’s a large 2,225m mountain with lifts and ski runs on all sides, descending to the valley town of Brunico and a dozen little villages.
All of them provide accommodation, but there is no resort centre and apres-ski is therefore muted.
The skiing is best suited to intermediates. The lift system is fast and efficient, so you can really clock up the miles. But it’s also excellent for beginners, while five long black runs offer challenges for advanced skiers.
The extraordinary number of highspeed gondolas leads to overcrowding during peak weeks. The best times to visit are before Christmas, in January and in March.
My favourite base is St vigilio di Marebbe, the only Italian-speaking village. It has two good schools: the Italian Ski school (0039 0474 501049, scuolasci.net) and Sporting (0039 0474 501448, skisporting.com). DETAILS: The nearest airport is Innsbruck, 90 minutes away. A sixday Dolomiti Superski lift pass covers a mighty 1,225km of skiing in the region. Full price is £211, but outside high season it costs from £169 to £185.
Crystal (020 3733 1447, crystalski.co.uk) offers a week half-board at Hotel Majerei from £399pp — it’s a simple three-star hotel and a five-minute ski bus ride from the lifts. Price includes flights and transfers.
KALTENBACH, AUSTRIA
In THE beautiful Ziller valley near Innsbruck, busy Mayrhofen attracts the bulk of British skiers. But Kaltenbach and a few other more authentic Tirolean villages offer less crowded and better slopes in the Hochzillertal and Hochfugen areas ( zillertal.at).
A single lift pass gives access to a mighty 671km of pistes served by 174 lifts. Regular bus and train services run the length of the valley. The skiing is mainly intermediate and mountain access from Kaltenbach is by a modern eightperson gondola. For extra you can ride in style in a cabin with leather seats and sound system.
The Kristallhutte and the Wedelhutte rank among the finest in Austria, yet this is not reflected in high prices. A Wienerschnitzel costs £10 and a half litre of beer £4.50. DETAILS: The nearest airport is Innsbruck, 45 minutes away. A sixday lift pass costs £182. Stay up the mountain at the Kristallhutte (0043 676 88632 400, kristallhuette.com) and Wedelhutte (0043 676 88632570, wedelhuette.at) or the warmly recommended Schneekarhuette (0043 5285 64940, schneekarhuette.at).
In the valley, one week half-board in Hotel neuwirt (0043 528 562 917, ferienhotel-neuwirt.at) in Schwendau costs from £283pp, travel not included.
GRIMENTZ, SWITZERLAND
THE val d’Anniviers above Sion in the Rhone valley has some of the best skiing in Switzerland, yet it is almost unknown to British skiers.
The lift pass covers 220km of