With a few emails it would be very easy to organise a trip to the jura hills north of Geneva it's where the French Nordic tram train and there's lots of mini resorts. You can do the whole thing from Geneva airport by public transport. We of course brought our metal edged nansens but other styles are available.
The tourist office is very helpful.
Another vote for Jura.
we’ve done KE tour in Sweden, self organised hut tours in Norway and a mixed xc and downhill week in Jura, Les Rousses.
I bet you had the same experience we had in Jura, bc skis just a bit wide for the cut tracks
Hoping to head to Hardangervidda at beginning of March for more
I've had several long weekends (4-5 days) in the Jura (for me its closer than the Alps) and although its not 'alpine' in the sense of big, rocky, pointed mountains, it does tend to have good snow cover and feels a lot like skiing in parts of Scandinavia (ie lots of forest). We usually stay in one place (mostly Chapelle des Bois, Bellefontaine or Foncine le Haut) and occassionally drive to a different ski area but it would easily be possible to do something like the Trans-Jura route using a mix of small hotels & gites. http://www.espacenordiquejurassien.com/ is a good source of information.
But places like Feclaz in the Alps are also very good
Kind of funny that if you didn't come in with such confrontational messages, your suggestions would probably be taken quite positively. Instead I find it hard not to look the opposite way.
> Cut trails ideally for simplicity and zero stress nav in familiar territory especially with children but never say never
The cut trails in Norway are certainly zero stress and I rarely look at a map, except to see the overall picture of where I'm going. Trails are well signposted and I use the Norsk Skiforeningen app, whose map shows your location and which trails are prepared.
> My guess is from previous a basic set up of boots skis and poles but would certainly bow to your greater knowledge. Hire would be significantly easier.
I hired the basics from Oslo winter park a few winters ago before I had my own stuff. They had ample stock and you could definitely just turn up and hire. They don't care where you take the gear as long as it comes back on time. They only had the wax-free type of skis. There's probably other ski centres that also rent.
If you decide to buy some kit on the cheap then it's worth pre-ordering something from XXL in advance and collecting it and paying for it upon arrival. I find their stock of footwear a bit frustrating in that they often have a big selection of products but only a small selection of random sizes for each product. Seems to be a common problem everywhere in Norway. If you're planning a week then buying probably won't cost that much more. Just depends on whether you want the hassle to bringing stuff back and storing it.
Must stick up for Norway as well. For somebody who likes the wilderness there's nowhere in Europe that really compares to Scandinavia for me. Plus I love the Norwegian huts. Temperatures have been freezing nearly everyday, there's a good snow base everywhere. If conditions hold, and you wanted to keep things simple, then you could start skiing from the end of the Oslo metro, thus avoiding the need to hire a car or travel anywhere first.
I agree. You can hire at Sjusjøen, Hafjelll/lillehammer resort area alpine slopes and the main shops at the skistar resorts also have hire. Xxl have packet price deals now for £200-250.
I think the biggest plus for the Nordics is if you avoid the very peak of the season in certain places, half term or sports week and the start / finish of vasaloppet or birkebeiner when they are on, it's quiet compared to many alpine places.