A first ski week in the Alps.

When to come.

The alpine season runs from December to April. January and February usually have the most reliable snow, and March brings longer, sunnier days. The Argentine and Brazilian summer holidays fall in the alpine high season, and the February weeks are the busiest of the year in the Alps: the good houses go first, so for January or February write to us months ahead. A week in March or early April, outside the Easter weeks, is easier to arrange and often sunnier.

If those dates do not fit, there is the southern winter: from June to September we host in Las Leñas, in the Andes of Mendoza.

Getting there.

There are non-stop flights from São Paulo to Zurich, Frankfurt and Munich, and from Buenos Aires to Frankfurt, Madrid and Rome. From Zurich, the Swiss resorts are two to three and a half hours away by train or car, and Lech two and a half; from Munich, Garmisch-Partenkirchen is about an hour and a half away and Seefeld, Kitzbühel and Berchtesgaden about two hours. From Frankfurt, Madrid or Rome, a short connecting flight takes you on to Zurich, Geneva, Munich or Venice. We arrange the transfer from the airport, so the first day starts on the snow.

An overnight flight lands in the morning. A night in Munich is the natural first night: you drive up to the mountains rested the next day.

The papers.

Argentine and Brazilian citizens enter the Schengen area without a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, with a passport valid for at least three months beyond the day you leave the Schengen area. The European Union is introducing ETIAS, an online travel authorisation for visa-free visitors: check its start date before you fly.

What to bring.

Less than you think. Skis, boots, poles and a helmet are rented at the resort and fitted to you on the first morning; we arrange them before you arrive. Bring your ski clothes if you have them, since in Buenos Aires and São Paulo they are harder to find than in the Alps, plus sunglasses and sun cream for the altitude and warm layers for the evenings. Travel insurance with winter-sports cover is the one thing not to leave at home: we recommend it to every guest.

Your first days.

Our coaches teach in Spanish and Portuguese, so nothing is lost on the first morning. A first ski week starts on the gentle slopes near the village, with a private coach for the group or for each skier, and moves on to longer runs as the week goes by; skiers who already know the mountain get a guide and the terrain to match. Ski and snowboard coaching.

The time difference from Argentina and Brazil is only four hours, five from late March when Europe moves to summer time, so the first day on snow can be the day after you land.