Where is the cheapest place in Europe to fly into (from the US?

Where is the best place to ski in Europe for families and the cheapest way to get there from the US?

• I have a 16 year old boy and 11 year old girl and we are looking for a resort that has activities to do after skiing/snowboarding where it is not too expensive. What about the conditions and how does it compare to the powder in Colorado? Is it much colder? Any information on travel from the airport to the resort would be greatly appreciated.

• Answer:

  I never skied in Colorado, but I did ski in Utah, Vermont, France, and Italy (I also skied in Russia on one of Putin's favorite resots, but this does not count). My favorite places are Vars-les-Claux/Risoul (combined resort, with Vars more oriented for traditional skiing and Risoul - for snowboarding) and Montgenevre/Via Lactea (you can buy a ski pass valid both in French Montgenevre and Italian Via Lactea). Another French favorite (I have never been there myself) is Three-Valley region (it's ENOURMOUS!) with Courchevel arguably being the best part of it (http://www.ski-europe.com/resorts/courchevel.html). I can tell you - nothing in Utah and Vermont can beat the size of skiing domains and variety of slopes in French Alpes. I also found that hospitality service in Alpes is WAY much better than in Paris region (no surprizes here) and comparable with U.S. standards. Getting there - you can fly to Geneva, Nice or Lyon and then take a train/bus from there. Prices - $/euro exchange rate makes it more expensive than it's used to be. Try to go there in January (after the first week) - February (before the last week), when there are no vacations in France and you can get really good deals. Have fun!