the BMB

I'm taking a semester in Rome and will be acquiring a Eurrail pass for sometime in November.  I want to do as much boarding as I can when I'm over there but I'm having a hard time finding information.  Most of the places I've looked on the internet can't give me a simple idea of when the seasons start in any of areas I want to board.  I have tentative plans to stop in Vienna, Bern, Amsterdam, Oslo, and possibly Helsinki.  Any info I could get on when the season starts and where some good places to go would be really helpful.

Also, I started boarding 3 years ago.  I'm only at an intermediate level, so please keep this in mind.  Thanks!

Most of the higher resorts would be open by mid-November, obviously depending on what kind of snow they're seeing, last year was epic with snow from early november till may in most of France and Switzerland. From Bern and Vienna you will certainly have snow by december but I would think the closest resorts to Rome won't be much fun till later. You're not going anywhere but indoors in Holland. Finland and Norway I understand are bitterly cold but quite flat so it's more a park type scene, others will know more about this. There are plenty of websites available, but I would look on a map, see what's close to where you'll be and look directly at the resort sites, they will show their opening and closing dates and most likely snowfalls at relevant times in previous years.
Enjoy.

Europe is cool. There are a lot of Yer O Pee Ons.

Around these parts the only resorts you find open in mid november are the ones with a glacier. Thing is resorts here rely on tourism and while there was plenty of snow in november the last two seasons the big resorts still wouldn't open before december

Vienna is a nice city, but the "mountains" near it will definitely not be open in November. Not sure what glacier-resort is near Bern, but it's the only somewhat doable city from your list as far as riding goes I think.

Ideally you'd simply come to Europe in February...November simply ain't the best month riding-wise here, heck I'd say it's the worst. Oh and especially when it comes to Glacier-resorts it's a pain in the ass to travel without car.

i spend a good bit of time in roma (trastevere), just there a few weeks ago...

i can tell you that there is a small resort in abruzzi by the name of roccaraso.  i have not been to it, i hear it is ok for a fix.  better resorts, like madonna di campiglio, are all located up north (train or plane)... italy has a lot of hills to ride, as in a ton, so be sure to explore (their back country looks amazing from the air).

austria is great-the tyrol valley has fun terrain and good snow.  france is cool, also... hope you speak french, they can be di.cks if you don't.  never have ridden in scandanavia. holland is nothing but dry slopes and indoor ice-stick to the barge hotels and musems there.

i can't speak for or a lot of the places in europe, there are others here that know a lot more, but i have been to a lot of mountains in norway (you mentioned oslo). for boarders the picks of the bunch are probably hemsedal, trysil or geilo. all are easy to get to on nsb (norway trains). size wise hemsedal is the best i reckon with loads of varied terrain and a good park. most mountains aren't great till after christmas and the season generally finishes on the easter weekend. march is probably the best month overall. these places can be brilliant later in the season but there is a tendency for the slopes to be very icey ealier on. also value wise, generally lifts don't open till 9 or 9.30 am and close at 3.30 (its pretty dark by then so no dawdling! other mountains worth checking are voss (near bergen) and norefjell (only about 1.5 hours out of oslo) which, i think has the greatest vertical drop in norway. st anton in austria is almost a must do imo, just incredible and we had brilliant powder conditions in davos in switzerland, also worth a look. hope this is of some assistance. ps, if you do go to norway make sure you take the warmest, best gear you can. its f....ing freezing! 

Has anyone ever riden Greece or Bulgaria? Worked there? Hook it up with the low down.

I just thought I'd make it clear that Dr. Babaloo chose to get in touch with the BMB before his own kin.

So you're saying he thinks highly of the bmb? or doesn't think much of his kin?

Dr. Babaloo:

Has anyone ever riden Greece or Bulgaria? Worked there? Hook it up with the low down.

greece's terrain and snow is spoty.  have not ventured to bulgaria yet.

i've said it before, and i'll say it again. pretty much still a hidden jewel is Zakopane, Poland. the name "Zakopane" means "buried", and for good reason as i have ridden some of the deepest snow ever over there. also, it's pretty goddamn affordable.

I live in Chamonix...was interested to read your post, seems you're going nowhere near France. France is cool. Is it on your rail pass? I've had some great days in Tignes and Les Deux Alps in November. For Tignes you train to Bourg St Maurice and bus up.

But like the other guy said there's not much good in November. Zermatt and Saas Fee in Switzerland are good options for that time though.

Feel free to PM me for info, or to have a look at www.goneboarding.co.uk - a British site with lots of regulars with tons of Euro experience.

This has all been very helpful! thanks a lot, keep it coming! I'm starting to think I might scrap my eurail pass and just fly ryanair since it's super cheap, that way I can take shorter weekend trips and I'll be able to go later in the season. I'm leaving the continent just before Christmas, so I want to get in as much boarding as possible before then. Also, if anyone knows the best places to go as far as people understanding English/basic Italian/basic Spanish that'd be great. Hostel ideas would be good too. Thanks a lot!