i like the south of austria (near villach) but i am biased cause my mom has a house there on the lake (500m walk to the ski lift). from there i can get to 7 different country borders within an hour. a drive to venice is 2.5 hours. its a gem cause it doesn't get totally overrun with tourists so the slopes are not too full and the lift queues not too long. (google for "gerlitzen") gerlitzen alone has 51km of track/piste. kiddie school with instructors etc etc. but yes, everything together is expensive. flights and accommodation is just one thing - you need to buy ski gear (suits, goggles, gloves, caps), rent equipment, eat (food is expensive) and ski lifts are expensive. it prob is a good idea to get a pckage deal if you don't know ayone that includes as much as possible, nut beware, you're still gonna spend more than you think on all sorts of stuff.