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Who's skiing where this winter


mightysaints
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I might go tomorrow but had a pretty bad fall last week and the bruise is now a vivid yellow and my thigh feels a bit weak. The recent snow here on the Italian side of Mont Blanc/Monte Bianco has been good so a base has already been established for the season and I've already done some off-piste (plus some avalanche transceiver training), so I'm set to go...

 

Off to the UK soon for Christmas, but if anyone needs some local advice let me know... cheaper than France here, that's for certain...

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Ahh why not..... Never been but had heard good things?

 

Its a decent size ski area but I just much prefer other resorts in the local area. Les Arcs (which LP is sistered with) is brilliant, Val d'Isere and Tignes both absolutely amazing, and all resorts in the 3 Valleys are very good indeed. If going for a super resort in the Savoie, La Plagne would be my last choice of the main ones. La Plagne is a bit all too spread out for me, too many little villages and no real resort centre. I also find the pistes a bit boring; but if you're into (very) challenging off-piste then the north face of Bellecote is, to be fair, an absolute must.

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If any of you want to do further research I'll be skiing (or have already skied) this season at Cervinia, Champoluc, Courmayeur, Crevacol, Gressoney (various + Alagna), La Thuile, Pila and over the border in La Rosiere, Zermatt and, hopefully, Verbier.

 

I'm going with a big group of friends and also my family to La Rosiere, in a couple of weeks time. I ski a bit, but most of the group are beginners. I've not been there before. Any tips on what to expect?

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Its a decent size ski area but I just much prefer other resorts in the local area. Les Arcs (which LP is sistered with) is brilliant, Val d'Isere and Tignes both absolutely amazing, and all resorts in the 3 Valleys are very good indeed. If going for a super resort in the Savoie, La Plagne would be my last choice of the main ones. La Plagne is a bit all too spread out for me, too many little villages and no real resort centre. I also find the pistes a bit boring; but if you're into (very) challenging off-piste then the north face of Bellecote is, to be fair, an absolute must.

 

I went last year and the lift queues were dreadful. I think I may have gone in French school holiday times which didn't help but waits of 20 minutes were not uncommon. Bit of a ***** having to start planning your route back to Plagne centre at about 2 o'clock. Everyone was on the same lift up from Plagne Bellecote and the place was heaving. The lifts themselves were also old, slow and low capacity. Not a patch on other places I've been.

 

Val D'Isere/Tignes - Brilliant all round but fairly expensive.

Portes du Soleil (Les Gets, Avoriaz, Morzine) - Good variety of runs but the hills weren't that big. Night life not great (in Les Gets anyway) IMO.

3 Valleys (Courcheval, Meribel, Val Thorens) - Very good all round resort. VT Seem to do a lot of student weeks so be careful when you book.

Zermatt - Found the lifts to get up to the piste a right royal pain in the arse

Levi (Northern Finland) - Limited skiing on a small hill, good for beginners and snow is as reliable as a wood burning stove. My old boots it was cold there, -35 in January for a couple of days.

Zell Am See/Kaprun - Good for Austrian culture and atmosphere.

 

Also been to Geilo (small, good for beginners), Sol, Badgastein and Courmayeur but that was a bit too long ago to remember much about them. Have done a few US and Canadian resorts too. Great but not worth the long journeys and bad jet lag.

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Big White Canada. Never feel ripped off. Perfect snow. Snow in snow out.

No Brits even at half term. Heaven!

A well kept secret.

Only true Saints fans welcomed!

 

Been there, was brilliant. Loved everything about it possibly my favourite ski resort, although I don't think there was any night life. Went with my parents so never got a chance to look into it.

 

I stood at the top of Parachute Bowl sh*tting myself for about 15 minutes before I worked up the courage to jump off.

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Its a decent size ski area but I just much prefer other resorts in the local area. Les Arcs (which LP is sistered with) is brilliant, Val d'Isere and Tignes both absolutely amazing, and all resorts in the 3 Valleys are very good indeed. If going for a super resort in the Savoie, La Plagne would be my last choice of the main ones. La Plagne is a bit all too spread out for me, too many little villages and no real resort centre. I also find the pistes a bit boring; but if you're into (very) challenging off-piste then the north face of Bellecote is, to be fair, an absolute must.

 

La Plagne was suggested as we are going with 2 new skiers, will look at the others you have mentioned

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I went last year and the lift queues were dreadful. I think I may have gone in French school holiday times which didn't help but waits of 20 minutes were not uncommon. Bit of a ***** having to start planning your route back to Plagne centre at about 2 o'clock. Everyone was on the same lift up from Plagne Bellecote and the place was heaving. The lifts themselves were also old, slow and low capacity. Not a patch on other places I've been.

 

Val D'Isere/Tignes - Brilliant all round but fairly expensive.

Portes du Soleil (Les Gets, Avoriaz, Morzine) - Good variety of runs but the hills weren't that big. Night life not great (in Les Gets anyway) IMO.

3 Valleys (Courcheval, Meribel, Val Thorens) - Very good all round resort. VT Seem to do a lot of student weeks so be careful when you book.

Zermatt - Found the lifts to get up to the piste a right royal pain in the arse

Levi (Northern Finland) - Limited skiing on a small hill, good for beginners and snow is as reliable as a wood burning stove. My old boots it was cold there, -35 in January for a couple of days.

Zell Am See/Kaprun - Good for Austrian culture and atmosphere.

 

Also been to Geilo (small, good for beginners), Sol, Badgastein and Courmayeur but that was a bit too long ago to remember much about them. Have done a few US and Canadian resorts too. Great but not worth the long journeys and bad jet lag.

 

Very important thing for those planning a holiday in the French Alps. French half-term. Unlike UK half-term, which is just one week of the calendar, the French decide to split their half-term by region, and over 4 weeks. typically from early february into early March. And its a bit of a nightmare for the first 3 of those weeks, calming down a little for the fourth. Having lived in 3 French ski resorts for 3 winters, you certainly learn to limit your skiing during these times as its just not as enjoyable (yet more expensive).

 

Here goes for a list of mine:

 

France: lived in Tignes, Les Arcs, Meribel, visted/stayed in Val d'Isere, Ste Foy, La Rosiere, La Plagne, Courchevel, La Tania, Val Thorens, Chamonix, Les Gets, Morzine, Les Deux Alpes.

Austria: Mayrhofen, Hinterglemm, Soelden.

Italy: La Thuile.

Switzerland: Laax.

North America: Steamboat Springs (USA), Whistler (Canada).

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Doing morzine this year

 

Went to Whistler last season - if you go, get fit beforehand - the run are huge and you will be knackered after a few otherwise.

 

Previously went to Vallandry ner Les Arcs - great place, close to the les arcs area and the cable car to la plagne - absolutely berserk amounts of skiing available. Great for beginners as well, I learnt there

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I'm going with a big group of friends and also my family to La Rosiere, in a couple of weeks time. I ski a bit, but most of the group are beginners. I've not been there before. Any tips on what to expect?

 

La Rosiere is linked with La Thuile over the pass on the Italian side: easy enough to get to Italy apart from a final slow drag lift and worth going over for the skiing it opens up. Plenty of skiing for your beginners and a number of fast detachable 6 man chairs from resort level at LR, so not too much of a bottleneck. Never had queues there, but I can be a bit selective when I ski and Sundays (bad everywhere in the ALps) I play football anyway. It can be a bit windy up at the top of the pass but that's no problem given the lower stuff available. You can't predict accurately as snow does melt :-), but plenty of snow at the moment and (high avalanche risk): 160cm at resort level and 270cm at Le Fort... HTH

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Somewhere down the road.

 

I don't usually do much downhill, it's usually a big rip-off. I do a lot more cross country skiing, it's better exercise, more interesting and fulfilling, nicer with the family and completely free of charge. You also get to ski down plenty of hills too, although you'll have to ski up them first.

 

Like Sweaty-crotch from Sweden said, it'll probably be better around Easter though.

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La Rosiere is linked with La Thuile over the pass on the Italian side: easy enough to get to Italy apart from a final slow drag lift and worth going over for the skiing it opens up. Plenty of skiing for your beginners and a number of fast detachable 6 man chairs from resort level at LR, so not too much of a bottleneck. Never had queues there, but I can be a bit selective when I ski and Sundays (bad everywhere in the ALps) I play football anyway. It can be a bit windy up at the top of the pass but that's no problem given the lower stuff available. You can't predict accurately as snow does melt :-), but plenty of snow at the moment and (high avalanche risk): 160cm at resort level and 270cm at Le Fort... HTH

 

Ta. Sounds great. Can't wait really!

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Ta. Sounds great. Can't wait really!

 

If you're travelling with any boarders, its best to tell them about the drag lift over to La Thuile beforehand. Its really long (in fact so long it consists of two separate parts, each about a ten minute or so uplift). And if you come off; good luck with that. The only rescue option is to ski back down the lift path avoiding the drag poles and other skiers; there's huge gulleys by the side which make it impossible to get back to the piste. Going up on skis, it's fine. On a board, I wouldn't fancy it.

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I've never once been skiing in my life, I feel like I'm missing out but then whenever it's entered my head, the thought of laying on a warm beach has always been a clincher. I might try it one day, I'll try and blag my way onto a freebie ski trip with my work for starters I think.

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I've never once been skiing in my life, I feel like I'm missing out but then whenever it's entered my head, the thought of laying on a warm beach has always been a clincher. I might try it one day, I'll try and blag my way onto a freebie ski trip with my work for starters I think.

 

Beaches are for summer holidays; skiing is for winters. Perfect symmetry.

 

Skiing holidays really are great. Get up; big breakfast in the chalet; morning blast about on the slopes, ski off the hangover; lunch and beers in a mountain restaurant, best views in the world; afternoon blast about on the slopes; 4pm, hit the bars for some apres ski beers and/or gluhwein (and in Austria typically some dancing on tables to cheesy German singalongs); dinner, beers and wine at the chalet in the evening; collapse in bed exhausted and drunk; next day, repeat all over again.

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If you're travelling with any boarders, its best to tell them about the drag lift over to La Thuile beforehand. Its really long (in fact so long it consists of two separate parts, each about a ten minute or so uplift). And if you come off; good luck with that. The only rescue option is to ski back down the lift path avoiding the drag poles and other skiers; there's huge gulleys by the side which make it impossible to get back to the piste. Going up on skis, it's fine. On a board, I wouldn't fancy it.

 

Cheers. With beginners and kids coming that kind of thing is handy to know.

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Doing morzine this year

 

Went to Whistler last season - if you go, get fit beforehand - the run are huge and you will be knackered after a few otherwise.

 

Previously went to Vallandry ner Les Arcs - great place, close to the les arcs area and the cable car to la plagne - absolutely berserk amounts of skiing available. Great for beginners as well, I learnt there

 

Morzine is already full of snow, more than normal for pre-xmas. My sister lives near Geneva and had a great weekend there just gone. I also know this from a business colleague who went there at short notice as he heard the snow was early, good and deep.

 

I'm debating a chalet share with 16 people from Manchester for late January.

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We are going to Samoens in late March (satellite village for Flaine/Grand Massif). Third time we've been so we must like it. We are a mixed ability, mixed age party of about 12-14. Ticks all our boxes, genuine 'village' location, very authentic, rather than a purpose-built high altitude village. Snow sure, lifts generally pretty good, a few slower chairs but generally v efficient modern chairs and minimal queues, at least at that time of year. Literally miles of skiing, very good beginers areas, and the rest is mainly loaded to intermediates and 'good intermediates' rather than full on blacks and off piste, though there is plenty of that as well. Not one for the 18-30 crowd, nor the dedicated apres-skiier but for families it's absolutely perfect, plenty of restaurants and bars and all in a compact village lay out.

 

Also done Deux Alpes, an excellent beginners resort, higher up the skiing is a bit 'samey' but perfectly acceptable; it's also renowned for it's off piste if that is your thing. Big cable cars are very good and shift a lot of people out of the resort quite quickly, lifts elsewhere are pretty basic in places. The resort and the apres is outstanding, definitely one for the 18-30 crowd!

 

Done Chatel twice, both at Xmas and didn't really enjoy the best of conditions either time, links were shut once and we had to drive round to Morzine, massive queues up from the Morzine side in the mornings. Avoriaz pretty good but one of the busiest resorts we have done, queues and cowboys in abundance.

 

Skied Andorra a few times with school parties, does what it says on the tin, cheap and cheerful and ideal for beginners.

 

Surprised no mentions for Alpe D'Huez? We stayed in the satellite of Vaujany, 2 minute walk, no queues and two big cable car rides from there to well over 2000m. Almost unlimited skiing, all abilities well catered for, lots of blue, lots of proper long reds and full-on blacks. Very snow sure, very sunny, very few queues and generally good lift system . Party types are well-catered for in Alpe D'Huez itself but we loved Vaujaney, very small and very laid-back.

 

We've tended to stay away from the 'bigger' (more expensive!) resorts - I don't feel I am, but am I missing something?

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If you're travelling with any boarders, its best to tell them about the drag lift over to La Thuile beforehand. Its really long (in fact so long it consists of two separate parts, each about a ten minute or so uplift). And if you come off; good luck with that. The only rescue option is to ski back down the lift path avoiding the drag poles and other skiers; there's huge gulleys by the side which make it impossible to get back to the piste. Going up on skis, it's fine. On a board, I wouldn't fancy it.

 

I've done it on a board. Absolute c*nt. Managed not to fall off but killer on the legs

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If you're travelling with any boarders, its best to tell them about the drag lift over to La Thuile beforehand. Its really long (in fact so long it consists of two separate parts, each about a ten minute or so uplift).

 

Thought I'd replied to this earlier?? Anyway, good point but you can avoid the top one by hacking off left towards the Piccolo S Bernardo Express or Fourclaz..

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Thought I'd replied to this earlier?? Anyway, good point but you can avoid the top one by hacking off left towards the Piccolo S Bernardo Express or Fourclaz..

 

You did mention it but I thought your description of "easy enough to get to Italy apart from a final slow drag lift" needed further clarification. On my skis I was absolutely fine doing it; the two (fairly advanced) boarders with me found it an absolute chore and had to have a 10 minute rest after it. At least one or two beginner intermediate boarders I know and ski with would never be able to do a drag-lift that long.

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I'd quite like to try Bukovel in Ukraine one day as a completely off the beaten track kind of place. It's generally pretty empty but it's also very modern and most of it was built in the last 10 years. The problem is getting there as no British tour opperators go there, also very little English is spoken.

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Big White Canada. Never feel ripped off. Perfect snow. Snow in snow out.

No Brits even at half term. Heaven!

A well kept secret.

Only true Saints fans welcomed!

 

I worked there a couple of years ago for the season. Great powder snow and there are a couple of bars and restaurants on the hill so you can always get in a post ski drink. BW has a sister resort called Silver Star, also in BC, which has a bit more steep and deep stuff if you are into it. That part of BC has plenty of hills to choose from if you fancy a road trip.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Back from our week at La Rosiere last night. We had a brilliant time. Reflections, based on comparison with my only other skiing experience, at Morzine, as follows;

- compared to the complication of the Telecabine at Morzine, access to the pistes at LR is quick and easy.

- I think I am right in saying that at 1850m La Rosiere is quite high as a resort. I would imagine this makes the snow very reliable.

- one of the nippers had a bout of altitude sickness after a chair ride up to the Le Roc Noir on the first morning. He seemed to acclimatise though!

- also it is a bigger challenge to drive to. I did something really stupid! I followed the BMW sat nav. It accounts for traffic info and flickered between Lyon and Geneva routes as we drove down. It settled on Geneva, and I assumed we would be turning right from the road up to Chamonix. I have always been a good navigator but the Sat nav has made me lazy. We suddenly arrived at the Mont blanc tunnel with the satnav indicating we should go through. I questioned it for a minute but then followed the satnav. Half way through the tunnel the satnav realised that the pass between Thule and La Ros is closed for the winter. That is €80 and about four hours that I will never see again!

- The place is very French and dominated by French skiers unlike Morzine which is far more English and Dutch in flavour. That was fine with me.

- As per the advice I was given on here the skiing is plentiful and varied to the level that you want to ski at.

We had a great time and I would definitely go back to explore further with my family more independent on their skis now!

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Back from our week at La Rosiere last night. We had a brilliant time. Reflections, based on comparison with my only other skiing experience, at Morzine, as follows;

- compared to the complication of the Telecabine at Morzine, access to the pistes at LR is quick and easy.

- I think I am right in saying that at 1850m La Rosiere is quite high as a resort. I would imagine this makes the snow very reliable.

- one of the nippers had a bout of altitude sickness after a chair ride up to the Le Roc Noir on the first morning. He seemed to acclimatise though!

- also it is a bigger challenge to drive to. I did something really stupid! I followed the BMW sat nav. It accounts for traffic info and flickered between Lyon and Geneva routes as we drove down. It settled on Geneva, and I assumed we would be turning right from the road up to Chamonix. I have always been a good navigator but the Sat nav has made me lazy. We suddenly arrived at the Mont blanc tunnel with the satnav indicating we should go through. I questioned it for a minute but then followed the satnav. Half way through the tunnel the satnav realised that the pass between Thule and La Ros is closed for the winter. That is €80 and about four hours that I will never see again!

- The place is very French and dominated by French skiers unlike Morzine which is far more English and Dutch in flavour. That was fine with me.

- As per the advice I was given on here the skiing is plentiful and varied to the level that you want to ski at.

We had a great time and I would definitely go back to explore further with my family more independent on their skis now!

 

You wouldn't believe how common that mistake is!

 

On my first winter season I needed to get from Tignes to La Thuile; as the crow flies a distance of just 30km. Unfortunately there is a bloody great mountain range in the way, and other than hiring a helicopter for an hour the only other way over there involves a half day circumnavigation of the Alps to get there. As I'm sure you found out when there, the summer road (petit St. Bernard) actually becomes a winter ski run (quite a tranquil run down into La Thuile).

 

Your comment about an elevation of 1850m being snow sure is correct; however the majority of the slopes in La Ros are very much south facing and can struggle lower down towards the end of the season if it gets a bit warm.

Edited by The Kraken
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Half way through the tunnel the satnav realised that the pass between Thule and La Ros is closed for the winter. That is €80 and about four hours that I will never see again!

 

Aargh! It's been closed for months! Mind you, you're not going to rely completely on sat-nav in the future, but an expensive lesson. Bit like sailing: use a chart plotter by all means but maintain fixes on paper charts...

 

Did you manage to get over to Italy? Next time why not go through the tunnel and stay at La Thuile: cheaper, particularly for the incidentals (or is that essentials?) and with the car you could explore a couple of other local resorts.

 

I hope to ski over there in the next week or so: had a heavy fall onto a lump of ice 2 weeks before Christmas then away for the hols and haven't skied since, but the amazing swelling is down and the snow looks good. I like to wait for the fresh stuff so may wait until next week as a dump forecast for the weekend. Sorry if I'm whetting your appetite for more.:-)

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If any of you want to do further research I'll be skiing (or have already skied) this season at Cervinia, Champoluc, Courmayeur, Crevacol, Gressoney (various + Alagna), La Thuile, Pila and over the border in La Rosiere, Zermatt and, hopefully, Verbier.

 

Loved Champoluc and Courmayeur. Iain Dowie was in a bar in Courmayeur we spent an evening in. Apart from the Polenta I preferred Champoluc; the slopes were empty. Italians are good people.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Booking a week in Soll for March......

 

Anyone been?

 

Yes but I can't remember much about it. Did like it though.

 

Part of my criteria is now going to a resort with a Folie Douce. Admittedly that's only The 3 Valleys and Espace Killy at the moment but anyone who has every been to one of their mid afternoon mountain parties will probably know what I mean. :D

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