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Valloire -- Last minute Xmas trip/any updates?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Just couldn't resist this year's early snow so booked Xmas week in Valloire, as recommended by friends in Annecy. I didn't see any significant updates here since 2015 -- has anyone been since then? Anything new or any beta on pistes/dining you'd care to share?

We are staying in an Airbnb house owned by the station's director of grooming, as it turns out -- hard to tell but he may live on the bottom floor. I'll pump him for information but I suspect he wakes up way earlier than we will. It's on the Route du Galibier with a skibus stop in front, so we'd be starting and finishing on the Verneys side of the station (rather than the main telecabines in town). My wife (only a few days on alpine skies but she does XC) has set a firm goal of trying to feel comfortable on any blue, so she'll be taking lessons in the a.m. I'm going to wrangle our kids with the goal of tiring them out in the mornings so I can ski in peace in the p.m. Cool.

I think we'll try to picnic if the weather's good and save euros for dinner. Am on a cheese fast till then.

We'll be driving from Paris on Sat. the 23rd but because of work commitments we can't leave until 9-10 a.m....should be an, um, interesting drive, as we've never left that late, and with the snow this year I think there will be a real "bison futé" that day...

I'll post a report in the aftermath...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
We spent most of last January and February at Les Verneys in our motorhome. During half term a crowd of up to 70 or 80 would be gathering early by the lift but there was never a queue for the first 10 minutes or so and only modest queues for the next 30 minutes. There is a bit of a bottleneck if heading over to the central Plateau mountain at the Montissot lift which is a slow 2 seater so you need to get there promptly.

A lot of the greens and blues in Valloire are fairly narrow tracks winding around the hillsides but there are some nice wide ones, like Soldanelle, up on the plateau. The main run back to town is quite wide, the one back to Verneys narrower but quiet.

If it's windy the only runs open will be on Setaz so you will be ok at Verneys.

Conditions this year meant some steep runs didn't open, the Choucas red back to Verneys only opened for a few days and was a bit rocky.

It is a nice 30 minute walk to town from Verneys (without kids) on a footpath through the woods or else the bus runs every 15 minutes. The X Country track starts there too.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Thank you! Are there any good dining options in Les Verneys or should we plan to go into town? Any particular mountain restaurants that impressed you?

I was going to reserve gear through Gilbert Sports in Verneys -- any reason I shouldn't? They say they offer free ski/boot storage.
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We ate at Chalet de Montissont a couple of times but we aren't regular lunchtime diners (or evening diners come to that) as it gets expensive over 8 weeks! That is a small restaurant situated at the bottom of the Plateau at the start of the "Mulot" run back to La Setaz which is in a relatively sheltered spot We also liked the little cafe/bakers opposite the bottom of the Setaz gondola. There are a few restaurants in Verneys and just down the road but didn't try them.

I had a look in Gilberts but you only have a choice of two and it's only 100m to the lift, if anything I'd say the other shop, Nagano, seemed a bit more modern and specialist.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks for that, too. I usually don't eat at on-mountain restos but will be with my kids most of the time (they probably won't do lessons) so hard to persuade them to eat a hunk of cheese or a granola bar and tough it out until dinner.

Nagano are part of Skiset or Sport 2000 so I try to go with the independents, but perhaps proximity to lift will trump all...will poke around a bit before committing.
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Yep, agree. It's just that I got a friendlier vibe in Nagano.

Tip. If you end up in town at the end of the afternoon there will be big queues for the bus, and esf will hog a couple with 50+ kids, so walk up to Carrefour and get on there. The bus does a circuit around the village and carrefour is the first stop, easy walk from Setaz run but 600m from the plateau run.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Valloire will be lovely over Christmas, it's a nice town and there is always an event of some description going on, often up in Les Verneys itself.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Bien noté! We're looking forward to it. We've splurged a bit, doing two weeks this year, but just can't pass up this early season bounty.
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
We love Valloire and I'm quite envious of you spending Christmas there - We always head high at Christmas and haven't wanted to risk it, but you certainly lucked out this year.

If you are picnicking the restaurant at the top of the Cotes de breve lift has a reasonable indoor picnic room (down the steps). Otherwise we found the piste side cafe at the bottom of the run down to the Setaz bubble is very reasonable with a great selection of burgers and sarnies.

For a great lunch and a funky decor Le Grange in the town is lovely and very reasonable. But actually, we found most restaurants to be fairly reasonable - certainly in comparison to our usual Christmas destination of Tignes Smile
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Same cafe I mentioned I think, with the little loft room? cheap, quick and never full.

https://tinyurl.com/yb8djekz
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@BoardieK,

No it's the one on piste right at the bottom of the slope - think it's called 'Snack bar Soleil' or something similar
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