How horrible is February half term in France?

A snowHead

A friend who's a teacher was asking some advice on where to head for the Feb half term with a mixed group.

The general consensus seems to be to avoid the French resorts, something that I've always stuck to not just for the UK half term but whilst the French schools are out too.

So after making several suggestions including Austrian, and Italian resorts, they obviously carefuly considered the info I'd given them and their short list consists of Two French Resorts!

I've never skied in France over the half term so it is just hearsay. I went for Christmas week and really didn't find it any worse at all although it was to a smaller resort.

So is it really that horrible? The price alone is horrible enough looking on sites like Crystal the half term mark up is well in excess of 100%. It seems like the initiated who have to do their skiing on this week seem to self drive?

Any anecdotal tales I can pass on would be appreciated, but ultimately it's up to them!

A snowHead

@Bene, these years, it's not so bad as most headline resorts have invested adequately in capacity and the snow has meant that more or less everywhere has been operating.

We'll probably take ourselves overbto Italy or back to the UK in February though...

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Lots of doom sayers will tell you it's manic, crowded and horrible and avoid it like the plague, but my experience is that if you go to a big area with a modern lift infrastructure it's actually not that bad (price aside). I am sure someone will be along to counter that point of view shortly. Definitely busier than the quiet weeks of course as that goes without saying, but given the choice of going at half term or not going at all i'd go.

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@under a new name, &@ansta1, Thanks for the replies.

I've not had really bad queuing issues in my time skiing. I guess it's as you say down to lift infrastructure and eliminating bottlenecks-get these wrong and it doesn't really matter what time of year it is. I was in La Plagne once in one of the quiet January weeks but the main gondola out of the centre was often a scrum. I was once in Kitzbuhel and had booked week when the Austrian and Dutch schools were off. It never appeared overly busy on the slopes but there was some queuing issues at the same couple of points-I think this is down to layout of the resort as going out for the day everyone is generally speaking travelling right to left and at the end the opposite to get back.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Good question, @gorilla,

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I believe it's Les Arcs, Flaine, or Morzine.

Couple of beginners, intermediates and two so called advanced skiers who after asking what sort of skiing they like to do would put them firmly in the intermediate category too (no off piste or blacks attempted).

After all it is free

@Bene, tbh, if teh snow is generally good (it could be) it should be fine, I can still think of better Italian options.

@under a new name, Me too, you can take a horse to water and all that. Sure they'll be fine. Not like they want something hugely specific that isn't available in number of resorts.

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Went to Chamonix four years ago. To he honest early lifts had a little wait (15 mins) and then we were fine.

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I'd stay the out of Morzine this year. That said, I'd just let them get on with it.

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We went to Vaujany last year and it was very quiet. On the first day I sent my husband to the cafe to save seats while I got the kids from ski school- when I came back he was the only one there with literally 100 empty deckchairs around him. Over in ADH it was busier but we only ever queued for a lift once all week and that was when we tried to get on the DMC at the midstation rather than skiing to the bottom. Lifts are so good and fast these days I think its so much less of a problem. The year before in Alpbach in Austria it was way worse- manic in fact- all restaurants bursting at lunchtime and all busses full but still no lift queues!

Stay out of Morzine all year- why?

You know it makes sense.

@Nadenoodlee, severe absence of snow? May change but I wouldn't book there at the moment

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Is Morzine any worse for snow than a lot of other French resorts, I thought all of the resorts from Geneva down to Chamonix were suffering? We're there at the moment, and skied all last week, admittedly up in Avoriaz. I've been here at half term several times, and yes it's busy, but it isn't impossible. The worst queues were probably on
the drive home on the Saturday at the end of the week.

A snowHead

@karin, no.

Pretty much anywhere that has most of its skiing below 1,800m is struggling at the moment. One of those seasons. Which is of course, no comfort.

On a lighter note I replaced a washing machine this morning and think I have to replace a fridge/freezer tomorrow. It's always the way with first week rentals. Expensive.

However, on a truly uplifting note, I listened to two of Dr Atul Gawande's Reith lectures today and the "Century of the system" one contained a truly amazing story (even though I (spoiler) knew about the mammalian cold reflex) http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/reith

Puts our snow woes into perspective Little Angel

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

There isn't any snow right now.

True. There wasn't any in July either.

It isn't that great when there is snow.

1. That's your opinion. 2. I think you're wrong. 3. I bet you don't know it like I do. 4. And, no, it's not "your" sort of skiing. However, if you're not ripping gnarly lines, off the back of Mont Fort, but are a "mixed" group of friends/family, meeting for jolly lunches and having a lovely time, muchly on piste, it's really rather excellent. (And there are nice lines to be had if you know where they are...)

And if they don't accumulate a decent base in Jan, town is so low they'll be hosed when it warms up in March.

Base? A myth. If it dumps now and stays cold, you won't miss the "base".

That might be wrong but I wouldn't bet a grand and a week of leave on it being so. If I were booking now, I'd be going high.

At last a little sense. If I were booking now, and I was a typical holiday skier, and I had no other requirements, I'd only be booking flights and only to somewhere with access to a wide variety of options, e.g. Geneva. High, typically, is not normally best in all situations (c.f. Bleak, windy, etc.)

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Also @under a new name, half term is usually in February rather than March.

The key to surviving half term in France is to know your resort - there are bottlenecks almost anywhere, but you can usually find your way round them.
The other key - whoops! so the Two Keys to surviving . . .
The other key is to have a good breakfast, take a snack with you, and ski through "lunchtime" (roughly 12 to 2pm) when then pistes will be empty.

If France, my shortlist would have been Courchevel, La Plagne, but would also consider Obergurgl (Austria). Main reason for this list is have experienced what half term is like in each of these resorts, and they should satisfy your party.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Jonpim, sorry, I was focussing on Gorilla's comments rather than the OP's.

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It really depends on when your half term is. The French holidays this year run from Feb 7th -> Mar 9th. From 07.02 -> 14.02 and from 02.03 ->09.03 only 1 Zone is on holiday, but from 14.02->02.03 2 Zones are on holiday. If your half-term is outside those middle 2 weeks it is not normally that bad. On top of the sage advice above regarding lunch and bottle-necks (Meribel @ 3pm for example), try going to the edge of the ski-areas as there is a tendency to be attracted to the middle. In the holidays we normally head towards Torgon / La Chapelle, or St Jean Station / Roc D'Enfer, and ski in Morzine / Les Gets / Avoriaz on Saturdays when the French are queing at the payages instead. Also try and get accommodation that runs Sunday -> Sunday rather than Saturday -> Saturady.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Bene, it is not skiing which is 'terrible' is getting to the resort .... This year's half term consides with BE, NL FR parts that are on a way to resourts, also important parts of Germany. Put these all people on two alternative roads leading towards FR resourts and you get one big traffic. Last year I went with BE (the whole country goes on a same week - 11.5 Millions of them ...) the traffic jam with BE cars started well before Luxembourgh and continued for another 700 km till resourts. I took an extra 3.5-4 hours....

After all it is free

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My Wife and Daughter had only ever experienced NewYear or Feb Half-term. They knew no different than lift-queues. We avoid road-queues by driving through the night and arriving at the resort by 9am (for breakfast). We've driven down to La Plagne, Les Gets/Morzine many times this way.

My daughter went with me a couple of weekends ago and experienced her first "non holiday" ski holiday. It was a revelation for her (relatively empty pistes and no queues for lifts). Basically.. I'm saying that: if you don't know any different, you would just assume that all skiing is like it is in Feb halfterm.

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I am not sure there is any merit in discussing how bad half term skiing is as the op friends have no choice as to the timing. As some one who skied for 36 years outside of school holidays, and the last ten years almost exclusively off piste/back country it took some adjusting to the resort 'crowds' at half term. Personally its not the lift cues that bother me most but the volume of skiers on home runs, packed restaurants and tight ski school spaces for the kids. Having said all that and as others have pointed out if you know where to ski and when, take packed lunch and are flexible when your kids go to ski school it becomes more manageable.
Over the past few years we have skied at half term La Plagne, Samoens and Morzine. For skiing La Plagne has most to offer for advanced skiers (if you include North Face of Bellecote), but as a resort we like Samoens best. Its a real town and there is always a nice family orientated vibe in the main town square in the early evenings. Morzine where we are probably going third year running is getting our business again largely due to ski easy2ride ski school and where the kids friends are going this year. Both Morzine and Samoens are an hours drive to Chamonix where I will have 2-3 days during our family holiday. As to the driving strategy we tend to get the 0800 train to calais making the resort by late evening. This way although motorways are busy the resort traffic has quietened down.

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Geneva airport and the transfer are the worst parts

It varies. If low level snow is lacking the higher areas can become unpleasantly crowded. Depends on resort layout too. I am not a valid d'isere fan but its lift system copes well if you avoid bottlenecks with some local knowledge. But no amount of local knowledge will avoid some big waits in Les Saisies especially at times like now when snow is lacking elsewhere so people can,t spread out. if you are pleased with "only" a 15 minute wait you'll probably be fine in many French resorts but given a choice I would go to Italy.
It's annoying when people ask for advice and then ignore it. Relatives staying in my place at half term did and missed their plane in Geneva. Cost them a lot more than they saved not buying snow chains and getting them on their french hired car before it was buried in a well forecast overnight blizzard. Twisted Evil

You know it makes sense.

Having ski-ied 1/2 term for the last 14 years I don't really see the issue ie: it's the norm & in fairness the lifts are so well organised that really the only hold up is getting out of resort after dropping the kids off.

In any event it is quite nice to chat whilst in the queue about the last/next run, hey we're on holiday & generally speaking the views are to die for, better than a day in the office I'd say Toofy Grin

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

We have skied around half term for quit a few years now, not exactly the English half term as our local half term does not always coincide and we cannot always get the precise days off and have to skip a few days school.
We have largely skied Austria and it has never been too bad except a few bottle necks at peak times when half term has coincided with Fasching.
Haivn said that last Feb we were too late booking and ended up going to Val Cenis and the queues ther were minimal although a snowy rather than sunny week alwasy puts some off and the really busy French week was said to be the following one.

A snowHead

As a (now retired) teacher, I did half-terms for many years, particularly in the 3V. Yes, there are bust pinch points and the odd queue, but there are always plenty of places away from the crowds. Since retirement, I have even seen queues build up suddenly in places like Plagne Centre for no apparent reason.

It really isn't that bad - except for the prices, of course. I now ski for about a third of the price of half-term!

snowHead

A snowHead

Thanks for all the replies I've suggested Easter rather than Feb too but they seem fairly set on February.

They also asked for 400KM + of pistes rolling eyes

which made the list rather short! And assured them they could have fun with plenty to explore with a fraction of that!

The prices truly are horrible though aren't they? We're lucky that we're flexible-might change when we have kids although I just wouldn't pay those prices. We used to ski as quite a big group that had one teacher but it really wasn't fair on the rest going on premium priced weeks for one person.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Bene, your friends sound like a pain. Just let them get on with it....

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@pam w, agreed and Joyeux Noël!

Help!!

How horrible is February half term in France?

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