Poster: A snowHead
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very impressed with the ski pass discount and website, paid in 3 installments, the 3rd one after we get to Les Arcs and the lift passes turned up promptly in the UK.
Now to make sure I actually take them with me!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just done mine. Site functioning well. Love the 0% split payment option
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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?
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I wish that High over the alps would bug off.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Genista, Not just yet. I'm off to Les Arcs next weekend and would like the good weather to continuue so I can have some good walks. Afterall it is still only early November.
After much thinking I have decided to go the season pass route. I have a 10 day trip planned over Christmas, returning New Year’s Day and a further 9 days planned for the end of January/early February (I decided to retire and dedicate the remaining years life to the hedonistic pleasures of skiing and climbing). It is the vague plans for a few days at the end of March/ Early April that swung it over Nivernalp freebees
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@JohnE, looks you will be fine to get some good walks for a while yet, chilly but dry. I guess its good to see some cold moving in but it would be better to see some moisture with it. Looks like nothing happening until at next month now. That's a pity, brown cams for another couple of weeks.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just curious - there was talk last year that the town would be making improvements/upgrades to the Funi over the summer. Did that go ahead?
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@johnE, Good decision to go with a season lift pass, although I haven't done the calculation accurately this year, in past years a season pass 'broke even' around 14 ski days after that its all 'profit'. What swung it for me this year, was the best alternative for me previously was the Ski ala Carte scheme, BUT on a couple of days I would have skied in the afternoon but didn't because that would mean paying for a full day. (I could have gone and bought a half day pass but that wasn't cheaper enough to justify the Pfaff of buying it) The La Plagne season Pass also gives you a free pass for the summer lifts - I assume something similar applies to LA ...
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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.
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@boredsurfin, Last season for some reason I ended up without a lift pass on the Wednesday and with a sore back decided I would not ski in the morning. However I needed a lift pass for the evenning dinner in the Arpette so I called into the lift pass office for an afternoon lift pass. The kind lady in the lift pass office explanined to me that a 1/2 day pass was a waste of money and suggested a one day local area pass instead as less expensive. Since I had no intention of skiing in the Arc2000 valley that afternoon I did indeed save money. Just to be clear a local area pass in Les Arcs is indeed a local area pass and in my case only covered Arc1600, 1800 and Vallandry.
One thing I like about the lift pass office in Les Arcs is that they take the time to advice you on exactly the correct lift pass for you and the conditions on the mountain.
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I'm considering going out for the 'Up and Down' Ski Touring weekend in January. Anyone tried this before?
@scamper - re the funival, it will be updated with a funky new futuristic design in Dec 2019
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Perhaps this is the beginning of perptual whiteness on the cams...?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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iainm wrote: |
@scamper - re the funival, it will be updated with a funky new futuristic design in Dec 2019 |
New carriages, or just new paintwork and graphics?
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You know it makes sense.
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Just got back from my weekend in Les Arcs and thought I would put up the following observations:
Flights there and back from Luton to Geneva went like a dream, but picking the hire car up just after 4 in the afternoon meant we had to face the Geneva rush hour and slow trqaffic all the way to Chambery. My wife obeserved her salmon salad and beer at Luton airport cost more than the flight from Luton airport to Geneva and two beers in Geneva airport cost more than a return flight back. I have to admit that I am a real fan of having only carry on luggage for flights from Geneva, it means you can walk through the French side of the airport without encountering any any queue at the security control. It feels like you have sneaked in the rear entrance. (note to self - have snack and drink at the French landside cafe and safe a lot of money)
We got caught in the fuel price protests in Chambery on our return to Geneva and discovered roads we had never been on before. Diesel is still cheeper in France than the UK
The weather was cold and sunney all weekend lovely for walking. We had a stroll through the forests to 1800 and from 2000 upto plan violettes (part of the tour of tarrentaise villages log distance path)
The Cairn in Arc1600 was full on Friday lunchtime but we had a lovely lunch sitting outside on the terrace watching all the new stock being carried in to Christiana sports.
A number of shops have been taken over in 1600 and are being refitted. There is definately a feeling of anticipation about the upcoming season.
The super U in Bourg has been enlarged and updated. It now looks very good and they are promising a larger fresh vegtable section
The new Comborourciere lift and piste are nearly finished. It looks as if they need to sling the chairs on the cable and finish landscaping the bottom. The new piste has taken a lot of muck shifting but sections of it look very steep for a red piste, almost as steep as the neighbouring black. The slope coming down from Pointe Fond Blanc looks steep and very avalanche prone - I wonder how much the piste will actually be open.
Anyway the next trip out will be December 22nd - ample time for some snow to fall.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Much too far away to get too giddy...but some models are taking aim at Les Arcs.
J2ski forecast for Arc 1600
Wed 28th
31cm to 51cm New Snow
Snow falling to resort level.
Thu 29th
50cm to 97cm+ New Snow
Snow Line ranging from 1,985m to resort level.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Hi - does anyone have a recommendation for hiring skis, boots etc. for the family in Les Arcs 1600, ideally somewhere that has the lockers as we will be staying in BSM so don't want to take up and down the funicular each day. Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Can someone give me a recommendation for a ski school for my kids for a couple of lessons?
I have 3 teenage daughters who (because we live more than 3,500km from any snow) have only skied 2 days total and I want them to do at least 2 or 3 lessons when we arrive in January.
We are staying in 1950.
Thanks,
Genista.
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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?
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@Genista, try AIM Snowsports. It’s a small British ski school run by a friend of mine. Based in Arc 1950, excellent instruction.
www.ski-aim.com
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@djsoftware, we use the small Interesport shop at the Cachette end of the village and find them good and helpful, mainly because they service our skis and we buy stuff off them. However they are the furthest from the funicular and the cachette lift (the main lift out of the village). I do not think they have lockers.
Why not use Polarstar at the bottom of the funicular - as reccomended by snowcrazy. Most people cart their stuff up and down the funicular. It is a skilift
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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johnE wrote: |
Most people cart their stuff up and down the funicular. It is a skilift |
Indeed, even if it feels like a tube train. I heard some French people saying "Mind the Gap!" (in English) at the Granges stop last season.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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johnE wrote: |
Has anyone visited the Les Arcs website recently - they have changed it and it is worse than ever. |
Yes, visited it this morning. It's terrible.
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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.
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rob@rar wrote: |
@Genista, try AIM Snowsports. It’s a small British ski school run by a friend of mine. Based in Arc 1950, excellent instruction.
www.ski-aim.com |
John Paul is good, very good and hence busy (and thus relatively expensive...) He may well have space in January though. But be quick.
Spirit 1950 is the main village ski school, my daghter grew up using them from age 3 - 15: now she tends to a couple of private lessons each visit just to keep the eye in, usually with one specific instructor from the school. BUt most 1950 owners ahve used them at some stage or another for their kids.
I would also recommend another friend of ours who is Canadian qualified, but not French, so will get into trouble if I mention him by name... (he lives out there doing apartment management stuff fitted in around his skiing). He's been instrumental in getting some of our 'late-to-skiing' friends up and running, and is equally at home with teens and adults. Of course it wouldn't be a "lesson", it would just be "a mate they they met in George's bar one night, taking them out to show them the slopes" kinda thing... PM me if interested.
When are you out? - my January visit is 26th - 2nd
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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johnE wrote: |
I suppose it just fits with the general poor quality of ski resort web sites |
True but you'd think if they were going to change at all, it would be for the better!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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At the moment I am planning to visit 22/12/18 to 1/1/19 and again 24/1/19 to 1/2/19 so we may meet up. I may come out again later in the season. It depends on knees after a 14 day trip to Japan
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@Arctic Roll, From what I can tell all of the new pisted runs stay on the La Rosiere side but with a very short walk from the top of the new lift there should be a choice of spectacular off piste runs down into La Thuille.
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You know it makes sense.
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@johnE, I'm there for both those sets of dates (in different guises, one family fortnight, one boys week) so we really ought to make the effort!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@rambotion, thanks - reviewing the (un-expandable) piste map on their website, it does look that way.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Out in Les Coches in January just heard about the changes over at Comborciere with the new red and the new lift. Does that mean the black that use to run under the old lift has gone now or is the red in addition to that?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Russeh, Tis an addition
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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?
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@Russeh, Most of th eBlack piste is still there and assume will still be marked, but given the Les Arcs practice of casually un marking pistes in the past I do not know for how many years that will continue. The last 100 or so metres appears to have been lost, but by then the piste had levelled out anyway.
I have a good photograph of the two pistes, but at the moment cannot remeber how to post it on snowheads
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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ok cool, kinda fond of that black run as for many years i went over it thinking theres no way i'll ever go down that and find it fun well at least until a couple of years ago.
So does the new red go to the left or right of the black?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Russeh, Looking down it goes to the right of the present run in the adjacent valley
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Russeh, the new piste map shows both the black and red runs, joining towards the bottom.
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Thanks, sorry i did have a look at the piste map earlier but all the ones i saw were the old version.
Really glad they've replaced that old lift out of there definitely an improvement.
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Alastair wrote: |
@Russeh, the new piste map shows both the black and red runs, joining towards the bottom.
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The map seems to indicate that coming back from 1600 side it is impossible to avoid a black at the top of the run before it splits red/black?
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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.
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@thefatcontroller, yes, it looks as though you have to take the Muguet black off the top of the old slow Clocheret chairlift.
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@thefatcontroller, @Alastair, it's always been the case that the direct route from the Arc 1600 side down Comborciere was via the Muget black piste. This summer's work doesn't change that.
Is the new red piste really called 'Secret'? As in, "come on, let's go down the Secret run"...
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