 Poster: A snowHead
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Generally the snow is fine at Christmas. Last Christmas was an exception - truly appalling snow, though that was true over much of the Alps and Les Saisies had a few runs open. Then there was a big fall on the Saturday changeover day between Christmas and New Year which transformed everything but caused utter chaos on the roads - you might have seen it on the news. Lots of people slept in their cars. Those leaving resort had only themselves to blame if they didn't get out early - the snow was widely and accurately forecast.
For New Year week there are ways of avoiding the worst of the queues (which are the two big chairs out of the Les Saisies bowl) and if you have a car there are a number of ways you can find quieter slopes by driving a few miles down to Notre Dame de Bellecombe or even Praz sur Arly. The skiing in both is more challenging than Les Saisies, though, with some difficult drag lifts, so might not be great for your wife. Crest Voland will probably be quieter and has some lovely gentle skiing, though it's lower than Les Saisies, which might make for less good snow cover if temperatures are a big high. For your son a week in ski school might be good - they'll get lift priority and he'll get to hare all over the mountain.
In Les Saisies itself the best bet is to get out when the lifts open, ski till around 11.30, then stop for a quick snack and then ski through lunchtime. When the French pile out of the restaurants and the afternoon ski schools start up then the crowds will be at their worst.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks for the heads up, Pam!
Where you say "the crowds" are they "Les Deux Alpes at Half Term" bad, or is it still quite reasonable?
We tend to be up and out quite early to get the first lifts and enjoy the best of the morning, so hopefully we can get away from the pinch points and, as you say, jig lunch to be out of kilter in order to make the most of the day before retiring to a bar early!
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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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Might be a tad quieter in LS this season, I noticed that Peak Retreats have dropped the area from their list for the coming season so nothing in Notre Dame or Les Saisies. Be interesting to see if others have picked up the spare capacity or not...
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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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The summer season was apparently exceptionally busy. I wasn't there (sailing....) but many comments on the lessaisies.org website suggest that. My Italian grandson and his mum and grandmother were at my place for nearly 3 weeks and they said just about every apartment in our complex was occupied - and that's unheard of. The area is growing quite fast (you will be interested to hear that the Bisanne chairlift will be replaced next summer with a fast 6 man, which will make a big difference to the queues at busy times, at the cost of making the pistes busier)
The complete disappearance of all British skiers from Les Saisies at New Year or half term would make no discernible difference. Yes, I should think Les Saisies at New Year would be comparable to "Les Deux Alpes at half term". For many resorts across the alps New Year is about the busiest week of the year. If snow is good all over and people can spread out, not so bad. But in the Espace Diamant, if the lower areas have poor snow Les Saisies will be very busy. The main problem is the two big chairs out of the Saisies bowl - further over towards Praz sur Arly it's much quieter. I never use the alpine slopes at New Year but when I've had keen visitors I have taken them to Praz sur Arly where the fast 6 man "Crets du Midi" chair is much quieter, and there's a huge free car park.
But to make the best use of that area you need to be confident on drags - some of the lifts are quite difficult and one is very difficult.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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any reason why neither of them made it to the brochure that dropped on the mat last month?
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Glad to see someone still looks at our brochure @skinutter, as every year we wonder if those paper brochures are not a thing of the past. We basically love those beautiful wooded ski areas like Les Saisies to stay wooded! As you may have read with the cover letter the brochure now only shows a smaller selection of what we offer.
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ah a case of RTFM failed but yes, i was waiting for it to drop on the mat to signify we are starting to think of snow not beaches 
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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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@XPeak, just been looking through the properties for sale section. MGM might claim that La Perle, in Bisanne 1500 is only 5 minutes drive from Les Saisies but it's not. Not even for a French taxi driver with a death wish. 
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