 Poster: A snowHead
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April 2nd is the week after Easter so I imagine it would be very quiet that week so waiting late may be a good idea and very low cost. My Son's university trip is off to Tignes that week so it is probably very good value. Book the train as soon as the tickets become available and sort out accomodation later would be my suggestion. Sometimes the train is reasobly priced, but sometimes it is very expensive. If you want a low budget look at self drive or coach. There are busses from Bourg st Maurice or Moutiers to all the nearby ski stations so transport should not be a problem. As suggested by many others Tignes (I would suggest Le Lac for low cost and lots of other things to do if the snow is not great.), Les Arcs, La Plagne, Les Menuires are all good choices. It is highly unlikely they will not have good snow in early April
I had it in my mind that many of the UK tour operators ceased operations the week end after Easter but with Easter so early next year they may do another week or two, but they always stop well before the end of the season. Sometimes they do offer ridiculous prices for the very end of the season, but unless you are very flexible I wouldn't wait for them.
@chrisdjsax, You mention a "sun holiday" - be warned the sun in April in the Alpes is fierce. You will need factor 50 sun cream all the time unless you want to be burnt to a cinder
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were thinking of Tignes, found accommodation half board for 3 of us for about £800 and possibly eurostar night ski train both ways for £600 as it leaves from our doorstep. so just need to add in passes and hire
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Just need --- These are actually very expensive a 6 days Tignes lift pass for an adult is 260 euro; equipment hire and lessons, which you will need, about another 200 euro. You will also need clothing, and insurance. It will be tight for a £2000 budget.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You could find yourself in accommodation a fair distance from the ski school meeting place and no easy means of getting there (quite likely in Chalet Chardons I suspect)
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@pam_w, This isn't true - Chalet Chardons is right in the middle of the village, no more than 2-3 mins walk from the lift and the piste (and ESF meeting point).
I agree Le brev (and Chalet Chardons) isn't the best choice for beginners but that's no reason to diss the location of somewhere you've never been to!
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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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depends which ski school, @Gämsbock 
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| hammerite wrote: |
@chrisdjsax, we are a family of three and have been away for the last 6-7 Easter school holidays. I don't think we've paid more than £2k for any of them - half board, flights, transfers, lift pass, ski hire (not including spending money). You will probably need to factor in lessons too for your first week away.
We've mostly done trips with tour operators and I'd recommend this for your first trip.
Worth considering areas that offer a free children's pass with an adult purchase for late season stays. Many areas do. We've taken advantage of this in Les Arcs, Serre Chevalier, Ski Amade and Saalbach (Skiwelt also offer this). |
Hi
Thank you for this - nice to know its doable, where did you stay in Les Arcs please?
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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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@pam w, not in Le Brev - there is only one lift out! Chalet Chardons is close to said lift.
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| chrisdjsax wrote: |
| Also the train was because of the price and leaves from our doorstep. we don't mind flying if it all comes in budget but then have to add in all the transfers and gatwick parking etc. |
I wouldn't write it off too soon though, an EasyJet flight and something like a BensBus transfer can come in pretty cheap, especially if you can book ahead. Likewise at budget level I've found tour operators to be very reasonable and struggled to match them in terms of value...although being a solo skier might have something to do with that.
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exactly..... which was rather my point! I think everybody is 100% agreed that Les Brevieres is a poor location for beginners, so job done, really........
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Meanwhile at the other end of Tignes - this was the top of the funicular a couple of days ago, basking in warm sunshine. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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That is a lovely picture!
Would you say les arc 2000 would be OK for beginners or too much?
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I don't know Les Arcs, sorry. Lots of people here do, though.
If you do go to Tignes it's worth a trip up the funicular(from Val Claret) on a sunny day just to see the stupendous view from the top - maybe one afternoon after your ski lessons! You can go up and down in the train and it's warmer than getting up there on chair lifts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ok. Thankyou for the tip
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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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Have a look at Hotel Del Clos in El Tarter, Grandvalira, Andorra with Neilsen.
Stayed there last season 05-12 April.
Had a ball. Great beginner area on a sunny plateau half way up the mountain.
Cable car to that area.
Here are some pics and vid
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=118158
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| chrisdjsax wrote: |
That is a lovely picture!
Would you say les arc 2000 would be OK for beginners or too much? |
Have only spent a day bumbling around Les Arcs but I'd say that you'll be fine, although may end up spending a lot of time poling around as it seems to sit in a large bowl that is quite flat in places. There does come a point when you're learning where the trade off for having a gentle gradient is counterbalanced by the pain of never having enough speed to get through the flatter sections. However I suspect that some of the people on here with more experience of the resort can offer a bit better guidance and advise where may need to be avoided.
As Mike says I've heard good things about the options for beginners in Andorra, and I got to grips with skiing in La Plagne (although managed to get the hang of the basics reasonably quickly and also had the benefit of not needing to consider the happiness of a 9 year old).
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You know it makes sense.
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Would you say les arc 2000 would be OK for beginners or too much?
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I stayed there many years ago in a catered chalet. From what I remember, there's a plateau and some nice easy, beginners' skiing right next to the accommodation. The snow should good right up there too. On the downside (although the holiday was successful, as we were very lucky with both the chalet staff and the way in which all the guests gelled over dinner) there was zilch in the way of evening activity - unless you count one, half-empty, overpriced bar and a few expensive restaurants. Think moon settlement! We much preferred Vallandry (Ski Olympic's Chalet Le Foret, which was ski-in ski-out and involved some delightful forested runs on the way down from the Arcs 1800 area of the resort), although again, like so many French resorts, the evening entertainment consisted of reading a book or fraternising with other guests in the chalet.
One of the factors with very high resorts is that you always have to be keeping an eye on the time during the afternoon, so that you don't get marooned on lower slopes and unable to get back up. No doubt it's a personal thing, but I always prefer a resort where you have a nice, long, leisurely ski down to the accommodation at the end of the afternoon's skiing. Having said that, I can see the attraction of aiming high in early April, particularly if you're a beginner and want easily accessible nursery slopes and good snow, which you would or should get at 2000m. However accommodation at 1600m-1800m may generally be preferable to 2000m (i.e. in France - in Austria, where the snowline is lower, you can probably deduct 500m from those heights).
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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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Arc 2000 will be perfect for beginners. Straight out of the accomodation and onto the piste and lots of very gentle beginners slopes. Mind you you will grow out of them by the end of day 2. Then it a long cruise down Cascade to the Combourcier chairlift belverde to the transarcs and one of many gentle blues back to 2000. Though there is a bowling alley in 2000 it is better to get the free navette around to Arc 1800 and visit Mile8 for some evenening fun or get the funicular down to Bourg st Maurice and their excellent municipal pool.
There are a couple good bars in Arc 2000.
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Poster: A snowHead
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like so many French resorts, the evening entertainment consisted of reading a book or fraternising with other guests in the chalet.
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in the days when we stayed in catered chalets we always enjoyed the company of other guests. After a leisurely meal with a fair bit of wine involved we found it no hardship to go to bed reasonably early, especially with ski lessons next morning. Each day there'd be fighting talk about going out to a bar after dinner and each day nearly everybody confessed they'd just as soon not bother.....
And if you have small kids who need to go to bed, having "ready made" company was very pleasant. Most catered chalets are the sort of size where leaving kids asleep in their rooms while you eat and carouse downstairs is not an issue - whereas I'd have hesitated to do that in a hotel, with them some distance away. It can be a bit more isolating in a self-catering apartment, if kids are too young to go out to eat, but we find that even the older ones don't seem to miss the telly and "entertainment facilities". They enjoy the chance to play games (I have a good selection in my place). And some couples, especially those who normally have a busy working life, actually enjoy each other's company, believe it or not - even if it's a companiable hour reading with a glass of something special.
Even in my very tiny French resort there's a charming, friendly, welcoming, small bar and restaurant approx 40 metres away. And several others if you don't mind a ten minute walk.
Fortunately there's a good choice of "apres ski" styles throughout the Alps but the quieter French style seems to suit plenty of people.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@pam w, Agreed - vive la difference! The experience you describe is very familiar and actually quite nostalgic. Over a period of about 20 years we spent many happy holidays in French and Swiss catered chalets and would always recommend them to anyone taking a ski holiday in those countries, especially if they are 'encumbered' with children. As you say, a dinner party every evening with like-minded (generally British) guests can be very pleasant and all you really want or need, especially if you know you're not missing much outside and have an early start the following morning. The exception is when you find yourself in the company of people who are strange or a pain in the derriere (excuse the lack of accents, by the way), as I did once in a Ski Total chalet in St Anton - you could hear a pin drop during dinner! Admittedly this is uncommon, and my experience of the chalet we stayed in in Arcs 2000 was actually one of the best - purely down to serendipity. If you'll forgive me some enjoyable reminiscing, we also had great times on repeated visits to chalets in Champery with Ski Scott Dunn, St Martin de Belleville with Ski-tal (anyone remember them?!) and ABT Ski, Alpe d'Huez, Serre Chevalier and Baqueira Beret with Ski Miquel, and countless other holidays to the likes of Les Gets, les Deux Alpes, Vallandry, La Plagne, Val d'Isere/Tignes, Les Menuires, Verbier, Zermatt...and goodness knows where else - with the likes of Ski Total, Skiworld, Ski France, Ski Olympic, Supertravel, Neilson, Inghams and a myriad of smaller operators.
As has so often been observed on this forum, Austria is generally a totally different kettle of fish, and I wouldn't say that a catered chalet is either necessary or desirable (at least in our experience). We tried it many times but always found such accommodation restrictive, limiting and insular- a little like being invited to the best New Year's Eve party ever, attended by colourful guests from all over the world, and deciding to spend the evening sitting round a dinner table with your friends in the next-door house. That is actually a gross over-simplification - there are many, many reasons why the catered chalet formula is not so successful in Austria (except possibly St Anton), and I'll let others have a go at suggesting why - if they're so inclined. Suffice it to say, it's a different atmosphere - not better or worse, just different - and each to his or her own. Of course dancing around in ski boots to cheesy apres-ski songs (a genre of their own!) with your arms round mad Norwegians is not for everyone. 
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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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@chrisdjsax, you have a PM (top right, Send/Read messages)
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| chrisdjsax wrote: |
| hammerite wrote: |
@chrisdjsax, we are a family of three and have been away for the last 6-7 Easter school holidays. I don't think we've paid more than £2k for any of them - half board, flights, transfers, lift pass, ski hire (not including spending money). You will probably need to factor in lessons too for your first week away.
We've mostly done trips with tour operators and I'd recommend this for your first trip.
Worth considering areas that offer a free children's pass with an adult purchase for late season stays. Many areas do. We've taken advantage of this in Les Arcs, Serre Chevalier, Ski Amade and Saalbach (Skiwelt also offer this). |
Hi
Thank you for this - nice to know its doable, where did you stay in Les Arcs please? |
We stayed in a small chalet run by Skiworld in Arcs 1800. It was the last week for the chalet host and he was next to useless for part of the week, preferring to get bladdered with his mates for the last week. Given the complaints he had that week I'm guessing he wasn't invited for a second season with them. (This isn't a sleight on Skiworld, just their chalet host).
I think it was so cheap because it only held 7 people, a group of 4 had 2 of the rooms leaving a room for 3. I think they just wanted to fill the place.
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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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well turns out i know someone that works at Eurostar so managed to get a discount on the night train, so booked it! accommodation next!
Its nice reading peoples happy memories about good places.
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@chrisdjsax, well with the train booked no going back now. Did you book the train to BSM?
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yes indeed, £300 return for the 3 of us
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@chrisdjsax, excellent. Enjoy thinking about where to stay - Les Arc 1600 is easy up the funicular but in late season you might prefer 2000. You might get a good deal in 1950 which is easily connected to 2000. 1950 costs a bit more but I expect you should find somewhere to suit. They advertise the season to go until 23rd April in Les Arcs so I expect they will keep pushing the snow around in 2000 bowl to keep people happy.
I stayed in both 2000 and 1600, and going back to 1600 this year (mid Jan)
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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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Very topical with this thread actually, I got an email from Chalet Chardons today offering big discounts for staying over Christmas for past guests. Which is interesting as I've never actually been to Tignes, let alone Chalet Chardons!
Hope you find a nice place to stay @chrisdjsax, £300 return for all 3 of you is a bargain. Leaves loads in your budget for everything else you need.
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Oh come on, the run into tignes Les brevieres is not that bad and it genuinely still puts a smile on my face every time after 70 odd weeks of skiing. As someone said, it's the summer road, so lots of nearly flat bits interspersed with the occasional hairpin. Lovely! A bit like the home run into Stuben, near st anton.
TLB was the second place I went to and I actually stayed at the Chardons, as it was then. A mate was running the bar and it cost me £99 for a weeks chalet board, which may have included the weeks ski pass. It certainly included coach travel each way, which I have never done again, omg 
As someone who uses the train regularly, that price is brilliant and if you don't want to add a 30 to 45 minute transfer or get in a cab then Les arcs would be a good way to go, via the funicular.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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were now looking at Les Arcs 1800 but would be self catering....
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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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@chrisdjsax, Why 1800 and not 1600? Arc 1600 is at about 1630m and Arc 1800 about 1730 so there is not much difference in Altitude. 1600 is accessed direct from the funicular rather than an extra bus which is handy if you want to nip down to Bourg for some more choice in food shopping. (Both the Intermarche and SuperU have excellent fish counters and drinkable wine at under 2 euro a bottle.) Access to the ski school is easier as well from 1600
The main disadvantage is that it is very French. The English tend to go to Arc1950 and Vallandry.
But then I am biased since I have an apartment in 1600.
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One of the best things about my area is that it's "very French ". I don't see that as a disadvantage.
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You know it makes sense.
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@johnE, which block is your apartment in? I am going back to La Cachette this year but looking at which block might be good for the family (4) in future years. Have been to La Tania for a number of years but they fancy a change but it would be nice to have an insiders view on the apartments there - like you I like the idea of the funicular and the extra access that gives
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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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@chrisb, We are in the cachette building (not the hotel of the same name). The apartments are old but generally well cared for. They are very convenient for the centre of the resort and the first lift. If you like I could give my general view of each of the apartment blocks, but that might offend someone.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@johnE, thanks. - so is there one to avoid
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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oh so might need to look at 1600 now, we was looking at 1800 as there was a good deal on lessons and ski passes for beginners
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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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Hang on i thought we needed higher than 1600 for April?
Would you say its easy enough to do self catering?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I think I read you are beginners in which case Arc 1800 is a better base than Arc 1600 in my opinion. I think there is a new swimming complex etc in Arc 1800 too so there would be more on offer in the way of family apres ski.
Arc 1950 is excellent but if you are on a limited budget you will find cheaper self catering options in 1800.
Like Pam W above, I like places that feel very French. I would say that Les Arcs does not feel that French compared to other places outside the Tarentaise. However it is an excellent resort and definitely one to visit.
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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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Would you say its easy enough to do self catering?
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depends on your point of view! I enjoy self-catering and dislike hotels. Having your own apartment doesn't preclude dining or lunching out (though some people can't even bear the thought of having to fix up coffee and toast for breakfast when they're on holiday).
Normally 1600 would be fine at the beginning of April (my apartment is at 1550 on a south facing slope and we've always been able to ski down till mid April) but if booking well in advance a couple of hundred metres of extra altitude would do you no harm!
Snow towards the end of the season is often better than snow at the beginning. People think nothing of going out in the first couple of weeks (Christmas and New Year) but get much more worried, with less reason, about later holidays.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@chrisdjsax, Yes but Arc1800 is less than 100m higher than Arc1600 and given an adibatic lapse rate of 0.6 degrees per 100m that is only fractionally cooler. Aspect counts for much more than that. Anyway the runs down 1600 have been open and in decent condition every April I have been there (The last dozen or so).
@snowymum, is correct Arc1800 is better for absolute beginers than 1600. The beginners slopes in 1600 are a bit on the steep side.
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@chrisdjsax, Les Brev is not the right place for you. You need to be near ski school. La Plagne would be a good option.
Cost wise plane/train/car IMO they are all much of a muchness - it's down to personal preference. Driving makes more sense if you have your own gear and are self catering.
Using a TO keeps things simple, especially if you are newbie. But if you've done DIY holidays before and are comfortable with it, that isn't an issue either.
I've skied a lot at Easter and even in the worst years you would be OK somewhere like La Plagne/Tignes.
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| chrisdjsax wrote: |
Hang on i thought we needed higher than 1600 for April?
Would you say its easy enough to do self catering? |
Does depend on what your requirements are. As a 30 year old bloke on his own it's a doddle (especially as I can live like a student if it's the only way I can afford to go on a trip), with a missus and kids though it probably gets a bit more tricky. I tend to take breakfast stuff, granola bars or the like for snacking and then resort to lunch on the mountain and buying stuff from local shops to make dinner. I've also taken microwave rice and pasta (the stuff that's filled with cheese and spinach or summint) which is quick and easy, although does add significantly to the weight of your hold luggage if you have too much of it.
As Pam says though some people like to have the rest from cooking, if you fall in that category then it's just going to be hassle.
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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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is it expensive to eat out then? say we got stuff in for breakfast and lunch but ate out at night?
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@chrisdjsax, yes, the bad news is that eating in major French resorts isn't cheap. But a decent resort will have a traiteur who sells some ready made dishes (not cheap - probably 9 euros a head sort of price, but cheaper than a restaurant) and thinking through a few evening meals and taking some essentials with you is easy enough. With kids in tow there's a long evening after skiing - plenty of time to cook something up, glass of wine in hand. I enjoy it. Usually......
Proximity of your apartment to the ski school meeting place is very important - for lunches, as well as reducing the hassle factor in the mornings you need to be CLOSE.
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FAQ
