What are some good places to look for season-long lettings in Val? I've done a season in Tignes (Brev), which was all organized a bit late, and looking to end up Val-side this time around. I work from home, and ended up using a somewhat expensive MiFi last time for internet because the DSL was slow (at best) and out (at worst). Are some places better than others for a decent fixed connection?
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@chocksaway & @Themasterpiece, think I'm ditching the short lived car idea. Extras rack the cost up and the new of Europcar in Val has decided it. Sure I can survive pretty well without one.
As for the medical corner of this thread, ibuprofen + paracetamol together is the way forward. As advised by 3 (real) Dr's on a trip last year and confirmed by myself.
@whiteout, from what I've seen many of the good places have gone or going fast to don't hang about. I can get phone and fibre at my place for around €35 a month. PM me & I'll give you more details.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Dr John, personally, I've never found paracetamol effective for anything. But that's just me.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Dr John wrote:
Thinking about the motor thing. I know slightly less than zero about cars, but quick look on Autotrader has some 2003/4 4x4 estates for less than £2k. Would I be mad to get one of those?
I have driven up and down the road to Val many times, and on to Tignes. Living in and driving mainly a Peugot boxer van. It was second hand when I bought it from a dealer. I am not sure that 4x4 would be particularly advantageous on that road. Front wheel drive might be important. A simple vehicle with limited electrics (electrics tend to behave irrationally in extreme cold), and well tended brakes and underside corrosion. Perhaps a car with a good anti roll bar (I think I meant roll cage, but anti roll bar sounds similar), and solid roof.
If you spend £2k, maybe spend £1.5k and take it into a garage and get all the brakes serviced, cleaned and de-rusted for £500. A smaller car which is more efficient with fuel, will have much cheaper brake discs and pads and so it might be much less than £500 to get new discs and pads on all wheels (if required).
You can pick up small front wheel drive cars for around that price which will be in fairly good condition. (I would not be very confident of the age and condition of a 4x4 estate at that price)
Get used to using the high pressure hoses at supermarkets to clean the salt and grit off the underside of the vehicle.
Last edited by After all it is free on Tue 25-07-17 21:27; edited 2 times in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Bigtipper, good stuff, thanks. Definitely thinking it's all a bit of a faff for negligible benefit, especially now I know there's a Europcar in town.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Hi Everyone. We have rented a place in La Daille from 16 January so will be there for the season as well. We have planned on taking the car, but the comments have made me think again. Does anyone know what the situation is with the new car park in La Daille? We were going to book a place in the indoor carpark but any information on how well that is likely to work would be appreciated.
Many thanks as always to the EK gang.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
MikeHB wrote:
try and speak some French everyday. It would be all two easy in a place like Val d Isere with so many English speakers to end the season without improving your French.
try not to forget how to write English
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.
Dr John,
Realistically, how much stuff will you need? I'd be planning on skiing by day and not needing many changes of outfit at night.
If flying, you may get by with hand luggage and a checked in ski bag containing other clothes. Or if you really want to push the boat out & dress up at night - an additional check in bag at most. Would that not suffice?
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
There are plenty of shops in Val to buy clothes. Although, my wardrobe would not have many items from there....
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@davidof,
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Bergmeister, realistically, I'll need less than I'm planning to take, much like every holiday I've ever been on. But it's a one shot deal going for 5 months so planning to send at least one large bag with a bunch of clothes, toiletries, tea bags and other sundries, take my usual ski bag full of the valuable stuff, and fly Swiss so skis come free. Will have friends coming to visit throughout season so can put in orders for essentials top ups as I go.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Dr John,
I'm sure you will have a great time. We bought 3 Valleys season passes last season and managed to get in 70 days skiing, over 6 trips.
A bit longer for us wouldn't have been a bad thing though!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I'm also planning to be in Val for the season, although have opted for some part time work if it pans out. My apartment plans are also slightly stalled by an owner who thinks she wants to sell but doesn't seem to have done anything about it yet! So, I'm ignoring that, assuming that the apartment will all sort itself out and am planning on being there from around 20th November.
Re: cars. These can be a pain to have in Val as parking is expensive and you probably find yourself at opposite ends of the resort to your car. So, unless you've got the possibility of parking with the apartment (which I have), I would use Cash 2000 at the top of town - the prices for fresh veg etc are pretty comparable to Super U in Bourg and make the most of friends who will take a run down to Lidl and Super U every few weeks (a spare seat or the prospect of picking up a few essentials can usually be bought for the price of a beer). If you are working anywhere, even if just a couple of hours a week, a Vie Val d'Is card will also get you discount in Sherpa etc.
I'll be driving an old Ford Galaxy out (as I am also having to bring the cat!) so will have space for a person and / or some luggage I expect. Not quite sure on timings yet either as winding up my current job seems to be a bit of a moving feast right now.
There are a couple of helpful Facebook groups to join too - search Val d'isere seasonaires - there is one run by Pacific Bar and one by The Echo. Plus the tarentaise transfers group is always helpful if you have friends visiting or need an airport / bourg run yourself.
The early discount ski pass will be available in October. Last year there was a 25-30% discount for buying it before 28 October IIRC.
I am also doing my first ski season about 25 years too late.... it is good to know that there'll now be quite a few of us in the 'oldest seasonaires in the village' box!
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?
@Scampi Dellahanti, Welcome to the EK geezonaires. The oldest member of the Tignes chapter was 88 last year and still managed to get to The Rosée Blanche on skis!!
Is this Rosee Blanche? The pictures on the internet show some cladding on the building I do not recognise?
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Bigtipper, Yep, that's the fella.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Compare the above view with the view from the one Glencoe coffee shop.
The flask is not there because I do not like their coffee, it is more to do with the queues. (also the waitress service in Glencoe is fairly erratic)
The run which looks like a gully under the one person chair lift (cliffhanger) is called canyon (haggis trap is off to the right of the picture) This video on youtube gives some of the runs (well most) It was not taken by me btw!
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.
whiteout wrote:
What are some good places to look for season-long lettings in Val? I've done a season in Tignes (Brev), which was all organized a bit late, and looking to end up Val-side this time around. I work from home, and ended up using a somewhat expensive MiFi last time for internet because the DSL was slow (at best) and out (at worst). Are some places better than others for a decent fixed connection?
We get about 10mb with our Orange Fr broadband connection.
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
lynnecha wrote:
Hi Everyone. We have rented a place in La Daille from 16 January so will be there for the season as well. We have planned on taking the car, but the comments have made me think again. Does anyone know what the situation is with the new car park in La Daille? We were going to book a place in the indoor carpark but any information on how well that is likely to work would be appreciated.
Many thanks as always to the EK gang.
We have an apartment at La Daille. The outside parking situation is that you can park at the back of the apartments for a maximum of one week. The area in front of the shops and at the upper end of the car park is limited to 2 hrs. The council tow truck does remove anyone parked there for longer than the limited period.
There is talk of putting up a barrier to the car park, but the syndic haven't agreed on this yet.
The covered private car park is managed by a private company called Val d'Isere Agence. You can get a price from them at reservation@valdisere-agence.com I'm told a season pass is pretty much the same cost as it is in the council covered parking (under P&V apartments across the road - P2) which was €500 last season. There is a new covered multi storey being built between La Daille and Le Cret (the outer edge of the central village opposite the heliport) so there will be plenty of spaces. Finally, the cheapest option is using the open air council car park in La Daille, but if you want to use the car, it can take quite a while to clear the snow and ice off it.
The council parking office is now closed until the season starts on 24th November.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@bar shaker, thanks so much for the info. I will enquire when everything opens in November- very helpful.
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.
@bar shaker, thanks so much for the info. I will enquire when everything opens in November- very helpful.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
I've done a season in Val and also not worked, I was between jobs. You will have an amazing time. Firstly always be vigilant with your skis. I had mine stolen from a locked rack outside the main ticket office. They were less than helpful. After telling a few people about my predicament it appeared to be extremely common, which you dont expect in an expensive place like Val.
We didnt have a car and it was fine. Using both supermarkets and the street market was fine. Some days we'd ski over to Tignes just to have a different lunch and then ski back. Tignes Cuisine is a favourite and cheap.
You have fast wifi which is essential to watch films etc. We also went to the library and signed up. This allowed us to borrow DVDs. They had a surprisingly good collection of hundreds of films, box sets. Im pretty sure it was free or very inexpensive.
How much off piste will you do? Avi bags are expensive to buy. If you are going with a guide you can rent them for £40 a day. Also I'm not sure how effective they really are. From people to not managing to pull the cord to the avi being too deep regardless but I suppose its your call.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@mk28, thanks. I'm always careful with leaving skis around in town, my apartment is close to the centre so it shouldn't be an issue. Fast wifi, a login to my Sky Go account and a vpn should be all I require for screen based entertainment.
Planning to do a lot of off-piste, half the point of my doing the season is to break through the plateau I'm currently stuck on. To that end I bagged a Mammutt Ride 22 RAS in the Ellis Brigham sales for £350. From what I know they're extremely effective provided you pull the chord, and if the avi is too deep for an ABS pack to help then it doesn't matter either way.
Which supermarket in Val did you use? The Sherpa is small & expensive, is the Station Spar any better?
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Dr John, Have you also got a transceiver, metal shovel & probe? Contact Steve Angus of TDC to find where & when transceiver lessons/refreshers are to be held. And look in the local Tabacs for guidebooks to the off-piste routes.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@Kenzie, yes thanks, the whole shooting match. To clarify, I've been going off piste to varying degrees for years but can't progress much past my current middling standard. Normal holidays only really allow the occasional powder day, hence doing the season and breaking through the plateau. I'm aquatinted with the chaps at Henrys Avalanche Talks and plan to use the Alpine Experience gang regularly, and Val has many many back country old hands to go touring with.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Im a bit late to this thread aren't I.... Perhaps bump into you in resort and of course ill be doing my daily blogging and stuff - perhaps you might make a guest appearance!!!!
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?
@Steve Angus, I certainly hope so mate. Roses is a regular apres haunt. Might even be able to put a bit of business your way.
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Poster: A snowHead
