 Poster: A snowHead
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@johnE, Thanks for the explanation.
By the way, do you think Clair Blanc may have been Robert's little sister? 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| Wonder if they'll take the opportunity to regrade Clair Blanc? The only 'red' I've ever done where each time it feels like I need to raise my game to ski it. |
I haven't had the nerve to try it - the very top looks terrifying and it's quite a distance to fall. I wonder if they will be downgrading Muguet to Red? The signs off the top of Clocheret towards 2000 are red but the piste is graded black. It's certainly easier than Clair Blanc looks.
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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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@Alastair, Clair Blanc isn't that bad provided there is plenty of snow at the top. The top 5 metres are the worse with a band of stones that appears to go all across the slope about 1m down. The rest can be a nice mogul field with some good soft bumps off the side
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| johnE wrote: |
| The rest can be a nice mogul field with some good soft bumps off the side |
I usually head skiers' left off the side of where I guess the piste margin is. A bit steeper, but the snow is less abused than in the middle of the run, and it's lovely with fresh snowfall.
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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.
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Just a nice photo. Winter is coming..
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Couple of things:
1) the Les Arcs Winter 2019/20 marketing press kit https://en.calameo.com/read/00568961633d2f8226269 makes some interesting noise about the top station of the Aguille Rouge, including putting in a cafe (yup: +1 for that) and a zip-wire "from the top of the AR over the flying KM" (gulp...). One for the adventurous methinks.
2) The NirvanAlps progamme for owners is being rebranded and revamped, looks like it is going to cost €50 over 5 years .... but at the moment they can't tell you what the benefits are going to be, or how you earn them.
https://www.nirvanalps.com/ for contact details (but not a lot else)
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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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"flying KM"?
Don't like the idea of a café on Ag. Rouge.
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@Layne, yep - it will only transform a long queue into a much longer one.
More people with no intention of skiing will come because on a clear day the views are amazing. So more people will pay to jump the queue. They've learned it from EuroDisney.
It won't be fun going on the black piste on a full stomach. All the way to the Ferme
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Arctic Roll,
We received this about the closure of the Nirvanalps programme. They received no feedback from me so the 3rd paragraph is untrue. As you say there are no details about the new programme except I have to approach someone in Arc1800 in order to have my apartment reclassified and somehow they need to gathewr my occupancy levels. TBH ti me it doesn't appear to be worth the bother.
| Quote: |
Dear Property Owners,
As we have announced to you in our recent newsletters, a new property owners’ programme will be available next winter.
The current Nirvanalps loyalty programme will end on 1st October 2019.
Taking account of the feedback we have had from you at the round tables, the new programme will favour the quality and occupancy levels of the tourist accommodation.
1) To guarantee the quality of your apartment, it must be classified or in the process of being classified.
Two organisations, one in each resort, are at your disposal:
- Référence Les Arcs is open from Monday to Friday in the Nova apartment building in Arc 1800: reference@lesarcs.com
- The central booking office in Peisey-Vallandry and its «classification» service are available in Peisey or by e-mail: classement@peisey-vallandry.com
We recommend that you contact these dedicated services as soon as possible.
2) Information about occupancy levels will depend on how you fill your property. These details will be requested in the new «Property Owners’ Benefits» programme.
As every year on 1st October, points earned over 3 years ago will expire.
The rest of the Nirvanalps points which are still valid will be transferred to the new « Property Owners’ Benefits » programme. These points will retain their period of validity.
If your apartment is not classified, your Nirvanalps points will be held in suspense in the new «Property Owners’ Benefits » programme and activated as soon as your classification request is approved by the classification organisation.
Membership of the new «Property Owners’ Benefits» programme will enable you to continue to enjoy such benefits as:
- Receiving property owners’ newsletters
- Invitations to dedicated gatherings: meetings with local authorities and entertainments
- Access to the gift catalogue courtesy of your points
The ADS client relations department remains at your disposal to answer your questions: contact.ads@compagniedesalpes.fr
Yours sincerely,
Property Owners’ Relations Department
www.nirvanalps.com
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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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@Arctic Roll, Thanks for the marketing group newsletter. It is very interesting, but really it could do with some editting It could have been half the size. Anyway the interesting bits to me are:
the map of the new green runs
A cafe at the top of the Varet lift. It would be nice if they introduced a delicatescent ticket scheme so you could have a coffee while waiting for your turn on the telepherique.
When there is no queue for the lifts they run them slower to save electricity
They propose a zip wire from the top of the Varet down to somewhere. I am not sure I like this idea as bodies fly over my head as I ski down. These things are very noisey.
That 37% of visitors come from outside France of which just over a third come from the UK and Eire. So roughly 14% of the visitors will be English speakers, which matches my observations. However they are not evenly distributed across the villages; there being a much smaller percentage in 1600 than say 1950.
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You know it makes sense.
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Very sad news of local guide and author Didier Givois who passed away. See news item here for details. He was a great guide and really interesting to talk and ski with. RIP
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I love his que de Paradiski book. Fantastic pictures
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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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Just looking to book my lift passes for christmas and I picked the classic but it says, *Validity: 4 consecutive hours from the first passage in one of the ski lifts, the basic pass has never had a daily time limit. I'm assuming this is a typo and refers to half day tickets, just wondered if anybody could confirm?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| CH1975 wrote: |
| Just looking to book my lift passes for christmas and I picked the classic but it says, *Validity: 4 consecutive hours from the first passage in one of the ski lifts, the basic pass has never had a daily time limit. I'm assuming this is a typo and refers to half day tickets, just wondered if anybody could confirm? |
I believe this refers to the extra half day skiing WITH PASSES OF A 6 OR MORE DAYS.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Update (of a sort) from ADS on the replacement scheme for encouraging owners to let their properties:
We are actually working on the details of the program, a today I can not give you more information than those already sent.
Discounts on ski passes will disappear but you will be able to enjoy new benefits including free packages as soon as the program works and the apartments are referenced.
Stil having to wait on November then. As to what a 'free package' might be, one can only speculate... 
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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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Couple.of the lads and I just booked for Jan 11th, first time there and looking at the tourist info the place looks amazing.
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@Kutocer, good choice (!) Which village?
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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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@arctic roll We are thinking the same the more we look at it.
Arc 1950 Le village is that right lol. Great price as well for it.
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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 booked the Euro Tunnel as we will be driving down for a week in Feb - first stay in our own apartment in 1950 if all keeps going to plan! So ready for more snow!
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Just booked the Euro Tunnel as we will be driving down for a week in Feb - first stay in our own apartment in 1950 if all keeps going to plan! So ready for more snow!
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@X5OT76, welcome to the village! Hope you've been told about (and joined!) the Owners' Association (drop me a pm if not and I'll explain all)
@Kutocer, it will be a great week. Make sure you pop into Georges' Wine Bar and the Wood Bear. Depending on the eponymous George's mood - which often goes with the latest Scotland performance, rugby, football, whatever - it can be a quiet as the grave, or a rowdy, wonderful, unforgetttable karaoke fuelled craic: whereas Seb's Bear next door is pretty much a lively chatty place, and more 'french'. We love them both.
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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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1st snow of the year...
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| Quote: |
Mind you, the very expensive Vanoise Express might look embarrassingly unused if they did that.
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The Vanoise express may be the most underused lift I have ever come across. I have never seen a queue there, most of the time they only operate one cabin and even then wait patiently for enougth punters to actually tun it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
Mind you, the very expensive Vanoise Express might look embarrassingly unused if they did that.
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The Vanoise express may be the most underused lift I have ever come across. I have never seen a queue there, most of the time they only operate one cabin and even then wait patiently for enougth punters to actually tun it. |
Any facts to back up the term "underused"?
Maybe there isn't a queue because it's a quick and efficient high capacity lift?
One time I was there and there was a technical issue and a big queue formed after 15-20 minutes.
I think I would have gone to the 3V or Espace Killy much more often if it wasn't for the VE.
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@Layne, I think it doesn't get a lot of traffic because the most people use it only once eachway a day.
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One time I was there and there was a technical issue and a big queue formed after 15-20 minutes.
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When I get there they only run every 15-20 minutes. I'm not saying that it is not important just that it isn't used that much. A few years ago it was out of action for a whole season. It didn't bother me at all.
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You know it makes sense.
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@johnE Used to use a lot but not sure if we've been across in the last 2 years. It is busyish and yes essential for marketing purposes but not really that busy most of the time we have used.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@ski3, thanks, that's excellent. The original architecture of Les Arcs might not be to everyone's taste, but it was groundbreaking in many ways.
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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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@rob@rar, Nice read, thanks.
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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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@rob@rar, You don't often see pictures of the Cascade apartments in the national press. I stayed in one of those apartments once and to be honest it was terrible. The bathroom took up about half of the apartment and seemed to particualrly badly designed. It was certainly not the neat plastic ones mentioned in @ski3's article (and beloved by @Alastair, who has one).
The sloping windows wasted floor space and were there in my opinion purely to allow balconies on the other side of the building. There was a tiny window below the main one that didn't seal properly. One night the apartment was so cold I hung a towel over it. The towel was slightly damp and froze solid overnight.
To me that building is a triumph of form over function and to me seems to the exact oposite of what Perriand's architecture was supposed to be about.
Having said that I love the architecture of Arc 1600. It is always interesting and there is always an intersting and weird corner somewhere to just simply say Wow! Sadly a lot of it has fallen into dissuse. Disused but still maintained.
If anyone is interested I will show them around (but without the usual tour guides "this was influenced by --- stuff)
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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, I'd certainly like to have a look but won't be over now till the 1st week in Feb. I'd also same the same is true for some of the older apartment blocks in 1800. Particularly Belle Challes and Les Lauzier which have so many funny little bits that you don't realise are there. I only know about them from having spent many an evening as a child running around the place
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I have to say I'm a bit of a fan of the Les Arcs architecture and have been since I first visited over 30 yeas ago. I know it's a bit Marmitish but it is at least interesting and unusual. I can think of many purpose built resorts in France which manage to be far less imaginative or attractive. I can't comment on the inside of the Cascades apartments as I haven't been in one but the pictures I've seen don't look good.
| wills_h wrote: |
| Particularly Belle Challes and Les Lauzier which have so many funny little bits that you don't realise are there. I only know about them from having spent many an evening as a child running around the place |
Yes, those sloping walkways in Belles Challes (where I am) do seem to attract youngsters! The enormous atrium is fun to look at but has its disadvantages.
The disadvantage of the plastic bathroom is that if I want to make better use of the space, for example by changing the bath for a shower, the entire bathroom will have to be cut up and replaced. At nearly 50 years old the fibreglass is looking its age.
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We always thought those bathrooms were like something out of a 60s submarine, happy memories 
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I'll never understand how my parents managed to get ski gear and clothing for a fortnight for them and two kids and the whole of Christmas, including dinner, presents and decorations into a mark ii Fiesta and drive all the way to Les Arcs each year. But it was a magical way to have our family Christmas and New Year! Honestly that car must have been like the TARDIS!
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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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Hi,
I wanted to ask a question re SkiSet ski shop in Les Arcs. Has anyone dealt with them directly, or similar ski shop from their chain, and could tell me:
1. Can I exchange skis for a different pair e.g. midweek to try sth new, without surcharge? (if, of course, skis are within the same price range)
2. Can I ask them for extra waxing/sharpening after a couple of days?
Thank you very much in advance for all replies.
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@bober02, in 1800 the answer is yes to both your questions. I'd imagine it will be the same in the other stations as well.
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FAQ
