 Poster: A snowHead
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@gendal,
If you are concerned about money, bear in mind splitting into 2 X 3 weeks doubles your travel to & from resort costs.
Going for six weeks after French half term would increase your accommodation options (and perhaps reduce the cost) as owners would be more open to a longer term rental towards the end of the season.
Consider la Rosiere or Ste Foy for your accommodation. The latter is very close to Espace Killy via Brevieres and Paradiski via Villaroger.
In your budgeting factor in parking costs, especially if you choose BSM - daily parking in various resorts can soon add up.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 18-08-24 13:58; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
In your budgeting factor in parking costs, especially if you choose BSM - daily parking in various resorts can soon add up.
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That is a serious point. I'm not sure how much free parking there is in Bourg st. Maurice. You certainy have to pay if you chose to park at the funicular. Some of the accommodation is a fair walk to the funicular but there is a shuttle bus. There are bars and restaurants in Bourg st Maurice but I don't know about night clubs (not my scene). There is a large seasonaire community and they commute up the funicular every morning and down again every night.
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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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Go to somewhere where you can access smaller stations , you will grow to dislike the super resorts for lots of reasons, mainly full out tourists and ££££ . For instance if you based yourselves in BSM or Seez I guarantee that you’ll end up skiing more in Sainte Foy and La Rosiere to access La Thuile than Les Arcs/ La Plagne .
I haven’t skied there but I get sense from people on Snowheads that Briancon/serre chevalier valley is very ideal for a prolonged visit .
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@gendal, don't underestimate the ability to just nip out for an hour or two and the faff saved by being in resort vs commuting to the funicular in BSM and taking that up.
If you've got 6 weeks or so, you don't need to ski all day every day, unless you want to of course.
If you were planning on living in the area full time, then being in BSM is probably a better option, but for 6 weeks, personally i'd pick to be in resort and drive down on any days off, or for food shops etc.
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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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@Astontech, last minute booking is perfectly feasible in January when it's low season - we normally only book a day or two before arrival. It may get harder once you get into February
One tip if WFH, and driving out, is to take a folding table that you can use as a desk. It'd make it a lot easier to have two separate working areas in an apartment
@gendal, I'd also got for splitting it into 2 trips, and avoiding the February peak
We've done 2 trips a season (one in Jan, and one in April) for 3 to 6 weeks each, and used the Snowcard Tirol each time, and we've not got bored yet
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
six weeks after French half term would increase your accommodation options
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But take you through to 18 April, ruling out all but high altitude options, really. A split would be better.
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| Astontech wrote: |
| Origen wrote: |
| Good question. What are you prepared to pay for accommodation? |
15K for 6 weeks |
1. Zermatt
2. Verbier
3. Lech
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Several years ago I took 6 weeks, a car, some skis and a Salzburger Superski season pass and stayed in 6 different places in Austria, broadly:
- 1 week Stumm in Zillertal skiing Zillertal Arena
- 1 week Uttendorf skiing the backside of Kitzbuhel
- 2 weeks in Zell am See skiing Zell am See/Kitzsteinhorn and Saalbach
- 1 week Altenmarkt skiing Zauchensee/Flachau etc.
- 1 week Mauterndorf skiing itself + Obertauern
In between Altenmarkt and Mauterndorf we did a non-skiing weekend in Slovenia at Lake Bled which was nice to mix it up a bit.
I wasn't working at the time but my girlfriend was. I aimed to ski every day but didn't set a goal for how long. Most days ended up being a few hours. The nice thing about this approach was that apartments in these villages were reasonably priced, driving was easy with few high altitude roads (except Obertauern) and costs for food etc were reasonable as many of the villages weren't just about skiing. It's a bit more faff moving between places but if you manage the logistics it can be a lot of fun seeing more of the alps and exploring somewhere new for the entire trip.
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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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@Astontech, @gendal, predictably you have had about as many suggestions as contributors.
It all comes down to working out exactly what you want. If it is somewhere where you can ski for a few hours and then immediately start working online, you need to be in a high altitude resort which lacks character and real community. If you want a "real town" you need to be lower down but recognise that it will take a little while to access and return from the ski slopes - but on the flip side you might be easily able to get to nearby resorts for a change. Or deal with the hassle of changing location every week or two.
For me it would be the second option. Bourg for the Tarentaise resorts. Or somewhere in the Arve valley for the Mont Blanc Unlimited resorts (with the new lift up from Le Fayet, it wouldn't be hard to access both the Chamonix valley and the Evasion Mont Blanc areas), or the valley bases in Austria accessing multiple resorts on a single pass.
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Briancon is a decent town with a walled fortress. Direct lift access into Serre Chevalier. Road and bus link up to Montgenevre and the Milky Way. Other resorts on lift pass for those days when you want a change. Definitely high speed fibre available in many of the ski villages.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I was going to throw Saint Gervais into the mix with the Mont Blanc unlimited pass.
Local skiing for the days you are working at 15.00 & lots of away days for non working days.
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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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Everyone here is going to have their own favourite location, most of them will be fine. One issue will be finding somewhere suitable to stay. Accommodation has been getting harder to find in recent years and I think the concept of booking just before turning up is a non starter, you need to plump for a location and start looking now. As a suggestion (not that is is really better than others) would be the Zillertal, lots of skiing variety, easy to get to, a number of non skiing villages which might be easier to find an apartment (potentially cheaper as you will want a reasonable sized place to allow you both to work).
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@driz, all those locations and you missed out Maria Alm which is a lovely area near to Zell am See and Saalbach!
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You know it makes sense.
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| munich_irish wrote: |
| Everyone here is going to have their own favourite location. |
Ain't that the truth!
The range of views and ideas has actually been very helpful - thanks everybody. Most of it has made perfect sense (especially the consensus around splitting the trip to avoid the madness of the school holidays).
But one thing that I don't fully understand is that the majority of you seem to be recommending staying in/near smaller resorts. I'd (naively, it seems) assumed a longer trip made staying somewhere huge (eg one of the Tarentaise big three) was the way to go as it would give us the opportunity to fully explore the space and avoid things becoming repetitive. But the general mood seems to be to go somewhere smaller. What's the thinking? That there's less time wasted moving around? They're less touristy? Something else? If it matters, we're basically 'one or two weeks a year; happiest on reds and have never really ventured off-piste' skiers. I guess this trip will give us lots of opportunity to improve, but it's fair to assume we're going to be spending most of our time on groomed runs.
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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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| gendal wrote: |
| munich_irish wrote: |
| Everyone here is going to have their own favourite location. |
Ain't that the truth!
The range of views and ideas has actually been very helpful - thanks everybody. Most of it has made perfect sense (especially the consensus around splitting the trip to avoid the madness of the school holidays).
But one thing that I don't fully understand is that the majority of you seem to be recommending staying in/near smaller resorts. I'd (naively, it seems) assumed a longer trip made staying somewhere huge (eg one of the Tarentaise big three) was the way to go as it would give us the opportunity to fully explore the space and avoid things becoming repetitive. But the general mood seems to be to go somewhere smaller. What's the thinking? That there's less time wasted moving around? They're less touristy? Something else? If it matters, we're basically 'one or two weeks a year; happiest on reds and have never really ventured off-piste' skiers. I guess this trip will give us lots of opportunity to improve, but it's fair to assume we're going to be spending most of our time on groomed runs. |
I’d always suggest somewhere smaller or in a valley with easy access to a wide range of resorts so you can pick and choose where to ski depending on the daily weather conditions. In our part of the alps (Maurienne valley) there are 17 ski resorts all within easy reach, including if you wish Orelle (6 mins from our apt and 15 mins to nearest lift at Valmeinier) which links up with Val Thorens and the wider 3 valleys - link this with the Skiogrande card that gives daily discounts and a free day skiing every 8 it can be much better than plonking yourself in one area only to find a week of your trip is wiped out by grim weather. Equally being smaller resorts they are less frequented by brits in particular and are therefore nowhere near as busy even during french school holiday times.
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Tue 20-08-24 9:52; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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I would stick with a spot in a large resort so that you have easy access. In reality if you're there for 6 weeks I expect you will be doing a few hours a day rather than full days, and those suggesting you stay in smaller resorts/down in the valley bottoms seem to be ignoring the fact that you will be working so spending the time travelling to and from resorts either side of the lifts is going to add hours on to each days' skiing. So you'd be having to cut days much shorter to get back in time to start working.
Of course there will be exceptions but to me it's overthinking it. Why would you treat it differently to selecting a destination for your holiday?
Somewhere big gives you variety of skiing, more amenities and a resort provides best access to what you're there for-skiing!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I really don't get the suggestions to stay somewhere that requires you to commute every day in order to ski.
When it's a big powder day, the roads are rammed and you're an hour late onto the hill.
If it's a Saturday, it's transfer day and the roads are rammed.
If the weather is awful, but you fancy an hour or two anyway, it's really not worth the drive.
If you want to squeeze in a couple of hours skiing before doing something else (e.g. working remotely) it's not worth the drive.
That's not to say it's not worth choosing somewhere you can _also_ travel to other resorts - e.g. St Gervais. But I'd still want to be able to ski without needing to commute.
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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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@snowdave, that’s my experience. When you really want ‘first lift’ access to the best of the conditions, being very close to the slopes makes life much easier.
Being based in a large resort (with a car) doesn’t mean you can’t explore the small resorts nearby, but it does mean you have a very large lift network and associated terrain on your doorstep with no need for a commute. Taking the big three French domains of Trois Vallees, Paradiski and whatever Tignes/Val d’Isere is called these days as an example, you have more than enough terrain to keep you entertained for many, many weeks, but you can easily drive to the smaller resorts of St Foy, La Rosiere (and from there to La Thuile), and Valmorel (and from there to St Francis Longchamps) in not much more than an hour. There’s also nothing stopping you from being based in a large domain and skiing in another large domain, if you’re happy with the cost of lift passes. There’s endless terrain available, either on your doorstep or less than an hour’s drive should you wish to explore.
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@gendal, Your original idea of staying in the valley and commuting up the hill every morning wasn't a bad idea. You certainly get a bigger apartment for your money in Bourg st Maurice than Les Arcs. The funicular is pretty quick and gets you into the skiing fairly quickly, but there are downsides compared to actually staying in the resort. These are my personal views from someone who has an apartment at Arc 1600 and spends significant time there:
I can look out the window first thing in the morning and assess the weather and conditions hence deciding how quick to get ready and get out or potter about reading emails etc. and even what clothes to wear.
Getting ski busses to start and finish the day is a real pain
Having to drive to a lift station and find somewhere to park is an even bigger pain (apart from occaisionally deciding to drive to Tignes or La Rossiere I wouldn't even consider it)
You can nip back for lunch or if yu have forgotten anything.
I've skied 20 or so days a year in Les Arcs for the last 20ish years and never get bored with it. If bordom ever approaches I go across to La Plagne or plan how to do Robert Blanc (the piste not the person).
Though Les Arcs is a big ski area each village is quite small so you get to know the restaurant owners, the bar staff etc so there is always someone to chat to. I recall one occaision when sitting in a restaurant the owner came over and asked if a single person could join us to keep him company. You don't get to know people or the skiing if you are constantly flitting from one resort to another. I like the sense of belonging (for a while  )
Driving to a big neighbouring town occaionally is much nicer than driving from that town every morning. We usually go down to Bourg st Maurice at least once every trip either by funicular or driving to stock up with exotica in the SuperU (well exotica to our English palates)
I agree with @snowdave, and @rob@rar
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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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To add to the resort v valley town discussion, if you need to get back for work then I would definitely want to be in resort otherwise the drive back is going to cut into your skiing time, and probably by enough that it will annoy you. If there is no rush to get back then I'm all for staying out of resort and exploring on longer trips I and have done this with a magic pass on an extended trip.
Re. Which resort, any of the big 3 Tarentise resorts will keep you occupied for 6 weeks with the 3V being my pick for the skiing that you describe due to the it's insane amount of piste skiing and how well connected all of the areas are
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I’ve read with interest and the many views . Knowing the valley very well rather than worrying too much about where, the bigger problem will be what’s actually available for a six week rent . There’s a shortage of long term rental properties and those in big resorts will want the going weekly rate for all those six weeks .
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@Astontech,
Wherever you are thinking of going, accommodation goes fast - start looking to book.
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@gendal,
Ditto.
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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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I'd get an early bird season pass to Verbier 4 Valleys. Do three weeks in Jan and another three in March, to avoid the busy Feb school holidays. And mix up the accommodation: maybe just a week or two in Verbier itself and the rest in the satellite villages.
On weekends and travel days you can ski for free in Chamonix, Port du Soleil, and the Aletsch Arena. Plus you could also (pay to) visit Arolla, Lauchernalp, Grimentz etc.
There's also a bunch of stuff to see and do in the Rhone valley, on non-ski days.
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| HilbertSpace wrote: |
I'd get an early bird season pass to Verbier 4 Valleys. Do three weeks in Jan and another three in March, to avoid the busy Feb school holidays. And mix up the accommodation: maybe just a week or two in Verbier itself and the rest in the satellite villages.
On weekends and travel days you can ski for free in Chamonix, Port du Soleil, and the Aletsch Arena. Plus you could also (pay to) visit Arolla, Lauchernalp, Grimentz etc.
There's also a bunch of stuff to see and do in the Rhone valley, on non-ski days. |
sounds great!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Astontech wrote: |
| Scooter in Seattle wrote: |
| Langerzug wrote: |
| Astontech wrote: |
| Origen wrote: |
| Good question. What are you prepared to pay for accommodation? |
15K for 6 weeks |
Then you can delete Lech from your list.
And Meribel too probably.
And Verbier as well. |
Seriously? I've stayed in all three places for far less than the OP's budget of 15k, regardless of currency. That's 357/night, not exactly a hostel budget.
Astontech, any of those places will be great, but I also think you should take a hard look at the Dolomites. |
Where in the dolomites would you suggest that has a large ski area? |
Somewhere in Val di Fassa. There's the 500km linked Sella Ronda circuit, plus half a dozen worthwhile smaller areas adding up to 200km more along the Valley to discover, plus daytrips to Hidden Valley, WW1 tour, Cortina, Kronplatz and others on the Dolomiti Superski pass also possible if you have a car.
Canazei is the liveliest spot and along with Campitello has direct access to the Sella Ronda circuit.
Alba with its two lifts going different directions would be a good spot.
Pozza or other places down the valley would be a bit cheaper if you don't mind commuting up to the Sella Ronda lifts.
The Dolomites are spectacular and have a particular ambience that isn't be replicated elsewhere, but Driz's option above for using the huge Salzburg Superski season pass and moving about different areas might be better for a 6 week duration. It does get busier in Austria in Feb, but not crazily so like France, so you could do your initial plan, instead of splitting it in two.
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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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I'd definitely add Zermatt to your list - it's got a lovely old-town feel, plenty of nice bars and restaurants, and the skiing is incredible. Plus, it's not too flashy, but still has a mid-upper resort vibe. We spent a week there a few years ago and loved it. Also, have you considered Chamonix? It's got a great town with loads of character and the skiing is so varied. Worth considering!
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Thanks everybody for your tips. We've made our decision, at least for the first half of the trip. I guess the only thing I know is that almost everybody (but hopefully not literally everybody) will think: "well, that's not what I would have done" 
We stuck with our original idea of Les Arcs (mainly because we know and like it, but no so much that there would be no novelty), but took the advice to stay in resort rather than Bourg.
We went for Arc 1800 as it seemed to be the largest/most 'town like' of the Les Arcs resorts as well as being in some ways most central, reducing the risk that every morning entails the same initial hour to get anywhere different. eg I'm conscious that whenever we go to the Three Valleys we almost always stay in Courchevel Moriond, which we love. But one really does notice that it's out on the edge.
We'll get a Paradiski season pass - which looks like it is the right answer even if this is the only trip to Les Arcs we do in the season, but my hope is we'll be able to be back after the French holiday.
Travel wise, we've booked Avios flights to Chambery (which I'm sure we'll regret when we get diverted to Lyon), and will take the train to Bourg, and cab/funicular/bus/something from there.
Thanks again for all the advice.
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You know it makes sense.
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@gendal, choose your accommodation carefully in Arc 1800. Some of the apartment blocks are a long way beneath the lifts.
The season pass breaks even at about 13 days so for a 3 week trip it is the best value. I'll be buying one and will only be in the resort for 3 weeksish.
One word of advice, when returning to Chambery airport book your taxi from the station to the airport in advance. My nephew didn't do this and had quite a probem getting finding one at Chambery station. This is the same nephew who booked a transfer from Grenoble airport to Lest Arcs and was shocked when his flight landed at Geneva.
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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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@johnE We're staying in Lauzieres, which seems to be pretty central?
Thanks for the tip re Chambery. How is it in the other direction? We've always had transfers when using the airport in the past so I've never thought to look for a cab rank. Is there usually good availability of taxis? Or would we be wise to book a cab in that direction too?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@gendal, we stayed in 756 Lauzieres on a summer break back in 2022, location seemed fine then, but obviously summer is different to winter, but I don't think you'll have any issues.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@gendal, my wife shared a taxi with 3 other people to get to the station from the airport. I think there may be a bus service now. The trouble was that there was an airport and there was a town but very little connection between them. Most people flying into Chambery airport were on package tours. I have a friend who lives about 30 minutes from the airport. He’s never used but drives to Geneva instead.
The point I’m trying to make is check beforehand how you will get from the airport to the town. It’s not like most airports.
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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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The Lauziere apartments are classic les arcs apartments. I think they may be the ones shown in apocalypse snow. Though access to the skiing is not normally from the roof it is fairly good. You need to see the film or its sequel
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Duplicate post deleted
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 25-08-24 11:21; edited 1 time in total
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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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@Astontech
If I was able to spend 6 weeks in one place I'd be heading to Aosta, Italy
Great value for money
Proper town with plenty going on when you're not skiing
So much skiing within a 1 hr radius
Easy to visit other countries from this base if you want a change. Plenty of city break options. Ski during the week, explore on the weekend.
A weekend at the coast is under 3 hrs away - Ligurian coast around Genoa
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=5280472#5280472
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks everyone for the input!
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| Mike Pow wrote: |
@Astontech
If I was able to spend 6 weeks in one place I'd be heading to Aosta, Italy
Great value for money
Proper town with plenty going on when you're not skiing
So much skiing within a 1 hr radius
Easy to visit other countries from this base if you want a change. Plenty of city break options. Ski during the week, explore on the weekend.
A weekend at the coast is under 3 hrs away - Ligurian coast around Genoa
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=5280472#5280472 |
+1 for Aosta Valley. Spectacular setting with many of the highest 4000m+ peaks in the Alps as the backdrop to the ski areas.
Managed to ski 8 resorts in 3 countries in the short week we were there in Feb '20 just before Covid hit:
Courmayeur, La Thuile/La Rosiere (FR), Pila, Cervinia/Zermatt (CH) and Champoluc/Gressoney in Monte Rosa.
These are the larger ones, but 20 resorts are listed on Bergfex: https://www.bergfex.com/aostatal/
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I'd go Austria or the Dollies, lower bases youre not stiff on a satellite high altitude souless place which takes a long drive to get out of.
Serre che would be good with a car, La Grave not to far and Risoul Vars stunning. Briancon a proper town too
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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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Amazed nobody has suggested Chamonix. Done exactly this the last two years in a row. Drove out first week of Jan, rented an apartment for 4/5 weeks, and worked most days in the late afternoon. All in I think it cost about 3.5k? It's a fantastic place to spend some time, and for an ambitiously average snowboarder like me, is very hard to beat. Plus if you look for places near the Brevent lift, you can walk to and from skiing. EDIT: Chamonix has been mentioned... but here's another vote!
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FAQ
