 Poster: A snowHead
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
Is it just me then, or was La Plagne especially 'difficult'? I do remember a couple of hellish blue runs in Val D'Isère too rather than singling out La Plagne. On the whole I like French blues and would attempt the occasional French red (never black). However in Austria and Italy, I'm happy on all the blues and reds and might even think about the occasional black...
Is it a sweeping generalisation that the skiing is more difficult in France, or is it just a few resorts...? |
I was in La Plagne last week and the big network of Blue runs struck me as nothing unusual TBH. I'm thinking about the big area up from the main town and crossing over to La Plagne Bellecote. Also the tunnel run thing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Lou, we learnt to ski in Flaine, and I would love to go back just to see more of the skiing.
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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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Kel,
We were then and over xmas, where was it bad, I remember condition being really good?!!! Esp after the snow on NYE we cut fresh tracks all day on Gros Crey!
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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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Flaine, whilst looking like a Nuclear power station, has some a huge selection of interesting red runs coming back into it.
I've never had a skiing holiday where I was disappointed with the skiing....
In order:
Deux Alpes. First ski trip, so nothing to compare with. Seemed to be loads of pistes and town was OK.
Some place on the Sella Ronda in Italy: Skiing fine (though still inexperienced), town OK.
Chalet near Samoens (Grands Massif): Liked the skiing, liked the town, hated the buses.
Courcheval 1800 (3 V): Liked the skiing, liked the town.
Morgins (Portes Du Soleil): Loved the skiing, nice chalet, no complaints (no nightlife, but didn't care).
Sixt (Grands Massif again): Enjoyed the skiing, though decided resort is not a favourite, excellent chalet (Sixt Alpine Chalet), didn't go out.
Arcs 2000 (Paradiski): Great skiing, resort was ugly and lacking character but served its purpose.
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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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Helen Beaumont, we wrenched ourselves away from Les Gets, where we learnt, in order to try somewhere new and now love the two for totally different reasons 
You should go back, it will be fantastic now you're not learners anymore!
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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 in advance Helen 
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Wed 25-03-09 21:49; edited 1 time in total
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Lou, fixed as if by magic.
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Cervinia, luckily only went there for a day on a road trip but quite possibly the most boring w*anky flat motorway skiing and a butt ugly town. Not massive on Fernie which is hugely overrated and had the worst overall service I've ever experienced in a resort.
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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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| Gsyfreerider wrote: |
| Cervinia, luckily only went there for a day on a road trip but quite possibly the most boring w*anky flat motorway skiing and a butt ugly town. Not massive on Fernie which is hugely overrated and had the worst overall service I've ever experienced in a resort. |
Fernie has some great expert terrain and gets a lot of pow - who goes there for service?
Generally, if a hill has snow, a lift or two and a 300m-ish or more vert with a decent pitch, I'm a happy camper. I tend to be steer away from expensive places that don't offer exceptional rewards terrain/snow-wise (eg Jackson, Aspen good - Breckenridge not so good) and favor places off the beaten track with good terrain/snow and no crowds.
But hey - it's all skiing - what is there not to like?
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| Quote: |
Generally, if a hill has snow, a lift or two and a 300m-ish or more vert with a decent pitch, I'm a happy camper.
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Perfectly describes Glencoe!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Valloire - we spent one day there after Christmas. 2 hour queue for lift pass - won't be going back.
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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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Funny all the different views.
Valloire - agreed the lift pass queues are crazy, I'm not sure how they manage to take so long, as once up on the mountain I'd say it's a pretty quite resort. However, I had my first ever holiday there and loved it (other than the first morning pass queue!). Very french. Plenty of riding for a first trip. Friendly traditional village, and attractive. Plenty of space on the pistes and plenty of variety and progression for a beginner.
Conversely on that same first trip we did 1 day across at Val Thorens and I hated it - was crazily busy (mainly as people were converging there for the altitude as snow elsewhere was getting crappy due to warm weather), people ripping past you not giving space, lots of shoving and pushing at lift queues. Massive queue to get back down the trois vallees express. Since then however I've been back to VT twice however and really enjoyed it, as its been less busy, and I was alot more confident and could rip around. Now, I really like the riding there. I don't like the town though, nor most the crap mountain restaraunts. That said I would go back for the riding.
Someone else hated Les Menuires. Agreed the architeture is ugly as sin, but I enjoyed the riding there, especialy up the far side up La Masse (ie. heading west going away from the Meribel). And on food, Reberty (in the bucket lift just above les menuires) has a cluster of about 8-10 restaraunts across the bottom of the pistes, so i thought the food there was fine.
Again the comments re. Tignes - agreed again the architecture is ugly as sin, but tons of quality skiing/riding, guaranteed snow thanks to the glacier. OK no tree runs apart from the bit down to les brevieres. Not sure i'd want to stay in the conrete jungle bits, but staying down in les brev is quite nice. I'd definately go back.
Kaprun - love the place. I like the town, nice size, nice atmosphere. I've been the first weekend in May for a 3 day trip and we had 2 days of powder and glorious sunshine. I can imagine it being a bit frustrating in high season if the lower Kaprun/Zel runs being shut and everyone convering on the Kitzsteinhorn, but in the normal run of things the Kitzsteinhorn is a great place. I've even been in early September for a week lounging round and walking in the valley sunshine but with a morning or two up the glacier. We even had a cm or 2 of fresh snow on the glacier one day.
I guess the thing is you can't judge a place on the conditions of one visit.
The only place I can think of that I won't go back and stay is Meribel. Its just too busy (even when i've been in mid Jan and end-March), and at the two main points where eveyrone converges in Mottaret and Meribel 1450 for the gondola's up each side of the valley the pistes get incredibly worn even on good snow days and people ski/board like pillocks straight into the centre and through the crowds etween the lifts up each side. I've seen so many collisions and near misses here, with cretins not making allowances for the increased crowds and traffic as you converge on the centre. Annoys the crap out of me.
For me Meribel is just an inconvenience I have to pass through to get from Courchevel to VT/LM or vice versa.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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| Patch wrote: |
Flaine - gets my vote for ugliest resort I've been to. Skiing not particularly impressive
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Ironically Flaine has protected status as a heritage site, dunno as whether it's just in a "Warning From History" way though... Picasso was very fond of the place, several huge installations of his there, quite possible he designed the 'Flying Urinal' not-a-chair lift there too.
Can't agree about the Skiing though, t'was most agreeable when I was there a few weeks ago.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Common theme France = ugly resorts! Although Cervinia in Italy is also a very ugly place.
horizon re your comments
Chamonix - what a hassle to move from one area to another -
I was there at Christmas, seem to have new buses and they ran very efficiently, covered two mountains a day twice. But agree it's a good journey from Cham town to Le Tour
Selva Gardena - the queues! the queues!
Was there for New Year, some queues but nothing too bad in Val Gardena, there lifts were generally new and fast.
St Anton: I was 5 minutes late for breakfast and when I got to the top of the mountain all the powder had been skied!
Would well believe it although got a powder day in Courmayeur when I was there and loads of fresh tracks.
Cervinia: with 2000m of vertical, surely they can ensure that you don't need to walk uphill?[b]
I agree, those steps are a killer
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FAQ
)
I've been back there often at the tail ends of the season, sometimes in whiteouts, sometimes with high winds shutting most of the lifts. Also been there a few times and skied 30cm+ fresh powder with a handfull of other people, putting down fresh tracks allday. 
