 Poster: A snowHead
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| Chris Reed wrote: |
What's the 4th largest ski area and where were you staying? Sounds great! |
I had to fly to Lyon for a day on business from Gatwirck and went to Les Sybelles for a couple of days because there was a train which got me pretty close. I stayed near Mont Charvin which is a couple of houses and a hotel plus a lift into the ski area. They seemed very friendly in the local bar despite my limited French and you couldn't beat the prices. They claim over 300km of pistes and to be the 4th largest ski domain in France but you can take a lot of these figures with a pinch of salt (I read all that on a website)
Courchevel it certainly is not... and so it would't be to everyone's tastes I realise. Apparently it is only 12km from Alpe d'Huez and people have been known to ski down from there... or so I was told. I could just believe it, when the clouds cleared we could see the top of the Alpe d'Huez slopes with binoculars.
I couldn't believe the average age of the people in the bar... they must have been 80... all dressed in berets and blue overalls. They all seemed to be working still on their little farms. Cool. I guess they don't get pensions in France.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 9-03-04 17:29; edited 2 times 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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PG
I don't think they write in phonetic French in the Observer, do they? 
I saw the report on French TV in the hotel room I was in... must have been just before Christmas, the 20th maybe? One of the satellite stations as I was just zapping... LCI or something?
The hackette looked like a real hooray... barber jacket and all.... and you are correct, it was Jane Knight.
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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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- expect to have to have to speak French though!
Vivre la France
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You mean 'Vive la France' then!!!!!!
I would agree with you entirely though! 
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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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Yes Chris you're right - bit of a faux pas eh?! I could have edited it but couldn't be bothered... I'm sure I make worse ones at work! 
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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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sherman-maeir,
Crystal and Thomson are both doing St Sorlin and St Jean in Les Sybelles area in next years brochures. Prices look considerably cheaper than a lot of the other French ski areas.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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You want service and space in which to live go to Canada.
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Always fancied a visit to Mont Tremblant 
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France is simply appalling. I last went skiing in France in 1993 I think. I well remember booking ski school, lift passes and carte neige for the whole family. It cost over £1000 and I paid in cash. The woman at the desk didn't even smile as she took my money. I have never been back since, and I never will.
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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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Let's not pigeon-hole the entire nation, but customer service, or lack of, is a problem - one they are aware of, and are trying to address.
Another aspect of the problem is that criticism is frequently taken personally by an French employee. This can have a less obvious and potentially hasardous effect! Unlike in the UK where if an employee doesn't know the answer to your query he/she will invariably refer you 'upwards' (frustrating and timeconsuming, but eventually you get the answer you need) - in France an employee hates to admit that he/she simply doesn't know. It's like an admission of inadequacy. As a result he/she will always give you an answer - right or wrong. Ask half a dozen people in a the same department the same question, and the chances are you'll get several different answers if it's an area they're not too familiar with. And they'll give you those answers with an air of complete assurance!!
I'm not kidding, anyone investing in France, purchasing property, asking for tax advice, should seriously bear this in mind.
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PG, that explains why so many of the management consultants I used to work with were French!!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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PG, that gives us an entire country of politicians.
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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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As well as the millions of jobs-for-life civil servants! I was peromptorily summoned to appear at a tax hearing a couple of years ago. After 90 minutes grilling which made no sense whatsoever (apparently I was defrauding the authorities by claiming state pensions) the guy had to leave the office for a minute. I sneaked a look at the papers - they were my father's who was living with us. When he got back and I pointed out that he was talking to the wrong person, not so much as an apology. Instead he went through my father's papers for another half hour, discovered he had overpaid by some 30 francs, then decided my own case should be dealt with by someone else. Sent to another office, this guy spends the next hour discussing how much he loved his trip to Buckingham Palace and English football. He then looks at his watch (5pm on the dot) thanks me for my help and sends me on my way. I had sepnt the entire afternoon there, my dad had recovered £3, and the French state had wasted how much?!
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FAQ
