 Poster: A snowHead
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We used coolrunnings who have been excellent. 900 euros for 6 from Geneva then two separate trips with 3 people
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Quite the change for the VT weather forecast from Bergfex today!! Some snow everyday/night from Sunday with a big dump on Thursday and Friday!!
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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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And piste update from yesterday. Weirdly the slopes seemed a bit better and less busy. Some of the reds were pretty icey though, even high up. Mouflon was a particular horror of mogully and icey.
Really warm yesterday and the softness was from about 2000m. What is that run into Mottaret like at the end of the day- high comedy!
Meribel was definitely quieter than VT. We did trek over to VT and really enjoyed the runs at Moraine and nearby.
One request- fill the bloody lifts up! I was getting so mad seeing chairs with only one person on!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Roscoe, Meteoblue has similiar but as you'd expect so far out very low predictability. One to watch though!
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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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| kitenski wrote: |
| @Roscoe, Meteoblue has similiar but as you'd expect so far out very low predictability. One to watch though! |
I'm happy with the next few days forecast (that should be fairly reliable) as arriving in VT tomorrow. Will be keeping a keen eye on it each day.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Roscoe wrote: |
| kitenski wrote: |
| @Roscoe, Meteoblue has similiar but as you'd expect so far out very low predictability. One to watch though! |
I'm happy with the next few days forecast (that should be fairly reliable) as arriving in VT tomorrow. Will be keeping a keen eye on it each day. |
Please keep us updated if you can. We arrive in Val Thorens next Saturday 24th. Hoping the forecast for end of next week comes to pass. Enjoy your week.
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Just arrived in VT!! Glorious blue sky with a slight chill. Time for a beer and some food ahead of ski collection and first lift tomorrow!
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Lovely day today - started off in Mottaret (Martre was firm with a nice layer of grippy snow on top) and headed over to VT. I’m happy to report that most runs are in excellent condition - Tete Ronde, Moraine and Col Audzin off Cime Caron were particular favourites. Headed down to Les Menuires via the Boulevard at 3:30ish. Quite sticky and thin towards the end. Grande Lac and Pelozet were superb on our way to StM 2. Decided to have a blast down Jerusalem before heading back. Cover was thin in places - nevertheless, it was very enjoyable as always. Faon down to the Arpasson plateau was fast and deserted. An ace first day. 1650 tomorrow to try and avoid some of the “ski high for the best snow” crowd.
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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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| franga wrote: |
| Lovely day today - started off in Mottaret (Martre was firm with a nice layer of grippy snow on top) and headed over to VT. I’m happy to report that most runs are in excellent condition - Tete Ronde, Moraine and Col Audzin off Cime Caron were particular favourites. Headed down to Les Menuires via the Boulevard at 3:30ish. Quite sticky and thin towards the end. Grande Lac and Pelozet were superb on our way to StM 2. Decided to have a blast down Jerusalem before heading back. Cover was thin in places - nevertheless, it was very enjoyable as always. Faon down to the Arpasson plateau was fast and deserted. An ace first day. 1650 tomorrow to try and avoid some of the “ski high for the best snow” crowd. |
Great news 
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| halfhand wrote: |
| Jefferson Darcy wrote: |
| philipt wrote: |
Hi heading to VT end of March in a group of 16. I have looked online for Transfers for us all.
I was wondering if anyone has used a particular company that they would recommend and have contact info for?
Seems some of the online companies are very over priced |
Try FindTransfers
Just enter all your information and they'll forward it on to local transfer companies for quotes. We got a return transfer from Grenoble airport to Meribel for 7 people for €700. Some of the quotes we got were double that.
https://www.findtransfers.com/ |
We've got return transfers for 8 from GVA to VT for around 800 euro through findtransfers - week before Easter. |
Thanks for this i have just tried this, will see what comes back. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Jefferson Darcy wrote: |
| philipt wrote: |
Hi heading to VT end of March in a group of 16. I have looked online for Transfers for us all.
I was wondering if anyone has used a particular company that they would recommend and have contact info for?
Seems some of the online companies are very over priced |
Try FindTransfers
Just enter all your information and they'll forward it on to local transfer companies for quotes. We got a return transfer from Grenoble airport to Meribel for 7 people for €700. Some of the quotes we got were double that.
https://www.findtransfers.com/ |
Thanks for this i have just tried this, will see what comes 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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| philipt wrote: |
| halfhand wrote: |
| Jefferson Darcy wrote: |
| philipt wrote: |
Hi heading to VT end of March in a group of 16. I have looked online for Transfers for us all.
I was wondering if anyone has used a particular company that they would recommend and have contact info for?
Seems some of the online companies are very over priced |
Try FindTransfers
Just enter all your information and they'll forward it on to local transfer companies for quotes. We got a return transfer from Grenoble airport to Meribel for 7 people for €700. Some of the quotes we got were double that.
https://www.findtransfers.com/ |
We've got return transfers for 8 from GVA to VT for around 800 euro through findtransfers - week before Easter. |
Thanks for this i have just tried this, will see what comes back. |
Try cool runnings. Excellent experience with them and very competitively priced.
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You know it makes sense.
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We’re thinking ahead to Xmas week 2024 - choosing between Val T, Courchevel 1650 or La Tania. Val T has the height for better snow potential, the others have nicer available accommodation for the price.
Given how early in the season it will be, and the general dodginess of early seasons over the last few years, would we be silly to go for anything other than Val T? If we went for Courchevel/LT is there a good chance we’d be looking at grass and skiing back on ice?! I think I need a reality check here…!
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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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@chaletgirl002, LT and it's home runs are pretty sheltered and doesn't get burned and the Folyeres has good cannon coverage so I don't think you should be concerned. And the tree skiing can be handy in bad weather which you can get at that time of the year. Although arguably I was spoilt when we went in 2017.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Worst case scenario you can download to Le Praz from 1850 in the gondola and catch the free 5 min bus back to La Tania
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| chaletgirl002 wrote: |
| Given how early in the season it will be, and the general dodginess of early seasons over the last few years, would we be silly to go for anything other than Val T? If we went for Courchevel/LT is there a good chance we’d be looking at grass and skiing back on ice?! |
No, there isn't. I've skied early December at both ends of the 3Vs many times and IMV it's the other way around. In general, the snow above Courchevel is better than VT early season - VT is cold, bleak and wind-scoured. If the wind's up, it's VT that will have ice everywhere and a lot of closed lifts, most of Courchevel (and Meribel) is sheltered. You'll only be looking at grass in LT if the temperatures are so high they can't run the cannons. I think that's only happened once in the last 25 years (2013?) and even then it may have been the 2 weeks before rather than actual Xmas week. I'd take LT over C1650 because it's more sheltered from the sun if you're concerned about high temperatures.
If you stay in LT, the gondola takes you straight to 1900m so in the worst case you can upload/download on that and you have the choice to go left or right to Courchevel or Meribel every morning and do circuits at higher altitudes. My experience is that in poor conditions, the slopes directly above LT hold their snow better than anywhere other than the top half of La Masse. But you can't do circuits round the top half of La Masse anymore so that's out too. LT's a good base.
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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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| Je suis un Skieur wrote: |
| chaletgirl002 wrote: |
| Given how early in the season it will be, and the general dodginess of early seasons over the last few years, would we be silly to go for anything other than Val T? If we went for Courchevel/LT is there a good chance we’d be looking at grass and skiing back on ice?! |
No, there isn't. I've skied early December at both ends of the 3Vs many times and IMV it's the other way around. In general, the snow above Courchevel is better than VT early season - VT is cold, bleak and wind-scoured. If the wind's up, it's VT that will have ice everywhere and a lot of closed lifts, most of Courchevel (and Meribel) is sheltered. You'll only be looking at grass in LT if the temperatures are so high they can't run the cannons. I think that's only happened once in the last 25 years (2013?) and even then it may have been the 2 weeks before rather than actual Xmas week. I'd take LT over C1650 because it's more sheltered from the sun if you're concerned about high temperatures.
If you stay in LT, the gondola takes you straight to 1900m so in the worst case you can upload/download on that and you have the choice to go left or right to Courchevel or Meribel every morning and do circuits at higher altitudes. My experience is that in poor conditions, the slopes directly above LT hold their snow better than anywhere other than the top half of La Masse. But you can't do circuits round the top half of La Masse anymore so that's out too. LT's a good base. |
Not what I expected to hear! Very useful, thank you. Feels weird that low might be better than high  
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 20-02-24 17:16; edited 1 time in total
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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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| ol_smokey wrote: |
| Worst case scenario you can download to Le Praz from 1850 in the gondola and catch the free 5 min bus back to La Tania |
Good to know, thanks
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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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| Layne wrote: |
| @chaletgirl002, LT and it's home runs are pretty sheltered and doesn't get burned and the Folyeres has good cannon coverage so I don't think you should be concerned. And the tree skiing can be handy in bad weather which you can get at that time of the year. Although arguably I was spoilt when we went in 2017. |
Thanks, just read through your TR and burst out laughing at the ‘family faff’. So true, so much pain 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| chaletgirl002 wrote: |
| Feels weird that low might be better than high |
The two lifts straight after the LT gondola, Bouc Blanc and Dou des Lanches take you to 2,225m and 2,305m respectively, same height as central VT. If there's no snow at that altitude, I'd better sell my apartment PDQ because the only skiing left will be on Everest! 
The point is that if the weather's crap and the high lifts are shut, your only real option in VT is to do circuits round Plan de l'Eau which is at 1,825m, you can't drop any lower. It's a tough ski on the red to Plan de l'Eau and both the run and the lift's pretty exposed so it may also be shut anyway.
If the weather's crap in Courchevel, you can easily drop down to 1,300m through the trees to Le Praz or 1,400m at LT or Meribel Village. Lots of options and good skiing, they're some of my favourite runs. If you need height, you have the Saulire at 2,740m and Mont Vallon in Meribel at 2,950m within fairly easy reach. So the range of skiing available out of LT is effectively 1,650m vertical (2,950-1,300m) whereas VT is only really 1,375m (3,200-1,825m) with very little shelter unless you go all the way to St Martin, which is a far more boring ski than the runs round LT/LP/MV.
I saw from your other report that you've just come back from La Plagne; the range of vertical out of LT is greater than La Plagne and much more accessible. The Saulire is the same height as the Roche de Mio but with far more choice of runs off it and six! different lifts to get you back up quickly. VT is more like La Plagne in the respect that there is only one big lift per high point so you get more bottlenecks.
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@Je suis un Skieur, shh don’t tell the world about how good LT is! We went for years in Easter for all the reasons above!
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Was about to type a similar reply! They had an ad campaign years ago about being the best kept secret of the 3V but it does kind of feel like that! 
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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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Can’t remember but only one “bad” year in last Tania in the last ten at christmas when we’ve been there, still had skiing majority of pistes was all cannon snow though, and it dumped it down near end of week.
We are going there next Christmas and not worried.
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La Tania may well have the best snow record, relative to its low height, in all of France.
They are rarely, if ever, short of snow, natural or artificial, from Dec to Apr.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@kitenski, I've sent my CV to the LT tourist office, they could do with the help 
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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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| javindo wrote: |
| Was about to type a similar reply! They had an ad campaign years ago about being the best kept secret of the 3V but it does kind of feel like that! |
The thing is, although LT was always on the Courchevel lift pass, it only officially became part of Courchevel in 2018 when residents were asked to vote on whether they wished to remain under the control of the La Perriere Mairie or switch to Courchevel. Unsurprisingly, the vote went to Courchevel and you can now see the beginnings of real estate price equalisation.
But the Courchevel tourist office has done a crap job of promoting LT since the switch and taken a lot of flak for it. They actually closed the LT tourist office completely and then got forced to reopen it due to the subsequent outcry. But there's a swanky new development in progress similar to the ones in C1650 of recent years so it's only a matter of time until LT is no longer the 3Vs' "best kept secret".
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| Whitegold wrote: |
La Tania may well have the best snow record, relative to its low height, in all of France.
They are rarely, if ever, short of snow, natural or artificial, from Dec to Apr. |
Amuses me that you're meant to be one of the site's biggest trolls. Maybe you've mellowed over the years but I find myself agreeing with a large percentage of your posts these days - I certainly agree with this one!
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You know it makes sense.
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Weirdly, we spent many years staying in La Tania and found ourselves skiing over to the Belleville alot.
In recent years we've been staying in Les Menuires and find ourselves trogging over to La Tania for several days.
The Belleville definitely lacks the trees and shelter and isn't half as picturesque but La Masse, Cime de Caron and Orelle often have amazing snow..
Bottom line is you'll have an amazing ski wherever in the 3 Valleys
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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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| Je suis un Skieur wrote: |
| Whitegold wrote: |
La Tania may well have the best snow record, relative to its low height, in all of France.
They are rarely, if ever, short of snow, natural or artificial, from Dec to Apr. |
Amuses me that you're meant to be one of the site's biggest trolls. Maybe you've mellowed over the years but I find myself agreeing with a large percentage of your posts these days - I certainly agree with this one! |
Exactly the same.
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Poster: A snowHead
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You have to be a passionate skier first to be a disillusioned skier thereafter
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@8611, come again 
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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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Whitegold. Underneath the cynic there is a previously passionate and experienced skiier. Sometimes the old him breaks through.
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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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Much snow overnight?? Webcams look good.
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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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Apologies for using this thread, but couldn't find 3 valleys thread on resort reviews.
Where is a good place to park , staying at Belhambra in Les Menuires ? Is there any free parking there ? Any good tips ?
Thanks
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@eblunt, I am going to be staying in Lauzes 30th March which I believe is just next door.
Looking at google maps streetview there is an outdoor parking area next to both buildings.
There is no h in Belambra btw.
Station plan of Les Men is here https://static.lesmenuires.com/files/plan-Menuires-hiver.pdf
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@Layne, Thanks. That looks big !
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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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@eblunt, I've stayed in a couple of other apartments in Les Men, parking won't be an issue.
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FAQ
