 Poster: A snowHead
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hey there, been reading the forum trying to find out the pros and cons of different resorts in France - me & girlfriend are looking at spending the snow season in France and unsure of the different benefits of the different areas. We won't have a car, so looking for a balance of accessible ski areas, easy of finding shared accommodation (probably can't spend 3 months only in our own company..), some nightlife, great snow, and manageable prices - so looking for perfection but more realistically trying to find a good balance. We're high intermediate / advanced and both keen on powder and will be over for start of Jan - Mar/April, coming from NZ, and not looking to work. Priorities would be excellent snow and a social setting.
I speak French and she's got Portuguese and Spanish and both of us English. I've heard and read about Chamonix and Grand Massif, but don't know much about Les Deux Alpes or PDS. The number of moutains covered by the Chamonix ski pass looks great, and the Grand Massif season pass it a lot cheaper and all the areas look more integrated, but I don't know anything about the longer term accomodation options in either place nor about LDA or PDS (or other) areas. Does anyone know of places to go to find out more details, or have recommendations on where to spend the season?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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niccm, agencelocation@century21.fr E-mail this agency for a file of available property in Chamonix. Most renters want the full season from December through until the end of April. Contacting local tourist offices and Immobilier should give you information about long term rentals but you may have to send a lot of e-mails. I went through the process a couple of months back.
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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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If you're going to make the most of the 2Alpes pass you need a car.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Think about staying in Bourg St Maurice and getting the paradiski season pass. Gives direct access to to a huge ski area and also easy access to other resorts some of which you will get a few days skiing included on the paradiski season pass.
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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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Your description of what you are looking for sounds like Chamonix to me!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I think I'd find it really difficult to do a season without having access to some form of car or transport. Perhaps down in Chamonix it might be OK as its really more of a fully functioning town; but in an alpine resort I know that I've always needed transport so that I can get out of resort and see something different, even if that is just a trip to the Super U once a week!
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I'm in the same boat, but will be doing a short season of January to mid-March, and solo. Would be my first season - preference is for Chamonix or Portes du Soleil, as close to Geneva airport, so girlfriend could come out regularly at weekends - any other good areas near a major airport that would be good for a season? I will have my Land Rover so mobility and lots of snow should not be issues (being cold might be though, as the heater is pathetically bad).
Any advice gratefully received - will be watching this thread with interest!
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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 think Chamonix would be fine without a car - plenty of buses and other alternatives and a big town to potter around.
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If you choose Chamonix it's much cheaper if you buy your pass before the end of November.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
it's much cheaper if you buy your pass before the end of November.
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I think there are quite a lot of offers of various kinds - once you decide where to go, you need to be very sure not to miss out on any offers of this kind (I think there's a similar one for the Grand Massif, for example). There are also various deals which give you "extra free days" in other resorts.
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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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pam w, i think Chamonix has the best seasonal pass offer as you get Verbier 8 days (or at least, we did last year and I haven't checked details) plus unlimit Courmayeur and all the usual free test days in the H.S. As well.
niccm, i am going to guess that you can probably get seasonal accommodation in somewhere like Samoens cheaper than you can in Chamonix. However, despite local buses being quite good, I would want a car.
GM pass good value. PDS doesn't seem so bad either.
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If you want shared accommodation we've got the following;
- Chamonix - from €3,300 per room
- Meribel - from £2,595 per bed
- Morzine - from €2,750 per bed
- Val d'Isere - from €3000 per bed
Please let me know if you would like more details on these or any other seasonal accommodation.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'll trough in my 2 pence worth. Chamonix reality check - if you are into Mountaineering and Hardcore backountry (steep and dangerous, rather than long distance) skiing, Chamonix is the place to be.
If you are wanting lots of skiing and lots of off piste without the high risk factor, or just untracked powder that's easy to find you are way better off in the GM or the PDS.
When you are feeling the need to ski on a glacier just take a day trip to Chamonix and ski the Vallee Blanche.
Off piste outside Chamonix - Tranciver, Shovel, Probe
In Chamonix - Harness, Crevasse rescue Kit (including rope), Touring bindings and Skins.
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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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I'll trough in my 2 pence worth. Chamonix reality check - if you are into Mountaineering and Hardcore backountry (steep and dangerous, rather than long distance) skiing, Chamonix is the place to be.
If you are wanting lots of skiing and lots of off piste without the high risk factor, or just untracked powder that's easy to find you are way better off in the GM or the PDS.
When you are feeling the need to ski on a glacier just take a day trip to Chamonix and ski the Vallee Blanche.
Off piste outside Chamonix - Tranciver, Shovel, Probe
In Chamonix - Harness, Crevasse rescue Kit (including rope), Touring bindings and Skins.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'd second Idris, on that. Have a look at Anselme Baud's guide to the area and decide what proportion of the terrain you can really ski.
I know it is Switzerland but I'd just throw budget Verbier into the mix - either le Chable or Nendaz would suit fairly well as both give access to Verbier without Verbier prices. Interagence in Nendaz has studios from about 4200CHF for the season - so £1,500 each. Poky but you aren't going to be there much. Nendaz can also be done easily without a car as there is a large supermarket in the village. Le Chable is potentially more lively - le Rosbif has double rooms for 5300-5500 CHF and is basically at the end of a train line. Access for both areas into the Verbier lift system is arguably better than from Verbier itself. Access into Bruson is much easier from le Chable. Chamonix is reachable by train via Martigny.
Les Deux Alpes requires a car, as Lizzard, pointed out. Preferably two as much of the decent off piste terminates well away from the lifts and you need a way of getting back. I found the seasonnaire scene there a bit kiddy - SH company excepted.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Great this is all really helpful - I'll read a bit more about the various resorts, particularly those near Verbier as that's news to me (it's all pretty distant from NZ). Bertie Basset the blog and preceding pages are good to get a sense of what a season is like! Idris we haven't had any experience with harness/crevass/more hardcore mountaineering; my experience of off-piste is in a season working in Sierra-At-Tahoe a decade ago, and tamer experiences on NZ commercial mountains. Is it complicated / a long process to learn how to use that gear? Given we'd be there for a season we'd start on the pistes and easier off-piste but would be keen to explore as much as possible.
At the moment it's still information gathering phase but good to get an idea of what the various accomodation options are - thanks Marcellus and others.
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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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| marcellus wrote: |
If you want shared accommodation we've got the following;
- Chamonix - from €3,300 per room
- Meribel - from £2,595 per bed
- Morzine - from €2,750 per bed
- Val d'Isere - from €3000 per bed
Please let me know if you would like more details on these or any other seasonal accommodation. |
Marcellus - what about non-shared? Have car, so distance from town centres not an issue - in fact would rather stay out anyway if it means parking available and rent is a bit less.
Only thing: need reliable wifi, as need to be able to do some work. Satellite/cable TV for nights in would be nice too, but not essential as can probably download stuff onto laptop.
Studio or a room in shared chalet/apartment absolutely fine. Short season, from January to end of March.
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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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| Quote: |
Is it complicated / a long process to learn how to use that gear? Given we'd be there for a season we'd start on the pistes and easier off-piste but would be keen to explore as much as possible.
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At a minimum I would suggest doing a decent avalanche course. Avalanche Academy, Mountain Tracks and Chamex run courses in the Chamonix valley. I'd suggest doing something like that wherever you go. You can get bunkhouse accom in Chamonix quite easily for the duration of any training. Somewhere like the Vagabond is not a bad option for this kind of thing if you can stomach it.
Regarding crevasse gear and glacier travel, the rescue techniques can be absorbed quite quickly. The mountain sense that doesn't get you in to trouble in the first place is harder to acquire and is gradual. The full Chamonix hardcore thing isn't really my bag but glacier wise I will typically be carrying 30m of dynamic rope (8mm), a suitable belay device, a 16cm ice screw, a petzl mini traxion, four or five screwgates, a couple of slings and two or three prussik loops. I'd regard that as the bare minimum and I would expect my partner to have the same. Chamex run a course for this kind of stuff.
I would suggest that somewhere like Verbier is easier to learn to ski off piste than Chamonix. As a relative beginner having to deal with the full range of alpine hazards is harder than "just" dealing with avalanche risk. Furthermore, there are one or two places in the Chamonix valley (like the back of le Tour) that look rather more benign than they actually are.
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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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niccm, looking at the prices per person mentioned above. I have friends that rent a studio (sleeps two people easy and can be four) for the whole season in Bourg st Maurice for less than the cheapest price per person that has been quoted. The lift pass for the whole Paradiski is 750 euros (approx) and includes days in Tignes/Val D'Isere, Three valleys plus a bunch of other local resorts at very reduced rates if you buy it online before December. There is a good bus service from Bourg to almost all the other resorts so you do not need a car. Plus Bourg is a town with direct link into the Les Arcs ski area in 7 min on the funicular. So much cheaper for living costs than Chamonix.
I think from what you have described, you may well enjoy Bourg more than Chamonix. There is a good social scene amongst others out for the season, many of whom do not work and are happy for you to join in easy skiing/snowboarding or more challenging off piste stuff.
If you want further info about the Paradiski/Bourg area send me a PM here or over on my Les Arcs Winter facebook page. There are loads of details about Les Arcs on the page. Hope this helps.
https://www.facebook.com/LesArcsWinter
Harry Flashman, Bourg might be better for you as well. You can get a studio for various periods, not just the whole season in the valley and it only takes 2 hours (maybe 2 and half hours) to get to Geneva by car as long as you avoid a Saturday. There is also a direct bus service to Geneva about four times a day in winter so you would not even have to drive the girlfriend if it was a powder day!! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Harry Flashman, YHM !
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gorilla, you would take a mini traxion? have you (or others) not found the micro traxion to be burly enough?
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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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| snowcrazy wrote: |
niccm, looking at the prices per person mentioned above. I have friends that rent a studio (sleeps two people easy and can be four) for the whole season in Bourg st Maurice for less than the cheapest price per person that has been quoted. The lift pass for the whole Paradiski is 750 euros (approx) and includes days in Tignes/Val D'Isere, Three valleys plus a bunch of other local resorts at very reduced rates if you buy it online before December. There is a good bus service from Bourg to almost all the other resorts so you do not need a car. Plus Bourg is a town with direct link into the Les Arcs ski area in 7 min on the funicular. So much cheaper for living costs than Chamonix.
I think from what you have described, you may well enjoy Bourg more than Chamonix. There is a good social scene amongst others out for the season, many of whom do not work and are happy for you to join in easy skiing/snowboarding or more challenging off piste stuff.
If you want further info about the Paradiski/Bourg area send me a PM here or over on my Les Arcs Winter facebook page. There are loads of details about Les Arcs on the page. Hope this helps.
https://www.facebook.com/LesArcsWinter
Harry Flashman, Bourg might be better for you as well. You can get a studio for various periods, not just the whole season in the valley and it only takes 2 hours (maybe 2 and half hours) to get to Geneva by car as long as you avoid a Saturday. There is also a direct bus service to Geneva about four times a day in winter so you would not even have to drive the girlfriend if it was a powder day!! |
Thanks, snowcrazy - very definitely thinking about this too!
Marcellus: thank you, have sent you an e-mail.
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I did four non-work seasons in Tignes. If you want more details, just ask (though there may be a delay of a week for a reply  )
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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gorilla, you would take a mini traxion? have you (or others) not found the micro traxion to be burly enough?
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We're getting off topic now but I don't think the micro traxion was an option when I bought my gear and the ropeman back when I bought my kit wasn't so hot with the thinner rope.
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FAQ
may need to know about that 