 Poster: A snowHead
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thinking about les houches last week in feb,problem is my self and my son 13 are good skiers and want to do the grande montets and VB but my wife and daughter 9 are cautious intermeidiates,the les houches family pass looks great value but can my son and i upgrade our passes to mont blanc unlimited when required
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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: |
thinking about les houches last week in feb
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can't help with the pass question - I think Les Houches/Cham is a bit of a problem but somebody knowledgeable will be along soon. However, that will be a very, very, busy week - peak French holidays. Are you stuck with that date?
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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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cefnycoed, as far as I know, and looking at the LH site briefly, no, you can't upgrade. Other than it being very highest of season, I'd have thought LHs would suit fine.
You'll need to work out the difference between the LHs family pass and buying Mbu.
There are no problems between Chamonix and LHs these days...
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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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thanks guys am going to the snow show tomorrow so will have a chat to the cham people there but i think your right upgrade looks doubtfull..
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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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| cefnycoed wrote: |
| thinking about les houches last week in feb,problem is my self and my son 13 are good skiers and want to do the grande montets and VB but my wife and daughter 9 are cautious intermeidiates,the les houches family pass looks great value but can my son and i upgrade our passes to mont blanc unlimited when required |
Pick a different resort for your sanity...
Cham is very fragmented, so if you've got skiers of different standard you'll rightly be wanting to ski different bits which means that you'll stop in different places for lunch and either getting in and out the car or needing to hop on of off buses. If that's your idea of a great family holiday your welcome. Personally I'd much rather go to a place where it's easy to do your own thing for a few hours in the morning, meet the ladies for some gentle cruising en famile, and then do a 4 o'clock blast when the ladies have stopped for tea and cake. Places where this can easily be achieved include les arcs, val thorens, and places like corvara in the dolomites (you can nip round to the marmolada)
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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 can buy day pass upgrades, but if you ski more than 2 days outside Les H it will be more expensive than you and son buying Mont Blanc unlimited for the week. (To clarify...That was the case in 2011. May not still be correct)
GM in the last 3 weeks of Feb will be heaving. We did it second week of March and it was heaving. Did a day in Les Houches in March this year and it was heaving. I would second Val Thorens if you want different challenges. Les Contamines is also worth consideration. Doesn't seem to be a major TO resort and offers plenty of different levels of challenge. Runs are a bit more limited than Val T (you will ski some of them several times) but it is very compact, so you can share a family lift, you and son can ski black and red to the bottom and get there just after wife and daughter who have skiied cruisy blues.
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But pretty well all the French resorts will be heaving that week - IIRC it's Paris holidays. Mid Feb - to Mid March is French holidays, though the Paris weeks are the worst (second half of February this year I think)
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Les Houches is s LONG way from GM, and on that week buses will be packed and car parks full. You will have to get 2 buses if doing public transport and the transfer could take you over an hour each way. Alternatiely, stay in Le Tour which is only 10 mins from Argentiere.
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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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There is a direct bus from Prarion to Le Tour without needing to change (#01) (N.B. buses are free). We don't use the buses much (if ever) so I don't want to speculate on busy-ness. I know that the valley have been endeavouring to beef up the intra-valley transport. Feb last year was not so ridiculous. (Other than the Grands Montets which has an unusual reputation and draws all sorts of box tickers).
I was not aware of an upgrade ability to a LHs pass, and it's not showing on the published rates, but from memory those don't look complete. There were a lot more options e.g. non-consecutive tickets last year although those may have been discontinued. I haven't bothered wading through the online purchase options to see what's there.
You don't need to upgrade to MBU for GMs unless you want to easily do the top cable car. You need (or at least will want to) to reserve a place btw.
I like Les Houches - it's where we head if we want a nice lunch up the hill or if we have intermediates. It is great for family skiing. Or indeed on a powder day when it's grey and manky (I like trees) and it doesn't get skied out nearly as fast albeit that there's not a huge amount of steep terrain.
Bertie Bassett, however, loathed his time there.
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you can get the train from les houches to argentiere as well, it just depends how far the les houches train station is from you. Its just over the road from the small piste in town.
for a "varying" family though i would support the go else were idea personally. I'd go nuts riding around & living in les houches for a week....
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| under a new name wrote: |
I like Les Houches - it's where we head if we want a nice lunch up the hill or if we have intermediates. It is great for family skiing. Or indeed on a powder day when it's grey and manky (I like trees) and it doesn't get skied out nearly as fast..
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+ 1
My exact thoughts on LH
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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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| Touchguru wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
I like Les Houches - it's where we head if we want a nice lunch up the hill or if we have intermediates. It is great for family skiing. Or indeed on a powder day when it's grey and manky (I like trees) and it doesn't get skied out nearly as fast..
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+ 1
My exact thoughts on LH |
now we've got that sorted then we just need to find someone with a chalet to rent in Les Houches 
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I love Chamonix. And while GM is great, Les Houches is pretty, easy skiing with nice views. But, for the love of God, if you are going to Chamonix with your family, especially in that week of Feb, please take this simple piece of advice:
Get a rental car from Geneva.
It will save you from divorce/domestic violence after one too many bus queues with hordes of Parisians who think that waiting in line is desperately beneath them.
GET A RENTAL CAR FROM GENEVA. SAVE YOUR MARRIAGE.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Fri 1-11-13 0:05; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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Also, don't think that you can nip over to see wife and daughter if heading over to GM - you won't, especially when the valley is that busy (traffic can be a killer). If you are going off to do VB and GM, plan for a day away from wife and daughter.
Oh, and RENT A CAR.
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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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not that parking it anywhere useful will be that easy.
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Poster: A snowHead
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better than fighting for the bus, feral crazy zombie-style.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bear in mind that the OP suggested that he'd want to go elsewhere only twice. Sure, the buses are likely to be a bit busy, particularly on return from GMs but it's not that bad. Parking is probably more of an issue.
That said, we are generally not the earliest to arrive at the car park.
cefnycoed, I am guessing that you will need a guide for the VB.
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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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You do need a guide for the VB. Costs about 60 EUR per person, if memory serves?
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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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| Thornyhill wrote: |
GM in the last 3 weeks of Feb will be heaving. We did it second week of March and it was heaving. Did a day in Les Houches in March this year and it was heaving. I would second Val Thorens if you want different challenges. Les Contamines is also worth consideration. |
Skied GM late March at is was still heaving. Skied it again early April (cheap lift tickets) and it was still bloody heaving. A complete melee down the bottom to get lifts up.
That week will be heaving this year. Never skied LHR though. Will be interested to know how bonkers it is that week as I have a friend booked in for the week. We are booked in for Zermatt; it had better not be heaving. Insane prices should keep the hoi-polloi out.
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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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Juddernaut, don't use the lower cable car, take the chairs. Never a queue. Well, mostly never.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| Juddernaut, don't use the lower cable car, take the chairs. Never a queue. Well, mostly never. |
We started with the chair. Nightmare. Queue was massive and was moving like treacle. For some reason even though it was a quad it seemed they were only loading two people at a time. Hard to tell what was going on when we were a hundred yards away at the rear of n almighty scrum. S
We though the cable car had to be better; but it wasn't
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Juddernaut, bizarre. Maybe we just don't get there early enough to hit the crowds. We'll also skip the GMs if the car park looks insane.
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After a fall of heavy wet snow the cables(chairlift) drip oil and so only two people are allowed on. Late March saw a long line of skiers at the GM service window filling out cleaning request forms 
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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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Mac46, will the new chairlift do the same thing?
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Mac46, I shall answer my own question, apparently it's going to become a 10 place bubble. Marvellous!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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there is no new chair lift......
it was mentioned in passing last year, but cmb will come up with reasons for at least the next couple of years why they cant change it, in much the same way the old retour pendant is struggling on...
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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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eddiethebus, and it's not even the Flegere TP...
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