 Poster: A snowHead
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Need a week's warmup before the season proper starts and just wondered if anyone had been to Les Arcs in early December and if the link to La Plagne will be open?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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First of all I will confess that I am a big Les Arcs fan, but personally I would not go to Les Arcs on December 10th when the resort opens. The Vanoise express opens on the 17th.
We have been to Les Arcs over Christmas for the last 15 years and the snow has, on occaisions, been sparse. If you want to go that early I would suggest Tignes, or even Les Sept Laux, which often appears to have snow very early in the season
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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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@skilegs, if you click on * http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=120076&start=160 * it'll take you to last years 15/16 Les arcs topic around the time the first slopes opened. (page 5)
Looks like it was the 12th of december last year with some of the links opening up a week later... ?
Might give you a little help?
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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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| johnE wrote: |
First of all I will confess that I am a big Les Arcs fan, but personally I would not go to Les Arcs on December 10th when the resort opens. The Vanoise express opens on the 17th.
We have been to Les Arcs over Christmas for the last 15 years and the snow has, on occaisions, been sparse. If you want to go that early I would suggest Tignes, or even Les Sept Laux, which often appears to have snow very early in the season |
I'm also a big Paradiski fan. I would say Paradiski/Tignes makes no odds - they will both have skiing in some shape or form. Sept Laux is definitely not guaranteed. I was booked in their for Christmas 2014 and it failed to open and I had to switch to Tignes. Now, it was a bad year so I am not saying in a normal year it wouldn't be fine but I don't believe it's any better than others and certainly it doesn't have the snowsuredness of Tignes/Paradiski/Val T.
I wouldn't go on the 10th unless last minute and I knew conditions were reasonable. 17th is a calculated risk. I once went to ADH that date and it was fine. Most years the big and high resorts would be fine that week. Chrirstmas week a little surer. But.... the last couple of years have taught us, if you can, wait until the last minute... certainly for non peak weeks then that would be safest.
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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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@skilegs, you'd probably be better off going to one of the glacier based ski resorts I would have thought. At the end of last November I went out to Hintertux and the conditions were excellent, so I'm starting off this coming ski season with another week there at the end of November. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The European Alps are melting and drying due to global warming.
Pick a resort that is high, with a glacier, or high with exceptional snowmaking.
Val Thorens, Tignes, Zermatt, St Anton and Hintertux are among the few resorts with solid histories of early openings with plenty trails every December.
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Both Les Arcs and La Plagne have glaciers. Never been there early enough to check but if the lifts are open in theory you should be able to get to the top and ski. Out of the two i would go to La Plagne as the glacier is higher and they have return lifts on it.
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| RattytheSnowRat wrote: |
| Both Les Arcs and La Plagne have glaciers. Never been there early enough to check but if the lifts are open in theory you should be able to get to the top and ski. Out of the two i would go to La Plagne as the glacier is higher and they have return lifts on it. |
This. If you're keen on Paradiski then La Plagne is probably the better option as is generally a bit higher...of course doesn't help if you have a particular place at Les Arcs in mind.
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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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@RattytheSnowRat, many many years ago I believe there was a glacier lift on the Aguile Rouge in Les Arcs (and summer skiing), but that has long gone if it ever actually existed. The only way to get to the glacier is the telepherique and ski down to the top of the varet chairlift or to 2000. Though these are nice runs (a red and a black) I wouldn't base a holiday on using them.
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In my experience it's a bit too hit and miss with Les Arcs to be confident of good skiing. I did a season there in 2010-11 and it was immense in the run up to Xmas (then quite a poor season from January onwards). Went there in December 2014 for opening day and the snow was dreadful, only about 4 or 5 runs open which were in the 2000 bowl and boilerplate manufactured snow only. We also went in january of this year which was amazingly good, but my pals who lived there told me that December really hadn't been good. If it's France and early season I'd go Val Thorens, or maybe Tignes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Dav wrote: |
| In my experience it's a bit too hit and miss with Les Arcs to be confident of good skiing. I did a season there in 2010-11 and it was immense in the run up to Xmas (then quite a poor season from January onwards). Went there in December 2014 for opening day and the snow was dreadful, only about 4 or 5 runs open which were in the 2000 bowl and boilerplate manufactured snow only. We also went in january of this year which was amazingly good, but my pals who lived there told me that December really hadn't been good. If it's France and early season I'd go Val Thorens, or maybe Tignes. |
December 2014 was an exceptionally bad one, last year December was just OK. Paradiski isn't going to be much different to Val T or Tignes. If it's poor at one it will be poor at all three as they all relatively close together.
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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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| Layne wrote: |
| Dav wrote: |
| In my experience it's a bit too hit and miss with Les Arcs to be confident of good skiing. I did a season there in 2010-11 and it was immense in the run up to Xmas (then quite a poor season from January onwards). Went there in December 2014 for opening day and the snow was dreadful, only about 4 or 5 runs open which were in the 2000 bowl and boilerplate manufactured snow only. We also went in january of this year which was amazingly good, but my pals who lived there told me that December really hadn't been good. If it's France and early season I'd go Val Thorens, or maybe Tignes. |
December 2014 was an exceptionally bad one, last year December was just OK. Paradiski isn't going to be much different to Val T or Tignes. If it's poor at one it will be poor at all three as they all relatively close together. |
In 2014 we stopped at Val Thorens for our first day and it was absolutely fine, we had a great day. Granted Meribel wouldn't be much cop due to the lower elevation but VT was really good, considering. If we'd have been there for longer than the 3 days we were (1 day VT 2 days Les Arcs) we'd have probably taken the time to drive back to VT.
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I've been to La Plagne 3 or 4 times the week before Christmas and always had excellent snow - one year there was over a metre! I'm not sure how it fared in the last couple of years when the early season snow wasn't great, but I'm sure there was some skiing higher up. Even in good years, the resort wasn't open below Plagne Centre level until the Saturday before Christmas, and the Vanoise was only open on the last day (with free vin chaud, I might add!!).
I'd go again, but would choose La Plagne over Les Arc for an early week.
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You know it makes sense.
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Why not wait until late November/early December and decide then? No problem getting accommodation for that week at short notice. You might want to book flights to somewhere like Geneva to take advantage of lower prices, then follow the best snow.
I've skied Les Arcs in the first week of their season many times in the last 10+ years. Always been plenty of pistes open, sometimes in good condition, sometimes in great condition, sometimes thin and scratchy. Sometimes the off-piste has been non-existent, sometimes it's been awesome and you get fresh tracks for days as there aren't that many people around. Whatever the conditions it's just nice to be skiing at that time of year.
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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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| SnoodyMcFlude wrote: |
| RattytheSnowRat wrote: |
| Both Les Arcs and La Plagne have glaciers. Never been there early enough to check but if the lifts are open in theory you should be able to get to the top and ski. Out of the two i would go to La Plagne as the glacier is higher and they have return lifts on it. |
This. If you're keen on Paradiski then La Plagne is probably the better option as is generally a bit higher...of course doesn't help if you have a particular place at Les Arcs in mind. |
The glaciers at LA and LP are about the size of an icecube. They melted away years ago.
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Poster: A snowHead
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La Plagne has a small glacier, but it may not be open in that first week in December. And not really worth the journey if that is all that you can ski on.
As others have said: early season - before Christmas - is a gamble.
The last 3 seasons have not been good in early December. The 2 years before that were wonderful.
At least if there is some snow, that first week can be fun because there are so few people about. It was so December 2015: a bit threadbare for snow, but lovely sunny days and few skiers up to Saturday 19th made for some fun days. But then the crowds arrived and things quickly deteriorated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If I were you I would wait and see where is good in early December and then go there. Always plenty of deals around at that time of year. Book your flights early and then book you accommodation last thing, that way you'll always end up somewhere rather than not.
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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 wrote: |
Pick a resort that is high, with a glacier, or high with exceptional snowmaking.
Val Thorens, Tignes, Zermatt, St Anton and Hintertux are among the few resorts with solid histories of early openings with plenty trails every December. |
If you want to book now, then this is good advice (though I'd put Ischgl before St Anton and add Sölden/Obergurgl to the list).
if I were you I'd book flights to either Munich, Innsbruck, Zurich or Geneva now, then wait to book accommodation until two weeks before you travel.
If you're thinking of a weekend rather than a week, personally I'd fly into Innsbruck and choose whichever of the 5 Tirolean glaciers (Stubai, Hintertux, Pitztal, Sölden or Kaunertal) you like the look of best.
There's been quite a lot of snow on the glaciers this summers (down to 1600m at one point), which is more important to maintaining ice mass/preventing melting that winter snowfall (snow reflects the sun), so I'm quite hopeful for a good start to the season. Obviously that depends on September/October snowfall at altitude though.
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