 Poster: A snowHead
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So we pulled the trigger on flights to Geneva for the week - no flexibility on dates due to my wife being a teacher and having to take Feb break off. We've been looking at Trois Vallee, and in particular Courchevel or Val Thorens because our impression is that it has better access to the more interesting skiing. We're also not looking for luxurious lodging but a lot of the apartments seem to be very bare bones (although inexpensive), with just a fold out couch. We're not looking for night life or clubs, but having some dining options would be great. Simple needs. We're experienced skiers looking for steeps, off piste, and we'll probably hire a guide for at least one or two days.
So, any suggestions on whether we're on the right track? Should we be looking at the other locales in the Trois Vallees? Or even in other areas with easy access from Geneva?
Thanks in advance!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi yad, the 3 Valleys is a fantastic area but as it is full of excellent skiers easy-to-access offpiste doesn't last long. Of course a guide can take you to some great places. The choice of pistes is fantastic and you can spend ages without having to get on a lift.
In Val Thorens have a look at the Montana apartments. There are also the Montagnettes apartments in VT & Courchevel which are nice. http://www.montagnettes.co.uk/
For challenging skiing you could also have a look at Val d'Isere and the Portes du Soleil is a great area as well but in my opinion the 3 Valleys have the best lift network.
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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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In the 3v I'd check out St Martin de Belleville. We have used Agence des Alps for rental properties. There are still some purpose built apartments and renovated older buildings available for rental that week http://www.agencedesalpes.com/en/winter/vacances-montagne/disponibilite/page/2 . If you have a car, then the satellite villages , especially Villarabout and St Marcel are worth a look as they are still within walking distance of the village centre in the evening. You will find it's a really attractive village, with some lovely restaurants. Above the village is a huge area of gentle excellent lift served off piste which is pretty easy to get your head around even if you don't know the area. For exploring further afield, there is La Masse and the Vallee des Encombres as well as V T. We used a guide/instructor Vincent Suchel via Skischool, who was entertaining and knew the off piste in the area like the back of his hand. I am sure he would appreciate a couple of days with experienced skiers who want to explore his favourite hidden places.
In that week, the queues are going to be big in some places, but the best thing about St M is that, while everyone is queuing to get back over to Meribel etc at the end of the ski day, you can wait till after 4pm, nip up to the top of the St Martin 2 chair and have the mountain to yourself off piste for a couple of laps.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sorry Perty, but I wouldn't touch St M with a bargepole in February. It's pretty much the only place in the 3V's that still has only one way out and the queues for the St M 2 chair are stupid at that time of year compared to other areas.
yad, VT or Les Menuires would get my vote for that time of year. Courchevel will be stupid money, VT may be, LM not so bad. LM's not trendy but has some great skiing at peak season and gives you access to La Masse which is one of the quieter 'off-piste' areas and a locals' haunt. You can ski the Lac du Lou route into VT with or without a guide with no avalanche fear and there's lots of interesting itineraries with a guide. If you do VT, Orelle offers the best chances of untracked terrain. If you get a LM apartment near the Bruyeres lift (Reberty area) then you're as quick into VT as most VT residents without the price so can still do Orelle easily.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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snowrider, that article doesn't say which side they were entering from but it implies it's the VT one which is definitely steeper. I was talking about entering from the LM side where I'm pretty sure none of it is above 25 degrees, if that.
Anyway, you are of course correct; no-one should ski off-piste without appropriate precautions if at all possible; insurance, training, practice, guide, kit, weather report, avi-bag, fat skis, first-aid kit, emergency tent, rations, compass, map, skins, spare mobile phone, battery, torch, mirror, bag of nuts and raisins, spare gloves and hat, 2l water, mars bars, matches, kindling, tea bags, stand-by helicopter, alien spaceship, fairy godmother and the will to live all very desirable 
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No avalanche risks in the lac de Lou ?? .... That is advice not to be taken !
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Raceplate, is partly right in that the Lac de Lou run from La Masse is fairly benign on the face of it and skied by hundreds of people a day, so that it soon resembles a piste. That much is common knowledge. Many of them don't have guides and lots no doubt have no avi kit. And almost all get down it. But not all as quite a few of David Of's posts on the old pistehors.com site reveal. It's not clear which side the ones that came to grief came from but if you can put some of them off it will leave the run quieter for the rest of us which suits me.
I've done the Lou a few times, without guide, and remember having to jump streams late in season after navigating errors, so opportunities for silly accidents if your unlucky. Also the odd rock bluff or small cliff to keep an eye out for.
Sorry if I'm pointing out the obvious.
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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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| Raceplate wrote: |
| Sorry Perty, but I wouldn't touch St M with a bargepole in February. It's pretty much the only place in the 3V's that still has only one way out and the queues for the St M 2 chair are stupid at that time of year compared to other areas. |
Ahh, well I would beg to differ. Having stayed there at half term and new year on a number of occasions, the big plus is that you DON'T have to queue for the St M2 chair at the time when everyone else is trying to get back over the mountain (2.30/3pm onwards). Likewise first thing in the morning, as long as you are at the gondola by about 8.50am, you can have the mountain to yourself for half an hour.
I agree that Les M is a good base too, but it's a bit soulless in the evenings. Depends what you want beyond the skiing really.
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