 Poster: A snowHead
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Is this a good place to stay? How far from Val is it and I'd there much going on in the evenings etc? Access to the Espace Killy ski area as a whole? Also what's the transfer time from Geneva likely to be?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's about a 10 minute bus drive. I would imagine it's pretty quiet in the evenings but you can always get in and out of Val on the buses, although frequency drops later on. By being at the extreme you limit convenience of access to the ski area. I doubt you'd want to go up the cable car each day so it's either bus down to Val - quite easy and it delivers you just above the main departure point for lifts to Solaise and Bellevarde - or part way there and get the Laisanant lift for access into Solaise. Time from Geneva basically same as for Val plus a few minutes, generally 3+ hours.
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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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As @DCG says. We stayed there last season in one of Ski Totals nice chalets. Not a lot there, some chalets, a cable car & surprising for the size of the place 2 high class restaurants. The bus service is reliable an not a great inconvenience unless you need to be in the centre of things all the time. The place is small so you can't be far from the Gondola. If you are going early season & there is little snow coverage you are handy to get to the glacier.
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Long time since I have been there, but it used to be delightful skiing down to there off piste - and for some reason that didn't get hammered like other off-piste in EK. If you stayed there you'd be well set up for fresh runs in the morning.
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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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Can recommend L'Arolay restaurant. I'd stay there but I'm not a party animal. Wrong place if you want to be in the middle of things.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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+1 for L'Arolay, great runs down under the main gondola and easily accessible to main Val on the bus, where I'd be staying if I went back, less idiots falling about all night shouting etc and quite unspoilt.
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Another vote for L'Arolay. Exceptional food and a very good wine list. Staff very amenable too
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We stayed in Le Fornet once when there was loads of snow all week. It was very frustrating. Most mornings they were bombing the slopes either side of the road so it was closed to all traffic ALL morning. Because all the 'arms' were occupied opening the road, they didn't do any work on the hill above us so the cable car was shut too. By Wednesday, one of the chalet staff and a client we so P'd off that they attempted to ski down the road and, rightly, got a severe bollocking.
Apart from that I quite like Le Fornet! It's a quiet little hamlet with nothing much to do in the evenings unless you get the bus to Val. Being at the quieter end of EK, the slopes are often in great condition and there are plenty of offpiste options too.
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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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@Ricklovesthepowder, as dogwatch says, it's the wrong place to be if you want nightlife. There are plenty of buses to Val D'Isere itself if you want to go into town, but it's more of a faff if you want to go drinking (I don't think there are any bars in Fornet). The transfer time is not really any different to Val D'Isere (i.e. about 3.5 hrs, I think...long anyway). It feels very much like a satellite village to Val D'Isere and somehow isn't quite as attractive as it feels like it should be (apart from the little hamlet where L'Arolay is, which doesn't have much tourist accommodation in it).
The skiing's good though - the area above Fornet is nice, and it's really quick to get to the glacier area. If you decide you want to get to Tignes as early as you can then you're probably best getting the bus to Val, but the ski over is quite nice. Watch out for the (very) slow bubble up from the top of the Fornet cable car...it's fine in the morning if you want to do some faff (suncream, tighten boots etc.), but it's probably quicker getting the chair and drag lift. Also watch out for the blue home run - it has a couple of pitches that can get properly icy, can get horrible (but then it's no worse than the horrific home runs to Val D'Isere either).
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@altis, it's called piste security. The gondola was closed due to avalanche risks not because they didn't have enough staff to "clear the slopes" that is what they were doing. Oh and skiing down a road is highly illegal.
Andy
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Arolay, home of the campest waiter in the Alps.....
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