 Poster: A snowHead
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Trying to wade my way through an avalanche of data, but I get the impression that most resorts are currently reporting between 50-100cm LESS snow than for the same time in the previous four years. I know we had a poor/late start to the season, but am I mistaken in thinking that we've still got a fair bit of catching up to do if we are hoping to see decent snow in late March/early April?
I do appreciate that we could easily have a series of massive dumps turning this into a record breaking season, but all things being equal am I wrong in insisting (that this year in particular) we go seriously high when planning a holiday in early April?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@foxtrotzulu, bear in mind that 2 of the last 4 years have been truly exceptional, near record-breaking. This season, after a bad start, is now pretty much "average". There is a lot of snow forecast for next week which should bring us pretty much up to the norm for the time of year. I wouldn't worry about it particularly - I wouldn't go to Les Gets either, but then I'd never recommend somewhere that low in April anyway.
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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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| Quote: |
all things being equal am I wrong in insisting (that this year in particular) we go seriously high when planning a holiday in early April?
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I'd say the considerations for choosing a resort for an April holiday are no different this year from any other year.
Spring conditions depend more on the weather at the time, really, than on the weather in January/February. some years ago we had massive spring depths when the lifts closed but the usual mix of hard re-frozen morning pistes, afternoon pleasant slush and unpleasant elephant snot was to be found. It was a surprise to me, being new to late season skiing - but you only ski on the top few inches.
As ever, April is low season, so shouldn't be any good reason to make up your mind in mid February about where to go in April. If it's a DIY holiday, book flights. If a package, wait.
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@pam w, Thanks for the advice. we are struiggling to find anywhere at the moment as, for long boring reasons, we need to travel Sunday to Sunday, need to be within 90 minutes of GVA and want to stay pretty high. It's not proving easy to find. It's the Sunday to Sunday that is the real killer.
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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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Club Med do Sunday to Sunday stays if you want to go down the all inclusive route.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We can do Sunday - Sunday, although we're a little over the 90mins from GVA. PM me if you'd like a quote.
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Hang on, we've already been round this loop, haven't we? 
Chalet still available for now.
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A bit further out than 90 min, but MountainSun do Sunday changeovers - they have a place in Tignes and some in Les Arcs/La Plagne.
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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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Why is 90 min transfer the deal breaker? Another hour transfer for potentially better snow? No brainer or am I missing something?
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@foxtrotzulu, what's pretty high within 90 mins of Geneva?
Chamonix
Verbier
Can't think of anywhere else.
Your search has stopped because no solution exists. Please revise your criteria to those with known possible solutions and start again.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@foxtrotzulu, come on man, nobody is going to be able to predict the situation in 6 weeks time. Just because snow depths are a little less than average at this point isn't going to mean diddly if there is a greater than average snowfall over the coming weeks. You pays your money and takes your choice... or you wait.
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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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stevemcd, how is Sainte Foy looking? I'm popping up for the first time at the start of March and the plan had been for off-piste/touring but the snowpack has me a little concerned. I realise it's a while till we come but have things settled down (i.e. the somewhat persistant weak layers that have been causing problems across the alps)?
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Mark Warner do Sunday to Sunday. Go to Tignes...
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You know it makes sense.
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They're not 'high' but you could maybe say Avoriaz or Flaine are 'pretty high' and within 90 mins of Geneva. They're not low anyway.
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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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@Griggs, Thanks. We tried the ClubMed solution a few years back and found it was just too large and impersonal as well as the fact that we ended up paying for all sorts of things we didn't want. e.g. lunch back at the hotel, all day ski school.
@Mike-H, Well, I agree it probably shouldn't be, but we have several members of our party arriving 24 and 36 hours later. Some of them will have been travelling non-stop for 24 hours from the USA and just can't face a 2-3 hour transfer at the end of it.
@under a new name, Avoriaz and Flaine are also within 90 minutes.
@stevomcd, Thanks. I'm afraid we reckoned SF was just too long a transfer at 2:40 (according to Google Maps), and even at the rate you offered it was rather more than we wanted to spend. Add in a slight preference with some of the party for self catering and it ended up being a 'thanks, but no thanks'.
@Layne,
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@foxtrotzulu, come on man, nobody is going to be able to predict the situation in 6 weeks time. Just because snow depths are a little less than average at this point isn't going to mean diddly if there is a greater than average snowfall over the coming weeks. You pays your money and takes your choice... or you wait. |
I wasn't asking anyone to predict the situation in 6 weeks time, I was just trying to make the best possible asessment. Because of our stupidly specific requirements we have close to zero options already.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@foxtrotzulu, have you tried the Solutions Room on Chalets Direct?
Brevent and Flegere are south facing - not ideal in the spring - you might do better finding slopes with a more favourable aspect
You could try Les Contamines - top areas, east facing, keep the snow very well. There are some SHs with apartments there.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Pretty good thanks, in answer to the original question...and expecting a little powder skiing at the weekend.
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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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could maybe say Avoriaz or Flaine are 'pretty high'
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a. most people don't ( I would )
and
b. you'd definitely, really, really, struggle to get Sunday-Sunday accommodation in either - which means staying, e.g., in Morzine for Avoriaz which no-one would describe as high (even though it's quite lovely in its own right). (Because much of the accommodation is owned or operated by, e.g. Pierre & Vacances who operate to French standards - i.e. Sat-Sat) Once you've excluded Club Med, who at least used to run to Avoriaz.
@foxtrotzulu,
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| ...Avoriaz and Flaine... |
pls see above. 
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Thu 19-02-15 17:48; edited 2 times in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@foxtrotzulu, what exactly are your dates? And how many of what sorts in your group?
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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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@under a new name, Two families of four. Eight in total. The four children range from 12-16. Dates are 29th March to 5th April.
We could do either one single property or two smaller ones.
When I say 'high', I mean a village that is approximately 1500 or more. i.e. Not Morzine, Les carroz, Les Gets etc.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@pam w,
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@foxtrotzulu, have you tried the Solutions Room on Chalets Direct?
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No, I'll try that now.
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| foxtrotzulu wrote: |
@Mike-H, Well, I agree it probably shouldn't be, but we have several members of our party arriving 24 and 36 hours later. Some of them will have been travelling non-stop for 24 hours from the USA and just can't face a 2-3 hour transfer at the end of it.
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Each to their own but if I'd spent that amount of time travelling another hour or so on top of the 90 mins would make no difference to me especially if it meant I got good conditions. I'd be annoyed with myself if I had 4/5/6 days of poor conditions because I wouldn't spend another hour on a transfer. 
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When I say 'high', I mean a village that is approximately 1500 or more. i.e. Not Morzine, Les carroz, Les Gets etc.
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Flaine might meet your requirements.
I put your dates into the search engine for one of the agences in Les Saisies - came up with several
http://www.grand-mont.com/reservation/resultats/
You could probably do the same for Flaine.
Les Saisies is much nicer than Flaine  and at the same altitude. Flaine has some higher skiing but not an enormous amount. The whole of the Espace Diamant is open till 6 April but (like the whole of the Grand Massif) might not be in very good nick, in lower areas. On the other hand I've skied Flumet and Praz sur Arly on the last day of their season, with great snow. It's a gamble, as ever. The skiing in Les Saisies and the higher areas of Notre Dame de Bellecombe is usually good in early April. But.....
Les Saisies says it is 90 minutes from Geneva airport but it always takes me a bit longer, not being a French taxi driver.
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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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, @Gaza,
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Each to their own but if I'd spent that amount of time travelling another hour or so on top of the 90 mins would make no difference to me especially if it meant I got good conditions. I'd be annoyed with myself if I had 4/5/6 days of poor conditions because I wouldn't spend another hour on a transfer.
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I agree, but we all have our own 'deal breakers' and for some of our party that's one of them
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| foxtrotzulu wrote: |
, @Gaza,
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Each to their own but if I'd spent that amount of time travelling another hour or so on top of the 90 mins would make no difference to me especially if it meant I got good conditions. I'd be annoyed with myself if I had 4/5/6 days of poor conditions because I wouldn't spend another hour on a transfer.
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I agree, but we all have our own 'deal breakers' and for some of our party that's one of them
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90 mins of Geneva and high? Val D'Anniviers. St Luc or Grimentz or Zinal. You may have to be loose with the 90 mins as it'd be a bit of a stretch target by car...maybe 120 mins, but worth it. Obviously Chamonix as well. No shortage of chalets. Swiss CHF is weaker than it was, back to 1.46 now.
More snow than you can throw a snowy stick at,.
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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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It's nice apartments we went there for new year some not great so should be even better now. Spa was good and is ski in ski out but you need your lift pass straight away for that.
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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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For that time of year it's worth contacting chalets directly even if they are advertising Sat-Sat as they may be happy to take a guaranteed week and then try to sell a Thu-Sun rather than hold out for two possible weeks.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@foxtrotzulu, maybe you need to focus in one one destination, in the first instance, and then explore/google all possible sources of accommodation (and you could speak to the tourist office too).
Will you rent cars at Geneva? That would enlarge your options, if you didn't have to be right next to a snowsure piste/lift.
What sort of holiday? Dusk to dawn hardcore skiing? Or family togetherness in the mountains with options other than skiing?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@foxtrotzulu,
We have been going to Nendaz for the past few years at this time and had pretty good snow the skiing goes high in the Verbier area and it is a pretty relaxed place.There are plenty of Sun Sun apartments I believe though you may have to ring but looking at Interhome they have a few. The Apartments are generally speaking much better than French ones at a similar price range in my experience. The Swiss Franc is a bit strong but there is a decent reduction on families for lift passes
The transfer is probably nearer 2 hours though than 90 minutes
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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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Thank you everyone, and especially @under a new name, . We've found an absolutely stunning apartment at Avoriaz (through Homeaway) that fits the bill perfectly.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@foxtrotzulu, delighted to help. Have an amazing time.
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