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Portes du Soleil

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I've been going to the Portes du Soleil and Chatel for longer than I care to remember (26 years!) and have skied the PDS 'circuit' loads of times. I was wondering, has anyone ever managed to ski in all the PDS resorts in a day, including the non connected ones (St Jean d'Aulps, Abondance etc)? Is it possible?
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Last year, starting from Morzine I easily covered: Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Crosets, Champoussin, Morgins, Chatel, Pre La Joux, Linderats and back to Avoriaz in 2hr 50 (http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=108789). I had never done a circuit there before, but if I could find my way around the link busses and pistes in that time, then having another run at it and I recon I could do that in 2 hrs.
Adding in Champery and Torgon would be simple. and doing a blast over to LesGets would only add 30 mins or so to the route. I did the above during halfterm, but the only lift queues I suffered were in Avoriaz and Chatel.

To include Abondance, you might need to schedule in a link bus http://info.chatel.com//images/info_pages/horaires-colombus-hiver-2014-2015-7227.pdf
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The main linked circuit looks simple enough and I've done most of it before (Chatel (Linga), Avoriaz, Champery, Les Crosets, Morgins, Super Chatel loads of times), adding Morzine and Les Gets doesn't look too hard, as I'd be starting in Chatel I'd prob get up early and take the car and knock off St Jean D'aulps, Abondance and La Chapelle early, then do the rest of the linked ones starting at Barbosine or Super Chatel.
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@chrisjackson184, there used to be a workers "challenge" which iirc, was from start in Morzine the object with to hit all three of the bottom of Chery Nord, Torgon village and Champery village in the day. I don't think Abondance was involved as the bus rides too far and infrequent.

I'm sure your question has been done.
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@jamescollings, You missed Champoussin, and I don't think you skied Morzine either? And using the Mossette in either direction is a cheat really, the classic circuit goes through Avoriaz and includes Chavanette and the Swiss Wall (run or chair). However, credit for doing Linga and not staying on the bus to Pre La Joux!

As to Chris's question, to include Grand Terche, the Abondances and don't forget the bunny hill in Val D'Illiez, I think you'd be lucky. Would love to hear back if you give it a go though!
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I'm not familiar with the Bunny hill in Val D'Illiez? Is it actually PDS?
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It's a PDS commune (see the back of your pass), and they have or had a kiddies rope-tow in the village centre at one time. No idea if it has a turnstile!
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Hmm, I think I'll leave it out!
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I've done Champoussin to Mont Chery and back several times, and by going out one way (through Morgins, Chatel, Linga, Pre La Joux and Plaine Dranse, etc) and back the other (via Les Crosets) you can cover all the main linked resorts.

I suppose that one needs to define exactly what constitutes "doing" a resort - do you just have to ski a bit of it, or do you have to ski down to the centre/bottom of the slopes? (In some of them, Champoussin for one, it is hard to define what constitutes the centre of the resort anyway).

Adding on St Jean and Abondance I have never done, but it sounds like a challenge for one of our March trips. One problem is that while personally I enjoy this type of challenge, often I am there with visitors who just want to blast down reds and blacks all day, and this sort of odyssey can be a bit dull - the links between Avoriaz and Morzine through Super Morzine involve a lot of lifts and poling, not very exciting.
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It's a bit like doing the pubs on the circle line - it depends if you do half measures.
If you go to the bottom of all places, like GD Paradis Planachaux, Champoussin, Nyon, Chamosiere, Perrier in LG, Bellevaux, loop in Gd Turche, both sides of La Chapelle, Top of Abondance, then that is like doings pints with a chaser in each pub, but if you do halves, then your circuit might look like this:
The night before, leave a car @ la Panthiaz. Then the next am, at the crack of sparrows:
Start @ St Jean, just take the 1st gondola, then come down under the lift, jump in your car, and drive to the col d'encrenaz.
Up and over Mt Chery, up the Chavannes on the chair, then across to Morzine via Nyon. Down the pleney, the bus to prodains, and up. (I think this is quicker than Super Morzine, as Zorre, serrasaix, Proclou, Bd Skieurs, Express de stade) will be longer than Bus, Telef, Stade.
From Stade, go round to the fornets bowl and up Chavanettes then down the wall ( This kinda covers Champery), up and over to Les Crossets. Now instead of taking the shorter Col du PdS, you should really dog it round and through the top of Champoussin to Morgins, down the Folliuese, up to Chalet Neuf, Super chatel, then up and over to Torgon, and then down to the Panthiaz. If you have time go up the other side of La Chapelle, otherwise take the car straight to Abondance. The Magic carpet at the bottom does not count, so I would say that you should take the gondola. When back down get back in the car, go over the col du corbier. If you have time, you can hike up and do the red ( about 15 mins hike, 1 min ski down). Carry on over the col, back to the Col d'encrenaz to recover the other car. Then drive home and drink beer in the hot-tub.
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There's also the question of parts of the PdS which are not in PdS communes. Chery Nord is one example I can think of, it's in the commune (and resort) of La Cote d'Arbroz rather than Les Gets, although it's on the LG pass. I image there would be other examples where a quick run in the main resort wouldn't include satellite resorts which nevertheless have PdS skiing. Puzzled
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I think I'd define 'doing' a resort as using a lift and skiing a run that is within the resort only pass (eg the Chatel pass), although that would require some pragmatism too (and I don't know what all the pass areas are either having never had to look at it for most of the resorts). For example, a run at Pre la Joux is surely skiing a run in Chatel as you can do it on a Chatel village pass, I don't think going to the bottom / resort is necessary although you may well need to in most. For Champousin I think if you do the drag past the church that's close enough!
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I think that's a reasonable definition.

Actually I think both the Point De L'Au chair and the Derriere-Pertuis drag count as Champoussin, and you need to do one or both to get through anyway, so no need to go down to the Sepaya drag at all.
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You know it makes sense.
I think I'd also add if its not on the main PDS map then it doesn't count.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I am not organised enough to attempt this tommorow, but I might give it a shot next saturday or the weekend after when I have researched the times of the fisrt St Jean, and the last Abondance bubble, and arranged to leave a car at La Panthiaz.
Instinct tells me I should ski, but I fancy trying it on the board, as the boots are better for walking [ and driving Wink ] in .
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 Poster: A snowHead
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Let me know how you get on, and perhaps post a GPS track? I'm in Chatel a week from the 21st March, might try it then if I'm not put off in the meantime
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I hope it is achievable, [ using the route I proposed above ].
We only need to get on the Abondance bubble before it shuts, from that point time is no longer the enemy.
So long as the weather is reasonable, the snow holds up in Champoussin, and the bottom on Mont Chery, the wall is open ( I guess the chair is an option), and the traffic in La Chapelle is ok, then it could work.
Otherwise with a car at La Pamthiaz there are planty of options for bailing if it does not look on.
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chrisjackson184 wrote:
I think I'd define 'doing' a resort as using a lift and skiing a run that is within the resort only pass (eg the Chatel pass), although that would require some pragmatism too (and I don't know what all the pass areas are either having never had to look at it for most of the resorts). For example, a run at Pre la Joux is surely skiing a run in Chatel as you can do it on a Chatel village pass, I don't think going to the bottom / resort is necessary although you may well need to in most. For Champousin I think if you do the drag past the church that's close enough!


On that basis you could nip down Crocus from the Pleney in Morzine and nip back up the Folliets chair and say you've done Les Gets - I think you need to cover going down to L'encrenaz on Chery Nord and going up the Ranfolly and down to Perrieres. Def need to be pragmatic ! How about someone designing the definitive PDS circuit/tour along the lines of the Sella Ronda?
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@ropetow Your name has inspired another challenge - do all the drag lifts in the PdS Over a weekend.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
No thanks!
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My first thought was rather similar to @WindOfChange, though kind of backwards.

Drive two cars to Les Gets and park one up then arrange to be at St J d’A for first lift. Ski down and in car to Abondance for one run then drive to the Pantiaz gondola and park up for the day.

Up and over to Torgon, up Tronchey, head for Chalet Neuf and over to Morgins. Work across to Les Crosets via Champoussin.

Check the clock. If time allows head for Ripaille and all the way down to Grand Paradis. If not over to Planachaux (and count that as Champery done) then Ripaille, Chavanette and ski down into Avoriaz.

Up the Tour chair then over to Super Morzine (I accept that skiing down Crot and the bus from Prodains might be quicker if the bus played ball). Across Morzine and up Pleney then take that chair along the ridge (forget the name) and down into Les Gets

If time permits over to Mont Chery then back to the prepositioned car.

Would be a hectic day
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As I'd be based in Chatel I'm thinking driving to St Jean for first lift, then drive to Abondance and do a run, up to Pantiaz and then drive to get the Petit Chatel / Barbossine lifts and drop into Torgon, back round Chalet Neuf, all the Swiss resorts in sequence, through Avoriaz then Morzine and Les Gets. Head back through Super Morzine and through Linderets to Plaine Dranse to be in the Avalanche Bar for a very large beer! Good thing is time is too tight by Avoriaz there is a quick route back to Chatel. Walk up to Petit Chatel next morning to retrieve car.
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@chrisjackson184, Better off to leave the car at Pantiaz and take the larger chair up above the bubble then straight over to Torgon and up the big chair which will put you at the top of the Barbossine lifts. Saves quite a bit of time compared to bubble, chair, ski one run, download on bubble drive to Petit Chatel, 2 chairs, ski down to Torgon then take the big chair back up. You can get the Colombus down to Pantiaz the next day (or jog down in the evening to loosen your legs up!).
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chrisjackson184 wrote:
I think I'd define 'doing' a resort as using a lift and skiing a run that is within the resort only pass (eg the Chatel pass), although that would require some pragmatism too (and I don't know what all the pass areas are either having never had to look at it for most of the resorts). For example, a run at Pre la Joux is surely skiing a run in Chatel as you can do it on a Chatel village pass, I don't think going to the bottom / resort is necessary although you may well need to in most. For Champousin I think if you do the drag past the church that's close enough!

Yup that sounds reasonable. I don't know all the resort-only pass delineations either. Does a Chapelle-only pass include Panthiaz bowl, or only the disconnected bit? Is there any such thing as a Torgon-only pass? Or a Champery/Planachaux only? There's no Chery-only or Bellevaux-only passes, so I don't see you'd need to go there for this challenge.

I do think using Didier Defago, the Pre La Joux bus, or crossing the border at Mossette rather than Chavanette are no-no's though for a proper circuit. Not sure how I feel about the new connection in Chatel, it's not that you really miss out much good skiing, but it does somehow seem too easy! snowHead
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@shep, I know that in Champoussin, officially there is achoice of two local passes (besides the full PdS of course) - a CLCF pass (which covers from Les Crosets as far as the bottom of Foilleuse in Morgins) or an Evasion pass (which covers from Point De L'Au as far as Chatel). I don't think there is any such thing as a Champoussin pass.

But I agree that using Didier Defago, or the other long blue from Crosets down into Morgins (can't remember its name) isn't really a circuit because you are missing out Champoussin entirely.

I am curious why you consider using Mossettes to be a "no-no" - is it because it is too much of a shortcut? In turn, my gut feeling is that if you don't go over Mont Chery it doesn't really count either - but that stems from my desire to "cross the map", from Champoussin where I always start, bottom left on the PdS map, to Chery Nord on the top right.

@DJL, my initial reaction to all these pre-positioned cars was that it isn't really cricket, but then I suppose it is impossible without them.
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@sanman, The cars are really only for St Jean d'Aulps and Abondance which don't have links. I suppose you could use public transport to get from St J d'A to Les Gets and La Chapelle to Abondance but I then doubt it would be possible it in a day and getting home would be a bit of a challenge!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@sanman I agree that Mossettes should not be a no-no, but it may be that not going up there makes a route that gets Champery in easier. My view on cars is that I have one so can use it, but perhaps the rules should be only 1 car as that is all most holiday goers are likely to have. I'd drive from Chatel in the morning and have the car in Chatel at the end of the day so fair enough I think.

@shep using the new Chatel link has to be allowed, I'm not sure it adds much good skiing but it removes a bus, and to use it you'd have to get to the top of Linga via Chaux des Rosees and Les Combes (or Pre-la-Joux and Les Combes) to use it rather than getting the bus so probably fairly equal in time.

Defago is out as you would miss out too much.

In reality there is nowhere that is not allowed as long as all resorts are visited, there are however a long list of pointless / time wasting routes to avoid.
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@shep,
Quote:

There's no Chery-only

there is a Mt Chery day pass - from memory I think it is around 18 euros. If I haven't got the wrong end of the stick in what you are writing.
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You know it makes sense.
Much as I love the area (and some of the outlying bits) it is a slightly flawed concept when it comes to doing the lot in a day. The obvious start /end points are Mont Chery and La Chapelle and the whole of that could be done without unclipping your skis (other than boarding gondolas). The outliers are Abondance and St Jean d’Aulps and are respectively 7.5km from La Chapelle and 13.5km from Mont Chery (either side) by road and are 22km apart. It’s really not do-able without road transport. Might give it a go on our forthcoming lads trip.
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@sanman, That's good info, thanks. Re Mossettes, yes, partly too much of a shortcut in so far as you don't really include the Avoriaz plateau or Planachaux side of Les Crosets going that way, partly because there was no french Mossette when I started guiding the circuit so I find it a bit "newfangled"!
I do agree that the mini-circuit (Morzine Les Gets) has to include Chery Nord (and Est!), but if you're already coming all the way from Chatel I wouldn't beat yourself up if you don't make it! wink
@DJL, It's only about five years since the navette from Pleney to LGT was withdrawn, but now there's no direct link you have to be allowed a car for this one. Is there no navette connecting Chapelle to Abondance/Chatel? I would have guessed there is, but don't know your valley that well.
@chrisjackson184, begrudgingly I think you're right and there's no real justification for excluding the new link from "the circuit". Progress, innit? Madeye-Smiley . Yes nowhere vetoed for the purpose of your challenge, just trying to defend the integrity of "the circuit", which some people claim can now be done in a long lunch-hour, but only by taking all the recent short-cuts Evil or Very Mad.
@pamski good point, and may well involve Chris having to schlep all the way over there according to his definition Laughing !
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@shep, There are the navettes that can get you between Chatel and La Chappelle (both areas) but it's a bit of a pain because the Chatel one only goes to the centre sportif near Intermarche and you than have to wait for the La Chapelle one to pick you up (and of course the times dont coordinate Sad ). Only to be used in desperation. The Colombus runs Chatel - La Chapelle (near enough to get to both ski areas) - Abondance (don't know how close to the Abondance ski area it gets) on then on down the valley.

To my great shame I've never skied Abondance and this is my 25th year of at least one trip a year to Chatel. Maybe get there this year as a sort of Silver Jubillee celebration.
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St Jean is nice and quiet and lovely empty tree lined pistes. Worth a visit if you have a car like we did this year. Never bothered when relish on buses.
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@DJL, Oh I see, so similar to getting the BaladD'Aulp bus Morzine to St. Jean and changing to the St.Jean-LGT navette. Just not practical. To match your shame, I'm in my 29th season here and never skied the non-contiguous part of Chapelle. Perhaps we should make a date to do both when you're next over?! snowHead
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@shep, the Cret Beni part is a real gem. Nothing too hardcore but well worth it if the snow is decent. Sometime 9-13 March we'll be there and you're welcome to join us.
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@DJL, count me in too Happy
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@shep, how can this possibly be you're 29th season when you're only... Oh, ah, yes, hmmm... Time flies doesn't it? wink

Never mind, it's my 26th anniversary Happy
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@shep, @under a new name, We'll be on holiday whereas I guess you two both have to earn a crust that week. If you're keen you can pretty well name a day Monday 9th - Friday 13th. The Sunday preceding/Saturday after are a bit trickier due to us arriving/leaving.

If we don't manage to do it as a meet-up do get round there at some point. Some really nice piste runs and usually very quiet. A mix of drags and (slow speed) chairs. Not much in the way of mountain restaurants but we've found a good picnic spot for sunny March days and the Clos Savoyard at the foot of the piste is very good.

It's also perfectly feasible to do morning one side of La Chappelle and afternoon the other side.

Only a week now - can't wait!
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What about Cret Beni On the opposite of Chappelle D'Abondance ? You've all missed that.
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@milestaylor, Puzzled at least 3 mentions for Cret Beni above
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I think the new connection in Chatel is a moot point, as in order to get the swiss stuff done, you would be heading in to Chatel from Torgon, and heading out Chatel via Chalet Neuf -> Morgins if going the waty @DJL suggests ), or coming in from Morgins, you would be heading out towards -> Torgon, so I do not see where the Gableou and PdS would come into play. Agree completely about Defago being too much of a short cut ( although Morgins forest is acceptable if entered from the top of the old combes t-bar. ) Also - Chery Nord should be mandatory.
I like @DJL clockwise route, as fast intermediates can do it as it misses out the wall, although the risk of not getting back to the car is higher, becasue getting to La Panthiaz on public transport is simple once you are north of Chaux Fleurie ( once the lifts close). wheras getting to Chery Nord on public transport is more problematic following lift closure. Cret - Beni, is a nice to have, but I think La Chapelle can justifiably be crossed off without it.
Currently about 70% sure of giving it a crack this Saturday (7th March).
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