 Poster: A snowHead
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My boyfriend and I want to spend 2 months in the French Alps this winter (February - March). My boyfriend is an intermediate skier. I'm an experienced skier (though I had my ACL surgery back in July so wont be doing anything mad this season). We both in our early 30s.
The plan is to rent an apartment for 2 months, buy a ski pass and then look for occasional jobs as obviously we wont be able to ski every day.
Question: Which French resort would you recommend.
I should have the following:
-Various terrain suitable for intermediates and expert skiers
-Good possibility of finding job there
-Good night life and activities to do when not skiing if we can't find a job - a resort where we wont get bored!
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'll offer advice pertaining only to my own personal experiences; I took a career break in my mid 30s and spent time over 3 seasons in the Alps. ultimately it's difficult to recommend any one resort over another as it comes down to personal choice and what you're looking to get out of it.
My first year was a little like the one you are planning, I spent 2 weeks in Les Gets then a month in Tignes Val Claret. I wasn't looking to work at all so don't really have any advice to offer on that front. But the ski area in Tignes in particular was perfect for exploring (I'd been to Tignes a few times before so I knew what to expect) and my apartment was ideal for myself and to out up some friends who came out to stay with me for a while. I wouldn't say it was a lively place but then that wasn't what i was looking for, but the bars were friendly with plenty of UK seasonaires and staff. Lift pass and accommodation wasn't cheap though.
The next year I worked my first winter season in Les Arcs and it remains my most fun memories of skiing and working. I stayed in Arc 1800 and worked for Crystal, which was long hours but ultimately great fun. I met a whole host of people and had a great time. I would say that finding work might be a bit more difficult, there didn't really seem to be a lot of jobs advertised that I noticed. I love the Les Arcs ski area though, I never got bored with it all season long, and I found all the people I met very friendly and accommodating. 1800 had a real village feel to it with a decent seasonaire's network, it's big enough to be a great ski area but small enough that you get to know the same old faces over time.
My final season was in Meribel. Very lively resort and I would say there seemed to be a few more jobs on offer, posted on local notice boards etc. There also seemed to be more seasonaires who just turned up ad hoc looking for work rather than only those who sorted it out before the season started. On the whole, while I enjoyed it and found Meribel an amazing ski resort, the resort felt a bit bigger and less intimate than Les Arcs and I didn't enjoy it as much for spending the season there. Just a personal feeling really, others I met there absolutely loved it and returned year on year, I just preferred the smaller nature of Arc 1800 where I got to know a lot more people in resort.
One bit of advice, definitely take a car down there. I was lucky to have access to company vehicles which were invaluable for getting out of resort to go shopping and basically do something a bit different every once in a while.
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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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@quick_silver_, 2 questions, the answers to which may help. How much of an issue is cost? Would you have use of a vehicle, for all or part of the time?
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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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@Dav Thanks so much for the detailed info you passed on. It's so helpful and it really sells the idea of doing it! Meribel sounds like something that will suit us as we are looking for something lively 
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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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@intermediate Thanks for your response.
Cost is not much of an issue. We have decent savings, however, we are not on this trip to splash out. As regards a car we have a one which has the steering wheel on the wrong side for France (it's an Irish car) and we are not comfortable to drive it there. Also, getting it insured and taxed might be an issue. Don't think we'll be bringing it with us unless you think it'd be truly useful.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@quick_silver_, in the UK at least it's easy to get insurance to cover you to drive your car in Europe for 2 months. Many policies will cover that as standard, so it might be worth calling your insurer - you may be already covered. Driving on the right in a right hand drive car isn't a big deal (IME)... you get used to it in a day or so. Having a car would make things easier for various reasons:
- you can take a lot more stuff with you
- you can shop in a big supermarket in the valley once a week, saving you money over prices in the smaller resort shops/eating out
- you can get away for the evening/day - either to another resort, or to just to the next town.
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Take whatever accommodation you can get for February.
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Your timing sounds like French school hols will fall slap bang in the middle of the trip. That means accommodation may be trickier to find, and therefore looking for an apartment in satellite villages or places on the fringes of resorts may be easier. There are also season accommodation agencies, though that can mean sharing a property.
However, I do think you should rethink the car issue. Loads of people take their car over for a season. Grocery shopping is just one example of why it's really handy as you can get down the mountain to the cheaper big supermarkets. You also get to take as much clobber with you as you can squeeze in the car.
If you can, chose your resort before the start if the season, as there are really worthwhile early booking discounts for lift passes in some ski areas. The Grand massif is half price for example.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Mon 9-11-15 13:57; edited 1 time in total
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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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Stay in Bourg ski Les Arcs, Val, Tignes, La Ros, St Foy, La Plagne
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@quick_silver_, Yes, good call by @Nadenoodlee. Bourg St Maurice has advantages. Quite a few apartments. Direct funicular link into Paradiski. 30-35 mins drive to Tignes for Espace Killy. Pleasant town. Lowish altitude for better sleeping. Supermarkets, restaurants, cafes etc. Not sure how good it would be for finding work though.
As @Perty, points out, 6 Feb to 5 March 2016 is French school holiday period. Prices and crowds higher.
Studio apts in Bourg about £35-£45 per night, possibly discounted for long booking. Up in main ski resorts, similar apartment typically double that price, though highly variable depending on location, comfort, etc. Maybe some snowHeads could do you a good deal with their Alpine pads?
I also dislike driving with steering wheel on wrong side, but benefits of having own transport would outweigh that for me. If I was going for a couple of months I'd seriously consider buying a car in France (somewhere cheaper than the Alps obviously) then selling it towards the end of the trip.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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buy a ski pass and then look for occasional jobs as obviously we wont be able to ski every day
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Can I ask why you won't be able to ski everyday? When I did my season with my wife (11yrs ago and similar ages to yourselves) we skied everyday except Saturday which was transfer day. Nothing ever stopped us from going out and we got a solid 4hrs skiing in, normally between 11-3. It was one of the best experiences of our lives and we met some great people who we are still good friends with to this day.
In terms of recommendations, I would say Meribel is a good option as it is quite a large town with plenty of opportunities for work. Morzine could also be a good call - large ski area, proper town and again plenty of work opportunities. There is usually a lot of work knocking around in mid Jan. This seems to be the time when alot of people decide they've had enough and quit! It's a shame you aren't going until later in the season.
I would also advise not counting out working for a British SKi company who will pay for your food accomodation, travel to and from resort, season lift pass and insurance. This can amount to a huge amount of money.
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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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Thanks for your advice guys, so far it's been really useful.
@gamsbock, @perty looks like we have to consider bringing our car after all
I've been to Bourg St Maurice twice (both times in January) and found it quiet at night. I remember that all the fun was up there in Tignes or Les Arcs.
Anybody been to Serre Chevalier or Grand Massif ? We noticed that they had a lot of affordable accommodation, especially in Briancon.
@FastCarver74 have you worked as a chalet host?
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We rented a place in Les Carroz in the Grand Massif for a couple of seasons. We found it through Immo Renand- a local agent. It's a very nice village, though not a party town and I'm not sure how much casual work you might pick up. The skiing in the GM is lovely. You could try finding accommodation in the village through the agents. Araches is a village a couple of km down the the road where there could be something.
Perhaps another option would be to look at Morzine- a bigger town with a bit more buzz and more job opportunities?
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You know it makes sense.
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I think you will struggle for accommodation in Morzine based on the MANY emails I see going round every day looking for beds, rooms, studios etc.
And you`re only going for 2 months - most places here let for the season.
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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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Definitely drive - having a car will make a big difference. Have you considered doing two separate stints, before and after the French school hols? A month before and a month afterwards would also mean you spend a whole lot less time in lift queues.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@quick_silver_, yes my wife and I were chalet hosts, I was also a ski host in the days when it wasn't banned! It's the best thing I've ever done. If you are organised you get a lot of time to ski.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@quick_silver_,
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Anybody been to Serre Chevalier or Grand Massif ? We noticed that they had a lot of affordable accommodation, especially in Briancon.
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I've been to Serre Chevalier a few times. Briancon is a pleasant small town. Doubt it would be lively at night. SC mountains wouldn't provide enough variety and challenge for me for that long. Again though, with a car, easy enough to drive from Briancon to ADH, L2A, Risoul, Puy St V, Montgenevre, La Grave, etc. Plenty of variety, kms of piste and challenges amongst that lot.
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