 Poster: A snowHead
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Is anyone familiar with skiing at Les Contamines and/or Notre dame de Bellecour in the Beaufort region on the way to Megeve. I am interested to know if people have done some skiing in either region and what this area is like in the Summer for VTT or walking. 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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@emmaski, I have skied at Les Contamines but only for odd days at a time as I have an apartment in the nearby Espace Diamant, which includes Flumet and Notre Dame de Bellecombe. They are lovely in summer and lifts are open to facilitate VTT tours (or walking, for that matter) around the area. But only in the 6 weeks summer holidays - the rest of the time you have to walk or pedal up yourself!!
What did you need to know about the skiing?
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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. Well how varied they are for ski areas and pistes? Les Contamines for eg, will it ever or does it link into Megeve etc? Are there any plans to add new lifts? Also how varied is skiing on Flumet and if we stayed there for a few days would we find enough to do etc?
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@emmaski, No chance of LC or Les Saisies linking to Megeve in the foreseeable future. Don't know about any plans for new lifts in Les Contamines but there are several snowheads who know the resort very well. The skiing in Flumet itself is limited (and not suitable for people who can't cope with difficult draglifts  ) but as it is part of 192 kms of lift-linked skiing in the Espace Diamant, there's no shortage of skiing.
The village of Flumet is a genuine old one, but a little way from the pistes.
There have been new lifts just about every year in the Espace Diamant, for 12 - 13 years now. I think that for the coming season one of the existing chairs in Les Saisies is going to be upgraded. Currently a 4 man detachable, probably going to be a faster 6 man.
Depends on the time of year - the Arly Valley is fairly low, but when the snow down there is sketchy there is usually plenty higher up in Notre Dame de Bellecombe Mont Rond and best snow up in Les Saisies.
Areches, above Beaufort, has some good piste skiing which keeps its snow well (and is by the same token perishingly cold when it's cold) but is particularly noted for off piste.
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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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Your post seem a little broad you might get more replies if you narrowed your questions down.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Not really broad just trying to geta feel for both areas as we may look at buying in one of these areas.
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we may look at buying in one of these areas.
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Ah well, that does make a difference. Would this place be purely for your own use, or would you be looking to rent it out sometimes? And would you always have a car and be prepared to use it to get to lifts or would you prefer "ski in/out"?
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@emmaski, I bought in St. Gervais last year and love it, Les C is very close so would imagine that is as good. Half term this year longest queue was up to better, say 15 minutes then all others 5 mins max. Heard some horror stories of 45 min queues in other resorts.
Sorry never heard of you other choice
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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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Sorry was that Le Bettex where the queues were 15 mins? Didn't quite understand your reply. Thanks.
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Half term this year longest queue was up to better, say 15 minutes then all others 5 mins max. Heard some horror stories of 45 min queues in other resorts.
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Most of the half term reports this year weren't nearly as bad as they sometimes are. Certainly Les Saisies, where my niece and family borrowed my place, was much better (and they have done every half term for 5 years or so).
The reason is that the UK holidays did not coincide with Paris weeks. Though obviously some other French regions impact on some ski areas.
So - a lack of bad queues in February 2016 doesn't mean they won't be bad in 2017, I'm afraid.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@emmaski, no the gondola from st g up to bettex, from bettex on it was only 5 mins. Last week you didn't even break stride straight on to lift
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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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Last week you didn't even break stride straight on to lift
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And definitely true throughout the Espace Diamant. I rarely encounter queues outside New Year and the 4 French holiday weeks. Maybe small ones at Christmas.
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| emmaski wrote: |
| Thank you. Well how varied they are for ski areas and pistes? |
Excellent variety in Les C for a skier. Something for everyone. We haven't been in a couple of years, so I can't comment on lifts etc but it is on our 'to do again' list. If you aren't in a hurry you would probably be best to try a few resorts before you buy. I can highly recommend @brock's apartment* in Les C. Handy for pubs, small local shops and main lift.
*We rented from him through sH. I haven't met him, so have no reason to recommend other than he was easy to deal with, everything was as promised and we had a great week. 
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You know it makes sense.
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Les C is part of the huge "Mont Blanc Evasion" area (with a drive to St Gervais/Megeve to link in) but the Espace Diamant is quite a bit bigger than Les C in terms of lift-linked skiing and there's much more ski in/out (though not in Flumet). Depends what you are after.
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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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@emmaski,
We bought a place in Les Contamines a couple of years ago. I haven't skied the Espace Diamant.
I've skied in stayed in about 30 different resorts around Europe over the years including most of the major ones and a season in Courchevel and we decided to buy in Les Contamines. For us its strong points are ones we really care about and its weaker points are ones we don't value as much as many people and that means for us the value for money was exceptional. Won't be true for everyone. Key points for us:
1. variety of skiing - decent variety of pistes in a modest sized linked area, plenty for families/beginners yet lots of easily accessible/safer off piste and plenty of adventurous touring options
2. snow record - it's not very high but has a lot of fairly north-facing skiing between 1800m and 2500m and its position at the head of a valley means that it tends to get a disproportionate share of the snow (compared to Megeve for example)
3. lots of other skiing options in easy range - 10 to 15 minutes drive gets you into the St G/Megeve system which is covered on the Evasion Mont Blanc pass. 40 minutes gets you into Chamonix
4. accessibility to an airport - short and easy drive makes weekends practical
5. pleasant, friendly, unpretentious village
6. proximity to the big mountains - the Beaufortaine is on one side of the valley but the grandeur of the Mont Blanc massif is on the other side giving you dramatic views and loads of options for big adventures
7. summer - great family hiking in the Beaufortaine, mountaineering on the MB side, rock climbing within walking distance of the village - park with swimming, tennis, parcours, golf. More activities down in the valley and Chamonix/St G nearby. We thought it would be good but it surpassed all our expectations as a summer destination.
8. relatively cheap - Eur/sq m is 50-60% of Chamonix/Morzine
9. relatively quiet - even in February it doesn't feel unpleasantly busy
Downsides
1. not a huge linked ski area, really need a car to make use of the Evasion Mont Blanc and broader options. That said this season I skied 27 days and didn't make it out of Les C (things conspired against me but it does show we didn't get bored!)
2. village proper is separate from the lifts - ski bus or car unless you opt for the development near the lift which is fine but not as nice in our view. Walkable but not regularly in ski boots
3. mountain biking limited compared to some. There is one lift served downhill trail and plenty of tracks that are cyclable but it is not a true MTB destination like say Morzine
4. It is pretty quiet! Nightlife involves restaurants and a couple of bars. Most accommodation is self-catering (dominated by second homes, no package operators) and quite a lot of skiers drive in for the day and leave after a quick beer or crepe in the early evening. That won't appeal to all. Food shopping is excellent though (probably due to all the self-catering) and there is a good range of other shops.
Compared to the Espace Diamant I guess you are getting more snow security, access to bigger/more dramatic mountains and proximity to Chamonix. You lose proximity to Annecy. May be there is more to interest more adventurous skiers? Pam would know better than me. Otherwise I suspect they have a lot in common.
I love the mountains whether that is skiing, hiking, climbing, mountaineering, cycling, camping. FOR THE MONEY, I think Les C gives better all round access to all of that than anywhere else I know of.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I think the two areas do have a lot in common, and several people I know with apartments in my area also looked very hard at Les Contamines.
I don't think there's much to choose for snow sureness - Les Saisies is also very snowsure and as Les Saisies itself is at 1650 m you are much more likely to be able to ski down in poor snow conditions than you can in Les Contamines. LS is generally open quite late - till 22 April this year.
BUT the Espace Diamant is a much wider area and the lower areas of the ED (including Flumet) have a shorter season, as does the bottom (village) level in Notre Dame de Bellecombe, where the bottom lift is at 1150m - a long but easy drag. When snow down there is not tenable you need to drive up to Notre Dame Mont Rond where there's a new fast 6 man chair, or to Praz sur Arly - also low, but with a fast 6 man chair up to some excellent skiing and a big free car park (parking in Mont Rond can be a pain). It's a fair drive from Flumet up to Les Saisies. Maybe 35 minutes - more if it's snowy.
Les Saisies and surroundings are not bad for mountain biking - new trails open up every year, some of them petrifying. I'm not mountain biker but friends assure me I could easily bike to Megeve, taking the lifts, if I had a mind to do so.....
I suspect Les Contamines has better ski touring options than Les Saisies but the latter has one of France's top cross country areas.
They are both great choices. But Les Saisies, though an attractive village, is essentially a ski resort, closed outside the ski season except for the 6 weeks of the "proper" summer holidays. But it has plenty of restaurants and bars and an excellent sports centre, with a pool, etc (but only open in the holiday periods). That's the inevitable downside of having somewhere relatively high and snowsure where you can ski to the village till late in 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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don't think there's much to choose for snow sureness - Les Saisies is also very snowsure and as Les Saisies itself is at 1650 m you are much more likely to be able to ski down in poor snow conditions than you can in Les Contamines. LS is generally open quite late - till 22 April this year.
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That's very fair - same close date as Les C but the resort runs closed (officially) in early April.
That said, I don't think being able to ski to resort is that good of a test of snow surety. On that basis Argentiere/Gd Montets would not be snow sure!
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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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I don't think being able to ski to resort is that good of a test of snow surety.
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No, indeed. But some people (stupidly, in my view) place great store in not having to download in a lift.
I have practically never been in Les Contamines village as I always access the ski area from the Belleville side, which is an easy drive from Les Saisies. I remember a very pretty valley - the Arly Valley is lovely too, and the villages down there are "proper" places though with a much busier road through, as it's the route from Sallanches to Albertville (when the Arly Gorge road is open, which is by no means always). Of the low villages in the Espace Diamant I think Praz sur Arly would be my personal choice of a place for a year-round residence. The skiing immediately above Praz is much better and more accessible than that immediately above Flumet, which apart from having the draglift from hell (Le Seigneur) also has one of the slowest chairlifts in the area (Les Evettes). A new short draglift opened a few years ago has made it very easy to get from the top of the Praz sur Arly lift to the top of Notre Dame de Bellecombe, too - which has the best array of challenging red runs in the Espace Diamant.
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Praz sur Arly is a fair bit bigger than Flumet and has a much better supermarket but I spotted that some new apartments in Praz were being described as "near Megeve" so it may be more expensive.
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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.
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We visited Notre dame de Bellecombe today and didn't see anything we fancied. We also noted how desolate it was?? I know it is the end of the ski season and the interim before Summer but wondering if LC is going to serve us better in the Summer for walking etc. The cable cars maybe better there. Today they were closed in ND. We also drove through Megeve which we know well. Are Combloux and the areas around Megeve worth looking into as well? Thanks for all the useful info.
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The cable cars maybe better there. Today they were closed in ND.
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There aren't any cable cars in N D de Bellecombe, only chairs and drags throughout the Espace Diamant. In Les Contamines there's a two stage gondola up to the middle station (essentially the start of the best skiing) then chairs and drags above that.
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The period just after closure is always the worst time for ski resorts. Grey, flattened grass, to be followed before long by the unmistakeable springtime activity of muck spreading which will later produce all those grass-strewn pastures.
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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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@emmaski, have You thought about St Gervais, bit more year round.
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St Gervais is a great town, though I've never done more than the odd visit. Very pretty in summer and some interesting buildings.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@emmaski, agree that now is not the ideal time to be viewing places. I don't know what LC is like in the summer but Flumet is really nice, especially with the swimming lake. The reason I love being in La Giettaz is that it's got a ski area (the same domain as Combloux/Megeve) but is also 10 minutes from Flumet, 15 from NDdB, 15 minutes from La Clusaz (good for VTT). As for walking, I've had 6 summers here and there are still routes I haven't done (I hike a fair amount), I've scratched a tiny, tiny bit of the surface of hiking in La Clusaz and Megeve and am yet to even start exploring the Espace Diamant in summer. It works for us but it is a tiny village (population 450, one bar - we have our own - a couple of restaurants) so not necessarily recommending it to you; rather, I'm suggesting that if you are looking to buy, then perhaps worth thinking about both what the place offers in the immediate vicinity and where you can access within, say, 15 minutes by car.
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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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I think we will end up buying in Le Bettex/St Nicholas or Les Contamines as we always seem to be drawn to that area. Mu husband skis more around Megeve though but get absolutely nothing for your money, Does combloux link in to Megeve?
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Yes - Combloux is part of the Portes du Mont Blanc, which links to the Evasion Mont Blanc from the bottom of the Jaillet bubble - it's a bus link but they are pretty regular and it's not much hassle - that said, I always drive round when I want to ski the other side as it's 20 minutes from here (much closer from Combloux obviously) and I'm lazy like that but plenty of people ski it without issue.
I think you posted about being nervous skier a while ago, didn't you? How did you get on this season? If you are still feeling nervous, I suggest you check out Crest Voland (part of the Espace Diamant) for a ski next season.
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You know it makes sense.
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I think now is the best time to be looking, you are seeing the town at it quietest , so no disappointment to follow. Also there is less buyers so a cheeky offer may get you. Don't think bettex has much to offer outside of skiing, for me I need a shop & pub/restaurant to walk to
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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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you are seeing the town at it quietest
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depends where you go. Some resorts (e.g Les C, Les Saisies) are still open.
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Poster: A snowHead
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If I were looking at somewhere to use for lift-served skiing/VTT/hiking, I'd look when the lifts were open.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If I was planning on spending my hard-earned readies on an apartment in a ski resort, it would have to be somewhere I'd skied before and enjoyed. I know people who have successfully bought without knowing the area, but some knowledge of what it is like at various times of year is invaluable. We'd skied Serre Che before,but what swung it for us was the buzz of the place in the summer too.
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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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I've come to love the summer at least as much as winter. But I also visit in June and October, which are lovely, but the resort is then closed. At that point I'd not want to be in the village - it has a very deserted, shuttered, feel about it. My apartment just looks out on mountains and some small, permanently occupied, local places, with people around to have a chat.
I love the fact that nights are always dead quiet (actually, at any time of the year except new year's eve when there's a rather modest flurry of fireworks.
But for some people, not used to country living, it would no doubt be much TOO quiet.
It all depends...... crucially on whether it's just for you, or for renting. Renters want different things, especially very easy access to a decent ski area with no buses, no long walks. And a fair range of restaurants, bars, swimming etc for evenings. That's available in Les Saisies but not round my apartment - just one restaurant, but it's very good and owned and run by a lovely family. My place is ski in/out but the ski school meeting place is either a 5km drive or a ski over the mountain (not possible for complete beginners though most can manage it before the end of their first week).
There are so many variables.....
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks for so many interesting comments. Think we have narrowed things down to Les Contamines and Megeve now. Both of which we know. I have been checking out the rental availability in these towns on various apartment/chalet rentals and neither places seem be overwhelmed with bookings. We have been checking ski rental availabilities and apart from 4 weeks over the school hols there doesn't seem to be many bookings at the resorts. I have also looked into rentals in Morzine etc and isn't great there either. Just weighing up why this is?
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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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Just weighing up why this is?
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Because there's a massive oversupply of accommodation outside those crucial weeks.
This is more so, I think, in places where a high proportion of the clientele is French. They stop skiing at the end of the holidays in early March. My niece was able to rent a very nice, high end, 2 bedroom piste-side apartment for £375 Wednesday - Wednesday at Easter!
I was very popular with my French neighbour, who owns a superb gite with disabled access, when I put a chap who enquired on snowheads in touch, for a rental in January. They loved the place, which was perfect for their niece with cerebral palsy and my neighbour told me they always have big problems renting it in January, after New Year.
The pistes are deserted then, not a sniff of a lift queue. It's magic - but not if you are hoping to rent.
That's why I said at the outset that in choosing somewhere to buy a lot depends on whether you want to rent it out more than just occasionally.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Even if we looked at somewhere like Chamonix, which we wouldn't as for us the skiing is horrid, the market is saturated there too.
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So why do you want to buy a place? That's the key question some people fail to ask themselves.
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Well I suppose as most people, a good investment.
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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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Well I suppose as most people, a good investment.
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Hmmm. If you do a search on the Chalets board you'll find lots of discussion about this but I think the consensus is that you would be unwise to see buying a ski property as a good financial investment. It can be OK but probably best seen as a way of doing more skiing (weekends, "long week" trips are difficult outside low season if you are renting) and as a store of value. If it was a financial decision I'd stick the money in an index tracker.
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That is the impression we are getting, the more research we do. It seems there is a saturation in property available to buy and rent and feedback from one or two agents suggest the Brexit will affect things. People are cautious.
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FAQ
Well, I suppose it is near Megeve....
