 Poster: A snowHead
|
| Quote: |
Aosta? Pila on doorstep, roadtrips to many fine places, proper town, French and Italian spoken
|
I know it sounds like French to a non speaker but it's not actually French
But good place to learn Italian, as most don't speak English so immersion is inevitable
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@Chamcham, Brides les Bains would be my second choice after Chamonix
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Chamcham wrote: |
| @davidof, I'd assumed Davos would be expensive for an extended stay? |
Yes probably and German speaking but if I were offered 2 months this winter it is somewhere I would think about. Lots of interesting but not super gnarly skiing. Steeper stuff if you want it and a real town. Oh and not many ski bums.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@moseyp, huh? 
Most Aostans speak French, it's still (according to my wife) a requirement for local govt officials to speak both French and Italian. Her father, at school, was taught in order: patois, French, Italian. So the older generation are happier in French anyway.
I understand quite a lot of the Italian now but get by quite happily around Aosta in French.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
@Chamcham, I find what they are saying about Bourg St Maurice really interesting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
St Gervais is a lovely place to live for the winter - At least it was when we were there 6 or 7 years ago for the season. Super accessible, very friendly and inclusive and I loved the skiing there but recognise it would be a bit tame for some....but then Chamonix's just up the road
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Annie wrote: |
| St Gervais is a lovely place to live for the winter - At least it was when we were there 6 or 7 years ago for the season. Super accessible, very friendly and inclusive and I loved the skiing there but recognise it would be a bit tame for some....but then Chamonix's just up the road |
That was my first thought, and I know it well. On the other hand, SHs have provided loads on interesting ideas here. I can spend a whole year exploring them 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| thecramps wrote: |
| @Chamcham, with a motorhome you could move around as the snow/crowds/feelings do. |
Valid points, but if I followed this advice, I suspect I would be organising a sabbatical for one person, not two 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
@under a new name, French is an official language in Aosta - but in reality it's not spoken there, no. They learn it in school (generally far more so than English especially amongst the older generations so they have it up to a certain level) but the French that is actually spoken amongst them is a dialect of francoprovençal (which is a language found around north Italy, parts of Switzerland nearby and Burgundy, France). To a non native or conversational French speaker, it sounds like French but not to a native
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I'm deserting Chamonix this year and going to Aosta. The pass is around 900euro, you can pay a bit extra for Zermatt. Accommodation is costing us 300euro a week for something half decent. There's a lot of skiing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
@moseyp, I'm only going with what I'm told, the OH's father was born and bred in Champoluc but if by Franco-provencal you mean the patois that he learned as his mother tongue, I don't find it's that easy to mistake for French!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@under a new name, Patois is different. Thanks to the Italianization of the region by Mussolini, French & English in schools was decimated and that's why now many older people in Aosta have absolutely no English and a very specific version of French that's native to the area. They did a study here about ten years ago about the state of the languages here and found the French learnt in schools is of a very poor level, taught in junior school by non-native speakers of a not particularly high standard and lost by the time most students finish it or spoken very badly and far behind Italian & Patois Franco
Anyway all that is not really that relevant to this post, just that if the OP is interested in improving on French because they've already the basic skills, Aosta is not the place for that!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@moseyp, interesting, thanks. Every day is a school day
Whoever worried about thread drift on SHs?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Going back to the title of the thread, my first thought was Cortina. I love the Dolomites for climbing, but never skied there. Which brings us back to the other linguistic discussion - German or Italian?
Much as I love skiing I cannot imagine spending 2 months doing it every day. Sorry but for me if I had 2 spare months I would spend it in the alps during the summer rather than the winter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
St Gervais is an excellent choice. I think you'd end up driving to Les Contamines most days you were skiing your "home resort" (I've skiied a lot from Bettex and I like it but I think you'd get tired of it) but that is very easy (short drive and loads of parking).
I'm sure you know the area well but happy to show you around a bit if you want.
I think I'd consider Champoluc and Sauze D'Oulx/Sestriere as well as Briancon but I suspect the easy drive and huge flight options from GVA would swing it for Northern French Alps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@jedster, Thanks. Your point re the proximity of GVA may well swing it, although I've skied StG often, and I like it a lot, but I'm tempted to explore an area I know less well. If we end up in StG, it would be nice to take up your offer of a skiing companion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Anything wrong with the Portes du Soleil? e.g. Morzine?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
@under a new name, I like Morzine, but we're looking for something that feels more French, where English is spoken rarely. We're also after a smaller resort, then feels less crowded.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Somewhere in the French Pyrenees? I don't know much about the area at all, but they seem to get a decent amount of snow and I get the impression the resorts/villages are a bit more authentic than some in the Alps. Definitely an area I'd like to visit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@Chamcham, well, that's certainly not Morzine then 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@clarky999, Pyrenees, now there's a thought. I really hadn't considered that...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chamcham wrote: |
| @under a new name, I like Morzine, but we're looking for something that feels more French, where English is spoken rarely. We're also after a smaller resort, then feels less crowded. |
Then areas like Valmenier would be much better suited
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| queen bodecia wrote: |
| If not Austria, then the Dolomites. |
+1
Go for a small town/large village in Val di Fassa like Moena, Vigo, Pozza...all proper communities with strong traditions lived in year-round. You could go to the head of the valley at Campitello or Canazei, but prices will be higher here.
1. Dolomiti Superski liftpass covers 1200km, probably about 700km of this is easily accessible from the various resorts along Val di Fassa & Val di Fiemme, inc the Sella Ronda linked areas. Season pass a bit pricey at €780 if bought before Xmas, but the other costs on the ground are reasonable and you can do lots of excursions to the far-flung areas like Cortina d'Ampezzo, San Martino di Castrozza, Alleghe, Kronplatz, etc.
2. Plenty of accommodation at reasonable prices.
3. The food.
4. The scenery...Rifugio Ciampolin in Canazei with the backdrop of the Sassolungo (3181m).
5. This part of the Dolomites is more Italian than areas further north like Val Gardena which has a more Germanic influence, though the locals do often speak Ladin amongst themselves.
6. 1.5hrs from Verona...if you drive like an Italian!!
7. Good bus service all along the valley linking the various base stations.
8. Great (inc extreme couloirs) off-piste & touring possibilities with plenty of high-altitude refuges...not something I've tried, but Google it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Chamcham wrote: |
@HoneyBunny, Briancon is a possibility. Is there a lift that links into the rest of SC in the town itself?
@Hyst, Thanks for your comments - I'll look into those options. |
There's a lift in Briancon into the Serre Chevalier ski area. Also closest airport is Turin, then Grenoble, Turin will come within the 1.5 hours, but Chambery would be a pain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
NOT CHAMONIX - why? It is a place that trades on it's name and the name of Mont Blanc, it provides the worst service possible without ending up loosing permit/getting prosecuted etc... Oh and sometimes it gets bad enough that they do get their wrist slapped at least.
Almost anywhere else, especially Verbier,Whistler and Mammoth (OK neither fulfill the OP request) will open lifts as early in the season as possible and then keep as much open as possible until there is no snow or no skiing public left to serve.
Cham is a good base if you have a car because it is very centralized and easy to get to almost anywhere in the western Alps, and its very easy get get here 365 days a year
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
I wouldnt dismiss Le Chable for Verbier / 4 Valleys (or Nendaz though I know it less well)
Le Chable has great access for Bruson on tree skiing days .
Martigny or Sion (Nendaz) takes you straight into GVA. Both short drives.
Good counterpoint to your Chan experiences. Le Chable easy to get over to Cham , St Bernard as well.
I would also look at Tignes - I know it doesn't fit your airport rule but Lyons, Grenoble, Chambery , Geneva , Bourg st Maurice TGV are all 2-3 hrs away. Espace Killy has to be a consideration!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@luigi, I love your picture of Saslong and Daumen (the thumb). You notice the little cable car thet goes upto the col between the two. Having lept into it in the summer I was wondering how you got in in winter wearing ski boots and carrying skis. There were pushers in the summer whose job it was to push you in before ascent or descent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Having been in a similar position to the op we researched a load of places and Aosta ticked all the boxes.
Airports at Turin, Geneva and Milan.
Large town with good transport links.
linked to ski resort by cable car in centre of town with lockers so almost ski in/out
Varied skiing available in other resorts covered by one ski pass.
Cheap accommodation if booking though local agents
Option of trips to riviera, Verona, turin, Milan etc by local bus or train.
All of the above we think will keep costs down.
Various airports if we need a trip home at short notice and living in a proper city so less a captive audience for food and drink.
Likewise the airports mean friends and family are coming to visit for long weekends etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
If you wanted one place and ski that area have a look at mottarat in 3 valleys as its a little cheaper than meribel or the other village you have mentioned Samoens proper village, great location to ski the Grand Massif all types of skiing and great off piste. Good value on the season pass if booked before 10th December and you also have 3 days skiing in other resorts like Morzine - Megeve - St Garvis- la Cluze are just a few. There are also a few small French resorts that only locals use within 30 minutes drive and a very cheap day ticket eg Onion - Praz de Lys - Sommand The resort is low so good for driving in and out of the village without the hassle of snow chains.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
I would look at Briancon. It is also 100km from Turin. You can link into the entire SC from the town. Plus 10km from Montgenevre which brings Sauze Doulx into play as well as LEs Graves on the Lauteret side and Alpe D'Huez an hour away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
La Plagne is equidistant from Three Valleys and Espace Killy (about an hour to each) and right next to Les Arcs (you can get a lift across). You won't get bored after a couple of months in the area with a car (or ever really). It's an hour and half from Chambery.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Thanks for all your comments. I hadn't considered the Dolomites, but Aosta was on my list. Which airports would you use for them, and how far away are they?
@Idris, I share your thoughts on Chamonix. It's a wonderful place, with great skiing and heritage, but not what we're looking for this time. On the other hand, for a boys' weekend in January...
@mishmash, Similarly, the four valleys are extraordinary, but have the wrong feel for what we're after.
I know most of the Tarentaise resorts well, and again, great ski-in/ski-out skiing, but really, most resorts there have more of a ski factory feel than we're looking for if we're going to spent two months not just skiiing, but living, there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Chamcham wrote: |
| Thanks for all your comments. I hadn't considered the Dolomites |
Just noticed Mike Pow's trip report from last March which gives more info on the touring/off-piste possibilities in the Dolomites...looks like he hit it right, March/April is often the best time for the high-altitude off-piste there...
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=125291
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
