 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi folks. I've always been claustrophobic and never really enjoyed travelling in gondola's, but it seems to be getting worse, especially at busy times.
We went to Obertauern last year and had a blast as there's only 1 gondola and even that can be avoided at busy times.
Does anyone know of any other resorts with only chair lifts to get around the majority of the slopes??
Cheers
Neil
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You can get around a lot of the Arlberg (St Anton) on chairs (skip the Galzig for the Gampen).
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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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Anywhere in Scandinavia
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@mckeann, when you say gondalas do you mean all enclosed cabins, even the more spacious ones and cable cars?
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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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There are no gondolas in the Espace Diamant. A few tricksy drag lifts though. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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You can get up from Cervinia to Theodulpass on chairs then onto the glacier on the Zermatt side and from there access the Ventina and Valtourneche. The only awkward bit would be a walk from the bottom of the Ventina back to the chairlift.
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@geepee, I'm usually ok with big cable cars when they're empty, but when they pack 100 folk into them, I start to struggle so tend to avoid them
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@Drammeister, Cervinia is somewhere we've been to a lot before, I think 4 times now, and just avoided the cable car and gondola's.
Tignes is also somewhere we've been a lot, and just avoided the gondolas were possible.
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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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@mckeann, If you come down the valley a little bit there are lots of places within the ski Amadé area which are gondola free. Some are a little small (Eben, Forstau, Filzmoos). Some are much larger, Flachau Winkl / Kleinarl, Zauchensee (the 2 there can be avoided), Flachau (avoiding a couple of gondola fed runs) is also an option.
So if you liked the area there is more on offer!
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My kids don't like gondolas or cable cars, either, but for a very different reason - they don't like the faff of taking skis on and off and carrying them up steps etc.
I tend to agree and prefer chair or drag lifts, though I do point out to them that gondolas often travel quicker and definitely come into their own in bad weather.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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St Foy but its a small resort with only 4 lifts. amazing off piste though
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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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Les Sybelles - not a gondola in sight
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I seem to remember that La Plagne has a huge amount of skiing that can be accessed without using a gondola of any sort.
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You know it makes sense.
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I seem to remember that La Plagne has a huge amount of skiing that can be accessed without using a gondola of any sort.
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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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| foxtrotzulu wrote: |
| I seem to remember that La Plagne has a huge amount of skiing that can be accessed without using a gondola of any sort. |
I'd second that.
You wouldn't like the Roche De Mio but that can be avoided quite easily. Don't ski the Bellecote, no major loss. The Grand Rochette isn't too claustrophobic and is a useful lift but can still be avoided if required. You can avoid going to the bottom of Chamagny or Montalbert, although they tend to be quiet in the middle of the day anyhow. But as foxy said there is a huge amount that can be done on chairs.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@mckeann, my partner has exactly the same problem - you can get around a lot of Crans Montana in CH on chairs - 120 km of pistes and some great interlinking off-piste as well as the wilderness of Les Faverges - and outside peak Christmas, the huge funitel to top station at 3000m is like standing alone in a large bus.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You can get around much the Espace Killy without using gondolas, there are chairlift alternatives which will take you to almost all sectors. Slight downside (for you) is they've replaced the Solaise express chair with a new bubble this season, but I'd just go up that side of the mountain via a bus & Laisenant lift instead.
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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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Skiing from Flaine or Les Carroz you can ski the grand massif without using a gondola. It may mean taking 2 chair lifts to get to the same destination as the gondola but you can do it. If staying in Morillon or Samoens you need to use a gondola to get out of the village bun then its all chairlifts
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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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| Quote: |
You can get around a lot of the Arlberg (St Anton) on chairs (skip the Galzig for the Gampen).
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@clarky999,
Yep, I spend my whole time when skiing trying to avoid taking my skis off and now they've gone and built a gondola up Albona!
Rendl a bind too......long walk up though!
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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 can do the majority (if not all) of the Les Gets/Morzine pistes (a very decent amount of skiing) without using a gondola using chairlifts instead. A lot of the time it is quicker (although the lifts are slower and in two stages) as the queues (at busy times) from the bottom are generally better.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| warmsnow wrote: |
| Skiing from Flaine or Les Carroz you can ski the grand massif without using a gondola. It may mean taking 2 chair lifts to get to the same destination as the gondola but you can do it. If staying in Morillon or Samoens you need to use a gondola to get out of the village bun then its all chairlifts |
@warmsnow, What are you talking about? most of the time the slow chair next to the les carroz gondola is closed, it only tends to open at peak times or if the gondola breaks. You could get the new bus up what will be called Les Carroz 1500, but you would still have avoid most of the lower les carroz pistes. , You could stay in Morillon 1100 and use the sairon chair up or stay in Samoens 1600 and get the chariande express up (but samoens 1600 looks a right mess at the moment)
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@mckeann, Arc 1950 and 2000 don't have any (short one between the resorts is avoidable) but going further afield to explore the wider Paradiski area you might need to use gondolas (Trasn Arc, etc)
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| warmsnow wrote: |
| Skiing from Flaine or Les Carroz you can ski the grand massif without using a gondola. It may mean taking 2 chair lifts to get to the same destination as the gondola but you can do it. If staying in Morillon or Samoens you need to use a gondola to get out of the village bun then its all chairlifts |
Whilst there is a chairlift up from Les Carroz village I don't think it is always operational. Only the gondola was running when we were last there. You can avoid the gondola by driving up to the molliets chair (on the way to Flaine and parking there).
I think it could be a bit restrictive going to Les Arcs and not using the transarc but I don't know that resort as well. there is also the aiguille rouge cable car which can be avoided if you don't ski the highest piste.
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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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Morzine- Les Gets you can easily ski the whole lot*avoiding gondolas (*except Mont Chery but most are too lazy to wally train or walk there anyway)
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+ 1 for Scandinavia, Finland/ Lapland. Chairlifts are luxuries in many. 
What's Andorra like these days? Arinsal/ Pal region was all chair last time I went, don't know about Pas, etc.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The US tends to be chairs mostly.
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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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For Grand Massif, both morillion Les Esserts 1100 village which is at the top of the lower gondola or Flaine itself would avoid any compromise really. And apart from the runs down into Les Carroz or below Samoens 1600, you can ski the whole domain from chair or a couple of drag lifts.
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Another shout for Les Sybelles domain. Stay in St Sorlin D'Arves. Lovely little traditional resort that has access to a huge ski area. Even as the busiest times lots of empty slopes. (return to resort can be busy though)
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You know it makes sense.
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@Grizzler, Grandvalira is almost entirely chairlifts, theres a Gondola out of Soldeu and one out of El Tartar, everything else is accessed by chairlift only. I think those 2 gondolas have parallel chairlifts also.
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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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Cheers folks, all much appreciated, and it's giving the missus some serious hotel research to do. I pick the skiing, she picks the hotel. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bumping this thread due to the Coronavirus issues, is Espace Diamant still one of the best resorts without the bubbles/gondolas.? Looking at going with a very nervous/anxious just out of shielding other half in the last week of January 1st week of February. Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Borovets has one six seater Bubble that takes you to the higher level of the resort which has a chair and 4 drags up there, but except for that uplift is by 3 chair lifts.
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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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@rayscoops, thanks but was thinking of driving due to the flying implications with the virus, so was looking at Austria/Italy/France.. CH is a bit too expensive and Andorra is too far to drive..
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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La Rosiere has only chairs and drags, the Espace San Bernardo which is La Rosiere and La Thuile combined, has one gondola up from La Thuile but that can be avoided. Espace San Bernardo is a fair size, 160 kms of pistes and masses of off-piste, also good value.
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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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| Simon94 wrote: |
| Bumping this thread due to the Coronavirus issues, is Espace Diamant still one of the best resorts without the bubbles/gondolas.? Looking at going with a very nervous/anxious just out of shielding other half in the last week of January 1st week of February. Cheers |
Haven’t read through rest of thread but Feb 2018 we visited Salen, Sweden and there weren’t any gondolas there. Chairs and Drag lifts. Loved the area, really magical if felt to us and we will definitely visit there again.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Simon94, Les Saisies and la Rosiere are good options. you could also add Montgenevre to the list. It has two telemix lifts which means the lift contains some gondola cabins and some chairs so you can just wait for a chair to come round (it is mainly chairs). There is one short gondola on the chalvet side but you can easily avoid it.
You are probably best off going to Les Saisies of the three as it is the shortest drive and snow would normally be ok at that time.
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It was mentioned earlier in the thread, but Flaine would suit
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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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Another shout for El Tarter. One chairlift, one gondola, going up to the same point. Same at Soldeu I think. But as they are very well-connected anyway, it shouldn't be difficult. Don't stop at Canillo though as it is gondola only.
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If it is a day trip from somewhere else, then Seefeld is all chairs. Zugspitze at Garmisch has either gondola or the train to the ski area, then chairs or drags.
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