 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi everyone,
I'm a student journalist at the University of Kent writing a feature. I've been a skier for about 16 years, including 4 great trips to the 3 valleys. Now I'm wanting to write a feature about Courchevel, which obviously has this reputation for being pricey, as well as being renowned for its Russian oligarch visitors. I was just wondering if anyone on here has any stories or experiences of Courchevel, and 1850 in particular, especially with regards to being ripped off for beers and/or chips, as well as any tips you might have to save money out there.
Thanks,
George 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I stayed in 1850 ~20 years ago. Ski hire was bloody expensive. Didn't go out drinking or eating though - we stayed in an apartment.
You may want to post here
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
You could start by searching the Dauphine http://www.ledauphine.com/savoie for articles. I am sure there are plenty of stories about prostitutes, drug taking etc covered in that paper
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
You could start by buying us all a drink at the Altiport for the benefit of our experience....bbb
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
A few years back:
I was led into Les Caves night club at the end of a Crystal bar crawl of all things. I can't imagine they would normally let in Wedze clad folk It must have been too early and empty, perhaps the doorman had gone for a smoke or our rep had something going on. No free shot to welcome us. I guess I don't get out much and the prices would seem reasonable to a Russian Oligarch, a footballer or Miami Drug lord but on picking up a drinks menu from a table : small beer €18, bottle of Vodka from €230, Jack Daniels bottle €250 cola extra, Jeroboam Cristal €5000; it was too rich for me and I hung back from the bar. No one bought a round. Even worse the place was tacky, I guess it is more attractive when all the long legged single young ladies arrive. I didn't wait for them to arrive nor get a drink.
I guess you would expect the prices in a night club to be high but we found what looked like a garden hut above the Jerusalem run with an eyewateringly priced wine list with bottles in the thousands. Madame asked us to leave when we said we weren't staying for lunch and only wanted hot chocolate.
In contrast one day we got on the on the loze lift, the weather seemed OK but the lift stopped for what seemed like an age. On eventually arriving at the top it was a white out. We groped our way and blundered through a door to a haven of furs and roaring fire. The Soucoup, somewhere we would normally by-pass with fear of the prices. We weren't going back outside so had lunch, we declined the wine list to save embarrassment. I ordered the pot au feu which turned out to be a huge tureen of beef stew, the beef being in thick steak slices. It was brilliant and turned out no more expensive than the miserable lukewarm spag bol I had the previous day above 1650. Only thing that spoiled it was the adjacent table of loud mouthed English bankers trying to run up a bill and bragging how many millions they had lost in a day. This didn't go down well with me as it was my pension money they were bragging about loosing in the crash and I didn't get bailed out.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@N1x0N, Here you go, job done.
The Courchevel Enquirer - the best and longest running gossip magazine in Courchevel and the alps.
http://www.courchevelenquirer.com
If you cba try the archive at Natives .co.uk
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I wonder what they do to student journalists to turn them into that most admired of professions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
My story goes back to when I did a season in 1850,and my job on transfer day was driving a minibus taking the clients (and luggage) from their hotels/chalets to the transfer coaches waiting in the car park at the entrance to the resort (coaches weren’t allowed any further as they blocked the narrow roads). This would go on all day until the coaches started arriving with the new clients, and the procedure had to be reversed, taking them to their accommodation. It was hard work, non stop from 3am Saturday till 3am Sunday (or later if flights were delayed). On my way home one night after a tough 24hour shift I was stopped by a Russian and his girlfriend, just emerging from a nightclub.
Him - ‘Take us to our hotel’ (It was just 100 metres down the road)
Me – Sorry mate, I’m tired and off to bed’
Him – ‘You WILL take us’
Me – ‘I’m going home, sorry’
Him (to girlfriend) – ‘He will take us’
Me – ‘No way’
Him – ‘Here is 200 euros’
Me – ‘Jump in, friends’
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Small coffee in the Tremplin about 6 euros I'd expose that ripoff and get angela rippon and the Ripoff team to have a word.
If you looking for some sort of narrative, why not go with the usual stuff.
Courchevel the highs and lows (prices) and why it can break the bank but doesn't have to!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| You could start by buying us all a drink at the Altiport for the benefit of our experience....bbb |
If this ever got published and got paid for it I'll see you out there!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Thanks for all the responses and links people, much appreciated!
And @emwmarine that's a low blow, some of us have some kind of moral compass (for the moment anyway)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@N1x0N, apologies. I should have qualified that down to Daily Mail journalists. All the others are normal human beings. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
I was there last March. Very few Russians. I believe the middle class have been effected by the low commodity prices which their economy is based on. Also the economic sanctions after Crimea & Ukraine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
I was walking past a restaurant near where all the designer stores are and noticed they did a caviar pizza.
That's right. A CAVIAR PIZZA. Only in Courchevel 1850.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
@HoneyBunny, I bet it's eggcelent.........I'll get my coat
Andy
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@N1x0N, suggest that jounalistic standards might be compromised by doing a feature based solely on asking a question on a website. A lot of contemporary journalism is based on sitting at a screen and scanning rather than getting out and doing the hoof work. As a result, a lot of poor writing about. Grandmother ... eggs ... but here goes ... as a trainee journalist you need to get the ethics and standards right; and that means understanding the credentials and background of everyone who you gain informatiopn from. I work in an area where politics means that you will get a very different set of 'facts' from one person, depending on their motives and interests, compared to another person. As a result, establishing the facts can be extremely hard. In 1961, if you had asked a Russian whether it was the Americans who were the aggressors over the Cuban Missle Crisis, they would have said 'Americans, since they put ICBMs in Turkey and Italy'. In America, a person in the street would have said 'The Russians, since they have put missles on Cuba'. The 'facts' depends very much on perspective.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@valais2 I agree with a lot of what you're saying, but I've also been out there four times myself, know a lot of people out there who I've contacted including one who runs a ski transfer business and lives in La Tania. I posted here because I wanted to see if anyone had any interesting stories or experiences to tell.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
A friend a couple of seasons ago was getting his ski's looked at in a shop, in walked this girl wearing black, she asked to see ski's, the shop assistant showed her some ski's, the girl then said, "No I want black skis", so the shop assistant showed her black skis, the girl then said, "No, I want this seasons black skis"
Some people are too picky.... 
There's plenty of threads on places to eat that don't break the bank in couchevel
If you check last seasons weather thread I think I posted a picture of the drinks costs in the swimming pool.
On occasion I've had the pleasure of getting in a bubble and sharing with someone who is russian, they would tell the instructor to book them tables at the best restaurants, or call their partners and tell them to meet them places. I've heard of some russians who will share drinks when on a lift, but not experienced it myself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
