 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking at options for next year, and Notre Dame de Bellecombe (Espace Diamant) is a possibility. I suspect the cheapest way to get there might be to get a shared transfer (or public bus) to Megeve, then hop in a taxi for the final 11km to ND.
Any guesses how much the taxi fare might be, approximately? Less than 50 euros?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@denfinella, Maybe look at getting to Albertville instead, there is a public bus from there to NDB.
The public transport options are complicated a bit from the Sallanches side as you would be crossing the boundary between Haute Savoie and Savoie. There are some
Haute Savoie transport links on the Praz sur Arly website.
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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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which bit of N D d B, @denfinella - there are three distinct "levels".
Depending on where you are staying, and when, a rented car could be useful.
Praz sur Arly is far closer to Megeve and links into N D de B and the rest of the Espace Diamant - could be a better base, especially if you are within striking distance of the fast 6 man Cret du Midi Chair.
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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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Thanks Pam, that's very helpful. It's the village / ND 1150, as I've seen some very reasonably priced accommodation. I know access to the slopes isn't perfect from there, however there are free shuttle buses to the other two NDs and also to Crest Voland, so we'd have a few options where to start / end the skiing day.
@pam w and @rjs, thanks. A shared transfer to Megeve seems to be <£150 (for 2 people return), so should be <£250 total if my taxi estimates are right? Car hire is a possibility but I suspect it might e more expensive when you add in petrol / tolls. I looked at the Albertville option for public transport, but the bus from Albertville to ND 1150 alone takes a whole hour, so it would be a very long winded route when you add the train!
@pam w, presumably snow reliability should be OK in late January?
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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 get a bus direct from GVA to Praz for 25-35 euros each way.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@denfinella, yes, snow reliability should be OK in late January but, as you say, the access from NDdeB 1150 is not great (long drag, then a tedious and quite scary 2 way chair across to Mont Rond) Access from Praz sur Arly is really quite a lot better - from the top of the Cret du Midi there's an ace ski back down to the bottom, lots of interesting terrain from there up the Ban Rouge and a much improved link over to Les Saisies via a short drag (Les 3 Coins). Really, a much better base than N D de B 1150, avoiding buses, and I imagine there's some reasonable accommodation in Praz sur Arly.
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@Hand Wringer, ooh yes, is that Ouibus? I'd forgotten about them, thanks for reminding me.
@pam w, thanks. I see what you're saying about lifts, with a fast lift out of Praz sur Arly and the best skiing quite possibly at the top left of the piste map (is that what you mean?). Though from ND doesn't the blue run "Renard - Mont Rond - Jonction" eliminate the need to take the 2-way chair?
My concern about Praz sur Arly is that, though the local lifts are good, it's at the extremity of the ski area - 7 lifts to get to Bisanne 1500, for example, which I believe you know well! By comparison, only 4 lifts from NDdeB 1150 (if you use the 10-min navette to get to Crest Voland first), of which 3 are detachable chairs, and nowhere on the piste map is more than 5 lifts away. So, am I missing something here? I appreciate you have much more local knowledge.
We really like exploring the entirety of a ski area, so we'd definitely be looking to visit all the corners of the piste map! Long or difficult drags aren't a problem - we have plenty of practice in Scotland 
I will have a look at accommodation in Praz sur Arly, but £200 for a very comfortable-looking 4-person apartment with excellent reviews might be hard to beat...
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from ND doesn't the blue run "Renard - Mont Rond - Jonction" eliminate the need to take the 2-way chair?
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Rarely. snow cover tends to be poor, it's a crummy sort of run, and you have to take your skis off and walk over the road (and sometimes also walk over wooden planks across a vehicular access too) and then up a lot of steps to the lift. I did it once, just to see what it was like. Most people, mostly, take the chair!
If snow is iffy, then the top levels of N D de B and Les Saisies have much the best snow, and access to both those areas is better from Praz sur Arly!
It's easy to do the Espace Diamant without buses, if you stay in the right place.
This year, the bottom blue slope (I think it's called Reguet) down to N D 1150 was poorly covered for much of the year, though that's a cracking run in half decent snow.
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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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But yes, that's a v cheap price for a good apartment - how far is it from the lift?
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That run sounds rubbish! 
Yeah, we'd be taking a risk with snow. But hopefully a minimal risk as it's late January.
The apartment's only a couple of mins walk from the lifts. And possibly ski back almost to the door (on the wrong side of the road) if we were really lucky with conditions.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Duplicate post, sorry
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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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The ski bus service, IME, is reliable and runs to timetable (sometimes some hitches when there's big snow) but the services are not v frequent (and tend not to run at lunch times). It would be difficult to time days which involved more than initial morning bus, or perhaps a bus back.
Yes, end January should be pretty reliable for the snow, though it seems that in the last few years all bets are off!
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Thanks. Yes, I don't think we'd be using them any more than at the beginning or end of the day, and certainly not every day.
Another question - do you know if the ski company provide any free wifi spots? Quite useful for checking open lifts etc. I can't find any info online.
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You know it makes sense.
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no, I don't know of any free wifi spots except in cafes and bars. But there are boards indicating open and closed lifts in key spots and if you have internet in your apartment it's all on the LS or ED websites.
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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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Thanks Pam!
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FAQ
