 Poster: A snowHead
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Ok looking for ideas & was wondering if anyone here can help...
We a group of about a dozen. Some Snowboard, Some Ski.
There are infants in the group who are not skiing age yet.
Avoriaz ticks all the boxes, but wondering if there are any other resorts?
The Group is budget conscious. So think the lift pass would push it out of budget.
So anywhere else family friendly, good for boarders & all level of skiiers with a lift pass of around £150-£180?
Dont need some super ski area. guess 75km-125km is fine!
I basically got a budget of around £400-£450 for lift pass & accommodation!!! So aware sacrifices will have to be made!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'll sound like a broken record but the Grand Massif might be worth considering. Les Carroz is very family friendly and has good accommodation options. We let our place out and you can pick up apartments in the same building, so you have your own privacy but close to friend for meals / drinks. St Gervais might be worth a look as well. Of course that is just a small area in France. Austria might also be worth a look.
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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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@Mr.Egg, St Gervais a good shout, with access to Evasion Mont Blanc, where lift passes are decent value.
Alternatively, lots of resorts in the Maurienne valley, on or near the Les Sybelles linked area. Costs tend to be more reasonable there. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Does it have to be France?
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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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| telford_mike wrote: |
| Does it have to be France? |
Nope! Alps area would be good
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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To bring it in within your budget I think you need to be looking at Bulgaria or Andorra.
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I'd avoid France (and Switzerland) - try Austria, Italy or eastern Europe. Andorra used to be cheap - I found it crazy expensive with little options when I was there in April
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@Mr.Egg, when?
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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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| Quote: |
To bring it in within your budget I think you need to be looking at Bulgaria or Andorra.
Tue 14 Nov, 17
18:20
moseyp
hors Piste
Posts: 820
I'd avoid France (and Switzerland) - try Austria, Italy or eastern Europe. Andorra used to be cheap - I found it crazy expensive with little options when I was there in April
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Nope, can quite easily do france in budget. Not looking to go peak time. Usually go 1st week of March, but happy to go a week later.
Lots of accommodation & lift pass deals on snowtrex & sunweb + using google france I have found lots of chalets in smaller resorts for less than 3500 euros (so with a lift pass of around 180 euro would bring it to around 500 euro/£450).
Done Bulgaria to death & fed up of the travel time. Hence Andorra & French Pyrenees are no go.
Full Budget is around £750 - thats what we are used to paying in Bulgaria with lessons, hire, transfers, flights, lift pass, travelling to london & staying in London the night before, etc.
Chaps are happy to knock lessons on the head + money saved from the Heathrow Hotel to put towards elsewhere. Ive allocated £100 for Hire, £150 for flights, £75 for transfers. So thats £425 for lift pass & accommodation!
Ill take a look at St Gervais & Les Carroz
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@Mr.Egg, you could easily do that in Livigno. I got apartment, lift pass and transfer from Bergamo for £465 this January with livignoskiholidays.com It's a nice apartment in a central location and nobody is in a drawer or a pull out bed or anything like that. You could do it for cheaper if you don't mind roughing it a bit.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@element, that transfer might not be ideal with kids 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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| Quote: |
@Mr.Egg, you could easily do that in Livigno. I got apartment, lift pass and transfer from Bergamo for £465 this January with livignoskiholidays.com It's a nice apartment in a central location and nobody is in a drawer or a pull out bed or anything like that. You could do it for cheaper if you don't mind roughing it a bit.
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I looked at Livigno. Not sure how the group will feel about the transfer.
Would have to go via Innsbruck though as one party member refuses to fly ryanair for absolutely no reason.. pity as flights are only £110 with luggage!
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@Mr.Egg, EasyJet flew LGW to Malpensa last year, which is an alternative.
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You know it makes sense.
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As @Cheesie168, says, it's a great area for such a mixed group with access up the gondola from Les Carroz to non skiers if you all want to meet up on the snow as a group.
I'd like to add for the same ski area, Morillon Les Esserts 1100 as it gives such a good mix for your type of group with nothing but also walk out onto the snow for everyone so great for meeting different skill levels and schedule, ie lunch at the ski station without the skiers having to leave the snow.
Also as @intermediate, mentions, the Maurienne valley. Specifically Val Cenis (Lansvillard) as another "on the snow" village plenty of apartments and walk out onto the snow. Again, a great deal of stuff to meet with skiers without leaving the snow, costs are good for food and passes. Great ski area that we've been to the last three Marches with a hugely variety of progression pistes and access to the highest lift even for close to beginners.
If you want any more specific local info from our trips, just shout out for this area. We'll be back this season 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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| Quote: |
@Mr.Egg, EasyJet flew LGW to Malpensa last year, which is an alternative.
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Should have said.. would be looking to fly from Bristol - possibly Cardiff.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
As @Cheesie168, says, it's a great area for such a mixed group with access up the gondola from Les Carroz to non skiers if you all want to meet up on the snow as a group.
I'd like to add for the same ski area, Morillon Les Esserts 1100 as it gives such a good mix for your type of group with nothing but also walk out onto the snow for everyone so great for meeting different skill levels and schedule, ie lunch at the ski station without the skiers having to leave the snow.
Also as @intermediate, mentions, the Maurienne valley. Specifically Val Cenis (Lansvillard) as another "on the snow" village plenty of apartments and walk out onto the snow. Again, a great deal of stuff to meet with skiers without leaving the snow, costs are good for food and passes. Great ski area that we've been to the last three Marches with a hugely variety of progression pistes and access to the highest lift even for close to beginners.
If you want any more specific local info from our trips, just shout out for this area. We'll be back this season also.
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I'll take a look at Morillon. I did look at Val Cenis - but will take another look.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Our two children spent their formative ski years at Morillon 1100, first learning on the small nursery area that has a drag lift as well as a travel carpet which they still love going on.
Sledging, and just generally playing around in the snow there, also has one our favourite on piste restaurant Le Beu.
The area doesn't get much attention as it's small but obviously leads into the whole GM a very nice mix. In addition to that it has one of the very best green pistes, Marvel.
The whole ski station has a very nice small village feel 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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| Quote: |
Nope, can quite easily do france in budget. Not looking to go peak time. Usually go 1st week of March, but happy to go a week later.
Lots of accommodation & lift pass deals on snowtrex & sunweb + using google france I have found lots of chalets in smaller resorts for less than 3500 euros (so with a lift pass of around 180 euro would bring it to around 500 euro/£450).
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I don't understand - if you've found loads of budget resorts fitting your criteria then why are you asking?
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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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@moseyp, I assume that he would rather have a recommendation from someone.
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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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| Quote: |
I don't understand - if you've found loads of budget resorts fitting your criteria then why are you asking?
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while I can find the resorts in budget, I have no idea what the resorts are like. I dont know what are kid friendly. What is snowboarder friendly (red runs) & what is ski friendly (some blues, mostly red's some black runs).
Avoriaz is the one I can find that ticks all those boxes, but was looking for more options. I had to rule out one resort as there is only a chair lift up to the mountain. As the family do a half day swap over, that is not suitable to take a 3yr old up for the swap over. So there is a lot of little things I need to look at.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I know you have already identified Avoriaz and I'd say rightly so. If you can get it in budget it does offer a wide range of options and a very good variety of skiing. Difficult to get bored in the PDS.
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If going to France, would need to be second week in March to avoid French school holidays.
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I had to rule out one resort as there is only a chair lift up to the mountain. As the family do a half day swap over, that is not suitable to take a 3yr old up for the swap over
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? No problem taking a non-skiing 3 year old on a chairlift which provides for pedestrians - but they don't all.
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Ah, if the uplift is key with having bubble/cabin facility then I'd add some others to consider.
Champery, other side of PdS but may have same cost constraints.
Grimentz and for skiing linked to Zinal, lift from both villages straight to plateu for ski areas and meet up. Ski passes not bad cost but accommodation may trip you up.
Flaine, lift to top but also fabulous bowl to ski in and never far from changeover. Great to meet for lunch just in the village as Forum level with restaurants is ski in/out with toddler stuff and small toboggan facility.
Maurienne, Val Cenis has bubble to mid station with superb skiing bowl accessed from that point so great base for group centering. That bowl area is fabulous for mixed abilities, much greater in actuality than straight up numbers can ever allude to.
Maurienne again, La Norma, smaller village, gondola access to mid mountain, good variety of terrain. Lift pass linked to VC ( it's a bus but not far).
Val Frejus, some deal as LN but more open less diverse ski area. We went there for a day this year and waist deep in powder! Bad visiblity though.
Left field, Ste Foy, no cabin but very easy ski in/out plus short chair up to mid ish meet up, kids of all ages up there with pedestrian access welcome to that point. Again, the numbers here don't tell the story of what it's really like. This is my kids all time favourite, currently.
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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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Thanks
That should keep me busy this morning in work
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It's usually at this point that someone arrives to count out Flaine on the basis of its architecture! I'd consider it almost peerless for access with mixed requirements though, it always makes me wonder if some have actually been there.
We've skied with our two kids every year of their lives so been through all the logistics stuff. They're now 11 and 14. Prior to that have skied most of the big number domains and since kids been working our way round filling in the gaps.
Ste Foy is somewhere that punches far far beyond the stats generally tell you, best left out for those that just want biggest etc. We'll be there March again as we've persuaded a fair few to go and see it, up to 14 group size last year.
You have to have a game of cards going on the work computer to flick to instead of getting caught looking at ski holidays. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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WeSki have full Val Thorens package in early December for around £470
The price includes:
- Return Flights
- Transfers
- Accommodation
- Ski Pass
Let me know if it’s your cup of tea
https://www.weski.co.uk/
Cheers,
Jon.
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