 Poster: A snowHead
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This will be our 18th family trip:
March 2009 - Les Menuire (3V)
December 2009 - Aime La Plagne (Paradiski) - snowmaggedon on the outward journey
April 2010 - Oz-en-Oisan (ADH)
December 2010 - Oz-en-Oisan (ADH)
April 2011 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2011 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
April 2012 - La Norma
December 2012 - Les Contamines
April 2013 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2013 - Oz-en-Oisan (ADH)
April 2014 - MISSED - OMG!!
December 2014 - Tignes Le Lac - snowmaggedon on the return journey
April 2015 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2015 - Montchavin (Paradiski)
April 2016 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2016 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
April 2017 - Oz-en-Oisan (ADH)
December 2017 - La Tania (3V)
For us this trip will largely be our normal routine: DIY, driving, France, S/C apartment.
After a couple of trips 'away' we are returning to Les Coches and Paradiski. I really wanted to go back to La Tania. I even checked that the same apartment we stayed in December was available. It was, and indeed it was slightly cheaper at £400 (450 Euros) but the killer is the lift passes. To ski the 3 valleys on the Saturday afternoon of arrival and another 7 days was going to be 1260.80 Euros **. Whereas in Les Coches we get the apartment and 6 day live pass for 1294 Euros with half day for free on the second Saturday and then we can get the samediski offer for the first Saturday costing 120 Euros. So 1414 Euros in total for ski passes and apartment as opposed to 1660 Euros in the 3V. The skiing is excellent at both so it comes down to a bit of financial prudence. The deal with the apartment + ski passes in Les Coches is available through the La Plagne official website - when you search it tells you the indicative price per person.
** Actually that is simply the price for a family of 4 for 8 days. As this is cheaper than 7 days plus 4 hours for the first Saturday because the family deal is everyone pays the child rate if you are a family and do more than 6 days. But if you buy the 4 hours it's separate and you pay full whack.
We know the budget apartment buildings in Les Coches pretty well by now and we are staying in Les Pentes facing onto the central square. The immo is Ski & Soleil in Montchavin. It's your standard basic set up with bunks for the children and sofa bed for me and missus.
As mentioned in my December TR we are using frequent traveller tickets for the tunnel. This proved to be a tad restrictive on this occasion as when I came to book the crossing in mid January the latest crossing I could get on the Friday was 15:20. We usually go over mid to late evening. Little bit similar coming back Easter Monday when we are on the 13:50. Also had to pay a £20 peak supplement on the outward. Still, we can adjust. And ironically as detailed in the main La Plagne thread they do the free half day for agency booked lift passes on the morning following the normal end of the lift pass. And that kind of fits in with the crossing times. Our 'revised schedule' is on arrival in Calais do the supermarket stop, have dinner and then drive through the night to get in resort for lift opening - as opposed to doing a shop in the morning. We have pre-loaded passes done using the samediski offer. We will then ski a full first day Saturday and get the apartment keys and liftr passes for the rest of the week in the late afternoon. On the second Saturday we'll exit the apartment, ski until the free half day runs out and then head off to where ever we decide for the rest of the bank holiday weekend.
Our annual MPI insurance policy is running out. The renewal for France only AMT Standard without cancellation and personal effects cover would only have been a tad higher than last year but because we have a trip to Italy planned (not skiing) I had to extend to Europe cover which bumped it up another £40 to £209. There are undoubtedly cheaper insurers out there. For example I looked at multitrip.com but I read their office closed for 4 days because of the snow (so no contact) and like many their claims are handled by another company. In their case Mapfre. And when you do a bit of digging it seems claiming is a nightmare. So I am sticking with MPI for another year.
Kit wise, my search for longer skis for the kids has been a little thwarted by work, illness and indecision. I have secured a pair of Salomon Vamp's ladies skis for £50 last weekend. Base and edges look decent, topsheet a little trashed. Will probably have my son use them for this trip with his sister taking his 139 Juvy's. Need to find something longer for him for next year. The Vamp's need a service and unfortunately I haven't done any servicing since the last trip. The kids snowboards can live without it and the priority will be the Vamps, then a bit of edging of all the others - and only if I have time waxing.
Current forecast is for lots of cloud and light snow over the weekend.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Tue 27-03-18 21:26; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Didn't really think about. Sons boots are too big for the bindings on the Vamps. Daughters do fit but that would mean she is skiing on longer ski's than laddo, even though she is shorter (a bit). Might go bargain hunting for laddo in the local shops.
Spent a couple of hours doing a light service of as many skis as possible. Always a pleasure though I'd prefer if I could take my time a bit more. Everything is getting a bit rushed this trip!
I had an email and then a phone call (both in English even though my wife has been corresponding in French until now) asking when we are arriving at the station. Not sure why this is such a big deal. I said we expected to be getting the keys at 4pm Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile the forecast seems to be for fairly benign weather over the weekend with some snow midweek.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 3-04-18 15:04; edited 3 times in total
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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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Left MK half an hour later than planned at 12.30 but journey down perfectly free and made last check in. Very quiet at tunnel terminal. Went straight through. Our departure at 15.20 has just been announced as 10 minutes late.
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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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Completed the supermarket shop in Auchan Calais and now feasting at Buffalo Grill across the road.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Tue 3-04-18 15:05; edited 1 time in total
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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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Have a great time! Looking forward to reading about your trip - we were in La Plagne at the same time last year. Lots more snow this year I think, so should be great for you!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Will be across the valley from you in Les Arcs from tomorrow night. Picking up the Eurostar tomorrow from Ashford. Have a good trip down.
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Following your trip report with intetest@Layne, pretty much same trip next Friday, from Bedford not mk. Have a good one.
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Left Buffalo Grill at 20:30. Light traffic for a time but then quite a lot of trucks as the night wore on. Diesel seems to have shot up in France. Over 1.50 Euro on the motorway. We pulled off a Tinquex north of Reims to fill up at Carrefour for 1.36. Wife had a bit of heavy fog thereafter. We swapped back over near Macon and I drove us through to Albertville - no need to push it, was doing 75mph most of the time. Filled up at the Casino just off the main drag in Albertville. Wife then took us through to Les Coches where we arrived 6ish iirc. Had a couple of hours kip before eating some pastries for breaky. And then it was time to start getting ready to ski....!
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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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So we started skiing at 10, it was blue sky all round, all day. Highlight was the off piste some know as "brown trouser ridge" from Roche De Mio down to Bauches. There was some really soft powder stashes. We tipped over the Champagny side and up Verdon Sud before a little but off piste under Verdon Nord. We did a fair amount of piste cruising in between also.
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Another day of wall to wall sunshine. We didn't got to bed as early as planned yesterday - around 11 - and so had a bit of a lie in. Were riding the lifts by 11. We skied mostly piste, lots of moguls off piste and on and a bit of chalk now and then. Were going to go up the Aggy Rouge and don't to Villaroger but the queue for the bubble was off putting. We roared around at a fair lick. 10yo daughter seems to have found her mojo and says "let's just do it" a lot. Now having a beer on the terrace watching the sun go down!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Snowing this morning. Fairly light but I believe it's set in for the day, indeed the next couple of days!
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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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Actually bit of blue sky about. Off out. Out out.
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Turned into a cloudy but nothing much doing day. Visibility was largely not issue but not much sunshine. We skied over to Montalbert. Did a couple of laps of the fun park under the Arpette lift which was actually quite cool. And then carried on over. Laddo was on his board today so we were trying to stay away from flat traverses or anything too heavy duty. There was a time when I would ski any kind of crud or crust off piste just to get off the piste but I've grown to enjoy some good old piste cruising when the off piste isn't up to much. To be fair sometimes it's still worth dabbing off as even some skied out or crusty off piste is better than an icy and/or crowded piste. Anyhow, I digress. Once up Becoin we dacked out of the first black down the other side but did go down Le Coqs. The top had some serious moguls and being steep as tricky as piste skiing can get. As it cuts left we carried on straight off piste and the snow was actually pretty good and we had a good blast down before getting the lift over into the Montalbert sector. We motored down to the village and then got the new gondola up and took advantage of the new outdoor picnic area and the toilet facilities. Then skied down to Envers, up and down to La Roche. Then up and down to the Grand Rochette and down the black that starts next to it and was in great nick. I then headed back to Les Coches with my daughter so that she could get on her snowboard and we did three laps of the Plan Bois/Lac Noir. She was a bit "toast" by then and with the lifts all shut and it being 5.20 it was time for tea!
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You know it makes sense.
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Skied over to Villaroger via Aggy Rouge. Pistes everywhere awesome. Had late lunch at top of Plan des Violette's. Around 2.15 it started properly snowing. We made our way back over to Les Coches and lapped Lac Noir and Pierre's Blanche's until they shut - we were on the last chair of the latter. Time for tea and biccies.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Tue 3-04-18 15:19; edited 1 time in total
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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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Snow art
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Poster: A snowHead
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Looking over to what I think is Mont Pourri beyond Les Arcs from the top of Dos Rond above Les Coches taken on Saturday
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 2-04-18 21:37; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The missus took this one
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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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Nice...impressive cornices too.
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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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Had a awesome start to the day making first tracks in a decent dose of fresh powder from last night in the sunshine from the top of Bijolin back to Les Coches. Unfortunately the clouds rolled in and flattened the light. Still did more off piste of Crozats and then down towards Champagny after going up Blanches. Had lunch and then scooted over Aime way. Then off piste to the right of Morbleu. Really great ski. We then headed back over to the Snow Park above Belle Plagne and then back over for a couple of runs over our way. Top day despite the clouds. Supposed to be more fresh overnight. Last nights snow wasn't enough to cause big ava problems but there were a few safety closures. The temps weren't overly cold and the snow was real heavy lower down.
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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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Indication of the early down pow:
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The route down
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Pea souper in Les Coches at the minute. I think it's due to get better later but forecast hard to follow!
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 29-03-18 17:05; edited 1 time in total
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Love La Plagne/Les Arcs. We are off to Les Menuires tomorrow and I must admit I am pining slightly for the La Plagne area! We are driving for the first time and generally treat ourselves to a chalet however I am thinking we should look at an apartment. Any recommendations for where to find a decent apartment in Les Coches/Montchavin? I keep finding apartments with settee beds or bunk beds in the corridor and dont fancy that much! All the apartments with 1 bedroom and parking seem to be snapped up or really expensive...
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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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@Kajaski, enjoy Les Menuires. It's part of a fantastic ski area and you won't be disappointed.
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I keep finding apartments with settee beds or bunk beds in the corridor and dont fancy that much! All the apartments with 1 bedroom and parking seem to be snapped up or really expensive...
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You get what you pay for? Super pictures @Layne, thanks for the TR.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Kajaski, what do you call expensive? To be honest the sofa beds and bunks work better than you might think. That is what we have in this one. I'll post some pics in due course. In my experience most of the apartments are very similar in Les Coches/Montchavin. But they work for a lot of people.
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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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Weather is being a right tease at the moment. Started the day with a fair amount of sunshine. Whilst we were at eating our picnic lunch above Arc 1800 it suddenly clouded over and by the time we got the Vagere chair up it was snowing. The cloud and snow kept coming and going for the rest of the afternoon. Then at 5ish the sun came out again.
We skied some great off piste this morning and cruised some great pistes in the afternoon. Daughter switched to board at 3. I went with her a bit and then mum did. Laddo was on his board all day.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Couple of nutters on the bus
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Poster: A snowHead
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Real mixed bag today. Started off sunny, cold and quite windy. Did a bit of piste skiing before finding some great powder lines from the ridge along from Roche de Mio on the Champagny side. After a repeat run of that we skied down towards Champagny and took lunch at the picnic hut over that way. By now the cloud had drifted in and there were even some snow showers. We had a fairly leisurely afternoon just dossing about. Friday night is always a bit of a sad one as we have to pack our stuff up and clean ready to vacate the apartment in the morning. When I went down to the car an hour ago it was raining and it's now turned to sleet. With light snow and a freezing level at station level I expect us to have a good morning ski - lift pass good until 1pm - before heading off to Lyon to see my niece and do a bit of sight seeing on Sunday.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Powder lines this morning
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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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Rain turned to snow yesterday evening and we seem to have blue skies, low temps and no wind this morning. Almost done in the apartment and then off to ski we go!
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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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What an epic mornings skiing that was. We were out of the apartment and skiing down to Montchavin to hand the keys in before lift opening and it was glorious. Even down at 1350m the snow off piste was superb. We used every minute of the ski pass up to 1pm to ski lovely soft powder lines. After picnic on a bench in the Les Coches square we got changed, packed up the rest of the stuff in the car and headed out. The cloud had rolled in a bit and there were snow showers. Now freshening up in Hotel and heading out for dinner with my niece and her other half in Lyon.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sat 27-10-18 1:13; edited 2 times in total
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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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Sounds like a perfect way to end the holiday!
By the way, what code do you use to get your photos to embed at such a large size?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Fantastic, @Layne. Way to go!
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@denfinella, it was indeed perfect. I upload to Imgur and just use their link as it comes. Not sure how to vary the size.
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Had a great 24 hours in Lyon on the way back. After leaving Lyon Sunday evening we drove for a couple of hours. Had a picnic in the car, then easy driving until the early hours and slept a few hours in the car. Then drove the last 50km to Calais. Did a shop and decided because the weather was not great if we could get a bump up on the tunnel we'd skip home. And we did, straight on, no extra £££ - ended up on the 11.50 rather than 13.50. M25 was rubbish but home half an hour a go and having tea in front of the fire!
Last edited by After all it is free  on Tue 3-04-18 15:26; edited 1 time in total
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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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Montchavin, first thing on Saturday
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FAQ
