Mid January US to GVA - where to ski ?

A snowHead

Hello community,

Me and a friend jumped on a cheap airfare from the US to Geneva in mid January. We will have 2 weeks to ski and the big question is where ?

I have skied in Val Gardena (mellow but huge), La Thuile/La Rosiere (liked La Thuile a lot although lift system is bit outdated), Courmayeur (too small, liked the town),Val D'Isere (liked the terrain the best but any decent size accommodation is very pricey, hated staying in shoebox studios) and Chamonix area (too spread out and crowded).

Ideal place would be: quiet village, good snow retention, cheaper accommodation, advanced/expert terrain, 3-4 hrs from GVA (We will rent the car at GVA), enough skiing to keep us interested for 2 weeks.

So far I am leaning towards staying in La Thuile and take occasional day trips to other Val D'Aosta ski areas and also check out new La Rosiere expansion (looks very promising).

Monterosa, Cervinia ...?

A snowHead

Why not Avoriaz?

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Or indeed anywhere in Portes du Soleil?

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@Cheapski, Low season, two people, personally I would wait and see where the best snow is, there are any number of choices but the snow does not always lie evenly in the first half of the season.
I would consider Nendaz/4 valleys in switzerland.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Cheapski, for 2 weeks skiing in one area I’d be looking at:
3 Valleys, where apartments in Les Menuires, Reberty, La Tania, Le Praz are usually a more reasonable cost than Courchevel, Meribel.

Sella Ronda again, maybe staying in a different part of the circuit, eg Arabba.

As mentioned by others, Avoriaz, Les Gets, Chatel etc in Portes de Soleil area.

Also Paradiski often has good apartments, eg in Les Arcs 1950. Or plenty on the La Plagne side of the circuit.

As you say, Aosta Valley if you don’t mind driving to different areas.

Mid January is low season, always lots of late booking discounts on accommodation, if you’re reasonably flexible.
snowHead

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Alagna!!

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For value for money, Italy tends to win. Cervinia-gives you the option of heading over to the Zermatt side but without the costs (extortionate) of staying there.
Champoluc-a lovely village with access to the Monterosa ski area. The on piste skiing isn’t huge in terms of mileage but it feels like a big area, with plenty of off piste options.

Or, you could try the Trois Vallées. Huge ski area, all lift linked. For mid Jan you’ve hit the jackpot in terms of it being the quiet part of early season. Accommodation wise, look at local agents. My own personal fave (and I confess we are renting a place there this season) St Martin de Belleville. Ticks a number of your boxes:
a. Attractive quiet village with character.
b. Access to vast ski area. Relatively mellow slopes and easy off piste immediately above the village, but it takes no time at all to get to the gnarlier stuff.
c. It should be possibly to find a nice apartment, perhaps in a converted barn or village house in the village or one of the local hamlets. (Just did a quick service arch with the agent we use...2 week’s starting Sat 12th Jan) came up with this...https://www.agencedesalpes.com/annonce/appartement-saint-martin-de-belleville-centre-saint-martin-de-belleville-la-grange-1973. Not too shabby! Very Happy

After all it is free

If you don't mind driving to the lifts, you could base yourself on a village at the bottom of a valley. You should be able to find good and cheap accomodation via Airb&b.
For example Bozel, La Perriere or Brides-le-Bain would give you easy access to Paradiski and 3 Valleys, so aprox. ~1000 km of pistes (and almost unlimited offpiste).

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I think the Dolomites (Sella Ronda) are a tad too far to drive from GVA!

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From the US?

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For something different, you could jump on a train at Geneva airport and head for the Alberg region of Austria via Zurich.
Depending on when your flight lands, you could do it in not a lot more than 4 1/2 hours. Rent a car in Zurich or train straight into St Anton.

Via Lattea is worth considering and you could then hop over to serre chevalier which isn’t far to drive - a bit of France and italy and generally cheaper area with lots of apartment accomadation - via lattea and serre would give you a total of 650km of pistes plus a lot of off piste - plus there are other smaller ski areas within driving distance

You know it makes sense.

Sella Ronda is pretty far from GVA. If you are renting a car, why not one week in 3V or Espace Killy, and one week in northwest Italy?

It does sound like money is an object, given your handle. So you might have to compromise on accommodations a bit, even in January, but if the difference is a week in 3V vs. a week in Portes de Soleil, I'd aim for the shoebox...

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Having driven from the Geneva area to the Dolomites a couple of times I'd say yes, it's too far to drive. And not cheap - Mont Blanc tunnel etc.

A snowHead

@Cheapski,

Mid january you will have no problem with accommodation. You are hiring a car - why not go on a road trip? That's what I would do.

You could spend 3 or 4 days in 3 or 4 places. Would mean that you didn't need a big area, could enjoy some quieter spots and go where the snow was good.

A snowHead

@Cheapski, May I suggest doing more than one resort: perhaps a week in the Monte Rosa area and a week in Bourg st Maurice. Save money and ditch the hire car. Use the train and busses instead.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I agree the drive from Geneva to the Sella Ronda is long. But EasyJet do return flights from GVA to Venice for about £70 + hold baggage. Plenty of car rentals there and 2.5 hours to mountains.

That said, I think a 2 centre trip is what I’d go for. 3 Valleys being one of them. Maybe La Rosiere/La Thuile as the second base.

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Cheapski,

I'd be inclined to ho to the 3 Valleys for 2 weeks. It's more than big enough to cover several seasons of skiing, never mind 2 weeks.

Why not look at catered chalet accommodation? If you Google catered chalets you will find many independent operators that provide accommodation (with meals & alcohol) without travel. We've twice used The Chalet Company in Meribel and they were excellent. I've no connection with them other than as a guest.

There are also independent chalet operators in La Tania and other areas of the 3 Valleys.

If you prefer self catering you could always book a larger apartment for more space. Each of the 3 Valleys resorts lists accommodation providers on their website, or you could try Hotels.com, Booking.com or Interhome for apartments.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Bergmeister,
+1 for catered chalet accommodation. Always great last minute deals available in January.

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@Cheapski, sounds like you like big areas with a decent lift system, some steep pistes and sizeable resorts with easy access to the slopes.

Based on those requirements the obvious answers in reach of Geneva are the Three Valleys (Courchevel, Meribel, Val Thirens, Les Menuires) and Paradiski (La Plagne, Les Arcs). There's plenty to do for 2 weeks in either, and staying in once place would save a bit on lift pass costs, and perhaps accommodation too. Some of the resorts in these two ski areas have a reputation for being expensive, but you should be able to find more affordable accommodation in bases such as Les Menuires, La Tania or Plagne 1800, still with quick access to the slopes.

Avoriaz for the Portes du Soleil is another good shout. This may be a (slightly) cheaper choice, though the lift system isn't as fast in some parts of the wider ski area.

Trees are quite important in January in case of stormy days - all of the above have plenty of these. Snow cover should (hopefully) not be a problem by mid January.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

@Cheapski, as others have said, with plans to rent a car and coming mid-January, I'd wait until about a week prior to put an itinerary together. Conditions could vary dramatically from one place to another accessible from GVA. Then, I would put together a 2-3 stop itinerary with the 3rd being a smaller area. The big lift connected areas in Europe get all the attention, especially in the States, but some of the smaller areas are a treat, with generally less expensive accommodation and plenty to ski for a few days. I spent a few days in Val d'Anniviers last January and loved it after previously only skiing the big names on European trips.

Courchevel 1650.

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@Cheapski, ski in France …………. Italy is pants …………….. so is Austria.

D-Tour only ever went to France.

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Thank you all for great suggestions !

@denfinella you are right about my preference for bigger resorts. In my experience, bigger resorts give me more options in bad weather, better chance of finding good snow stashes (multiple exposures, trees, bowls etc.) and better lift system that provides access to varied terrain.
ourselves
When I said "advanced/expert" terrain I did not necessarily mean "steep". Example: trees above La Fornet (Val D'Isere) are kind of advanced terrain I like to play in. Or the "backside" of La Thuile (terrain between groomers off Fourclaz and Belvedere chairs).

I loved Courmayeur and its off piste possibilities but it might be too much to ski 2 weeks there, most likely will base in Courmayeur/La Thuile and commute to other near by ski areas. Not planning on doing any backcountry or touring that would require services of the guide.

I guess I am lucky but in all my previous trips to the Alps I had the fantastic conditions with multiple days of fresh snowfall overnight with the blue bird days. I guess in 50+ days of skiing in the Alps maybe 2 or 3 were pool/gym/hotel/no ski type of days. And all of the trips were during the January low season. Bit colder yes - but manageable, it is -5C outside as I type this.

Budget is about $100/night for accommodation (per person), $500 lift tickets for 12 days skiing, $100 food (per person) and I reserved car in French sector for $300 (total for 2 weeks, much cheaper than Swiss side of GVA, I know, possibly no winter tires and Swiss vignette but I am not planning driving through Switzerland anyway, too expensive !) and $300 for gas/fuel total. Around $3500 total per person.

Sounds that France is very popular option on this forum. I will explore more about possibly going to Paradiski and Three Valleys.

Avoriaz is out - not a big fan of purpose built resorts full of midrises. I am sure skiing is great but it is the whole experience that counts when crossing the Atlantic - cute towns, great food, good skiing and interacting with friendly people from many different countries.

Again, 45 days before the trip and snow conditions at that time would drive the decision making process but we would just like to be ready and have all our options lined up before we decide at the last minute.

Quick research shows that GVA-St. Anton by train would be about 5 1/2 hrs and $60 or 4 1/2 hrs. by car - if conditions are right, why not ?

You know it makes sense.

BTW,

everybody here talks about catered chalets - are those always Saturday to Saturday and how does that work?

This is unknown concept in the US, so excuse my ignorance .

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Catered chalets are either Sat to Sat or, a few, Sun to Sun. They’re a very British thing (though the Dutch do em too). They can be high end, mid or bargain. They originated in the early days of us Brits going skiing, where a group of people would rent a chalet together, usually in France (which is still where most chalet holidays can be found) and employ a nice well school young english gal (usually a bit posh) to cook and clean for them.

These days a chalet holiday almost always provides en suite rooms, plus breakfast and dinner 6 (or now just 5-to deal with French employment law) days per week, and tea and cake for when you come in from skiing. High end tend to be smaller concerns, swankier rooms, hot tubs, high end food. Low end- still en-suite, food variable as often prepared by an 18 year old with basic skills. They are good value and very sociable trips for a group of mates. “Chalets” can range from an apartment for 6, where the staff come in, to a tired hotel rented by a uk tour operator. I’d say the average chalet sleeps 10-20. You usually don’t have to fill the place with your party, so it’s pot luck who else is booked in. In my experience this usually adds to the fun and social side. Big tour operators will do the full package which includes flights and transfers from Uk, though you can sometimes book accommodation only. Smaller ops tend to expect you to get to the resort yourself.
If there are just 2 of you, it would be very easy to find mid Jan bargains. Take a look at chaletsdirect.com, Igluski.com, plus resort websites will have links to the local smaller chalet companies. Following on from my suggestion of the 3v and St Martin..here’s a link https://en.st-martin-belleville.com/winter/book/chalets

A snowHead

Cheapski,

Just looking at your lift ticket budget... 12 days in the 3 Valleys will cost you more than $500. Probably nearer $800.

However, if you go down the catered chalet route you could easily get within your $200 per day accommodation & food budget - particularly if you book last minute. That should be no problem for two of you.
We've always enjoyed substantial breakfasts, afternoon teas and evening meals in chalets, meaning a lunchtime sandwich or picnic, and a coffee, on the slopes is enough - saving you a few $ there... wink

And if your preference is for a town with character, in the 3Vs I would stick with Meribel or St Martin. They don't offer the ski in/ski out of other places but are more traditional than Val Thorens or Mottaret, for example.

Remember to let us know how you get on.

A snowHead

@Cheapski, another website that gives an idea of chalets and chalethotels is Alpine Answers.

It has useful filters and I think gives honest descriptions about each property, location, etc, without the hype.

If you don’t mind mixing with other guests at meal times, chalets are great value for 2 people, especially in low season.

Fair to say chalet approach is mainly in France, though Austria and Switzerland have some. Fewer in Italy, though some of the bigger operators like Inghams, Crystal, maybe Neilson, offer some.

A late booking week in January for less than £400GBP per person (room and food) is quite common.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I meant to add, in low season, chalet operators with spaces will often be flexible with a few days accommodation, rather than just a full week, Sat to Sat.

Direct contact by phone or messaging needed for that, as their websites won’t usually offer it.
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@Cheapski,
I wouldn't write Switzerland off altogether.
Whereas I would certainly agree that on average it is pricier than neighbouring countries, if you don't go to the fashionable resorts the prices are often cheaper than the high end French resorts and the standards of accommodation usually higher.
You do have to be a bit careful where you eat out in the evening though.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

100 bucks a day on food?

Is that a lot or not enough ?

One beer on the mountain could cost you $15 in some of the US resorts

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In your position I would definitely aim to ski the 3 valleys. Basically the biggest best ski circus in Europe. La Thuille and Rosiere combined have 38 lifts 18 of which are drag lifts. The 3 V has 180 lifts with very few drags except on the glacier.

Stay in Orelle which is down the 4th valley which leads to Val Thorens. Orelle is a proper old fashioned mountain village. It will be substantially cheaper than most of the accommodation on the mountain and often a bit roomier. A mountain studio can be 18 m 2 This one in Orelle is 25 m 2.

https://www.residenceorelle3vallees.com/apartments/studio-apartment/

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Mid January US to GVA - where to ski ?

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