 Poster: A snowHead
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I'm looking forward to a 5 day trip to Morzine at the start of Feb. I have been there a few times before and know my way around the local areas, but was hoping to explore a bit further afield this year.
Can anyone give me some advice on whether it's worth heading to St Jean D'Aulp or La Chappelle d'adondance? It looks like the former would involve a bus ride from Morzine, which I don't mind as long as the buses are efficient and regular. Can La Chappelle be reached by skiing to Torgons, or would I require a bus to get there as well? I realise it's a lot further away but I enjoy covering distance and am a reasonable piste skier.
Any info or other suggestions of 'hidden gems' in the PDS would be greatly appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@EdYarker, You can get to the north La Chapelle D'Abondance slopes (Braitaz area) from Torgon, which in turn is accessible from Chatel, Avoriaz, Morzine etc. To get to the south slopes at La Chapelle D'Abondance (Cret Beni) would require a short hop on the ski bus from the bottom of the Panthiaz telecabine.
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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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From Morzine to CdA you would need a car as its in the 'next' valley accessible over the Col du Corbier so not really feasible. You could ski there if you are reasonably fast but its a bit of a slog. from Morzine, Avoriaz, Linderets, Pre la Jouz, Linga, Chatel, Torgon, CdA (and then back again !)
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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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@EdYarker, agree car to CdA is best option and also gives you opportunity to visit the excellent ‘Le Fer Rouge’ micro brewery / restaurant at lunch time if you are so inclined.
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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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If the snow is half decent, there is a nice circuit from St Jean up the Col du Graydon and round the Roc D'Enfer, easy reds and blues.
There is a nice bar resto half way round, and its worth a day out to get away from the crowds. Bus from Morzine to St Jean about 10 mins.
As for La Chapelle, I love it here as it is quiet, and Torgon has great views.
You can ski there from Morzine without a bus, but it's a fair way : Ardent Gondola, Chaux Fleurie ( at this point you could ski to Pre La Joux and get the bus from there to La Chapelle, but where's the fun in that ?), Down Rochassons to Chaux de Roses, down to Combes, drop into Linga, and take the right to Gabelou / PdS, then from the Super Chatel Plateau go down and take the Conches chair, then the Morclan chair ( these are shonky old 3 place chairs), then head down and take the 2 drags ( D'Onnaz and Chaux Longue), from here you can ski down to Torgon. The old chair lifts going up the face of Torgon have gone now, but you can get a shuttle bus from the car park down at the foot of the Troncheys lift to Torgon central, from where the lignards drag takes you half way up the face ( awesome views), and from here you can can ski back to the car park after which you can head up to La Chapelle on the Tetes drag or go back towards Super Chatel on the Tronchey chair.
It's a bit of a schlep, but a nice day out.
Having said all that, if you ski all the way as described, then continue up Tetes and then Conche draglift, you can ski down to La Chapelle gondola, take this down, then get the bus back to Pre La Joux, take Pierre Longue and then Rochassons lifts, down Chaux Fleurie or Satellite etc, and you'll be back in Ardent before you know it.
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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 did St Jean D'Aulp on a Saturday a few years back...and haven't felt the need to go back. It was nice to have done it but I can't say I found it very interesting and the bus was extreamly irregular, though I believe it's better Mon-Fri (not that I'd missed the little marker above half the buses that translated to "No on Sat." before heading out or anything...).
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@WindOfChange, exhausted just from reading it. Looking forward to the guiding session in the future 
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@Ozboy, I was up in PLJ on Monday, and went over to Torgon via SC. SC boarder X was amazing at it was just fresh pow - nobody had bene near it as the drag was closed, but we just took the Coqs drag and went right at the top (so good we did it 3 times )
But the best was when we dropped onto the big face on the RHS of the col when you head towards the Torgon from the Tronchey Chair and have the choice of black ( left), red run (right) or face (right). It was completely untracked ( around 11 am too) absolutely awesome, even when we came back from Torgon later, there were still only our 3 tracks on it.
Alas I am working till Friday, but I'll be back up and at it Sat and Sun - PM me if you are around.
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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 for the quick replies. Maybe I will get up early one day and give myself the challenge to ski to La Chappelle as @WindOfChange, describes. A bit will depend on the conditions when I get there but it sounds like a good day out.
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@WindOfChange, gives a fine description of the route Morzine to La Chapelle. By my mental arithmetic and using 10 mins as a rule of thumb per lift or piste it would take 200 minutes (or 170 minutes if you ski the Barbossine black run which is often closed).
Its a long way!
St Jean d'Aulps is always a good day out. Two laps before lunch, one after.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We have done a circuit starting and ending at La Pantiaz via Torgon, C-Neuf, Morgins, Champoussin, Les Crossets ( Beer break at the top of Mossettes), Abricotine, Plaine Dranse, Linga, Super-Chatel, Torgon, & Braitaz. But it was a bit of a slog and took from 10:00AM - 4PM. It would have been a bit quicker if we had skied and not boarded.
I think it's better in this direction as you cross Morgins in a downhill direction, and if the snow permits you can ski down the pavements to the square by the church, so you do not have to rely on the bus to get across town. Also it avoids the nutsack-removing launcher mechanism that masquerades as a drag lift between the top of the Corbeau and Chalet Neuf.
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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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@WindsOfChange, you had me till you said "then head down and take the 2 drags ( D'Onnaz and Chaux Longue)".
Been there, done that. Once.
Would rather wait for the bus at the bottom or Linga (though this time knowing it's the tiny bus stop on the opposite side to the rest, so not missing the last bus before the drivers go on their 3hr lunch).
Well worth visiting La Chapelle though, especially mid week. As with a lot of outlying villages people seem to ski the local area the first day then abandon it to catch the bus to the main area the rest of the week, which means you can be making second or third tracks down some of the runs at 10:30/11:00 come Wednesday.
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Also it avoids the nutsack-removing launcher mechanism that masquerades as a drag lift between the top of the Corbeau and Chalet Neuf
 I can't believe that is still there. I stayed in Chatel 15 years ago and it was a sort of dare to go that lift by the end of the week. I agree that the loop coming that way is best avoided!
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You know it makes sense.
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We spent two weeks total in La Chapelle. it's a real gem, though as noted the "town" area (Cret Beni) is not linked to the PdS. There are some fine restaurants, including the one at the base of the Cret Beni that used to serve a big bowl of potage and hearty brown bread for 5 euros. On a sunny day it would be a worthwhile destination. The slopes were always quiet, even at half term.
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