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Flaine or Soldeu?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hello all- my missus and I are thinking about our holiday for January and we are mulling over Flaine or Soldeu, neither of which we have been to before. We are looking for reliable snow, decent prices, decent but not OTT nightlife (we are in our mid thirties so not too fussed but still want options), and good intermediate skiing. The last is probably the most important. Any views on these two, or indeed any alternatives? We've previously done Alpe d'Huez, Sauze d'Oulx and Seefeld together, and she has also done Tignes and Arinsal separately.
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Go back to tignes it's the best out of those or try soelden. Never been to soldeu but didn't really like flaine.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Flaine, snow sure in january? Id be worried.

Les deux alpes?
Or austria if youve only been to seefeld
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Gainz wrote:
Go back to tignes it's the best out of those or try soelden. Never been to soldeu but didn't really like flaine.


Soldeu (Grandvalira) is crap, I'd go back to Sauze (ViaLattea) ......

PrimroseAndBlue wrote:
We are looking for ...... good intermediate skiing ...... previously done ...... Sauze ......


Sometimes the pressure is to try somewhere 'new', when sometimes you might be better off sticking with what you know ...... maybe stay Sestriere side to mix it up a little .......
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
"..Flaine, snow sure in january? Id be worried..." (Please say it ain't so..)

Eggy - don't tell me that !! - I'm going last week of January

Everything I have read about Flaine say's it is 'snow sure' (due to its proximity to Mont Blanc..)

Or are the books/internet wrong ?
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@albob, don't worry, Flaine in January will be fine, it tops out at just under 2500 metres and there is a great deal of snowmaking in the Grand Massif, plus the main Flaine bowl faces north, and is always cold, even in summer.
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ya, i get flaine mixed up with the lower resort like morillon in alpe'd huez that sometimes need the bus links
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Morillon is linked to Flaine, les Carroz etc. I have skied in the rain in late January and whilst Flaine markets itself as snowsure there is only really a few runs at the top that are not patchy and icy in a poor snow year as we had in rapid succession pre 2017. In my opinion Flaine is amongst the ugliest resorts I have ever skied but then that is true of mostvpurpose built (French) resorts. Austria is far prettier, and cheaper...
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Thanks for the advice, folks...might have to re-think this.
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If you're worried about snow, somewhere with good snow making - we enjoyed westendorf with the links to kitzbuhel and the Skiwelt, very good value. It's low but above mentioned snow making is really very good. We went late March which many would say was a bad idea.

Easy to get to as well!
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Late January is almost as reliable for snow as you can get in the Alps. So you should be fine in all but the most unreliable resorts, of which Flaine is certainly not one.

I think the Flaine ski area is a great choice for that time of year. And it's great for intermediates. However given a choice I would stay in one of the lower resorts in the same area (esp. Les Carroz or Morillon), where there are lots of trees in case of wind or snowstorms.

Decent prices - the lift pass is quite reasonable for a large ski area, and accommodation was affordable for us too. Night life - no idea!


Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Sun 25-08-19 20:46; edited 1 time in total
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Les Carroz is a far nicer base than Flaine if you decide to head that way. Lovely skiing in the tress when the weather closes in, and easy access over to Flaine. It’s a nice village and a few bars and restaurants, but couldn’t say it has a banging nightlife.
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@definella agreed, and some of the best off piste fun I've ever had

A mate of mine has just bought a flat in Flaine after previously spending 5 years in PdS and the last 10 years skiing in Les Houches, Chamonix.
Am booked in with him for a month of renovations in November, so hoping for a good early season again.

Jan '19
flaine4

flaine1
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I like Flaine, but it has little or no night life to speak of. However the skiing is good, especially at intermediate level.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Flaine has a good snow record.

Cr*p nitelife.

Go to Baqueira Beret (Spain).
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Flaine for the snow record....
Soldeu if you want cheap
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I reckon the snow is poor in Flaine in late Jan, then I strongly suspect that most Alps resorts would also be struggling. Flaine is a marmite kind of place. The architecture is brutal but it was meant to be! They run music courses there in the summer amid the famous architecture and the acoustics are fantastic. If you want more pretty, then head for one of the villages in the GM. If you want lots of good intermediate skiing, lots of linked resorts and fab views (weather permitting of Mt Blanc) then got for it.
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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?
I guess mid-late Jan can be off/low season in many resorts, prices would be a little lower everywhere. Pick somewhere snow sure (highish) to ensure as best one can good coverage. Zermatt, Lech, Val D'isere/Tignes, Serfaus/Fiss,Landis, Ischgl, Engleberg.... the list really is endless.
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@PrimroseAndBlue, Breuil-Cervinia ticks your boxes (high, cheap and good intermediate skiing) - plus you can ski across to CH on the right lift pass. I enjoyed good conditions there one New Year when almost the whole Alps was struggling for snow.
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Bob wrote:
Flaine for the snow record....
Soldeu if you want cheap

There's nowt wrong with Soldeu's snow record in January, albeit that it's a month with relatively little new snowfall on average. (Grandvalira tends to get good-to-great early season snow which sets it up for the first half of the season.)

What's the (true) snowfall pattern in Flaine?

Honestly if we think that it's a risk to go skiing in mid-Jan then that pretty much reduces the winter season down to a month and a half (in France at least) in total... which is both sad and pessimistic! I plan on any season lasting 4-5 months, and I'm rarely disappointed (one year in ten?).
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Why would anyone be worried about 1800m-2500m in NW alps in mid Janurary, in the shadow of Mont Blanc.
Last year was just an average year. January range seems to be a depth of 100cm in bad years to north of 300cm in decent years. So a 2m base on average, by mid Jan, last 10 years.

I will be sliding there in November, guaranteed, even if it means hiking up faster than it melts.

https://www.onthesnow.co.uk/northern-alps/flaine/historical-snowfall.html?y=0&q=top
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Exactly - both in your massif and mine!
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I’ve been to Soldeu / El Tarter 4 or 5 times now as it is my “local”. It is not “crap” for inter skiing; possibly so for advanced. Trip report in my signature.
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I've spent a few weeks in both resorts, prefer Flaine as the skiing is more extensive and varied, food on the mountain significantly better, and I'm one of the minority that doesn't find the architecture brutal, I actually like it, and find that the buildings blend in to the valley when looking back down, unlike say Tignes which is like Benidorm in the alps. Nightlife in Soldeu is the livelier, Flaine has lots of SC apts, many seem to stay in at night. Given the choice of a week at either I'd go back to Flaine but would be happy with either.
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Yeah, the on-mountain food in the Spanish and Andorran Pyrenees isn't typically much to write home about (bog standard fast food), but exceptions exist and most ski areas have at a couple of perfectly good or even great eateries. From what I've read, Grandvalira has been working hard on this aspect over the last couple of years, and I think it's not a problem any more. In any case, the in-valley food is up to scratch pretty much everywhere.
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I agree with some of the last few comments on Soldeu - IMHO it's definitely not "crap", it's a fantastic ski area for intermediates with lots of cruisy blues/reds, in fact with a high % of beginners going to Grandvalira, you'll get a lot of the reds to yourself which is heavenly! Lots of miles to ski too. Plus a great snow making facilities (in case the snow gods don't provide), plus a good record of sunshine too!

While on-mountain food hasn't been the best, the food in some of the restaurants in Soldeu is superb (we had an amazing Tapas).
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Orange200 wrote:
I’ve been to Soldeu / El Tarter 4 or 5 times now as it is my “local”. It is not “crap” for inter skiing; possibly so for advanced.


Being local doesn't make it not crap, it makes it local ..... I'd guess if you lived closer to the Alps, you'd quite likely have a different view.

When traveling from pretty much anywhere in the UK the Alps is almost always a much better experience, and often no dearer if you choose wisely ....... not quite the same trip as simply driving up from Lisbon.

Handy Turnip wrote:
IMHO it's definitely not "crap"


Oh yes it is ...... soulless place that just sucks the life out of you .......
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
The only thing crap about Grandvalira is the amount of piste bashing, it used to be a great place that catered for all levels but every square inch of piste is now groomed every night so there are no runs that could be classed as black.
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You know it makes sense.
tangowaggon wrote:
The only thing crap about Grandvalira is the amount of piste bashing.


The only good thing about Grandvalira is the view over your shoulder as you leave the place .......
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
BCjohnny, wow, seems like you really had a bad time there Shocked. (I've seen you express this opinion on many threads now.) What actually went wrong for you?

Although Grandvalira certainly isn't my favourite resort, I really don't think it could be called "crap" by any objective means.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I expect an instructor told him he was a crap skier.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Pyremaniac wrote:
wow, seems like you really had a bad time there Shocked. (I've seen you express this opinion on many threads now.) What actually went wrong for you?


Like many things I post it's a bit tongue in cheek wink ...... but Grandvalira ......

Soldeu as a town is boring and geared up for half price 'happy hour' punters who usually spill most of the beer on the floor, despite being pushed as a 'family friendly' resort ..... Grau Roig is so remote it's even more boring, absolutely no atmosphere at all ....... Pas de la Casa is full of post pubescent teenagers living eight to an apartment and when not getting bladdered they're chucking up in the streets come dusk, mostly due to it's 'stack em high' marketing strategy.

The other linked towns are just as forgettable ...... one 'resort' is so far from the area you'd think the gondola originated in France Confused

And it's simply not as 'cheap' as it's made out to be ..... many places in Italy or Austria are easier on the pocket once there ......

The riding is unbelievably boring, very samey, mostly treeless, snowfall not great and the conditions themselves are more prone to changing due to the small size of the Pyrenees compared to it's major competitor ...... unless there's fresh snow, icy and scraped or wet and slushy is my abiding impression of a couple of trips out there ...... yes I gave it a second chance.

Perversly enough I'm still tempted to try the 'freeride' at Arcalis ...... go figure.

Quote:
Although Grandvalira certainly isn't my favourite resort, I really don't think it could be called "crap" by any objective means.


It's all relative to location ........ I'd agree that if it was 'local' to me I'd have a different opinion, but it's not, and neither is it to the OP.

When you consider everything, for most people travelling from the UK, the Pyrenees is often a longer journey for an overall poorer return when compared to the Alps ..... as evidenced by the fact that you get lots of experienced travellers here on sHs raving about various parts of the Alps, but not so many extolling the joys of the Pyrenees, just scan the various threads ...... there is a reason and there's the rub.

And I'm not even an Alpinophile ....... it's usually only my second choice when arranging main trips, but close enough for the last minute jollies .......

But, hey ....... I'm all for variety so if if you've an itch ..... and it would be a boring old world if we all liked the same thing.

Orange200 wrote:
I expect an instructor told him he was a crap skier.


Ha ha ....... good try but sem pontos, I've not had a lesson this millennium and left skis behind a long time ago ........ NehNeh
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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?
Grandvalira has plenty of trees.. .
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I rather liked Flaine and the Grand Massif when I went there a few times - about 30 years ago, come to think of it. Time flies. Shocked
Mostly intermediate on piste, but there were blacks that could wake you up, particularly on piste. There was some good off-piste, but it paid to be with a guide or someone who really did know the area well - the snow covered lime stone holes which could gobble you up. There were a couple of decent pubs - not Ishgl, but pleasant places.
Chamonix was an easy drive for an away day.
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BCjohnny wrote:
mostly treeless


lapalma wrote:
Grandvalira has plenty of trees.. .


Virtually all the tree lined runs are on the home runs into the base areas around Soldeu and El Tarter ...... Grau Roig and Pas de la Casa are almost devoid ....... outside of the former pair it's pretty much treeless, barren and featureless ...... I don't think anyone would argue it has the charm of say the Dolomites with it's similar oriented intermediate terrain.

Don't get me wrong, scenery is certainly not my overriding priority when picking a destination, but it's nice not to feel you're riding on the moon .......

lapalma I'm guessing you're similalry 'local' to Pyremaniac & Orange200 geographically ....... I fully understand your position, I'd probably do the same in similar circumstances wink

'Crap' in this context is relative, I'd be happy to have a similar area 'local' to me, but that's not the point I'm making ....... all things being equal choosing Grandvalira over most Alpine areas is often a second rate choice for the bulk of UK travellers.

And having made that point, I'll leave you all to it ....... Very Happy
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Grandvalira isn't really local for me and these days I tend to ski in the Dolomites. I agree with you that Grandvalira is not comparable to any of the top tier alpine resorts. However, I do think it can provide excellent value for money for intermediates/early intermediates who are booking a DIY trip.

As for the trees, well there's tree-lined skiing in all the sectors apart from Pas de la casa and I wouldn't describe it as barren or featureless. It's certainly not going to win prizes for having the most spectacular scenery but I think the landscape has a certain charm.

All of this is of course highly subjective. It could be that my fond memories of Grandvalira are coloured by the fact that on each of the four occasions I've skied there was great snow underfoot mixed with blue skies. Three of those trips were also phenomenally good value thanks to hotels offering free lift passes and other sweeteners. For the price paid I certainly never felt that I'd have been better off in the Alps even though I would obviously never choose Grandalira over the Dolomites or the Three Valleys at the same price point.
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lapalma wrote:
All of this is of course highly subjective. It could be that my fond memories of Grandvalira are coloured by the fact that on each of the four occasions I've skied there was great snow underfoot mixed with blue skies.


Yes, conditions are always king ......I still have exactly the same conversation with a snowboarding mate ...... he rates a particular Alpine area for that very reason and I don't because separately I never saw a flake of snow in two weeks, the rest being boiler plate or slush ....... Confused

Like most I've been to a number of relatively unfancied areas and good snow has made it a veritable paradise ...... that's why I said all things being equal.

Quote:
Three of those trips were also phenomenally good value thanks to hotels offering free lift passes and other sweeteners. For the price paid I certainly never felt that I'd have been better off in the Alps even though I would obviously never choose Grandalira over the Dolomites or the Three Valleys at the same price point.


I'd guess they were diy trips, so local 'sweeteners' would make a big differences but, although it's far more common now, most people from the UK still take packages and I'd maintain there's very little price point margin between similar value packages to the Alps and the Pyrenees in reality ......

I'm looking at this purely through the prism of a UK traveller, as that is what the OP is (and on balance I'm guessing might choose a package), so if you're not I can understand the disagreement ...... wink
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