 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi folks!
I have some friends (mum + dad + 4 year old daughter), who are looking for a family friendly ski resort for early Jan, within 1 hour's drive of Geneva Airport. Alas, dad and daughter are a tad prone to car-sickness, so anything further is a bit of a pain.
Dad can ski fine; but mum and daughter will be first-timers — so need lots of greens and blues.
Money is not too much of a problem; but best to avoid super-expensive Swiss resorts I would think. And they don't need a crazy night-life.
Any ideas would be very welcome! 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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La Clusaz
Probably the easiest (quickest), decent sized resort from Geneva. Has a nice village feel to it too.
Plenty of lovely easy greens and blues for beginners.
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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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Les Gets is the obvious family resort. Others to possibly look at are Combloux, St Gervais or Les Houches (Megeve OK but prices tend towards the Swiss). Look on a map to see whether the driving meets your needs, and websites to see how they fit your requirements in terms of amount of terrain and proportion blue or easier.
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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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Les Gets is nice for that description. Quality of teaching something to think about for beginners, especially with the 4 year old.
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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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For a really good mixed ability group arrangements as slope access and meeting is so extraordinarily easy and with literally walk out onto the snow convenience https://www.skicollection.co.uk/ski-resorts/grand-massif/flaine/hotel-terminal-neige-totem/ offers alot.
Beginner can get to more or less the highest point whether they can ski down or not as it's one straight gondola access from just outside the hotel. But with a hugely wide progressive blue route from there back to base too.
Virtually nill complications for piste map as it's fundamentally just in one bowl for first timers too.
Has a lot to offer and within that 1 hour criteria.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Would an alternative be a resort reachable by train from Geneva?
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| sugarmoma666 wrote: |
| Would an alternative be a resort reachable by train from Geneva? |
Could be I guess; but the 1 hour limit would still apply. But then that would be: bus/taxi to train station > train > bus/taxi to accommodation. And if you have suitcases and a young (most likely tired child in tow), that would be a pain.
Most likely better to keep it simple, and transfer by road, which would be a mini-bus door-to-door.
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Avoriaz/morzine are the obvious candidates
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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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| Poogle wrote: |
| sugarmoma666 wrote: |
| Would an alternative be a resort reachable by train from Geneva? |
Could be I guess; but the 1 hour limit would still apply. But then that would be: bus/taxi to train station > train > bus/taxi to accommodation. And if you have suitcases and a young (most likely tired child in tow), that would be a pain.
Most likely better to keep it simple, and transfer by road, which would be a mini-bus door-to-door. |
Ah, OK. I assumed the 1hr limit was based on the car sickness issues, which must be exacerbated by mountains roads. A train transfer could completely avoid the issue.
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| sugarmoma666 wrote: |
| Poogle wrote: |
| sugarmoma666 wrote: |
| Would an alternative be a resort reachable by train from Geneva? |
Could be I guess; but the 1 hour limit would still apply. But then that would be: bus/taxi to train station > train > bus/taxi to accommodation. And if you have suitcases and a young (most likely tired child in tow), that would be a pain.
Most likely better to keep it simple, and transfer by road, which would be a mini-bus door-to-door. |
Ah, OK. I assumed the 1hr limit was based on the car sickness issues, which must be exacerbated by mountains roads. A train transfer could completely avoid the issue. |
I thought Geneva airport has a train station? Likewise, some resorts have a station.
Depending on where they're flying from, it might be worth considering flying into Munich. There are quite a few resorts easily reachable without the need for mountain roads or alternatively by train.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Ricklovesthepowder wrote: |
| Avoriaz/morzine are the obvious candidates |
I think there is a wiggly road from Morzine to Avoriaz so I’d avoid the latter at the end of the transfer from Geneva.
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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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Avoriaz is about 1,5 hours from Geneva, and is a favourite with my kids. Easy access to slopes from everywhere, no cars and Christmas lights well into February.
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Samoens would be my choice for simple non wiggley transfer
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You know it makes sense.
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Villars
Leysin
Les diablerets
and train available to 2 from 3
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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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| mikeycharlton wrote: |
La Clusaz
Probably the easiest (quickest), decent sized resort from Geneva. Has a nice village feel to it too.
Plenty of lovely easy greens and blues for beginners. |
^ +1
https://en.laclusaz.com/winter
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Poster: A snowHead
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@orange, +1
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Les Houches - lots of easy enough slopes and nice restaurants and cafes. Extremely easy drive as it's just off the main road to Chamonix. Did this with my young twins a few years ago and they loved 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?
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| Alastair Pink wrote: |
| mikeycharlton wrote: |
La Clusaz
Probably the easiest (quickest), decent sized resort from Geneva. Has a nice village feel to it too.
Plenty of lovely easy greens and blues for beginners. |
^ +1
https://en.laclusaz.com/winter |
We took our sons there for their first ski holiday. Youngest was 4 or just 5 and they had a great time. Ice rink, swimming pool, plus some very gentle greens and blues. Remember spending the last afternoon up on the Beauregard plateau skiing the gentle runs and coming up on the drag lifts.
Now they're 20 & 18 and I'm the one who gets dragged around 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We've also been to La Clusaz, and think it would definitely work from the skiing perspective - it's not full of Brits so that's definite advantage IMO but our boys did OK in ski school (not ESF, think we used Prosneige or Evo2, I can't remember, and the boys not speaking French was not as issue). I don't remember the road being particularly wiggly, main road to Annecy > Thones and then the last bit uphill. The tail end of January should bring slightly better weather than early January, the French half terms don't start until 5th Feb so should be pretty quiet all through January. We booked accommodation through the tourist office and couldn't fault it.
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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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| ski3 wrote: |
For a really good mixed ability group arrangements as slope access and meeting is so extraordinarily easy and with literally walk out onto the snow convenience https://www.skicollection.co.uk/ski-resorts/grand-massif/flaine/hotel-terminal-neige-totem/ offers alot.
Beginner can get to more or less the highest point whether they can ski down or not as it's one straight gondola access from just outside the hotel. But with a hugely wide progressive blue route from there back to base too.
Virtually nill complications for piste map as it's fundamentally just in one bowl for first timers too.
Has a lot to offer and within that 1 hour criteria. |
Pushing it to do the transfer to Flaine in an hour otherwise I’d agree with you. Been a while since I skied the Grand Massif. I used to enjoy the run down to Samoens - what’s that like to stay at? It’s a shorter transfer time to Genva.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| achilles wrote: |
| ski3 wrote: |
For a really good mixed ability group arrangements as slope access and meeting is so extraordinarily easy and with literally walk out onto the snow convenience https://www.skicollection.co.uk/ski-resorts/grand-massif/flaine/hotel-terminal-neige-totem/ offers alot.
Beginner can get to more or less the highest point whether they can ski down or not as it's one straight gondola access from just outside the hotel. But with a hugely wide progressive blue route from there back to base too.
Virtually nill complications for piste map as it's fundamentally just in one bowl for first timers too.
Has a lot to offer and within that 1 hour criteria. |
Pushing it to do the transfer to Flaine in an hour otherwise I’d agree with you. Been a while since I skied the Grand Massif. I used to enjoy the run down to Samoens - what’s that like to stay at? It’s a shorter transfer time to Genva. |
Agree it's probably on the edge of imposed notional transfer limit, but once there the facility (bearing in mind how helpful access throughout the day would be for a 4 year old) of just going in and out of your accommodation is a very significant benefit. The boot room entrance is about 50mtrs from main gondola building and all other nursery slope facilities. As a convenient environment for the skill set it's almost peerless in terms of meeting each other throughout the day to facilitate family activities. Plenty of cafe and restaurant with access to make the day easy. No buses, no effort in returning to accommodation throughout the day.
Samoens, reality is it's a gondola lift down and then bus to accommodation if no car. It'll seperate the family as far as I can see as unlikely that 4yrs old would be out there all day ( we've done it as a family from that valley location) and it's generally going to be leave accommodation all day or cessation if returning part through.
Flaine offers such almost perfect access given the skill, age etc.
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@ski3, understood about Samoens - agree with your post. Loved skiing at Flaine.
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@Poogle, + 1 for Flaine from me, we went 6 years consecutively with our son for when he was 3 and stayed in the Totem when it’s was a Crystal hotel with the childcare in the hotel. It’s now much posher I believe, but it’s still a brilliant location for a family with young kids, and a family friendly resort, we never used it but there’s a kids club just below the Totem which would be ideal for the 4yr old and parents can ski back to it easily with just a bit of an uphill walk back t9 the hotel, they can also take a short free lift up to Flaine Forum where there’s a magic carpet for todders. I’ve not been back since 2012 when Crystal dropped the Totem as it was being refurbished, I’m hoping to go back this season on a solo trip as it’s easy to get to, albeit I’ll be in a shoebox sc apt this time!
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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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Flaine is proper grim though. Lacks any kind of alpine charm.
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Chatel 1 1/2 hours, nice place, no mountain roads.
A number of catered chalets.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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A big thanks to everyone for their helpful input — I'll pass it all on to my friends for their consideration
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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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We had a lovely family holidays to Les Houches and Chamonix years ago. Just a bit further on though Courmayeur and it’s Town and restaurants did it for us though for family trips close to Geneva .
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