 Poster: A snowHead
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There's a van full of us driving to Gressonay for the Gnarlybug bash, setting off on Friday, one idea is to drive overnight and stop at the first ski area we come to for a day skiing on Saturday before driving on to Gressonay in the evening.
By my observation, Les Carroz / Flaine is the first that we come to according to Google, another route option on Google takes us in via Switzerland and Villars is an option but I've been there and don't fancy it for a day.
Google puts Lez Carroz at 8 hrs from Calais (no point in driving further up to Flaine for a day trip?) We have co drivers and I'm used to driving overnight to Andorra.
Is 8 hrs a reasonable estimate? hoping for quiet roads overnight. Obviously weather could be a significant influence, but assuming no snowmageddon?. The van is happy cruising at 130kmh
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you go via Switzerland then you will go past Verbier.
If via France then you will drive through Les Houches. Megeve or St Gervais are not too far from the autoroute.
You could also have a day in Pila if you have made better time than you expect.
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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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I'd pick Morillon 1100 Les Esserts, as one of the best entry points to the GM. Drop off people and kit on the snow by lift and ticket office, good parking about 200 mtrs away for the day and now good connects into the whole area. Les Carroz just as convenient but I like the last run down to Morillon better to finish the day plus some nice cafés to end at.
Been there driving many times, it's 560 miles from Calais so you can time your average on that via autoroute all the way or use "via michelin" planner to give you detailed time plus toll costs.
Somewhere else in that area which is great for a day is Pra de Lys, just across the valley and same mileage from Calais. It's a really nice ski with some really good cafés and more typically french overall. Again you can virtually drive onto the snow, figuratively speaking, so just spill out get a ticket and up the lifts. Ticket cost is good here as it's not a huge area but some superb skiing is available.
If driving overnight you'd miss any traffic going up there by arriving at lift opening lift opening as well, so all good.
There's a nice route off the autoroute a bit earlier than the main road up to both areas (it's the same way to both until you get to Taninges, then left for PDL or right to Morillon) I'd have to check my maps to give you the jnct no if you want it.
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I think if heading for the GM for a day then I'd go for Les Carroz over Morillon purely for the car park.. in LC is massive and you can ski in/out of it whereas the biggest car park in Morillon is a short (couple of minutes) walk to the lift and you can only ski back to it if conditions are good.
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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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@tangowaggon, To Cluses, 7.5-8 hours and a 'bit' probably but only with a couple of very quick breaks to change drivers/have a pee/fuel up. Getting up the mountain to LC or going round to Morillion add about 1/2 hour depending on weather and road conditions.
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@tangowaggon, Personally I wouldn't bother with the 30 mins detour to get to GMass. I'd ski Les Houches, myself.
Which is, technically, the first station you get to.
Or get through the tunnel and ski Courmayeur.
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| under a new name wrote: |
@tangowaggon, Personally I wouldn't bother with the 30 mins detour to get to GMass. I'd ski Les Houches, myself.
Which is, technically, the first station you get to.
Or get through the tunnel and ski Courmayeur. |
This makes sense, although LH appears to be further along the route, time wise it is the same as les Carroz and less off the route. Thanks for pointing this out.
If we are doing well on time , we might press further on so less to drive later
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It is correct that it is about 8 hours drive from Calais to Les Carroz but you need to allow for stops. Also bear in mind the speed limit is 110kph if it is raining. I would suggest planning your days skiing on the French side (rather than courmayeur) in case there are queues for the Mont Blanc tunnel. We queued for over an hour for it recently.
La clusaz, Le Grand Bornand, Les Carroz, St Gervais and Megeve are amongst the first resorts you would reach.
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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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"speed limit is 110kph if it is raining"
Never, ever, in 11 years of living in Geneva and commuting most weekends up the A40 have I seen that adhered to! 
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I've been google mapping for hours!!!! If we go via Switzerland, the road tolls are about half the price (avoids Mont Blanc tunnel) but we would need a vignette and lift pass prices are difficult to obtain at this time of year but Verbier pass appears to be more expensive than Les Houches etc etc etc, time for bed, my head's hurting.
I discovered a little flaw in google maps, Les Carroz to Gressonay = 3:14 (driving past Les Houches) Les Houches to Gressonay = 3:15!
Les Carroz to Les Houches = 0:39 tardis times methinks
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@tangowaggon, Have you counted the cost of the Grand St Bernard tunnel if going via Switzerland ?
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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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I d aim for Cham. Swimming, showers, brekkie, shopping and skiing if the weather and snow conditions are good enough - you could prob book the Valle Blanche the day before or itself or ski the Grands Montet or just go look at the 5th Avenue of ski kit shopping...
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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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Les Carroz isn't that far from Les Houche, the road drops down to autoroute past Cluses then it's along the valley through Salanche and up to Cham. I've friends that run a chalet near Morillon that regularly use the wholesale supplies in Salanche, doesn't take long to run down there.
The top end of GM kind of backs on to Salanche and you can see the Cham valley from top lifts.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@tangowaggon, I suspect k might be wanting a word with you when she see's your last comment lol
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Grandma Sunshine wrote: |
| @tangowaggon, I suspect k might be wanting a word with you when she see's your last comment lol |
My apologies to ladies offended by my comment which was based on my limited experience of said gender.
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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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You can do Calais to Les Carroz in 7.5hrs, we even manage it with the kids. It is probably about 15/30mins quicker than Les Houches. Agree about the telecabine car park, it is big and easy to use. There is also a big car park at Les Molliets and from there you can use the new Saix Express up to the Tete de Saix and get over to Flaine very quickly. Good luck, sounds like great fun.
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@Cheesie168, but the question is what's more efficient. Detouring to get to Les Carroz or (more or less) not detouring to get to Les Houches? Plus the road down from Les Carroz to the A40 on a busy Saturday afternoon can be pretty slow...
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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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I suspect drive time Calais to Les Houches would be marginally quicker than Calais to Les Carroz as although it'll be further it's literally A40 turn right into car park whereas as Les Carroz is A40 turn left, 7km up semi twisting mountain road to car park.
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@marcellus, google reckoned 6 minutes longer to Les Houches.
But if you do Les Carroz, you then have to do Les Carroz to Lea Houches after skiing (as you drive past...)
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Does the Mont Blanc tunnel get busy on Saturday afternoons? Just wondering if it's better to get through it early sat am?
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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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@tangowaggon,
From what I can see the Saturday before Gnarlybug coincides with the changeover between 2nd and 3rd week of the French half term so if it was me I would try to aim for somewhere on the Italian side to ski on the Saturday. If not then Les Houches which is not far from the motorway seems best. Traffic up to and back from either Les Carroz for the GM or Les Gets for the PDS can be a real nightmare on a major change over weekend.
In the end it will all be about timing, if you are early enough going up and late enough coming down then it shouldn't be a problem
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It looks like we can all take at least Fri pm off work and make an earlier start to make it into Italy for lifts opening and less of a drive after skiing. I guess we'll drive until the lifts open and ski wherever is nearest. How likely will there be somewhere open for a decent breakfast? (I don't function without breakfast. "Don't make me hungry Mr McGee, you wouldn't like me when I'm hungry")
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@rachelharrisonsmith, more or less useless. In our experience. We only go through the tunnel ~10 times a year so hardly frequent diggers.
@Timc, yep. That.
@tangowaggon, get on the IT side. Courmayeur. Breakfast is for pimps.
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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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@tangowaggon, We have a van with space into which could be added a camping stove and BBQ and then we could have a -15c ski car park cooked breakfast to get us going, pull straws as to who goes out into the cold and cooks it. Either that or a jambon beurre baguette and a €2 café from the services vending machine.
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@Matrski,
I think I can borrow a cassette camping stove so bacon butties al fresco it is then
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You know it makes sense.
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don't forget the tea bags, yorkshire of course. 
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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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Can't believe it's still six months away, I'm bored with work already 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Matrski, Not a huge problem as I like coffee also but tea goes best with bacon butties IMHO
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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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I'll make sure that full catering facilities are packed, we might have to make do with cafetiere coffee as my generator won't run my coffee machine.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@tangowaggon, Broon sauce will also be needed for those butties 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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excuse the ignorance but what is the gnarlybug?
and where and when is it on??
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FAQ
it was a case of ***k me! when I saw the MB tunnel tolls
