 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, thank you in advance for any suggestions.
My husband and I with our 7 year old son are planning on skiing in France during Feburary half term holiday.
Our son is a beginner, fearless and loves skiing, I'm also a beginner, whereas my husband is happy on black runs, but is wanting to ensure that our son and I enjoy skiing and progress.
We are flying into Grenoble and are happy to hire a car or travel by transfer, wanting to self cater etc and do it ourselves.
Please can you help by suggesting resorts that are family orientated, with good ski school, easy access to the slopes and the elusive not too busy during February half term ie not used by tour operators?
Cheers
Singlespeeders
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 21-10-19 21:09; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Val Cenis? Generally quiet slopes, not a well known place, beginner runs right next to the village, some tree skiing for poor weather and also some very high north-facing runs if it's a poor year for snow.
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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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Singlespeeders,
Welcome to Snowheads.
Chamrousse may fit the bill. However, I'm not sure that you will find anywhere quiet in France in Feb as it's French holidays for the whole of the month.
Good luck with your search.
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valloire/valmeinir
valloire side has lots of long cruising greens & blues to build confidence + you might find good packages on the tourist website that is practically ski in / ski out
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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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@Singlespeeders, somewhere in the Maurienne Valley? Smaller places may not be quite so expensive and crowded as, say, Tarentaise, or L2A or Alpe D’Huez.
Also, with a car, you could access the 3V through the ‘back door’ of Orelle some days? Gondola and chairlifts to Val Thorens.
It would be busy there but big area and plenty tough runs for your husband.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Singlespeeders, I'm sure you will find La Rosiere will suit your needs, it is very family oriented, has a good choice of ski- schools and whilst it's busy at half -term it's never over-crowded, it's Ski Esprit's most popular resort and they have a number of chalets in the village, one of which is right opposite the main ski-lift. There's a wide choice of apartments, the tourist office has a booking service, go to www.larosiere.net for more details.
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Thank you all for taking the time to reply with your suggestions. I've been reading the forum since last year, and it really is a helpful kind sharing forum. All your suggestions put me in a great place to research our ski holiday, so looking forward to it already!
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@Singlespeeders, Just a thought, but it might be worth editing your title to something a little more specific to attract the attention of the Francophiles. You should see a box with scissors on the right hand side of your post, that if you click that gives you the chance to edit both your message and the title.
e.g. French resorts not used by Tour Operators or
Quieter French resorts for half term or
Resorts near to Grenoble.
Oh - and welcome to snowHeads
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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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No such thing really. Absence of tour operators no guarantee of quiet slopes because, oddly enough, French people go to French resorts in French school holidays!! I had an apartment in a French resort with no UK tour operators for 15 years but didn't ski there at half term. I'd suggest you go to a big resort with super lift system, likely to have fewer bottlenecks than small resorts. Or you can drive through the Frejus tunnel into Italy. That's what I'd do.
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| pam w wrote: |
| No such thing really. Absence of tour operators no guarantee of quiet slopes because, oddly enough, French people go to French resorts in French school holidays!! I had an apartment in a French resort with no UK tour operators for 15 years but didn't ski there at half term. I'd suggest you go to a big resort with super lift system, likely to have fewer bottlenecks than small resorts. Or you can drive through the Frejus tunnel into Italy. That's what I'd do. |
Yup, don't go to France in French half-term.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| pam w wrote: |
| No such thing really. Absence of tour operators no guarantee of quiet slopes because, oddly enough, French people go to French resorts in French school holidays!! I had an apartment in a French resort with no UK tour operators for 15 years but didn't ski there at half term. I'd suggest you go to a big resort with super lift system, likely to have fewer bottlenecks than small resorts. Or you can drive through the Frejus tunnel into Italy. That's what I'd do. |
You need French resorts with limited accommodation. There are some, there are some not far from Grenoble but Chamrousse, les Sept Laux etc are totally manic at half term. As you say, best to avoid France altogether or go somewhere with a good lift system - although then you get busy pistes.
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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 often go to the Maurienne at half term and rarely meet a queue. We usually stay in the valley and then pick and choose a different resort each day.
If I were to pick one for you then I think Les Karellis might fit the bill. A very family-oriented place with a wide range of difficulty in a small area.
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@singlespeeders unsolicited advice for next year perhaps - don't discount Switzerland. It has a reputation for being very expensive, but self-catering can help keep costs down. Perhaps research some of the many lesser-known (e.g. Ovronnaz, Veysonnaz) or satellite (e.g. Nendaz) resorts and see if you can make the economics work. You'd be flying into Geneva, so I appreciate that'd be a tedious scrum, but the train/télépherique/bus links out of GVA to CH destinations are, obviously, good. Just a thought.
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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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| davidof wrote: |
You need French resorts with limited accommodation. There are some, there are some not far from Grenoble but Chamrousse, les Sept Laux etc are totally manic at half term. As you say, best to avoid France altogether or go somewhere with a good lift system - although then you get busy pistes. |
Yes, went to the Vercors for a day once in half term, the queues on some runs were stretched halfway back up the pistes 
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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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Proper straight skis and not a helmet in site
Are the people walking up the left side Aviemore Plus Card holders then ?
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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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| Bergmeister wrote: |
| altis wrote: |
| We often go to the Maurienne at half term and rarely meet a queue. |
It's good to see some advice that contradicts the norm  .
We skied every Feb half term for 24 consecutive years - but never tried France. Maybe we were put off by the stories of doom, gloom and carnage...  Nevertheless, we skied many New Year weeks in France (either Espace Killy or the 3 Valleys) during that time and didn't experience any significant overcrowding or queuing.
I often wonder if Feb half term is really the Armageddon it's made out to be. Is it really that much busier than New Year week? 
I'm glad to say, however, that I will not have the opportunity to find out - given that Mrs B and I have joined the ranks of the non-workers (albeit, by choice, a few years early). We use our 3Vs season passes off peak and ski (for free) with them during Feb half term.
(FWIW our past half term trips were predominantly to the USA or Canada, with occasional visits to Italy or Austria). |
Can't comment in comparison to New Years, but I can say having skied both the 3 Vallees and Tignes over half term they weren't that bad. Yes the Chaudanne in Meribel around 9am is a bit of a mess, but we rarely took more than 15 mins to get away and after that rarely encountered a lift line. Occasionally, especially where piste's converge you would get a sh*t show of skiers, but this was usually the home trails leading back to the Chaudanne or Mottaret.
Tignes was the same really. From Le Lac the Palafour was about a 5 min shuffle in the morning, but after that lift lines were a rarity. The lifts out of Val Claret were at times long, but again we are talking 5 to 10 mins. The pistes themselves were largely empty or with enough space to enjoy. Skiing into Val D'Isere was fine a big of a mess at the top of the Belevarde where 3 lifts all converge, but away from that there are vast tracts where its just you.
I wouldn't worry too much about over crowding
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| FrediKanoute wrote: |
| Bergmeister wrote: |
| altis wrote: |
| We often go to the Maurienne at half term and rarely meet a queue. |
It's good to see some advice that contradicts the norm .
We skied every Feb half term for 24 consecutive years - but never tried France. Maybe we were put off by the stories of doom, gloom and carnage... Nevertheless, we skied many New Year weeks in France (either Espace Killy or the 3 Valleys) during that time and didn't experience any significant overcrowding or queuing.
I often wonder if Feb half term is really the Armageddon it's made out to be. Is it really that much busier than New Year week?
I'm glad to say, however, that I will not have the opportunity to find out - given that Mrs B and I have joined the ranks of the non-workers (albeit, by choice, a few years early). We use our 3Vs season passes off peak and ski (for free) with them during Feb half term.
(FWIW our past half term trips were predominantly to the USA or Canada, with occasional visits to Italy or Austria). |
Can't comment in comparison to New Years, but I can say having skied both the 3 Vallees and Tignes over half term they weren't that bad. Yes the Chaudanne in Meribel around 9am is a bit of a mess, but we rarely took more than 15 mins to get away and after that rarely encountered a lift line. Occasionally, especially where piste's converge you would get a sh*t show of skiers, but this was usually the home trails leading back to the Chaudanne or Mottaret.
Tignes was the same really. From Le Lac the Palafour was about a 5 min shuffle in the morning, but after that lift lines were a rarity. The lifts out of Val Claret were at times long, but again we are talking 5 to 10 mins. The pistes themselves were largely empty or with enough space to enjoy. Skiing into Val D'Isere was fine a big of a mess at the top of the Belevarde where 3 lifts all converge, but away from that there are vast tracts where its just you.
I wouldn't worry too much about over crowding |
I go to Avoriaz at half term each year (we can only go on that date for this trip) and, to be honest, I find it exactly as you describe it. A couple of pinch points, but you quickly work out where they are and then you're easily away from it all, once you get away from that point (if you can't avoid it in the first place anyway). Yes, our other trips out of half term time are less busy, but it's not as bad as some make out, in my experience.
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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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Go to Italy! We are flying into Grenoble next February and driving to Sauze D'oulx. Willing to take the few extra hours behind the wheel for a quieter resort, cheaper prices etc etc.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@porkpiefox, +1 on this and the whole chain
Half term in France is busy but overhyped from a lift queue perspective. We ski half term every year (and Xmas, new year, January, March and Easter so I have good reference points) Leaving resort at ski school time, or leaving bottlenecks post lunch is a challenge, but apart from that it’s improved dramatically in the past decade. However, lots of people who haven’t skied at half term for over a decade recall their personal horror stories.
A big powder dump on a Friday in January can generate far bigger queues than Feb half term.
The key thing is to understand the pinch points of your resort and work around them. Start at first lift, have an 1130 lunch and ski while everyone else is at lunch from 1215.
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| skitow wrote: |
| davidof wrote: |
You need French resorts with limited accommodation. There are some, there are some not far from Grenoble but Chamrousse, les Sept Laux etc are totally manic at half term. As you say, best to avoid France altogether or go somewhere with a good lift system - although then you get busy pistes. |
Yes, went to the Vercors for a day once in half term, the queues on some runs were stretched halfway back up the pistes |
tell me about it. You know it is busy when you drive so far for car parking that you walk past your own home on the way to the lifts !
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Hi there, we were in the same boat as you a few years back. We started off by going to Le Grand Bornand (specifically staying in Chinaillon) as that's more in the thick of things. Very French resort, not high but we had no problems in February with snow cover. Good for kids/adults to learn and build up their confidence and a few challenging runs for the more accomplished. We actually ended up going back for 3 years.
This year we went to Les Saisies (upon recommendation in this forum). Was a brilliant, French, resort with few English. Black runs are more like hard reds etc etc. The great thing was that Les Saisies forms part of the Espace Diamant so you can hop over to other resorts in the week and try the runs there. You can stick to Les Saisies and the neighbouring resort or really put some mileage in and go out for the day. The only thing is that certain access to other areas is only done by one lift so there can be pinch points but in Feb half term it's all about timing (avoid when ski school set off!!). Plus we did a lot of skiing over lunch and lift queues were non existent. Loved the runs - something for everyone. Would go back next year but we're going at Easter instead so may need something higher. Good luck!
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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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There are parts of the Espace Diamant (notably the top of Notre Dame de Bellecombe) which are less crowded than Les Saisies, and a new lift this year which will ease things. But although I love LS and know it v well I'd recommend Italy in half term, especially if our holiday coincides with one of the Paris weeks.
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Agree with Pam about not needing to actually be in Les Saisies. In fact, if we were going again I would base myself near the Crest Voland Cernix lift (we don't need apres ski so don't need to be near town) - cheaper and it's only 3 lifts to get to the top where you can split off to Les Saisies for the day or to the left for other resorts (not exactly left, but if you look at the piste map you'll know what I mean). There's also a great snow park next to the Cernix lift for kids and adults with jumps etc.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Don't believe all the scare stories about French resorts at half-term.
Have done Les Arcs a couple of times at half-term, yes it's busy, yes there are some pinch points, but it's also possible to have a great week. Pick your Pistes, ski over lunch, plan not to be at where ski schools all start first thing/after lunch
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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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Definitely ski through lunch - start early, stop for a quick snack late morning then ski through lunchtime and give up for the day when they all pile out of the restaurants and afternoon lessons clog the lift queues.
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@Singlespeeders, If you have flights to Grenoble I would suggest looking at the southern french alps resorts in particular Montgenevre. It is the only french resort in the milky way ski area (the rest of the ski area is in Italy). Therefore assuming that Italy does not have half term at that time I imagine the crowds might not be as bad as in the more well known resorts.
Montgenevre also meets your other requirements - very good ski schools, good beginner and intermediate slopes whilst having a few blacks for your husband to enjoy. Family orientated with an ice rink and monty express rollercoaster.
We have been there several times with mixed ability groups and it is one of our favourites. (although we have always avoided half term) Le Hameau des Airelles is one of the cheaper accommodation options there. If your budget will run to it I would say Le Napoleon apartments are in the best location. We have stayed in both of these plus Chalet des Dolines over the years booked through Peak Retreats. They also have accommodation in Val Cenis and some of the lesser known french resorts. Their prices included Eurotunnel but you can book accommodation only at a cheaper rate.
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You know it makes sense.
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| snowymum wrote: |
| Therefore assuming that Italy does not have half term at that time I imagine the crowds might not be as bad as in the more well known resorts. |
Italy does not have half-term in February as such, but most of the Northern regions do have a few days off for Carnevale (Shrove Tuesday) which falls on 25 Feb in 2020, so the long weekend from 22-25 Feb after the UK half-term could be a bit busier than usual in many resorts, esp the ones in S Tyrol that also get an influx from Bavaria, as kids there get a full week off for Fasching.
Otherwise, most of the smaller Italian resorts are busier at weekends and fairly quiet midweek.
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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 Menuires.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thank you everyone for your suggestions. We have decided to ski in Italy; our 7 year old is delighted as we'll be travelling through four countries to get there, and he hasn't skied in Italy before so that will be country number three on his tally. We are so looking forward to our holiday on the snow!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| snowymum wrote: |
@Singlespeeders, If you have flights to Grenoble I would suggest looking at the southern french alps resorts in particular Montgenevre. It is the only french resort in the milky way ski area (the rest of the ski area is in Italy). Therefore assuming that Italy does not have half term at that time I imagine the crowds might not be as bad as in the more well known resorts.
Montgenevre also meets your other requirements - very good ski schools, good beginner and intermediate slopes whilst having a few blacks for your husband to enjoy. Family orientated with an ice rink and monty express rollercoaster.
We have been there several times with mixed ability groups and it is one of our favourites. (although we have always avoided half term) Le Hameau des Airelles is one of the cheaper accommodation options there. If your budget will run to it I would say Le Napoleon apartments are in the best location. We have stayed in both of these plus Chalet des Dolines over the years booked through Peak Retreats. They also have accommodation in Val Cenis and some of the lesser known french resorts. Their prices included Eurotunnel but you can book accommodation only at a cheaper rate. |
I would say though when we went at half term it was far busier in Montgenevre than I was expecting. The weekends were bad because quite a few Italians have property there. It also suffers when there’s poor snowfall in the area as many from affected neighbouring resorts are “bused in”. Our room was overlooking the car park and some days coaches were queued down the road.
Enjoy Italy singlespeeders.
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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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@Singlespeeders, good choice Italy. Enjoy!
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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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Be aware that some regions of Italy can be busy on and around Pancake Day which is 25 February next year.
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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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| Quote: |
It also suffers when there’s poor snowfall in the area as many from affected neighbouring resorts are “bused in”
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This happens in Les Saisies, too - masses of incomers when the only decent snow for miles around is in LS. Loads of coaches.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@bambionskiis, Unfortunately I think you were really unlucky snow wise in Montgenevre last Feb half term. We went there in early April and our taxi driver said the snow end March/beginning of April was the best it had been all season as there was a huge dump of snow just before our holiday.
I do take your point about people being bused in from surrounding areas if snow is bad. I just wonder how often that happens in half term week?
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Not often I hope as we are going back again then!! We had a rotten time this year and only skied a maximum of 2 days each (long story) so we are going back to try again - unfinished business!!
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