 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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@red 27, cheers. Not too bothered about the weather - it's the mountains and it happens 
@ski3, thanks. We took a packed lunch because we were only there for a day and were expecting to be asking around the mountain in perfect sunshine   but next time we'll eat out.
Saturday - Thollon & departure
Thollon piste map here.
On Friday evening we ate out at the excellent Escalade in La Chapelle d'Abondance again - this time about €30 for two mains and a large shared dessert. We were tempted by Les Cornettes given the number of recommendations on this thread, but it was quite expensive.
Today the weather was a potential issue: high winds, incoming rain (again) and possible avalanche risk from yesterday's rain. We headed to Thollon-les-Memises: a ski resort perched on a balcony high above Lake Geneva, with views just as stunning as you'd expect. The resort claims just under 50km of pistes which is clearly an exaggeration - it probably has half that. Because of the forecast we opted for a €22 morning pass which runs to 1.30pm - only a tiny saving on the full day rate. Lots of ski schools and clubs about as it was the weekend, but they spread out well across the slopes and there were certainly no queues.
Thollon access gondola
A gondola rises 600m vertical to the top of a cliff, with a solitary, easy black back to base which was closed after yesterday's rain trashed the snow. In the other direction, a green track winds down into a small bowl with a row of drag lifts serving several parallel, sparsely wooded runs - the longer ones quite steep.
Runs off the Tetras drag
On the left hand side, a slow chairlift climbs to the area high point at just below 2000m. Strong crosswinds were making the chairs swing wildly and must have been close to the threshold for shutting it. Pisteurs were stationed underneath several of the most exposed pylons watching the chairs - not something I've seen before.
Checking the chairlift
Snow was rock hard - verging on icy - after the rain and a refreeze - but an improvement on yesterday's treacle! At least it was fairly sunny - for now. The best and most interesting (open) runs were the two main runs off this chair: Fees (red) and Myrtilles (blue) - though the bottom of the former had a gentle runout which was right into the wind, requiring poling. There's also a long red (Vielles Cases) down a side valley with two successive lifts to get back. This was tantalisingly pisted but sadly closed due to the recent rain.
Fees (red)
Vielles Cases (red) - closed
Shortly after noon the wind was getting a bit silly and rain was falling over the lake. So we called it a day and headed back down on the closed black. Not a good idea in hindsight - as well as the thin patches we'd scouted out from the gondola, there had been a small avalanche across the track. Notwithstanding this, it's a good long run (zig zag road, then a motorway) with some of the best views of the resort and lake.
Lanches (black)
Run highlights: Fees (red) and Myrtilles (blue) from the summit chair.
Rain started falling as we drove back to Abondance, and it was really quite heavy as we dropped off the hire skis. It was 12°C on the car thermometer as we approached the village, which is crazily warm for February 1st  Still, a good morning's skiing. With loads of time to spare, we had a late lunch at Buffalo Grill (guilty pleasure, though I think I'm going off it a bit) in Thonon, then a spur-of-the-moment trip to Yvoire. We thought the place looked interesting on the road atlas, and indeed, it turned out to be a lovely medieval, lakeside village - almost deserted apart from a handful of Asian tourists.
Yvoire
Fairly busy drive through the middle of Geneva at 5.30pm but still made it in good time to the airport, and eventually to the departure gate where I'm typing this, waiting to board a flight to post-Brexit Britain...
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Mon 5-12-22 23:54; edited 6 times in total
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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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Interesting read- thank you! Especially the bit about Thollons - was looking at that resort a few years ago as an alternative to the big resorts for a first family ski trip. Decided against it as thought it wasn't big enough to sustain a week's skiing. Sounds like it's perfect for a ski tour such as yours.
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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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@jesus, thank you. Thollon was very scenic but it would be very small indeed for a whole week! Good for a day, or even a half day.
Summary
We had a good time, despite wildly changeable weather.
The skiing: We found the Portes du Soleil to be an excellent, varied ski area with a big contrast between the open slopes / "mega-resort" feel of the Avoriaz / Les Crosets sectors and the trees / hidden-away atmosphere of La Chapelle / Torgon / Morgins. Chatel, our main point of entry into the PdS, was a hybrid of the two. Once again we enjoyed our away trips to smaller resorts and ski areas. Our favourite spots? Mine were probably Linga / Pre-la-Joux in Chatel and also Praz de Lys (notwithstanding horrible snow conditions); my partner liked the Swiss side of the PdS best. Thollon was a little disappointing: it was a bit one-dimensional, though this may have been partly due to Vielles Cases being closed.
The weather / snow: Our most weather-disrupted trip since Alpe d'Huez in 2015. A fairly uneventful start to the week (with no recent snowfall) gave enjoyable cruising on hard-packed, old snow. This was followed by heavy midweek snow and high winds. There were also three bouts of rain (fortunately mostly falling at night), which seriously spoiled the snow on the last two days. On the plus side, no days were complete write-offs... unlike today (Sunday) looks to have been!
Things we liked: immaculate piste grooming across the Portes du Soleil, with hardly a rut in sight all week - the best we've seen in France. Wonderful views in Thollon, Bernex and Praz de Lys. Good (and good value) restaurants and supermarkets in the Abondance valley. Incredibly cheap lift pass deals (see below).
Things we didn't like: many slow lifts in La Chapelle, Torgon, Champoussin and Praz de Lys. Snowmaking not as comprehensive as it could have been in Chatel / Torgon.
Resorts / areas we visited:
Sat - Abondance
Sun - Portes du Soleil - (Chatel-Barbossine, Torgon, La Chapelle-Panthiaz)
Mon - Portes du Soleil - (Chatel-Pre la Joux/Linga, Les Crosets, Champery)
Tue - Portes du Soleil - (Chatel-Super Chatel, La Chapelle-Cret Beni)
Wed - Bernex
Thu - Portes du Soleil - (Morgins, Champoussin, Les Crosets)
Fri - Praz de Lys
Sat - Thollon
Abondance made a good base for visiting all of these resorts. Praz de Lys was a bit of an impulsive decision and consequently a longer drive - there were closer alternatives!
Costs
Breakdown (total for 2 adults, 8 days):
Flights (easyJet EDI-GVA, incl. 1 hold bag): £188
Car hire (Dollar from airport Swiss side, incl. winter tyres / snow chains / fuel (no toll roads)): £237
Accommodation (4-person studio in Richebourg, near Abondance): £229
Lift passes (Abondance Sat promotion day pass, 4x Black Fri PdS day passes, Bernex day pass, Praz de Lys flash sale day pass, Thollon morning pass): £312
Ski & boot hire (7 days): £108
Total: £1074
The trip cost compares favourably with our other recent trips. Car hire and flights were a little more expensive than usual, but this was more than balanced out by substantial lift pass savings: on average, lift passes worked out at under £20 each, per day!
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 6-02-23 18:36; edited 6 times in total
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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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@denfinella, My compliments on your record keeping.
I can't remember what I spent last night let alone for the last 7 years ski trips 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Photos now added to each day's post.
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What an interesting report, @denfinella, top work!
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FAQ
) also suprising how many ski areas you can see from one to another if you know in which direction to look. Not far at all from Samöens to Les Gets either.
definitely not worth taking it with you, great local restaurants at decent cost.