 Poster: A snowHead
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Not sure if this is already a thread.
Just got back from a few days visiting Italian friends in Fassa area. To begin with I thought " wow". So quiet for half term.
Then today after much persistence my friend insisted on taking me round the sella Ronda. The first hour was great ( if a bit lift, quick ski, lift repeat). Then it just got busier and busier.
Skiing in such an epic location was totally ruined but I didn't have the heart to tell my friend.
One side note.... Such a huge. area. So busy little variable terrain. France, I take it all back....
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Did you hear which languages were being spoken? Ie, half term from where?
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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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If you thought it was busy with you, be glad you werent in the Grand Massif, we had a day there today to use up a voucher from the season mount blanc pass, we a queue of nearly an hour on one lift and nothing under 15 minutes except one at lunch
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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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It's busyish here in Valmeinier/Valloire. The longest lift queue has been around 15 mins, the average is 5, which we are not really used to as usually it's nothing. We went to Bardonecchia for a couple of days mid week, very quiet, pretty much skied onto every lift.
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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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It's busyish here in Valmeinier/Valloire. The longest lift queue has been around 15 mins, the average is 5, which we are not really used to as usually it's nothing. We went to Bardonecchia for a couple of days mid week, very quiet, pretty much skied onto every lift.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Grand massif sounds bad. To be fair queues moved quick. Some 10 minutes most 5. It was the packed pistes following the sella Ronda. The lifts and find away from the circuit seemed fine.
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Grand massif sounds bad. To be fair queues moved quick. Some 10 minutes most 5. It was the packed pistes following the sella Ronda. The lifts and find away from the circuit seemed fine.
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Pretty quiet around Champoluc Monday, other than the Mandria bottleneck on a Sunday.
Tolerably quiet up Grands Montets today.
Monday evening, 22:00, town like a ghost town ...
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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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When we did Sella Ronda at half term a couple of years ago it was really quiet, we were at Falcade. We also found La Thuile quiet last year in Feb half term, but at New Year the Grand Massif was really busy compared to those and I swore I'd never do New Year/France again.
However, having read this, maybe its the Grand Massif? We were based in Carroz. We already knew we hated the blue at the top of Samoens - that is busy and horrible at all times, but both the blue runs back down to Les Carroz were also way to busy for me.
We are going Valmeiner/Valloire on 8th March, I'm hoping it will be quiet!
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When I skied the Sella Ronda on the Birthday Bash some years ago (ie NOT half term) I found it very crowded compared to my French area in the same week, where lift queues would have been pretty non-existent. But there was lots of great skiing elsewhere in the Dolomites (ie off the SR) which was not busy at all.
I wouldn't ski New Year anywhere in Europe - the most expensive, crowded, week of the season and with a fairly low probability of good snow. And I wouldn't ski France at half term (or during the longer French winter holidays which last four weeks). If stuck with school holidays I'd do Christmas or Easter.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think everyone should do the Sella Ronda circuit at least once (or twice in the case of Ronald, who appears to ski round both ways before most people have finished their breakfast...OK, that could be a slight exaggeration...) but I take no pleasure in doing so regularly now. It's so lovely to aim for the beautiful and less busy outliers such as Seiseralm, Alba, Santa Croce, Cinque Torre etc.
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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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This is putting me off doing the SR next year. Have booked flights to Verona for the week prior to UK half term. Lift queues are my biggest pet hate.
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If you do the SR on a Saturday morning it's much quieter as it's changeover day.
I wouldn't let it out you off. Each area still had quiet spots away from the circuit trek. Very overrated IMO.
Find an area and chill round there instead.
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You know it makes sense.
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@skimummk, yes, it will be quiet in early march, you won't see any lift queues.
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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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It's been a busy three weeks here with German, Austrian, Dutch, Czech, Scandinavian school holidays. Quite a few British school trips this week, plus more Dutch holidays next week. Having said that, lift queues are minimal and there's some less well used pistes to get away from the hordes. Roll on March.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Interesting thread. If you’ve read my running TR on grand Massif this week you’ll get the idea that crowds are a big issue.
We’ve skied half term in France and mainly here in GM the last bunch of years. This is the busiest ever and to be frank I don’t like it. It has definitely taken away some of the enjoyment from us for sure.
Queues are too long and as often as not unruly with a lot of unnecessary pushing. The obvious choke points in the area are frankly a pain in the backside but largely unavoidable. They are made dangerous by inconsiderate reckless people.
There are advantages to coming here and we’ve enjoyed some great holidays but we certainly will not be back here next year at half term and if at all.
Time to see somewhere new I think
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just adding that of course we recognise we are also part of the problem coz we are here this week and increasing the numbers ourselves. Mrs J works in a school and teenager is in secondary school so term time holidays are pretty much out of the question for us which I curse regularly!
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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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Wonder if the PDS is as bad....
Maybe megeve could be an option, as long as it’s not Paris week....
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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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| Quote: |
Wonder if the PDS is as bad....
Maybe megeve could be an option, as long as it’s not Paris week....
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Good idea. Try skiing in France next year at half term and you'll soon realise how brilliantly quiet the dolomites are.
PS. Next year the UK half term is one of the two Paris weeks so best be prepared for chaos. 
PPS. Next year the UK half term clashes with Carnivale so the dolomites will also be busier than usual.
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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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Been reading through the thread and the question I keep asking myself is... should the thread title be 'business' or 'busyness'?
Sorry, I know it's not much help to the OP, and a bit pedantic, but I'm genuinely curious! (the latter looks wrong, but surely must be right?!)
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@Jwh138, Megeve is lovely (if a little pricey), we went a couple of years ago for two weeks. One half term week, one out and didn't notice any distinct difference in the amount of skiers.
I don't think it's on many brits radar as a major ski resort, certainly not on the level of the 3V or PDS etc.
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@jirac18,We did half term in GM last year, and have done for years, but Paris was not on holiday last year, so it was busy, but ok, we have learned from experience (20 years of it!) that when two french regions are on vacances and one of them is Paris, GM is just really very dire, and has got a lot worse than it used to be, so now always do Easter, and never a h/t Paris week. Or this year 1st week march as eldest is at Uni and has a week off.
Also over time weekends have become more and more busy, especially Sunday, due to all the lift pass deals (plus the super value season pass) and the number of locals coming from Geneva. Concentrating new lifts down at molliets (carroz 1500) has not helped the blue run down, which is seriously horrid.
Lastly the area is not really as big as it claims to be, it is actually about 100km less than they claim, so connected villages, with lots of new accommodation eg. club med in samoens, and the new mgm bits all over, means busy at peak times.
If you want quieter on-piste try the Aujon area of flaine, if you can put up with the drags.
Hope the rest of today was ok 
p.s. Paris is on hols same time as GB next year.............
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| jirac18 wrote: |
| Just adding that of course we recognise we are also part of the problem coz we are here this week and increasing the numbers ourselves. Mrs J works in a school and teenager is in secondary school so term time holidays are pretty much out of the question for us which I curse regularly! |
Daughter has now decided she's going to be a teacher, so we are not escaping. Timed so badly we didn't even get one year.
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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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We did the Dolomites at half term a few years back - Stayed in Pedraces.
The Sella Ronda was quite busy, but far less so than French mega resorts we have stayed in, but we skied mostly around La Villa and San Cassiano which were wonderfully quiet.
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we decided to go to Passy plaine joux today only a small resort and all drags but only saw one uk car in the (small) car park, lovely snow and quiet, lots of families with kids playing in the snow, even allowing for having to use drags which my knees really dislike it was a fab day, no worries about lunatics tearing about and a few of piste bits, had to do the few runs a good few times but we really enjoyed it so much more than yesterday.
Hoping to go to La Clusaz monday as we can ski for free on our pass, didnt look too busy on the webcams, is it normally quieter than the mega ones, not been there for many years it was my second ski trip so hoping the pistes I thought were hard will look flat now
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The queues this week would be so much more tolerable if they were US-style with proper merging lanes and singles lines.
It would really only take a bit of rope, some poles, and a few signs to increase effective lift capacity by 10-20%, and turn the wait into 15 minutes of chatting and enjoying the scenery rather than 15 minutes of elbow fighting some dickhead trying to squeeze between you and your kids. Really how hard can it be!!?
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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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| Zorrac wrote: |
@jirac18,
If you want quieter on-piste try the Aujon area of flaine, if you can put up with the drags.
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WHAM...lovely skiing there...OOOF...drags, well they mostly drag you but...OUCH...sometimes you are not on the ground while being dragged...JEEEZUS...hold on tight!
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