 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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@Schnorrr, @Hurtle, thank you! @Hurtle, how's the piano playing coming on (and the relationship with your neighbours?  )?
I've now waited long enough for any refunds to come back (or not) from our coronavirus-affected March trip, so thought it about time I finished this TR with my usual summary and costs. The budgeting section might be a case of TMI, but some people have expressed an interest in the past, so here goes...
Summary
Well, this'll certainly go down as one of our more memorable trips! French lockdown limited us to just 3 skiing days in the end (plus 2 more sightseeing days), but those 3 days were some of the very best we've ever had.
Skiing: The Foret Blanche (Risoul / Vars) was a revelation, and has become my favourite mid-sized ski area so far. The variety, sense of travel, scenery, different slope aspects and gradients were just wonderful, and lots of long runs. 2 days wasn't enough to explore the whole domain, so we'll definitely be back. Our other day at Les Orres was also very enjoyable, with a good lift system and (again) a welcome variety of open and wooded terrain. A couple of negatives from both resorts which I'll mention below.
Weather / snow: Pretty much perfect for piste skiing, which was a godsend considering our limited skiing time and lack of winter tyres / chains. Full sunshine on all 3 days (and indeed, for the rest of the week), but not excessively warm, and excellent snow cover on all of the pistes in Risoul / Vars (and 99% of those in Les Orres). Avalanche risk (after a little overnight rain) unfortunately closed some of the sunniest slopes in Les Orres on our day there, though I think they re-opened the next day.
We liked: As above: the skiing, views and generally decent lift systems. Also worthy of mentioning is our excellent lunch in Les Orres, which ended up being our only meal out. Very cheap ski hire (and decent kit / service), some good lift pass deals, big supermarkets in Embrun for self catering. Fantastic scenery, not only in the ski areas but also on our days out after the resorts closed. Decent accommodation for the price.
We didn't like: Coronavirus disruption, obviously. In Risoul / Vars, a few long and slow lifts could do with upgrading (Mayt, Crevoux, Razis, Cesier); also lots of ungroomed blacks and reds which were basically no-go areas so long after snowfall (yukky crust / ruts).
Resorts / areas visited:
Fri - Les Orres (discounted day pass, bought in advance)
Sat - Risoul / Vars (discounted day pass, bought in advance)
Sun - Risoul / Vars (full price day pass as we weren't sure they would be open)
(Mon-Wed - resorts shut, but should've had further days in the areas above, plus Crevoux & Reallon)
Embrun was a good base, with Les Orres, Crevoux and Reallon all quite close by (~30min drive). It was a bit further to Risoul.
Costs
Breakdown (total for 2 adults, 8 days): (italics = if trip hadn't been curtailed by Covid-19)
Flights (Ryanair EDI-MRS, incl. 1 hold bag): £75 (would have been £150)
Car hire (Interrent, incl. fuel / tolls but no winter tyres / chains): £158
Accommodation (2-person studio just outside Embrun): £169
Lift passes (Les Orres online day pass, Foret Blanche online Sat pass, Foret Blanche day pass): £178 (6 days, various passes £365)
Ski & boot hire (3 days): £21 (6 days £67)
Extra costs incurred to leave France (flight to London Gatwick, train to Edinburgh): £259 (would have been £0)
Total: £860 (would have been £909)
I can't deny it was a rather expensive 3 days' skiing. In terms of total costs, the extra money spent "escaping France" was basically cancelled out by that saved on the days 4-6 lift passes which we ended up not buying. Notwithstanding the exceptional circumstances, this could have been an exceptionally inexpensive trip. Almost all the holiday components were cheaper than usual, but the one which really stands out for me was the cost of £67 (in total for 2 people!) for 6 day ski hire.
We certainly hope to return to this part of the Alps in coming years - appetite well and truly whetted.
(Edited in Sep 2020 after Ryanair refunded our cancelled return flight)
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