 Poster: A snowHead
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I guess I am not the first skier to figure the safest way to get a fix of skiing without a dose of covid, is to self drive, via the tunnel and stay in self catering (provided the borders are open). But cable cars and bubble lifts seem a sure fire way to catch some covid breath, while chairlifts and drag lifts seem a relatively safer bet. Driving to Scotland or heliskiing are two options already rejected
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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@Enolfa Kerr, welcome to SnowHeads.
The vast majority of medium to large ski areas in France, Austria and Italy have more chairlifts and draglifts than gondolas/bubbles/cable cars. Many are difficult or impossible to explore fully without using enclosed lifts occasionally though.
If you prefer to avoid enclosed lifts then a couple of areas in France you might want to consider. Les Sybelles (Maurienne Valley) and Espace Diamant (Les Saisies, Flumet,etc).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Wow, plenty of options there to investigate, I will get googling. Ta muchly!
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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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In general it's only really 'real village' resorts where you're required to use a gondola, as the farmers who would have settled the village originally would have picked somewhere close to their summer pastures but that didn't spend the whole winter snowed in. As a result you should find most purpose build, mountain top resorts - you'll just need to check the piste map to make sure the run you're thinking of taking doesn't end at a bubble.
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@Mjit, Yip go high. Just look at lifts from the villages in Espace Killy (ignoring village lifts)
Tignes Les Brev - Bubble
Tignes Les Boisses - Bubble
Val D'Isere all villages - 2 Bubbles, 1 Train, 1 cable car, 1 big gondola, 1 4 man chair, 1 6 man chair.
Tignes 2100 - 1 Bubble, 1 Train, 1 x 4 man chair, 6 x 6 man chairs (and the Chardonnet emasculator drag!)
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It'd be useful to know what sort of ski level you're comfortable with, as being able to do the occasional black or more challenging red will increase the choice available to you. Plus how many of you there are skiing, as a group of 4 will obviously get a 4-person gondola to themselves, and perhaps in some locations, a 6-person one.
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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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| Quote: |
| Just look at lifts from the villages in Espace Killy (ignoring village lifts) |
It's possible to cover a big chunk of Espace Killy using only chairs...Though you could be stuck at the bottom of Face on the way back to Tignes from Val D...??
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@ster that is a really useful website, literally a couple of clicks and you have a summary of all the lift types in resort!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@LaForet, Just my better half and I, happy on reds and the occasional black.
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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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@mountainaddict, Bellvarde Express, across Face to Loyes Express, down Diebold to Tommeuses. But I expect, unlike normally the BE will be v busy.
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@PeakyB, - good suggestions, I think a plan is coming together!
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You know it makes sense.
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Serre Chevalier can be done all on chairs. The only exception being skiing down or coming up from Briancon.
If we can get away this year, it'll be our destination more than likely. It's been on our hit list for a while anyway.
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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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Small to medium sized resorts in France stand a better chance of being gondola free. Use the "skiresort" filter to limit to 140km or so and you will find dozens of places with only chairs and drags, mostly in Southern Alps and Pyrenees.
These sort of places aren't for everyone but the right sort of 50km resort will do me for a week.
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Poster: A snowHead
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If you endup in a tram or bubble, open them slidey windows to the max.
Poke yer head or nose out the window.
Fresh air blows away the plague.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Just look at lifts from the villages in Espace Killy (ignoring village lifts) |
It's possible to cover a big chunk of Espace Killy using only chairs...Though you could be stuck at the bottom of Face on the way back to Tignes from Val D...?? |
It is possible to go up La Face using 2 chairlifts (Bellevarde Express/Loyes Express) which arrives at the same point as the Olympique gondola.
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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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| froomie wrote: |
| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Just look at lifts from the villages in Espace Killy (ignoring village lifts) |
It's possible to cover a big chunk of Espace Killy using only chairs...Though you could be stuck at the bottom of Face on the way back to Tignes from Val D...?? |
It is possible to go up La Face using 2 chairlifts (Bellevarde Express/Loyes Express) which arrives at the same point as the Olympique gondola. |
But not if the Face is being used for racing.
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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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Thanks for all the suggestions. At the moment Espace Diamant and Flaine are my front runners as they have relatively short drives from the Tunnel. But February is a long way off, so I will have to see what level of lockdown both UK and France have closer to that time.
A few seasons ago I was chatting to a vet who said they always organised 'Continuing Professional Development' courses that coincidentally were in ski resorts. I wonder if that counts as business travel....
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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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@Enolfa Kerr, I think that has just about come to a stop these days. Jollies are not encouraged in all walks of professional life.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Hells Bells, there's a symposium of doctors in Val each year, Tignes gets the anaesthetic guys, can't remember if they made it last year, but at least one sH will spill the beans 
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La Thuile in Italy is an excellent option. There is a bubble up from the resort, but even that is easily avoided. Other than that, you have around 150 km of pistes, including links over to La Rosiere in France, all on chairlifts or buttons.
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| Quote: |
At the moment Espace Diamant and Flaine are my front runners as they have relatively short drives from the Tunnel.
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Bear in mind that the closest Espace Diamant base to Geneva (Praz sur Arly) is also quite low. But it does have the advantage of a fast chair to the top, from whence good access to the rest of the area and generally much shorter queues than Les Saisies. There is also a big free car park at the base of the lifts, so if you have a car you can find cheaper accommodation a little way from the "front de neige". There's also a picnic room in the car park (or was, I've not been there for a few years) which might be a good spot for eating your own lunches. In French resorts at half term the mountain restaurants (there are couple of lovely ones in Pras s Arly) will tend to be very crowded. That's why lunch time is the best time to ski....
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