 Poster: A snowHead
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Just shamelessly nicked this from the Dolomitey thread
Pithy reviews which summarise ski area using short snappy words or phrases
E.g. re the Dolomites - chilledness, lunchiness...
So for Val Thorens I might say
- Big area
- Vast accessible off piste
- reliable snow cover
Bad
- Wind and cloud can be a bitch
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thredbo Australia.
The good.
- Some nice pitchy skiing
- Can ski through snow gums
- atmospheric on hill dining and apres
The not so good.
- watch out for wombats (and clear wet 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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Thought this might be the Snowbird 1 star review and campaign.
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Sauze D'Oulx
- Decent Ski Area
- Prices very affordable to anyone
- Chilled Apre + can progress quickly if you wish ha!
Bad
- Bottom of home runs can get V Choppy.
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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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Les Gets
Good.
- Absolute beautiful and almost entirely below the tree line and with a proper traditional village (rather than purpose built)
- Really quick transfer time (one hour from Geneva if there’s no traffic)
-It causes loads of arguments on skiing forums
Bad
- it’s position (I.e. low and easy to get to) means unreliable snow early/later in the season and it gets rammed on weekends/holidays
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Thu 18-02-21 16:31; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hmm. The thing is, some folks' claims for their fave resorts could be challenged. Les Gets is an attractive village but much of it is certainly "purpose built". And against what criteria is Les Gets one of the "least expensive" resorts in the French Alps. Just off the top off my head, I'd challenge that. Nowhere so visible on the UK tour operators radar is likely to be that cheap. I grant that it's less obviously "purpose built" than Flaine and cheaper than Val d'Isere. 
But maybe nit-picking is not in the spirit of the thread???????
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@pam w, Yes it's not about mocro detail and nuance it's things which the reviewer perceives generally to be the main features. To be honest to me if all the features are about the charm of the village and the transfer time I can drive to charming country villages near home much easier.
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I'll defend Les Gets!
It's definitely a traditional village at the core - unlike VT, Avo or Flaine. That most of it is now new developments is another thing, but tbh they try to keep the charm.
On the other hand we all agree it's clearly not one of the least expensive resorts in the French Alps. If anything it's more on the most expensive list. Not Megève/Courchevel/Val d'Isère, but in the same top 20. You get better value for money in Les Saisies, St Francois Longchamps, Les Karellis, any resort in the Maurienne really (Valfrejus, La Norma, etc.)
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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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It's definitely a traditional village. Though there has been a massive amount of development recently.
As for expense. That's down to a combination of my own experience and where I've seen it written down in resort comparisons (although I will admit that was mainly talking about Morzine and not the Les Gets side).
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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| @pam w, Yes it's not about mocro detail and nuance it's things which the reviewer perceives generally to be the main features. To be honest to me if all the features are about the charm of the village and the transfer time I can drive to charming country villages near home much easier. |
Depends on your needs Dave. If you've got a wife who only wants to be in pretty places and small kids who you don't want to put through a 3 hour transfer on windy roads, then that could be a major consideration.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Les Saisies
Best snow for miles around
Lots (almost 200kms) of easy/intermediate and very scenic skiing
No British tour operators, very French
But:
Little to challenge adventurous skiers
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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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| pam w wrote: |
Les Saisies
Best snow for miles around
Lots (almost 200kms) of easy/intermediate and very scenic skiing
No British tour operators, very French
But:
Little to challenge adventurous skiers |
Any ideas if it still get's rammed at half term?
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Depends which week of the French holidays our half term falls in. Yes, Saisies itself can get very busy - much like Les Gets - especially if snow is bad elsewhere and people are bussed in (though this is more liable to happen at New Year, obviously). Can escape to the much quieter slopes of Notre Dame de Bellecombe but, personally, I would never ski in ANY French resort at half term if I could possibly avoid it.
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You know it makes sense.
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@pam w, I'm trying to find somewhere to go half term 22 (which will be the first half term in 4 years for us). My brother is trying to coax me over to Baquiera Beret next year. Apparently it's empty during half term (he's there now as it happens, lives about 2 hours away from it), but the prices are eye wateringly expensive, especially as the snow conditions don't appear to be anywhere near as nice as the Alps at that time of year.
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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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Much as I love it, I honestly wouldn't recommend Les Saisies (or anywhere else in France) at half term. There are some very nice options in the Dolomites. I've always fancied Baquiera Beret, actually!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Timmycb5, Italy for half term, we skied from Champoluc and apart from one or two bottlenecks, experienced very little if any queues a few half terms ago.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
To be honest to me if all the features are about the charm of the village and the transfer time I can drive to charming country villages near home much easier.
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I could say that about a lot of things people find important when looking for where to ski. Restaurants and night life I can get in UK fine so no real interest. I couldn't care how french somewhere felt, or if there happened to be brits there or not (some kind of weird racism?!). On a snowboard trip I'm there to snowboard so only real interest is good terrain (for me that means challenging and ideally avy controlled), snow averages (anywhere can be good or bad on any day but why not improve my odds). Lift infrastructure is a nice bonus, but even that I would sacrifice for terrain. Probably explains why I like kicking horse so much, and others hate it.
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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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Thanks, I'll check it out
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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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Ischgl
Good
Great lift system
High thus snow sure
Great apres
Bad
Home runs too busy in late afternoon
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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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Les Deux Alpes
Good
+ Reliable snow
+ Big vertical
+ Good off piste
Bad
- Everything else 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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St Moritz:
Good
+ Good snow
+ Interesting and variety of terrain
+ Great cross country skiing network for even more variety
Bad
- Lots of drag lifts.
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@Timmycb5, I don't know Baqueira Beret (had to Google it), but we found when we had no choice about skiing at half term that Switzerland worked out favourably. While it is expensive as a destination, those prices don't seem to rise over UK half term so they are comparable with the prices elsewhere for that week.
(Sorry, diversion from thread topic).
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Trysil:
Good
- beautiful tree lined runs
- excellent and fun instruction
- great hotels, food, wellness
Bad
- very long drag lifts!
(would have added cost to the bad, but it's ok if you take your own booze!)
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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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Verbier
Good
+ Limitless world class freeride terrain
+ the diversity of people you meet on the mountain
+ Apres-ski in the April sunshine
Bad
- Powder frenzy
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OK one for each continent:
AltaBird:
Good:
+ the snow
+ great access
+ accommodations for any budget
Bad:
- on-piste skiing is surprisingly limited and boring
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis:
Good:
+ huge selection of notably long pistes in excellent condition
+ great kid sections, well separated from the rest of the area
+ Serfaus' unique subway works great and makes it a trick little town
Bad:
- dining scene in Serfaus is pretty lame
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Siviez
Good:
+ best location for skiing in 4vallees
+ ski in/ski out
+ quiet in the evening
Bad:
- really, really, really quiet in the evening
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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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| Timmycb5 wrote: |
| Depends on your needs Dave. If you've got a wife who only wants to be in pretty places and small kids who you don't want to put through a 3 hour transfer on windy roads, then that could be a major consideration. |
Oh I don't disagree so in that respect, if I hadn't been to Les Gets, your review would still be useful to me and my needs. I mean I don't actively dislike pretty places and convenient transfers (who does?) just that they aren't major weighting factors for me.
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Whistler
Good
- Huge by N American stds
- Awesome in fresh snow
- Bit of a scene
Bad
- Rain/gopping wet alpine snow
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