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Talk me into going somewhere other than Alpe d'Huez/Vaujany

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
IMO Alpe d'Huez has the following features:

1. huge ski area with plenty of nice blues and reds (for my friends who like that sort of thing)
2. loads of interesting and relatively untracked off-piste with runs up to 2000m vertical (for me)
3. pretty uncrowded except at the usual French peak times
4. easy to get to (less than 2 hours to the nearest airport)
5. easy access to other worthwhile places (La Grave, LDA, Les Sept Laux...)
6. attractive laid back village with good facilities (Vaujany that is, although I don't think the main ADH village is too bad)
7. decent accommodation if you know where to look
8. excellent mountain restaurants
9. not too many annoying fellow punters

Thing is, I'm feeling a bit self-conscious for always suggesting to my friends that we go there. So where else offers all this? I'm struggling a bit - Espace Killy gets on my nerves, as do the Trois Vallees. Perhaps somewhere like Piesey Vallandry for Les Arcs/La Plagne might be worth a look.

Maybe Verbier or St Anton, but surely they get tracked out in no time? Zermatt?

Not that interested in North America for these purposes, although I am not dismissing it as a ski destination!

So where else has the features above??? Or should I just stick with what I know and love?

Thanks!
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Arno wrote:
Perhaps somewhere like Piesey Vallandry for Les Arcs/La Plagne might be worth a look.


I think that would be a good choice. Easy access to a huge ski domain from any of the Les Arc villages (or from Bourg St Maurice), great range of skiing both on-piste and off, tree-lined and high altitude open bowl, easy access to some other places like St Foy, La Rosiere/La Thuile, good Brit-run ski school in Vallandry. You also have a the option to get there by train if that is of interest to your group.
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Rubbish. Alpe d'Huez is the only way forward!
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Arno, If it aint broke, don't fix it.
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To save someone else the effort, La Rosiere is an earthly paradise which matches your needs perfectly. Early booking discounts available.
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ben wright, I would agree. Apparently it is very similar to Le Seignus and the surrounding L'Espace Lumiere
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Frost the Snowman - No, we fall down on number 5 as, other than the rest of l'Espace Lumiere, there are no other resorts within day trip distance. Otherwise I would have posted a lengthy paean to the area.

Oh, and we're 2 hrs 15 from the airport - complimentary transfers in our minibus Very Happy
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After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I agree with Frosty and Lizzard: if you are happy with Vaujany/Alpe d'Huez, then stick with it.
From your list of things you like about the place, I don't think anywhere else has anything more to offer.
I have one or two favourite resorts, and only go elsewhere if friends invite me.
You can waste so much time exploring new resorts.
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Jonpim, said

Quote:

I agree with Frosty and Lizzard: if you are happy with Vaujany/Alpe d'Huez, then stick with it.
From your list of things you like about the place, I don't think anywhere else has anything more to offer.
I have one or two favourite resorts, and only go elsewhere if friends invite me.
You can waste so much time exploring new resorts



Well (after years an years an years of going to Tignes)...I couldn't disagree more ! snowHead

Arno, how many weeks do you ski each year ? If you only get 1 or 2 - then it's probably worth staying at ADH. If you can get more than that, try somewhere else ! snowHead

I think if you go to any large French ski area, you'll find they are all pretty similar... the off-piste will be tracked in two minutes, there are too many people etc etc.

This year we went to Austria (Ishgl) to do some ski-touring. And some things were very different snowHead LOUD music, carving skis, and huge quantities of beer in the ski area...good job the touring was much nicer rolling eyes Then we were in Gressoney - really good food, small, but wonderful ski-area and not too many people. Oh - and powder in the trees.

Did we 'waste so much time' exploring ? Well yes and no - yes if we'd been in Tignes then (on a powder day) we know where to go...whereas it was a bit hit-an-miss in Gressoney to start with. On the other hand....found lo's of good things to do there..and now have somewhere else to go !
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ski, the big difference I found at Val T, is that when we say "tracked out" we mean (Oisans generally), that there are no fresh tracks available. In Val T it meant that the off piste was virtually piste, but no machines!
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I'm with Rob - Les Arcs/ Paradiski is where its at - Have done 5 weeks there now and still haven't covered it all - And your close to a lot of other cool places as well
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ski, difficult to generalise but I got about 24 days skiing in this year. It was actually mostly made up of weekends/long weekends (went to Whistler (for longer than a weekend!), ADH, La Grave, LDA, Gressoney and Engelberg twice so I got around a bit).

This year I fancy doing a week with friends so I am beginning to think ADH will probably get the nod. I'd love to do a full week somewhere like Engelberg but I think those sticking to pistes might get a bit bored.
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You know it makes sense! Say hello to the tiger on your way past.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Lizzard, looked out for him last time i was in the area and couldn't spot him. was worried the poor thing had died!
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Arno, how about Serre Chevalier?
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
helen is right, serre che has an amazing amount to offer all standards of skiers/boarder.

the off piste is amazing, the on piste is amazing! the trees are totally awesome!

its good for beginers too, lots of easy greens and blues and i believe the terrain is good for learners to progress quickly on.

if you like doing drops, there are plenty.

if you want testing blacks monetier is the place, try the montangol or the iray face (sorry spelling isn't my hotspot!)

deffo come to serre che!
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snowangel.,
Serre Che is great but Yret face and Montagnolle are off piste not black. Wheras Yret is fairly safe as it is above a piste and blasted for avalanches I would not try Montagnolle without information on avalanche risk/guidance there are I believe a couple of potential places where it can slide.
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Arno, You know what's coming, don't you...

Given the nature of your group, you might actually (out of high season) like the PDS. I do, but that's cos I know it quite well. If you don't, you might fall into the "not knowing where to go" trap. It may fall down on the not too many annoying punters - but then again, if you know where to go...

Particular highpoints:

* Very good mix of gradients to suit everyone (including some fairly fun blacks, reasonably accessible couloirs, etc. and some very well regarded touring)
* I think it has a lot of accessible, lift served (or nearly) off piste. There are some good itineraires (probably not itineraires as they're not on the piste map)...and of you know where you're going you can find untracked (but sensible) stuff
* Well enough linked that with a degree of compromise mixed groups can meet for lunch etc. without boring some and terrifying others.
* Some truly excellent mountain restaurants (if that's what you're into, I am...)
* 250 or so lifts and 650km or so of piste. Your average group of tourists will not get bored.
*Morzine or Les Gets are decent towns with good range of accomodation. Avoriaz might also be a thought.

Alternatively, I know someone with a few very (to be) nicely renovated apartments in Chamonix Central... wink
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David Murdoch, thought someone might mention PDS. I think I must fall into the category of someone who doesn't really know their way around. My impression (formed over only a couple of days) was that it was a bit bitty for my taste - lots of lifts and short runs. That said, I'll probably be going for a weekend there with people at work so I'll hopefully find someone to show me the good spots
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Arno,

I plan to try and hook up with Snowcrazy in the Paradiski. He knows the area very well, is qualified and it has the NF which should appeal..!!
Everyone else can bomb around LP and Les Arcs if they so wish
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Arno, I say go with what you know! 100% agree with you on what you say about Alpe d'Huez - next year will be my 4th season there and I wouldn't want to go anywhere else! If you fancy something just a little bit different check out our chalet in ADH and let us spoil you for a week. We are happy to give discounts to snowheads so have a look at our website www.skialacarte.co.uk and get in touch if you would like a quote for your group.

PS - I didn't see the dog all of last season. I was worried it might of died as well!
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katski, had a sniff around those chalets by the altiport last time I was there (just got off my heli ride from clavans wink ). They are certainly a notch up on most other accommodation in ADH itself.

Off topic, but I really need an answer on the Allemont tiger. We need to know whether it is:

1. dead
2. confiscated by the police again
3. shy in its old age and therefore more difficult to spot from the road
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I rather liked what I saw of Alpe D'Huez. About the one thing that might be worth considering is that a lot of slopes seemed to be south-facing - so, when i was there, I thought snow stability might have been more of a problem than resorts that did not have so many south facing slopes. Was I right? Perhaps some our resident experts - such as davidoff, easiski, and PG might comment.
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Nick Zotov, Arno, is as much an expert on ADH as anyone! Very Happy
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Nick Zotov, if you're talking stability from an avalanche point of view, very much the majority of avalanches happen on north facing slopes. and if you're worried about everything heating up during the day, you can ski south facing runs in the morning (grand sablat, combe de loup for example) and northish facing ones (pyramide, l'impossible, montfrais sector) in the afternoon
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T Bar wrote:
snowangel.,
Serre Che is great but Yret face and Montagnolle are off piste not black. Wheras Yret is fairly safe as it is above a piste and blasted for avalanches I would not try Montagnolle without information on avalanche risk/guidance there are I believe a couple of potential places where it can slide.


the yret face was pisted a black this year.

yeh the other is off piste but oh so worth it, was 2 big slides at the end of the season, made for very interesting hiking out!!

just showing how much difference you can find in one resort
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
May well be back in the Oisans next week - will drop in and check on the tiger.
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Lizzard, excellent. I need to know.

Are you also known as Dinosaur on another forum?
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Arno wrote:
Nick Zotov, if you're talking stability from an avalanche point of view, very much the majority of avalanches happen on north facing slopes. and if you're worried about everything heating up during the day, you can ski south facing runs in the morning (grand sablat, combe de loup for example) and northish facing ones (pyramide, l'impossible, montfrais sector) in the afternoon


Thanks.

Must say, I was impressed by Alpe D'Huez. Seemed to be labelled as a family resort, yet there was much to do for all.
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snowangel.,
Wasn't meaning to sound snippy, I agree that Serre Che is a great place with plenty of variety.

I don't know if we are talking about the same side of Yret as I didn't see any evidence of the bit I was meaning being a piste in April but I may not have noticed or be talking about a different bit.

Anyway good luck with your venture in Serre Che and I hope it works well, It's certainly a great place. snowHead snowHead
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Nick Zotov, sush! i'm very happy for people to keep thinking it's a family resort if it leaves all the fresh tracks to me!
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T Bar, the Yret face is deinitely a black (to the right and under the chair), and a red piste runs off to the left as you exit the chairlift (the 2 man one on the far right of the 3 chairs). You can go off-piste from there though (my kids and hubby were jumping cornices_), and then down onto the Tabuc black. The Cibouit (which goes over the top to Cucumelle) has off piste under the chairlift, and pistes (Col du Vent, Rouge de Cibouit) off the far side down to the Cucumelle chair. Montagnole is most definitely off-piste though.
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Arno, How about a setting up a base at Chamonix (? sud) and skiing that valley for a few days. You can even take your piste basher friends down Valle Blanche and maybe that will be enough to inspire them to pull their fingers out and do some proper skiing with you. Then when you get bored Les Carroz (Grand Massif) is 30 min drive up the motorway where there is some decent off piste including tree skiing. When the thought of another Tartiflette brings on a bout of nausea hop under Mt Blanc and in 40 min you're skiing in Italy (Courmeyer). This trip will give you all the vertical you want and will give your mates a variety of different pistes. Chamonix is a great place with relatively few Brits and plenty to do on your days off. The Chamonix guides can take to all the above places with private transport (minibus) included in their normal daily fare. It also meets your requirement of being close to an airport. If you like a longer day trip Champoluc is around 1h15 drive.
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PP wrote:
Chamonix is a great place with relatively few Brits.


Shocked I can only assume that you also love Alpe d'Huez and want to keep it all to yourself
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Helen Beaumont,
I am pretty sure you have the Cibouit and Yret mixed up. Puzzled The run I am talking about is the one that goes directly back down under the three man chair which I have always thought of as the Yret chair. snowHead snowHead
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Arno, Chamonix is a great place!!

Not sure what is being meant about the rarity of anglophones though wink Puzzled
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T Bar, you're right of course, I get them mixed up all the time. Just checked the piste map. the three chairs are (left to right), Col del'Eychauda, Yret, and Cibouit. Eychauda and Yret link onto the main ski area, but Cibouit (the 2 man) doesn't. There is a black , red and blue from the top of Cibouit. The blue (Pas de l'Ane) crosses back to the Eychauda piste, the black piste goes under the chairlift. The Yret chair is the central one, and there is some steep off-piste under it, definitely not marked as a piste on my map. There is a short black from the top though, the Col du Vent, which joins onto the yret red further down. I should check my facts shouldn't I? Got to go.
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David Murdoch, I do like Chamonix but it fails miserably on the "untracked off-piste" requirement
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Arno, Having read, and thought about your post...I'd a) stay at ADH - you can then show your freinds around with the mininmum of hassle wink , and b) (when they've gone away) - get your skins on and get away from everyone ! snowHead
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Arno, Generally Les Oisans has it all - it's really just a question of which resort to stay in!
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