 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hello I’m after advice from all your vast knowledge
Booked Geneva flights for next year for family of 4 all competent skiers mainly reds (probably should have chosen a different airport)
I have been to Les Gets for the last few years now need a change (went to La Tania in-between, loved the skiing but not the village) I’m after a resort which can be easily accessible from a transfer company.
Will be going half term and are used to lift queues first thing 
Normally book chalets and self cater
Requirements:-
Charming, Pretty village - not an eye-sore
With a handful of bars and restaurants, mainly bars on way back to chalet with the odd meal out
Enough ski area for varied skiing for a week
The 2 resorts I can think of is La Clusaz and Samoens ?
Anybody offer me some advice on those 2 or any others I should consider ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
With no one replying about those resorts so far, I will offer St Gervais. It satisfies the requirement for a charming village with good bars and restaurants - though whether they are on your way back home depends on the location of your rental.
Disadvantage, the village itself is low (850m) so the home run (red) isn't always open though February raises the odds. Most people download on the last gondola anyway.
Reasonably large ski area, probably 250km accessible just by lifts with another 100 km in Combloux requiring the free bus across Megeve, and a further 100km on the pass up the road in Les Contamines requiring the regular bus service. Mostly reds and blues.
(Those distances are a guess, certainly the total is in excess of 400km).
If you are booking your own transfer it is just 5 miles off the motorway so takes not much more than an hour from the airport - depending on the traffic in Geneva. Alpvbus do a shared transfer, but it drops off centrally rather than at your own accommodation and for four probably costs similar to booking your own. (There are also public transport options, but slower).
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Samoens is an attractive village but (because it's a traditional, valley-floor place) it's a schlep from there to the skiing! Same applies to St Gervais - which is much bigger, of course, and a proper town.
Chamonix is scarcely a "village" but it's a lots-going-on sort of place, with more reds than you can shake a ski-pole at.
Les Saisies is an attractive village with lots of convenient and very scenic skiing with the best of the best of the red slopes probably those in (lift-linked) Notre Dame de Bellecombe. You can ski from village to village round the Espace Diamant.
You didn't say when you are going - might make a difference to recommendations.
None of these present the breadth and depth of skiing you access very easily from La Tania!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Samoëns, have you previously visited @DaiSki, ? as it's often referred to as very attractive as its main attribute, but it's not "on" the snow.
To be clear, I really like Samoëns, but recognize it's a different experience to staying located "at" the piste side type village. Good ambiance, looks lovely, fairly vibrant evening with some very good restaurants and bar to enjoy.
From village centre it's bus to lift and back, downloading too as (unless you ski down to Vercland) as no particular route down to valley. Certainly it's not pretty up there at Samoës 1600 but with some very good lunchtime options.
No problem skiing from here to all other areas of GM, I really like this sector outside the main bowl of Flaine with many nooks and crannies to explore. No criticism here either.
We've only been with a car, winter and summer, which makes using all the elements easy, but there are competent bus routes around the various access stations if without , Morillon, Vercland as well as principal Samoës lift station.
As above, plenty of facilities but in reality a little more dispersed than some others, so hopefully gives you accurate picture.
It's genuinely a lovely valley though.
Morillon and Les Carroz probably hold advantage for ski convenience though.
Flaine (as oft mentioned here  ) may not suit your visual requirements, but is exemplary for ski access to same area. I like it, it has much more to offer than a superficial architectural critique gives.
A compromise may be les terraces d Eos just outside main village with really nice apartment along with superb pool facilities. They've an outside one up on a terrace overlooking the whole valley, stunning out there at night and worthwhile as part of the week. We don't often use a pool on ski holidays, but that one, every night it's so good.
There are many very very good lunch choices around the whole area. If you do decide on it then get some more input as it's worth it.
Other suggestion, Champéry is as different in location and feel to the opposite side of of PdS and worthy of consideration, train transfer too.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@DaiSki, "Charming, Pretty village - not an eye-sore
With a handful of bars and restaurants, mainly bars on way back to chalet with the odd meal out
Enough ski area for varied skiing for a week"
If you want a bullseye hit, then Grimentz. Just search it and flick search to pictures
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Chamonix is certainly an easy transfer. Find accom with walking access to Brevent-Flegere. We haven't been up Grands Montets all year. Had a cracking day around B-F on Thursday, just side piste, no hiking. But cracking.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
La Clusaz fits that bill really well I think. The village is pretty, there are some great restaurants in the ski area, and the skiing is diverse - good off piste at la balme, and some great piste skiing in the middle. So that would get my vote. Grand Bornand next door is also worth a look- pretty villages too, although the skiing tops out a fair bit lower down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@A118, agreed La Clusaz would be a very good option.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
If your half term coincides with Paris, I'd have a serious look at Grimentz..... If you decide on La Clusaz, it's a very easy drive from Gva airport. Worth having a car to take advantage of the whole "Aravis" lift pass, including Le Grand Bornand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Train access to Villar or Les diablerets, both authentic Swiss.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Thanks all for all your responses and suggestions I haven’t considered,
@pam w, looks like my half term is inline with Paris (normally is, but haven’t had a major problem with that to date).
@ski3, Grimentz does look nice, probably bit to far looks like 3 hours approx unfortunately.
La Clusaz looks like the front runner at the moment, still plenty of time to keep looking 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
I'd reckon Grimentz is a bit over 2 hours from GVA, rather than 3. A closer Swiss option (~1.5 hour transfer) would be Champery, which links into Portes du Soleil (though it's a little out on a limb)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Villas?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
@dan100, don't you mean "chalets"?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
I would suggest Les Carroz. In the grand massif ski area but unlike samoens you can ski back to the door if you stay in an apartment at Les chalets de jouvence.
Les Saisies would also be a good option.
It is a while since I’ve been to la clusaz. It has some good skiing but isn’t as well linked up as the grand massif or espace Diamant above.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Samoens is quite small, and as another poster has said, a bit of a schlep to the lifts.
La Clusaz has a much more buzzy atmosphere, plenty of varied skiing, and more bars/restaurants then you’ll need in a week. Is it as pretty with genuine French atmosphere as Les Gets? Not quite, but I’m biased
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
I suspect that La Clusaz is a great deal more French than Les Gets, where you hear English all around....
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
| pam w wrote: |
| I suspect that La Clusaz is a great deal more French than Les Gets, where you hear English all around.... |
It’s unfortunately true Pam, of Les Gets, part of the spillover from Morzine and summer OTB popularity. We usually try and alleviate this by speaking French, or occasionally Irish  ️
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Les Gets has always had loads of English speakers when I've been there - not for years now. and long before the mountain bike craze got going. Not as bad as Meribel where, very early in the season, I once asked in my best French for "two beers please" and was told by the dopey girl behind the bar that she didn't speak French.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Whereas in Saisies it is quite common to come across people who don't speak English. I like this, as I can do much better in French with French people who speak very little English! When we first went there, in 2002, if you heard someone speaking English, in a restaurant for example, you'd probably exchange a few words with them, because it was so unusual. It's less unusual now, but still a very small minority of visitors are Anglophone.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
