![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) Poster: A snowHead
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Just back from a week in La Tania - first time trip to Three Valleys.
Booked with SkiBeat after a recommendation from a Snowed and stayed in a catered Chalet - Chalet Jennifer.
Flights with Jet 2 - no issues at Gatwick - bit of a delay at Lyon but nothing terrible.
Transfer time to resort 2 and a half hours.
Chalet was comfortable enough - more than made up by the company we had who mad the holiday - great crowd.
We were near Moretta Blanche Red run which was closed but you could ski down to the bubble in the morning - piste was poor at start of week but was a better option than walking down. Once we found our way we were able to ski back to our starting point otherwise it was a bit of a pain walking back to the Chalet from the village.
SkiBeat staff were all excellent in the chalet especially. Standard of food was very good with good breakfast options.
First time in the area - we spent our first three days in the Courchevel area - had a couple of private lessons. The skiing was generally very good in the morning and then the usual horrible mushy, lumpy afternoon mess.
Ventured over to Meribel, St Martin and Les Menuires with some great runs over here.
Shout out to George a fellow snowed who was in our Chalet on part of his 12 week skiathon this year. Great recommendation for Jerusalem run with its outstanding views.
A brilliant week - weather a bit too warm and snow badly needed in places.
Hopefully a return visit is not too far away.
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Glad you enjoyed it.
My chalet, Beriozka, in La Tania was also excellent.
I have to say that chalet aside, LT is a long way off my favourite base after staying there - and I thought yet again about the 3V that the best skiing is Les Men/VT/St Martin side. Jerusalem is one of my fave runs in the whole Alps
I think the 3V is part myth/part legend as to how good it is.
Yes, it is big but it doesn't imho feel as spacious and as free as Alpe d Huez or Les Arcs/La Plagne or VDI/Tignes or as charming as somewhere little like Valmorel or even the French and Dutch stronghold of the Sybelles and I think all are better resorts now apart from the Sybelles of which Le Corbier is pug ugly.
In Courch there are too many old gondolas/bubbles and I just felt a bit underwhelmed by Courchevel and Meribel this time - I have always thought the region is a bit all dress and no knickers, as I once said to a fat useless sales manager I had about her approach. Meribel seems almost claustrophobic.
And I have skied the whole area - I only tend to neglect the bits around Mottaret, which I didn't think much of - imagine Times Sq in Ny before it was pedestrianised and all the through traffic filtering through an icy, shady bottleneck.
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) 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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@Yellow Snow, I guess it depends what kind of runs you like? I really enjoy the skiing around Courchevel, and hardly ever dropped over to Meribel unless it was to get somewhere else, loads of off piste and decent blacks/reds off Suisses, Saulire or Vizelle, plus Jean Blanc and Folyeres in the mornings when pisted. Grand Coloir also a great run- suspect it'll be a nice slushy mogul field at the moment!
Days out to Mount Vallon or quickly over to Val T all possible.
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kitenski wrote: |
@Yellow Snow, I guess it depends what kind of runs you like? I really enjoy the skiing around Courchevel, and hardly ever dropped over to Meribel unless it was to get somewhere else, loads of off piste and decent blacks/reds off Suisses, Saulire or Vizelle, plus Jean Blanc and Folyeres in the mornings when pisted. Grand Coloir also a great run- suspect it'll be a nice slushy mogul field at the moment!
Days out to Mount Vallon or quickly over to Val T all possible. |
I don't think that has anything to do with it - I think other areas have simply caught up
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Saulire definitely better than Jerusalem this week which (having read so much hype) is pretty disappointing in the slush.
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Skimum1 wrote: |
Saulire definitely better than Jerusalem this week which (having read so much hype) is pretty disappointing in the slush. |
I think Jerusalem was slightly ruined when some of its sections were reprofiled to "downgrade" it from a red to a blue run ... it's never fun at this time of year as you need to build momentum at the top for the rolling terrain mid-section. It's still a lovely run though and combined with Loy / Biollay a lovely descent down to StM.
If I may join the Courchevel debate ... the reds /off-piste served by the Chapelets chair in 1650 are immense.
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Personally I couldn't care less if @Yellow Snow doesn't like the 3Vs and never comes back - it leaves more room for those of us who love it
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@alangibson73, stopped in Jennifer a number of years ago with Ski Beat had a great time but boy were the walls thin, lots of sound carry over. Have they improved this? I presume you found the route back via the green run in the end?
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Raceplate wrote: |
Personally I couldn't care less if @Yellow Snow doesn't like the 3Vs and never comes back - it leaves more room for those of us who love it ![Laughing](images/smiles/icon_lol.gif) |
I never said I didn't like it - I basically said that bits of it are over-rated - try reading things properly - or is that why you're too dull to try anywhere else
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Yellow Snow, I've skied everywhere you've mentioned fairly extensively except the Sybelles. Horses for courses old chap.
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) 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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Raceplate wrote: |
@Yellow Snow, I've skied everywhere you've mentioned fairly extensively except the Sybelles. Horses for courses old chap. |
All ski choices are marmite
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Quote: |
All ski choices are marmite |
If someone really can't enjoy 600km of piste in the 3Vs, it begs the question as to whether there is any hope for all other ski areas
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) You know it makes sense.
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) Poster: A snowHead
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@alangibson73, glad you had a good time and a bonus of meeting Fat George the snow is falling just in time for the family bash and EOSB so I will have a few runs for you and Anne. You must come and meet up with us in the summer at the Snow Centre or the Snowheads ski test later in the year.
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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mountainaddict wrote: |
Quote: |
All ski choices are marmite |
If someone really can't enjoy 600km of piste in the 3Vs, it begs the question as to whether there is any hope for all other ski areas ![Laughing](images/smiles/icon_lol.gif) |
The problem with this is the type of pistes. A large proportion of that (claimed) 600k are boulevard greens, blues and relatively easy reds. There is little variation compared to other resorts (Verbier and EK spring to mind, although I am biased). I accept that a huge amount of skiers love this sort of terrain, and there's a reason it's one of the most popular areas, but I just find it all a bit boring, sorry. Give me quality over quantity every time.
Shall now don my tin hat for the inevitable onslaught
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) 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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Dr John wrote: |
mountainaddict wrote: |
Quote: |
All ski choices are marmite |
If someone really can't enjoy 600km of piste in the 3Vs, it begs the question as to whether there is any hope for all other ski areas ![Laughing](images/smiles/icon_lol.gif) |
The problem with this is the type of pistes. A large proportion of that (claimed) 600k are boulevard greens, blues and relatively easy reds. There is little variation compared to other resorts (Verbier and EK spring to mind, although I am biased). I accept that a huge amount of skiers love this sort of terrain, and there's a reason it's one of the most popular areas, but I just find it all a bit boring, sorry. Give me quality over quantity every time.
Shall now don my tin hat for the inevitable onslaught |
You won't be donning your tin hat from me: I think that is well articulated and is part of how I feel about it.....the area matches the clientelle......."well trimmed pubes" to quote Chalet Girl. Give me a big old 70s growler any day.
There was little off piste this year to break up the groomers, so that may have influenced the feeling too.
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![](templates/subSilver/images/full_size.gif) Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Layne wrote: |
For me 3V is fantastic, Paradiski is fantastic, EK is fantastic, ADH is fantastic, etc. How could they not be. The rest is detail, fun to discuss but still detail. And are they perfect. Well, no. But, neither am I. |
Very well put
Layne wrote: |
Jerusalem... never understood what all the fuss was about |
Couldn't agree more
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