Aussies going ON A French adventure.

A snowHead

I have received plenty of fantastic advice over the years from this site. Our previous two trips to Europe have been successful thanks to the help I’ve received here. Special thanks to Alastair Pink.

Anyway we’re now under one hundred days until we are ‘wheels up’ out of Brisbane on January 3 so I thought I’d kick off a live trip report. The lead up and planning is half the fun!

My daughter finishes school in November. She has been studying French since year 6 and it has always been her favourite subject. I promised her and her friend I would take them to France at the end of their secondary schooling if they both did well academically. They’re both great students and now pretty accomplished French speakers (for 17 year old Australians anyway).

My wife and lad are part of the trip and my son talked me into letting him bring a mate too. So we’re a crew of 6. (If you haven’t had to buy 6 return airfares from Brisbane to Europe I would keep it that way - it hurts the hip pocket).

We fly into Paris to see the tourist sites for a couple of days before we take the train to Bourg Saint Maurice on Saturday 7th of January. We’re staying in a hotel near Gare de Lyon. While my wife and the girls see the tourist icons in Paris I’m seriously thinking of taking the train to Amiens to see the Australian World War One western front memorial at Villers Brettoneaux.

From Bourg we catch the funicular up the hill and Les Arcs 1800 will be our base until January 25. We’ve stayed in Les Arcs myself and my wife in March this year) before and we opted for that location again for a few reasons. Firstly we hope to get some snow days so a hill with tree skiing or tree lined runs is good for low visibility days. Secondly it’s handy to Bourg Saint Maurice. We intend on doing some days out to La Rosiere/La Thuile and Tignes/Val. Also my wife is going to take the girls on an overnight trip to Lyon in the middle of the stay. We chose 1800 over 1600 because it has the pool/fitness centre.

We’ve opted for two modest apartments. The teens in one and the adults in the other. They are in the Les Lauzieres complex. Both apartments for those 18 nights come to under 2500 Aussie dollars (about 1600 Euro). Great value I think!

We are relatively experienced skiers but my teens haven’t skied since very early 2020 in Japan. My wife and I have had only two trips since then. (Damn you Covid). I’m hoping the kids get the knack of skiing back quickly. The two ring in teens have never seen snow before. They have declared themselves snowboarders so my kids are going to spend the first week on boards with them. I’ll put them in lessons for that first week so they are hopefully pretty mobile so we can get around easily the rest of the time. All the kids are pretty athletic so I’m betting they’ll pick it up nicely.

My wife and the two lads fly back to Brisbane (out of Geneva) on January 25 so my lad and his mate can get back to school. The girls and I are going to Chamonix for a further week before we fly out of Milan. Why Chamonix? Well the Vallee Blanche is a bucket list thing for me and the group guiding thing (only 100 Euros a day) sounds fantastic. Also the girls can do day trips easily if they are not wanting to ski or snowboard. From what I can tell trips to Geneva, Annecy and Aosta are easy to do on the bus. We’re staying in an apartment in the middle of town. Only 150 Aussie dollars per night.

I’ve booked and paid for flights. Booked and half paid for the accommodation. Done the travel insurance. We going to do the Ski a la Carte thing for lift tickets. I’ve changed plenty of Aussie bucks to Euro so it’s essentially all paid for.
I haven’t booked the internal travel yet as the train tickets aren’t available for a few weeks I believe. I haven’t worked out how to go from Chamonix to Milan but there is a bus option or a train from Geneva. I’m thinking train might be best.

I really hope this works out well as I’m wanting to take a career break the following winter. My daughter can take a ‘gap’ 6 months out of university. She can work in a bar or as a lift attendant while I do my first season. I have Tignes on my radar as a good option for then. (Myself and my wife stayed there for a week this past March and loved the area).

I will update this thread as we get closer. I’ll have questions about lessons, gear rental (the ring ins won’t be taking there own), internal travel and things in general. Right now I’m checking the logistics of getting from our accommodation to Tignes for the day. (Seems a maxi taxi from Bourg will be best).

I’m hoping the energy crisis and Ukraine conflict don’t make our trip too interesting.
Roll on winter!

A snowHead

@sbooker, I’d say you’ve made all the right important calls there for a fantastic French trip.

Timing, base location, type of accommodation, non-snowsports trips, other snowsports area trips, travel, the lot! I hope your crew is grateful for all your excellent research. Smile

No doubt you’ll get plenty of snowHeads’ advice, whether requested or not. wink

Let’s start as we mean to go on. Don’t overlook St Foy Tarentaise for a day trip or three. Can be especially good when weather closed in higher up and after good snowfall.

La Rosiere / La Thuile is worth a day or two. I doubt you’d be lured back much more than that. The food on the Italian side might tempt more returns?

I’ve done the day travel to Tignes from Les Arcs (albeit 1600) a few times. Worth it if conditions significantly better up there and/or you just fancy a change of scene. We’ve either done it by bus, from the BSM bus station, adjacent the Gare. Or else we’ve rented a vehicle from the Europcar agency on the main road in BSM. Rental costs have zoomed since then but good deals, last minute, low season, might still be on offer.

For your longer term plan, I think again you’ve got the call right on ski area. Personally I’d look at a base on the Val D’Isere side of the area formerly known as Espace Killy. In fact, I don’t think you can beat La Daille, for location, better value accommodation and easy free bus or walk access to more of a proper town. Talk to @SteveAngus maybe? He lives there.

Happy days snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@sbooker, nice one. Good calls all round, esp. 2 apartments in Les Arcs! Haha haha.

Ski a la Carte doesn't cover Chamonix but there is an analogous "Rapidcard" https://www.montblancrapidcard.com/en/

Hmmm, if you haven't done the Paris tourist thing yourself, it is pretty special, as tourist cities go. But your Amiens excursion also sounds rather compelling. Choices, choices.

Chamonix -> (a) Milan airport (Malpensa?) - I think I'd take the train, from Cham to Martigny and then connect into the Swiss service to Milan Central. The Cham express is anything but, but it is spectacularly pretty as journeys go. And once you're on Swiss trains, well, efficiency. And decent wine.

Anticipating the gear question, I am afraid that for Cham I have to go with the family tie and can only recommend Concept Pro for kit. That said, they don't have a snowboard fleet (too little demand in their demographic) so that may not help.

Bring it on!

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@sbooker, briliant plan! For dinners, in places you will be visiting, check if they do Grolle/La Grola. Fun with a group

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@PeakyB,
Thanks. St Foy is on my radar and the day trip to La Thuile is a novelty thing so the ring ins can say they have been to Italy. We’ll have a nice pasta lunch.

Good tip on the car rental. I’ll look into it.

I really want to do a a ‘off piste’ course/lessons the first week while the kids are on the steep learning curve. I can’t seem to book anything yet. We had a week of lessons with Evo 2 in Tignes in March and they were good. Any other recommendations?

For the kids board lessons I guess ESF will be fine. I’d like a French instructor for the girls so they can converse a bit.

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@sbooker, Compared to some other sHs who have already posted I don't know much about the French resorts you're going to. However, it sounds like you've researched your trip well.

I think your wife and the girls will enjoy their trip to Lyon. Tell them to be sure to visit the Fourvière district which is situated on a hill overlooking the city and river Saône.

I look forward to your trip report as it progresses. snowHead

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@under a new name,
Thanks. I’ll check the Rapid card out.
We had a taste of Paris last March. I’ll do a day of tourist stuff and a day to the memorial I think.

We’re flying out of Malpensa. We have a day in Milan before we depart so might stay in the city centre which I suppose is near to the train station. I’ll checkout the train to Martigny. Efficiency that day is not important really as it will be a dedicated travel day.

I’m a craft beer tragic so any pubs that do beer other than lager in Cham? I’m sure there are. When we were in Les Arcs/Tignes in March we managed to track down some good brews. Sapaudia Brewing comes to mind.

After all it is free

@PeakyB, thanks for reminding me about the bus from bourg St maurice to tignes. I've always fancied the off piste route from col du palet down to champagny and hence home via la plagne or even sticking to GR5 to Nancroix.

@sbooker, try arc adventures for off piste lessons.

@mooney058,
Grolle looks interesting. My daughters friend is an enthusiastic novice drinker. My daughter went to a friends 18th birthday party last night and had her first alcoholic drink. She’ll only be 17 while we’re there in January but I’m sure they’ll sample the fun at the Folie in both Arc 1800 and Cham. In fact we’ll stop in at the Val one at the end of our day to Espace Killy. We were impressed with the energy of the punters when we were last there.
We will be sure to take them to the Cherry Garden restaurant in Bourg. It’s fantastic Thai fusion food and they do a great frogs legs. As about as stereotypical as there is in France. Great novelty value.

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@Alastair Pink,
As far as research goes I have learnt from the best. Smile

Thanks for the Lyon tip!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@johnE,
Thanks! I hope they do a group lesson. I’m somewhat tight and private lessons while I’m sure are great don’t fit with my spending habits.
Are you there in January? I might come to 1600 to put a face to the name.

snow reports

@sbooker,

@PeakyB,
I would love to do a week with TDCski or Snoworks but it’s be a pain in the rear to travel to Tignes every day for a week unfortunately.
Maybe next trip.

You know it makes sense.

@sbooker, craft ale?

Bighorn Brasserie - generally wide range of around (?) 5-6 craft ales at any one time. Rhys is a fanatic.

Big Mountain Brewery - what it says on the tin. Reasonably recently founded, doing very well. The Double IPA is lovely, but too strong for a session!

Beer O'Clock - self serve, 14 (?) taps?

MBC - the original - also good food

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@under a new name,
I’ll put on 10 kilos in January.

A snowHead

Beer in CHX is easy. Big Mountain and MBC for starters. Probably more.

A snowHead

@sbooker, I'm planning to leave les arcs on new year's eve and will not be back until March.

We are heading the other way - to Japan.

Shame though I'd love to meet up.

We do visit 1800 to use the swimming pool and in the past for a night out. The walk back at 2am in the moonlight was wonderful Very Happy

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@johnE,
Japan. Wonderful. So many ski destinations on this planet but so little time…
If you’re in Hokkaido be sure to check out Sapporo Teine for a day or two. We skied there in late December 2019 and shared the hill with a school group and a Japanese military group that both skied on the groomed ‘courses’. We had 20cm of fresh until the last run of the day. Awesome.

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Sounds a fantastic plan.

I know there are direct buses (through the tunnel) from Chamonix to Milan, I have seen them listed on bus stops. You might have to contact tourist information for details, or once you are there ask in the ticket office at Chamonix Sud bus station.

I can confirm that Big Mountain beer is very drinkable (named for Mont Blanc, but actually brewed in Passy I believe). Marmotten Bier is another good one. Craft beers are big in that part of France - often UK-style IPAs etc - and you shouldn't have too much trouble tracking them down.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@j b,
I’m pretty boring on the partying scene to be honest.
I rarely drink grog before about 5pm. Generally have a big day on skis or doing the tourist thing and then have a couple of drinks before dinner. Love a ‘locals’ style dive bar. A chat with some grungy workers is great.
I’ll always have a red wine with a meal and then often a nightcap. Rinse and repeat.
I wake pretty early raring for a big day.

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@sbooker, Claude would shoot me for suggesting his bar is in any way a “dive”, but South Bar in Cham Sud is very defo a “locals” bar (Beckett across square a more anglo version) and he does tap up Leffe, IPA, and some strong Belgian things. Otherwise, the Bistrot des Sports is a “café historique” and we like a lot.

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@under a new name,
I hope the locals can speak Strayan.

After all it is free

@sbooker, I thought the language you Aussies spoke was Strine. wink

Here's an explanation of Strine from the BBC in 1965. Toofy Grin

https://fb.watch/fVb-Hasi8G/

@sbooker, I've just messaged Tim, the Head Brewer at Sapaudia. Their craft ales are available in the following Cham bars/restos:

Vert
Beckett and Wilde
Big Horn
Monkey.

Sounds like a half decent pub crawl to me!

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@chocksaway, ah, the Vert often has offerings from Man & Wolf on, never had a bad one yet.

Bit of a hike out of town mind you.

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@sbooker, and for the younger members, l’Hydromel ( Mead) does epic “pornstars” - ‘secco, vanilla-flavoured vodka, Passoã, passion fruit, lime juice - Mrs U is a big fan.

snow reports

Thanks all. Much to look forward to!

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

@j b,
Coffee stops are one of the pleasures of being on the mountain. I’m not ruining a powder morning for one though!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@rjs,
I didn’t know a ‘long stay visa’ was a thing to be honest. Ideally early December to mid April would be the timeframe.

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Sounds like a great trip.I’m also an Aussie doing a multi stop Euro ski trip next year. As a matter of fact I’m possibly going to be staying in Bourg from 24 - 28 January after a few days in Paris. I might also be in Grindelwald, Switzerland on those dates but haven’t decided yet (next stop after that is Zermatt).

I know what you mean about the airfares. Could have bought mine for a great price but I hadn’t decided exactly where I was going yet. The flights I’ve booked have now gone up to $3800 Shocked

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@sbooker, You can't apply for a 2024 visa yet, so no rush. If you are not wanting to work then it looks fine, just pay 99 euro.

No idea if there is a way for your daughter to get a working visa.

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FWIW my kids who have UK and NZ passports and had no trouble getting working visas for France next season using NZ passports, so would think it's a similar deal for Aus.

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@hang11,
Good info. She’ll need a job. I’ll rent the apartment but I’m not keeping her in food and sessions with the cool kids all winter. I assume working would be the best way to met people anyway.

After all it is free

@under a new name,
I just checked the cost of the train to Milan. It’s significant. There’ll be three of us so I think we’ll take the bus. Takes a few hours but is only 14 Euro each. Will be quicker than the train anyway.

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So we’ve just booked our direct train from Gare de Lyon to Bourg St Maurice. A very reasonable (to me anyway) 36 Euro each. Timing is perfect too. Leaves Paris at 10.39am so will allow for us to check out a Paris market or do something touristy in the early morning. (Our hotel is very close to Gare de Lyon).
The train to Bourg will be a little more than 48 hours after we get off a 24 hour flight so will be perfect to clear any residual jet lag. We’ll then be champing at the bit for 4 weeks in the mountains.
Less than 90 days to wait now………

Help!!

Aussies going ON A French adventure.

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