Chamrousse booked - swap to Val Cenis?

A snowHead

Afternoon all.

We are booked for the 1st week of Easter (1st April 22) for Chamrousse. We are driving, and I'm taking my teen kids for their first trip to the mountains (decent on the dry stuff, and will keep practicing).

Chamrousse was chosen as I've been before, and also very good value.

I was chatting to someone the other day, and they mentioned Val Cenis, and it got me thinking, so I been looking at options.

Looks to be similar value, so that isn't a consideration, but given the choice, would you swap to Val Cenis, or stick with Chamrousse? The late season part of the timing tends to make me think stick with Chamrousse due to village height, but I'm happy to be persuaded if SH's think that VC would deliver. There 'appears' to be more variety of skiing in VC.

Cheers

A snowHead

I've skied both. VC for an easter trip, much later than your dates, and the snow was ok, but heavy PM. The apartments in VC we had weren't the best, but it was done on a budget (Napolean Apartments) - plenty more (better?) apartments I reckon but be careful which village your in, they all have slightly different personalities from "valley town with skiing" to "cutesy ski station". There is a bit more skiing in VC but not really enough to have me cancelling Chamrousse if I'd already booked.
The nice thing with VC if you're driving is La Norna and Val Frejus are on the lift pass if you fancy "away days"
I liked Chamrousse with my kids for their 1st week on snow, good lifts, good ski school, good value, convenient accomodation.

It's a coin toss between the two for me, if you know Chamrousse and its your kids 1st time think I'd stick rather than twist.

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

I would go to Val Cenis for better skiing if it cost nothing to swap.

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@SHAP, I would argue that village height was pretty unimportant, if as is the case with VC you don't need to return to the village after each run. VC's top lift is approx 500m higher than Chamrousses amd you could spend most of your day above 2100 if the conditions required it in VC. Therefore my money would be on better piste conditions overall in VC and who really cares if the final home run of the day is a slushy mess. I've never skied either but am going to VC in March

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@davidof, thanks, your opinion is very useful as I know you live in the area.

@andy n netty, any suggestions of which VC village to consider? Termignon seems a little remote, Lanslebourg seems ideal as good access for both sides but Lanslevillard seems to be the slightly larger area?

@rambotion, Good point. VC top to bottom is MUCH more than Chamrousse, and if the snows gods haven't been kind, the extra 500m or so could be useful...

You'll need to Register first of course.

Lanselbourg has a real "working town" feel to it, we stayed there, good shops decent bars/restaurants, you're more likely to head towards Laselvillard on your skis so not as central as it looks on the map.... Termignon is too far out a limb for my money and the link over is a drag, we only did a day on that side. Lanselvillard would probably be my choice, a bit smaller, a bit cute-er but good access to both main "sides" of the resort.
If you're looking at pure km per resort there are A LOT of very flat pistes in VC, a lot of it is the road over the hill in the summer and need a hefty dose of pole-ing to get you along - not idea later in the day / later in the season.

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

I would choose Val cenis of the two as it is higher at the top and also has a good choice of accommodation.

After all it is free

I would choose Val Cenis, knowing both.

Val Cenis is a real old village. The skiing is more extensive.
In addition to that, it is MUCH more snow sure, which is relevant in spring:
1) All slopes are north oriented
2) VC is inner-alpine, which means the cold air stays even in spring
3) Chamrousse is on the border of the french plains, so any warm air from Spain (which often happens in spring) hits the snow HARD

Plus in VC you can have the Eskimo skipass, for 6 resorts all 10-30 minutes by car. Nice skiing areas by themselves like La Norma.
But VC is more than enough for one week, for any but the most fanatic mile-eaters.

Thanks all, really good info.

A small potential spanner in the works, and i wonder if this changes things....

My son, this morning, has suggested that he'd like to try snowboarding.

Apart from general frustration at having spent a load of dosh on lessons and dry slope time to get him confident on skis, I'm concerned about one comment above -

A LOT of very flat pistes.

Now, I'm ok with this, as they can usually be avoided, or if not, my skate/poling technique isn't too bad, but will this be an absolute nightmare for him on a board?

I was leaning towards switching to VC after another comment -

It is MUCH more snow sure

But with the potential snowboard being added, I'd welcome some other opinion please...I

For reference, I'll book him private lessons over here to get him started, then regular sessions on the dry stuff, so i expect him to be as confident on a board as he is on skis at the moment. One of his mates started boarding a few months ago at the dry slope, and has come on brilliantly, so I'd expect my son to be pushing to be a similar level.

Cheers all

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

All slopes at VC have a nice gradient, very few flat spots.

Here's some video reports
Reporter Rogier is a dutch expat who lives in the regio
http://youtube.com/v/rqg3_SHSH7k
another one
http://youtube.com/v/Z7xhAj5nXqs&feature=emb_imp_woyt

powderhounds report https://www.powderhounds.com/Europe/France/Val-Cenis.aspx

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@SHAP, show him replays of the freeride world tour skiing and snowboarding winning runs and see if he still wants to switch!

snow reports

[quote="Onnem"]All slopes at VC have a nice gradient, very few flat spots.

No! Lots and lots and lots of the lower mountain are flats - greens and very very easy blues. The top half of the mountain offers some great skiing but to say there's very few flat spots simply isn't true - just look at the piste map!

Your son would need to avoid the long green escargot run on a board. There may also be the odd drag lift there eg at the Top of Termignon. It is a few years since we’ve been and we are skiiers rather than boarders.

I still think Val cenis would be the best option snow wise at Easter.

You know it makes sense.

Only the green slopes right above the village are flattish.
Escargot is 10 km of green, it's the road up to mont cenis pass covered in snow.
For the remainder - there are very few resorts where you can do a run of 1350 metres vertical (4000 feet?) in one go.

Another plus I forgot, compared to Chamrousse: less daytrippers in the weekend. Chamrousse is (together with 7 Laux) the home mountain of Grenoble.

To be fair, it is not only upside. I see 3 disadvantages:
1. Almost all pistes are on 1 hillside, not much variation in panoramic views
2. In mid winter, hardly any sun
3. Can be VERY windy, especially in retour d'est - making for concrete slopes

The latter point (wind caused concrete) is not first hand. I heard it mid march 2022 when in Valmeinier.
A person who visited both resorts (Valmeinier and Val Cenis) in 1 week, said there was a remarkable difference in snow quality (not quantity!). Concrete snow in VC, softish snow in VM.

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

A snowHead

Since you have already booked Chamrousse and enjoyed it on a previous trip, I think you should stick with it this time. Yes, it might get a bit slushy, but the slopes are at a decent altitude and coverage should be fine.

If it's warm with ice and slush cycles, ski from lift opening time, starting on the sunniest pistes (the right hand side of the piste map) while the other ones soften. Late lunch, then that only leaves an hour or two of softer snow. Shadier slopes should stay nicer for longer, such as the Casserouse or Lacs Robert areas.

I'm sure you'd enjoy Val Cenis too (I haven't been), but perhaps you could go there another year?

A snowHead

@denfinella, I'm with you on this. I think there's a danger of 2nd guessing yourself / overthinking this, If you've been before and liked it then it seems like an idea place to start with "newbies" you know the lay out, you know the slopes, most importantly you know the good bars and the ones to avoid!
you'll go mad looking at options and never settle.
Stay put, they're both good areas that id go back to at some point.... remember easters relatively early so snow should be ok and obviously no-ones got a crystal ball on snowfall - Scotland might have better snow by then!!
Relax and stay put!

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

@SHAP, lol, maybe the rule should be then that he can snowboard but no-one is obliged to wait for him if he can't keep up

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Some years you get great snow 1st week of April, others its a lot less certain . If I was booking I'd go for the one more likely to have decent snow. I've never been to Chamrousse but its position orientation and height look a less good bet than Val Cenis to me. I've been there three times in April and its been pretty good though the first time was a bit more marginal but we'd rebooked from somewhere far worse and in a bad year it was still acceptable. Its a really easy area to find your way around.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Onnem, thank you. That first video is very useful, looks like a decent option. Also, top to bottom looks like a huge long run, as you say, 4000ft vertical. We'd only get less than half at Chamrousse.

@rambotion, he knows I'll not wait for him. Got to make the most of this trip, as I'm pretty sure they will be leaving me behind before i know it...

@denfinella, and @andy n netty, this is also a consideration - better the devil you know? I really enjoyed the 'right' side of the piste map, and yes, Lacs Robert is a great little run too, but i do love to try somewhere else. To be fair, the last trip to Chamrousse was with a 7/8 year old nephew in the group, so bars weren't top of the list that week.

@T Bar, we did Chamrousse fairly late season i think, and snow was decent, and had some fresh during the week too. No Crystal ball of course, but your 3 April trips tell me something about the choice.

Decisions decisions....

Help!!

Chamrousse booked - swap to Val Cenis?

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