 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hi, we are heading to Avoriaz for 5e first time end of December/ early January for 2 weeks.
There appears to be very little accommodation available at the moment but as we are coming from Australia (visiting MIL in Ireland), I do not want to miss out so would like to lock something in.
Most places do not look appealing - very old and rundown and having adults sleep either on a sofa bed or bunks. I have found 2 places on VRBO / air bnb which look nice at a reasonable price, but they are in two completely different areas. Either Alpages or Pas du Lac.
I do not mind a 10-15 min walk to town of an evening, but would like to be located close to a ski lift of a morning and be able to ski in ski out easily. We may have an early morning departure so would like something that us also easy to access Prodains for 7am.
I am leaning towards Pas du Lac due to its proximity to Prodains but finding it hard to find anything much about that area or even Alpages.
We are 2 adults and 2 kids who will be 11 and almost 9. Very competent skiers so no lessons - but also no use in carrying things for us!
Is it likely also that accommodation is yet to be released - or are they also still pretty old with terrible bedding? Thanks!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I’ve only skied there and not stayed so can’t help you with accommodation.
Coming all the way from Oz, have you considered other options to Avoriaz? The resort is quite high and has good skiing but there is nothing above 2400m and the rest of the PdS is low and really struggled during the same period this year. If you can choose a higher altitude ski area for at least one of your 2 weeks you would insure yourself better in case temps are warm.
For reference:
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=161262&start=600
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Alpages is definitely more central to the bars, shops and restaurants but Pas du Lac is arguably better placed for quicker access to lifts. There’s a few restaurants and bars too on the snow front down there though. It’s also uphill to the main centre, but nowhere is that far apart in Avoriaz (I stopped in Dromonts and it was less than 10 mins to the centre).
I also suspect you’re right that a lot of accommodation hasn’t been released yet so perhaps book something with free cancellation now if you want to lock something in but keep looking.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Avoriaz would definitely not be my first choice for a 2 week break at the back end of the festive period particularly if you’re travelling all the way from Australia …
I presume you have a flight stopover to Geneva that you can’t move?
There are other resorts that would be topping my list - we can all make some suggestions if you tell us what your key must-haves (other than ski in / out) as a family are.
My first thoughts are that somewhere like Verbier, Meribel, Val d’Isere might suit you better. Or even, Zermatt (but that won’t really tick the ski in / out point).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
@legallybl0nde, I've stayed in Avoriaz a couple of times - once right by Prodains and once nearer the centre by Pl des Runches.
If I was going again, I would personally favour the centre of town. It's a 10-15 min walk into town from Prodain, and is quite a steep uphill walk - it's not a massive issue, but got quite tiresome doing it every night (there are escalators you can use to take some of the pain).
Yes you are further away from the lifts in the centre of town, but you do that all on your skis anyway so it's a breeze (all ski in ski out). It literally only takes about a minute longer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Hi everyone. Thanks for the replies. We are going to Ireland for Christmas, and then London for a few days. We fly back to Sydney from Paris. At this stage no internal flights are locked in.
I really wanted to go to Saalbach, but from the limited accommodation available it is coming back 2-3 times more expensive. Unfortunately cost comes into it as we have just done Canada this January.
What we want:
1. Ski in or ski out or something very close with the ability to use a locker.
2. Close to a major airport. No self driving
3. Large selection of red (blue in Aus and Canada) and above. Kids are very very capable
4. Not a mega resort but not small either.
5. Self catering as my son is coeliac
We just skied Canada - absolutely loved Sun Peaks as it was ski in ski out and still a large selection of runs. It was not crazy busy.
We also smoked Whistler. Loved the selection of runs. But the weather was too unpredictable and it was crazy busy.
We did Chamonix in 2020 just before Covid. I hated having to bus around so do not want to do that again.
Any suggestions? I am finding accommodation in Avoriaz for around 3000-4000 euros for 14 nights for the 4 of us so I guess a simile budget. Thanks in advance!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Look at Flaine. Lots of ski-on-out, many places with residents' pool. Should fit your budget.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@legallybl0nde, welcome to  personally, and I know and love the PdS very well, I'd go elsewhere.
Monterosa would tick your boxes I think and is snowsure-ish without being a mega resort. I'm afraid our apartment is already booked xmas and NY but there are various nice hotels and Italians are very good on the gluten free front.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
For ski-in/ski-out and lots of great terrain I would choose Tignes and/or Val Thorens (or Mottaret). But these are mega resorts - arguably the 2 best areas in Europe for what you are after. There is tons of self catering accom so I doubt they will cost more than Avoriaz.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another interesting option would be to buy a Magic Pass and spend a week in Saas Fee and a week in Grimentz/Zinal. Ski in / ski out will be a bit trickier but the lift pass will be significantly cheaper, you can use the excellent Swiss rail network for access and you get to see 2 fabulous resorts. Saas Fee surrounded by 4000m peaks is one of the most spectacular in the Alps and Grimentz/Zinal is a bit of a hidden Gem with some excellent skiing up to 3000m.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Might be worth having a look at the ski-france site they seem to have quite extensive listings.
https://en.ski-france.com/ski-area-3-vallees/les-menuires/chalet-cristal/#
Les Menuires meets alot of your criteria although might be too large - less pleasing on the eye. It does provide easy access to Val Thorens which will have decent snow conditions early in the season - one less thing to worry about!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
So much to think about, thanks all. There doesn’t seem much accommodation Available anywhere yet - question can you fly into Geneva for Tignes or 3 vallees as well?
Is the main reason to avoid Avoriaz due to risk of no snow (we would be arriving 30 Dec)? Or just not enough snow and too busy for what would be open?
Maybe I just need to book two resorts that I can cancel closer to the time as long as it is accessible from Geneva
I will admit I am worried about a mega resort and lift lines like Whistler but also want a large selection of runs. The ability to go down to morzine on a day off was also an attraction of Avoriaz, especially with a coeliac child - I thought there would be more change of a decent supermarket. That was one of the reasons we went to Cham in 2020 was access to a decent town and restaurants/supermarkets.
I am very indecisive, sorry!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| legallybl0nde wrote: |
So much to think about, thanks all. There doesn’t seem much accommodation Available anywhere yet - question can you fly into Geneva for Tignes or 3 vallees as well?
Is the main reason to avoid Avoriaz due to risk of no snow (we would be arriving 30 Dec)? Or just not enough snow and too busy for what would be open?
Maybe I just need to book two resorts that I can cancel closer to the time as long as it is accessible from Geneva
I will admit I am worried about a mega resort and lift lines like Whistler but also want a large selection of runs. The ability to go down to morzine on a day off was also an attraction of Avoriaz, especially with a coeliac child - I thought there would be more change of a decent supermarket. That was one of the reasons we went to Cham in 2020 was access to a decent town and restaurants/supermarkets.
I am very indecisive, sorry! |
Geneva is the main entry airport for Tignes and 3V although you would need to book a bus transfer as the train connections don’t work for French ski resorts like they do over the border in Switzerland.
Val Thorens and Tignes have modern lift systems. Miles better than Whistler by all accounts. I suspect you will queue less there than in Avoriaz and the skiing is much higher altitude and well linked fir high mileage skiing. Avoriaz and the wider PdS would still be a good option if the weather is cold and there is a good base of snow at low altitude but this has not frequently been the case in recent seasons and hence you have a significant risk of limited openings due to poor snow cover (in the lower parts of PdS) and the associated large queues for the higher skiing in Avoriaz.
There are decent supermarkets in all the main resorts and lots of restaurants.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
@legallybl0nde, Flaine is very good choice for most elements, no intel on Coeliac supply although there's two (small & medium) supermarkets in the village.
Exemplary access to piste, no travel needed at all for most accommodation, doesnt usually have such a pile of skiers heading there casually to bump the que numbers.
Another possibility, Nendaz in CH for 4V ski area, also easy access to piste, substantially sized supermarket right in village "Migros" to remove any need to chase food etc. Big variety of piste, lower accommodation cost than the principal Vebier. Train/bus access, stretched slightly for time https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Geneva-Airport-GVA/Haute-Nendaz could be of interest as alternate location.
Not much advance booking just yet until after this season on general market.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
@legallybl0nde,
If you fancy catered then look at Chilly Powder in Prodains.
I used to work there and the guys who own it and run it are fab.
Easy access to Prodains gondola in the morning (5 min walk)
Ski to the back door too.
Dietary requirements and allergies taken care of no problem.
Great ski school for the kids with maximum of only 6 x kids in Chilly Powder Ski school.
If you fancy self catered in Avoriaz Amara is the nicest.
Easy arrival and departure via shuttle bus from Amara as it’s near the welcome centre.
Amara not so good for arriving and departing from Prodains.
Note that during the day the Plataeu chair can be used as a pedestrian (without luggage) to come up from Top of Prodains cable car. Also there are lots of public elevators and escalators in Avoriaz inside the buildings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Most places haven’t opened their books yet — Amara (one of the biggest/nicest) apartment providers and the hotel we stay in haven’t. They are quite traditional and open after the season for the next one. So hang fire and you could get just what you need. I do hear what people say about Avoriaz being less than a sure thing at Xmas but whenever I’ve been (jan /Feb) it’s been fab.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@legallybl0nde, Don’t let any of these posts put you off going to Avoriaz, particularly for the first couple of weeks of January. Sure, Val d’Isere, Tignes, etc have extensive altitude skiing but what they don’t have is the tree skiing that Avoriaz has in the Les Lindarets area. This can be a godsend in the January blizzards. Avoriaz and the Porters du Soleil area is much better than the neighbouring Flaine / Grand Massif area.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
| Sonic the Skier wrote: |
| @legallybl0nde, Don’t let any of these posts put you off going to Avoriaz, particularly for the first couple of weeks of January. Sure, Val d’Isere, Tignes, etc have extensive altitude skiing but what they don’t have is the tree skiing that Avoriaz has in the Les Lindarets area. This can be a godsend in the January blizzards. Avoriaz and the Porters du Soleil area is much better than the neighbouring Flaine / Grand Massif area. |
Thank you. I have to admit that this post has got me worried about any of the choices, but your reassurance is much appreciated.
It is now down to Avoriaz or Courchevel. It will probably come down to availability and price, which is so hard when there are no accommodation options available at either place yet, so I have no idea of budget. Based on lift passes alone, it appears to be around 600 euro difference in total - i know there is a lot more terrain in Courchevel but not sure its worth it if the accommodation prices are significantly more than Avoriaz too.
Flights are now locked into Geneva - I was too scared to leave those to chance.
One question - would we likely get bored skiing Portes du Soleil for 13 days? We are all very capable on all Reds (blues in Aus/Canada) and tried our first black in Whistler last month (16 days skiing Canada and about the same in Aus just in the last 12 months). Kids will be almost 9 and 11 and no lessons needed
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
@legallybl0nde,
The only risk with Avoriaz and the Portes du Soleil is if its a poor start to the season for snow.
Generally Courchevel and the 3 Valleys is higher that Avoriaz and the PdS so if its a poor start to the winter then Courchevel and the 3V will probably have more terain open.
I have done seasons in both and think they are both great area's. If you end up in Avoriaz PM me or tag me nearer the time. Happy to offer advice and suggestions nearer the time for practicalities i.e transfers and non skiing activities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I've skied in Avoriaz four times now. We stayed as a big group in a village called Essert-Romand near Morzine where accommodation is relatively cheap. Morzine and Avoriaz ski areas are essentially up opposite sides of the Morzine valley.
The best trick was to drive 15 mins to a place called Ardent, and then take the gondola up into the Les Lindarets valley, part of the Avoriaz ski area. The nice thing about being at Ardent is that you can return to Ardent without needing to take any ski lifts so long as you are in the Les Lindarets valley, so you can get back after the lifts shut (about 16:30).
There is a free shuttle bus which runs between Ardent and Morzine town centre (Line M) if you don't wish to hire a car. Buses run until 6pm.
What's particularly good about Les Lindarets as an entry point is you can take one chairlift to reach the Chatel ski area, which is my favourite (superb long reds, and good between-runs off piste in "Happy Valley" just under the Cornebois chairlift), or you can take two chairlifts to reach the Swiss areas. Or indeed take one chairlift to ski into the Avoriaz town itself.
Alternatively the Supermorzine cable car runs from the centre of Morzine up into the Avoriaz ski area. It's then a green run followed by one chairlift and a very short blue to reach the Avoriaz town. The downside of depending on the Supermorzine cable car is you'll need to take it to get back in the evening. It's two blue runs to get back to the top of Supermorzine, meaning you're going to have to start skiing back at 15:45 if you're in Avoriaz.
For snow reliability, I found that Avoriaz, Chatel and Les Crosets (Swiss side) were pretty reliable for snow, though the blue run down to Ardent could be a bit icy some years. Morzine, the lower half of Les Gets and Morgins (Swiss side) really suffered in bad years though.
Even on a bad year, Avoriaz, Chatel and Les Crosets will be enough to remain entertained for at least 10 days. Mont Chery in Les Gets, and the disconnected St Jean d'Aulps are two other hidden gems that are worth at least half a day each too.
(If you do stay in Morzine, make sure you book a meal at La Rotond. Two of you should get the bottomless "meat tree", and two of you get the bottomless fondue. Now you can create a steak chunk cheese fondue.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
@legallybl0nde, I don’t think you would get bored in the PdS for 2 weeks, I did two seasons and enjoyed almost every day! Lots of different areas to explore.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Whatever the stats the PdS is not comparable to the 3V for extent of high quality linked skiing. The reality is that much of the PdS skiing is at lower elevations and so snow quality suffers compared to the 3V where the average elevation will be at least 500m higher.
Staying in Courchevel you have access to tree skiing and high altitude so storm skiing is covered. The problem in the PdS is if it is warm as it was this year at the same time you will be very frustrated being there for 2 weeks skiing on icy/patchy/slushy slopes lower down meaning everyone heads for the higher slopes in Avoriaz. You may get lucky and get cold temps and a good base (and Avoriaz can get a lot of snow) but it is much too much of a risk to recommend it for a Dec/Jan trip IMO.
Courchevel will be more expensive but the excellent 3V lift system certainly justifies the lift price difference and you need to factor in the « cost » of disappointment if you go to Avoriaz and are unlucky with conditions as would have been the case this year as you can read here:
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=161262&start=560
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you do head to Avoriaz, Amara are the nicest apartments, in my opinion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Thanks all. If we
Do go to Avoriaz then we would definitely stay up there as it must be ski in and ski out and we will have no access to a car.
I am however leaning towards Courchevel/3V but it’s so hard to plan without knowing availability and pricing this far out. I may start a new thread asking about that. I would then keep Avoriaz as the backup in case of a lack of availability or cost
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
