 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, we have the option to stay in Tignes Val Claret (Ynycio near Bollin lift) or Val D'Isere (Chalet Izia, Legettaz - sk in from M piste) during the Easter holiday. Has anyone stayed in these apartments before or know the areas? Which do you think would be best for a family with 2 older kids? Chalet Izia looks a lot cosier, and is more established, but we are concerned about the snow as lower and whether we will be able to ski back to the apartments in April. Ynycio is new with mixed reviews, but lots of comments about the location and ski in/out being good. We are also looking for an area that will have atmosphere end of season, with nice restaurants (not high end/expensive). Ski wise we are intermediate, prefer wide blues but okay with reds. I would really appreciate any opinions! Thank you
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@itsbeenawhile, I would be shocked if piste M wasn't open during the Easter holidays due to lack of snow, although it will be soft at the bottom, but you only need to do it to get back. More snow to low levels is forecast at the end of this week as well. I don't know the apartments but I do know the areas and either would be absolutely fine. My preference is for Val d'Isere over Tignes but this is pretty subjective and there is not a lot in it. Piste M is a reasonably challenging red but the blues on top of Solaise are lovely and the typically have great snow at the end of the season
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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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Ynycio is in an awesome location and looks good for ski in ski out.
Personally, I wouldn't want to finish every day skiing down Piste M. If you're only "ok" with reds you might find Piste M quite a struggle, particularly later on a warm day.
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This is really helpful thank you! We have not skied either area area before and it is mainly the lower altitude that has put me off Val D'Isere. So it is good to know that snow may be less of an issue.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| sugarmoma666 wrote: |
Ynycio is in an awesome location and looks good for ski in ski out.
Personally, I wouldn't want to finish every day skiing down Piste M. If you're only "ok" with reds you might find Piste M quite a struggle, particularly later on a warm day. |
Thanks for this. I thought the location for Ynycio looked good so great that you have confirmed this. The reviews suggest the apartments can be noisy due to Cocorico and the in house restaurant, and that has put me off a bit, also less restaurant options in Val Claret and maybe less attractive. Val D'Isere looks bigger, more interesting to walk around, but maybe one for another trip, possibly earlier in the year to avoid slush. Still 50:50 but swaying towards Val Claret/Ynycio for skiing convenience etc.
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To get to Ynycio you need to ski down the Bollin Piste, so to get to that you could come down from the glacier on Genepy (blue), down Henri (blue) down Carline (blue) and then up the short Bollin chair or down Piste M and up Bollin, unless you are doing 600 kts you are not going to ski into Ynycio from Double M. Piste M in Val is like boiler plate at the moment, today we chose Rhone Alpes as the black colour puts people off. There will be lots of blue pistes open around Tignes in the Palet Sector and off the top of Toviere to name them all would take an age.
As for restaurants there are lots in Val Claret and dozens more in Lac and Lavachet, less that 10 mins by bus away. Generally I would say that "not high end/expensive" matches Val Claret not Val D'Isere main village, though clearly there are exceptions.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
To get to Ynycio you need to ski down the Bollin Piste, so to get to that you could come down from the glacier on Genepy (blue), down Henri (blue) down Carline (blue) and then up the short Bollin chair or down Piste M and up Bollin, unless you are doing 600 kts you are not going to ski into Ynycio from Double M. Piste M in Val is like boiler plate at the moment, today we chose Rhone Alpes as the black colour puts people off. There will be lots of blue pistes open around Tignes in the Palet Sector and off the top of Toviere to name them all would take an age.
As for restaurants there are lots in Val Claret and dozens more in Lac and Lavachet, less that 10 mins by bus away. Generally I would say that "not high end/expensive" matches Val Claret not Val D'Isere main village, though clearly there are exceptions. |
Thank you for your message. I'm been backwards and forwards a few times today but we are now decided on Tignes Val Claret. Our kids will probably enjoy observing the liveliness of Cocorico apres ski and I don't fancy Piste M getting into Val D'Isere if it's busy, challenging and possibly slushy in the afternoon. Plus we are looking for a chilled holiday mainly, so it sounds like we would be better suited to Tignes Val Claret.
Thanks for all your help 
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You don't have to us M to get to Chalet Izia, it's easily accessible from Rogoney lift then a short blue down. It's also brilliantly located a short walk from Cocorico for lively apres or L'Etincelle for a more sedate sundowner.
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| itsbeenawhile wrote: |
| we are looking for a chilled holiday mainly, so it sounds like we would be better suited to Tignes Val Claret. |
You're in for a shock if you think VC is chilled.
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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.
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@itsbeenawhile, When Cocos shuts at around 8, the area around Ynycio is very calm as its just far enough away from Val Claret part central to not be a bother. Of course if you have a view of Cocos you can watch the nightly amusement of folks trying to find their skis, its better in the dark as you get get dancing i phone torches!
Relaxed evening meals - consider L'Armoise - savoyarde style and very reasonable (I'm going on Friday), the Couloir for apres and then reasonably priced grub. Daffys Cafe if you fancy Tex Mex, Le Caveau for food followed by live music. Lots more that I have yet to try.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@itsbeenawhile, oh well, sure you'll have a great time either way. You can still do lunch at L'Etncelle, then it's only the Olympique & Tommessues lifts and a blue cruise down H back to VC. Also highly recommend late lunch at the Bolin restaurant (top of Bolin lift) for the shoulder of lamb to share, and La Pignatta for lunch or dinner (same owners).
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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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| chocksaway wrote: |
@itsbeenawhile, When Cocos shuts at around 8, the area around Ynycio is very calm as its just far enough away from Val Claret part central to not be a bother. Of course if you have a view of Cocos you can watch the nightly amusement of folks trying to find their skis, its better in the dark as you get get dancing i phone torches!
Relaxed evening meals - consider L'Armoise - savoyarde style and very reasonable (I'm going on Friday), the Couloir for apres and then reasonably priced grub. Daffys Cafe if you fancy Tex Mex, Le Caveau for food followed by live music. Lots more that I have yet to try. |
Sounds perfect! I feel better now.
I think we may have a view of Cocos. If so we will definitely enjoy watching the apres ski!
Thanks also for the restaurant and bar recommendations.
Hope you have a great trip!
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| Dr John wrote: |
| @itsbeenawhile, oh well, sure you'll have a great time either way. You can still do lunch at L'Etncelle, then it's only the Olympique & Tommessues lifts and a blue cruise down H back to VC. Also highly recommend late lunch at the Bolin restaurant (top of Bolin lift) for the shoulder of lamb to share, and La Pignatta for lunch or dinner (same owners). |
Thanks for lunch/dinner tips and directions. It's hard to work all this out from the piste map and reviews. I waste too much time trying to DIY, then get all the answers in a few minutes if I look on here!
I'll be referring to all of these posts when we go. Looking forward to it now, especially as the forecast is looking promising!  Thank you.
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You know it makes sense.
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@itsbeenawhile, we're currently staying a couple of hotels along from the Ynycio, above an Irish bar and I'm really not noticing any late night noise. Val Claret is a great location for exploring the area.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@itsbeenawhile, If you have a piste side bedroom remember to close the curtains when getting dressed/undressed as the people on the chairlift can sometimes have an interesting view.
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Poster: A snowHead
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La Table de Jeanne off the Avenue de la Grande Motte is also a great Savoyarde style restaurant.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| itsbeenawhile wrote: |
| Hi, we have the option to stay in Tignes Val Claret (Ynycio near Bollin lift) or Val D'Isere (Chalet Izia, Legettaz - sk in from M piste) during the Easter holiday. Has anyone stayed in these apartments before or know the areas? Which do you think would be best for a family with 2 older kids? Chalet Izia looks a lot cosier, and is more established, but we are concerned about the snow as lower and whether we will be able to ski back to the apartments in April. Ynycio is new with mixed reviews, but lots of comments about the location and ski in/out being good. We are also looking for an area that will have atmosphere end of season, with nice restaurants (not high end/expensive). Ski wise we are intermediate, prefer wide blues but okay with reds. I would really appreciate any opinions! Thank you |
So you'll be able to ski home (100% certain) down the Solaise side here in Val d'Isere then... but you won't be able to come down from the Bellevarde side as Santons will close each afternoon. Chalet Izia is a stones throw from the piste and you can easily catch the free bus one stop into town and of course Coco's is around the corner as well as access (skiing out easily for near beginners too) to the main ski lifts etc.
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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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| sugarmoma666 wrote: |
| @itsbeenawhile, we're currently staying a couple of hotels along from the Ynycio, above an Irish bar and I'm really not noticing any late night noise. Val Claret is a great location for exploring the area. |
Hope you are having a good trip! Noise may be more of an issue with Ynycio from what I have read. The location means you get noise from Cocorino until 8-9ish and then the in-house restaurant/bar Bazurto turns into a night club 10-2am. We were aware of this before we booked though and have requested a room that is further away.
Val Claret does look like a good location and we are looking forward to the convenience of ski in/out.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I always enjoy returning to VC due to the pistes, the lower prices overall and the pub/bar/food options.
Happy music can never be a deterrent to me
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I am also a fan of happy music and as my kids are getting older I think it is good for them to see this side of skiing holidays! I'm not sure whether Cocos will be child-friendly at any point of the day but if so we may well end up in there for an apres ski beverage. If not, I hope we can enjoy the music and watch the partying from our balcony!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just to reassure you....we stayed in Val C the first week in April 2022 (boys were 14 and 13, we're all strong intermediates). Bollin was our closest lift (within 100m) and we deffo had a chilled family holiday (rented an appartment). Could easily have made it more 'pumped up' if we wanted to. No disturbances at night and lovely slopes to ski back home on.
However when we went over to Val D, I found the slopes you needed to reach the bottom were horrid - and they'd be much worse at the end of the day. Great resort when you're on the higher slopes though.
We've always been to smaller, family oriented resorts so it was really funny to see the kids faces when we arrived mid afternoon and could hear 'disco, disco' from Cocorino. Same when we finally saw the Folie in full throng.....I wanted to go in but the kids called it Covid central and really didn't fancy it. Funnily enough, we stopped there for a hot choc one day mid morning and I didn't even realise it was the same place until I saw all the shot glasses piled up.....
Ate out at L'Armoise one evening and it was really good. Be careful as there are some really lovely looking bars (nice flame pits on each table etc) but extremely expensive for drinks (as we found out).
Tignes cuisine (fab lunchtime tummy filling Asian food) and very cheap in Le Lac - small and very popular so get there early. Next door is the Loop Bar (very tasty nachos) and good prices. Great for a late afternoon bit of apres, then catch bus back up the hill.
PalaFou sledging run (small charge) should be open in Le Lac. Opens late afternoon. Great fun but not sure how we all walked away at the end....
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| Quote: |
However when we went over to Val D, I found the slopes you needed to reach the bottom were horrid - and they'd be much worse at the end of the day.
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Yes. Anyone who feels their manhood threatened by downloading in a gondola but doesn't fancy having to fight it out with panicked skiers who definitely shouldn't be on those runs, should go somewhere else. But val d'Isere, though I dislike it in many ways, has loads of great skiing for all abilities.
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Both brilliant resorts, I prefer the skiing and the vibe in Tignes VC compared to VDI at Easter. You can usually ski great snow on or off-piste until (the lifts close) or you are ready to drop and then you can pop into Cocos/Couloir bar for some much needed rehydration before dinner - I just love Tignes!
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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.
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Or you can go to Taverne des Neiges nearby for a French tartiflette/Burger Savoyarde.
There's a good burger joint nearby, no frills and clean fast food.
@pam w, for some of us it's not a matter of proving etc. but to stand up to the challenge a difficult piste always poses. The beer tastes better afterwards.
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| kettonskimum wrote: |
Just to reassure you....we stayed in Val C the first week in April 2022 (boys were 14 and 13, we're all strong intermediates). Bollin was our closest lift (within 100m) and we deffo had a chilled family holiday (rented an appartment). Could easily have made it more 'pumped up' if we wanted to. No disturbances at night and lovely slopes to ski back home on.
However when we went over to Val D, I found the slopes you needed to reach the bottom were horrid - and they'd be much worse at the end of the day. Great resort when you're on the higher slopes though.
We've always been to smaller, family oriented resorts so it was really funny to see the kids faces when we arrived mid afternoon and could hear 'disco, disco' from Cocorino. Same when we finally saw the Folie in full throng.....I wanted to go in but the kids called it Covid central and really didn't fancy it. Funnily enough, we stopped there for a hot choc one day mid morning and I didn't even realise it was the same place until I saw all the shot glasses piled up.....
Ate out at L'Armoise one evening and it was really good. Be careful as there are some really lovely looking bars (nice flame pits on each table etc) but extremely expensive for drinks (as we found out).
Tignes cuisine (fab lunchtime tummy filling Asian food) and very cheap in Le Lac - small and very popular so get there early. Next door is the Loop Bar (very tasty nachos) and good prices. Great for a late afternoon bit of apres, then catch bus back up the hill.
PalaFou sledging run (small charge) should be open in Le Lac. Opens late afternoon. Great fun but not sure how we all walked away at the end.... |
Thank you for this very reassuring message!
We have also stayed in quiet places as a family. Prior to this though we used to love apres! It will be good to educate the kids on doing this safely though, especially if skiing back is involved. I wish someone had advised me about this when I was younger!!
Thanks for all the other tips. We will check out the food places, they sound good and helpful to know that prices are reasonable. Much more fun to eat lunch out than squashed sandwiches from a rucksack!
Quite fancy the sledging and tube ride too, so we'll look into that when we get there.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The tubing at Val Claret was the find of the holiday last year. My kids enjoyed the skiing but absolutely loved the tubing. I can tell I’m getting older because I totally bricked it each time I went down!
Will be in VC on Saturday for a week and that is top of my kids’ list!
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