 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
We're off to stay in Champagny for 3 weeks from mid March. Currently inquiring for lessons for my partner, sister and her partner and our 2 young boys with various schools: Limesnowsports, Relfex and Oxygene. Boys have done Prosniege, Oxygen and Evo 2 schools so far.
Has anyone ever done one of the Oxygene Adult Steep & Deep Off-Piste courses? Thinking of this for myself mainly vs solo private lessons with one of the schools? Im probably 20 weeks experience, comfortable most piste terrain, wanting to improve technique, jumps and off piste. Although doing Comborciere in Les Arc last week in a whiteout was slightly challenging to say the least!!
Does anyone know how long it take say from bottom of Champagny gondala to get to plagne centre?
Many thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'd give yourself 45 mins to be on the safe side (from Champagny gondola base to Plagne Centre). Doable in closer to 30 if there's no queues, you know your way and are fast enough.
If they start at 10 and you get first lifts you should be able to make morning lessons but it does sound a bit stressful. It's something I have wondered about in the past as I have always considered the possibility that Champagny's only ski school (ESF) suffers from being a Monopoly, especially with regards to the standard of English spoken by their instructors.
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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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@Ruswit, thanks, looks like lunch/ afternoon lessons if possible then! and 9am start for steep and deep being impossible. Annoyingly yuge app says champagny gondola open from 9 till 4.10 at moment...although somewhere else it said till 6.30 so maybe it stays open later as days lengthen...? With returns runs likely shut you really need to make it back to the gondola in time!
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@noodlehat, Be careful with that trip. We were in Champagny expecting to go back over on Verdons Chair - as we got there it was shut and broken down and they were slowing winding it to the top to evacuate it - it stayed shut the rest of the day. We then had to take 4 lifts to get back to Plagne Centre not an everyday occurrence but one to be wary of!
Champagny Gondola closes at 16:10 or 17;00 for return to the Village at the moment according to this https://bulletin.lumiplan.pro/bulletin.php?station=la-plagne®ion=alpes&pays=france&lang
Interestingly on this years piste map its opening and closing times aren't listed!
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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've never known that gondola to stay open until 18h30 unfortunately, although it has been a good few years since I skied there in Easter. It was definitely later than 16h10 when I was there in Dec, I think somewhere around 17h. 16h10 might be the last ride up.
I would also be wary of any lessons that start at 2pm or later in La Plagne, unless you are going to bail out at the top of one of your final runs with the group to make your way back.
It's worth noting that if the red run "Les Bois" to Champagny village is not open & you are coming back from La Plagne, you will always have to get the Borseliers chair lift up to ski down to the top of the Champagny gondola so that you can download to the village - so this chair is realistically what you are limited by, it advertises its final boarding at 16h20-16h30, god knows how strict they are with that. I've pushed my luck a few times and never even had a lifty speak to me but I've only been a minute or 2 late.
If the red run is open then you can ski down from the peaks in La Plagne (Grand Rochette, Roche de Mio + Verdons) all the way to Champagny village level, so you are really limited by the last lift to the top over la plagne side (at your own risk). Les Bois can be very icy and it is narrow and steep in sections, so it depends on your group's ability.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The Champagny gondola is currently open until 16:50 (according to the sign at the top of the gondola) for the return back down into Champagny.
In March it will be around 17:20 when it closes, I think the time changes toward the end of January.
The first gondola up is at 09:00 throughout the season but if there has been heavy snow that can be delayed. The other day it was 9.15 when it opened and all the other lifts were delayed opening as well.
Having said that, if it has just snowed heavily, you'd be better staying in Champagny as it is excellent and quiet for the first couple of hours when all the other links into Champagny are closed.
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@skichampcouk, @Ruswit, @boredsurfin, thanks all. Yeah i guess that 4.10 if accurate is prob the last one up! Much less worry if goes to 5ish+
Yeah, can see weather could play a bit trickery with lifts but there long enough we can take into consideration, prob only kids lessons for 1/3 of time there. cheers all.
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@Ruswit, @skichampcouk,
Just to sidetrack, do either of you know if theres a particularly good ski shop in Champagny? Might be looking to demo/ buy skis instead of rent for 3 weeks+. Whenever I go to these shops they all just look the same and no idea how to differentiate between them!? / if i'm being taken for a ride or not...
got shortlist of some piste orientated AM skis, Atomic Bents, Volkl Mantras, Bliz Bonafides, Nordic enforcer, Blizz Brahma, Volkl Kendo, black crows... Basically something prob 80/20 piste, with a bit of play for bumps, mogels but still a good carver. Uptill now my fav ski has been salomon x max 12s which I preferred to recent go on s max's....anyway I digress... 
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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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@noodlehat, I was in the same position as you a year or 2 ago and asked on here with little feedback sadly. The tourist office in Champagny specifically told me that places only really sold skis at the end of the season, which sounded like shifting the old rental units, but happy to be proven wrong.
The French (potentially European) model of ski shop seems to focus on getting large volumes of rental customers in/out quickly without much consultation on boot/ski preference, rather than sales and specific requirements for renters- not that I've experienced the North American version.
I no longer rent but tend to go to the smaller Ski Set "Champagny Sport" with friends as they are all really friendly and they let me rent skis for just a day or half day when other places actually turned me away! They have a larger sister store in town if you are keen to have a wider choice of models, but it is typically different staff. Prior to that Belvedere Sport (Sport 2000) was always fine for me, but alas, they didn't want to take my money. I would avoid Intersport personally as I have seen absurd queues in there and my brother has had very blunt skis lent to him, and I have never used Skimium.
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@noodlehat, I have done the Steep and Deep week a couple of times. Really excellent guiding with IFGMA/UIAGM guides and quite wonderful terrain, I highly recommend it. Bellecote is wonderful with loads to go at plus their is masses of terrain that you really need a guide to access so I found that you can ski amazing snow a while after a dump or in spring conditions. It is also predominantly a family resort and it does not have the same clientele as St Anton, VDI, Chamonix etc that means the terrain is I think less skied and you cannot scope obvious routes from the lifts the way you can in some resorts. I think Paradiski is wonderful and the guiding I have had at Oxygene has been first class, I was lucky enough to ski loads of powder through everything from trees to steep couloirs it was epic. Enjoy!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@noodlehat, I did not see anybody else off-piste and ours were the first tracks too!
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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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I’d second JayDub. Have skied La Plagne twice using ESF tho. Much less tracked than 3V & EK. Fewer off-piste skiers. Great terrain. The Bellecote route is awesome.
I have owned Blizzard Bonafide and Volkl Mantras. Both great on & off-piste. Hard chargers. Turned up for St Anton guided week with very deep powder conditions. Although I had just bought the Mantras had brought 115mm Rossis. The guide had the Mantras and swore by them. Have since sold the 115mm and use the Mantras as my only ski.
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BTW Snoworks are doing off-piste weeks in mid-March. Imagine same issue with getting to the start line. They tend to start at 9.30 tho.
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You know it makes sense.
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@JayDub, @Blackballed,
thanks both, yeah Ive inquired with steep and deep anyway and it may be we can stay first week up in plagne centre, although i'd miss the 1st day of their course in any case. Snoworks looks great, unfortunately with kids don't think can commit to fullday course this time, perhaps next yr. Im off on the s20bb this yr so nxt yr may try the off piste or gnarlybug instead.
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