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Grand Massif or Portes du Soleil

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi all. I am looking at buying a small chalet (very small!) somewhere near Geneva. My wife and I are keen skiers but are happy to drive for say 10-15 minutes to the lifts. We also come out to the alps in the summer with dogs and bikes so we want access to really good hiking, nice scenery and restaurants etc. I am looking at places like Samoens or Morzine but they are super expensive. Can anyone here suggest any places that might have lift access to Grand Massif or Portes du Soleil which are a bit cheaper? Second question. I know it's everyones individual opinion but which ski area is overall better for good intermdiate skiers? Grand Massif or Portes du soleil or are we bettwe off finding somewhere to buy that's in between both areas?? Thanks in advance all suggestions much appreciated.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Define "good intermediate". Both domains have a wide range of slopes at various difficulties, Flaine itself has arguably better beginner areas than most of the PdS, Avoriaz/Champery has perhaps more genuinely difficult slopes than the GM.

So really the skiing on offer is a very small part of your selection process. I'd tend towards the PdS for you all-year usage model, as a lot of the GM area is really pretty dead in the summer, and particularly late spring and autumn. Access to shopping and other town-related activities is also somewhat more limited, and the PdS has the added attractions of Lac Leman and Switzerland in much closer proximity.

(Loads of other factors like prices and availability I'll leave to others rather then speculate).
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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?
Good intermediate is probably British understatement! We have both skiied for 30 years. Thanks for the summer tip. It's probably a more important criteria for us as we would come out for a month in June / July. Don't want to be in a busy town as our dogs can be noisy!
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@Carver Doone, I suspect you'll have to look a bit "down the valley" e.g. St Jean or Le Biot for PDS ...
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@under a new name, There's a number of more affordable villages on the way up to Châtel as well. Both Abondance and Chappelle d'Ábondance have a fair few Châtel rejects, but further still down the valley it's mostly just ordinary French people, AFAICT.
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Thanks yes looking at Abondance seems quite a nice village with its own (small) ski hill....
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@Carver Doone, Welcome to SH.
GM has a good variety for all skiing wise. I like Flaine when the weather is nice, but it's a bit grim in poor weather and you need to go down towards Les Carroz, also Bauhaus not my cup of tea. On the flip side, I like Samoens, for its real village feel, it's easy to get to, and on the flat mainly, but a bit of a schlepp up to Flaine. Moriilion is nice too, and a reasonable compromise. Verchaix used to be cheaper than the neighbouring hamlets, and lovely in the summer, but I've not been there for years now soo it may no longer be the case, but worth a gander.
as @under a new name, says you get better value a bit further down the valley than around Morzine, but if you want a chalet not an apartment even St Jean and Le Biot have become more expensive ( though not yet crazy money) because chalets are much rarer than apartments. Even in the very unfashionable Col Du Corbier, pre covid there were 6-7 chalets for sale and maybe 30 apartments. Now chalets sell as soon as they go on the market, and apartments are 40% more expensive that 3 years ago.
If you cast your net down the valley and then up a bit like Seytroux, Cote D'Abroz, Penotez, Mt D'Evian etc.., you may find what what you're looking for and often these places have great views. La Chapelle d'Abondance is also worth a look, with the Cret Beni ski area, plus the Panthiaz ski area linked to PdS, a few bars, medical centre couple of bakeries and shops, a Michelin resto, Microbrewery etc..
As for Q2. I like GM, I prefer PdS.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I'm personally a great fan of Praz de Lys about halfway between Les Gets on the PdS and the Grand Massif and a short drive to the shops in Taninges (big hypermarket). Small resort, very French and cheap seasonal ski passes.

But, don't tell too many other people about this little gem Very Happy
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@MikeM, Yes, we spent a few days in Praz de Lys some years back. Surprisingly extensive skiing, seems like more in reality than on paper, and some pretty decent runs.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
We bought an old barn above Cluses last year and have had a great time exploring the local ski areas as well as the summer offering.

Grand Massif is better than I thought it would be, to be honest. You might consider the Les Carroz side. Prices definitely lower than the Giffre Valley although the farther you get from Samoens the more affordable.

There is great hiking/cycling etc all around the area, especially past Samoens toward Sixt Fer and beyond. I don't think you'll regret buying around GM/Flaine.

A wildcard area is Le Grand Bornand. It's a relatively quiet area; you are near La Clusaz, too. But it's especially nice in the summer.

If you are committed to PdS -- is Les Gets expensive? Yes, Abondance and La Chapelle d'Abondance are charming villages, but too low for future skiing in my opinion. Abondance has been closed off and on for the past decade and is quite small; La Chapelle's Cret Beni home area is tiny so you need to gondola up to the PdS proper. Chatel has its fans although I don't love the layout. As noted St. Jean and Le Biot often have lower prices and more selection but I've only cycled through those areas; not spent time there.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Pasigal wrote:


If you are committed to PdS -- is Les Gets expensive? Yes, Abondance and La Chapelle d'Abondance are charming villages, but too low for future skiing in my opinion.

La Chapelle is the same altitude as Morzine.

Pasigal wrote:

La Chapelle's Cret Beni home area is tiny so you need to gondola up to the PdS proper.

Same as Morzine.

From either Mozine or La Chapelle you take a gondola and then work your way to the high bits (Fornet, Corenebois) or take a bus to either Prodains or PLJ and take a quicker way up.

For me, the main thing I have against that valley is that in the elections all the communes voted for Le Pen.
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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.
OuatteDePhoque wrote:

From either Mozine or La Chapelle you take a gondola and then work your way to the high bits (Fornet, Corenebois) or take a bus to either Prodains or PLJ and take a quicker way up.

TBF it's quite a trek to get from la Chapelle to those areas via the Gondola. Quite a nice trek, although a lot of it still very low, and even with good snow would severely reduce the skiing time in those higher areas, adding perhaps an hour or more each way. The bus to PlJ or Linga is a far better option, but as a starting point it's not really comparable with Morzine, which as well as having a lot more of its own skiing on the Pleney side linking over to LG also has much more direct access to the higher areas previously mentioned.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Chaletbeauroc wrote:
OuatteDePhoque wrote:

From either Mozine or La Chapelle you take a gondola and then work your way to the high bits (Fornet, Corenebois) or take a bus to either Prodains or PLJ and take a quicker way up.

TBF it's quite a trek to get from la Chapelle to those areas via the Gondola. Quite a nice trek, although a lot of it still very low, and even with good snow would severely reduce the skiing time in those higher areas, adding perhaps an hour or more each way. The bus to PlJ or Linga is a far better option, but as a starting point it's not really comparable with Morzine, which as well as having a lot more of its own skiing on the Pleney side linking over to LG also has much more direct access to the higher areas previously mentioned.


I get your point that there are more options from Morzine, but as PAISGAL was referring to altitude and needing a gondola as a deciding factors - and I was simply pointing out that
1: Morzine and La Chapelle are at the same altitude.
2: You also need a gondola to get up out of Morzine ( but you have a choice of 5)


Also the OP stated they couldn't afford Morzine, and was happy to drive 10-15 mins, which is plenty of time to get from La Chapelle to PLJ if desired.

Just an an aside, I have no idea why people get such a hard on for going to the highest parts, especially when they are exposed and in the case of Fornet also busy. Often it's wind blistered, crusty, tracked out, poor visibility etc...

For me, other elements are more important than altitude alone: aspect, microclimate, shade from surrounding peaks, topography ( is it a bowl or a ridge, or a canyon, or flat and feature-less), gradient, vegetation, exposure to prevailing or channelled winds, the amount of traffic it gets, if and how often it's pisted, time of day is very important too...

Still, to each ones own:)
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:

Access to shopping and other town-related activities is also somewhat more limited

But maybe you really don't care about that? We had an apartment (couldn't possibly have afforded a chalet, even a small one....) in Bisanne 1500, an outlier of Les Saisies, for 15 years and spent about four months a year there. It was miles from serious "shopping" (Albertville, 40 minutes) and we bought it because of the stunning views of Mont Blanc and the Beaufortain. BUT it was on the edge of the piste - 3 minutes walk, even in ski boots.

It depends what's important to you, but we found being able to go out just for an hour or two sometimes was useful, especially if the weather was dodgy, and it was great NOT to have to give visitors lifts to the lifts. Out of the ski season there were a number of good walks "straight out the door", without having to get in the car.

Ski villages are often frankly grotty out of season - and apart from the 6 weeks summer season, which can be very good, with loads of flowers (the French are so much better at municipal flowers than the Brits) and a number of activities, the outlook across empty streets, closed shops and closed and shuttered buildings can be dispiriting. I'd strongly recommend visiting out of season - maybe during the next 6 weeks. The mountains are lovely in spring and you could do a whistle-stop road trip to visit lots of potential places and get a feel for what's on the market.
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