 Poster: A snowHead
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Synopsis: Observations on Les Trois Vallées during UK half term week (12 - 19 February 2023) from the perspective of three families of mixed-ability repeat visitors. Customary wall of text incoming…
Tourists:
* Team S: Dad (that’s me), Mum, Lad 2 (16), Lad 3 (14). Lad 1 ( 18 ) begged off this year, citing A-level revision; the house appears to be intact on our return.
* Team K: Parents and two kids (15 and 13).
* Team C: Parents and three kids (8, 11 and 12), old friends of ours who are currently based in the States.
Ability ranges between near-expert (Lad 2) to green pistes only please (Mum).
Background: This was our second trip with this configuration of tourists, but Team S and Team K have been half-terming together since 2016 and have been alternating between La Tania and Méribel in the 3Vs since 2018. I also go to the 3Vs at least once a year with work colleagues. We obviously love the resort, so there is some bias, but I’ve tried to make this objective.
Logistics: Mostly DIY. Teams S & K flew LGW to GVA on BA and EZY, respectively. Both flights landed more or less on time within 20m of each other. We shared a large minibus to our chalet, which was insanely expensive (€800 return) allegedly as a result of the ongoing FIS World Championships in Méribel/Courchevel. Team C flew in overnight from JFK on United.
Accommodation: We had sole use of a 7 bed fully catered chalet in the Morel quartier of Méribel. The chalet was operated by Alpine Action, whom we have used for the past 3 trips and really rate their quality of service and exceptional cooking. They also operate on a Sunday-to-Sunday schedule which is awesome: we miss 75% of the carnage at GVA and on the roads on Saturday, and the pistes are eerily quiet for our final skiing day. The chalet itself (the Alysson if you’re googling) would be ski-in (if you didn’t mind a bit of off piste) in a normal snow year but requires a 400m uphill walk to the TS MOREL (an elderly fixed chair from which you can go down into Chaudanne (Méribel Center) or Méribel Village or up again on TS ALTIPORT). This walk did get old by the end of the week, and snow conditions meant that those of us on our own skis walked back every day as well (those on rentals had less concern for their bases). The Alysson’s bedrooms were spacious and all en suite, the common area fit our large group (just), and the sauna got a lot of use. The decor/fittings are dated but functional, although I really prefer a proper shower.
I do worry about the catered chalet model. I love having breakfast and dinner made for us and cleared away and I love having all three families under one roof, but it is getting too expensive—we paid about £19,000 for the week just for the accommodation/catering—I’ll be looking hard at self-catering apartments next year, as the delta would cover some very nice dinners indeed.
Kit: Skis, etc., were from Freeski. Prices €120-€200 for boots/skis and they are a Black Crows stockist (Lad 2 was on a pair of Vertis Birdies (he weighs about 50kg soaking wet so needs a softer ski), Lad 3 was on some Camox Jrs). Adults were well-served but the not-quite-fully grown teenagers struggled with the available boots. The downside of Sun-Sun is that the shop’s rental kit is pretty picked over by the time we arrive.
Base: Morel is a quieter part of Méribel, but has a few restaurants, two of which could be called fine dining (FiFi (Italian) and Tsaretta Spice (Indian), both excellent), a Sherpa market and a few ski rental places. It is very well served by the Méribus free shuttle, with quick connections to Le Rond Pointe and Chaudanne. As noted above, we switch between La Tania and Méribel every year. Méribel is more central, so a bit more convenient for exploring the entirety of the 3Vs. La Tania has better skiing locally and easy access to Courchevel. As I’ve mentioned on these boards several times, the green piste networks of both Méribel and Courchevel are the best I’ve seen in terms of gradient and distance, which is critical for my wife.
Everyone says that the French mega resorts are insane at UK half term. I’ve always thought this was an oversold complaint, at least in the 3Vs. Even at TS LEGENDS (the principal uplift out of Chaudanne in the middle of Méribel Centre) the longest we ever waited was about 10 minutes, and that is easily avoided. The worst queue was a single 15 minute wait for TC POINTE DE LA MASSE. The queues were at least 3x as bad in Whistler in December. The FIS World Championships probably played a part in keeping the crowds down (a lot of accommodation throughout the resort was effectively booked by non-skiers, ie, team and industry guys and media). But I’ve generally not found the crowds at the 3Vs to be a problem if you know where you’re going and the likeliest choke points. The lifts did seem as if they were running slower than usual (for example, TC PAS DU LAC 1 & 2 should only take 7 minutes total, but actually took closer to 15), possibly as an energy saving measure, but I never got that confirmed.
FIS World Championships: I was worried that the professional skiing was going to make things difficult, but it really was no problem (other than the closure of Roc de Fer and L’Éclipse). As noted above, it probably kept the crowds down and the spectators village was interesting with music and demos, etc. The kids got some autographs and we watched the Team Parallel from the terrace of Castors in Chaudanne while having a lovely lunch in the sun. Traffic was badly affected, but we didn’t have a car so it didn’t trouble us.
Conditions: While it was very cold in the weeks leading up to our visit, it had not snowed since mid January. The pistes were in unreasonably good shape given the lack of recent snow; very firm, but other than the usual suspects in Méribel which always tend to ice in the early morning or late afternoon (depending on the side of the valley) and a few of the cat tracks late in the day, generally kept their snow. The reservoirs were nearly dry, though, and new snow is needed ASAP or Easter is going to be seriously sketchy: by Friday a number of the pistes were in trouble. Off-piste was marginal as you’d expect, just not enough of a base anywhere. A textbook “Omega” blocker high pressure system meant we had blue skies and sunshine all week and midday temperatures crept into double digits. The majority of our group live for fair weather relaxed skiing followed by a long lunch outside and then the Ronnie (or the Ski Lodge in La Tania), so this was perfect for them.
Skiing: The kids’ skiing is coming on strong. Lad 2 has been better than me for at least a couple of seasons, but the other teenagers are getting properly quick and with good form, I had to exert a fair amount of effort to keep up. The teenagers all believe they are basically at the level of skiing that they want to do, so they refused the offer of lessons and largely took themselves all over the resort while the dads were relaxing. Some mild alarm was also occasioned when some of the youngsters got separated from their responsible adults (but were eventually recovered and received a stern talking-to).
We had the youngest three in afternoon lessons with Parallel Lines (pluses and minuses with afternoon lessons: getting kids out the door in the morning is a challenge at the best of times, but a 14h00 start interfered with lunch timings), one of the ladies (a late novice/early intermediate) had a private tuneup with PL on her first skiing day.
My wife survived the week, and made it over to St Martin on skis for our annual Friday lunch at Le Montagnard, even after bottling an expedition to Moriond earlier in the week. On the way home, she downloaded on TS TOUGNETTE 2 to avoid the dread Faon (absolutely no issues from the lifties, didn’t need to fake an injury or equipment failure, they just slowed it right down to let her on); she and I then gently skied Perdrix and Truite back into Méribel where we had a celebratory drink at the Ronnie. (The alternative discussed previously, Combe Laitelet, was shut). While in her darker moments she still fantasises about suffering an injury that excuses her from skiing forever, it was a successful week for her; I even got her down from the top of TS ARDET (she had gone up by mistake with one of the other ladies) by going under the chairs to find a gentler line than the under-graded “blue” Geai.
Couple of personal highlights: On Wednesday @snowrider took me and Lad 2 on a recce of Vallon de Lou off the back of Pointe de la Masse. We were considering it as a possible routing for the Escapade (as per the below). The snow was more than skiable, and the scenery was incredible, but with the thin base and lack of recent snow, it was heavy going for me: my unruly and agricultural approach to massive bumps and rock avoidance was undercooked. Lad 2 by contrast seems to have learned some valuable skills from ExCan in December and stuck to @snowrider’s line like glue. On Saturday, Lad 2, one of the other dads and I successfully completed the Escapade: the legendary tour of the 3Vs, hitting every principal summit and lift from Orelle to Moriond. 84km of downhill, 14,000+ metres of vertical, and one Zip Line in 8h43m. Made it to the last uplift we needed (TS DOU DE LANCHES, which closes at 1650) with 7 minutes to spare. After three previous failed attempts, I never need to do that again.
Restaurants: We like to eat well in the Alps and this trip was no exception. Highlights included Le Monchu (French, just below TC RHODOS midstation), FiFi (Italian, in Morel, was formerly KiKi), Tsaretta Spice (Posh Indian, in Morel) and Castors (burgers, steak, carbonara, and fantastic hot chocolate in Chaudanne) all in Meribel, Le Montagnard (Savoyard) in St Martin, Fire and Ice (Italian) in Moriond, and 1928 (French) at the top of Col de la Loze. The Doron Cafe, Le Rond Pointe and Le Pub Ski Lodge all served as excellent watering holes. Both Folie Douces were also “experienced” with varying levels of enthusiasm (although the restaurant bit is surprisingly good). I have to report though that pricing has gone mad. Half litres (a serieux) of very average beer are now €9. Mains that were an already spendy €30 in seasons past are more likely to be €40 now.
Verdict: In the run-up to this trip I was toying with changing resorts for next year to something in the Sella Ronda (I am the tour director for this group and arrange everything from transfers to accommodation to restaurant reservations to lessons to kit rental to on-mountain routing: no I don’t get a discount). But really, the 3Vs has everything a group of our size and ability levels could want. The main downside for me is the slightly-too-long transfer time from GVA (or LYS), but there is something very comforting about going to the same place again and again and it really is big enough that you can’t get bored. I just wish I had bought a place there even 10 years ago.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Good report, nice to read someone having a good time and not all doom and gloom.
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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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Fabulous report, thanks for taking the time to write it! I would have written off France over half-term but am glad to have been proven wrong.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Great report @Dyrlac, Sounds like you had fun. It could almost persuade me to return - we were in Les Menuires a couple of years ago. I think you should try the Dollies - San Cassiano or Corvara would suit your group. Lots of long cruisey blues for you wife too and it’s much easier on the wallet. Pasta with lobster was €34 
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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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Nice to read your report, I remember your posts about your wife and the lunch!! (We love this restaurant too but tend to stay in St Martin so less of an issue). So glad she got back ok; great success all round!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Fantastic report @Dyrlac, echo you on the conditions and weather last week. We switched to Les Menuires in the 3V for Feb HT from La Plagne once our children and their cousins turned to teenagers. There is something about being so familiar with a resort that you don't need a piste map, just the app to check closures
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We are heading out in March for our first post Covid trip - the day we came back from our 5th trip in a row was the day everything shut in 2020. We paid €1350 per person for a very nice food led chalet, accommodation only. Same week, same company this year is €2400. I know there have been a lot of challenges and expected a hike, but that’s mad. We found a nice looking place for €2000 but that’s a hefty chunk of money. I wouldn’t want to go self catering, but will certainly have to have a think for next year.
Cheers for the report. Looks like it will be a bit patchy snow wise but I’m sure we’ll have a good time. My cousin went recently and declared his lunch at La Soucoupe to be the best he’s ever had on the slopes so we might have a blowout there.
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Super report. Good info!
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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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| Rhoobarb wrote: |
| We are heading out in March for our first post Covid trip - the day we came back from our 5th trip in a row was the day everything shut in 2020. We paid €1350 per person for a very nice food led chalet, accommodation only. Same week, same company this year is €2400. I know there have been a lot of challenges and expected a hike, but that’s mad. We found a nice looking place for €2000 but that’s a hefty chunk of money. I wouldn’t want to go self catering, but will certainly have to have a think for next year. |
Yeah, we were €1460pp for half term 2023, but that had the advantage of a significant discount for repeat custom (effectively paying 2020 rates as a thank you for rolling the deposit from the Coivd cancelled 2021). Next year is looking more like €2000 pp; again just for accomodation. We're fortunate enough to be able to swing these kinds of expenses, but with self-catering coming in at less than half that (mates of ours who used to be part of our chalet crew paid €2500 total for a 2 bed apartment in Méribel Village last week), we could have (even more) blowout lunches. Still wouldn't have the benefit of having the chalet hosts clear away dinner/breakfast--an admittedly petty point but we're on holiday and we do quite enough tidying up at home.
My other consideration is that having non-skiing facilities, eg a pool/spa, in the premises, and maybe slightly more swish common areas, is becoming increasingly attractive so my wife doesn't feel like she *has* to ski to feel like she's getting value out of the hols. But that means separate apartments for the families in a biggish block.
| Rhoobarb wrote: |
| My cousin went recently and declared his lunch at La Soucoupe to be the best he’s ever had on the slopes so we might have a blowout there. |
I really like La Soucoupe, I can just never get a table for 12+ at half term!
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Great write up. Have you considered using the train to reduce the transfer times? Train access is a big factor in which resort I book now. Transfers from Moûtiers are not too far.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| turboblackbeard wrote: |
| Great write up. Have you considered using the train to reduce the transfer times? Train access is a big factor in which resort I book now. Transfers from Moûtiers are not too far. |
I have, and am a huge fan of train transfers. GVA to the 4Vs (and especially Veysonnaz) in CH is very straightforward with no changes to Sion and the bus service up to Veysonnaz links up nicely; but for a variety of reasons (see my TR here), the 4Vs aren't altogether suitable for my syndicate despite my considerable personal affection for Vervier. 
As for the 3Vs though, for Moûtiers from GVA you need at least one change and the total time just to Moûtiers is invariably more than a private transfer all the way to your accommodation, and once you're talking a big enough group, the cost savings are nil, even compared to a private door to door transfer at inflated prices. There is an occassional direct train from Lyon (but not LYS directly) to Moûtiers, but it's about the same timings in the round. I won't willingly fly into CMF or GNB. And as for the train the whole way, alas for the ski train...
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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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Escapade - Saturday 18 February 2023
Recording for posterity our succesful Escapade at the 3d/4th time of asking. Do not do this if you expect to stop for coffee, lunch or to pee. Ski within your limits and for god's sake remember that downhill mountain users have priority over your ridiculous self-inflicted challenge. This is primarily a test of endurance and map-reading and depends on a fair amount of luck with respect to conditions, crowds and lift maintenance. There is always next year.
We followed a lightly modified version of the 2023 route at the link above to accomodate the Zip Line.
Ski Tracks Stats
Ski distance: 86.0km (Strava says 84.1)
Ski vertical: 14,249m
Max altitude: 3,228m at Bouchet summit
Total distance 136.9km
27 Runs
31 Lifts
1 Zip Line
Total duration from Chalet Alysson in Morel to the Rond Point in Méribel: 8h43m
Team: @Dyrlac (46); BC (47); @Lad 2 (16).
Equipment: Me on my trusty Black Crow Captis, a floppy twin-tipped “resort” ski (171cm/90mm/18m) that is superb in slush and extremely manoeuvrable but leaves a lot of top end speed on the table. BC on Elan Amphio 14s, a narrow-waisted 78mm all mountain ski. Lad 2 on Black Crows Vertis Birdies, an 85mm women’s ski (he weighs <50kg). One backpack containing 8 cans of Red Bull, 2 bottles of water, 24 chocolate granola bars, 2 pains au chocolate, 1 croissant, 2 family-sized bags of haribo, and 8 fun size Kit Kat bars. One Courchevel Village ESF etoile d’or bib, sized for a 9-year old (found abandoned pisteside late in the day earlier in the week). Lad 2 planned to use it to sneak through the ski school queues. This didn't work. 
Expected complications: The FIS World Championship was ongoing, which meant we needed to avoid the closed pistes. This turned out to be no big deal, although we did ski the top part of Roc de Fer which still had the paint for the women's downhill.
Several of the lifts were running s l o w l y. Probably as an energy conservation measure, but lots of the lift duration times below are nearly 2x the advertised times. Finally, the zip line "La Tyrolienne" is shut for an indeterminant time at 1245, which turned out to be around the time we got there.
In the TR above, I noted that lift queues weren't that bad anyway throughout half term week (provided you avoided the rookie mistake of being anywhere in the vicinity of Chaudanne at ski school times (c. 0930, 1200, 1400 and 1700)), but on Saturday (which is the changeover day), they really weren't a problem at all except at the bottom of TC Pointe de la Masse and a little bit of congestion at TC Pas du Lac and TS Aiguille de Fruit. Lift durations are below, which include queuing times. Blue skies and good visibility throughout. Despite temperatures in double figures for much of the week, the piste conditions were pretty good everywhere bar a couple of sketchy bits. Any of the mountainsides that were south facing though looked like April rather than mid February.
Lift timings and commentary:
We set out from our chalet in Morel at 0827 and waited around for first chair. I think the liftie took pity on us and started the Morel chair spinning early.
TS MOREL 08h45 (dur c. 6:00)
We decided we’d prefer our last run to begin from on high, so we ticked off Méribel Village first. Not quite early enough to get first chair on TS Golf, but we were probably 4th chair.
TS GOLF 08h54 (dur 8:15)
Turning right off the chair, we hit the Rope Tow and skittered down to Chaudanne. There were maybe five chairs’ worth of people in front of us at TS Legends.
TS LEGENDS 09h09 (dur 6:16)
Moving well, we skied down to Olympic chair, ignoring a lot of signs we didn’t really read until we were on the chair.
TS OLYMPIC 09h19 (dur 6:04)
Oh yes, those signs would have told us that Verdet was closed. We argued for precious minutes about whether we should duck the rope. Verdet was one of our nemeses in 2022: rock hard frozen-over chop that was barely skiable in the then-prevailing whiteout conditions. Sanity prevailed and we skied back down Roc de Fer to TS Cherferie.
TS CHERFERIE 09h31 (dur 4:42)
Afterburners on for Jerusalem/Biollay to St Martin. Lad 2 and BC tapped their watches as I hockey stopped, panting, at the bottom.
TC ST MARTIN 1/TS ST MARTIN 2 09h43 (dur 18:58 )
Finally some terrain that challenged Lad 2: Km after km of flat cat track. It was the first and last time I finished a run ahead of him. We skied down to Le Bettex, in parts a fun sheepish ski, but it had loads of flocons and snowploughers. Le Bettex sure has some smart-looking new built chalets.
TS BETTEX 10h16 (dur 3:55)
Skied down to PdlM basestation through the always lovely centre of Les M. There was a longish queue for the lift. Lad 2, using his scavenged ESF bib, went through the ski school line. At the bubble he was accosted by an ESF instructor who asked Lad 2 where his instructor was. Lad 2 said “up ahead” and dove into a bubble before the instructor could follow him. BC and I waited in the civilian queue.
TC POINTE DE LA MASSE 10h27 (dur 20:49)
In the bubble, Lad 2 stripped off the bib, switched goggles for shades, and at the top, ran for the toilets and hid. BC and I found him and we had a fantastic ski down Fred Covili. We had recce'd the Vallon de Lou off-piste alternative (which would entail going round the back of Pointe de la Masse to TS Plan de L'Eau) earlier in the week with @snowrider, but decided conditions made it a more technical ski than I was really confident in doing under time pressure.
TS REBERTY 11h00 (dur 3:55)
TC BRUYERES 1/2 11h05 (dur 16:15)
We realised that we didn’t really know Val T all that well and after several false starts and traverses across pistes, we eventually found Corniche. Warning to others: Val T is confusing for those who are normally based in Courchevel/La Tania, a recce is recommended.
FUNITEL PECLET 11h36 (dur 11:45)
Our run of good snow ended, and we skied back down into Val Thorens on a steepish and icy (with sugary moguls) Christine.
TS PORTETTE/THORENS GONDOLA 11h57 (dur 19:40)
TS Portette stopped for an alarming amount of time, twice. But eventually it got moving again and we were rewarded with the delightful Lory on the ski down into Plan Bouchet.
TC ORELLE CARON 12h24 (dur 11:39)
Against my objections, we took the bubble up to Cime Caron as Lad 2 thought it was critical to tick off the summit first if it turned out that the Zip Line scheme was viable (ordinarily you would descend into Val T from the top of Cime Caron). Alas there is only only one way back down to Plan Bouchet, Combe Rosaël. I lost the ability to deal with the very large (1-2m) but soft moguls and traversed almost the entire face before working up the courage to put in some turns (skiing being primarily a mental sport), but we eventually made it down.
TS PEYRON 12h52 (dur 4:54)
TS BOUCHET 12h59 (dur 9:00)
We waited for access to La Tyrolienne zip line and it took about 30 minutes of faff while the guys finished their lunch and got the kit back up from the other side. It was pretty scary and expensive (€56 pp), and I won’t do it again—I didn't exceed 60kph (they claim a max speed of 100kph) as I was a little underweight for the grade of sliding mechanism I was given, which meant I spent a lot of time dangling 1000m above the ground—but it added some spice to our attempt. On landing and working out the shakes we skied back down into Val Thoren.
TS PIONNIERS 13h55 (dur 5:04)
TS 3 VALLÉES 14h00 (dur 5:38 )
At this point, we were getting a little worried and rued the initial error with Verdet, my terrible bumps technique on Combe Rosaël and the time taken to deal with the Zip Line. I asked BC whether I was really *that* slow? BC didn’t answer.  But we were at least an hour ahead of our previous attempt in 2022 (foiled due to conditions), so we pressed on, skiing down to Mt Vallon.
TC MONT VALLON 14h14 (dur 12:24)
We then skied down to Mottaret, following the always dreadful, choppy and rock-hard Ours having concluded that popping up TS Plan de Mains wouldn’t save enough time. Lad 2 had built up enough speed on Combe Vallon to take Ours virtually without polling.
TC PAS DU LAC 1/2 14h43 (dur 15:30)
The lift took twice as long as it should, bloody energy crisis. So it was time to speed up, we skied down Creux and on our way to Moriond.
TS CHANROSSA 15h04 (dur 7:17)
Afterburners on again. Skied all the way into Moriond 1650 with Lad 2 catching serious air on various rollers.
TC ARIONDAZ 15h21 (dur 11:51)
Quick, needed to close out Moriond! Zip down Bel Air.
TS CHAPELETS 15h36 (dur 7:36)
Back into Courchevel proper, with an hour and a bit left, we could taste victory. BC warned us not to get complacent just because we were back on “home” territory.
TS AIGUILLE DU FRUIT 15h48 (dur 6:27)
And then it started to go pear shaped. I was on a different chair to BC and Lad 2 (there was a queue and I hate not filling chairs), we hadn’t really discussed the route to Courchevel Village, and frankly everyone was getting nervous. Unfortunately, BC and Lad 2 are considerably quicker than me and tore off (they had planned the route, but didn’t realise that I was a bit sketchy about this bit). Pretty lost, I headed vaguely in the direction I knew we were supposed to go, but ended up at TC Grangettes rather than TS Tovets. I took the bubble, figuring it still counted. Passive agressive WhatsApp messages ensued: “no you guys go ahead, I’ll call an audible on whether to ditch La Tania”. Subsequent timings are mine.
TC GRANGETTES 16h07 (dur 7:03)
It was time for me to dash to La Praz to catch up.
TS FORÊT 16h19 (dur 8:03)
With little more than half an hour before TS Dou des Lanches closed, I started feeling better. I raced down Folyéres, but was still at least a stubborn 5 minutes behind the breakaway.
TC LA TANIA 16h32 (dur 10:42)
The La Tania bubble stopped several times. In the WhatsApp chat, the breakaway group agreed to wait for me at TS Dou des Lanches, but I was not entirely convinced they would as they sent me minute by minute countdowns to last lift. But they waited in the end and I finally arrived at 1643. No apologies, because they knew I "would have wanted the team to finish even if it meant I was left behind in the wrong valley", which was abstractly true, although I was still mad.
TS DOU DES LANCHES 16h44 (dur 5:52)
But the last joke was on BC. He dropped his phone as he got on the chair. We got to the top of Loze in triumph but had to wait for the liftie to send up his phone. Phone retrieved, we saw that Boulevard de la loze was shut, so it was Pic Blue (very slushy at the end) and down to the Rope Tow by TS Altiport to take us back to the Ronnie for much-needed rehydration, arriving bang on at 1715. Job done, and I never need to do it again!
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| Dyrlac wrote: |
Escapade - Saturday 18 February 2023
[…]
I never need to do it again! |
Thanks for the write up: am I right in thinking that it … doesn’t really sound much fun?
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You know it makes sense.
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@Dyrlac, Well done it's many years (2010 I think) since I did this and I think the itinerary has changed since. We couldn't do Masse 2 as it was closed most of the year we did it and I think you had to do Col in VT then, and the zip wire was many years away at that point - not even sure if the Thorens gondola was there then
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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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@Dyrlac, good write up there.
Not sure that challenge is for me/us but you never know.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Well done on the 3V tour. We did it over a few days and went to the ticket office to have it confirmed. At that time you could get a free badge once they confirmed you had hit all the lifts on their system. I wore it proudly until it fell off my backpack 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Dyrlac, sounds like it was more fun for me to read than for you to do… thanks for your sacrifice!
(I have to see if there is a tour at my local…!)
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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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More fools you .............. " it is getting too expensive—we paid about £19,000 for the week just for the accommodation/catering.... "
Sadly the real-world skiers don't have the luxury of such deep pockets. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Dyrlac, interesting about the chalets in le bettaix. I've rented one of them for a group of 12, the week commencing 11th march. It has 6 bedrooms all with ensuite and one of them sleeps 4, so 14 beds s/c for €4300. A local private chef for 6 catered days for €280pp. So accommodation and food for 12 incl tourist tax comes to €7798.6. the only downside is the lack of a local restaurant for chef's night off although she is prepared to do dinner on he extra night. The chalet has a sauna and hot tub.
The same chalet for half term next year is €8300.
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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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Glad to see this amused at least a few!
| jmr59 wrote: |
| Thanks for the write up: am I right in thinking that it … doesn’t really sound much fun? |
One of those things that is more fun to have done it than to be doing it. But it is pretty fun to have done it. 
| stevew wrote: |
| @Dyrlac, Well done it's many years (2010 I think) since I did this and I think the itinerary has changed since. We couldn't do Masse 2 as it was closed most of the year we did it and I think you had to do Col in VT then, and the zip wire was many years away at that point - not even sure if the Thorens gondola was there then |
The itinerary has changed a lot with new (and better) lifts over the years. The 2023 version is now based on hitting all 12 resorts/villages (not counting the ones way down the Méribel valley, e.g., Raffort) and all 12 prinicpal lift-served "peaks and perimeters". Routing is up to the participant, our route was the most efficient except for the zip line, which probably cost us an hour or so net net (waiting for the zip line and being forced to decend via the more difficult side of Cime Caron); and even more if I hadn't bottled the Vallon de Lou. The lift-based version from the olden days used lift pass records by necessity, now that everyone carries a GPS tracker, validation is easier and doesn't require the cooperation of the lift componanies. Sadly, TS Col has been decomissioned (which was frequently shut due to wind anyway), you now have to earn your turns on the glacier.
| turboblackbeard wrote: |
| Well done on the 3V tour. We did it over a few days and went to the ticket office to have it confirmed. At that time you could get a free badge once they confirmed you had hit all the lifts on their system. I wore it proudly until it fell off my backpack |
Yeah, no longer officially sponsored by the 3Vs (since 2018 or so), probably because of idiots hooning it and being a menace to others. I would have liked a badge, but will always have this post!
| Orange200 wrote: |
sounds like it was more fun for me to read than for you to do… thanks for your sacrifice!
(I have to see if there is a tour at my local…!) |
My pleasure, was also more fun to recount than to do On your latter point, this is a dangerous obsession. Lad 2 and I casually tried something similar in the 4Vs (Verbier, etc.) and it is definitely doable. I'm never going to be the fastest or most stylish skier, but by god I can read a map and have a pretty good cardiovascular engine from cycling.
| skimastaaah wrote: |
More fools you .............. " it is getting too expensive—we paid about £19,000 for the week just for the accommodation/catering.... "
Sadly the real-world skiers don't have the luxury of such deep pockets. |
Demand curves slope downwards even for those with deep pockets. 
| tarrantd wrote: |
@Dyrlac, interesting about the chalets in le bettaix. I've rented one of them for a group of 12, the week commencing 11th march. It has 6 bedrooms all with ensuite and one of them sleeps 4, so 14 beds s/c for €4300. A local private chef for 6 catered days for €280pp. So accommodation and food for 12 incl tourist tax comes to €7798.6. the only downside is the lack of a local restaurant for chef's night off although she is prepared to do dinner on he extra night. The chalet has a sauna and hot tub.
The same chalet for half term next year is €8300. |
A possible approach (although I imagine private chefs' fees during half term also reflect a proportionate uplift so overall costings would not be madly dissimilar to what we paid), but despite the apparent niceness of the new chalets there, I don't think Le Bettaix works very well for my syndicate, especially considering the restaurant/apres situation and the difficulty of the "blue" top end of Bettex.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Dyrlac - this is SO SO Good. thanks for sharing. amazing effort.
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Thank you for a helpful report - thinking of using Alpine Action!
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| Dyrlac wrote: |
Escapade - Saturday 18 February 2023
Recording for posterity our succesful Escapade at the 3d/4th time of asking. Do not do this if you expect to stop for coffee, lunch or to pee. Ski within your limits and for god's sake remember that downhill mountain users have priority over your ridiculous self-inflicted challenge. This is primarily a test of endurance and map-reading and depends on a fair amount of luck with respect to conditions, crowds and lift maintenance. There is always next year.
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Out of interest.... where there are two routes from the top of a lift to exactly the same place at the bottom; which would be quicker? Red or Blue?
The Red would be the shortest route (since it has the steeper gradient), however the typical skier would have to put in more turns than they would on a Blue (to cope with the gradient).
I'm discounting the professional skier in this, since they'd tuck for the length of the red anyway!!!
I ask because, while the Escapade definitely isn't a race, the lift speeds are the same for all skiers regardless of ability.. whereas the choice of piste could make the difference between completing the challenge or not.
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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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| jamescollings wrote: |
| Dyrlac wrote: |
Escapade - Saturday 18 February 2023
Recording for posterity our succesful Escapade at the 3d/4th time of asking. Do not do this if you expect to stop for coffee, lunch or to pee. Ski within your limits and for god's sake remember that downhill mountain users have priority over your ridiculous self-inflicted challenge. This is primarily a test of endurance and map-reading and depends on a fair amount of luck with respect to conditions, crowds and lift maintenance. There is always next year.
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Out of interest.... where there are two routes from the top of a lift to exactly the same place at the bottom; which would be quicker? Red or Blue?
The Red would be the shortest route (since it has the steeper gradient), however the typical skier would have to put in more turns than they would on a Blue (to cope with the gradient).
I'm discounting the professional skier in this, since they'd tuck for the length of the red anyway!!!
I ask because, while the Escapade definitely isn't a race, the lift speeds are the same for all skiers regardless of ability.. whereas the choice of piste could make the difference between completing the challenge or not. |
Now closer to the coming ski season than the completed one!
Reds almost all the way. Less likely to have untidy snakes of flocons that need to be given a wide berth. And on an empty piste, I'd still say the reds as I'd just let it rip and let gravity do the work (anyone seriously considering doing the Escapade needs a degree of colour blindness, at least between red and blue). But typical conditions also play a part. For speed, I'd take the blue Folyéres over the red Moretta (both going into La Tania from the top of TC LA TANIA) almost any day of the week as Moretta has seriously thin snow cover most times I've been. Similarly, depending on the time of day, the blue Biche/Marmotte/Doron can be quicker than the red Mauduite from the top of TC PAS DU LAC to Chaudanne, if you can avoid the crowds, as the latter ices up something fierce in the afternoon.
Pisted blacks may be a slightly different calculation depending on gradient. But I think would need to be really quite steep, i.e., Plan-du-Fou, separating Siviez from Nendaz in the 4Vs before additional turns really started to matter, and none of the usually pisted blacks in the 3Vs are that steep (looking at you Dou des Lanches and, frankly, L'éclipse). Bumps change everything though. There is no way I could get down from Saulire to the Courchevel family park faster on the black (usually unpisted) M than on the wide open red Saulire.
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Cheers for the guidance. I'm looking at your (and other's) timings/routes and beginning to think I need to have a couple of "bail-out" points where I realise that I'm not going to make it, and will need to head for home and complete it on a second day.
I'll be starting from VT (Funitel Peclet) but given it'll be January the lifts will be closing that little bit early and the final times for Bruyeres might be "tight".
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Dyrlac wrote: |
| jamescollings wrote: |
Out of interest.... where there are two routes from the top of a lift to exactly the same place at the bottom; which would be quicker? Red or Blue?
The Red would be the shortest route (since it has the steeper gradient), however the typical skier would have to put in more turns than they would on a Blue (to cope with the gradient). |
Reds almost all the way. Less likely to have untidy snakes of flocons that need to be given a wide berth. And on an empty piste, I'd still say the reds as I'd just let it rip and let gravity do the work (anyone seriously considering doing the Escapade needs a degree of colour blindness, at least between red and blue). But typical conditions also play a part. |
Not sure I understand this answer. If you take the LT recommended route then the vast majority of the day is on blue pistes and there are no options: https://www.latania.co.uk/skiing/escapaders/2023/NEWescapade2023HD.jpg
Ignoring small scoots between lifts, a quick count up of the route above suggests to me that it is 6 green, 21 blue and 8 red pistes.
Of the 8 reds, 6 have no option because they are the only piste between those points. Of the two that do, LT recommend Christine between Peclet and Portette in VT but unless it's been pisted, the blue Tete Rond/green 2 Combes is probably quicker for most people. The only other one is whether to take red Fred Covili or blue Bouquetin off the top of La Masse - the snow on Fred Covili is usually very good so I'd probably take it for enjoyment purposes but again I doubt it's any quicker. The only other red "option" would be to take the long way round on the green Praline to Chapelets in C1650 instead of Bel Air but for sure Bel Air is quicker there so it's not really an option. Other than the two options above, the blues also have no alternatives as the quickest way between points except a couple which just have a different blue.
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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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| jamescollings wrote: |
Cheers for the guidance. I'm looking at your (and other's) timings/routes and beginning to think I need to have a couple of "bail-out" points where I realise that I'm not going to make it, and will need to head for home and complete it on a second day.
I'll be starting from VT (Funitel Peclet) but given it'll be January the lifts will be closing that little bit early and the final times for Bruyeres might be "tight". |
As a follow on to my comments above, the most important thing on the Escapade is to try not to stop between points. If skiing a red means you get lactic acid and have to stop to recover, when you could have cruised the blue non-stop letting the skis do the work, then you're better off on the blue. You won't have much choice but to stop on a couple of the reds unless you're super fit because they're so long (Combe du Vallon and Cime) but that's it really.
You could minimise your risk starting from VT by not starting at the Peclet. Peclet doesn't open until 9:15, you're better off taking Cascades as a starting point at 9.00am and going straight to Portette. You can be first in line for Portette's 9.15 opening and on your way. Doing this has the advantage that you never have to ski Christine (or Tete Rond) under time pressure which are quite long, and if the Peclet is your last lift it doesn't matter if you miss it. But if you make it you can have a beer at the top and a leisurely ski back down Lac Blanc.
You've then got easy bale out options anytime after St Martin by not going to Bettex or La Masse in LM, but straight to Menuires and Mont de la Chambre, or Granges and Cote Brune back to VT. Incidentally, I wouldn't take Reberty and Bruyeres back to VT from La Masse, I'd take Doron and Mont de la Chambre. Bruyeres seems to break down a lot and you'll be faffing taking your skis off. I'd rather have Bruyeres as the back up if there's any problem with Mont de la Chambre.
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| Je suis un Skieur wrote: |
| As a follow on to my comments above, the most important thing on the Escapade is to try not to stop between points. |
In my experience, the most important thing is to not make an irrecoverable-without-hiking wrong turn or failing to make sure Chasse is actually skiable on the day all the way to TS Plan D'Leau, which used to be a mandatory lift (but is now skippable as the challenge is to hit specified peaks, villages and perimeters without regard to routing)  Agree with the VT points.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Dyrlac wrote: |
| Je suis un Skieur wrote: |
| As a follow on to my comments above, the most important thing on the Escapade is to try not to stop between points. |
In my experience, the most important thing is to not make an irrecoverable-without-hiking wrong turn or failing to make sure Chasse is actually skiable on the day all the way to TS Plan D'Leau |
I think I'd argue that those two things are just due diligence!
Chasse is just a rock strewn mud path that occasionally has enough snow on it to get to Chez Pepe Nicolas without officially skiing off piste. A triumph of VT marketing over substance most probably done to appease one of its most famous restaurants. It's bug all use for skiing for two thirds of the season.
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FAQ
