Les Saisies for a group in January

A snowHead

I know there are a quite a few Les Saisies fans around here, particularly @pam w and @snowymum. I'm looking for options for a group holiday next year, most likely first or second week of January and have found what looks like a great deal in Les Saisies. The group ranges from a beginner through to good intermediates (who will get down any piste including black mogul runs). Is that too early for Les Saisies? I know it has a fairly good snow record. How would a group of that level find the skiing? I'm pretty sure it would be perfect for the beginner but what about those at the other end of the scale?

(I'm only interested in views on Les Saisies and not alternative suggestions - I have other options, which I know would be good, but they're not quite such an awesome deal. Also I quite fancy going somewhere new.)

A snowHead

We (family of 4) spent Christmas week at Les Saisies a few years back. Snow was little sparse at Bisanne 1500 where we had our apartment but overall it was great and it snowed a fair bit whilst we were there. I’m a solid intermediate skier and the others were good blue/red skiers. I thought there was a good variety of runs and we thoroughly enjoyed it. I’d definitely go back and may actually have chance to in March 24.

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@sugarmoma666, Les Saisies has a good snow record so I think it would be fine to book for January.

The reason I like Les Saisies is that L'Espace Diamant is a beautiful ski area with lots of tree lined runs. I enjoy skiing off to the outlying villages like Praz sur Arly and Crest Voland. There are some good mountain restaurants and Residence Amaya where we last stayed is one of the best residences I've been to.

If members of your group want black mogul runs they might be disappointed as the skiing is mainly blues and reds with the odd not too difficult black. It is also worth mentioning that there is not much in the way of vertical drop as the top height is about 2100m.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

As it’s not on TO schedules it is reasonably quiet also with mainly French skiers and those who self drive or DIY. I too enjoyed the links over to the other villages and it is very picturesque.

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I can't add much to the above. It would be ideal for your group and will have snow as good, if not better, than anywhere else around (not unusual for it to be better than Flaine). Where is your accommodation? There are no tough black runs, really, but there is some easily accessible lift-served "beginner" off piste.

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I would say Les Saisies suits beginners and early intermediates very well indeed.

For the good intermediates in your group, they should have an enjoyable time as long as:

a) there's enough snow on the lower parts of the domain (not guaranteed in early Jan)
b) they don't mind riding slow lifts - since many of the best reddish pistes are served by slow chairs

I've a trip report with pics you can access via my signature, from a visit in the 3rd full week of January.

After all it is free

My question about location of accommodation is in response to your saying it's a super bargain. Well located accommodation in Saisies is not usually "a bargain", so I'm a little suspicious. wink

Though of course you are going at the cheapest time of year - very good idea, will be nice and quiet.

@pam w, it's the Belambra Les Embrunes, which I think is ski in ski out.
We ski in January every year, as it gives a nice balance of price, snow and relatively quiet slopes.

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Yes, it's well situated for access to the slopes but not for the village or other facilities - most people staying there will have a car. I've never been in there but I think you can expect it to be fairly basic!

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@pam w, it would be half board so not particularly fussed about access to the village. Google maps suggests a 25 min walk to the village but I'm guessing the route it's showing might not be that great at night Very Happy

How to your pronounce Les Saisies?

And do you happen to know which lift the hotel is near? I'm trying figure out where it is on the ski map.

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A couple of additional questions:

- how easy is it to get around the area without doing drag tows (I don't mind them but boarders grumble)?
- are there likely to be taxis around if folk wanted to get into the town?
- are there any buses around the area?

I guess as it's not that focused on UK market, I'm not finding as much information in English as I'm used to.

The ease of reaching Les Saisies by train is very much in it's favour.

Hmm. My bilingual daughter in law says "Lay Sezee" with the stress on the final syllable. "Saisies" doesn't rhyme with daisy. But I would not profess to be an expert and most Brits DO make it rhyme with daisy!!

As for walking, the only feasible route at night would be the same as shown for cars. NOBODY would walk on that road at night if they could help it, especially at snowy times, when there is nowhere to escape from the carriageway if a car came round the corner too fast. If you escaped with your life, I'd say it would be a good 30 minute walk. There are buses during the day and might be a few "specials" at night.

To get back to the Belambra place at the end of the ski day would involve going up a lift, so determined by lift-closing times. If you have your own group going, and they are not after "night life" it could be a lot of fun.

You know it makes sense.

I would pronounce it "lay sayzee" Belhambra is located next to Residence Amaya and would be ski to and from the door. The quickest way to the village would be to walk on a pedestrian route across the piste which is about 20 minutes. There is a bus from that area to the village but I didn't check how often it ran as we had a car (self drove from the UK). I think Les Saisies is one resort where having a car is beneficial particularly if staying in one of these residences outside the main village.

Belhambra looks dated from the outside. I haven't seen it inside. I'd highly recommend Residence amaya but it obviously depends how much you want to spend. There is also a newish residence called Chalet des Cimes which is a bit cheaper than Amaya and is situated in the main village.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@pam w, I expect your bilingual daughter in law knows the pronunciation better than me! Maybe I have not been pronouncing it correctly!

A snowHead

@sugarmoma666, Have just seen your other post. We once went to Les Saisies by train. Took the train to Annecy and hired a car from Europcar at Annecy station. Peak Retreats who we use have lots of good information on the resort on their website. Their prices include Eurotunnel flexiplus but they offer accommodation only at a lower cost.

A snowHead

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@sugarmoma666, Most of the main Les saisies area can be accessed by chairlifts but there are one or two runs that are only accessed by drags..I think one is called Rhododendrons which is a nice blue but that drag is easy. There are a couple of harder drags in the wider area - can think of one between Flument and Notre Dame that required a bit more concentration.

I have also skied in Les Menuires and Arc 2000 recently.
Les Menuires is probably the cheapest resort in the 3 valleys but if you get the full area pass it is expensive. Eating out is more expensive there. I would not go to the three valleys if I were on a budget.

Les Arcs would be a good choice for a trip by train (the logistics of getting there would be easier than Les Saisies). It is an extensive and varied ski area and I think you could do a week there without taking a drag lift. There is a rope tow to get back to Arc 2000 though. La Cime des Arcs residence in Arc 2000 is well situated and good value in my opinion. A lot of development has taken place there in recent years and it is popular with brits so it lacks the off the beaten track feel of parts of the Espace Diamant.

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@snowymum, I know both the 3V and Paradiski pretty well (including the cheap places to eat lunch Happy

) It's only Les Saisies of the 3 options that I don't know, so trying to get a feel of the differences. As we'll be HB, we wouldn't be eating out in an evening, anyway. The package price inc HB and lift pass is pretty much identical for the options I have in the 3.

The logistics would likely be identical for the 3 by train in terms of our plan, i.e. train then pre-booked taxi, but we'd get to Les Saisies earliest and hence in time for more skiing on the Saturday Toofy Grin

(I did 3 trips by train last year, so am getting quite used to how to make that work well).

Thanks for your help on this. My guess is the group will veer towards the Les Arcs (I just wish it was anywhere other than 1950/2000) or Les Menuires options (areas which most of them know) but the Les Saisies Hotel looks to be a slightly higher standard and we'd get the excitement of a new area.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@sugarmoma666, If you already know the other areas I'd give Les Saisies a go.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@sugarmoma666, I ski regularly with boarders so know how they dislike button lifts, Les Saisies would not imo present them any issues in regards to this. Easy to get around the entire area on chairs with the odd easy button.

Agree with others I personally wouldn’t entertain walking to and from town to Belhambra on the road. That would be dangerous. I would also not consider walking the direct route across the pistes at night especially if under the influence of alcohol. Yes it’s possible but probably not advisable.

The cost of a taxi shared between a few wouldn’t be too expensive if it was just a couple of trips during the week so you could enjoy an après in town. The town is lovely and has some nice bars and restaurants, a really nice charm and vibe as not a rowdy TO venue.

Having been there I’d be really disappointed if I never went there for a ski holiday!

After all it is free

Half board at the Belambra will be a lot cheaper than your other options, but clearly there are downsides. If you want to keep costs down there are buses from Albertville to Les Saisies. the shortest road route would pass the door - but probably buses don't, as it's steep and windy that way. A taxi could manage that route except in heavy snow and be a lot cheaper than private transfer to the Tarentaise. Taxis into the village at night would be easily affordable between 3 or 4 of you. @jirac18 is right that visiting the town at night would be nice but the piste patrol in Saisies are adamant about no circulation on the pistes after closing time and even if you decided to take the risk, the uphill walk back, in the dark, would be masochistic!

Self-catering in one of the "out of town" residences without a car would be challenging, and the best apartments (like the Amaya) are expensive. If you were going self-catering in Saisies without a car then one of the ski in/out residences in town would be preferable. I would imagine that half-board in the Belambra would be more like a French "centre de vacances" for families than staying in a hotel. Good value, and convivial, but no frills. I suspect some of the photos on the Belambra website are a little misleading..... But I personally wouldn't hesitate the stay there.

Is the included lift pass just for Saisies or for the Espace Diamant? The difference in price is very little - if it's just Saisies, and there's an option to upgrade, I'd strongly recommend that except for beginners.

Actually, your thread has given me an idea - I'm wondering about the Belambra for a big family holiday at Easter! Our holiday in two adjoining gites in Bisanne 1500 last year was great, but pretty expensive and quite hard work!

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@pam w, amazingly, the included lift pass is the whole area. Don't worry, I'm under no illusion about the standard of the place, although the only other Belambra property I've stayed in was amazingly good for the money we paid (Hotel Diva in Tignes).

The costs are all an interesting balancing act. Paying a bit extra to travel by train (although I'm not sure it actually works out that much more expensive) and getting a taxi straight up to our accommodation so we can get straight out on the slopes all generally seem worth it.

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@pam w, amazingly, the included lift pass is the whole area. Don't worry, I'm under no illusion about the standard of the place, although the only other Belambra property I've stayed in was amazingly good for the money we paid (Hotel Diva in Tignes).

The costs are all an interesting balancing act. Paying a bit extra to travel by train (although I'm not sure it actually works out that much more expensive) and getting a taxi straight up to our accommodation so we can get straight out on the slopes all generally seem worth it.

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I think good value and convivial is just the ticket. We used to stay in a very simple gasthof in Austria with the kids for years and the food was plentiful and simple. Always offered second helpings. We went a tiny bit more upmarket one year and used to have to supplement dinner.

You know it makes sense.

@sugarmoma666, two out of three of my kids would drive, as flying or training with a whole family is just too expensive. They drove last year, too. With a car-full, driving is by far the cheapest way to get to the Alps. The kids (3, 5, 11 and 13) don't enjoy the journey but they know it's the only way of affording the holiday, and just get on with it. I drove down to Genova (car all to myself, no kids, my pick of music and audio books) to pick up one grandson, took him up to Les Saisies, drove back to Genova afterwards and then home.

Remarkable, as you say, that it's a full area ski pass. Good news. snowHead

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Les Saisies for a group in January

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