 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Thanks for that link @bigtuboflard. It is interesting to see that a permanent route is being installed for the essentials pass priority lane.
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@Handy Turnip, as John said, it's the TransArc bottom station. You're right to say that it's a big lift to replace in a single summer - the work actually started last summer. The top lift station and the mid-point station have already been completed, and I think most of the pylons are already in place (the top section of the lift the pylons are already in place, not too sure about the lower section). All being well it will welcome the first guests on Saturday 14 December, in a 10-person gondola (with seats, unlike the monstrous thing it's replacing!) and, IIRC, 8 minutes quicker ride to the top.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 29-04-24 14:46; edited 1 time in total
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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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Cheers @rob@rar, sounds great! And be nice to be rid of those weird slidey seats that you can only get one bum cheek on, and you have to reposition yourself every 30 seconds!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Handy Turnip wrote: |
| Cheers @rob@rar, sounds great! And be nice to be rid of those weird slidey seats that you can only get one bum cheek on, and you have to reposition yourself every 30 seconds! |
Exactly. Hated it for that reason - avoided it all this season as it was a miserable way to get to up the hill, so I always used an alternative route.
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We too avoided Transarc - for various reasons.
I think most people prefer chair lifts in general don't they?
But as a second best - some of the new cable car/gondoliers are excellent these days.
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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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I don't think I used it at all this season. My preferred route back to 2000 bowl is to go across just under the mid-station to Carreley.
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@Owlette, I'd be interested in finding out a bit about your Les Arcs trip, especially the journey. Planning for next Jan (!). Not been to Les Arcs but keen to explore the train option too... Did you DIY booking and sorting out, or do the Snow Train?
Anyone got any thoughts on 1800 v 1950? (4 mates, no kids) Looks like 1800 has got the better priced accommodation, as far as I can see. Thanks!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
Anyone got any thoughts on 1800 v 1950?
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1800 is much bigger and has more activities such as Mile8 and Follie Duce. However, some of the accomodation can be a long way from the lifts and shops etc. whereas 1950 has immediate access to the piste. It is genuinely ski in ski out and evrything is close at hand. Both have access to excelent skiing and it is easy to get from one to the other. In January the 2000 bowl is occasionally closed down due to bad weather and the navette can be very busy going around the mountain to the skiing at 1600.
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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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| Handy Turnip wrote: |
| Or is it just the bottom station that's being replaced and the lift infrastructure will remain in place |
The top station is already built, and lots of the pylons are already in place, though they don't reach quite as far as the station yet.
You can see the new top station on the Arcabulle webcam
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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
Anyone got any thoughts on 1800 v 1950?
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1800 is much bigger and has more activities such as Follie Duce. |
I've missed that one, is it this place?
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You know it makes sense.
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| davidof wrote: |
| I've missed that one, is it this place? |
No, I don’t think that’s right. Only the blokes have got their tops off in that photo. Can’t be the Folie.
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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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A couple years ago we were having a torch light descent meal in the Arpette. There was a party of british students there also. They were dancing on the tables. The men and women had their shirts off. My niece was shocked. Not by the fact that the girls were dancing in their brassiers but that they were dancing in, quote "grubby grey ones". What is the world comimg to when they forgot to bring their evening dresses and dinner jackets up the mountain for a meal.
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Poster: A snowHead
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think taninges are saying bubbles are 5K euros biut cant stay in thye savoie ( as per agreement with ADS)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@cheztichot, That's a lotta money to pay for a garden ornament (plus shipping). Even tho it would meet the criteria of "not Savoie". Think I'll pass.
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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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| Chyvan wrote: |
@Owlette, I'd be interested in finding out a bit about your Les Arcs trip, especially the journey. Planning for next Jan (!). Not been to Les Arcs but keen to explore the train option too... Did you DIY booking and sorting out, or do the Snow Train?
Anyone got any thoughts on 1800 v 1950? (4 mates, no kids) Looks like 1800 has got the better priced accommodation, as far as I can see. Thanks! |
Hello! Ive only just seen this! We loved the train and are already planning next year, by train again. Feel free to ping me a DM.
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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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I’m in Les Arcs at the moment and here are a few of my observation in no particular order.
1/ Bourg st Maurice has followed Wales in introducing a 30km/h speed limit.
2/ The valley is too hot. In Bourg it is upper 20’s/lower 30s. Here in 1600 it is a very pleasant 24
3/ To me the resort appears very busy with lots of people about, but the bar and restaurant owners say business is down this year with few people eating and drinking out. I got the same report from a hitch hiker going up to Pralognan today. He blamed the French elections with many people staying at home to vote. I just noticed a very high percentage of children.
4/ Arc1600 is a very friendly place. I was going out to get some croissants one morning only to be invited into the Geneux restaurant for a coffee by the owner. Each visit to main street is accompanied by lots of hand shaking and chats. This just doesn’t happen at home.
5/ Progress on the transarc is going well. Most pylons seem to be in place and the mechanical parts of the base station looks to be almost complete. I’ll be hiring bikes tomorrow so may be able to report on what is happing further up the mountain.
6/ The Abreuvoir is open in summer this year. They have been closed the last few summers. It was almost desterted
7/ We went sport climbing at the Roche Fleur near Courbaton on Monday. It is often a bit damp there but as it had rained in the morning it was greasy. However, we were having a nice quiet time with the crag to ourselves (it was very quiet) until 2 o’clock when the bureau des guides arrived with their clients. There were so many of them we did another route and left. The crag has been developed a lot in recent years for instructing beginners and they do it well. If anyone fancies trying rock climbing I suggest contacting the bureau des guides. We go there because it is a nice walk through Courbaton to get there – no need to drive. I suppose we should get the lift to the deux tetes instead.
8/ There are a lot of cyclists about. The road to Cormet de Roseland was particularly busy. We were going to do the via ferrata roc du vent.
9/ We really enjoyed climbing at the Fraiche in Pralognan. This is a really beautiful old mountaineering town high in the Vanoise National Park, but now has a small skiing area. I like the place and recommend the via ferrata cascade de la fraiche. It goes up beside a waterfall then crosses it on a Himalayan bridge. Fantastic and cooled by the spray from the waterfall.
10/ The music festival is on. You can attend free concerts. There are lots of young people walking about with guitars and cellos on their backs, but I’ve seen non with brass instruments or piano’s. We went past the cuprinole and to my ear the music sounded terrible. The place was packed
11/ Sometimes I wonder whether I prefer the place in summer or winter and this is sacrilege on a skiing website but I think I prefer the summer. 
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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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Another thought. Last Friday I had lunch in grenoble accompanying the cod dish were whelks. I haven't had whelks for years and forgot how much I like them. The seafood from our youth seams to have vanished from the uk. I cannot remember the last time I had winkles for example.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@johnE, Pretty quiet access the valley in Sainte Foy but I’m told bookings for August looking good , lots of competition down the valley these days , feels like every bar/restaurant needs to have some form of duo singing or playing guitars to get the punters in , they take it in turns here . Cycling is now massive here not only helped by TdeF but many teams base their summer camps in the Tarentaise . Visma probably the most visable being based in Tignes not unusual to see the back up shopping in Super U Bourg .
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@Rob Mackley, I assume that the teams are buying all the pasta in the shop. We see the teams climbing up to les arcs as well. Usually followed by the team vehicle
It actually seems quite busy to me; as busy as a quiet week in winter, but few people are eating out.
Today we went out for mountain bike ride around the resort, well the 1600 to vallandry side. There is a bit of rescupting going on. They are adding a western entrance to the transarc bottom station and moving a lot of muck either to or from the top of the park.
A list of activities that I’ve tried but didn’t do on this trip.
Archery- about as exciting as darts.
Parcour de adventure. The last time I did this was followed closely by stewarts who appeared concerned by a 70 year doing it as opposed to children.
Parrapoint- it was great until we started spiralling down 1000m to land at bourg st Maurice. Motion travel tablets would be advised.
Canyoning - this was great but the Pussy canyon has been closed and we had to travel upto Annecy. On a university trip my son proudly told the rest of the trip that he’d been down Pussy canyon.
Mountaineering. I really enjoy this but sadly I’m not fit enough for 1000m climbing. I’m really sad to be old. But my brothers never even got to be old.
Rafting down the Isère. I loved it, but done it too many times. I love to take new visitors down the river. We did once go down on boogie boards.
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Can confirm as a brewery owner selling beer to bars... it is very quiet this year across the Alps. I've got clients all over here and Morzine/Chamonix and everyone is saying the same. Not really put a finger on the exact cause.
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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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Would the Olympics have anything to do with it?
We drove home on Saturday and were warned that this would be one of the worst days of the year for road traffic. A couple of jams costing us about an hour on jorney time but nowhere near as bad as I expected. Half the cars on the road were either Dutch or Belgian. The tunnel itself was very quiet and we were put on a crossing one hour earlier  and that train was virtually empty. Fifteen and a quarter hours door to door wasn't too bad for Les Arcs to Birmingham.
I thought Les Arcs itself was fairly busy with about as many people about as a quieter winter week but few people seemed to be eating out or in bars. In fact car parking was worse than Easter.
A further observation: they are building a dedicated electric vehicle charging area opposite the bioenergy power plant in Arc 1600.
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1950 also down on numbers - we were told it was estimated 400pax short of same period last year. Was said that it was across the whole French hospitality sector, not just the Alps Causes were given variously as
- people attending the Olympics (ie not going elsewhere)
- People put off France generally because of Olympics
- Usual late booking spree didn't arise: cost of living plus political uncertainty meaning people not willing to spend in case their saving were needed for other things.
- V. poor weather in May & June - people looking for guaranteed sun so went south-er.
A lot of snow (and snow melt) still around up high meant that some walking routes - e.g. to Refuge de Pourri were closed until Mid July.
But like @johnE, thoroughly enjoyed our summer trip this year, and will extend it to maybe 4 weeks next year. We didn't do the 'straight through' thing though - spend time in Champagne and Bordeaux "supporting the French economy..." - quite a lot of wine was bought home with us! Also Beaufort cheese from the BsM market. mmmmm!
On the E charging front: VIP Bear Lodge (in 1950) , is offering free charging for any guests who drive down next winter. I've a feeling this will become a differentiator for a while, and then, like wifi, will be common practice.
Even the hotels with "paid for" charging are not always advertising the service - it would appear in France it is kind of assumed these days. We stopped to overnight in Beaune, cluster of 6 hotels, all with e-charging stations, only one actually put it on their website (which was the one we chose, as we didn't realise it was quite so ubiquitous).
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