 Poster: A snowHead
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Really stuck for ideas if anyone can help.
As a family, we've been skiing in France for years. Having 'accommodated' Feb Half Term numerous times, we've flipped to Easter and higher resorts. However, 2025 is my son's GCSE year and we cannot to at Easter due extra classes held at school. December/New Year are off the table as too early/dark. So that leaves us with Feb Half Term (again).
We had to do this in 2023 and our Feb Half Term week clashed with Paris (but not UK). Went to Grand Massif and pistes were seriously busy - especially at peak times. One lift queue to access Flaine took 30 mins. Awful.
Horrifyingly, Feb Half Term in 2025 for us includes UK and 2 x French regions (including Paris!). So I'm expecting body numbers on par to 2023....and some!
I know it's early to ask, but I always book accommodation a year in advance to get a good apartment/location (ski in/out) at the best cost. And we always drive. But I'm not sure where to start with 2025. Criteria includes:
1. Want to keep driving to a minimum (hence we always to go France) - had been considering La Clusaz but not sure if many French go there? Not sure which resorts are more
popular with the French!
2. Would prefer a big resort - or linked resort - thought about Cormayeur (getting away from France) but that seems too small
3. Feeling that this needs to be a Sunday-Sunday booking year - purely to help with traffic
Something might have to give!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Go to Le Thuille just down the road to Courmayeur , cheaper than , the option of skiing over to La Rosiere which you might regret , Busy, but also have the option of skiing in Courmayeur for the day .
Being a veteran of the area , place in Sainte Foy ,it’s my last half term this year HORRAY ! , we always pop over to La Rosiere one day to ski La Thuille at half term … always amazed how quiet it is compared to France . If I didn’t have Sainte Foy and needed to go at half term, Driving , La Thuile is where I would be going .
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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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We've been to Montgenevre three times for HT and queues haven't been an issue. Apparently the number of beds in resort is sufficiently low that MontyG can't contain enough people to cause serious queues. And it's apparently no fashionable enough to really appeal to the Parisians.
Cracking ski area.
Could be a long drive though. 1000k from Calais. (Never tried for skiing, but it's a long slog getting that far south in a day in the summer.)
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| Rob Mackley wrote: |
Go to Le Thuille just down the road to Courmayeur , cheaper than , the option of skiing over to La Rosiere which you might regret , Busy, but also have the option of skiing in Courmayeur for the day .
Being a veteran of the area , place in Sainte Foy ,it’s my last half term this year HORRAY ! , we always pop over to La Rosiere one day to ski La Thuille at half term … always amazed how quiet it is compared to France . If I didn’t have Sainte Foy and needed to go at half term, Driving , La Thuile is where I would be going . |
I can also recommend courmayeur. We had a great time and first time staying in a hotel where the breakfast, and ability to make lunch, was amazing.
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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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Avoid the typical resorts and look at places such as Valmeinier, Valloire, Les Sybelles, Val Cenis and the various other ski areas in The Maurienne Valley. We still go at half term which often clashes with Paris and have never queued for more than 2 minutes on any lift. Easily driveable from Calais in around 9 hours as motorway all the way to the last 20-30kms.
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We'd like to go to Austria in Feb HT 25, like you we drive so distance over French resorts is an issue my kids would like to do Austria as well but they don't revel in the drive to the French Alps, like you stuck for ideas!
This Feb HT (4 weeks  ) we are going to Val Cenis went to Les Sybelles in Feb 24 that was the busiest I've ever seen more than Flaine which I didn't think was too bad once you got up the first lift.
I don't tend to look at the HT clash as there's nothing I can do about it.
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3. Feeling that this needs to be a Sunday-Sunday booking year - purely to help with traffic
drive down on the Friday and stay Albertville or closer to resort.......ski the Saturday when most are travelling and it will be quiet, then leave after skiing on the Friday to beat the rush on leaving and either drive all the way or stay over somewhere well north to be ahead of the hordes. otherwise you ll be getting in Sunday and straight back to the daily grind
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Italy should be a lot quieter as carnivale (pancake day) is late - early march so does not coincide with UK Feb holidays
Italians do take holidays around carnivale but varies around the country from a couple of days to a week.
I would avoid France completely.
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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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Are you up to doing Switzerland? Somewhere like the 4 Vallées and the resorts in Vaud / Valais aren't really that further than the nearby French resorts like the PdS in terms of drive time from Calais, or if fly/driving, Geneva. All other things being equal, you may find some of the Swiss resorts relatively quieter. But I would suggest double-checking the local Canton holiday calendar.
If cost is an issue, then some of the satellites will be cheaper (e.g. Nendaz and La Tzoumaz vs Verbier) or some of the smaller locations such as the Val d'Annivers or Ovronnaz may be less.
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| Quote: |
would avoid France completely.
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So would I. Driving to Courmayeur or similar involves the usual French traffic hassles. Fly cheaply to Turin and take your pick of Italian resorts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
Driving to Courmayeur or similar involves the usual French traffic hassles
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But would that be the case still if doing Sunday-Sunday? I've only ever had Saturday-Saturday bookings.
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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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Well, it would be less bad than Saturday. But you'd probably still have to start from home on Saturday and you'd have an unpredictable delay at the tunnel. And I do suspect, as stated above, that you would find Courmayeur limited if you like high mileage places. If I were driving to Courmayeur I'd sit on the motorway a wee bit longer and go to Pila. Still a small resort, but many more miles of piste than Courmayeur, and an interesting Italian town in Aosta. Though probably without the incredible tweeness (and expense!) of the shopping in Courmayeur.
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La Thuile sounded quite interesting as @Rob Mackley, pointed out.
If we drove: leave UK later on the Saturday (late morning tunnel) and drive through to near Dijon (not sure if driving the afternoon gets us behind the hordes?), then Dijon to La Thuile Sunday.
Returning would also be on the Sunday - probably staying over to get back to the UK on the Monday
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You know it makes sense.
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That could work though unless your second Sunday return through the tunnel was earlier than the outward trip, the tunnel would be expensive as they're strict about the weekly return.
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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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@Kettonskimum1971, I've only skied once at half term, went to champoluc, one bottleneck had 10 mins queues....most other lifts were ski/walk straight on, zero queues
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Thu 11-01-24 16:02; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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Sunday-Sunday may restrict your accomodation options.......
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@pam w, Noted - and while I'd have worked that out at some point, good to have that info up front!
@stefoy4me, Yes, always thought it would be a needle in a haystack.....
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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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@Kettonskimum1971, you might have to do Sat Sat but you never know , if you could get Sun Sun accommodation and followed your plan you’d be in La Thuille for lunch .
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'd say don't rule out Austria as you can drive down through Germany and the resorts are generally quieter in HT than in France
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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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@Kettonskimum1971, Firstly I would not discount going at Christmas. It can be really enjoyable with good snow and less crowded and cheaper than half term. Also if your child has mocks before Christmas I would say the first week of the Christmas holiday is the best week to go in GCSE year as by Feb half term they will probably be really busy finishing off coursework in practical subjects, preparing for language orals and revising for extra last minute tests that the school decide to hold in key subjects.
If you do decide to go in half term and want places that are easy to drive to both La Rosiere and Montgenevre are good options as they are straightforward to get to with good quality self catering accommodation and family orientated apres ski, but you can ski over to Italy, La thuile and Claviere respectively/ to escape the crowds. Montgenevre is a straightforward drive...you can head down the maurienne valley whilst everyone else turns off to the tarentaise and through the Frejus tunnel. Then it is a simple gentle drive up to the resort.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Depending on your term dates, the week before Christmas it's a real treat. We have managed it the last couple of years due to some well placed teacher training days and a couple of cheeky sick days....
The pistes are empty, flights are cheap, car hire is cheap, accommodation is cheap, no queues at the lifts. It's bliss compared to half term. There are often cheap deals for accommodation and lift passes too.
We got 8 days for the price of 6 in Corvara before Christmas with the Super Premiere deal on accommodation and lift passes. Flights for 4 including luggage for less than £550 return and 8 days car hire for £85!
Sadly, the dates don't work for pre Christmas 2024 
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Hi all, just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who has contributed thoughts/ideas to my post.
Off to do further research but have honed this down to looking for a Sunday-Sunday (driving so hopefully less busy) appartment in La Thuile (never skied Italy before) in Feb Half Term 2025 (hubby is no go on Dec and we can't do Easter).
Slightly out of my 'French' comfort zone but for the right reasons.
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@kettonskimum, One main thing not mentioned on slope coffee , drinks and resort restaurants pricing is much cheaper than France . You will notice this .
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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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| Rob Mackley wrote: |
| @kettonskimum, One main thing not mentioned on slope coffee , drinks and resort restaurants pricing is much cheaper than France . You will notice this . |
Might be enough to pay for the Mont Blanc Tunnel!! 
@kettonskimum, if you price it up, adding up fuel, tolls, tunnels, overnight stops, etc, (and the not negligible cost of wear and tear and depreciation on your vehicle of a circa 2,000mile round trip) you may even find that flying and hiring a car works out cheaper for Italy. Plenty of options out of E Mids or Stansted to Turin, Milan, Bergamo, Verona, Venice, etc and a whole plethora of resorts to visit, that are usually very quiet during the week.
Winter is very much low season in N Italy. I'm hiring a VW Golf from Venice next week for £73/6 days. Flights can get a bit pricey on HT weekends, but I had Saturday Ryanair flights out of Manchester to Verona for £16 return (plus baggage) for HT 2022. On the ground costs are generally lower than France and the food is generally excellent.
The French can be friendly, but I've always found the welcome in Italy to be warm and large-hearted, particularly with kids, it's just their nature! I'm sure the family would enjoy the difference!
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| Sussexbha wrote: |
| I'd say don't rule out Austria as you can drive down through Germany and the resorts are generally quieter in HT than in France |
Yup we're doing Austria, overnight stops there and back (in France) still works out a lot cheaper (and more pleasant) than flying, not that much longer thank France if you avoid the eastern resorts.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@luigi, Ha ha, I'm of Italian and Polish descent....with the majority of my family still located in Italy - so I totally get the family oriented, open arms, big heart environment as that's who I am. But not been to Italy for many year, favouring France for the drive - still very family oriented.
However, research saying that La Thuile has horrible 'last run pistes' back to resort and can be viciously cold with the local winds - starting to put me off.......
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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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| kettonskimum wrote: |
@luigi, Ha ha, I'm of Italian and Polish descent....with the majority of my family still located in Italy - so I totally get the family oriented, open arms, big heart environment as that's who I am. But not been to Italy for many year, favouring France for the drive - still very family oriented.
However, research saying that La Thuile has horrible 'last run pistes' back to resort and can be viciously cold with the local winds - starting to put me off....... |
You can always download
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Don't be put off by driving to Austria. It maybe longer but in grand scheme of things an extra hour over each of the days is negligible. Hotels will let you do whatever days you want there. Not restricted to sat to sat. It's a complete different skiing experience in AT
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
You can always download
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This. I don't know why so many people regard this as some sort of affront to their amour propre.
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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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Though I think that, without the attraction of skiing over into La Ros, I'd be inclined to drive a little further and go to Pila. Nobody skis down there!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yeah, we've downloaded on a couple of nasty looking runs in the past......but there's some taboo about downloading on the last run home maybe.....just something about that last run home
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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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Number 7 is basically the road to the Pass and number 6 is a great run .
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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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@kettonskimum, As I mentioned in my post above we have always stayed in La Rosiere and skiied over to La Thuile. However it looks as though you are favouring staying in La Thuile and if you can speak Italian that makes sense.
There is plenty of easy wide blue cruising in La Thuile above Les Suches. I would have no hesitation in downloading if you don't want to ski a red to get back. However at least one of the reds isn't that difficult at all. Number 6 La Nuova is straightforward. It ends as a narrow track through the woods but isn't that steep. It was deep slush when we skiied it in April a couple of years ago but that was the only challenge! Maybe it could be icy earlier in the season but I doubt it would be at half term.
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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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Hi all, glad to report that the needle in the haystack didn't take too long to find at all! I've booked an appartment in La Thuile for 2025 Feb half term on a Sunday-Sunday basis (we'll leisurely head back to the UK on Monday).
Yes, it's not ski in/ski out this year (although it's 5-10 mins walk to lifts/bus stop outside/lockers at lifts I think) and decor mostly Clockwork Orange than Chocolate Box but lots of excellent reviews from guests and best bit.....£765 (we normally have to spend nearer £1300!). We go skiing for just that. Accommodation is just for eating and sleeping.
We've never skied Italy and this is likely the last 'have to do Feb half term' trip so has really ticked all the boxes. Thank you all!
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@kettonskimum, can you share a link?
I had La Thuile booked for Easter of "Covid year" ended up claiming the cost of that accommodation from my insurance when Italy went to again FCO advice, have a desire to go there still.... 
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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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@Rob Mackley, Perfect, thank you!
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Works great thanks!
Hope you have a great time
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FAQ
