 Poster: A snowHead
|
My brother and I have rented an apartment and car in Passy (near Megeve) for a week starting January 13th (Saturday).
It is our first time skiing in France, so I'm hoping someone can give a bit of advice on which of the nearby areas we should go to.
I'v read about the area and current snow conditions, but it is difficult to tie it together without any first hand knowledge 
What we are looking for
- Willing to get up early and drive somewhere
- Have not purchased lift passes yet
- Intermediate skill level. Have had lots of instruction. Looking to relax on blue and red terrain, not push ourselves.
- Might want to try off piste for the first time if there are safe/easy terrain and conditions for it
Current plan
- Saturday - Sort out lift passes. Ski in St Gervais
- Sunday - Ski in St Gervais?
- Week days - Drive to Les Contamines. Park at Gorge. Try to be the first in the queue.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
OP - nice formatting. 
The weather looks quite lively next week from Wednesday onwards so you may want to play it by ear for the 2nd half of your trip
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Next week is currently looking tricky - likely windy, unsettled and fairly mild at times. So really you want to be looking at somewhere with both extensive tree coverage and also high altitude slopes.
I think your current (St Gervais / Les Contamines) plan looks sensible, with a view to skiing the lower St Gervais / Megève areas before the rain arrives midweek), then probably heading higher if lifts are open.
I'd definitely discount the Espace Diamant as it doesn't have any slopes above 2000m.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
When you say ski St Gervais, I’d assume you would also mean taking in the Megeve side? I’d recommend the 3 or 4 uplifts and pistes required to get to Cote2000.
On the same lift pass you may want to have a day on the Le Jaillet uplift as well, there are some nice long blue/red runs through the trees there, that’s a drive straight to the Le Jaillet car park from Passy
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
As @red 27 says, the issue is the change in weather expected around Wednesday. Precipitation is forecast which could be a good thing depending on the snow-rain boundary. If there is much wind though Contamines might be quite bleak, as might be the St Gervais slopes around Mont Joly.
With a car though you do have lots of options. For height you have the possibility of driving out to the Cote 2000 car park beyond Megeve and focussing your skiing there, as well as Les C. For skiing in trees there are the runs off Mont Arbois to the North and East (though a few of them still hadn't opened last time I looked), or you could head over to Combloux parking either at the Le Jaillet gondola in Megeve as suggested by @Jonny996 or in Combloux itself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I have no current knowledge of the Combloux side but those slopes, facing the wrong way, don't keep their snow well. Lovely views of Mont Blanc, though, when the vis allows. There's nowhere round there with much skiing over 2000m. Generally, Les Saisies and Les Contamines and the top of Notre Dame de Bellecombe will have the best of the snow. None of the skiing to base in Megeve, Les C, St Gervais or the Arly Valley parts of the Espace Diamant is likely to be much use. And from my experience, not much point going over to Flaine, either (Flaine is the same altitude as Les Saisies).
Depending on weather, might be worth driving to Chamonix and the Grand M. Avoriaz is not out of the question. But I'd definitely buy passes day by day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you want to buy lift passes for the whole week then it makes sense to stick with St Gervais/Megeve/Les Contamines. If not then you could try other areas as well.
The snow in Les Saisies was good today.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
With that profile I think you'd enjoy Les Contamines.
Chamonix is a bunch of distinct areas some of which might suit. Personally I would stick to your plan rather than complicate matters.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
In saying all of the above, i am over next weekend , just me & the lad , we have a car & for the first time in 8 years we are thinking of venturinng off the saint gervais lift pass area for a day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As you’re willing to get up early and drive if you can suck up the cost of six individual day-passes then from Passy you could potentially ski more terrain than almost anyone could in a week.
One day in each of:
- St Gervais/Megeve
- Combloux
- Les Contamines
- Brevent/Flegere or Grands Montets
- Les Carroz -> Flaine
- Les Gets/Morzine -> Avoriaz
Obviously you’ll need to plan around the weather, which doesn’t look great, but what a week that could be!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
What is "Passy"?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
It's a place - down in the valley on the way up to Chamonix near the A40. There's a VAST Decathlon there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@thinsocks If you're skiing St Gervais or Les Contamines, do everything you can to buy your lift pass in advance. Queues at main gondola ticket offices can be a nightmare as you'll be joining the hordes who drive up for the day.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
| pam w wrote: |
| It's a place - down in the valley on the way up to Chamonix near the A40. There's a VAST Decathlon there. |
lol - I thought it might be a marketplace for lift passes - that I'd never heard of.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
I found the lift pass queues in Les Saisies at Christmas astonishing, when they can be bought, and renewed, on line. But you need that card to start with. Presumably an "Evasion Mont Blanc" card will work in any of the stations in the domain? But not in the Espace Diamant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
@hold_my_biere, you are right, that would be a challenge and a half.
Quite a long drive to get to Les Gets though, and to some extent Les Carroz. But St Gervais/Megeve has more than enough to keep a determined skier busy for two days, and starting in Passy it would make sense to add Les Houches as well as one of the Chamonix areas.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
I can't imagine why driving from Passy to Les Gets would make sense. Surely the purpose of a longer drive would be to get up out of the rain?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
@pam w, no the suggested purpose of driving to Les Gets was to meet @hold_my_biere's maximum skiing challenge!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Ah, I lost track!! The forecast for Les Gets for the second half of next week is dismal. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Le Jaillet side definitely worth a day
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
If it's snowy up there....generally will be less snowy than the other side.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
plenty of good snow in the st g/les c and combloux area at the moment, who knows what the weather will be like next week, if the OP wants slightly easier skiing then going high in heavy snow is not probably going to be his thing at least in the tree line it gives some definition,
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
According to Google Les Carroz is 29 minutes from Passy and Les Gets is 49 minutes so both are pretty easy drives, and less than all the day-trippers from Geneva regularly do.
Agreed there’s not much you can do if it’s raining up to 2,500m though, except buy 3 pairs of gloves from the mega Decathlon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| hold_my_biere wrote: |
According to Google Les Carroz is 29 minutes from Passy and Les Gets is 49 minutes so both are pretty easy drives, and less than all the day-trippers from Geneva regularly do.
Agreed there’s not much you can do if it’s raining up to 2,500m though, except buy 3 pairs of gloves from the mega Decathlon. |
Passy is very centrally located and the drive to Carroz is not bad (except I hate hate hate the road up from Magland.)
I think you're on the right track aiming for the Espace Mont Blanc area. Be aware that Les Contamines is nearly all above treeline so in flat light or fog/snow you won't see much. Go there when its sunny.
If you are willing to drive and get up early and pay for day passes then just keep an eye on the webcams, I guess. No reason you shouldn't have a day in Chamonix (just pick one of the areas) as well as Flaine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Day passes won't be a lot more expensive, I reckon - you don't generally save a lot buying a 6 day pass. The big queues would bother me a lot more than paying the cost of a beer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
Next weekend 20th , Saint Gervais is hosting a lot of free experiences, they are also doing a promotion on day passes, €45 instead of the usual €59.50.
Have to be purchased by the 17th
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Thank you all so much for the advice. We have had a great time so far, going up from the Bettex Telecabin in St Gervais. Was positively surprised at how few people were there in the morning even though it was a weekend.
Looking at giving Les Contamines a shot tomorrow, depending on the weather.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
