 Poster: A snowHead
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Links to all trip reports
Feb 2014: Soll (SkiWelt), Austria
Jan 2015: Alpe d'Huez & Les 2 Alpes, France
Jan 2016: Les Carroz (Grand Massif), France
Mar 2017: Belle Plagne (Paradiski), France (no TR yet)
Jan 2018: Notre Dame de Bellecombe (Espace Diamant), France
Mar 2018: Ponte di Legno +Ponte di Legno-Tonale, Pejo, Monte Altissimo (Borno), Aprica , central Italian Alps
Jan 2019: St Gervais (Evasion Mont Blanc) +Cordon, Megeve-St Gervais-Combloux-La Giettaz, Les Contamines , France
Mar 2019: Varena, southern Dolomites +Alpe Cermis, Passo Rolle, Latemar, St Martino di Castrozza, Alpe Lusia, Pozza di Fassa / Buffaure, San Pellegrino / Falcade, Carezza, Jochgrimm, Catinaccio / Vigo di Fassa , Italy
Jan 2020: Abondance (Portes du Soleil) +Portes du Soleil main circuit, Abondance, Cret Beni (La Chapelle d'Abondance), Bernex, Praz de Lys, Thollon , France
Mar 2020: Embrun, Provence Alps +Les Orres, Foret Blanche (Risoul-Vars) , France
Jan 2022: Vizille, Grenoble Alps +Le Collet d'Allevard, Lans en Vercors, Alpe d'Huez, Alpe du Grand Serre, Chamrousse, Villard de Lans-Correncon, Meaudre, Autrans, Les 7 Laux, Gresse en Vercors , France
Mar 2022: Aosta Valley +Espace San Bernardo (La Thuile-La Rosiere), Pila, Courmayeur, Monterosa Ski, Skyway Monte Bianco , Italy
Jan 2023: St Jean d'Aulps (Portes du Soleil) +Portes du Soleil main circuit, Morzine-Les Gets, Roc d'Enfer, Praz de Lys , France
Mar 2023: Valtellina +Piani di Bobbio, Valchiavenna (Madesimo), Livigno, Bormio, Cima Piazzi, Santa Caterina, Ponte di Legno-Tonale, Valmalenco, Aprica , Italy
Jan 2024: Aravis & Tarentaise +Le Grand Bornand, La Clusaz, Valmorel, Arêches-Beaufort, Pralognan la Vanoise, Sainte Foy Tarentaise, Courchevel , France
Feb 2024: Trentino +Folgaria, Paganella, Monte Bondone, Rittner Horn, Campiglio Ski, Lavarone , Italy
This trip report
Tomorrow morning we're off to France via Geneva for our late January ski trip. Following several previous multi-resort trips, we've now been to most of the main ski areas in the northern French Alps, except the Tarentaise giants (Espace Killy, 3 Valleys, Les Arcs - not on our radar for now)... and a handful of small-to-medium sized domains, which are our focus this year. To fill in these "gaps", we're first heading to the Aravis region (2 nights) to ski La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand, then relocating to the lower Tarentaise (8 nights).
I've always found a clear distinction between the ski areas near Geneva and those around the Tarentaise, so it'll be interesting doing both in the same trip. Ski areas in our sights are (roughly ordered by distance from Geneva, as shown on map below):
1. Le Grand Bornand (2 days) - skip to report day 1 / day 2
2. La Clusaz (2 days) - skip to report day 1 / day 2
3. Arêches-Beaufort - skip to report
4. Valmorel (2 days) - skip to report day 1 / day 2
5. Courchevel - skip to report
6. Pralognan la Vanoise - skip to report
7. Sainte Foy Tarentaise - skip to report
>> skip to cost breakdown
Any tips (or questions) about these resorts (pistes / parking / restaurants etc.), please post below!
As always, we've pre-booked some ski passes due to "dynamic pricing". Strategic gaps have been left, hopefully to slot in specific weekend / weekday deals at certain resorts. Now we just need the weather to play ball. Conditions generally look good high up, though thinner lower down with a few piste closures. Rain yesterday and last week to 2000m+ didn't help things, while the outlook for the next week (at least) is for mild but settled weather. Which should be nice to ski in!
These multi resort trips must seem bonkers to some people, but we find they work for us. As always, I'll add photos and a cost breakdown after the trip.
Pas des vaches, Arêches-Beaufort
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 4-03-24 23:04; edited 6 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Looking forward to reading the usual high-quality report, @denfinella. Lovely picture of the Douce Bowl there, looking even less crowded than usual.  Lenticular clouds over Mont Blanc.....
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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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Looking forward to reading this, if you have any questions about Ste Foy then I will try to help, it's becoming one of my most-skiied resorts despite being TINY
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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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It begins! Look forward to reading the latest road trip antics, I love hearing about the smaller areas.
Also, looking forward to hearing about the food... 
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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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Yay, can't wait!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Should be good
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Wed 24/1 - arrival day
Off to a smooth start! Storm Jocelyn blew off into the North Sea by mid morning, allowing an uneventful flight from Edinburgh to Geneva. We touched down early and were through security in record time; ironically, this was the one day we weren't in a hurry since we had a 4 hour gap between our scheduled arrival time and the start of our car hire booking.
Alamo offered to give us the car early for "only" €180 extra, which we declined. Off to the nearby Chalet Swiss restaurant for late lunch / early dinner. For Switzerland, and at an airport, I thought this was decent quality and value: 19CHF for a turkey / curry / couscous / salad plat du jour, and 22CHF for a rosti dish with veal sausage...
Our hire car (£293 for 10 days) is a Honda HR-V, which is an upgrade on the Economy class we booked. It's in immaculate condition and only has 300km on the clock, so my partner will be driving extra carefully 
Once clear of the usual rush hour traffic jam for the French border, the drive to Le Grand Bornand was straightforward - about 1hr15, plus supermarket stop halfway. There are two obvious routes - we took the eastern one via St Pierre en Faucigny tonight and will probably return at the end of the trip via the western one towards Annecy.
We're based in Le Grand Bornand village (1000m) for 2 nights only. Our Airbnb (£46/night) is a 2-bed studio at the west end of the village, and makes up what it lacks in square footage with smart fixtures and fittings; it looks to have been fully refurbished for this season. Toasty warm, fancy bathroom, though no WiFi and only a sofa bed (fine for two nights).
As reported on the weather thread, it's unseasonably warm. Albertville apparently reached 17°C today. It's not quite that warm here but the car thermometer was showing 8°C on the climb through the gorge to resort at 8pm...
Last edited by After all it is free  on Tue 6-02-24 16:57; edited 3 times in total
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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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Always good to get off to a smooth start
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Thu 25 Jan - Le Grand Bornand (day 1)
Piste map here.
First day of skiing today, and time to explore the Grand Bornand domain. Often described on snowHeads as "worth a day trip from La Clusaz", the local area is pretty respectable, claiming 90km of slopes. Lift passes are discounted in low season, which when combined with a "generous" 2% online discount cost €41.40pp for one day. Worth noting that this is more expensive than all the other ski areas we intend on visiting this week, due to other resorts offering bigger promotions.
From the main town at 1000m there's a choice of two gondolas up into the slopes, with a solitary red back down which catches lots of afternoon sun. However, we instead drove 10 mins up to the satellite village / secondary lift base of Le Chinaillon (1300m) to collect our hire skis / boots; prices at Skiset Adrénaline Sport here were around €50 lower than in the old town. €179 (total) was the 10-day hire price for 2 people, which compares favourably with the last few years. We're so far happy with the equipment.
Le Chinaillon
Le Chinaillon from Les Fougères (green)
The majority of runs are north or northwest facing with the exception of the valley run mentioned earlier, the lowish La Taverne beginner sector (patchy snow here, mostly only affecting a handful of greens) and two runs leading "over the back" to the Col des Annes sector.
La Taverne beginner area - yuck
All pistes except the valley run are within the 1300-2100m range and snow cover is currently good on virtually all of them - though it's clear the base is thin on pistes lacking artificial help. Surface conditions were predictably hard packed to begin with, then softening quickly on the few sunny runs, but often remaining firm elsewhere. Unusually for Haute-Savoie, there is relatively sparse tree cover, so perhaps not the best destination for a snowstorm. Fortunately today was sunny from lift open til close, nearly windless and becoming notably warm for January (7°C at the shaded lift base at the end of the day).
We mostly started off over the pretty Les Annes side, which has quite different views from the rest of the ski area.
Top of the Les Annes chair
Looking down the valley towards Le Reposoir from the top of Les Annes
Col des Annes (blue)
La Duche - sunniest run in the area
All lifts except the Duche triple seater (favoured by soft snow seekers mid morning) and the Almet drag (a way to get to La Duche) were ride straight on, though I wouldn't describe it as quiet considering it was a Thursday. Virtually all the interesting runs can be accessed by four detachable, six-seater chairs, which keeps faffing with skis to a minimum.
Le Maroly lift base, Combe de Tolar (red) beyond
Lachat lift base
View from the Charmieux chair
The reds off the high points of Mont Lachat and La Floria are of decent length and their nearby blacks (closed due to hard snow) are probably deserving of their grading. La Gypaète (red) was steep enough that it could have been classified black. Highlights included Piste 2000 (red) from Mont Lachat (a bit like the excellent red off Chamossière in Morzine), La Combe de la Tolar (red) off La Floria (lovely fast gully run)
Start of Piste 2000 (red)
Piste 2000 (red) from the Maroly chair
View of Lanches (red) from the top of La Floria
Aiglon (blue) from Mont Lachat
Surprisingly, Les Envers (red) was good all the way down to the town. This had perfect corn (?) snow over the lunch period, so couldn't resist repeating it a couple of times - 1,100m vertical when combined with the Aiglon blue above it (beware - this blue starts as a narrow, steep road which could put cautious skiers off). Credit should go to the lift company for keeping Envers open; there can't be many runs at this low altitude and sunny aspect which are in such decent condition.
Foot of Envers (red) down to Le Grand Bornand village
A few runs hadn't been pisted, of which the shaded ones were unpleasantly juddery / rutted.
We skied from 9am til 5pm closing time with a packed lunch on the lifts, but didn't quite manage to ski the whole area. We'll hopefully get round to the rest of the Maroly / Terres Rouges slopes when we return at the end of this trip.
Temporary queue for the Almet drag
Airelles (blue) from the Maroly chair
Overall we liked Le Grand Bornand. In particular, for its size, the ski area seems to cater equally well to all levels, with excellent long greens, scenic blues, interesting reds and some proper blacks. A mixed ability group could have a great day out here.
Dinner was a tasty fondue + a generous charcuterie platter each (€25pp) at Pizzeria Casanova in town.
Le Grand Bornand village
Fondue
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Wed 14-02-24 16:24; edited 7 times in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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@denfinella, fantastic report - you don't ski off piste at all I am guessing?
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We went to LGB for the 1st time at the start of the year.Loved it. Nice simple easy going gaff.3 days skiing, thought on the 3rd day we would go to La Clusaz and thought lift ticket would cover it. Balls up, as we had bought a 3 day pass for LGB only and the option to pay an add on to ski LC can't be done.Should have bought an Aravais pass or daily ticket. Next time.
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You know it makes sense.
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Sounds like you have a fantastic trip planned. I'd love to do a mini-tour of the small resorts trying out all the local bars and restaurants.
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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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LGB is quite nice, especially the Chinaillon sector. The main restaurant to skier's right about halfway down (can't be bothered to look up name) is really, really good for a cafeteria-style dining hall. The runs on Mont Lachat can get rock-hard because they are more or less north facing. Good call starting at Chinaillon as the queues from town can be horrible, at least in high season. FYI, the online surge pricing you found is about 10 euros/day less than over Xmas.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Rob Mackley, thanks! Not sure if we'll eat out or have a packed lunch yet (might depend on the weather), but will keep that recommendation in mind!
@Layne, no, we're on piste only, apart from the occasional bit of side piste. I think off piste is pretty unpleasant around here at the moment, at least at low altitudes.
@harvey13, oh no! Next time indeed!
@russ_e, I hope so! We definitely love these multi-resort tours.
@Pasigal, yes, the north facing runs were rock hard yesterday. Though personally I prefer that to moguls or churned up pistes.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Fri 26/1 - La Clusaz (day 1)
Piste map here.
Checked out from our first Airbnb this morning, then a very short drive over to La Clusaz, Le Grand Bornand's bigger and more famous neighbour.
As well as having a larger ski area, La Clusaz's slopes offer a better sense of travel, with five distinct sectors and a variety of slope orientations. On the left side of the piste map is the highest, steepest and north facing Balme sector, topping out at 2500m+. We started from this lift base mostly because it has ample, free parking, but didn't actually spend any time skiing these slopes as they should still be in good condition when we revisit next week.
The main Aiguille sector above La Clusaz village (1100m) rises to ~2250m. These slopes are generally of red gradient (with some tough blues) and face west-ish, so were rock hard when we briefly passed through in the morning.
L'Etale massif from the top of Crêt du Loup
The third, wooded Beauregard sector is on the other side of La Clusaz, accessed by a single, busy gondola to 1700m and several beginner drag lifts on the summit plateau. There's quite a lot to do here including some short boardercrosses and a long (sadly closed) black. The highlight was the excellent Guy Perillat (blue), facing east into the morning sun and with great snow.
Aiglons (blue), Beauregard
From Beauregard, the scenic Les Prises (blue) - which weirdly lacks snowmaking despite being sunny and a key link piste - leads to the fourth, Manigod sector. This is run by a different lift company (though also covered by the La Clusaz lift pass) and mostly consists of gentle, wooded slopes on most sides of a minor hillock, served by woefully slow chairlifts and a few drags. Nice surface conditions here, as piste gradients are too shallow for ice / moguls to be an issue. Bois (red) was a particularly fun, twisty run, though a bit stony. But generally not the most interesting corner of the domain.
Bolets (blue) at Manigod, Chamois ridge beyond
Across the road, the Chamois / Choucas drags access several reds and blacks, with mostly awful snow conditions - more mud and stones than snow in some places! There is no snowmaking on this side and it's hard to see most of these runs lasting beyond this weekend.
Edelweiss (red) - one of the only pistes on this side with good snow
Choucas lift base - not good
Sunshine gave way to cloud as we skied a patchy traverse to the final, Etale sector (the traverse in the other direction was even worse).
Grand Montagne (blue) traverse
L'Etale consists primarily of a chain of two lifts (telemix + slow chair) up a steep hillside. The black piste was closed, leaving a very nice red / blue top to bottom motorway run, which we repeated a couple of times.
Col des Aravis from the top of the Etale sector
L'Etale
L'Etale lift base
Then a cable car back across to the Aiguille sector for a couple of final runs. It started raining at 3.15pm while we were riding the Combe des Juments chair (an unusual detachable two-seater with armchair-like seats), so the next hour wasn't particularly pleasant. We did however finally find an open black - Mur Edgar - which had slushy moguls and a girl who slid all the way to the bottom after falling off her bike-skis (yes, really) at the top 
Mur Edgar (black) with bad weather coming in
At 4.15pm we called it a day, then had a quick look around La Clusaz town centre before leaving the area.
La Clusaz
Overall I found La Clusaz to be a very interesting though quirky ski area. It seems to have grown organically rather than in a planned way, leading to some strange lift and piste layouts, sometimes on slopes that don't really lend themselves to good ski terrain! It's certainly bigger and more varied than Le Grand Bornand though, even if the snow conditions and lift system weren't as good.
Our Airbnb for the next 8 days is in the village of Esserts-Blay, an hour to the south of La Clusaz and close to the dual carriageway from Albertville to Moutiers. We drove over the Col des Aravis because I quite fancied seeing the Gorges d'Arly, but lower alternative routes are available in snowy weather. There's not much going on in Esserts-Blay but the location is ideal for visiting the ski areas on our list, and the price is good: £29/night for a spacious 4-person apartment including proper double bedroom, WiFi and some personal touches like various welcome gifts. Sheets / towels / final cleaning all included. The owner doesn't speak any English so my French was severely tested when she was explaining how everything worked!
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 14-02-24 16:25; edited 7 times in total
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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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Sat 27 Jan - Valmorel / St François (day 1)
Piste map here.
Since Saturday is the weekly Tarentaise transfer day, we had pencilled in a ski area as close to our Airbnb as possible in case of traffic problems. Valmorel fit that description, and happily offers heavily discounted weekend lift passes: €67 for two days when booked online before midnight the previous day.
15 minutes up the N90 followed by 15 more on a bendy mountain road to the lowest, Rocher lift base (1200m). There's enough roadside parking for 20 cars or so - shame about the patchy / icy snow on the run back to this point. Sunshine but "only" 3°C when we arrived, which is the lowest temperature I've seen so far on the car thermometer this week...
Le Rocher (green, amazingly still open) & the car park lift
Valmorel village (1350m) occupies the bottom of a large, north facing bowl. Two new gondolas provide the main access out of town, with three fast chairs and some drag lifts serving runs further up, fanning out from east, through north, to west.
Oratoire (blue) near the Pierrafort gondola base
Valmorel village
The north facing runs from the Mottet fast chair were so hard / icy that the entire sector was closed for the day for safety reasons.
On the afternoon side, the Gollet blacks and reds were similarly rock-hard even at 3pm, though deemed safe enough to open!
Gollet sector
The rest of the Valmorel sector bowl is largely of blue gradient, which gave some nice skiing conditions, especially the gentle blues from the sunny Biollène chair. Drags and chairs extend north along a long ridge from here to another lift base / resort at Doucy, where we plan to start tomorrow.
Morel chair from Oratoire au Morel (blue)
Biollène chair, Gelaz mound beyond
After transiting through a gully-ridden middle valley (with very firm snow conditions indeed), we reached the St François Longchamp side (resort lift bases from 1400-1650m), alternatively accessed by road from the Maurienne valley. This half of the ski area is much sunnier which allowed some (by no means all) pistes to soften nicely, so we stayed here for much of the day.
The slow, south facing Lauzière chair leads to the area high point at just over 2500m. There are two excellent runs back down; Lauzière (black) starts off through an entertaining gully before opening out into a wide mogul field, with perfect soft snow late morning. It felt roasting here in the direct sunlight and warm air temperatures.
La Lauzière (black)
Most of the rest of the St François side is unthreatening blue terrain, with several green traverses allowing beginners to access most of the area too.
Route du Tour (green)
Longchamp 1650
Lune Bleue chair out of 1650
Chemin des Inversaires (green) to 1450
There are a decent number of fast chairs, though lifts above mid mountain height are mostly slow.
Marquis chair from Le Hameau passing over Les Coqs (red), closed due to ice
Les Crêches (red) from the Schuss drag
The long Soleil Rouge chair definitely needs an upgrade, especially as it serves two excellent long runs: Samouraï (red) and Shogun (blue).
Soleil Rouge chair
Samouraï (red)
Shogun (blue)
Rocher Blanc drag
There were a few lift maintenance gremlins too - the only two lifts out of the St François bowl back towards Valmorel (Frêne & Côte 2305) *both* broke down for most of the day, fortunately with the former being mended in time to get back across!
The domain as a whole is a bit higher than the other resorts we've visited so far this trip, and snow is generally plentiful (though quality varies wildly depending on slope orientation and skier traffic). Almost all pistes are open. Some snowHeads have suggested the ski area is a little dull, perhaps due to a lack of trees or really rocky scenery. I can't really say I agree - there are lots of interesting, small-scale landscape features and cleverly-placed pistes which make the most of the terrain. Similarly to La Clusaz, it's a mid sized area, so can't match the nearby 3 Valleys / Paradiski etc. for sheer extent, but in any other parts of the French Alps I reckon it would receive more attention. We'll be back tomorrow!
Driving back home along the N90, there was an awful looking traffic jam on the opposite carriageway, stretching for several miles back from the Aigueblanche traffic lights. Fortunately no issues in our direction.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Wed 14-02-24 16:23; edited 4 times in total
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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, I am a big fan of that area. Valmorel is of the prettiest ski resorts around I think and there is lots and lots of very good off piste across the area that doesnt get skied out very quickly.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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We get remarkably few reports about Valmorel. Good to read.
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29 euros a night for a 4-br airbnb? Wow. Or was it a single bedroom in a 4-br apart? (still not bad!)
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@alasdair.graham, have to agree with that. The off piste looked pretty good and had a mix of slope orientations too.
@Origen, thanks! Definitely a resort that seems to fly under the radar.
@Pasigal, sorry, that should have read a "4 person Airbnb", not 4 bedroom! I've edited the original post. Separate double bedroom, then a sofa bed in the (spacious) main room. But yeah, good value, and much nicer than the average 4-bed studio you get in many resorts.
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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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Sun 28 Jan - Valmorel / St François (day 2)
Same ski area again today, but this time we started from the separate lift base / mini resort of Doucy (1250m), linked to Valmorel's Biollène sector by a fast chair followed by a chain of long drag lifts along a ridge. Several easy runs in this sector.
Waiting for first lift out of Doucy
View towards Montolivet, & top of the gondola up from Celliers
Montolivet (blue)
Gelaz (blue), Biollène sector beyond
Another sunny day today with even higher temperatures forecast than previous days (freezing level around 3500m), but snow conditions seemed better, probably because it hadn't rained the previous evening.
I've sussed out Valmorel's current piste management policy: they seem to be opening the iciest pistes on alternate days, with piste bashers working intensively during closed periods to churn up the ice and create marginally safer "death cookies" to ski on instead. Thus the Mottet sector red runs were open today after yesterday's closure (would be a great run in better conditions), and ditto for the La Froide blue, while the Gollet and Lanchettes areas were open yesterday but closed today.
Mottet chair, now open to skiers
Col du Mottet photo point
Combe du Mottet (red) - unpleasant
Oratoire (blue)
Combe du Morel (blue)
After ticking off the rest of the Valmorel main bowl runs, we spent the lunch period in the Madeleine middle valley. The reds and blacks are currently shut due to ice, but Madeleine and Grande Combe (blues) are both worth lapping.
Fab views from the Madeleine chair / valley
Madeleine (blue)
Across to St François for the rest of the afternoon. The relatively sunny slope aspects and mostly gentle runs are just right for these snow / weather conditions, with Frêne and Platière (blues) standing out. It was a little busier today on a few of the least icy main runs. Some key chairs weren't quite ride straight on, and Lune Bleue even had a 2-min queue for part of the afternoon.
Colombe (red) from the Lauzière chair
Tortue (green) into 1650
Frêne chair late on
Col (blue) before heading back to Valmorel
The way back to Doucy includes a very long green home run all the way from Montolivet which was the perfect way to finish the day, off the last lift at 5pm as the sun set over the Col de la Madeleine.
Retour Doucy Debutants (green)
Chantemerle (green) home run, getting a bit thin!
Runs left for a possible future visit (note to self):
Around St François: those on skier's left of the underused Marquis fast chair (ice), Reverdy from the Lauzière chair (avalanche risk), Dôme and Combe du Baï from the Frêne chair (no time). Then on the Valmorel side: Lanchettes, the Riondet / Mottet freeride areas and everything harder than a blue in the middle valley (too icy to open), the Planchamp red (lack of snow).
For dinner this evening, all the local restaurants/ takeaways are closed on Sundays and so are the valley supermarkets. And the fridge is bare after having cooked at home the past two nights. So en route home we took a 5-min detour to Moutiers for a brief sightseeing trip (not much to see, in the dark anyway), then dinner at Pizz'Armada (hyperlink not mine!). Valley rather than resort prices: €15 each for a drink, any 33cm pizza, ice cream and coffee! The group at the table next to us commented that they had paid this much for a single drink at lunchtime in whichever ski resort they had been visiting 
Moutiers
Best run in Valmorel / St François: Madeleine (blue): probably my favourite piste so far this holiday. Long, spectacular scenery, mix of bends / gradients, deserted in the middle of the day and served by a fast chair.
Tomorrow is Arêches-Beaufort, with lots of northeast facing pistes, so I suspect conditions might be tricky.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Sat 10-02-24 1:45; edited 6 times in total
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@denfinella, great report as always. Conditions are a bit 'interesting' at the mo aren't they, we went to the SkiWelt yesterday and anything with the sun on it was gorgeous from about 10 til 1 (albiet some slushy bumps later). Anything in the shade was icey and unpleasant. Sounds like it's the same in your neck of the woods.
Still, at least there's fun alongside the character building stuff, rather than just sheet ice everywhere! Until today maybe.. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@ElzP, "interesting" is definitely right! There's some good snow around too but it's quite hard to predict where...
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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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Mon 29 Jan - Arêches-Beaufort
Piste map here.
We headed north to Arêches-Beaufort today: 50 mins drive back out of the Tarentaise today, past Albertville and up a long, isolated-feeling valley. The parish is famous for its cows and cheese (often one of the fondue components), but the local the commune's ski area seems little known among Brits. We had a great time and would certainly recommend it for a day trip. A day pass is €37; no advance discounts appear to be available.
The north facing valley is a frost hollow / snow pocket. Out of a claimed 50km of runs, only two pistes have artificial snowmaking, yet there is plenty of natural snow despite modest altitudes and the recent warm weather. Only the unimportant Boulevard de Liaison and Grand Mont black had insufficient coverage to open.
Le Planay base station
There are two nearly separate mountains, linked by a new gondola or excellent red piste (Perches) down a forested valley, depending on the direction of travel.
Perches (red)
Perches (red)
Perches (red)
The taller Grand Mont side above Arêches village (1080m) has a detachable chair to mid mountain (with solitary black back down - shut), followed by a long chair, then a choice of drag lifts eventually reaching the Col de la Forclaz (2320m). The upper mountain faces northeast, but is mostly of blue gradient and slopes are shallow enough to catch midwinter sunlight, at least before lunchtime. There are lovely views of Mont Blanc. Snow conditions in this sector were a pleasant surprise - pretty close to perfect "winter" snow, with no ice and very little hard pack: the most consistently good snow so far this holiday. There's tonnes of snow up here, though a lack of fresh stuff prevented the two red "freeride" areas on the far left of the piste map from opening. The Bonnets Rouges blue is especially scenic, through widely spaced trees, and can be incorporated into a top-to-base descent of well over 1,000m vertical.
Rognoux drag
Perdrix (blue)
Bonnets rouges (blue)
At lunchtime we left this area and skied down to the second lift base (Le Planay, 1200m) for our first proper mountain lunch of the week at Le Passenger. €16.50 for any burger (including Beaufort cheese), chips and simple dessert was tasty and decent value.
Up into the second area (Piapolay) for the afternoon. A fast quad chair to mid mountain, then a long, slow one to the top (2130m). This side is generally steeper with several reds (some hard pack around, though still not bad) and blues which become decidedly purple further down. The blues probably had the best surface conditions, but Pas des Vaches (red) takes a lovely route away from all the lifts on the far right of the piste map. Sadly the three blacks were all shut, though visible from other runs; Super Noire looked fearsomely steep but had been seriously damaged by a recent landslide / torrent of meltwater.
Piapolay chair
Combettes chair & upper bowl
Pas des vaches (red)
Noire (black)
Écharts (blue) back to Le Planay
The lifts closed quite early - everything interesting was shut by 4.10pm, which is a full 45 minutes earlier than in Valmorel yesterday. We just about managed to ski all the open runs before closing time.
Fave run in Arêches Beaufort: the combo of Perdrix (blue), Bonnets Rouges (blue) and Combe Perches (red). A really beautiful, varied descent, though it takes about an hour to reach the top again if you want a repeat run!
On the way home we stopped to wander around the medieval village of Conflans, above Albertville. Very pretty at sunset, very twee, deserted except for a few residents... but can only imagine how busy it gets in summer.
Conflans
Albertville from Conflans
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Tue 6-02-24 16:34; edited 11 times in total
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@denfinella, I think that's pretty well a Snowheads first! We used to visit Areches-Beaufort because when we first had our apartment you could get a fantastic cheap 5 day pass, for up to two days in each of A-B, Les Contamines and Les Saisies (not then linked to anywhere other than Crest Voland) and it was a favourite with visitors who could ski and were interested in travel. I've commented on A-B before, and commended it for a visit but never done anything like one of your superb jobs of analysing the pistes. Do you remember all that, or stop and write it down?
It can be fearsomely cold over there - we were glad, one day, of a restaurant which offered lots of rails and coat hangers to put your jacket over the open fire and a big basket of slip ons so you could take ski boots on and warm feet by the said fire. The others taking shelter that day were all French and all tourers - we felt very pedestrian stacking our punter downhill skis outside!
Apparently, when the weather is right, that areas has very good touring potential - but moderately dangerous at times and needs local knowledge. A French lad was killed up there some years ago.
It's a fabulous area for walking in summer, all round there. The nearby village of Boudin (Col du Pré in the background) is beautiful.
That road up from Albertville to Beaufort is a good route to Les Saisies. And in summer you can carry on over the Cormet du Roselend to Bourg St Maurice.
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You know it makes sense.
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Interesting seeing valmorel come up! We had lots of trips there when I was a kid late 90s and early 2000s. Having looked at the piste map I think madeline was a very wierd 3 man. Where only 2 quarters of the cable had chairs on and they ran it really quickly in the bits with no chairs. It's amazing what sticks in the memory!
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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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@Origen, that joint pass sounds like a great idea. Would definitely recommend Arêches-Beaufort as a day trip from either of the other two at the moment. I don't write anything down at the time but do type it up during the drive back to our accommodation each evening.
@wam15, it's a nice, fast 6-person chair now 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Been down some rabbit holes after reading - Conflans looks very pretty, will put that on the list.
Videos of Arêches Beaufort look good as well - glad you got some good conditions! That top to bottom you mention, were the good conditions consistent most of the way down? Incredible if so!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Tue 30 Jan - Pralognan la Vanoise
Piste map here.
Today's skiing destination involved an hour's drive into the Tarentaise, past countless turnoffs for better known resorts. Traffic gradually thinned and after the Courchevel junction, we were on our own for the many hairpins up a gloomy gorge to Pralognan la Vanoise.
The ski area is among the smallest of those we're visiting this week, but I reckon it'll stick the longest in the memory. The slopes are at the heart of the Vanoise National Park and are surrounded by stupendously dramatic scenery: multiple glaciers, jagged peaks, cliffs, frozen waterfalls and the 3855m Grande Casse (the highest peak in Savoie). The scenery is comfortably the most impressive I've seen in any French ski area, and gives the Dolomites a run for their money.
Village from the green home run
Parking near the village centre lift base is time-limited, so day trippers are directed to a large car park on the north side of town. Top tip - head for the south side instead, where there are about 15 spaces near the ESF beginner's area. It's a similar distance walk to the main lift base, and you can ski directly back to your car at the end of the day via the barely used, Lanches red run.
Isertan slope (mostly for training) from the car park
We were just in time for the 9am first cable car and shared it with ~10 others - a mix of skiers, sightseers and pisteurs. The tiny cabin rises 600m to the prow of Mont Bochor at 2000m. A real treat was in store: chamois on the cliffs halfway up! The liftie at the top had a few sets of binoculars so we could watch them from the upper station balcony. Elsewhere in the ski area we saw / heard several birds of prey and a woodpecker; there was also a wildlife talk at one of the lift stations.
Onto the skiing! Our day passes cost just €27pp, booked earlier in the season with dynamic pricing. It's a reasonably-sized area for a day. The fast Ancolie chair serves easy motorway-style blues / reds above the cable car, reaching a modest 2350m high point. A top-to-bottom black (Pariettes) also starts here, but hasn't yet opened this season - a shame since this was the run I was looking forward to the most.
Ancolie sector from the top of the cable car
Top of the Ancolie chair
View down the Ancolie slopes
Lower down in a deep valley, another fast chair (Genepi) gives access to several wooded slopes, useful in bad weather.
Marmottes (blue) from TSD Genepi
Marmottes (blue)
Amazing scenery at the top of the Genepi chair
The Genepi chair also gives access to the Arcellin green which loops around under amazing cliffs - the sort of place where you have to just stop and stare:
Arcellin (green)
Arcellin (green)
Also worthy of mention is the steepish Couloir d'Eau black, which only opened at 2pm when the sun had done its work - unpisted with a few stones and grassy patches poking through.
Couloir d'Eau (black)
Couloir d'Eau (black)
The two zones are linked by the uncomfortably narrow Monchus green road...
Monchus (green)
Monchus (green)
...an even more uncomfortable red one, and two parallel blacks which share a cliff-edge road start before plunging downwards. One stayed shut, the other (Épena) opened after lunch once it had softened: surprisingly it was pisted - steep but slushy corduroy is an interesting experience!
Épena (black) before the steep bit
Views from Épena
You can also ski down to the lift base on green roads or a benign red. Two more slow chairs link all the parts of the ski area together, effectively doubling the cable car.
There's plenty of snow almost everywhere; village roofs are still white, roads / pavements still have snowy patches and the car park was covered in a layer of compacted snow. The ski area mostly faces southwest with the top part in the sun for the whole day (lovely snow conditions) and the lower sector getting some later on (hard pack to start, then softening with some eventual slush). It was another warm, sunny day, though with another decent refreeze overnight.
Lunch options around the lift base were a little limited: some restaurants were shut, others were uninspiring snack bars or quite expensive. La Pachné was open and we were the only people there! We had an excellent tartiflette served with a big salad (€16), and a pork, mustard and honey dish with chips and salad (€17.50). Decent food, and fortunately we didn't want to order anything else as the chef went home at 1pm.
Favourite run in Pralognan la Vanoise: Arcellin (green) underneath that awesome rocky amphitheatre - all on account of the scenery. Can be combined with other pistes for a great top to bottom run.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 6-02-24 17:56; edited 2 times in total
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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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Sounds terrific!
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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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| denfinella wrote: |
@Origen, that joint pass sounds like a great idea. Would definitely recommend Arêches-Beaufort as a day trip from either of the other two at the moment. I don't write anything down at the time but do type it up during the drive back to our accommodation each evening.
@wam15, it's a nice, fast 6-person chair now |
Much better!
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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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@denfinella, Excellent report.
I've been up to Pralognan la Vanoise many time in the summer and really liked the place. In my opinion it is mainly a summer destination with an excellent via ferrata and fantastic hiking in the national park. In the summer all the restaurants are open and your experience of closed reataurants confirms that view to me. But I really should make the effort to get there one winter's day.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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if you are in Sainte Foy..try Brevettes at the top of the first lift........amazing thai prawn pasta dish
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true....it is lump at 25 euros per head, but is bloody good
how did you find SF ?
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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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Wed 31 Jan - Sainte Foy Tarentaise
Piste map here.
Sainte Foy was probably the first "small" resort I ever heard of, having been included in the "Where to Ski" books I read avidly as a child. 20 years later, it was nice to finally get the chance to visit! A straightforward 1 hour drive up the Tarentaise valley to just beyond Bourg St Maurice, then several tight hairpins up to the lift station at 1550m with free parking within easy walking distance.
Sainte Foy (station) could perhaps be described as "unauthentically attractive", only dating to the 90s and all built in chalet style.
A day pass is €36.50 which includes a small online discount. There are only 4 lifts: a chain of 3 chairs rising to 2600m (two fast, then a long, slow one at the top), and a separate 6-seater (Marquise) further across the hillside. The piste layout is well designed but probably suits red run skiers best: blue traverses seamlessly link the main lift bases, but most of the interesting pistes are red. Views are typically Tarentaise - expansive without being particularly rocky or dramatic. The slopes of Tignes, La Rosiere and Villaroger are all visible along with a few glaciers, plus Mont Blanc poking its head out beyond a ridge.
The Marquise sector was my favourite, with lots of space between the runs. Obvious off piste appeal if conditions were better.
Marquise chair
Marquise chair
Grand Solliet (blue) is a superb piste, winding to and fro across an expansive hillside, lovely and wide and a perfect gradient for its grading. Le Toboggan (red) is well named, with several switchbacks which get progressively tighter, ending up more like a boardercross.
Camp Filluel (red) overlooking Villaroger
Foglietta (red) overlooking the Tarentaise valley
Le Toboggan (red)
The top chair (Aiguille) accesses a couple of black freeride areas and a single traversing red which becomes more interesting lower down. Keeping left leads onto Creux Formeïan (red) which was another of our favourites.
Aiguille chair
Aiguille chair
View from the Col de l'Aiguille towards the Pointe du Nant Cruet
Looking towards Tignes & Mont Pourri
Aiguille (red)
Creux Formeïan (red)
The pistes around the Arpettaz middle chair seem a bit more crammed in but there are worthwile runs further to skier's right in a hard-to-lap middle area.
La Chapelle (blue)
Les Combes (blue) from the Arpettaz chair
Looking across to the middle sector from Arpettaz
Foot of the Arpettaz chair
Thanks to a few hundred metres of extra altitude, snow conditions were probably the best we've had this week, especially off the top lifts. Everything was open except most of the blacks. The open bottom half of Morion ("natur' black") was the first black we've skied on this trip that hasn't been either rutted ice or slush: nice wintery snow, smallish moguls, nice views. The whole area faces west so the first part of the morning was spent in the shade, but views improved as the day and sun's passage progressed. Skies were sunny for much of the day, though with a cloudier period over lunchtime which dulled the shadows a bit.
I would maybe say the pistes lack a little bit of variety, perhaps due to all being situated on a single hillside / orientation. Additionally the bottom chair - Grand Plan - is pretty short, and the runs off it didn't stick long in the memory.
Charmettes (blue) back to the village
Overall the area reminded me of the Peisey / Vallandry / 1800 part of Les Arcs, which I think is great at first or in snow, but then becomes a bit samey.
Home runs
While I wouldn't describe today as busy, there were more people around than we've been used to this week, especially on the blues. Sainte Foy's official tagline is "the best guarded secret in the Alps", but it certainly can't be described as "undiscovered" any more! There were a *lot* of Brits too; I liked the UK-reg car with SK11 FOY plates
Fave run in Sainte Foy: Grand Solliet (blue) - probably the best blue I've skied on this trip so far.
In the evening we dined at a restaurant near our Airbnb. Fairly pricey for the valley location, but portions were enormous: €19 for a boïte chaude (melted camembert (?) with white wine, shallots, garlic; potatoes, a whole separate plate of charcuterie, another massive separate bowl of salad. €16 for a burger with thick patty, potato galette, jambon cru, reblochon, confit oignons, chips and salad.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Wed 14-02-24 16:21; edited 7 times in total
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@denfinella, another great read, I really enjoy your reports. Brings it all alive. We were in Ste Foy before Christmas and are returning in later March.
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FAQ
