 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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Usual Saturday traffic I guess as there is no snow in lower resorts. Don't try diverting through Aime village, it is blocked too. It is clear after the tunnel. Should take you about 2.5 hours.
you could have taken the mountain road from BSM to Aime which would avoid some of the problems
There are some roadworks.
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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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| Quote: |
Left our accomms at 10am
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Worst possible time to leave - that's when people generally have to check out and it's mass exodus time. This discussion comes up quite a lot and it's best to leave either really early (I'd say before  or stay and ski and leave late afternoon though this advice is most relevant to self-drivers.
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This "traffic madness" is why some tour operators insist on what some guests think are ridiculously early departure times from resorts.
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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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Normal Saturday in March, peak traffic times as forecast and reported.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Each Saturday it’s the same and the same underlying reason. With snow/temperatures less reliable elsewhere, big numbers who’ll only ski in France made the Tarentaise their choice.
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We were looking across at the N90 from the train and were very glad we'd chosen that option.
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Feeling smug-left St M at 5.30am. Nice drive via Lake Annecy to GVA with a stop at Albertville boulangerie, arrived at airport 7.45am. Landed at Gatwick 10am U.K. time, home at 10.45am.
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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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| Quote: |
left St M at 5.30am
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That's the secret!
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| Perty wrote: |
| Feeling smug-left St M at 5.30am. Nice drive via Lake Annecy to GVA with a stop at Albertville boulangerie, arrived at airport 7.45am. Landed at Gatwick 10am U.K. time, home at 10.45am. |
Yep, that's the way to do it. When we were tied to February holidays we always left at around 06:00 from Montalbert and just missed the queues.
From memory this weekends forecast was 75,000 vehicles out and 60,000 in
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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This has just popped up on my Facebook , won’t help the situation
Siaix tunnel closed on both sides. According to initial reports, car on fire inside. Take precautions as you travel. Thank you
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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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We finally arrived in Ste Foy around 5.30 this evening, about an hour later than we had hoped after leaving Reims at 9 this morning.
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@Pamski, well done that’s not too bad but it’s going to be a bit of a nightmare for those the Moutiers side of the tunnel
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You know it makes sense.
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We saw exactly the same driving up half term week, we left Albertville around 8:20 after charging and drive straight up to resort without any troubles but the queues were huge trying to get out of resort. When leaving we left at 5:45 and drive was easy all the way down not a single queue and got to Albertville 7:20 ish. The year prior we left at 6:45 and we lost I recon 2-3 hours on on the French part of the drive.
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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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Go to the Maurienne, and you will miss at least half of the fun.
On your second Saturday, first go skiing till 1400, and take a hotel underway. Saturday is by far the best day for skiing, because lifts and slopes are empty. And there is no use trying to drive down the mountain to Lyon in the morning.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I always warm people on my social media channels of the usual Saturday chaos on the N90 that always (well nearly always) happens. My advice is leave WAY WAY earlier than you could possibly envisage or arrive way later than necessary and likewise on departure day from resort. Sorry it has happened but its always like that ! People moan about the 0500 departures for an afternoon flight and things like that but its often a case of leave then or miss your flight! Sorry not the best news!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Took me 6.5 hours to get to Geneva from Tignes yesterday, had to shift my flight back to accommodate as we sat in the traffic
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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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Took a little over 2 hours this morning from montchavin via Lake Annecy, Sunday transfers definitely the way forward
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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by most of the chat on here, i am assuming that all this traffic is between BSM and Moutiers, due to it being single lane the majority of the way, and after this is all clears up towards Albertville (and beyond) when you are on the dual carriageway?
if so this is hopefully all avoidable if you are visiting the 3v's in the coming weeks (as i am)
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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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| terrygasson wrote: |
by most of the chat on here, i am assuming that all this traffic is between BSM and Moutiers, due to it being single lane the majority of the way, and after this is all clears up towards Albertville (and beyond) when you are on the dual carriageway?
if so this is hopefully all avoidable if you are visiting the 3v's in the coming weeks (as i am) |
Worst seems to be around Albertville, clears up before you get to Moutiers.
Took my family 11.5 hours to get from Lyon to La Rosiere 4 weeks ago.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Oops posted in the kids account.
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I'll be driving to Bourg the Friday night the next few times to avoid it.
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Tignes to near albertville yesterday was 6 hours.
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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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anyone know what is the issue around Albertville at the moment?
i am staying overnight on the friday in Albertville in a couple of weeks, then leave around 7:30 am for the drive up to VT, its been our usual routine last few years, so hopefully should avoid any major delays
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congestion? I'd have thought 7:30 shouldn't be too bad. But safest bet would be to stay in Moutiers instead if you can.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Canuck, cheers, we like staying in Albertville, more choice of resto's and supermarkets, there never seems to be much accommodation in Moutiers anyway.
its never been a problem with traffic before leaving at that time, and if it does get a bit sticky, may be able to jump on the old valley road (used to be able to do this when i carried out transfers donkeys years ago) before the gendarmes set up road blocks for non-locals.
just wondered if there was roadworks going on around Albertville?
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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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@terrygasson, If you check the Tignes thread I do a Tarentaise traffic forecast each Friday, this Saturday heading up hill was relatively easy apart from a couple of hours mid afternoon.
On a more general point, the worst jams are between Albertville and Moutiers for those travelling to the resorts as the majority of traffic regulation is done at Aigueblanche near the stinky factory formally know as Carbone Savoie. On the way home its the mountain roads and Bourg to Moutiers, as you say once on the autoroute things speed up a little. If its Feb then the peages are also busy as people pay their tolls and the chaos spreads back towards Lyon.
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All this of course before the effects of any accidents, snowfall or landslips.
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You know it makes sense.
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We had zero problems heading from Meribel to Geneva on 10th February, having left Meribel at 9.45 am.
On the 3rd Feb, there were no issues at Albertville going from Annecy to Meribel, leaving Annecy about midday.
Maybe we were lucky.
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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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Thanks for the response everyone. Took us a total of about 6hrs from BSM to Grenoble. 3hrs of which in that single file jam to the traffic light at the mountain tunnel. After which it cleared completely!
Made it just in time for check in for our 6pm flight! Seems crazy that is the norm!
We did look at the alt route out of BSM but it was blocked off by police.
I do remember some years ago having a similar experience coming back from Tignes on late March, but definitely nowhere near 3hrs.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Is the Tarentaise generally busier this week than it usually is? The perceived Snowheads wisdom appears to be that everything is far less busy after the French school holidays but it's that the case this year?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Drifter210, I believe the alternative routes are for locals only. Our experience is it’s always like that - that’s why we’re on the road at 5am
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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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@Drifter210, The back roads are tiny. They are in no way a suitable alternative route when the N90 is blocked by weight of traffic. If they allowed free access they’d be blocked worse than the N90 in about 3 seconds, but with the added bonus that there would then be no access at all for the emergency services.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@sugarmoma666 it seems from the trip reports before the French holidays that things were busier than usual - I think you encountered some significant queues in Les Saisies. The poor snow conditions all over would be expected to have created more crowding on the pistes with decent snow, but there do seem to have been a lot of bodies around. It's less busy now (judging by the traffic counts above) than during the holidays, but busier than usual for mid March.
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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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@Origen, I was rather hoping that those who know the areas well and are out there now might provide a view. I've been following the forum and am in the Tarentaise currently, so I'm interested in the answer. La Plagne was absolutely heaving on Saturday afternoon and yesterday. Do you have any first hand info?
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@sugarmoma666, The whole area is much busier than previous and not a huge difference now the main school holidays are over.
Val d’Isere for example was at 94% capacity the first 2 weeks of the school holidays 10 -24 Feb (Paris, English, Scandinavian)
the next 2 weeks of school holidays 24 Feb - 9 March (rest of France, Belgium) dropped to 84%
We expected a big drop between 9 March - 16 March but it was minimal to 81% and this week is similar at 79% this is thought to be due to some resorts not having as much snow.
The tourist board judge capacity on bookable beds. Homes like ours aren’t counted so for 3 weeks in Feb we were 0% but the last 2 weeks 80/100%. I know a lot of owners get out of resort in Feb and return in March but probably not enough to alter the figures too much.
We’re back in the UK for 4/5 days with some of us leaving on Sunday at 0700 and the journey to GVA took 2hrs 30mins the next part of the family left Val d’Isere today (Monday) in a transfer van at 0900 and arrived at GVA at 1145. I don’t expect the return journey on Friday am to take any longer than 3hrs but if we had waited until Saturday unfortunately between 6 and 8 hours is normal.
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@sugarmoma666, As David says above many lower resorts are closed through lack of snow including many village lifts that the locals use.
If you look at the Montalbert webcam it looks like May not March, I expect that they will let the one piste returning to the village go after the rain and high temps in the forecast and rely on the Gondola for return to the village. Certainly the first time this has happened in the 20+ years we have been going to Montalbert. Whilst on the webcam look at the car park during the day and then in the evening (you can fiddle with the time of day) the car park is full when the lifts are open and then half empty overnight which shows the level of day trippers - multiply that by all the car parks through La Plagne and that is a lot more visitors than normal. The other gauge we use is the number of coaches parked by the bottom of the Bergerie lift - if theres more than 6 its going to busy!
Also not forgetting the Saturday only lift pass is very cheap for La plagne (Sunday is also discounted) - which has spoilt the best day of the week for short lift queues.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 19-03-24 12:18; edited 1 time in total
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| Quote: |
Certainly the first time this has happened in the 20+ years we have been going to Montalbert.
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That's very telling, isn't it? 
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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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| boredsurfin wrote: |
@sugarmoma666, As David says above many lower resorts are closed through lack of snow including many village lifts that the locals use.
If you look at the Montalbert webcam it looks like May not March, I expect that they will let the one piste returning to the village go after the rain and high temps in the forecast and rely on the Gondola for return to the village. Certainly the first time this has happened in the 20+ years we have been going to Montalbert. Whilst on the webcam look at the car park during the day and then in the evening (you can fiddle with the time of day) the car park is full when the lifts are open and then half empty overnight which shows the level of day trippers - multiply that by all the car parks through La Plagne and that is a lot more visitors than normal. The other gauge we use is the number of coaches parked by the bottom of the Bergerie lift - if theres more than 6 its going to busy!
Also not forgetting the Saturday only lift pass is very cheap for La plagne (Sunday is also discounted) - which has spoilt the best day of the week for short lift queues. |
Having said that the Montalbert main car park has spaces today https://laplagne.roundshot.com/montalbert/#/
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FAQ
Apparently it was 19c on the balcony in Montalbert and lightly raining yesterday... I'm buying extra sun tan protection for our trip later this month. Maybe I should be packing an umbrella as well 