 Poster: A snowHead
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I’m looking at staying in Orelle rather than Val thorens to save some money. What lift goes from Orelle to VT centre? Can you use it on foot? Is it a gondola? How late does it run? If anyone knows, please let me know
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes you can now go Orelle to VT by foot via Cime Caron and Cairn. Better on skis though.
Open regular ski hours so forget nightlife or even apres beers in VT.
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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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@JRB747373, There’s a gondola from Orelle and then another gondola from Plan Bouchet to Cime Caron, or a chair both up above Val Thorens and a ski down. There’s not a lift that’ll take foot passengers to the centre of Val Thorens.
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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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@Dave of the Marmottes, I forgot about using Cairn to get down by foot. 
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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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I have friends who do that for the last couple of winters.
Mostly for financial reasons but it is easier and faster to reach Orelle.
You need 2 ultra fast spacious gondolas to reach Cime Caron which is the 3200 m peak separating Val Thorens valley from Orelle.
You can access it without skis and there's a pedestrian pass for the area.
From Cime Caron you can ski down to VT lower area or take 3 consecutive gondolas that will bring you to the village, Cairn mountain station.
If I remember correctly traffic ends at 16:30 the latest, meaning you should enter the downloading gondolas earlier.
Be advised that in strong winds, traffic may stop/get cancelled of course
https://orelle.net/item/useful-information/newsroom/5896510
https://www.valthorens.com/en/acces-orelle-la-fulgurante-ascension/
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@JRB747373, we had a week staying there last season. The lift up is about 20min ride but you'll probably get a 10seat cabin to yourself. Same for download (last is 4:30-5pm from memory). We didn't queue for it all week. Then it's another stage up to CimeCarron gondola down from there followed by Carron and then Cairn up to VT village. Both Orelle lifts are subject to closing in high winds (top one more so).
Access direct into the Orelle runs is great in a morning and Lorry blue run makes a good cruisey last run back.
There's not a lot at Orelle. A bar and pizza van by the lift and a ski shop. We were self catering so that wasn't an issue and didnt explire any more.
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Thank you everyone. Was hoping to still go to VT centre for the night life and restaurants. So may not be suitable
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| JRB747373 wrote: |
| Thank you everyone. Was hoping to still go to VT centre for the night life and restaurants. So may not be suitable |
Yeah that was never a practical idea and suggests you don't understand the scale of things. Essentially you'd be looking to travel from a valley bottom to a 2300m resort via a peak at 3200m. Plenty of towns in the Maurienne Valley though if you have a car.
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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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| Dave of the Marmottes wrote: |
| JRB747373 wrote: |
| Thank you everyone. Was hoping to still go to VT centre for the night life and restaurants. So may not be suitable |
Yeah that was never a practical idea and suggests you don't understand the scale of things. Essentially you'd be looking to travel from a valley bottom to a 2300m resort via a peak at 3200m. Plenty of towns in the Maurienne Valley though if you have a car. |
But, but, but, don’t many people do the reverse, going from VT to Orelle all the time? Or for that matter, they go from VT all the way to Maribel too! Only they’re going there for lunch, not “night lift”. It’s just a matter of when the lift closes. Much less “the scale of things”
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Orelle can be a good base for cheap no frills skiing in VT domain and further towards Meribel and Courchevel.
But no for going out in the evening/late night in VT.
As opposed to La Chable vis a vis Verbier, their gondola runs till late.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@abc, it is one thing to run an evening service on a short (5-10 minutes) lift between nearby villages, such as at La Chable or Courchevel 1550.
Orelle to VT is 5 lifts, plus a covered walk at 3200m, taking 45-60 minutes each way, in temperatures that on some nights could drop to say -30C! A different scale seems an appropriate description.
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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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Does anyone have any other suggestions for cheaper areas to stay that’s still accessible to VT in the evenings? Either by bus or lift. Maybe Les Menuires?
We’ve already got a week booked in VT but some of us want to do 10 days, so looking for somewhere cheap for the extra 3 days
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[list=][/list]
| abc wrote: |
But, but, but, don’t many people do the reverse, going from VT to Orelle all the time? Or for that matter, they go from VT all the way to Maribel too! Only they’re going there for lunch, not “night lift”. It’s just a matter of when the lift closes. Much less “the scale of things” |
Absolutely different if you are skiing the downhill legs obviously , as you well know. An hour each way to commute for dinner seems excessive and VT is hardly Pacha and Amnesia rolled into one for nightlife.
Re the 3 day thing. I'm sure you can manage on pizza and beer for that period of time as an add on.
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You know it makes sense.
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There are no inter-resort buses between Les Menuires and VT. A few scheduled bus services, but not sure how late these run into the evening. Surprisingly, there is nightlife in other resorts! 
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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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| JRB747373 wrote: |
Does anyone have any other suggestions for cheaper areas to stay that’s still accessible to VT in the evenings? Either by bus or lift. Maybe Les Menuires?
We’ve already got a week booked in VT but some of us want to do 10 days, so looking for somewhere cheap for the extra 3 days |
Brides-les-Bains might work. You wouldn't be able to get up to VT but there's more life down there than in Orelle. The lift up to Meribel is more antiquated and still stops about 5pm.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| abc wrote: |
But, but, but, don’t many people do the reverse, going from VT to Orelle all the time? |
Yes during the day for skiing but not in the evening. The 3Valleys lifts stop (give or take) by 5pm. Travelling from village to village after that is only possible via the roads and VT to Orelle is a very long taxi ride.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| adithorp wrote: |
| abc wrote: |
But, but, but, don’t many people do the reverse, going from VT to Orelle all the time? |
Yes during the day for skiing but not in the evening. The 3Valleys lifts stop (give or take) by 5pm. Travelling from village to village after that is only possible via the roads and VT to Orelle is a very long taxi ride. |
There is also Orelle the village and what everyone calls Orelle, the ski area that starts above the top of the long gondola from the village. I don't know of anyone skiing that consciously rides the gondola down to Orelle village unless a) they are staying there or b) miss the last lifts back to VT (which has of course been known  )
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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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@Dave of the Marmottes,
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I don't know of anyone skiing that consciously rides the gondola down to Orelle village unless a) they are staying there or b) miss the last lifts back to VT (which has of course been known )
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Well there's always one isn't there?
The rationale was that the queue at the bottom chairlift restaurant for lunch was so long that we'd miss well over an hour skiing by waiting for service. So we caught the gondola down to Orelle for a relatively cheap snack, from the wagon, and drink from the nearby bar. So we 'lost' about 50 mins skiing instead. Wouldn't really recommend it but it filled in a corner on the map. More importantly it kinda confirmed I'd probably never stay in Orelle.
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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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as someone who has a place in orelle, the night life is not really a thing....... the residence there has a decent restaurant and like people have said there's a nice little bar for when you come off the mountain...... the digs are cheap to stay at and theres a pool etc, if you want to know anything else drop me a line
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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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@Dave of the Marmottes, you'd have to be a very Silly Skier to miss the last lift back
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