 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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| j b wrote: |
Thanks @devilabit for explaining, I've been peering at that Bettex top station on the webcam and wondering why the roof looks unfinished. And whether it was going to mean they would be bussing people up for this weekend.
Mont d'Arbois looking good.
Good for you @Jonny996, our daughter's term still has another week so we won't get out before Christmas this year. |
Roof might just go all season unfinished.
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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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After not making it last season I'm all booked for 9th Jan until 12th Jan at St Gervais.
I land into GVA at 09:50 so will get the hire car sorted, my brother lands at 10:50am, do you think we'd get a decent afternoon ski in on the 9th Jan? He'd have to get up the Bettex (?) and hire skis from Claude Penz.
A 4 day pass is 46 euros more than a 3 day one.
Secondly any view as to how busy this car parking area will be? Just had this note thru from the AirBNB host.
We have just been informed by Saint-Gervais-les-Bains municipal police that parking is prohibited between the hours of 10pm and 6am in the Telecabine Parking lot, including the spaces directly in front of Le Grand Panorama, until 31 March.
For overnight parking, we recommend using the municipal garage (152 Avenue du Mont Paccard), which is a 10-minute walk and free of charge. You can still park in front of the building during the day.
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| kitenski wrote: |
| We have just been informed by Saint-Gervais-les-Bains municipal police that parking is prohibited between the hours of 10pm and 6am in the Telecabine Parking lot, ... |
That's a pity. It was understandable that they stopped overnight parking last year because half of the parking area was closed off for the building site. But this year I thought it was all back in action.
The underground car park referred to is less than 10 minutes walk from the new gondola station, but understandably gets popular. Its upper floors (blue floor markings) are short-stay, but lower down it is long-stay. Otherwise there is a car park at the ice rink (patinoire) also reasonably close; again you need to check which slots have restrictions.
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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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Just driving through Megeve. Nice to see snow on the ground and the trees. Very busy.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I can advise that the new lift system up from StG is great
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Good news @Jonny996. I guess the real test will come New Year week, does it have the upload capacity to soak up the queues for ski school?
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@j b, old lift was 1800 people per hour, new one is 2800.
It’s not any quicker & the cabins are now 10 people down from 16 BUT there are a lot more cabins.
If anything I would say the test is going to be the two queues merging into one.
The gondola up from La fayet and the people joining at StG
Small changes at bettex but for the better
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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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| Jonny996 wrote: |
@j b, old lift was 1800 people per hour, new one is 2800.
It’s not any quicker & the cabins are now 10 people down from 16 BUT there are a lot more cabins.
If anything I would say the test is going to be the two queues merging into one.
The gondola up from La fayet and the people joining at StG
Small changes at bettex but for the better |
Nah, its going to be when you get off at Bettex and try and load onto the Mont d'Arbois gondola 
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@Idris, I always off load & head towards the mont Rosset chair but yes I can see that being an issue
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Jonny996 wrote: |
| @Idris, I always off load & head towards the mont Rosset chair but yes I can see that being an issue |
Nearly always the best option IME
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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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ok some advice please we will hopefully be skiing form St Gervais 31st dec and or 1st jan and taking a none skier with us who will get around via the cable cars to meet with us here and there and spend some time in Megeve what is the walk like from the top of the Betex to Arbois telecabin to the telecabin down to Megeve. Time and difficulty in snow boots
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You presumably have masses of new snow over there. Still falling? Busy days for @Idris I imagine.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Dryslopebegniner wrote: |
| ok some advice please we will hopefully be skiing form St Gervais 31st dec and or 1st jan and taking a none skier with us who will get around via the cable cars to meet with us here and there and spend some time in Megeve what is the walk like from the top of the Betex to Arbois telecabin to the telecabin down to Megeve. Time and difficulty in snow boots |
It is a 15-20 minutes walk on the side of the green piste, down hill first half up hill second but not steep & done regularly by a lot of tourists. so not difficult.
That will take you to two bubbles the Princesse one that will take you to Demi Quater & the Rochebrune one. You will need to get the Rochebrune one then go out back of station to get the free bus into Megeve town center.
All very doable just make sure you have correct lift pass, you of course also have the option of the Y82 bus but I would google the timetable.
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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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50cm+ in the town(at least just outside SG) and waist deep down unopened runs today, awesome!
| Origen wrote: |
| You presumably have masses of new snow over there. Still falling? Busy days for @Idris I imagine. |
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Poster: A snowHead
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| jedster wrote: |
| Jonny996 wrote: |
| @Idris, I always off load & head towards the mont Rosset chair but yes I can see that being an issue |
Nearly always the best option IME |
Any other tips like this please? As a 20ish year La Plagne veteran, I feel like I know the tips and tricks to get the most out of a trip. Arriving on Boxing Day for the first time here (staying right at bottom of Bettex, gear rented from Claude Penz). Must do runs? Lifts to avoid? Sneaky tips?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@LondonHawk, Not sure how long you are staying but I do like skiing over to the Cote2000 area & the State Decent black is a must for us. You need to take the Rochebrune over to Megeve & about 4/5 runs to get there but worth it.
I also like a day in the Jaillet area, that is a free 10 min bus from the Rochebrune cable car.
Also book restaurants for evening meals if you are eating out, they get busy.
Apologies for all the spelling mistakes
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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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any view as to if I can get an afternoon skiing in time wise on 9th Jan? A 4 day pass is 46 euros more than a 3 day one.
I land into GVA at 09:50 so will get the hire car sorted, my brother lands at 10:50am, do you think we'd get a decent afternoon ski in on the 9th Jan? He'd have to get up the Bettex (?) and hire skis from Claude Penz.
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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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| Jonny996 wrote: |
| Apologies for all the spelling mistakes |
Of which the one relevant to @LondonHawk is that that run is called Stade Descente if he needs to locate it on the piste map.
As Jonny says, crossing Megeve to the Le Jaillet lift is worth it for a day skiing the Combloux area. The very long blue from Christomet down to La Giettaz is special, as is the return.
I like the runs down to the mid station of the Princesse gondola, the red is straightforward but a blast, and the black is very satisfying the way it swoops down through the trees.
With the conditions being so good that pretty much anywhere will be fun, it won't be worth an expedition to Les Contamines which is quite a faff if you are staying in Bettex.
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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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| kitenski wrote: |
any view as to if I can get an afternoon skiing in time wise on 9th Jan? A 4 day pass is 46 euros more than a 3 day one.
I land into GVA at 09:50 so will get the hire car sorted, my brother lands at 10:50am, do you think we'd get a decent afternoon ski in on the 9th Jan? He'd have to get up the Bettex (?) and hire skis from Claude Penz. |
I would say no, 10.50 landing isn’t going to get you out of airport until 12.00.
Say 90 minutes to pick up hire car & drive to StG, and a further 30 to get hire gear.
That’s you at 2.00 & with no delays.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Jonny996, ta! I kinda thought that but wanted a second opinion! Can he get up Bettex that afternoon without a lift pass as a pedestrian to get his skis sorted?
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No, he’ll need a pedestrian pass, approx 10 euro
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It's a couple mins quicker if that matters, @ 7 m/s it is one of the only lifts running that fast anywhere. Not just more cabins but much easier to fill them efficiently and get closer to the theoretical load per hour
| Jonny996 wrote: |
@j b, old lift was 1800 people per hour, new one is 2800.
It’s not any quicker & the cabins are now 10 people down from 16 BUT there are a lot more cabins.
If anything I would say the test is going to be the two queues merging into one.
The gondola up from La fayet and the people joining at StG
Small changes at bettex but for the better |
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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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@kitenski, If you can get an afternoon pass and dependent on cost and time it might be worth a wee ski. On the assumption you are both ready to ski at 2.00pm that will give you approx 2 to 2.5 hours until the lifts shut.
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2 of 4 days done. Hard to give any truly useful info as it's our first trip so nothing to compare it to, but even so, can obviously tell we've been v.lucky with the conditions as most of the skiing is below the height we normally start at (Aime 2000).
Very much enjoyed all the reds off Epaule lift and tackled the Cote 2000/Alpette runs over lunch today which were all in fabulous condition. Does feel like a lot more button lifts than I'm used to, in particular the queue for Rochefort stretching all the way up the piste. Rochearbois seems to handle the visitor numbers well, but got caught up in an unfortunate shut down of Mont D'Arbois which meant a lot of queuing and not much skiing on the run back to Claude Penz.
Further thoughts : will Mont Joly or Mont Joux III ever open? Why are the black runs so straight and wide?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Stonking conditions over Jaillet side only slightly marred by a temperamental Bonjournal button and a 45min wait for MegBus #2 which meant a slightly desperate dash for Mont D'Arbois cable up and Bettex/StG cable down 
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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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@LondonHawk, glad you are enjoying yourselves, conditions certainly look great on the webcams (fantastic clear views of Mont Blanc).
Yes, that Rochefort drag is a drag (pun intended). It is caught up in some local politics (@Idris might be able to update us on the latest situation) whereby some legal challenges are preventing the lifts on that side get major upgrades despite them already having planning permission. In brief, what they are planning is to replace both the Petite Fontaine chair and the Rochefort drag by a new fast chair and similar in the reverse direction. But it seems to be in never never land.
The Mont Joly chair normally runs if conditions are OK. They are possibly being extra cautious since the avalanche deaths there last year. On the other hand Mont Joux III never opens, I think it is maintained so that there is a back-up if the newer and faster Mont Joux chair ever has a problem, that is a crucial lift for makiing your way along the ridge towards St Nicolas.
That bus back from the Le Jaillet gondola can be frustrating if you leave it late, it always has a bit of a wait at the bus station. But as long as you can get to the Arbois gondola up you should be OK, the Bettex/St G gondola (now called L'Alpin) closes later than others to allow for stragglers and it is a straightforward ski down.
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Mont Joly looks like its more or less ready to open, they have been preparing it the last few days. No queues this morning on L'Alpin despite it being very busy on most lifts. Although St Gervais home run is not open plenty of people have been skiing it despite it not looking in great shape now, surprisingly it doesn't look like they made any artificial snow so far on it this year. However they have done so on Finance with still some large piles lying around presumably in an effort to avoid last year's lack of cover on that run. Some new snow expected next weekend.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'm a bit confused, booked an AirBNB which says it is next to the Bettex lift in the Le Grand Panorama. Looking at the piste map is that really next to the Alpin lift?
Also looking for somewhere close to lap whilst my brother gets his boots at Claude Penz, looks like I can just use the TK Bettex drag for a few laps? Is Venaz a second lift from the top of TK Bettex?
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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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Le Grand Panorama is at the bottom of Alpin lift.
As for a lap, I would ski down to mont Rosset chair and then come back down Finance
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Jonny996, thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@kitenski, you've been caught out by a name change. The old Bettex lift (town up to Bettex) was replaced this last summer, and the new one has the different name of L'Alpin. It goes to the same place, but the start location has been moved back 100m and all the pylons and pulley gear replaced.
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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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Ok I asked for advice further up the thread about walking from the Les Betex Arbois top lift to the Megeve Mt Arabois top lift and good shout about a 15 minute not too strenuous walk for my wife, I walked along side in ski boots carrying my skis and probably made a bigger effort. It was 22 euro for a pedestrian day pass for the better half and we made good use of it getting all the way over to Caboche telecabin with me and the kids skiing and partner pedestrian'ing. There were a couple of other telecabins she could have taken but time was pressing and kids were wanting to ski and have chocolate crepes so headed back towards the St Gervais side.
Cheers for the help in any case
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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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Second bit of help wanted if we are getting the Y84 bus to St Gervais from Les Contamines on Friday (weather is looking grotty and we might take the kids to the pool) the time table just says Le Lay and there is no route map am I right in assuming the bus stop is out side the Hameau du Lay telecabin?
Cheers again
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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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@Dryslopebegniner, yes it says Le Lay on the timetable and the stop is just a few yards up from the main Les Contamines gondola (Montjoie).
Good to hear the pedestrian excursion worked. I have quite often seen people walking along the ridge between the two gondolas but I imagine it would be hard work carrying skis. (Skiing you would normally head down to the Ideal chair which takes you up to the same place).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
I walked along side in ski boots carrying my skis and probably made a bigger effort.
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That was noble of you. I think I'd have pointed her in the right direction and said "see you up there"!
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@Origen, I don't know @Dryslopebegniner's circumstances but I suspect being married to her might have limited the options!
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I'm off for my first ever trip to this area in a week. Any tips for where the snow is usually good? Got my eye on a day in Les Contamines if it's a good vis day. Not sure how well my brother skis, but assume a day trip from St Gervais over to Cote 2000 is easily doable with a 9am start from the bottom of Alpin? Is it worth a trip over to Christomet area on another day, looks like a bus ride is needed to connect? We should have Thurs afternoon to stay local, then full days Fri, Sat, Sun with a flight home at 21:15 from GVA Sunday.
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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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We had a great day in Les C on Monday, great snow and beautiful blue skies which was a nice change from the pea-souper we've been suffering in the Lake Geneva area for a few days (thankfully gone now)
Its fair to say though that Les C is no longer the little secret resort it used to be as it was very busy and the queue for the bubble lift up must have been 30 minutes or so. Once up on the slopes the queues weren't so bad but still longer than I'd seen before
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@kitenski, no problem getting over to Cote 2000. It is pretty easy to get to the Rocharbois cable car across the valley, but several runs and lifts to work your way along the ridge - with a few other runs along the way to tempt you! If you are worried about the trip back you can save time by taking the navette from the car park at the bottom of the slopes there to the Megeve-Arbois gondola.
And it is the same navette (runs every 20 min from memory) that connects onwards to the Le Jaillet gondola up to the Combloux area. Once you have got your bearings you will find you can get down to the Megeve side of the Mont d'Arbois ridge pretty quickly, the obvious route ends up with the green Mandarines, and you go down the steps to the left of the gondola station to get to the road and the bus stop (the Rocharbois link for Cote 2000 is behind the gondola station, in this case either carry your skis through the gondola foyer or ski round to the right of the buildings). You do need to leave decent time for the return trip though, the navette back across town always stops for a while at the main bus station. There is a satisfaction and sense of travel about the really long blue run from Christomet down to La Giettaz; over there you will find a few runs to amuse you, and the return has brilliant views. From the bottom of Christomet you will take the chair up to the top of the nice runs through the trees down to Combloux village and if you have time it is worth doing one or two of those. You can save time by downloading on the Le Jaillet gondola, and quite often you have to anyway because the runs down to Megeve have quite a lot of south in them.
But I see you might decide not to do that one, given you have only three full days and want to try Les Contamines. Half a day isn't nearly enough to do justice to the runs off the Mont d'Arbois ridge.
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FAQ
