 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi there,
My family and I will be staying in St. Gervais for 6 weeks this winter season. We're trying to decide which ski pass would be the best option for us.
We have two children, aged 6 and 8. The three of us are beginner/intermediate snowboarders, while my husband is an advanced rider. We've only snowboarded in Chamonix before, so we're unsure if the Evasion ski pass would be sufficient for us or if we might want to explore other areas.
Any advice on which ski pass would be best suited to our needs?
TIA!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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With 6 weeks my initial instinct would be to book for the widest area possible, though I haven't checked to see what the price difference is (presumably season passes, I think those become best value beyond 2-3 weeks).
The other thing is guessing how much the less experienced boarders will improve over the time - you ought to! - and be ready for more challenging terrain. Right from the beginning though, MBU would give you the occasional option of Les Houches which you can access straight from the town via the rack and pinion railway (slow though, you get a shortened day on the slopes). Other than that you will need to be fairly organised to ski any of the Chamonix areas - not that there aren't people doing exactly that from St G all the time - especially given the other less challenging area is La Tour at the far end of the valley.
You need a reply from some other boarders to indicate specifically how that works on the Evasion Mont Blanc pass. There is 440 km on paper with the vast majority suitable for intermediates.
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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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I was about to type differently till I noticed that you were out for 6 weeks. If you can commit now, it will in either case be a lot cheaper to buy a season pass (I assume you were going to do that anyway?)
https://www.ski-saintgervais.com/fr/h19-prevente => €847 compare to €902 for 3 weeks * 2 
https://www.montblancnaturalresort.com/en/preventes-forfaits => €1,354
Evasion covers quite a lot, and les Contas should give you good high ground if needed. A chum, who is a good skier spend a month this winter in St Gervais and didn't appear to get bored.
How often do you think you'd be bothered driving around to Cham?
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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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is it still the case the the unlimited pass is more expensive in year one but in year 2 onwards it is actually cheaper as massive renewal discounts ?
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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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Which 6 weeks is it? Might possibly make a difference to the calculation. Presumably you'll have a car?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes we'll have a car. We'll be there from Jan through most of Feb. We did the maths and yes I believe a season pass is cheaper than by the week especially with the early bird pricing through end of Nov.
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@under_a_new_name
This is good to know, thanks.
It's not just Chamonix but the other resorts on the Unlimited pass we're keen to explore, but you make a good point. If there's plenty quite close to us, why bother going further afield?
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Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 7-11-24 16:21; edited 1 time in total
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@Jonny996, yes. My brother's went from something like €1,350 last year to (?) €850 ish this year (iirc).
@jschleis28, good point, despite being, what, 30 minutes extra? MBU gets you Courmayeur (often quieter, great food and sometimes helpfully different weather and conditions) and Verbier. Might make it worth 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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@jschleis28,
How many days a week are you expecting to do up the mountain?
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@under_a_new_name, Good point, I hadn't thought about changing weather conditions... Megeve is meant to be nice as well, but it's quite low I believe although hopefully there'd be good snow at that time of yr
@Kenzie - I'd say around 5 days each week?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@jschleis28, I’m not sure Mégève had generally “good” snow at any point this season?
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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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No, but neither did most other places. Especially in the last three weeks of February (which coincide with French school holidays) the whole area will be busy. For myself, I'd be seeking out (comparatively) quieter places to ski and places where car parking near lifts is not too difficult. One left-field suggestion could be Praz sur Arly. A day pass is not too expensive and that valley (though it makes sense only if snow cover is pretty good and if you're not wimps about drag lifts.....) is generally quieter than most around.
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@Origen's point is good - the other resorts you might want to explore aren't necessarily those on MBU. Praz sur Arly is a shorter drive than Chamonix and is one entrance point to Espace Diamant with another 200 km of piste. And it wouldn't be too bad driving to Les Carroz for the Flaine area.
Courmayeur is appealing, but it is a long drive and there may be queues for the tunnel. And Verbier even further, for either of those you would struggle unless you are staying overnight.
@under a new name's point about weather conditions is probably in recollection of the situation last season when there was good snow on the Italian side of the Mont Banc range but the weather systems got held up there. Everyone hopes that won't be repeated, but one does sometimes wonder what now counts as "normal".
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You know it makes sense.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @jschleis28, I’m not sure Mégève had generally “good” snow at any point this season? |
maybe 2 or 3 days...total
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