Saint Gervais ski school, equipment and other tips

A snowHead

Thank you to all the snow heads who helped me decide on Saint Gervais. I need to book level 2 group adult ski lessons but because we don't arrive until Sunday lunchtime, I can't use ESF as they only do level 2 adult courses in the mornings starting Sunday. So I was looking for other recommendations please to see if I can find another school that does afternoon lessons.

Also we're staying near the telecabin, so I was wondering which is the best equipment hire nearest the telecabin please? As near as possible the better.

And finally, any other recommendations for things to do and places to eat and drink would be great please. We like to head out for a drink after coming off the slopes and eat out for lunch and dinner. We'll be with a 10 and a 12 year old so family friendly restaurants would be good, but it doesn't have to be just burgers and nuggets! I hear there's a spa which sounds fun, anything else good to do?

Thank you

A snowHead

For lessons contact BASS. Shona Tate is really excellent, as are the rest of the team. https://www.basschamonix.com

Although the name is Chamonix they do St Gervais (note there’s no ‘e’!) as well - indeed they live there.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Thanks @Inboard, but doesn't look like they do any courses other than for skiiers better than I am? I was hoping to avoid the cost of private lessons. Thanks though.

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Yes, Shona (and by reputation her husband Derek) are good for private lessons. As long as they are not already booked up.

There are a couple of ski hire places near the telecabine, Nerey Glisse (I think that is the name) on the main road and another one within the car park. And quite a lot more in town.

Drinking and eating - well there are lots of places though obviously tastes differ. Including a pizza place and a bar (and from memory a Thai place) on the nearby main road to the apartment location you linked. But we haven't ourselves been to those.

In town, which is a short stroll but you need to take the bridge across the gorge: L'Eterle is consistently reliable for pizzas, and more or less opposite is Les 4 Epices which is a crepe restaurant - savoury galettes and sweet crepes (including the theatre of a Crepe Suzette). Interestingly, that one always seems to have a lot of French parties ordering a fondue so we plan to try their's another time.

Mid range, and absolute favourite of ours is BistrotSerac, on the corner of the market square, but you might need to check their menu to see if it fits the children. Another popular one is Le Galeta, tucked away behind the buildings on the west side of the square: a traditional building and we can personally vouch for their Savoie dishes as well as their excellent barbecued meat.

In terms of bars, the most popular by far with the British crowd is Les 3 Mousquetons (it means three carabiners, reflecting the town's mountaineering heritage) on the road opposite the church. But coming off the mountain, if it is a sunny end to the day L'Affiche (north end of the market square) is perfectly positioned to let you sit out and enjoy it. Nearby is Pur Bar, does decent pizzas and burgers and occasionally has live music. And closer to the church, Brasserie du Mont Blanc with good burgery type food as well as beer.

If you want home made ready meals to heat up in your apartment, Maison des Alpes, opposite tourist information, has a variety. Otherwise you can get a fondue "kit" from La Ferme du Mont Blanc (church corner of the market square) or some some very decent stuff from Gourmet Serac (also corner of the market square, food from the Michelin-starred kitchen of their parent restaurant). There are small supermarkets opposite tourist information (Carrefour) and further up along the road to the right from it (Petit Casino).

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@j b, Sums it up nicely, only thing I would add is, the ice hockey if it’s on is well worth watching & yes if you’re planning a afternoon off the slopes, the parc thermal spa is world class, well worth it

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@j b, thank you for that amazing round up, so helpful! It'll be February half term so the busiest week of the year I suspect. Do you find you have to make bookings everywhere?

Also, are there any good places on the mountain for lunch next to green or blue slopes you'd recommend, especially the ones you have to book? I'd like to make sure we've got reservations as we were a bit shocked in Megeve last year when we couldn't get in anywhere for lunch other than the canteen!

@Jonny996, Ice hockey sounds fun! Can you just turn up or do you need to buy tickets in advance?

After all it is free

Just turn up for the hockey

I don't know about group lessons other than ESF. You certainly see other ski schools on the mountain (e.g. Oxygene) but I don't know whether you can join their groups from the St G side.

The thermal spa (natural warm water springs) is down at the bottom of the gorge, if you walk across the bridge from the gondola station and turn left at the roundabout - instead of right into town - about 150m along you will find a lift down the side of the gorge to it, new this year. You need to book your slot, which you can do at tourist information. Be warned, they insist men wear close fitting trunks not shorts-style swimming costumes.

I hesitate to recommend restaurants on the slopes because people look for different things. And several of the ones we like are on red pistes - though to be fair we often just take a small packed lunch and eat out in the evening. But on blue slopes, Chez Ernestine on the Clementines run does standard Savoyard mountain hut fare very well - but be warned that the piste running down to it is harder than most reds unless conditions are perfect (it is actually much easier to take the red alternative higher up, but then you bypass the restaurant). Le Tremplin at the top of the Communailles drag lift has a more varied menu and good quality, it is run by a local who trained at Serac in town. If you want the upmarket Megeve experience (and prices) Chalet Sauvage just off the Mandarines green run down from the Megeve-Arbois gondola might suit, or Le Tigre at the mid station of the Princesse gondola and accessible by the Prapacot blue run. And of course there is Folie Douce at the top of Mont Joux.

In a busy week it would be advisable to book evening restaurants or you might find yourselves traipsing round looking for a table anywhere.

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@Roscoe, Contemplating that ourselves, but then we'd have to go up to get the kit if we decided to go to LC, so not sure what to do. After the poor snow last year, I want to make sure our options are open.

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there will be lockers under the gondola house in StG , they were 10 euro a day last year but they held 5 sets of skis & 5 pairs of boots & were heated.

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Have you sorted out the ski lessons for the kids? Sounds like it's all falling into place. snowHead

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@Origen, the kids don't need lessons, only me. Its a bit of a pain, as I'd wanted to do group lessons but we don't arrive till Sunday lunchtime and ESF only do adult group lessons in the morning starting Sunday in SG, so I'll probably have to do privates. Can't find anyone else who teaches adult groups in SG and can't be faffed with travelling.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You've skied a bit, haven't you, @Flipjango? Missing the first session shouldn't be a disaster.

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@Origen, yes, I'm level 2, a one weeker I guess. Just picking up parallel but need some help to do it right after my lessons got cancelled last year and I had to teach myself!

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Well I suggest you sign up now for the relevant group lessons but just let them know you'll start on Monday. Or just send an email that first morning! And please, pretty please, correct the spelling on this thread title! wink

After all it is free

@Flipjango, you don’t even need to “miss” the first lesson. You can book starting Monday morning.

Looks like I've missed the boat anyway @snowdave, they're sold out at level 2. Only level 1 available which I think will be too easy for me. I'm going to go to Moving Mountains to have some lessons on the magic carpet before I go and I think I'll just book a single day 4 hour private lesson when I'm there now as I can't find another group option without going over to Megeve (which I guess is a possibility).

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Anyone know a ski school that meets at the princesse lift? I don't think I can face that difficult long green down to megeve before I've had lessons!

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@Flipjango, Can I ask how you think you are going to get to the princess lift if you think the green down to Rocharbois is to difficult?
Honestly the green from top of Arbois, down via the beginners area to Mont Joux chair , then on to Ideal chair then carry down to Rocharbois has to be the easiest piste I have ever seen.

You know it makes sense.

@Origen, They only offer one hour a day for 5 or 6 days, 2 hours a day for 5 days (all afternoons) or a half day of 3.5 hours. I think i'd be happier just having one long lesson on the first full day, get it out of the way, and then I'll be fine.

@Jonny996, Hey, I'm just going off the piste map. The route to the top of princess looks like a couple of gondolas and a short green. I hadn't really considered using the lifts to get down - I'm probably good enough to ski down, but to get to megeve for a 10am start it looks like three gondolas (and I remember Rochbois being rammed even later in the day with a long wait) and a very long green. Last year we skiied that section, and the snow condition were very poor. In sections it was so icy and basically like moguls. I'm not actually new to snow sports and have been snowboarding for 20 years, and both me and my husband (who's been boarding even longer than me) commented how horrible the mandrine section was. Not sure I could face how long it would take either way to be honest.

@snowdave, See above. Not so much the skiing a green run, more the length of time it would take so early in the day. Kids definitely don't need lessons - my youngest was pretty confident by the end of a week last year, and he's going with school for a week in January with lessons every day so he'll be a pro by the time we go in February.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

I think getting over to the Rochebrune side for lessons would be a bit of stress, but there are certainly lessons starting at the Arbois gondola station in Megeve. Those need that long green from the top, it isn't at all difficult but the bottom bit can get a bit cut up in warmish weather (it is lowish altitude, and has a bit of West in its aspect).

I haven't seen any ski schools starting at the top of Princesse, they have probably come up the Arbois gondola that goes to the same place. There is a beginner area with a drag lift just below that point alongside the top of the Mandarines run. The way to get there is to take the green talked about above half way down (so not that last section you didn't like) and then the Ideal chair up that gets to the same spot.

I suspect given your issues with finding a group lesson you should concentrate on booking a private lesson. That way it will focus on your needs (no worrying whether level 1 or 2 in group terms) and you can meet at the top of the first gondola. It should set you up with things to work on for the next few days, it is then a question of whether you also try to book a second lesson a few days later to consolidate your progress.

A snowHead

@j b, I agree. I think I'm going to have to cut my losses on group lessons. There's nothing available at Bettex so without a lot of stress travelling every day which I think would pretty much ruin the trip, it'll have to be a private. I've got some lessons booked in on the moving carpet at moving mountains which I have heard are excellent and very technical, so hopefully I'll have chance to refine my technique before I get there, and then it'll just be transferring that learning onto snow.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Anything right down the bottom in Megeve (and any other similarly low level resort) is likely to be fairly grotty in a less than good snow year. Download in lift - often best way anyway, as the home slopes are often full of people who can't ski as well as they think they can.

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@Flipjango, are you sure you've assessed your level right? I'm fairly sure one of our group last year assessed themselves as needing Level 2 and quickly got swapped to Level 1 when they realised the instructor was taking them straight to blue and red runs. I could be wrong, but by my reading of the levels at Level 1 you'd be skiing blues and greens fairly comfortably.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@sugarmoma666, yes I think so. I've read the ESF guide. At stage one they say you cannot stop or turn easily in snowplough on a slope. At stage two you can stop and turn on a slope but not be using parallel. I can easily stop and turn, and have started to ski parallel (though self taught) and will be having some indoor lessons at home before we go so should be even better by the time we get there. There aren't really any blues in Megeve so I didn't try any but the conditions were very poor as it was very warm with lots of man made snow when we were there, which made it very icy and bumpy so the greens were difficult (as I snowboard, I know difficult conditions) and I was managing comfortably the by the end of the week.

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Rather than worry too much about the colour grading of the pistes, the thing to do is have that private lesson on the first day (don't delay booking) and then spend the next couple of days practising on the slopes your instructor takes you down. Most likely greens and blues, but (depending on snow conditions) there are some very accessible reds. At the same time the rest of the family will get a fair idea of which other runs you can do.

@Origen is right, there are few green runs in Les Contamines and one of them is a flattish track you need to pole in many places. But there are some very rewarding long blues, though as with all pistes they have the odd more challenging stretch.

After all it is free

Do any of the Saint Gervais folk know if the Oboose bar is still open? When I was trying to work out whether our apartment was close enough to the lifts not to need a locker, I came across it on the map and see its open till 2am and the map pin looks like its in the same building, but the streetview is confusing as the apartment appears to be a new building and it's only shown on the streetview from one side completed, the other view shows it as a building site, so I can't find the bar. As I'm travelling with kids, a 2am apres bar under the apartment would definitely not be a fun holiday!

Ask the owner?

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@Origen, I don't speak french and there's only a phone number.

Help!!

Saint Gervais ski school, equipment and other tips

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