 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking for info on notre dame de bellecombe,flumet aka espace diamant area ; accomdation, quietest runs, where to eat, where not to etc
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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dublin1, the resident expert is pam w - I'm sure she'll be along shortly.
I've skied a few times at Les Saisies. Mostly fairly gentle runs and never busy in my experience - and with more snow than many nearby places at the same altitude when conditions are marginal. The restaurant just by the lifts in the village used to do excellent omelettes - it might do still, but it's 2-3 years since I've been there. Anyway, I'm sure pam will have comprehensive information.
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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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test
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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just back from two weeks in Les Saisies....
Notre Dame was looking in reasonable shape though the lack of any real base meant that even after the decent fall of snow last week there was still some shubbery poking through in places. Cover up in Les Saisies was better and in the main skiing well. There is a new, modern accommodation complex in NDdB, will find a link to it which looks lovely and is right next to the main street. In my experience (been to LS at some point each season for the last 9) the place is never overcome with tourists, lift queues are short, snow excellent, locals friendly and resturants serve decent food and without a hefty price tag. Personal favouites would be the Benetton and Bergerie (on the hill and in the town respectively.
As Laundyman mentioned, Pam is the resident expert and I know (from meeting last week) that they know of a few good resturants over in the Flumet direction...
If you are looking for French 'Tirol' then the Espace Diamant is the area, scenery is stunning 
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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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skinutter, off to les saisies on friday, taking my wife and 3 yr old boy for their first turns. A good choice for them and whats the nursery area like?. Cheers
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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dublin1, all the runs are quiet, if you avoid the french holidays (10 Feb - 10 March this year). The Les Saisies slopes are mostly gentle and the whole place is very non-scary and reassuring. Notre Dame de Bellecombe has more challenging slopes, though still not really difficult (ie I can ski them all and I'm an old lady). The top of Praz sur Arly, the Ban Rouge, has some good slopes too and a super cruisy red right down to the bottom. Crest Voland is mostly blues and a good place, lower and in the trees, for windy days and white outs. Best piste side eatery in the whole domain, at lunchtime, is the Montagnettes restaurant off the top of the Bernards drag lift. Not sure whether it counts as Notre Dame or Flumet. Or perhaps the best place is a new one called Le Ferme du Chozal, down at Hauteluce. More expensive though - hence I've not been there and the snow is not good enough to ski right down to Hauteluce at the moment. My French neighbour assures me the food is terrific. There's also a good restaurant called Le Ferme de somebody or other in Notre Dame 1350, not quite piste side, and also a bit more expensive. Excellent food. The Sarto at the bottom of the Legette chair in Les Saisies is friendly and does good food, including omelettes. The Panoramique at the top of Mt Bisanne has stunning views, is not pricey, and on cold days their soft comfy sofas by the fire are the best place to wait for the weather to improve. I find the Benetton rather pricey and less friendly than some of their rivals, but maybe I've just been unlucky. We tend to eat at home, as we can't afford to eat out too often when we are here most of the season! So I'm not an expert on the restaurants, or the accommodation. Most accommodation is self catering, it's all very French, a few hotels (the 3* Calgary, owned by Frank Piccard who won his Olympic Gold in Calgary, is supposedly good but I've never stayed there; too expensive.). Some very nice MGM apartments, including the new Hameau du Beaufortain, with a pool and sauna. Skinutter's just been staying there, he could provide more info and knows the area well. Depends what you want, really. We don't let out our apartment but some other owners in our development do, and at reasonable prices.
It's a great area for beginners and intermediate skiers. Some good off piste in Notre Dame that's not tracked out quickly and some long and fairly challenging reds, though nothing to excite real experts. Maybe not ideal for snowboarders, except good ones who can schuss a lot further than I can! No gondolas and a lot of drags, including the most difficult one I've ever encountered, where the only escape route if you fall off is a mogully black, one of the few difficult slopes in the entire domaine! There are some flat bits, including some of the important links, but they're not a problem for skiers. Excellent snow, often better than, say, all but the highest reaches of the 3 Valleys. Few Brits, wonderful scenery. Prices reasonable. One snag is that you can't get English speaking group ski lessons, though private lessons are cheap (50 euros for 2 hours for 1 or 2 people) and several of the instructors speak adequate English. There's not a lot of English spoken; someone with no French at all would find life a bit difficult, even buying a lift pass could be a challenge, though the Tourist Office people speak some English and are very obliging. PM me if you want specific info.
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NDB very nice, very French. Have eaten often in the Slalom in the middle of town, also at the Ferme de Victorine, which is excellent and doesn't necessarily deserve its reputation for being expensive (depending on which menu you choose and how much wine you drink).
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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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Hameau de beaufortain? Ah we stayed there and loved the place, good staff, nice clean modern facilities and no hassles (bar the local internet connection only wanted to accept 15min prepaid cards and nothing else...grrr. The piste is not actually marked on the map but essentially is a green and runs down past the complex. Its fairly narrow but easily skiable by someone who can snowplough. The part that passes the buildings is the steepest bit but nothing dramatic, you could avoid it by walking down a few steps and exiting below it where it run out onto flatter terrain and into the main ski area.
Take advantage of the bread ordering service if the weather looks poor, saves having to dig the car out to head back into the town 
As for my little one, no formal lessons (still too young really, was just an introduction which he picked up really well). I can recomend an 'edgie-wedgy' from Snow and Rock or similar, was about £9.99 and clips onto the skis and helps to make a basic snowplough shape and stop crossing of ski tips. need to take it off for going up the drags though...  
For weather forecast, I usually just look at the chamonix.com weather, its usually accurate enough to let you know what to expect locally, then when in resort you can look at the forecast posted in the tourist office in french and english now and also in french at the lift ticket sales cabins.
Enjoy!!!
David
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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HARRYMAC2702, if you have a car, I recommend you drive to Bisanne 1500 (turn right out of Le Hameau du Beaufortain). There's plenty of parking and we have a new short baby lift, which is free, and has the most gentle gradient in the world. And so far it's been really quiet. There's a café there too, with a terrace if the weather is nice, from which you could watch the lift. It's probably the best place in the resort for a really small child to start. The lift is easier to manage than a drag lift, and you can just let go and stop at any time. And did I already mention that it is free??? If there are two of you you could take it in turns to go up the nearby Rosieres chairlift to the top of Mont Bisanne. There's an excellent ski shop too, which could kit you up.
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We did the circuit across the liaison to Praz sur Arly and back through the woods today. Probably the last day it will be skiable with any pleasure before we have more snow - some of it was extremely thin, grassy, muddy, icy. Les Saisies slopes are still fine.
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You know it makes sense.
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pam w, I've noticed break up again on the Megève lower slopes - not that I'm a webcam compulsive or anything - hopefully some more snow before I get there a week on Saturday. 
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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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basically had him between legs and holding him with my left arm, right arm to grab the drag and slot under my butt. As we got more proficient, Ben (my little one) was happy just to rest against my thighs and only needed steadying to get off the left. Its slow enough not to be a problem and the lifty is well used to novices so keeps a watch when taking smaller children up with you. I presume it will be the same guy as he was there all the time we were... We didn't get round to use the rope in Bisanne but sounds ideal too. Also if you have a car and fancy a drive to Praz (about 30mins away) then they have a free magic carpet (travelator type thing like you find in the airports). My son loved this early on in the week before wanting to go on the big lifts as he called it 
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Poster: A snowHead
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pam w, That sounds just the ticket! My other half' is also learning her first turns so i want to ensure that they both hav the gentlest introduction to the sport without scaring them off for good.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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here is the little monkey all kitted up...
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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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skinutter, great photo!! Cant wait to get on the piste with him now! Thanks for all you replys.
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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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test
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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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laundryman, yes, the lower slopes are not looking great. Indeed some of the higher ones are not looking that great either, it all depends on aspect. It's been very warm the last few days, and nights, but looks like getting colder before you arrive, with some precipitation. But the forecasters are still hedging their bets. There's been a very marked inversion the last few days. I drove to Geneva yesterday, and having left around 1045 with a really warm, balmy, spring like morning at 1500m (we had breakfast on the terrace...) it was freezing by the time I got down to Combloux and Sallanches. So there's still loads of snow down there, even on the trees, with the south facing mountain slopes going green (not even brown anymore). There'll be a lot of people anxiously watching the weather in the last few days before the school holidays start.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w, I noticed snow lower down on some of the 'panorama' web cam shots.
Everything crossed!
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dublin1,
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FAQ
