 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
I am going to Les Arcs a week today and I am due to fly to Turin and then drive from there to the resort.
I am just wondering if this can be done and what the conditions of the road are as it seems straight forward on a route planner and states it only takes 2hours 40 mins, however I cant find anything on the net about the journey and it seems like not many people take this option to get to Les Arcs and im worried its because of road closures during winter or something else?
Any help and advice is very welcome
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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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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Criddy, very straightforward journey, keen football fans have been known to make the journey from La Rosiere, opposite Les Acs to Turin to watch Juventus play. The Frejus tunnel is kept open all year round and most of journey is on autoroutes, 2 1/2 hrs sounds about right.
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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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"Free lift passes for March bookings."
Not an April fool
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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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David Goldsmith, you're too late.
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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 smell a fish here.
The 2.5 hour route, as I found out from Autoroute, requires using the Petit St Bernard Pass which is close for winter.
The other comparable route is go through the Val D'Sere via D902 after the Frjus Tunnel but that road is also closed for the Winter.
The only sensible route is therefore go through the Frjus Tunnel and head for A43, come out of the valley then join A430 and enter the Tarentaise Valley from the front end at Albertville. This route takes at least 3 hours.
I have just done 2200 miles from Amsterdam to Sion Valley (Crans Montana/Verbier) , then Aosta Valley (Cervinia/Zermatt), then to Briancon (Serre Chevalier/Milky Way) and stopped at Bourg d'Oisan (L'Alpe d'Heuz/LDA) in the last two weeks of March. Thus I passed part of the Turin Frejus Tunnel route too. I think one has to be pretty unlucky to hit big snow in mid April this year. All the snow I saw so far melted at ground level.
Going up from Bourg St Maurice to Les Arcs is another matter. A friend of mine told me he survived a 40 ft drop after skidding off a road from Les Arcs. When we went back to check his car he found another two there. The bend apparently has running water over it when it is warm and then black ice when it is cold. The guy runs his apartment in Les Arc 1800 for over 20 years.
Never drive up Les Arcs myself but I believe it pays to be careful, especially if there are hairpin bends.
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| saikee wrote: |
Going up from Bourg St Maurice to Les Arcs is another matter. A friend of mine told me he survived a 40 ft drop after skidding off a road from Les Arcs. When we went back to check his car he found another two there. The bend apparently has running water over it when it is warm and then black ice when it is cold. The guy runs his apartment in Les Arc 1800 for over 20 years.
Never drive up Les Arcs myself but I believe it pays to be careful, especially if there are hairpin bends. |
The road up to Les Arcs from Bourg St Maurice is pretty straightforward compared to some mountain roads I've driven. It never gets narrower than a normal 2-lane road and there are just two hairpin bends (although I can't really see what the problem is with these unless you're driving a coach in which case I guess they'd be a bit tricky). If I don't get stuck behind slow moving traffic it takes me 15 minutes to get from Arc 1800 to BSM, and 20 minutes from BSM to 1800.
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rob@rar, Just before we arrived in Plan Peisey on 9th March, the dustbin lorry came off the road ( the windy mountain road up passed Landry) & it was closed for 5 hrs! Luckily no one was hurt - the locals dont wear seat belts on the mountain roads so they can jump out of the vehicle if necessary 
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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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| geri wrote: |
| rob@rar, Just before we arrived in Plan Peisey on 9th March, the dustbin lorry came off the road & it was closed for 5 hrs! Luckily no one was hurt - the locals dont wear seat belts on the mountain roads so they can jump out of the vehicle if necessary |
A couple of times I've seen cars off the road on the way up to Les Arcs: once on a perfectly straight bit of road (how did that happen?), and the second time I must have just missed it as the two teenagers who were in the car were still clambering out, thankfully uninjured. It's a fairly easy road to drive, providing you match your speed to the conditions.
There are rumours about keeping the road between Pesiey and Arc 1800 open in the winter, which might help if either of the roads up the mountain get closed by errant dustbin lorries (although it would mean loosing the final section of the Foret piste).
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| rob@rar wrote: |
There are rumours about keeping the road between Pesiey and Arc 1800 open in the winter, which might help if either of the roads up the mountain get closed by errant dustbin lorries (although it would mean loosing the final section of the Foret piste). |
Really?? That would also block off the return into Vallandry & the TSD Vallandry lift Although, I agree an alternative route up would be useful on occasions
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I did qualify myself by saying I have never driven up from BSM to Les Arcs as day trippers can park free at the funicular station. However a mountain road with only the 2-hairpin bends does sound a lot but that depends on the road condition, bearing in mind LDA has 10 hairpins, L'Alpe d'Heuz has 21 and the road up to Rosiere possibly has more number of hairpin bends than other resorts.
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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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The road up to La Plagne also has a lot, in fact each of them is numbered with a road sign so you know where you are. I drove up the Val d'Anniviers last month - that's the most scary mountain access road I've ever driven. Quite horrific, especially as it was dark and snowing. During the day, though, it's an impressive bit of civil engineering.
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You know it makes sense.
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brian
brian
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| rob@rar wrote: |
| I drove up the Val d'Anniviers last month - that's the most scary mountain access road I've ever driven. |
Although you won't see a native Valaisan drop below 50mph on the whole thing ! At least you don't meet any buses at night though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| brian wrote: |
| rob@rar wrote: |
| I drove up the Val d'Anniviers last month - that's the most scary mountain access road I've ever driven. |
Although you won't see a native Valaisan drop below 50mph on the whole thing |
Mighty impressive or mighty stupid, I couldn't decide which!
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brian
brian
Guest
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