 Poster: A snowHead
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there may be a job change on the horizon which may mean moving to Paris. Anyone know the best options for getting in regular weekend skiing - closest resorts, travel options etc.
(this is of course my first piece of research into any potential move!)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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barry, Megeve is the "home resort" for Parisians.
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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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snow train (out of Gare St Lazare?) down to the Tarentaise / 3 valleys
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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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| nbt wrote: |
| snow train (out of Gare St Lazare?) down to the Tarentaise / 3 valleys |
That's a viable option. In fact there are sleepers to lots of resorts. Chamonix is quite doable as well.
Personally Paris wouldn't be top of my list for going skiing - it is probably easier and cheaper to get low-cost flights from the UK for a weekends skiing! The main problem with working in the city are low wages, psycho French bosses from hell, high living costs, cr@ppy apartments that havn't been updated since Dickens and very long work hours. Oh and you don't get your holiday allowance until you've worked 12-18months! However some ex-pats seem to land themselves cushy numbers where they do very little for quite a lot.
The key to Paris is organisation. Trains out on Friday fill up very quickly. You need to book when the seats become available to get the best deals then take a risk on poor weather. The other option is to join a ski club and take the weekend "cars-couchettes" (sleeper coaches) which they organise from every weekend to the Alps. The big advantage of these is they leave Paris around 10pm so you have lots of time to get away from work (most Parisians start around 9.30am but work to 8pm).
The nearest resorts are in the Massif Central and Vosges. The Massif Central is drivable on a Saturday morning if you leave the city at 6am - it is about 3h30. The Vosges takes a long time and isn't really worth it. After that the Alps are about 5-6 hours away by car.
The big problem with Paris is that it is in the middle of nowhere.
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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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| davidof wrote: |
| However some ex-pats seem to land themselves cushy numbers where they do very little for quite a lot. |
that would be the plan!! 
thanks for the advice, sounds like there's a few viable options
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| barry wrote: |
| davidof wrote: |
| However some ex-pats seem to land themselves cushy numbers where they do very little for quite a lot. |
that would be the plan!!
thanks for the advice, sounds like there's a few viable options |
To answer your question exactly I think La Loge des Gardes is the nearest real ski area to Paris. It is in the hills above Roanne and around 280km (I'm excluding snow domes etc). There used to be somewhere in the hills of the Morvan about 100km south where you could ski but it has been closed since the early 1980s.
That said the new TGV Est brings the Vosges/Jura much closer in terms of time and some Parisians decide to get out of France altogether at the weekend and go to Switzerland as there is not much in it between say Verbier (632km) and the Tarentaise (650km).
If you've not lived in Paris I would advise acclimatising first by reading some books such as A Year in the Merde or Amost French.
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davidof almost sounds like a proper frenchman in his disdain for all things Paris
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The drive from the western suburbs of Paris (where a lot of expats live) to Moutiers, on a good day, no traffic, is about 5 1/2 hours. But getting around Paris can easily add an extra hour or two to that.
We are hopefully about to buy a place in the Bozel valley (compromis signed  ), and will making the trip regularly at weekends and school hols.
Good luck with the potential move.
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