Looking for a good resort to take my non-skiing mum to.

A snowHead

Hello,

Great site,

Could do with a little advice but need to give a little background.

We are in our mid 30’s and went skiing for the first time in January to Chamonix in a catered chalet. The children aged 5 and 6 attended ski school, by the end of the week we could get down all the blue runs at Le Tour and Brevent by some means but mainly upright!

For this January my mum and her husband are coming with us but my mum does not want to try to learn to ski. The children will attend the 2 hour Ski school lessons in the morning and then my mum will pick them up for the afternoon.

So I have a very tall order which would make our perfect holiday.. I have a vision and I wondered if anyone has spotted it out there…..

So in order of importance…

1. Snow sure as poss location for January.. For the research I have done on here that would be Tignes, Val d’Alene or Val Thorens unless anyone can tell me any different.

2. Self catering apartment … My mum loves cooking. (I kid you not.. She already bubble wrapping her favourite saucepans!)

3. Near a little town, shops where mum can walk to get her out and shops for her cooking supplies.

4. Children’s lessons/ slope to be with in walking distance to apartment as mum does not drive and she will collect them.

5. Ski in/out.. I have always wanted to do this and it will be great to keeps popping back to mum/ children with out all the bus/taxi palaver and it will keep my mum busy/ happy if she has a view.

6. A good selection blue runs.

So what do you think my chances are?

Many thanks for any replies.

Nikki.

A snowHead

Les Deux Alpes will meet your needs. Welcome to snowHead

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

NIKKIWHITE, I wouldn't plan on being able to cook anything special if you are buying the ingredients in a ski resort.

Whenever I am in Tignes I do most of my shopping in Bourg St Maurice or Albertville.

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2Alpes, Alpe d'Huez, Serre Chevalier.

rjs, nonsense. You can get pretty much anything you'd need to cook whatever you like in any of the above three resorts. Ditto Val d'Isere, Chamonix, Morzine. For example.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

bh1, ..Thanks you, I look it up.

rjs, She will have most things with her. Just fresh meats/ fruit/cheese/bread etc needed. We can call on route to the resort for the bulk as we intend to hire a car. Thanks foer the advice.

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Montchavin in the La Plagne region. Lovely French village, good ski schools and a huge option of runs. Might not be ski in ski out but its a charming French village that your Mum would like and its got a nice small supermarket. Lots of self catering places.

http://www.montchavin-lescoches.com

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

rjs, rubbish, Monetier-les-Bains has a butcher, supermarket, cheese-maker, two beautiful boulangeries/pattiseries. Providing your Mum isn't planning on making Indian food each night, no problem.

After all it is free

Helen Beaumont, you won't be able to find outcakes or pikelets so it's out of the question.

Helen Beaumont, The question wasn't about Serre Chevalier.

I stand by what I wrote. The supermarkets in Tignes do not have good fruit&veg, a limited selection of fresh meat and not much fresh fish.

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bh1, I would bet my house that cheese oatcakes appear on my plate for at least 1 breakfast.. It's the law when your from Stoke!

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http://www.chaletsdirect.com/samoens/apt_grand_tetras.htm

What do you think of this one? I keep going back to it because of the price. Does anyone know this area?

snow reports

NIKKIWHITE, I think there are a few things that you need to think about. The classical places that are both ski in ski out and snow sure with lots of self catering are high French resorts.

For what you want these have the disadvantages of often being quite cold bleak places in January for young children and being pretty tedious places for non skiers.

In mid january in most years most resorts will have at least some reasonable snow particulary with snow making now available, personally I would concentrate on the other features you want and would try and go for somewhere a bit lower with accommodation that has reasonably quick access to the lifts rather than being ski in ski out (This is often not very easy to walk in and out of for a non skiing parent.)

Pam W posts about her area in Espace Diamant which sounds low but usually snow sure and the kind of place that may be child friendly. Serre Chevalier is a favourite of mine but the nursery areas are north facing and can be a bit cold for very young children but certainly preferrable to some of the higher areas.

NIKKIWHITE,
Its a lovely area, I have stayed in Samoens but not Morillon. From memory I think the village where it is at is completely purpose built with not a lot to do for the non skier but reasonable access to Samoens which is lovely.

You know it makes sense.

T Bar, Thank you for your reply, Is the samoens area near the link to the apartment I have posted above?? If so what do you think?

Cheers Nikki

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

Zell am See would really suit a non - skier. Railway station for trips to Salzburg.

Beautiful scenery

Walks round the lake

A snowHead

Welcome to snowHead

NIKKIWHITE,

Many people on here know I have a vested interest ( ie am an owner!) but I would honestly recommend Les Arcs 1950 - built in the last 5 years by Intrawest, and based on the NA experience, it is what it says on the tin, a well designed and sympathically architected village. Building finished this summer, and the completed village was gorgeous when we were out there 10 weeks ago (well, I would say that... I know!)

Non-skiing members of our party have always found it good for shopping and village life. There is a speciality savoyard shop where they will lend you your raclette / hot stone / fondue kit along with buying the cheeses and local produce etc. Plus the boulangerie and local supermarket within 100m of any of the accommodation.

There is snow shoe-ing and dog sleding if something else takes your mum's fancy, as well as a spa, swimming pools and jacuzzis. Plus a whole range of daily activities both indoors and out, laid on by the village (which btw I pay for, so I want more snowHead

s to get some value from my village tax Euro!)
And there is always the free buses and funicular to Bourg if bored of the mountain. plus pedestrian (free) lft up to 2000.
Or can get a pedestrian pass up to the top of Col de la Chal via 1800 and meet you for lunch out on the slopes.

The ski-in/out is exactly that, (2 years ago, after someone had left the doors open we skied into the boot room and unclipped indoors...) and with the pistes running through the village, we always tend to come back for ski-school lunch break, and eat in the apartments.

Ski school is independent, (Spirit1950) and caters for all sizes and ages ( my 5 yr old has been for the last three years and she loves it). Start and ends in the high street (the whole complex is snow bound and car free), so absolutely not a problem for picking the kids up.

Almost certainly snow sure in the 2000 bowl, and a vast new network of snowmaking laid last year just in case. Jan can be cold, true, but then I've been coldest in March, so its take your chances really.

And, for you, you have the whole of the Les Arcs (220km ish) and La Plagne (but unlikely to make much of that 200Km to be honest if you are in 2nd week) to explore.

Worth a look.

A snowHead

johnboy, Thanks for the tip.

My mum would want nothing more than a small town with good fresh food shops.

Her day will be getting everyone up, making breakfast, sending us all to get ready whilst she makes us flasks/ picnic and other items we will not want to take but be forced to. sending us all on our way, cleaning up, getting herself ready and then armed with a little wicker shopping basket and in a Looking Fabulous will walk into town, pop in a few shops, sit and have a coffee, get fresh food stuff and return to apartment. Put everything away, collect children, give them lunch, start them off making snowmen/ colouring/ videos etc then she will start to prepare evening meal for her troops, the afternoon will be maybe sitting on balcony with her book or watching the children / view and then we will return. She will start to get drinks, dinner ready etc and I honestly can say she would not have it any other way. Haven help those that try and stand in her way!

Now you can understand why I want to get it spot on for her!!

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

rjs, but that's Tignes so you can't judge the whole of France form your experience in Tignes.

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JimW, sounds perfect! Thank you.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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NIKKIWHITE, To suit your mum you might need to go somewhere older, not purpose built, with some proper shops, some scenery and some decent mountain views and alpine charm, but that may be a bit hard in a high snowsure purpose built resort. From your mums point of view I might suggest Megeve but that wouldn't be that snowsure. Val d'Isere might be more attractive to her than Tignes.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Pila in the Aosta Valley must be worth a shout. Has a cable car link down to the town of Aosta. I've not been there yet (going at Easter), but from the research, it's a "real" town and being in Italy will probably be a "foodie" heaven, and also has an ancient town centre with roman ruins, and sounds like would be interesting place for a non-skier. Check out the website http://www.pilaturismo.it/home_e.asp.

After all it is free

NIKKIWHITE, Mum is important in this ... I can only really speak about France .. so 'real' villages are a must. At that time of year the World 'should' be your oyster - no need to go 'high' at all. Les Gets, Morzine, Samoens, Serre Chevalier, Val d'Isere etc. etc etc. should all fit the bill .... ski-in/out is imho a tad overdone if you have reasonable lift access ..non-skier needs must prevail. I keep coming back to LES GETS based upon your needs ....

NIKKIWHITE, We have a couple of apartments in the very centre of Morzine - which ticks most of your boxes! See our site for details.

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NIKKIWHITE, How about Montgenevre, the run down to the Chalmettes telecabine goes through Le Ferme D'Augustin apartment complex which is within walking distance of the town. and it is all mostly on the same level, so your mother would not have to do too much hiking up and down hills. http:// www.montgenevre.com/plan_village-ete.html?&L=4

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I would suggest Les Gets as well for your mum as its a nice little village to walk arround and we self catered there ok a few years back. Has the charm you are looking for and is relativley flat. It also has a proper French Market (food not all tourist stuff)if I recall once a week and an open air ice rink. Morzine down the road is bigger but not my favourite resort charm wise, easy enough to get the bus to if your mum wanted a change though.

By the wayNIKKIWHITE, your mum sounds like a star

Wengen is a lovely place for a non skier - sunny, traffic free, fantastic views, even from the village. She can go up the mountain in the cog railway to Kleine Scheidegg and, if she wishes, on to Grindlewald (or further up through the Eiger - stopping to look through a window in the north face - to the highest glacier at the very top). Or she can go the other way, down then up to Murren and the famous revolving restaurant, or up the cable car to watch the skiers set out from the top of the Manlichen.
But perhaps it isn't snow-sure enough (though the village is high above the valley), and Austrian resorts don't go in for self-catering much (anyone know?).

You know it makes sense.

NIKKIWHITE, is your mum available for hire ?

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

Morzine, but not snow sure

A snowHead

masmith, I was thiking the same thing Smile

A snowHead

NIKKIWHITE, although i'm not sure offering to hire someones mum is entirely polite... does she also offer babysitting?

www.chaletswithmums.com - now there's a niche!

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

If it were not for the ski in ski out thing, I'd say Saas Fee. Bags of Alpine charm. Nice town, and the option to potter elsewhere on the railway. Lovely walks. Personally, I'd go for it - and forget ski in ski out. Otherwise I would suggest Alpe D'Huez.

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I thought I remembered Alp dHuez as a bit bleak and treeless. But then I've only visited for the day and not stayed in the village. What are the possibilities for non-skiers to go up the mountain and sit around in restaurants?
Chamonix has accessible restaurants with fantastic views from the peaks and a fine town with a museum, but it is more a small town than a pretty alpine village and it is very shut in by (and in the shade of) the mountains.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Agenterre, we took non skiing Mum to Les Gets (before we had our apartment). She much enjoyed being able to sit outside the café at the bottom of the main slope (we had cars, so could drive up rather than take the gondola, which gave her the heeby jeebies) and watching the skiers, especially her own grandson! Also extremely good English language instruction available. Our village of Les Saisies has just about everything (including plenty of stuff to cook, a brilliant but expensive butcher, perfectly adequate fruit and veg etc) but the problem is that group ski lessons are all French. Private English speaking instruction available, of course, but a bit more expensive. Everything within walking distance, and also plenty of ski in and out accommodation. Nice little places to sit and watch the skiing, some outside, others under cover. Family atmosphere, lots of non skiing grannies (though most of them are French!) The accommodation in Village de Lapons (MGM residence) is pretty well ski in/out and available through Erna Low, I think. Mainly gentle skiing, very scenic, Mont Blanc nearby and excellent snow record. Should be fine in January - we had snow in resort all through last January, the worst for many years. I love Megeve, but it's much bigger and more impersonal, not much chance of grandma being able to watch the skiers, which my mum loved doing. Also little snow at resort level and quite spread out ski area. The ski school meeting place, accommodation, shops, are all very close to each other - no problem for everyone to meet up at the apartment for delicious home cooked lunch.

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We stayed in Tigne La Breviere last year, bit of a small village, but we had no problems getting a wonderfull range of meats and fresh vegetables. We also had non skiers with us (my friends parents and a non skiing partner of one of my friends), but I'm not sure there was alot for them to do, but they could get up to the main Tigne resorts via either bus or a combination of a chair (free?) and bus.

Les Arc is not exactly a quiet resort, but there is easy access to Bourg St Maurice, which is a real town with a lot more facilities than alot of ski villages. Also we've stayed in Vallandry in the past and there are some nice walks to places of interest through the woods - though some of the routes are green tracks so walker need to watch for skiers.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

NIKKIWHITE, I think your mum could have stumbled on a good business propositin here.

Helen Beaumont, I am constantly amazed by the number of otherwise apparently sensible British tourists who are under the firm impression that France has no food shops.

Things my summer guests brought with them: tinned beef curry, Tesco UHT milk, something peculiar called 'cheese strings', tins of spaghetti hoops containing something which purported to be pork sausages but clearly weren't. Shocked

These people are all mad.

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The Val d'Isere shops are OK - other than spices (they had never heard of chilli: even cayenne which I thought the French knew. I got some off an English chalet cook in the end). Perhaps understandably they have a low opinion of English cooking - when I asked for red-beans they assumed I must mean English baked beans. (you can probably work out what I had intended to cook - fairly basic I admit, and I couldn't find any cumin which it really needs.

Might I make a point about mountain cooking: the water at those altitudes boils at a lower temperature and you'll find that stews, for example, need longer cooking times than you are used to.

Help!!

Looking for a good resort to take my non-skiing mum to.

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