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Random questions

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I'm off to Les Arcs for a week in January (with uni - it could get...interesting rolling eyes), and would love some of your expert sH advice on a few matters...snowHead

Anyways:
  1. For an extra £30 for the week, is the Paradiski pass worth it?
  2. The ski holiday company people describe their 'Gold ski hire' as 'this years model of ski'. How likely do you think it is that they'll have a pair of K2 Fujatives/similar on offer (I want to get into freestyle, and I want to demo some twintips)?
  3. Does anyone know of places that do boot-fitting in/around Newcastle?
  4. Does anyone have any recommendations for a ski which will handle both park and piste skiing well?
  5. What's the weather like in January? I've only ever been skiing in spring up until now rolling eyes


To put things into perspective a bit, I'm an intermediate with 5 weeks skiing under my belt, about 5'10", and about 58kg. I prefer staying away from moguls but otherwise don't mind reds/easier blacks.

I'm sure I had more questions until I had the 'create new thread' button, but oh well. Thanks in advance for any help Smile
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
mark_s, Re 1, if you don't think you'll go over to La Plagne much you can just get the les Arcs pass and 'upgrade' on any day you want for an additional cost. (We went to Les Arcs last Easter, had a great time and never bothered going over to the other side.
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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?
1, Depends if you get lost, taxi's are expensive.
2, Are K2 Fugitives GOLD?
3, Fitting the boot is a question to ask Sam the Ex Man.
4, Can you Park in reverse?
5, Do you hibernate?
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The problem is that I dunno. I've never been to Les Arcs or La Plagne before. Is there any chance of getting bored of Les Arcs within a week/is it a quick journey over to La Plagne, or is it the sort of thing that you wouldn't really want to do all that much?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
SMALLZOOKEEPER,

1. Not likely to get lost Smile
2. I dunno; they don't have a list. They just state that bronze are typical beginner rentals, silver are skis suitable for your level/ability, and gold are this seasons skis. An email might be in order Smile
3. Who? NehNeh
4. It's something I intend on doing some serious work on
5. School trips tend to be in March Sad
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mark_s, There's 200 km of piste at les arcs, how much do you need to keep from being bored?, only you can decide Smile
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
2. Dont pre book sort out exactly what you want in resort. If the snow is bad they will give you dirt skis anyway.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
1) The Paradiski extra is IMHO not worth it - if you want to ski "over there" all the time, you've gone to the wrong resort. Plenty in Arcs to keep you busy for a week, including trees (both pistes and in the forest) parks, steeps, off-piste and yes, even bumps. Plagne is good for a visit, no question, and indeed, I am sure if you are staying there, you'll find more than enough to do.

But if you were in Courcheval would you spend all your time on La Masse over by Manures? -no, you visit for a short time. Or change accomodation. Same principle applies, only in Paradiski you have to pay extra for it!


2) Who can tell before you get there? - which village are you in - which shop are they sending you to? Some will have the latest and greatest, some will have limited stock, so only if you get there first. Others won't have anything. I can advise a little on 2000 and 1950, you'll need rob@rar to tell you about 1800. Not sure I'n know any snowHead based in 1600, but am prepared to be corrected.


3) no comment - although there is a big Slush and Rubble on the other side of the road from the Metro Centre who had some fairly intelligent sales assistants last time we were up so may be a starting point?

4) no knowledge whatsoever!


5) January is "generally" a few degrees colder than the spring, but then I have been in les Arcs in Jan for the past 4 years (and will be again this year - when you out?), and have always had occasional colder days in March. Think of it this way: in January if sitting outside for lunch, you will generally want to keep your jacket on, March/April, you can often top up that tan.
If you are going high, it will be cold, but not unreasonable. Modern clothing - base layer, polo neck/ fleece, lined jacket - will cope!

But the key difference you will notice between January and Spring is that the Light goes fairly early, and as the sun goes down, so does the temp. Rapidly.
So expect to finish by 4:30, unless on the night ski pistes which stay open at no extra charge on Tues and Thurs IIRC, til about 9pm. But by then it is really quite chilly...so the occasional genepie is required to get you through.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
I went to La Plagne in January a few years back. To answer questions 1 and 5:

1. I wasted money on a Paradiski pass but in the end the link with Les Arc never opened due to permanent fog/wind so I never got to use it (but of course there was no refund). Mad

5. It also rained all week. Mad Mad Crying or Very sad
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1. No,

2. Find out which shop it is and give them a call/email,

3.No,

4. Park and piste? that'd have to be a compromise - park likes floppy wider skis, pistes like narrower stiffer skis.

5. Snowy snowHead
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
I'd say the Paradiski pass is only worth it for the week if you main goal is to visit as many different villages as possible. There's more than enough in Les Arcs to keep you happy for the week, so maybe getting a Les Arcs pass with a one day extension for the novelty of skiing across to La Plagne for the day. A trip on the Vanoise Express cablecar is quite an experience in itself.

Can't help with hire skis I'm afraid. I've never hired in Les Arcs, and don't pay any attention to what the rental places have available. Do you have to pre-book? Why not wait until you get to the shop and try out whatever skis take your fancy?

The weather can be variable in January: cold or mild, great snow or poor snow. It just depends. The only things which you can guarantee are that the days and the lift queues will be shorter than in March.
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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.
Les Arcs has more challenging piste skiing, and enough of it to keep you busy.

La Plagne has good offpiste potential, but most piste skiing is up to intermediate level. A one day extension should be enough, if you want to see what it's like.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Thanks for the advice everyone.

1. I think I'll be avoiding the Paradiski pass; by the sounds of it I definitely won't be visiting La Plagne too much. I'm not the sort who likes to clock up as many km as possible, so it sounds like I'll be pretty happy in Les Arcs.

2. It's possible to pre-hire with the tour operator people, but not down to specific skis - they only give you a choice of 'bronze', 'silver' or 'gold'. However it'd cut out any faffing around in resort and be far more convenient. They also 'don't have a contract with any one store' apparently, so God knows where they're sending us! I'll send them an email, and if I don't like the answer I'll just sort it out myself in-resort.

3. S+R was the only place that came to mind to me, but I've heard quite a lot of people rubbish them.

5. snowHead

JimW, 18th-26th, but we're in 1800.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
mark_s, if you wanted to pre-book you could cut out the tour operator and hire direct with someone like Intersport. The offer discount if you pre-book, and might well be able to provide more info on what kit would be available.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
mark_s wrote:
It's possible to pre-hire with the tour operator people


Assuming you know where you're staying, have a look at the Les Arcs website (http://www.lesarcs.com/) and work out which hire shop is closest to your accomodation then deal with them direct. Most of the big chains will have online booking and try to accomodate what you want, and at this early stage probably be offering big discounts for advance booking.

In my experience it isn't necessarily cheaper to hire through the TO and all their clients will hit the shop at the same time ('cos the rep tells you when to go there) so you will probably end up queuing and having plenty of faff. You're more likely to be treated like a human by the shop and be able to arrange exactly what you want if you don't turn up with the herd...
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
rob@rar, beat me to it... Very Happy
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Hi Mark,

Are you going with the Newcastle University Ski Club by any chance ?
I have many happy memories of trips to the Alps, Scotland and even the Pennines with them. My best friends are still mostly ex NUSC.

My first trip with them was to Les Arcs in 1986 (!) You'll have a ball. Wouldn't bother with the La Plagne link though unless everyone else is going to.


We used to get deals with LD Mountain Sports on Dean street and Wilderness ways near the Cathederal but I suspect the stores have probably changed their names by now.

Have fun. snowHead
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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?
Wildeness Ways got eaten up by Nevis Sport a few years ago.
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mark_s, with ski hire "Gold Packages" I've never ended up with the latest skis, they promise the best and amazingly then they've run out and you end up with much older skis and no choice.

As rob@rar, said the best way to ensure what you get is to hire the skis yourself. The other year the above happened, so I hired a pair myself and fed up of being shafted I bought skis last year - I realise this is more restrictive to the student majority.

Not that I'm bitter or anything!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Peter S, you're gonna hate me but...Northumbria Wink

I've toyed with the idea of buying skis, but to make it worthwhile I need to start skiing more. Which, coincidentally, is also on my list of things to do Smile

Looking at all the responses saying that it'd be better to cut the tour operator out and just contact the hire shop myself, I'll just do that instead.

I don't suppose anyone has any suggestions for skis to demo that meet #4?

Thanks again everyone Smile
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mark_s,

Plenty to keep you occupied in Les Arcs though as we like mileage we always buy the Paradski and use the Vanoise every day. Different types of runs each side but most importantly the 'American' sandwich (baguette with 2 burgers and chips in it) washed down with a Stella is the perfect lunch stop in the restaurant on the La Plagne side just of the Vanoise.. snowHead
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
sandwich americans are georgous, never had one in a ski resort. But in the summer in Biarittz there is a lovely food stall which does one with a steak, chips, mayonaise and salad. LUSH! Razz
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
mark_s, I shall miss you then as we are there 12th - 17th. Tant pis - but you'll have a great time.

gwaelod, Don't ever forget the Flying Squirrel in Peisey for that authentic "best burger in the whole of Paradiski, indeed possibly the Savoie" experience, and run by a snowHead too. (Will, we'll be over for lunch, fear not) Far easier than crossing the valley!!

PS. gwaelod: you've got mail.
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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.
mark_s, went to la Plagne in January and it dumped like there was no tomorrow. First week of Jan, all the pistes had a proper dusting of fresh stuff
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
JimW wrote:
gwaelod, Don't ever forget the Flying Squirrel in Peisey for that authentic "best burger in the whole of Paradiski, indeed possibly the Savoie" experience, and run by a snowHead too. (Will, we'll be over for lunch, fear not) Far easier than crossing the valley!!

PS. gwaelod: you've got mail.


Got it thanks, fascinating pictures. Shall look up the Flying Squirrel. Which snowHead owns it Puzzled
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
gwaelod wrote:
Shall look up the Flying Squirrel. Which snowHead owns it Puzzled

Unsurprisingly he is Flying Squirrel Smile
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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.
rob@rar wrote:
gwaelod wrote:
Shall look up the Flying Squirrel. Which snowHead owns it Puzzled

Unsurprisingly he is Flying Squirrel Smile


Tis early.... Laughing Laughing
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
gwaelod, Laughing
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Oh, and another one. For anyone familiar with Arc 1800, how far is it between Charvet and Charmettoger? I've seen the map, but it doesn't really give an idea of the scale involved. Is it a far walk, or are they quite close together?
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Quote:
However to walk from Charvet to Chamettoger will only talk 10 minutes and is linked
by pedestrianised walkways.


Nevermind. I fail at reading rolling eyes
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
mark_s wrote:
Oh, and another one. For anyone familiar with Arc 1800, how far is it between Charvet and Charmettoger? I've seen the map, but it doesn't really give an idea of the scale involved. Is it a far walk, or are they quite close together?

A minute or two.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
mark_s, Does anyone have any recommendations for a ski which will handle both park and piste skiing well?

Dynastar Trouble Makers. As long as your not interested in doing too much off piste! They are fantastic otherwise!
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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?
rob@rar, When I get off the Vanoise Express how do I find the Squirel?
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boredsurfin wrote:
rob@rar, When I get off the Vanoise Express how do I find the Squirel?


Follows the nuts Puzzled
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
boredsurfin,

http://www.plan-peisey-accommodation.co.uk/index.html

or (you might have to scroll across the picture)

http://www.peisey.com/admin/repertoire/carte2.asp?n=309
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gwaelod, Aha! not near the VE at all then Toofy Grin
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
5 mins walk. In ski boots.
Sneak round the bottom of the Peisey lift, up the steps, around the play area, along past the garages, and iirc 2nd establishment on your right as you enter the main street.

Or are you not allowed to say that under the new UK Estate Agent "Being blindingly accurate regarding distances from amenities" regulations and directives?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
VE is closed this year, so they are not selling the Paradiski pass...snow is good at the moment, although I see the freezing level is shooting up to 3,500 meters this weekend...
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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.
MEfree30 wrote:
snow is good at the moment, although I see the freezing level is shooting up to 3,500 meters this weekend...


Coinciding with my arrival Shocked
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