 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, first time post (where's the red face smiley?)
I know there are a few other L2A topics on this forum, but having searched through I can't find all the info I'm after. I have lots and lots of questions, so here goes:
I am going to les 2 alpes mid december for my first skiing trip since i was a little kiddie. I have booked through Crystal, because i'm a poor poor student but didn't fancy the constant drunken idiots associated with the ski trips my Uni runs. I'm staying in Chalet Grande Tetras with a few friends. Does anyone know where in the resort the chalet is? I'm guessing it's right on the edge, because it was very cheap.
Are there any hi res maps of the pistes available on the internet? I've spent some time looking, but haven't found any. I would quite like to plan some of the runs to try on the first day before I get there, so any decent runs that can be recommended by anyone would be appreciated!
The only previous time I have been skiing was 12 years ago, and I stuck to snow-ploughing then. As the friends I am going with are competent skiiers, I have been on the dry slope a couple of times to try to refresh myself, and have managed to 'develop' my very own parallel technique, which is probably completely wrong. Therefore I would love to know any areas that are particularly good for developing my parallel skiing, i assume wide runs and few rocks would be what i'm after. If i can find these runss, hopefully by the end of the week I can ski along with my intermediate friends.
Which areas and lifts are generally quiet so that I wont have to queue too much? And how long should I expect to queue? I understand this probably depends upon snow conditions, but having followed the snow reports closely in the other thread, I'm allowing myself to get excited and hope most areas will be open.
I have bought my ski pass and equipment hire through crystal. Does anyone know the procedure for actually getting these items so that I can ski ASAP on the day after I arrive? I have asked crytsal, but they really didn't answer my questions.
Well, I think I've asked everything I can think of for now! Any comments or advice would be gratefully received.
Thanks,
Steve.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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milzibkit, Welcome to snowHeads 
Easiski is your person on snowHeads to tell you all about L2A.
I'd imagine Crystal will tell you all about lift passes & kit on the transfer bus. Depending on what time you arrive in resort, they may kit you out the night you arrive. lift passes are normally delivered at breakfast.
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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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milzibkit, welcome to SnowHeads.
Our very own Les Deux-Alpes expert and ski instructor Easiski is probably the best person to answer all your questions.We do, however, have many more people on here with lots of knowledge about the place. Get yourself a couple of lessons booked (with [b]Easiski[b] if you haven't already done this, this will help you more than just practising on wide runs. Her website is www.easiski.com .
Your tour op should sort out your passes either soon after arrival, or first thing the following morning so you can be on the slopes as soon as you wish.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks for the warm welcome and advice everyone.
Initially I didn't want lessons, purely because I can't really afford it. However easiski does seem very highly regarded on these forums, maybe I will contact easiski and see if she is free the week I am out there.
If there is any more info people may think helpful, please post it!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| milzibkit wrote: |
| If there is any more info people may think helpful, please post it! |
Apart from echoing the very wise words of Frosty the Snowman, I've got nothing to add.... Hope you have a good time...
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milzibkit, you shouldn't find things too crowded in mid-December. It's a good time to go. You are clearly a skier of discernment, wanting to avoid the drunken idiots on Uni trips (don't ask easiski about drunken British uni students; reply will not be printable, some trashed her apartment building last year). Even if you are poor, do have a lesson or two, even if it means going without lunch (have a big breakfast in the chalet, eat Mars Bar to get you through to teatime). You will get on so much faster. Easiski will give you exercises to do - do them, lots, and you will soon catch up with your friends. Don't let them try to persuade you to ski down to the resort with them, though.
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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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milzibkit, welcome to As said already, some of the easiest slopes are up on the glacier, which is good because it means they are guaranteed to be snow covered, but not so good as they are a bit of a trek and unless you use the funicular (underground train), it will mean using T-bars once you are there.
Easiski uses the blue run called "cretes" for a lot of her teaching and that is a nice run to get you back into things.
I went at the Feb half term last year and the queues at the bottom at the beginning of the day were not nice - about half an hour, but then once we were up on the mountain we didn't have to queue more than 10 mins. That was possibly the busiest time and you will be going at one of the quietest, so I doubt your situation will be anything like that.
Don't feel bad about getting a lift back down at the end of the day, it is probably the best option and many people do it. There is a green run back, but it is a narrow track that can be very busy with beginners falling over or going out of control and the snow cover is variable. The alternative would be blacks, which I would suggest you should give a miss to as they are 'real' blacks. Most people queue for the gondolas back down, but if the queues for those are long (and they can be), you can save a lot of time by going back down the chairlift at les cretes (where there won't be a queue). If the snow cover is good, then it might be worth trying the Pied Moutet area as that is mainly blues.
Can't help at all on the accommodation location, but you should have a great time.
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milzibkit,
All of the above, but I wouldn't worry about the queues to much Mid Dec is very low season. Unless the snow is poor and everyone is on the glacier which would seem unlikely given the reported falls and forecasts I would be suprised if there was any significant queueing.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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milzibkit, All of the above too! Definitely get the lift back down at the end of the day, quite amusing watching them all ski....sorry tumble down.....the Valentin!! You will have a great time.
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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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Were there last December and will be again this year 11th - 15th. Queues were virtually non existant. The chair lift down from Cretes is the Belle Etoile that takes you to just behind the climbing wall - it wasn't open this early last year but who knpws!
Don't underestimate how cold it can be in December! - especially on the glacier.
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Annie, Yes, that's the lift with the best view of the Valentin 
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You know it makes sense.
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zebedee, thanks for that link. That map is much better than any others I have found.
I assume piste maps are readily available in the resort?
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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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Hi there, another first poster - thought I'd hijack this thread instead of starting a new one! Milzibkit could have written my intro for me - I am a student looking a quieter retreat with my girlfriend and have booked to stay at Chalet Carlines (it was cheap cheap - anyone been?) 15th to 22nd of December. Have got into the religion of the snow forecasts... and have to thank easiski from the off for facilitating my snow-related lurkings.
Anyhow we are going out to snowboard.... does anyone know who would be best to approach regarding getting perhaps a mornings instruction on our first day (easiski is a ski instructor solely non?)? Private lessons for two - how much would that be likely to cost? I have boarded for a weekend before and got reasonably confident at linking turns on blues, but have not boarded for several years since, whilst my girlfriend has had a couple of hours in the dome and is falling leafing for the most part - would the slight disparity in standard be a problem? I am thinking just a morning to get us on our feet then we can explore by ourselves!
Anyhow, getting excited now so I'm sure I'll post some more daft questions at some point!
Cheers
Pete
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Poster: A snowHead
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peter.holland, I had lessons (skis) from the European Ski/Board School - their office is quite near the Jandri lifts in the village, I seem to remember. They were very good - we had an English instructor. You got video'd at the start and end of the week, to review your progress, a bit like a golf swing! I thought it was one of the best schools I'd been to.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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peter.holland, Welcome! I believe that easiski has a colleague who teaches boarding. Not much disparity between you really, just a bit of confidence needed on your girlfriend's part to nail those turns. I would suggest three mornings of lessons early on leaving you the afternoon to practice and play. This leaves you the other three days to have fun tearing around the mountain with confidence.
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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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| peter.holland wrote: |
| booked to stay at Chalet Carlines (it was cheap cheap - anyone been?) 15th to 22nd of |
Welcome to
I was at Carlines in Jan 07 - cheap and cheerful - wonderful views of one of Le Deux Alpes! (sorry Charlotte/Easiski would kill me for forgetting which one)
The chalet is a 5/10 min walk from Diable lift (Red eggs) - can be busy in the am but unless you can catch a bus into centre of town (there is a freebee which I never caught) little other choice.
I went with Crystal too - last drop off i think
ps It does have a DVD etc - and plenty of crap wine!
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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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I found if you waited till about 10 to get red eggs there was no queue.
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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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ha ha cheap and cheerful sounds much better than the cheap-dingy-and-about-to-topple-into-the-vensoc-valley I had potentially imagined ;o) and as much as I am partial to the white wine, if I change over to red it could be a 50p or £500 bottle and chances are I wouldn't know!! IS the food ok?
Would I be right in saying that the queueing shouldnt be tooooo bad 15th-22nd? Though looking at the forecasts and the snow on the ground right now everyone should be scrambling to get there as soon as - the snow gods have been kind to us it seems!
By the way, how long was the transfer in reality?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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peter.holland, between 2 and 3 hours, I seem to remember, from Grenoble airport (which is a bit like 'London Luton' - miles west of Grenoble!). You can't even see hills from the plane on landing, let alone mountains 
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I have flown into grenoble before, in the summer. Its a nice small airport and the town is lovely if I remember correctly! I saw that the transfer was listed as 1 1/2 hours but know that in snow and dropping people off thats likely to shoot up! Cheers for the help!
Something I was wondering - once you have left the green runs (and I should manage that with relative ease having done it before) can anyone recommend a progression of blues? Where I boarded before the blue run category seemed to be a bin for anything not really easy or really hard... and so there were both relatively easy blues (worth tackling first) and fairly hairy blues (maybe the end of the week?).
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peter.holland, I remember the Cretes being very nice but that was 5 years ago. Easiski is the one to ask I think.
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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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peter.holland, Have replied to your PM. Easy blues are on the glacier, middling from the glacier down to 2,600m and at that level. the Petit Cretes is green and has interesting contours. the greens down from 2,600 are mainly paths so you need to get your shussing sorted - bit flat for boarders. If you take the Belle Etoile down (be sure to ask where it is the first time to avoid getting on the Village chair), you can then traverse/ride back to your end of the town via the village lifts. OTOH you can ride the Grand Cretes chair and go down in the red eggs (diable telecabine). 
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Thanks to everyone for their kind help with my requests!!
Have now booked 4hours of lessons for day 1 and 2hours for each of days 2 and 3 with Luca from lungostyle (as recommended by Charlotte/easiski).
The excitement is building... I'm definately spending more time on this site than working this week. oops!!
My only two worries are about ridiculous queues in the am, and about this nice weather forecast turning this weekends lovely snow to ice before I arrive!! I'm sure we'll have a good time regardless! Thank you all once more!
Pete
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hi milzibkit, hope you had a good trip. I'm staying at the Chalet Grande Tetras next month. Could you give me some information on the chalet as I'm having difficulty finding any info on its location.
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