 Poster: A snowHead
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OK folks, looking where to go for Christmas for 7 days leaving on the Sat/Sun before Xmas with OH and 2 children aged 10 and 12 on their 5th ski holiday.
Here are my criteria:-
Flying from Manchester/Liverpool
Max 1.5 hours transfer time from airport
Resort with charm and no purpose built concrete jobs
France, Italy or Austria
Don't need massive ski area or prestige resort
High enough resort to be sure of snow at Xmas
Self Catering or Catered Chalet.
Ski in/out or gondola to ski area.
Anyone any suggestions please  ?
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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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Thanks Christopher - I'll look into that.
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I am going away New Year and your criteria was pretty much the same a mine.
I have opted for Valloire 150 km of intermediate piste 70% of which is above 2000 metre. The reviews came back favorably and the resort is supposedly meant to be very French and is cheap in comparison to Major resorts in the Savoie region. There is also a cable car (3 valleys express) just down the road in Orelle, this cable car takes you directly into the 3 valleys, which is an option if the conditions are crap in Valloire. A family lift pass for Valloire (not 3 valleys)will cost you Euro 500, which must be the cheapest in France for 150 km.
I was also looking to fly from Manchester, however The budget airlines have not released prices yet, but I found flights from Gatwick to Grenoble return with BA for £107.50, this is inclusive of taxes etc and you even get to take skis for free with BA. I don't expect Easyjet and the likes will be anywhere near this price when they do release them.
All in all it has cost £1260 for 2 bed appt, car hire and flights for 4. Tour operator prices will be double this without the car. The appt I have booked is still shown as available on the owners website (£595). PM me if you want details, however I cannot vouch for the appt, it just looks OK to me, certainly better than the shoe boxes the tour op's put you in.
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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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Kel,
Will check your suggestions out too. Tried apartment for 1st time in Samoens this year and it worked out great with the kids (more relaxing - they just want to stay/eat in after a day's skiing) and cheaper. I'll PM you for details of apartment.
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Kel, valloire is certianly on my list of places to ski.
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Les Contamines seems to suit your needs if you stay in the Hamaul-Du-Lay part of the resort you can ride the gondala straight to the first station and ski back to resort.
Had a nice Chirsistmasy feel to it when we was there for New Years
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newbie45, funny enough, been to Les Contamines twice before in March time though (it was the kid's 1st two ski holidays) but hadn't thought about it for Xmas. With it's good snow record, easy access from Geneva and reasonable prices then worth considering plus we know the area etc.
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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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Hi All,
Am after pretty much the same spec as the posts authour;
Christopher,
Am planning similar trip for either xmas or new year week............not sure which to go for( or which the wife will allow........family xmas dinner will take priority I suspect so probably new year).............what happens on the slopes on xmas & new year day........are the lifts etc open/running?
Regards Montgenevre; how would it be for a beginnners point of view?
Also, how is it in resort at this time of year? Is it very busy ? ( i pressume it would be mobbed at a mega resor but am not after 'that' type of place.)
Kel,
Every time I have looked into car hire the price gets stupid once you factor in winter tyres/chains etc.........how is your deal woking in this respec?
Cheers
Mitch
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Mitchell, As far as I know all of christmas week, nothing is closed.
The French celebrate christmas on christmas eve, so the shops shut early. But everything runs as normal.
Montgenevre is a brilliant resort for begginers and progressing intermediates. There are lots of nursery slopes and there are easy greens and blues from the top of the mountain.
It can occasionally get busy with Italian weekenders. So there can be queues at the gondola, although this can be avoided.
New Year can be hurrendously busy, this year no accomodation could found new year week about a month beforehand. So Its probably a better idea to go at christmas rather than new year. Im sure christmas dinner can be eaten on the sun terraces in bright blue skies eating tartiflette/raclette or pasta cabonara! 
There are rarely queues that last longer than 10 minutes.
Not that I have much experience of the Trois Valley, Espace Killy etc , Im pretty sure it is much quieter.
It isnt mobbed to the extent that it has an impact on your holiday.
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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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New Year's day is an excellent day to ski, everyone is still hungover in bed, so you have the slopes to yourselves (assuming you can avoid massive hangovers)! from what I remember of skiing at Xmas, the day itself is treated much like any other.
Although I think in my experience New Year week is generally busier than Xmas week.
We went to LDA for new year this year, was pricey, but not as bad as I expected - £850 per person, which included flights, transfers, ski hire, ski pass, accommodation and half board. Didn't queue for more than a couple of minutes, as long as you avoided the nursery slopes.
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You know it makes sense.
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Still haven't booked anything for Xmas yet. Liked the look of Valloire but the transfer seemed to be longer and more expensive than I fancied.
Still thinking of Les Contamines - just can't seem to find the right apartment to rent. Can anyone suggest any other suitably high/more snow sure resorts within 1 to 1.5 hours of Geneva as the more cost effective flights seem to land here ?
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brian
brian
Guest
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kendadj, if you can stretch to 2 hours you could try the '.' in my sig. Still free at xmas afaik.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Brian,
Nice place - let me check it out and I'll drop you a mail re prices, change over day etc
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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kendadj, the only resorts high enough to be pretty bomb-proof in terms of snow at Christmas are, by geographical definition, going to be purpose built. Avoriaz, for example. Les Contamines village itself is (as you obviously know) very low in comparison and snow in the valley bottom could be scarce - you could well have to take the gondola down, not that that is a disaster as the best skiing is high up anyway. But a lot of the accommodation, as you seem to be discovering, is scattered some distance from the bottom lifts. We ski at Les Contamines now and then, as it's easily reached by lift up from the top of the Hauteluce Valley. Our apartment is not far away, in Les Saisies. The village is at 1600m and has a good snow record - though most of the skiing is below 2000m. We will be there this Christmas for the first time in some years, because of family commitments in the UK, and we hope this Christmas will be a good one. But if it isn't great, I'd still expect to be able to get to a good range of skiing, particularly in the upper reaches of Notre Dame de Bellecombe, which have the best slopes in the area, some interesting reds and plenty of accessible off piste for those who want it.
I agree with comments above that Christmas will be much less crowded, and less pricey, than New Year. I'm sure there is a range of self catering apartment, within easy walk of lifts, in Les Saisies village itself, or in Bisanne 1500, the (lift served) hamlet where our apartment is situated. The Les Saisies.com website has the information you'd need. The village is a ski village, not a historical place (like Samoens) but it's not high rise, it's a small and friendly place and the scenery is fantastic, surrounded by the Aravis range on one side and Mont Blanc on the other. It's very French but we've been hearing more English every year and so far all the Anglophones we've spoken to (it's the sort of place you tend to speak to people if you hear them talking English) have been very impressed with the place. You might like to take a look. The Les Saisies website says it's 1.5 hours from Geneva, which it is on a good day! I'd also agree that Valloire would be well worth considering, despite the longer transfer.
If you wanted any other info on the area, PM me. I have no commercial interest to push - we don't rent out our apartment.
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brian
brian
Guest
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Ta for the thumbs up Smokin' Joe 
Last 3 years has had good snow conditions from December round here....
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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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Kel, you mention you are going to Valloire. I have just booked one week there 20 December. Intermediate skiers, mum and dad and two teenagers, hope we have made the right choice!
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| puzzikatt wrote: |
| Kel, you mention you are going to Valloire. I have just booked one week there 20 December. Intermediate skiers, mum and dad and two teenagers, hope we have made the right choice! |
Yes me too, as I mentioned above my son spent some time there earlier this year and he reccomended the place as what he thought would be a good all round family resort in every respect, i.e. not just the skiing.
He is what I would class as an advanced skier, but his Mum is a little nervous and he thought it would be ideal for her. I am there the week after you for New Year, cannot wait.
There is an option to ski the 3 Valleys via the 3 valleys express lift from Orelle, if you look to the far far right of the 3V piste map you will see Orelle, this apparently is about half hours car drive from Valloire, if conditions are not too good this is always an option. A few on here have informed me that the piste from the top of this lift into Val Thorens is not the easiest to negotiate for a nervous skier.
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