 Poster: A snowHead
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We're planning an extended break in Nendaz next year BUT we've never been to Switzerland before and never skied for more than 10 days so it's brand new territory.
I'd welcome any views on Nendaz and any advice on doing a season with a child (6).
What do you do about school, for example. How long can I get away with it without putting her in school over there? Can I take work and teach her at home?
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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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Might be worth a PM to Frosty (not the Snowman variety) as he and Mrs F did a season in Morzine with their kids a couple of years ago
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marmalade, I have been ski-ing in Nendaz off of and on now for over the past 22 years. Nendaz itself has slowly been developing over the past 10 years. It is a largely a village of apartment blocks with only a few hotels, but neverthelees it feels like a Swiss village with lots of local businesses, whether it be the local butcher, ski hire shop, or local restaurant. Within the so called 4-valleys ski area it is ideally located with easy access to both Thyon 2000 and Veysonnaz or famous Verbier. As far as schools are concerned I have no knowledge but I cannot imagine a more picturesquew place to be as far as the views over the Rhone Valley. Long term wise you are only 10 miles from from Sion, the cantonal capital of Valais where I am sure there are a number of good eductional establishments. This is a lovely area of Switzerland with its quasi-mediterranean climate famous for its soft fruits and wine. I won't go on any more but please come back with any questions you have about the ski-ing.
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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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Everytime I've been to the 4 valleys the snow has been terrible on the bit connecting Nendaz to the rest of the area. I was In Les Collons (a village below Thyon) last week and whereas the snow everywhere else was amazing it was crap in Nendaz (i mean more mud than snow - had to take our skis off and walk several times) ... I presume if you stay in Nendaz you have to bus it round to Siviez ... don't go there if it's skiing without buses you are after.
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marmalade, I think RichA has been unlucky in his visits to Nendaz.
The link from Prarion to Plan-du-Fu (piste map) is often closed come the end of the season - it is open just now (see telenendaz) , but the lack of the link does not cause any problems. The local skiing above Nendaz at Tracout is pleasant enough for a fun day. The drive up to Siviez is easy enough. I presume you will have a car. Otherwise there is a bus.
With a car you can get up to Mont Fort or Chassoure via Siviez quicker than anyone from the Verbier side.
The town/village is full of good chalets with gardens: lovely for kids to play in.
I think Nendaz an excellent choice for you and your six year old. (I am unable to offer any advice about schools).
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RichA, Blimey .. I've never seen it that bad, especially as conditions are magic at the moment everywhere afaics ... are you sure it was last week ?
As Jonpim, says, Siviez always provides the easy alternative option ...
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| Agenterre wrote: |
RichA, Blimey .. I've never seen it that bad, especially as conditions are magic at the moment everywhere afaics ... are you sure it was last week ?
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Wednesday last week ... have a look here http://picasaweb.google.com/rich.d.austin/Nendaz
and they call that open !!
The ski route down to the bottom of the cable car was nice but from there down it was diabolical .. it's either been like that or shut every time I've been there (5 or 6 times in the last 3 seasons).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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RichA, Now I'm really being dim .. I thought the 'Bottom of the cable car' was the lowest skiing point?? Having said that your piccie is 'unskiable' by any standards and atypical of everywhere else ...
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I believe that one of the problems is that they cannot provide snow making facilities to keep the runs to Nendaz open due to the environmental lobby. I went to Nendaz in the February half-term 2007 and we managed to ski back on the first day but had to negotiate lots of brown pistes. Fortunately we had a car so drove to Siviez every day after that and having the car was the saving factor in making a great holiday.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Agenterre, The bottom of the cable car is the start of the route down to Prarion from which you take the Trachouet chair up to be able to ski back to Nendaz. The Prarion meadow is south facing and hence suffers from lack of snow even though it's 1768 m at the bottom according to the piste map.
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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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I'm a huge fan of Verbier and the 4 Valleys skiing, but that key link run into Nendaz is prone to be as RichA has described.
It is south facing and in a nature reserve which means that snow cannons are forbidden.
However as Jonpim says from Nendaz to Siviez is just a few minutes by car or bus, and the links from there are excellent.
The whole decision should not be based on one run, but on the whole package...
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You know it makes sense.
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| rungsp wrote: |
| The whole decision should not be based on one run, but on the whole package... |
I agree but I guess my point is why on earth stay in Nendaz when it's pretty impossible to ski in/out of there. If you're gonna have to drive every day anyway you might as well pay half the price and stay in a pretty little village down the mountain a bit with no pretensions of lift connections.
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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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RichA, can't argue with that....if it was me that would be my plan
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Poster: A snowHead
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RichA, I'm quite bothered by the prospact of not being able to ski in/out as we were looking at a piste side apartment.
Any other recommendations for a reasonably priced long holiday with children?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We run a luxury chalet in Haute Nendaz. The latest news is that it has finally been agreed to put snow cannons into the link to Siviez this Summer. This means that the link to Siviez and the 4 Vallees should be open all year round starting next season. Nendaz is a great place for children. Plenty of activities and a choice of ski schools.
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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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Nice thread resurrection from 2008....but that is very good news for Nendaz, so well done for posting it.
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This is indeed very good news. Now all they need to do is replace the Poma and the cable car with a nice new gondala - like the one on the other side - and the job is sorted. Oh and stop building! Nendaz is a really great town but they are close to knackering it.
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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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That is good news, I think Nendaz is a great place, but the link with the rest of the 4 Vallees has been an issue, especially this season, so hopefully things will be better next year. @Fifespud, They must stop building now, since the regulation was put in place a while back preventing any more homes being built anywhere with a high percentage of second homes.
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If I were you I'd also look at La Tzoumaz, which is opposite Nendaz to the south and connected to Verbier rather more reliably than Nendaz. To my mind, Nendaz has been somewhat over-developed, with the connections to the rest of the area neglected, and not expanding in proportion to the amount of accomodation. It has to be said that Nendaz seems to have a lot of choice of bars and restaurants, without the outrageous prices of Verbier. La Tzoumaz is north-facing, so the snow is usually more reliable for relatively longer, and you can get to the upper Verbier slopes in around an 40 mins from the village. I have to admit a vested interest, as this is where we have our holiday apartment, so I'm biased. You may be able to get a reasonable season rental deal. To get an idea of accomodation, look at our agent's site (bear in mind the no.rooms includes the lounge, so 2 bedrooms is a 3-room apt.). Rates for the week for a 2-bed apartment near the lifts range from CHF 1,000 low season to 1,600 high season, but most agencies will consider a season offer at much less than this.
http://www.carron-immobilier.ch/en/
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Swissie - I'll believe they'll stop building when I see it with my own eyes. Is it not the case that already sanctioned developments can continue? That's enough to see them for years. The biggest problem a mid range resort like Nendaz faces is without doubt the strength of the currency. My experience is Switzerland is not actually that much more expensive now compared to other ski areas in other countries but you've a hard job convincing people of that. Is there any prospect of the Swiss government subsidising the tourism industry? I can't really see Tele Nendaz making the investment that's required otherwise. The Poma up to the cable car is ridiculous and the 4 man back needs replacing too - snow cannons or not.
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It's official La Nouvelliste says an accord has been signed after twenty years of negations with WWF.
Hopefully this will lead to a major investment in upgrading the lift system on Fontaines and Prarion
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The press release I saw said that there would be no extension of the ski area, one quote from the article stated ' The Ski Lift Company of Nendaz, committed itself not to extend its ski area'
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Good news if it comes off. I really like skiing into 4V from Nendaz but that link is currently such a lottery it's fallen off my radar, list time I went I spent a good 1/2 hour every morning and evening on the bus round to Siviez (buses full in the evening, long waits queuing etc) I vowed not to return until it's sorted. Les Etagnes is a great little hotel at the bottom of the main run down, next the lift station! Dutch owned and great fun, I'd thoroughly recommend it......BUT can't ignore the bad £ vs Swissie rate, it's going to take a lot to get me back there in a hurry. Shame, but all in all it seems to be too many reasons not to go rather than in its favour, it's got a lot to do to make up ground, whilst it has stood still other resorts in Europe have been investing. Nendaz needs to do the same, I suggest.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I'm in La Tzoumaz at the moment and from this side I can't see that there's any snow to speak of down from Tracouet to Prarion, although the piste down from Plan du Fou looks snowy. We plan to go up to PdF tomorrow and I'll let you know what the conditions look like from above. The question has been asked elsewhere of how to 'escape' from Nendaz and it's been reported that the bus link is very congested at the start and end of the day. To my mind, this is the big drawback of Nendaz that can't be gainsayed: namely that one bus connection, and one draglift are not enough, given the size of the visitor population.
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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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OK, so today (21.3.15) we skied over to Plan du Fou above Nendaz/Prarion. At Siviez it said that the PdF-Prarion link to Nendaz was closed. Up at PdF the telecabine wasn't running at all. So today at least everyone exiting/returning to Nendaz would have to have caught the bus to Siviez. Watching the Nendaz TV channel at the PdF cafe was like watching some parallel universe in which the snow was deep; all the links were open; the temperature wasn't a balmy 4C; and the skies were clear blue instead of foggy.
I think that you can have a very good holiday, summer and winter, based in Nendaz. especially if in winter the conditions are cold and snowy. But I would discount the impression given on the website that it's an integral part of the 4 Valleys ski complex. For a while yet, it's going to be emasculated by the relatively poor links it has to Siviez.
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@msej449,
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it's an integral part of the 4 Valleys ski complex
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Well you are right, it certainly hasn't been this season, its a shame, I think Nendaz is a great place But to have to bus back a forth to Siviez is a complete pain and it overloads Siviez at times.
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You know it makes sense.
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@msej449,
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it's an integral part of the 4 Valleys ski complex
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Well, you are right, it certainly hasn't been this season, its a shame, I think Nendaz is a great place But to have to bus back a forth to Siviez is a complete pain and it overloads Siziez at times.
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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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A lot of the traffic going to Siviez are people from down in the valley who use it as the quickest way to get to Mont Fort. Most people who own properties in Nendaz have their own transport and getting to Siviez isn't that much of a problem.
Of course snow cannons will make a difference in poor seasons like this year but in a good season Prarion is a great area to ski off piste through the trees.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
snow cannons will make a difference in poor seasons like this year
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maybe it's been different in Switzerland but the main problem in many lower altitude French areas this year has been temperatures too warm to run cannons much of the time. Cannons are no use when the problem is high temperatures rather than lack of precipitation (though the precipitation hasn't been that great either!).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@taffvalais,
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Most people who own properties in Nendaz have their own transport and getting to Siviez isn't that much of a problem.
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Its just means that Siviez has become a giant car park.
@pam w, You are right, the cannons haven't been on for weeks here
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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so what is your son doing, @sarah? How long will you be spending in chatel?
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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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@pam w, I thought you knew! we've been here since just before Christmas and we return to the UK after Easter so 16 weeks. He's been at the local ecole primaire here. Always wanted to do a season, managed to make it happen 
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To be fair to Télénandaz, there is a problem with the ancient larch trees around Prarion. These are much larger and older than the surrounding pine forests, and apparently one of only a few remnant larch enclaves left over from the last Ice Age. They are very ancient indeed. It's entirely understandable that no one is keen to tamper with something that is so rare. I assume that the draglift and télécabine were built some time before the current perceptions about both the environment and Global Warming. Although I speculate that there is an environmental argument for snow guns, if it's a case of preserving the habitat in the face of Global Warming effects.
Even in the best of circumstances, Télénandaz would probably need a strong commercial case to replace the drag and gondola with a modern télécabine. The proposed new lift between Verbier Carrefour and Savoleyres, which includes a section underground to avoid and avalanche-prone section, is estimated at CHF 25 million. So given this additional obstacle, I'm not surprised that a replacement has not been installed.
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This is very good news indeed. Now that the piste will be skiable for most of the season, I wonder if there will be any appetite to replace the silly long drag lift at the bottom of Prarion? I still hope that one day the Parion chairlift will be extended to go to the top of Plan du Fou – now that would really make things interesting….
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| msej449 wrote: |
To be fair to Télénandaz, there is a problem with the ancient larch trees around Prarion. These are much larger and older than the surrounding pine forests, and apparently one of only a few remnant larch enclaves left over from the last Ice Age. They are very ancient indeed. It's entirely understandable that no one is keen to tamper with something that is so rare. I assume that the draglift and télécabine were built some time before the current perceptions about both the environment and Global Warming. Although I speculate that there is an environmental argument for snow guns, if it's a case of preserving the habitat in the face of Global Warming effects.
Even in the best of circumstances, Télénandaz would probably need a strong commercial case to replace the drag and gondola with a modern télécabine. The proposed new lift between Verbier Carrefour and Savoleyres, which includes a section underground to avoid and avalanche-prone section, is estimated at CHF 25 million. So given this additional obstacle, I'm not surprised that a replacement has not been installed. |
Swissie I'm not having an argument with you but they did replace the 2 man and the Poma from Siviez to P de F which wasn't actually stopping people from skiing in and out. Although it's great they did. In my experience the French would have had this done in no time - probably carried on to Lac de Vaux. Whilst they are at it they need to replace the 2 Greppon Blanc pomade as well - and carve out a couple of more pistes over in that bowl area between Siviez and Veysonnaz.
Not asking for much - am I???
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Fifespud, you are not asking for too much! 
Nendaz/4-Vallees is only about 3 or 4 lifts away from being much more joined up and therefore much more attractive for the average punter... At the moment it suffers from being essentially a number of seperate small resorts poorly linked and all those satellite resorts playing second fiddle to Verbier.
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@Fifespud, Am I missing something here or have you got the wrong poster? 
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FAQ
's who live/work in resort tend to post on these topics. I recall some recent threads in that forum on similar topics. Try that. HTH a bit. Very envious wish we could do the same, our son is 3, where there's a will eh? 
.. my fault 
