 Poster: A snowHead
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Im looking for a quick break in January. Went to Chamonix, didnt like the fact that its buses everywhere. Any suggestions??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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barthez1980, I'm assuming if you don't like buses you want ski in ski out.
If that's the case look no further than Avoriaz. We did a short break last January and it was great. Plenty high enough to dispel any worries about lack of early season snow.
We did the whole thing ourselves, flights with easyjet, transfers with ATS and appartment with P&V.
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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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Les Gets, lower than Avoriaz but plugs into the same ski area with good local skiing and a lot of character. Should be about 75 mins from the airport. Stay in the centre of the village and you won't need to get transport anywhere during your stay. Lots of transfer companies going backwards and forwards to GVA and the altibus is good too.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Many Swiss ski areas are served by the excellent Swiss Railways.
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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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barthez1980, similarly Flaine, higher than Avoriaz or Les Gets, about an hour from GVA. You could also look at La Clusaz, which is around the same transfer. From GVA airport, you can get excellent train links to Verbier, Gstaad, Villars and a range of other resorts in Western Switzerland. You should also be able to get a bus through to Courmayeur on the Italian side of Mont Blanc, though this might involve changing buses in Chamonix.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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vetski, huh ? From memory Flaine is about 1650, Avoriaz is 1800.
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bladeskier, I was referring to peak of skiable area rather than village, but should have made that clear. I think Flaine goes up to about 2800-2900m, which I believe is higher than Avoriaz? Les Gets peaks around 2200m. I stand corrected if I've got them the wrong way round!
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vetski, 2466 is the top of Avoriaz.
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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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barthez1980, How close do you want to be and what do you like? Most areas have fewer buses than Chamonix (which you can avoid by hiring a car). My usual response is wait and see where the snow is as no/poor snow is a lot worse than the odd bus journey. that point aside if you don't like buses I think snowbunnys suggestion is a good one.
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barthez1980, hire a car. I live (partially) in Cham and have never been on a bus.
What sort of skiing do you want? Chamonix has possibly the best lift-served off piste in Europe. I'd swap bus access for that anyday.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ideally didnt want to have to be sat in a car for half of a day, or a bus. Which I found with Chamonix. And the buses were'nt all that frequent whilst we were there. I think Avoriaz is looking like the most likely. But I will wait until nearer the 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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Barthez. Depends on the type of skiing and whether you have kids in tow and the time of year. Maybe Les Gets, Morzine, Les Houches, Chamonix, Megeve, Les Caorroz, Flaine - all in France or if Switzerland then maybe Crans Montana, Champery.
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Fri 23-05-08 15:41; edited 1 time in total
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barthez1980, where were you staying in Cham? Or is half a day a teeny weeny exaggeration?
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You know it makes sense.
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Best part of half a day to get up to Le Tour and then queue once, for ages, to buy a lift pass, then again, for ages, to get on the lift. Mid January, very poor snow cover. Not half a day, maybe, but it certainly took us two hours to get up the mountain! We were probably unlucky. But I wouldn't like to try it in a busy period!
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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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barthez1980, if by "quick break" you mean less than a week, you'll be somewhat limited by where you can get odd-period accommodation. Probably best, in that case, to book much nearer the time.
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Poster: A snowHead
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pam w, ? seriously bad traffic? Why didn't you buy pass online? (or did you have a voucher) Why didn't you just leave the road at les Houches and ski there? The worst this season we've had has been 10 minutes as far as le Tour or les Houches. Vallorcine admittedly a little further and I will admit to turning back around 12.00 at the GMs cos it was just rather busy.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No, the traffic was not too bad, though it's a bit of a trek. But the snow at Les Houches was horrible (we'd tried that). Hence the trip to Le Tour. We were deciding on a venue day by day because snow was so bad, and weather patchy. Another day we went to Flaine - that was very slushy at the bottom, too (mid January). We had our own transport. I don't know whether passes could be bought on line in those days - it was several years ago, and certainly the chalet we were in, in Les Houches, had no internet. We didn't know the resort well - but we thought my brother in law could not have coped with Brevent/Flegere, hence Le Tour, on the advice of our chalet host. I went to Brevent/Flegere with a friend two years ago and there were no big lift hold ups, though the pistes were very crowded by my standards. Access was fine, but she had her own car, she knows the resort very well (has an apartment there) and she knew what time to hit the lift. And where to park. I do think Chamonix can be a hassle and confusing for people who don't know it well.
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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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Vebier...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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pam w, it sounds as though you were unlucky. It also sounds as though it was one of those years when the snow arrived late for everyone - putting strain on uplift capacity for those areas that had decent snow. In contrast, we found almost no queues throughout the vacances scolaires this year just because so much capacity was available.
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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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David Murdoch, yes, we probably were unlucky, though there weren't any big queues the day we went over to Flaine.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Crans Montana for something a bit less Anglophiled! 150 kms piste, 1500m resort level up to 3000m with a glacier - quite a sunny resort for January. Not too expensive. 
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| vetski wrote: |
| bladeskier, I was referring to peak of skiable area rather than village, but should have made that clear. I think Flaine goes up to about 2800-2900m, which I believe is higher than Avoriaz? Les Gets peaks around 2200m. I stand corrected if I've got them the wrong way round! |
Top of Flaine bowl is 2500m , very similar to the highest spots in PDS/ Avoriaz? I think Flaine's strength is that its a north facing bowl with a reasonable gradient throughout. I've been late season a few times and its been great above the midstation every time. Watch out for off piste double decker eating holes though!
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Verbier.
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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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are there any websites that anybody would recommend for short stay holidays.im thinking fri-mon....
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barthez1980, there are companies who offer Long weekend packages, but they're eye-wateringly expensive. DIY is cheaper - did you decide on a resort?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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barthez1980, unless you are very short of leave time from work, a week's skiing will cost you no more - possibly less - than a long weekend and will give you a far greater choice of resorts. If you want to do a long weekend on the cheap, think of hiring a car, staying in a valley town, such as Sallanches (40 mins from Geneva on the motorway) and then driving to places like Flaine, Les Houches, Megeve, Combloux - all very pleasant. That gives you flexibility if the snow is less than good. You will not find it easy to book long weekend accommodation in resort, in advance - and especially not if you are looking for low cost.
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