 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello All.
We are a family of 3 (40. 39. 9YRS)looking for a nice pretty resort in France within 90mins drive of Geneva Airport.
We are new boarders still learning. (At the Chillfactor, Manchester)
Travelling Feb7th 2009 for 7 nights. What is the weather like at this time?
We are looking for:-
Long green runs maybe some easy blues.
Not long queues for lifts etc.
Good resort facilities.
Info on Lift passes, this seems very confusing when looking on web!
Self catering apartment with sauna and pool.
Would welcome any suggestions, thanks...
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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DJADS, welcome to I can't help but you'll get lots of useful answers soon..
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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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Megeve, Les Contamines for starters. The time may be at the French Half term "month", both the resorts would not be considered cheap places at the best of times. Are you flexible with times?
DJADS, Welcome to 's
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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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| Roy Hockley wrote: |
Megeve, Les Contamines for starters. The time may be at the French Half term "month", both the resorts would not be considered cheap places at the best of times. Are you flexible with times?
DJADS, Welcome to 's |
Cheers Roy
Unfortunately we are stuck with the time, do you know if Notre dame de bellacombe is good.
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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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DJADS, Notre Dame and associated area is very nice, but I don't rate your chances of an apartment with pool and sauna.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi DJADS, and welcome to SnowHeads - I've sent you a PM (personal message - will pop up in box on your screen)
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DJADS, I'm afraid that Lizzard is right about Notre Dame de Bellecombe - sauna and pool unlikely in this low key, very French, resort. There are also some horrendous drag lifts in the domaine; not great for beginner boarders!!! However, up in Les Saisies, which is higher than N D de B (and lift linked) there are two apartments complexes with pools. Though when we met some people staying there last season they said the pool was pretty chilly! The drags in Les Saisies are easier, too and there are a good number of easy and accessible runs for new boarders. Are you going to take lessons in resort? Group lessons in Notre Dame or Les Saisies will only be French speaking, but private lessons are pretty economical, and would be good value for 3. Lift passes are reasonable. There will be queues - it's French half term - but the area is less busy than some. Information on lift passes is clear enough on the Les Saisies website. As beginners you'd only need a Les Saisies pass, not an Espace Diamant pass. Saves a few euros.
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les gets
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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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skimore, agree and Morzine, Chatel etc
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DJADS, second skimore & Mouth, shame you have to go in French half-term though  , it will be busy though not at its worst. Not many greens in LG but lots of easy blues and reds (excuse my boarding ignorance but aren't greens problematic for you guys? esp as you won't be total beginners?)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Cheers Guys for your help
Discounted Notre de Bellecombe. There doesnt seem that many runs in Les Saise?
Been searching the web all day for accommdation and have come up with,
Samoens, Saint Gervais, and Les Carroz d' Araches
Any advive on these resorts?
Looking for a nice choice of long green and blues,
We will probably have 2 half day lessons when we arrive to get up to speed.
What is the weather like beginning of Feb?
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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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| Quote: |
What is the weather like beginning of Feb?
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no telling. But you'd be unlucky not to have reasonable snow in any of those places.
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There doesnt seem that many runs in Les Saise?
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If you get round all the runs in Les Saisies in your first few days on a board you'll be doing very well. And if you do, the whole of the rest of the Espace Diamant would be at your disposal. And if you get really good there's a lot of fairly accessible off piste. My son is a very good boarder (two seasons in Val D'Isere so far) and had his best ever day boarding in Les Saisies this March, with a metre of fresh snow and a whole area of red and black runs unpisted. How many runs do you need?
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Samoens is quite low, and the runs down mostly quite difficult. Up in the Flaine bowl would be better but it's a very busy resort in French half term. You might find quite a lot of the Flaine bowl a bit difficult for a first week, and there's not a huge choice of easy runs.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hmmm, What about St Gervais and Les Carroz, we dont mind driving 20mins or so for a good ski area
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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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DJADS, St Gervais is the same ski area as Megève.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Try the Fermes du Soleil appartments in Les Carroz (through Erna Low perhaps). Centrally located in Les Carroz with a pool and spa facilities. They have 1, 2 or 3 bedroom options.
Re skiing - quite simply, everywhere in France is busier during French half term holidays (and New Year) than usual. However, from my own exeriences, the Grand Massif (Flaine, Les Carroz, Samoens, Morrillon) is quiter than most. FYI - there is a reasonable beginners area at the top of the Les Carroz cable car and most runs coming off the top are blue.
Have a great trip, wherever you go.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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St Gervais would tick your boxes for easy greens and blues and pretty village with a variety of decent restaurants and should be cheaper than Megeve - It's a big area which even as beginners you should be able to get around fairly easily, you can certainly travel over to Megeve exclusively on green should you want to. We were there at half term this year and it wasn't stupid busy. With UK half term and I understand both the local half term and Paris all being off from 14th (I could be wrong about this) 7th shouldn't be too horrific. Seems to be various apts on offer with sauna/hot tub arrangements though not sure about swimming pools. DO BE CAREFUL though about finding out exactly where your apt is if you go here - Many are accurately described as being X metres from the gondola but forget to mention that it involves a perilous descent down rickety steps in the morning and a hike and a half uphill on the way back !
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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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For ease of access from Geneva, Les Carroz is good. Probably a better place for getting to the slope from apartment than some other places like St Gervais as Annie pointed out. We were in Morillon (linked with Les Carroz and Flaine but not a "pretty" resort) a couple of years ago at half term and we found the queues much less horrendous than anticipated and way better than places like La Plagne and Alpes d'Huez. From memory there aren't that many drag lifts.
There will be a Grand Massif Lift pass but as relative beginners you might prefer to get a lift pass just for the les Carroz slopes until you see how much ground you will cover. This would mean going back to the lift station to get another lift pass later in the week - although some might find that irritating, depends on whether you think you're going to be pounding the slopes from first to last lift.
Weather - who knows? Anything from bright sunny and cold, to warm, cloudy, raining, snowing .... any combination of these. Lots of layers is the answer as everyone will tell you. Don't have to be expensive - my kids cope fine with Peter Storm thermals from Milletts and rarely wear a fleece, just a jacket on top.
Enjoy your trip
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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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what type of "good resort facilities" are most important to you? High quality restaurants, swimming or other sports facilities? General upmarket ambiance? Distance from lifts? You'll probably need to focus in on your priorities as nowhere has it all. The point Annie makes about distance/time from lifts is very important, though much less so for boarders, for whom a ten or fifteen minute walk in comfortable boots, board under the arm, is not really a problem. It's all much worse in ski boots.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thx all for your help, looks like St Gervais so far. Any ideas on which runs would be best to start off on?
What ski pass would you reccommend to get, we will have a car.
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Where would i get a ski run map from showing all the colours of runs clearly. Most i have seen on the web are hard to tell which runs are which.
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DJADS, if you have take lessons on your first few days the instructor will be able to give you a good idea where to go (and where not to go). That's very difficult to work out just from a map, because as noted above, long flattish runs are really not good news for boarders because it takes a lot of bottle to ride your board fast down a long track! And in any case, one blue run is not at all like another blue run! And a lot depends on conditions. Hard pack snow is not a lot of fun on a board; a run which can be delightful with some soft slow (or even slush) can become a bit of a nightmare when the surface feels like concrete and it's hard to get your edge in. There's nothing to beat local knowledge, on the day. And that's what instructors are so good at. It's great that the three of you are learning together.
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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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DJADS, contact the resort tourist office via web and request a winter brochure, if you ask nicely I am sure they would pop a proper piste map in
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A lot of them now have all the brochures and piste maps on their sites as PDF downloads. However they will all be in summer mode now and any you get will be for the season just finished.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Colin B, sure, but if it's just to get an idea of what's there (there aren't going to be too many dramatic changes for next season). I quite enjoy browsing maps, paper or download, before going somewhere new, maybe I'm sadder than I thought. 
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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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Lou, Try this. It's good enough quality at 150 - 200% to see the runs/colours until you get a paper copy.
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I quite enjoy browsing maps, paper or download, before going somewhere new, maybe I'm sadder than I thought.
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Lou, not at all. It's the people who can only do satnavs who are the saddoes. 
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You know it makes sense.
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DJADS, If you end up in St Gervais, be sure to come and say hello - We'll be out there for the season. Agree with pam w, your instructor will be your best bet in terms of where to start, but just to whet your appetite; There is a short green 'loop' to the right of the gondola at Le Bettex which is a nice little 'getting started' circuit, I would think it's likely that you'll spend some early time at the top of the two part gondola, possibly the green Chantelay back down to Le Bettex or Pierre which leads down to either a chair from where you can do the whole lot again or on to M...........(the name escapes me) which takes you all the way down to Megeve. We ski (after a fashion) rather than board so are less 'aware' of the flatter bits - so take that 'advice' with a large pinch of salt! There are a number of blues/very easy reds that peel off Chantelay including the blue finance which is an alternative route to the green back to Le Bettex. We had a beginner skier with us (aged 9 but with bags of courage) and a timid 2nd weeker and they both made good use of the full Mont Evasion pass including a day over in Combloux.
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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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We have been going to St Gervais for 15 years whilst our children have been growing up. SG is great for beginners and on piste intermediates. For blue runs there is a huge variety, as soon as you get off the top gondola, all the way down into Megeve. Even the red runs are wide enough to be boardable by relative beginners.
For Hotels, Bettex Arbois or Carlina can offer the facilities, or several apartment blocks around the main lift station or in town (our apartment has outdoor summer pool only).
The Evasion ski pass for St Gervais includes all of Megeve and Les Contamines (15 mins drive). LC is snow-sure, as is SG generally due to extensive snow-making. Only did Combloux for the first time this year. It has very long slow runs, ideal for cruising.
Also only 20-30 mins to Chamonix. Unfortunately, the Mont Blanc pass which used to cover SG, Megeve, LC and all the Chamonix resorts is not now available, so you would need separate passes for the areas, but I would not recommend Chamonix to anyone of less than three years' experience so not an issue. Flaine 40 mins; similarly no need.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Weather variable, usually ideal (-2 to -7), but can be colder. Queues should be low, as SG only fills at English half-term which is the following week.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| simo1234 wrote: |
, the Grand Massif (Flaine, Les Carroz, Samoens, Morrillon) is quiter than most. FYI - there is a reasonable beginners area at the top of the Les Carroz cable car and most runs coming off the top are blue.
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I agree with Simo 1234 - I followed my second week boarding daughter around the whole GM in Feb. - though there are a few flat spots but when you work out how to avoid then they are fine - Marvel in Morillion is IMHO the finest green I'ver ever seen (and just enough incline to board it top to bottom). Handy mini tip for the first day if its freeze thaw conditions - Do the Plein Soleil route off the LC gondola in the morning (in the sun) and the other blues in the pm (when they've started to thaw) to avoid falling on concrete though. Good general rule for beginnerish boarders - avoid north facing runs early morning or make sure you have impact shorts on!
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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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pam w,
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Lou, not at all. It's the people who can only do satnavs who are the saddoes.
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hmm, yes now you mention it 
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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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[/quote]
I agree with Simo 1234 - I followed my second week boarding daughter around the whole GM in Feb. - though there are a few flat spots but when you work out how to avoid then they are fine - Marvel in Morillion is IMHO the finest green I'ver ever seen (and just enough incline to board it top to bottom). Handy mini tip for the first day if its freeze thaw conditions - Do the Plein Soleil route off the LC gondola in the morning (in the sun) and the other blues in the pm (when they've started to thaw) to avoid falling on concrete though. Good general rule for beginnerish boarders - avoid north facing runs early morning or make sure you have impact shorts on![/quote]
I agree with all of this advice - excellent! 
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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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Lou, when we bought our apartment in the Alps I went to Stanfords in London and bought maps of all scales and spent the next six months planning walks - before they'd even built the place...  That's a bit sad.
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