 Poster: A snowHead
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Just been told that my 7th March week in Chamonix has been booked 
We're decent skiers, will attempt pretty much anything between the pistes, and are looking to have two or three days' guiding (hopefully to include Vallee Blanche/Envers and Pas de la Chevre) through the week.
Not having been there before, I can't work out whether the Mont Blanc Unlimited pass will work out better than the Le Pass. The differences seem to be €10 per top lift on Les Grands Montets and €36 for the Aiguille du Midi cablecar. So far, sounds like a no-brainer...
But, I am picking up from various webby sources that (a) the top lift at GM is very overbooked and you can spend a lot of your day waiting and (b) most "retail" Vallee Blanche tours include the lift price.
Can you shed any fact on these potential urban myths?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sproggski, AFAIK you can reserve your GM lift (rarely can be bothered). Have always had to pay for AdM lift when with guide. So - no brainer.
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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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David Murdoch, Surely if you had a unlimited pass you wouldn't have to pay twice to get up AdM? I see guides websites quote €75 to ski VB, I presume the lift pass is not included in this? Also with the unlimited pass isn't Courmayeur also included this year?
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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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No, I'd go MBU - the top lift can be busy but it isn't always and you can reserve, do a few runs and return, and the Midi pass is not usually included in the guiding fee. Courmayeur is a nice bonus too.
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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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firebug, I read on another thread here that getting to Courmayeur by bus can be a pain as they aren't that frequent and you have to get out in the town centre and walk and it is not possible to get the lift just after the tunnel. Is this true?
Also is the train free with lift pass in the Chamonix valley?
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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 Ross, quite right. I only had to pay when before I had MBUs. MBU includes Courmayeur and free shuttle buses (two in morning and two in evening - but NOT all of the scheduled services are included) - expect to need to reserve these too. No idea whether Courmayeur's a pain or not but am looking forward to finding out. MBU includes Montenvers train no idea about LP.
sproggski, wouldn't bother with "ordinary" VB route. Envers fun though. Pas de la C. on list for this year.
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under a new name, do you know what the done thing is about getting guides and them assessing our ability rather than our hopes being dashed if they decide we are not good enough to try xyz descent? I'm picking on you as you seem to be aware of the big "retail skier" ticklist routes!
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The valley trains and buses are free with the carte d'hote which you will get from you accomodation when you arrive. If for any reason you don't, just pick one up at the tourist office. Lunacy I know. Why they don't just make it free with the ski pass I have no idea.
Le Pass doesn't include Montenvers which you'll probably need for the VB. it's on the MBU
I haven't tried the Courmayeur shuttle yet though nothing would surprise me! We drove over. There is a lift from near the town of Courmayeur though. And you needed, last year, to go to the office there anyway, and pick up a (free) lift ticket as the Chamonix passes don't work in Courmayeur.
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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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sproggski, hmm, no not really. The only time I did it commercially the guide was told he had a fairly mixed group and given reasonably accurate descriptions of the weakest skiers. You describe yourselves as "decent". Unfortunately, that's fairly meaningless. The nice thing that if the weather is what you need, I don't think you need to commit to either Envers until the guide (if they're any good) will have a reasonable idea of how you'll ski. Alternatively, book the same guide for the 3 days and get them to spend a day taking you to some more challenging elements of the area - i.e. places where you might think twice about jumping into a given couloir on basis of potential avalanche risk.
I am going to submit that bad guide experiences are often down to bad client information...
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under a new name, cheers, was arriving at a conclusion to get a referral and then book them for a couple or three days as you suggest.
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