 Poster: A snowHead
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anyone been to 4 valleys in switzerland. I have read lots of bad things about verbier - long queues, south facing, busy town etc but have found some accom in nendaz which is away from the busy areas. the links look "interesting" in that they are itineries. looks interesting but my guide book says piste maps make it look better than it is. I am interested in your opinion if you have been to the area 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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backhojo, Verbier is overrated, in the same way as the search function on this website is overused.
Suggest that you read things written by people who own a compass.
You can take lifts down if you don't want to do intineries
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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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| Steve Sparks wrote: |
backhojo, Verbier is overrated, in the same way as the search function on this website is overused.
Suggest that you read things written by people who own a compass.
You can take lifts down if you don't want to do intineries |
i have no idea what you mean by this message ? whats this about compass ? I read teh resort report but it was only one persons view and they stayed in verbier not nendaz
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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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backhojo, Nendaz isnt Verbier, and one of the 'piste' links there is also exposed to the sun with no snow-making but there is nothing 'wrong' with Nendaz.
Unfortunately I'm not quite sure what you are looking for as they very different locales and based upon criteria different people will prefer different resorts.
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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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Bad comments about a resort can attract attacks on any slight inaccuracy from the people having an vested interest there.
Itineraries have markers for their positions but they are not groomed and can be challenging to those not used to moguls. The piste is simply left on its own without any human intervention, except the people who ski it.
Nedaz is almost at the opposite end of Verbier in the 4 Valleys. Its link to the rest of the domain isn't as good as taking a bus to Siviez. Nedaz itself is too close to the build-up area of Sion city and motorway so the snow does not hold as good as that in verbier. The skiing can be limited locally to Nedaz.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I see - so not looking like a good option so far. Ideally what I need is
1) beginers slopes to take my son skiing
2) good opportunities for long hard skiing for me (i am a pretty good skier so dont mind itineraires but worry that they are not the best to come down at the end of the day when you need to get back to pick up the little one !)
3) somewhere for my son for childcare when he is not skiing with me so i get some ski time alone
4) the opportunity for some ski lessons for my son
i am getting the impression that getting out of nendaz in the mornings is best done by taking a bus to siviez ?
I havew read up on the resort but to be honest most reports focus on verbier and just have a little paragraph about nendaz so I am struggling to get a good picture.
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backhojo, i went to nendaz last year for my first proper week away and we both really enjoyed it. i've never been to verbier, and didn't get a chance to check it out last year. i have no vested interest in the village but will vouch for it's laidback loveliness.
in answer to your questions:
1) i loved the nendaz learner slopes at the top of the tracouet gondola. there were lots of varying blue runs to practise on, poma's going at differing speeds and a longish red run coming all the way down if you wanted at the end of the day. you could also take the gondola down instead.
2) a lot of the links to siviez and verbier were closed when we were there cos of lack of snow, but this wasn't an issue for us as we weren't interested in using them. getting the bus to siviez and the lifts to verbier that way is apparently quicker than driving from nendaz to verbier. i think the really long red runs are on the verbier side of the 4 valleys.
3) i don't know anything about the childcare facilities available
4) we went for snowboarding lessons, but there are about 3 ski schools at the top of the tracouet gondola and all can be booked/checked out online. and there is info about private lessons here (sorry, the url text bit isn't working and you need the )) at the end of the link) http://www.nendaz.ch/OTNendaz/FHomePageOTNendaz.aspx?tokenPage=wo-4rGWiFMjHyU9s-NuOBHRxwaz_w_Yl55EveTRiIyQ))
we only went out for apres and dinner one evening out of the 7 so i can't really comment on how good it is. but we enjoyed the evening we did go out. i would probably list nendaz if i have to think of a good place to take beginners.
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thanks sherlock !
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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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sherlock235,
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a lot of the links to siviez and verbier were closed
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Just a comment to the above
My 2007 piste map of the 4 Valleys shows only one link from Nedaz to Siviez/Verbier. There may be several links between Siviez and Verbier but the only link with Nedaz is by the Plan Du Fou gondola. I have just checked my video recording I took at the restaurant at the top of Plan Du Fou. The gondolas was shut on the day I visited and I was put off by the itinerary run that is next to the gondolas. However as this isn't a groomed piste there might be more than one approaches to ski down. It is certainly not a route to do in a hurry unless one is an expert.
Not having skied into Nedaz myself but your assertion that there are some good beginner facilities at the top of Tracouet looks pretty solid to me.
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np, but forgot to add. we ended up on an itinerary blue in the siviez area towards the end of the week. and a part of it scared us both silly. it would've probably been ok if it had had more snow fall. as it was, the week after we returned it started and continued snowing heavily for about 3 weeks. we were there 8-15/3!
and also, being so close to the valley town of sion makes the transfer from geneva via the train very easy. it was about 15 minutes by cab and about 35 minutes by bus back down.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hi backhojo, we've just got back from Haute Nendaz. We had fantastic snow and sunshine - the links were open but as it was half term it was very busy. The best option we found was to go to Siviez and ski over to Verbier. We used the link bus a bit but found it more pleasant to drive as there were sometimes big queues. To answer your questions:
1. Good beginners slopes at Tracouet
2. We enjoyed the skiing in Verbier - my OH skied the itineraries and we watched him from the telecabines/cable cars. They seemed quite challenging and way beyond the abilities of my sons and me. We enjoyed the red runs - piste de l'ours, the one under Jumbo cable car etc. There are fantastic views over on the Veysonnaz side and the skiing is good fun in parts.
3. Don't know but sure there must be lots - think it's got a "family friendly" label, whatever that means
4. We didn't have lessons.
I'm not sure I would go again at half term but few places are ideal then. I would definitely go again at another time of the season. Nice town - quite big. However they could do with putting on more buses at peak times and we felt the lift system needs updating. The piste map is sometimes rather approximate when it comes to accuracy. There seems to have been quite a lot of building recently but I think they should put in a few more chairs before increasing number of beds available. We managed to work out how to avoid the queues but had a couple of frustrating mornings at first. The area is really beautiful and we did enjoy it. Do ask if you want more info.
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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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backhojo, there was a good article about the 4 vallees resorts in Saturdays Indy - should still be online. Siviez is a hole, but the peice was nice about the other villages.
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backhojo,
I have been to Nendaz and with children but possibly a little older than your own.
The Tracouet area is very good indeed for beginner children, a friend who I suggested it too went straight back for another year after having had a success with the first.
The area is also very good for any decent skiers the lifts from Siviez put you into the heart of the 4 valleys with a lot of the best skiing immediately accessible.
What I am not sure about is how easy it is to combine the two. The links from Tracouet to SIviez are time consuming, otheriwse you have to take the bus.The regular hours of the childrens ski school at Tracouet would not allow extensive exporation away from the local area. If you can combine this with lunch time child care it may make sense, otherwise you are likely to be either restricted to the Tracouet area which although reasonable does not really provede a lot more than a lot of other areas, or go for childrens lessons up at Siviez which for younger children the faciliteis appear far less appealing.
I don't know what the provision is for lunchtime childcare but the tourist offfice or ski school should be able to give you more info.
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You know it makes sense.
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brilliant - thanks for all the info.
I am leaning towards looking elsewhere as i think there may be too many issues with nendaz and the type of holiday I am trying to organise. thanks for all the info
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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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backhojo,
We did three years on the trot in Nendaz starting when my daughter was 12 in '98. Beginner skiing in Nendaz was fine with my daughter in school the whole day for the first week with Niege Adventure. Lunch was taken care of as well which allowed myself and the OH to ski over to Verbier. The second week we drove to Siviez daily and we all skied the Verbier side as Nendaz was getting very hard.
It is right that frequently the ski link to the Tracouet lift is hard or bare but out of French hols time the bus is fine. The car is the best way if you have one with you, though.
The only thing I would say about Nendaz is that, at the time, there didn't seem to be much nightlife. The access to diverse and large amounts of skiing though, I would say, is very good.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Just a thought to visitors with own car.
The distance from Sion to Siviez is only 10 miiles. One does not have to stay in Nedaz to ski Verbier or Nedaz. And if one drive from Nedaz to Siviez everyday then staying in Sion is not much different except no much view of the mountain. It does open possibilities to doing something else in poor weather when it is a white-out in the skiing resort.
Sion is a resonably sized city with more choices of accommodation, a bit of more night life and definitely more non-skiing activities. Cran Montana is only 14 miles away too. Day trips possbilities include the Swiss side of Porte Du Soleil (a short drive to Monthley, 30 miles – about 36 mins) and places like Zermatt and Saas Fee (44 miles – about 1 hour 10 mins to Saas Fee).
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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 are just back from a week in Nendaz, so thought I would chuck in a few observations:
We had excellent snow conditions, and when the weather was good and all links open you can easily ski all the Verbier Pistes from Nendaz without getting the bus to Siviez, one day we spent a fair while on absolutely deserted pistes at La Tzoumaz which was fantastic. We also easily reached the Les Collons/Thyon 2000 end in one and a half hours (and I am not an especially fast skier). Despite this, the links can be tenous to say the least, at least some of them were closed on 3 days of the week, meaning a bus to Siviez, or driving elsewhere (we went to Mayens D'Ours one very snowy morning when most high links were closed due to avalanche risk. Also, even if you download by cablecar/gondola to avoid the unpisted itineries you still need to ski a black run to get from Siviez to Nendaz, and from Siviez to Veysonnaz. Monday morning we set out with my daughter, a second week skier only too find the cablecar closed, so had to ski the black run back  So overall - a big ski aea for competent skiers, in good conditions.
Our accomodation was cheap - £340 for an apartment (hutch) for four, eating out in the evening was pricey compared to the Dolomites, but probably cheaper than Paradiski. Food and beer on the hill - again more expensive than the Dolomites, but cheaper than Paradiski, and cheaper than Portes du Soleil where we stopped on the way home. Beer was 6-7 SFR compared to 6-7 Euros in France.
Overall we had a great time, and the offpiste looks superb, we tackled a few (well I did one!) of the ski itineries, but they certainly give me something to work on for next year!
We had a great time, and the skiing can be extensive, and very good, but beware if you are a mixed ability group, as lower intermediates could find it restricting.
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