 Poster: A snowHead
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We are going to Courchevel 1300 at half term with kids aged 6-9. The adults are advanced intermediate or better, is there enough at Courchevel on its own or do we need to get the whole 3v pass? If we were on our own it would be a no brainer but the kids will stick to blues/reds and will want to take it a bit easy.
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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The Courchevel valley on its own is bigger than most ski areas in the Alps, with about 150km of piste, so you don't really need a full pass with the kids in tow. But it will be very tempting to hop over the ridge to Meribel as it is so close to C1300 (a.k.a. Le Praz)! If you think they might be up for Meribel toward the end of the week you can always buy a day extension to your Courchevel passes (if you can be bothered to join the lift-pass Q again). Bear in mind tho that Meribel is busy in January, let alone half-term - it will be ram-packed when you go. Heading east toward C1550 & C1650 will take you away rather than toward the crowds.
I hope your kids are confident on reds becoz there are only reds and blacks back to C1300. If not get the gondola back down. Good variation in run difficulty elsewhere in Courchevel tho. Enjoy!
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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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Is there much of a difference in the price? If not go for the 3V pass!  Enjoy.
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Courchevel Pass only. get a family pass and save a bit more (E125 cheaper than famille 3v pass). Unless kids have at least 4 weeks good skiing then 150km of Courchevel will be fine. Also it is 150 km of some of the finest piste around. Kkids want to do jumps and have fun, not rack up the miles. We did it last yr with half a doz nutty 6-10 yr olds and we had a ball and still didnt take them to La Tania or La Praz. it will be fab. If its busy head to 1650, fab for kids and quiet with 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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3V, definitely, I'd say. Getting from valley to valley is easy and the kids will really enjoy skiing over to another valley, having lunch somewhere different and skiing back. An extra Euro 125 doesn't seem much compared to the cost of a ski hol for a family.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I've been to Courchevel with kids of similar ages, got 3 Valleys passes, and then scarely ventured outside the Courchevel valley. There's more than enough to keep everyone happy for a week in the one valley, and there's nothing particularly interesting close in the Meribel valley. The 3 Valleys pass is great if you are going to do big circuits to St Martin de Belleville or the top of the Cime de Caron, but I can't see you getting that far with a six year old! The other consideration is queues in half term week. The Chaudanne and Mottaret areas in the Meribel valley are the main hubs for the entire system, and to be avoided at peak periods, whereas the furthest edge of the Courchevel valley (above Courchevel 1650) may be relatively quieter.
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Sorry richmond but I don't agree. Is a 6 year old really going to get any more out of skiing to Mottaret than say C1650? As for having lunch somewhere different, there are plenty of places to eat in the Courchevel valley, spread all over the piste area, more than enough for a different pitstop each day. And while €125 may not be a lot to you I don't think we can assume that is the case for everyone:- taking a family skiing is expensive, so all the more reason to make savings where you can, surely?
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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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| Quote: |
you'll have trouble enticing them off the bumps at the side of the Verdons (green) piste anyway
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....Ah memories. Take a video camera and ski down Verdons whilst the kids ski the bumps to the right. Another tip is when taking then over to 1650 leave 1850 from Vizelle, down to Creux, and the Chanrossa chair up to 1650(nice wide red down to the chair. This takes you to some lovely blues tha the kids will love but misses out the Pyramide drag lift (long) in 1650. 
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Thanks for the help. We are going to spend most time with the kids so I think the Courchevel pass with upgrades will do OK.
Now then, where can we take our lunatic 2 year old when not in creche??????
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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skiing?
don't miss the Pyramide drag lift - littered with the bodies of small children who have fallen foul of the bit where it lifts the little ones up, spins them round and then drops them again - facing back down the lift! one of our party (aged 7) made it nearly all the way up to the top going backwards (but that steep bit always gets 'em...)!
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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, I'm massively outvoted. You should definitely go for Couchevel only.
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richmond,
I'm recently back from my third 3V trip & yes, if you've young 'uns in tow you're definately outvoted. Go for the Courchevel pass only & have a great holiday.
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You know it makes sense.
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I agree with Courchevel only. I don't rate the skiing in Meribel particularly highly, and certainly not by comparison with Courchevel. The Belleville valley (Val T, Les Menuires and St Martin) is great but you will be clock watching too much to enjoy it with kids. If you get the chance though the Mont de la Chambre in Les Menuires is great fun and relatively quiet, and also the off-piste round the back of it is superb.
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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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I agree - there is plenty around Courchavel and La Tania for a week with kids.
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Poster: A snowHead
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skibandit, said
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there is plenty around Courchavel
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Is that where the chavs 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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Frankly, I can't imagine why anyone would even suggest a 3V pass; madness! I'll come clean; I've never stayed in Courcheval and my suggestion was based on a couple of stays in Meribel. There, I think that the 3V pass is justified even if you have some low mileage skiers in your team. On my first hol there (which was also my first real skiing hol) we skied over to Courcheval on a day add on pass. I thought that I'd cracked this skiing lark, skiing to lunch in another village in another valley! How miserably wrong I was.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Mon 24-01-05 12:54; edited 1 time in total
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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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Stayed in mottaret last year and had a 3v pass. Clocked up load of miles on all the valleys - but that's the advantage of being in the middle one. I must say we did prefer the Courcheval valley: fabulous skiing!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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richmond
lol
what were you thinking?!? 
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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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| Matthew Way wrote: |
Now then, where can we take our lunatic 2 year old when not in creche?????? |
Definitely, hire a couple of toboggans for about 5€ (the longer one has room for an adult and small child) and have a few goes on the luge run from C1850 down to C1550, then catch the gondola back up. A good time is about 4.00pm when it's still, light, not too busy and not too cold - by about 5.50 to 6.00pm, everybody's finished skiing and a large queue builds up for the gondola. Great fun...... wahey
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
the Courcheval valley
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is that where the horses go?
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Only the white ones.
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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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Matthew Way, I think you've chosen the best option. My experience is as per richmond's. Stayed in Meribel when I was learning to ditch the snowplough for parallel turns, and I only managed 2x trips into Courchevel over the whole week, and didn't at all get into the Val Thorens valley. Until you've properly earned your piste-basher legs the Courchevel slopes will more than adequately do the job.
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Now then, where can we take our lunatic 2 year old when not in creche??????
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Anywhere you like!!!!
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FAQ
) - with children, buy the family pass on line (beare: they need about 10 days - 2 weeks notice to process them), then upgrade towards the end of the week on a daily basis if you feel you need/would like to. We stupidly bought the whole family 3V passes at Christmas, having done a lot of valley hopping last Easter with our 8 year old, only to find that we barely used them as a) we had to get back by 11.15 for our 7 year old from ski school in 1650 and b) there was a lot of rubble on the way donw to mottaret.
It was only the thread pointing out the Times getting it horsily wrong that put me right!
