 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
It's perfect for what you're doing. Easy to get to, loads of skiing, you can avoid drag lifts easily and the snow's great. Go for it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
bullet, with that itinery, definitely Les Arcs. It is so quick to get to from Bourg (ie straight up the funicular) and the skiing is excellent. I have only spent one week there and it is a resort that I want to go back to.
It has all styles of skiing, and some pretty good off-piste opportunities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
bullet, the Aiguille Rouge is one of the great ski mountains in France. In my view it alone offers finer ski runs than any single peak on the Espace Killy circuit.
As Tony Lane says, you can be on your skis very quickly from Bourg station, so this is definitely your destination. Just wing it up the funicular, catch the chairlift from Arc 1600 and the fun begins.
If you're doing all that travelling for one day's skiing - highly risky - I'd take the gamble only on the basis of a good weather forecast ... but I gather you've reached the point of no return, so the very best of luck!!!
Let us know if it was worth it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Thanks for the info guys, had no idea the funicular ran from the back of Bourg station. I think that's made my mind up, that and the fact that its always nice to cross another resort off the list...!
David, you're quite right though it is a bit of a risk and we considered that, but the calling was just too strong...! I'll let you know how we get on.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
I'd look at the weather forecast the day before and then decide. Because of the time you arrive and depart, you can easily get to and from Val D'Isere without missing any skiing. But check the forecast. i have known the weather and snow to be really bad in Les arc while still good in VDI, although not normally the other way around. In addition, if it does warm up head for the Grande Motte in Tignes for the snow quality. However, if conditions look equal, save yourself the trip to VDI and ski Les Arc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Having been to both resorts this season, one word:
Arcs.
For all the reasons listed above.
Why you only staying for the day????? 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another vote for Les Arcs. Don't miss the red and the black up in the col. Plenty of variety and you will maximise your skiing time.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What date are you going? Hopefully before the French schools hols begin. If you need any info on conditions the day before you travel, let me know. 24 hours in advance we'll have a rough idea which runs are open, where best to head for, in the domain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
bullet, you got it bad mate! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Another good thing about Les Arcs is that if the weather gets bad, there is some superb sheltered tree skiing over in Vallandry, where the runs are also often much quieter than Arc 2000.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
conor, and quieter still, the beautiful tree-lined runs towards the bottom of the Aiguille Rouge run, down to Villaroger at the opposite end of the Les Arcs domain to Villandry.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Fri 28-01-05 17:12; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
PG, I'm off tonight and i'll be on the slopes tomorrow, any info advice you can give me would be much appreciated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
bullet, Your name is clearly appropriate! Well done. Go for it! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
| Manda wrote: |
Having been to both resorts this season, one word:
Arcs.
For all the reasons listed above.
Why you only staying for the day????? |
Can't get any time off work, i only got back from Meribel on 15th Jan so we're just nipping over for the day...!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
bullet, If you have any stuff you don't want to cart around all day, you can leave it at the Polaire Star with Gordon and Rosy - they do storage for 3 euros a day (free if you rent gear from them). They're at the funicular (bottom station). The funicular runs every 20 mins, on the hour, twenty past, twenty to.
When you get up to Arc 1600, take the Cachette lift (not the Mont Blanc). First lift is at 9.15 am. There are some great runs around Arc 1600, but if you want to explore as much of the domain as possible in the day, go right from the top of the Cachette, and head (west) along the Belvedere blue until you get the the Arpette mountain restaurant - just below the Arpette is the Arpette chair - this takes you high up to the Arpette peak where you can drop over into the Arc 2000 bowl. From here you can head for Arc 2000 where you take the Lanchettes chair if you want to go to Villaroger (tree-lined runs), or stick around 2000 itself where there's plenty of great runs (plus the cable car to the top of the Aiguille Rouge, if it's running). Alternatively you can head down towards Arc 1800 and Peisey Vallandry, at the extreme west of the domain.
More of the same in terms of weather tomorrow - fine, sunny, extremely cold - and I mean COLD! Could easily be -20°C, -25°C, plus wind chill!
The avalanche risk will probably still be at 4, very high, off-piste is still very dangerous - because of the extreme cold conditions have hardly changed and the snowpack will barely have stabilised at all since the last heavy dump.
For the best piste maps :
Arc 1600, 1800, Peisey Vallandry
http://www.ski-lesarcs.com/gb/pistes/images/plan_1600_1800_pix1800.jpg
Arc 2000, Villaroger
http://www.ski-lesarcs.com/gb/pistes/images/plan_2000_pix1800.jpg
Where to eat? If you're down in Villaroger, La Ferme - right down in the little village by the bottom lift. If you're at Arc 2000? Chalets de L'Arc. Over at Peisey? When you're going down the Ours red, you'll see the Vanoise Hotel. Pass in front of this, walk (or ski) 100 yards or so down the road and the Flying Squirrel bar is on your right, run by snowHead Will. He does an excellent steak and chips. Haven't really found anywhere I would recommend at 1800, all pretty average.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
I remember some great mogul runs in Arc 2000, coming down from the gondola.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Haven't been up there since the last dump - the cable car to the top of the Aiguille Rouge was closed up until yesterday, and it was just ridiculously cold. Still will be tomorrow. Stayed lower down, out of the wind, and below the treeline - plenty of powder, and relatively safe. Mogul runs to be found all over the place, at the moment!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
bullet, following on from PG's recommended places to eat, not that you will need two in a day this time around, The Aiguille Rouge in Villaroger also does a very good lunch. It's a little more difficult to find than La Ferme ( which I too recommend ) but Villaroger is a tiny place and you should be able to ski back into the village where it is located.
Just an aside I would be keen to hear how you get on with the 'hands free' lift pass system as we had a nightmare with it before Christmas. 2 of the guys we skied with had new season passes and both did not work and had to be replaced. My Son's 5 day pass stopped working on day 2 and the lift pass office in Peisey would not replace it, we had to go to Arc 1800 and spend over an hour getting a replacement. The replacement gave up the ghost on the 4th afternoon so he just ducked the barriers on the last day.
Good luck and I hope everything goes to plan - I look forward to a trip report.
CP
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Thanks everyone for the advice PG especially, you've given me a lot to work with.
I'm still a bit worried about the train running delay free. What's the bettings there's no problems through France but it takes us 5 hours to get to Ashford...!
Anyway i'll give you all a report on Monday and let you know if it was worth it, Thanks Again! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
bullet, no real reason to worry. My impression is that the journey time has plenty of "catch-up" time built in and they could easily get you there earlier, except that no-one wants to arrive at 4am.
It has always worked well for me (except getting home last Saturday when the landslide rather messed things up - but that was exceptional)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
-30C !! a tad chilly then
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CP, that was at the top of the Aiguille Rouge a couple of days ago. Temperatures have shot up - it was a mere
-20°C at 2,000m first thing this morning. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Almost tropical then!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
bullet, The only problem with Les Arcs is that when it is windy the Aiguille Rouge cable car closes and the resort loses the majority of its best runs (if you are a good skier).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 snowball, hardly!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
CP, sorry to hear about your problems with the lift pass. I just had a 6 day LA pass. No problems and although the weather limited my touring around the resort, I never saw anyone struggling with the automatic barriers. The main pass office at the bottom of the funiculaire did warn me - no mobile phones, keys or anything metallic near the pass, which must be in your left pocket. Hold poles in right hand. Keep the payment receipt for a replacement pass if you lose yours (better than in many resorts where a loss is just that). No photos needed for 6 day passes. Don't forget to reclaim the 3 Euro refundable deposit on your last day.
BTW on temps I was glad I was wearing plenty layers on Thursday morning - on the train from Bourg !!! Arctic conditions.
Eating places - Les Arcs seems to be slightly short on mountain restaurants with good views from a sunny terrace. But there are tons of places adjacent to the bottom of main lifts. If you are in Peisey, The Flying Squirrel does good fast pub grub. If you want a full meal, the Hotel Vanoise overlooking the lift stations does several menus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
kuwait_ian, To be fair it was opening day so I guess a few teething problems are to be expected. We did carry our receipts but it was pretty obvious that the pass office staff did not quite know how to deal with passes that were inoperable. As for keys and phones my Son was not carrying any, however he will have a phone next time out but that's another story.
I will say that the lift pass office at 1800 advised that the pass should not be bent, not that Sam's was. My experience of other hands free systems is of more robust cards, the Les Arcs one is quite flimsy.
We will be in La Rosiere at half term, it will be interesting to see if Sam has hands free pass problems there - my Wife and I have often thought he is an Alien, it could be true
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
CP, La Rosiere and La Thuile have had hands free passes for a few years now, in my experience it works well but you are advised to keep in pocket away from any other items, especially electronics.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Early jan in LP an there were 30 of us. We found that there was a technique. As said, left hand side, pocket on its own, but importantly get the card as near as you can to the reader and then remain very still, this helps the card to be read. It is not a swipe card. We thought they were fab, especially for kids, who usually drop poles, gloves etc with the old system
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
Hope bullet enjoyed his day - it was just too cold for me and I stopped skiing at lunchtime because I just couldn't face the bitterly cold temps anymore.CP, I also had to replace my season pass as it stopped working. It had always been slightly temperamental and finally gave up the ghost last weekend. The lift pass office replaced it straightaway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
I was thinking about Bullet last night when the Tunnel was closed because somebody was taking WW11 souvenir bombs through. Just the kind of thing that happens when you are short of time!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| PG wrote: |
| snowball, hardly! |
Hmmm. Well I looked at the current piste map and I see you can access the best part of the Villaroger run from 2000 now, so perhaps I slightly overstated. But there are still the 3 blacks down the face of the higher part unavailble when the cable is closed (well, really that's just one huge available face).
2000 was only one building when I was there last, so I admit I'm very out of date.
But the big off-piste face straight down to the final long traverse of the red run back to the bottom of the cable car is a tremendous one, and for exciting steeps, how about under the cable-car!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
rob@rar.org.uk, again many thanks for the ski guiding service last week.
Chris Bish, train was three hours late. We had to stand on the platform at BSM for three hours waiting to board (we could have gone elsewhere to wait, but didn't trust the waiting time to suddenly change while we were away from the station).
The runs from Aguille Rouge were pretty icy, but worth the effort. My main disappointment was the fact that I didn't have a camera on me when they ran the cable car for the first time after the blizzards. The shot with the ice being cleared from the cable would have been amazing - and a rare one to get.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
