Poster: A snowHead
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Just back from a fantastic week in Les Deux Alpes. I was really apprehensive before I went as this resort receives a lot of bad press. I really was very put off, so much, that I even thought about changing to another resort. However, I went and had a fantastic time. I would like to put "right" some of the negative points that people seem to have about Les Deux Alpes.
1. Queues
Although I was not there during the French School Holidays, I experienced very little queues. What people tend to forget is that the Jandri Express (Main Lift) holds up to about 20 people. This is in comparison with "main" lifts in other resorts which hold about 8-10 people maximum. Therefore, if Les Deux Alpes has long queues, they will move quicker - its all relative.
2. Long drawn out resort
Yes, it is very long and drawn out, but there is a free bus service every 15 minutes, so no complaints there!!.
I really must say that I think Les Deux Alpes was absolutely wonderful and had a fantastic time.
p.s. Everybody should take ski lessons from Easiski - she is very good and certainly knows her stuff!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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[/quote]p.s. Everybody should take ski lessons from Easiski - she is very good and certainly knows her stuff!!
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I'd agree with that one. Have only visited in the Summer though, so hard to get a good idea of waht the resort is like. It's HUGE though.
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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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jb1970, & Helen Beaumont, Thanks for the kind words, Some resort facts:
220 kms of pistes lift served and pisted - not shared with any other village/resort
We have 2,278m vertical drop lift served and pisted
35,000 beds!
The second biggest off piste domain in France after Chamonix (yes we have more than Espace Killy, & NOT counting La Grave
La Grave is just next door
We have 1.5 kms (width) of slopes IN THE VILLAGE, some of which go up to red
We have some of the best and most progressive beginner ski-ing I've ever seen (been around a while)
We're cheap and you don't have all those horrible horray Henry types to make you ashamed of being British
You get a welcome from the locals (they like the Brits)
There's a friendly, community feel to the place, and NO IT'S NOT purpose built - despite what some people think.
Ignore the idot piste map, we have a very large black ski domain amounting to approx 45% of our ski-ing (most of the runs are unpisted though).
On the whole if you can ski all our blues, you're unlikely to find any blue anywhere (and not many reds) that cause you a problem!
If you can ski ALL our blacks under control you can ski anywhere
Less good: the piste map is terrible
We have lots of blues that are really red
We don't have motorway ski-ing (hooray on behalf of all real skiers)
There's no social "caché" to ski-ing here (yippee)
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Apologies if this is not the appropriate forum to ask the question (first time poster!) and apologies if I'm repeating a question already asked - I'm off to Les Deux Alpes this weekend, and was hoping that some kind soul could give me a few tips on where to head. I'm with quite a mixed group so we'll be sticking to pistes mainly, but a few of us would like to try accessable off-piste from time to time. It's our first time there, and I find its always helpful to get a few tips before heading to a new resort.
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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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easiski, I have read somewhere that the general topography of LDA is approximately the opposite of Alpe d'Huez insofar as the bottom slopes are the steepest, the gradient lessening as you climb. So that the highest, most snowsure is not challenging and everyone, at the end of the day, ends up funnelling onto the steepest slopes with ensuing mayhem.
Please can you provide the truth as the above generalism has prevented me and crew from visiting LDA. From your description above I intend to visit next season but can you clear up what hopefully is a misunderstanding. Thanks
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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easiski wrote: |
We don't have motorway ski-ing (hooray on behalf of all real skiers)
There's no social "caché" to ski-ing here (yippee) |
Do I detect a bit of ski snobbery here (assuming that you meant 'cachet')?
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I visited LDA and L'Alpe d'Huez a year or two after I started skiing and didn't find any mayhem in both resorts. I was starting to ski the red slopes at the time. There are godolas/chairlifts to go down to the bottom if the snow isn't good so there is no need to worry the bottom section at all.
I remember LDA has 10 hairpin bends to drive through and L'Alpe d'Huez has 20. They are near enough to say opposite on either side of the main road.
L'Alpe d'Huez is bigger and more challenging, unless Easiski stands to correct me.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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We, My Son and I, went last year at half term. Snow was not great so skiing back down was a problem for lots of folks, either a long green which was in very very poor condition or an icy black run. Now the black was okay for us but because of the state of the green a lot of Joeys took the black and turned into a mobile slalom at peak times. We were staying close to the Petite Aiguille lift at the entrance to the town. Might have been easier to get down from the other end of the town but we did not try that.
Apart from that we had a great time and always managed to avoid any big queues. Restaurant reached by taking the Les Gours blue which is almost under the La Fee lift ( might even be called La Fee ) was a good lunch spot as it did not get too busy and the staff were very friendly.
CP
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MJH, PM me and I'll fill you in with more details.
B00thy, You're correct about us being upside down. We do have a couple of reds on the glacier (at least as steep as the laughable "black" at Tignes). There are also quite a few blacks etc higher up at around 2,600m. Therefore not all the higher ski-ing is easy. Also our blues are very elastic - I've certainly skied reds in other resorts much easier than the majority of our blue runs. Also we are mainly North and Nort West facing whereas most of ADH is South and South East facing so our snow conditions stay better longer.
There is a horrible green path back to town (see post from CP, ) and otherwise black runs, but there are a number of chair lifts and gondolas which can also take you back down the last bit. Don't forget that if you ski from the top to the Cretes (the last flatter bit) you've already skied 1368 verticle metres! I often go down in the chairlift, and thoroughly enjoy the views and the padded seats at the end of the day. The mayhem on the green run is only when it's icy and the mayhem on the black is mostly on the one with snow cannons (Combe Valentin), the other blacks (which are unpisted) are just fine even late in the day. I'm told they're planning to create a blue down the Diable end of the resort, but it will probably take a while as it will be difficult to get through all the planning with us being on the edge of the Ecrins National Park, and it will require major earthworks on the mountain.
saikee, I really disagree - if you think ADH is more challenging you just didn't find most of our ski-ing! ADH is kids play by comparison - come back and try it!!!!!!!!!
richmond, Yes - very happy not to have to deal with the 3 valleys and Val D mob - mostly just very nice ordinary people who come here. Long may it last - no fur coats - no £10 beers and no russian mafia either!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I visted LDH in 99 my second week skiing and at half term. So no surprises that the green run back was busy. After first day my group alway came down in the Jandri, having ski'd on the better parts.
Have been at least once a year since then, 3 times being at half term, EVERYWHERE is busy at that time, you have to accept it.
Other resorts have been Soldeu, just as busy on the last run home, La Rosiere (In March) snow very wet as it faces directly south, Tignes, Serre Che and Flaine- again pick your route to avoid bun fights.
Have just booked for w/c 28/2 for LDH, really looking ofrward to seeing it again and enjoyng the high altitude skiing.
PS Has anyone ever used the resort creche in LDH, we have a 9 month baby and will be using it, would be nice to know how good it is.
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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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easiski, Any way round overcoming the bad piste map?
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geoffknight, Not really. They did do a better one about 4 years ago, but people complained. It would be better if they took La Grave off it - it takes up too much space, and of course it would be better if they didn't pretend to be what we aren't (full of blues and with almost no difficult ski-ing!)
I'm glad you enjoy it so much - if you feel like it give me a bell and we'll have a beer.
Creche is fine, but no-one speaks much English.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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snowskisnow, I'm afraid that's likely to be true!
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Poster: A snowHead
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I found there to be some challenging runs there but the resort has accessibility bottlenecks and the piste grading is dodgy.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Toooooooooo flat!!
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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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I agree with the last two posts. From when we arrived at mid station (by helicopter) it was a full half hour before we got to hit the slopes at the top of the Jandri.....too slow. There were several blues that should have been graded as green and some blues that quite clearly were reds.
On a plus note there are some great runs and good views. The food in the mountain restaurant was great (omlette the size of a dinner plate). Overall though Alpe D'huez edges it for me.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Come back and answer easiski !
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