 Poster: A snowHead
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We're going to Les Arcs in Jan 10. 
From the 3 V's resorts the roads down to Moutiers and onward past Chambery can be very busy on the changeover Saturdays. Horror stories of hours of delays even in good weather.
Having been to the 3V's resorts for the past 4 years, i'm reasonable familiar with the local roads but not those beyond Moutiers to Les Arcs. We should miss the major Saturday arrival day problems by arriving Friday AM but we will now be leaving on a Saturday. So it's the return journey i'm interested in.
Is Les Arcs, to BSM or beyond a similar bottleneck? In the past i've usually missed the 'road down the hill' issue by leaving later and then travelling overnight. It's supposed to be just under an hour and approx 30 miles. What's the real experience like? If anyone has experience (good and bad) leaving Les Arc 1800 on a Saturday, please post.
Any advice appreciated.
edited to change Jan 09 to Jan 10!
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 5-07-09 11:20; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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BMF_Skier, What dates you travelling in and out?
We travelled in this year on the 3rd Jan. Other side of the road was complete mess with new Years week heading home. We left on the 10th from Arc 2000 at 7.30am, roads very quiet. January won't be an issue except for those heading home on 2nd.
I'll PM you a hidden short cut, not for public eyes 
Read this it will also help
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=37979#892921
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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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| BMF_Skier wrote: |
| We're going to Les Arcs in Jan 09. |
Can I borrow you're time machine - I'd quite like to do last season again!
I did a trip from Peisey-Vallandry to Moutiers on the Sat before Easter last season. Took about 40 minutes IIRC leaving resort at about 7:50am. So from Les arcs proper possibly 50 minutes. No real traffic issues to worry about, apart from when I turned up the hill towards courch, when it slowed down a lot. Also left on the 10th Jan about 3pm to go to GVA and didn't have any issues there either.
Provided you're not leaving on the Sat after NYE I really wouldn't worry about it too much...
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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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thefatcontroller, bertie bassett, Thanks for the feedback. We are travelling back late January.
The thread you pointed me at states what I'd thought would be the case, travel very early or very, very late. Well if that's the case, we may end up with another days skiing!
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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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Why as a sh you wouldn't want to stay for a full day's skiing on the Saturday is a vey valid question given the fact that in many resorts not near major cities they can be the quietest day of the week? After all you are not Dutch 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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fatbob, Quietest day skiing but difficult travelling , so the real issue is, choosing the optimum travel time. We were originally staying until Sunday with an early bug out planned. Once we're out of the appt, we'll have to sort car parking and a place to change clothes. We did something similar at the E0SB this year and were fortuante to be able to pop into one of the Oxalys appts to change. Packing the car the heavy snow falling was another matter! It's a resort area that is new to us so we thought we'd ask for advice.
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I think late Jan is better than Feb but I have experienced the big jam near new year time.
The road is single lane between Moutier and BSM. The road down from Les Arc to BSM is known to be icy and a friend of mine, who owns a chalet over 25 years, skid his car down a ravine a couple years ago. When he went back to check the car he saw 3 others there!. I have not driven up from BSM to Les Arc myself but it is somethinmg to remember as even an experienced driver could be caught out on such a road. Apart from that the road from BSM to Moutier is totally flat and straight (no hairpin bend). The distance between Moutier and BSM (into the valley) is comparable Moutier to Albertville (out of the valley). I remember the distance is 17 miles each. The traffic between Moutier and Albertville can move quickly because this section has dual carriageway.
Without traffic jam one can average close to 60 mph in most parts between Moutier and BSM on a heavy 4x4 so it is a journey of 20 minutes is comfortable in a non-changeover day.
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Evening travel time is fine - I've never stayed anywhere in Europe that at least hasn't let me leave the car there for the day & changing at the car or at an Aire on the autoroute is hardly a big deal. I'd plan to leave 4ish for a 3am Ferry or Tunnel, allowing for a dinner & coffee stop on the way.
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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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| saikee wrote: |
| The road down from Les Arc to BSM is known to be icy |
No more than the access road to any other high altitude resort in that part of the world. The resort's snow clearance services are pretty effective in my opinion; I've only had to use chains once on the access road, and that was when I arrived in a complete blizzard.
BMF_Skier, late or early is good advice. If I'm leaving on a Saturday I like to leave the apartment by 9.30am, unless it's one of the school holidays in which case I'll probably leave a bit earlier than that. The main bottleneck these days seems to be the long tunnel between BSM and Moutiers. The newly constructed part of the N90 has traffic lights on it controlling the number of cars which enter the tunnel at any one time. Not sure why this is, might be for ventilation reasons or possibly for safety (there was a lethal accident in the tunnel a couple of years ago IIRC). Where the N90 bypasses Moutiers can also be a bit slow if it's a very heavy traffic day. The Tourist Office in Les Arcs usually has a traffic forecast for the coming weekend, so it might be worth popping in one evening before you leave to see what the local authorities think will be the best time to avoid.
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| Quote: |
Without traffic jam one can average close to 60 mph in most parts between Moutier and BSM
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? not legally, I suspect. I recall quite a few stretches with lower limits. But on a non-peak Saturday in January you should be OK. Personally I'd go for a short day skiing Saturday and leave around 3 pm - after the Saturday "changeover" traffic, but before the exodus of day-skiers. Get the car packed, just have some comfy clothes for everyone to travel in, and get a few hours up onto the motorway before stopping early for the night.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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rob@rar, " leave the apartment at 9:30...
Jan 3rd 2004. 1st time we'd done it, not aware of issues , short cuts or back roads. Left at 9:30 ish Nice and easy down from 1950 to BSM...4 hours to reach Moutiers. 25km.
SmallW (accompanied by MrsW) aged 2, able to get out of car for "potty stops", and rejoin with nae bother. We could have had a picnic at the roadside it was so slow.
But it was no doubt NY holiday traffic: OTOH, for non new year week, owners leaving at 6:30 am reckon they can catch the 6pm Eurotunnel.
Most times it's fine - allow 30 mins down the hill, 1 hour to Moutiers, and you'll be well on time if you are chasing ferry, train or plane. Which way are you and the clan travelling?
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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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| JimW wrote: |
| OTOH, for non new year week, owners leaving at 6:30 am reckon they can catch the 6pm Eurotunnel |
JimW, Jan 10th this year we left Arc 2000 at 7.30am and we were in Eurotunnel for 5.30pm and that was with 3 kids in the back and planty of stops on the way and no speeding
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| JimW wrote: |
| But it was no doubt NY holiday traffic: |
Yes, school holiday traffic means a much earlier start for us. We also got caught out on the Saturday after New Year and learned our lesson about early departures.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
learned our lesson about early departures.
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but a later departure CAN work, as well - though in rented accommodation you usually have to be out by 10 am, so to have a few extra hours skiing takes a bit of prior thought and organisation. Those queues down the mountain at New Year are certainly something - I've seen people chatting in groups, up and down the road, having a cigarette, chucking a few prawns on the barbie, etc. I've always been going the other way, though.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
learned our lesson about early departures.
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but a later departure CAN work, as well - |
Yes it can, although our preference is normally to do the return journey in one day rather than breaking it into two with an overnight stop somewhere.. So an early departure means we beat the traffic out of the Tarentaise, get to Calais around tea-time and are home in time to flop in to bed at a reasonable hour.
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Poster: A snowHead
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rob@rar, .....and marvel at the length of the queues going south whilst driving North
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