 Poster: A snowHead
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Saturday's Times newspaper contains this article comparing the two favourite French resorts for Brits: Meribel and Val d'Isere.
It's revealed that the two destinations run neck and neck in popularity, each attracting 108,000 UK visitors last winter (Meribel just 500 ahead, and Val about to overtake). Apart from that, the article makes no original observations at all that I could spot!
Stunning, though, that this pair of resorts (out of the hundreds available to us across the Alps) account for 20% of all British skiers.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 5-02-05 0:25; 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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David, not been to VDI, and only spent a short time in meribel. nothing I've read has been positive enough to attract me. The large no of 'Brits abroad' is enough. Even though us skiers are a better class of lagerlout.
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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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| David Goldsmith wrote: |
Apart from that, the article makes no original observations at all that I could spot!
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Not surprising, they run a variant of the same article every year 
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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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I think that Val d'Isere unfairly gets a bad reputation. The skiing there is excellent, definitely world class. Just because loads of brits go there doesn't make it a bad place.
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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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I was quite surprised at their very critical comments on Val's looks:
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| Val d’Isère has awful architecture, more concrete blocks than chocolate box. |
True that Val is no chocolate box, but I've never found anything particularly ugly in the place. It has a genuine 'old town', and some of the recent modern stone-based buildings in the centre are quite innovative and good-looking. The town's community give the impression of caring about its looks, and Jean-Claude Killy says he's committed to removing more traffic.
La Daille is sometimes criticised, but as appartment blocks go I've always found it stunning and dramatic, like a vast craggy reflection of the surrounding mountains.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Sorry, but I just can't agree with U there, the apartments at La Daille are an abomination, much like yourself.
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I don't agree with what they have said about most of Val d'Iseres slopes being mostly intermediate either.
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I'm not a fan of either place, I believe the skiing in Les Arcs is much better than Val d'Isere. Val as a town is far too strung out, the skiing is not particulary convenient apart from one or two links you have to return to the village to move from one area to another. Meribel is worse it's always the point in the 3 valleys where the snow is lost first which is exacerbated by the way so much traffic has to go through Meribel en route to other locations. Nothing you can do about topography but I believe both resorts are victimns of their own success and epitomise the over expansion that has taken place in the Alps.
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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: |
I don't agree with what they have said about most of Val d'Iseres slopes being mostly intermediate either.
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Surely that's the root of its success? Take a mixed group there and everyone has a great day's skiing, especially the intermediates. The free lifts, nursery slopes and that big flat area of snow connecting the Solaise and Bellevarde was an inspired piece of planning.
I think the main challenge to Val is that it's over-popular and showing some signs of being too zoo-like on the main pistes. Le Fornet makes a good escape on busy days, I find.
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I don't agree with what they have said about most of Val d'Iseres slopes being mostly intermediate either.
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I haven't read the article, but is this meant to be a criticism? ( The article I mean rather than your comment)
I have never been to a ski resort where most of the pistes aren't intermediate, if by that they mean the majority of pistes can be negotiatied by the majority of skiers without either terror or being forced to schuss the whole way.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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True, but many ski resorts have the proportions of intermediate skiing wrong - either too much expert stuff or (as you imply) too much flat stuff.
If you want a ski resort where intermediates are definitely uncomfortable, try La Grave!
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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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Even in La Grave the actual marked runs are skiable by many intermediate skiers particularly on the glacier; probably not a place to base yourself for a holiday though. But in terms of val d'isere and meribel I would of thought it shows a bit of a lack of imagination if you cannot find some runs worth doing whatever your skiing ability.
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I have to say that I rather like Val d'Isere, the skiing there is good although it is compromised by the Bellevarde face whih means that skiing back into the village itself is somewhat limited. This I consider to be a disadvantage for beginners, especially as the slopes coming off the Solaise are packed and inevitably chopped up. The only redeeming feature of Meribel, as I have said on another thread, (Mont Vallon excluded) is that you can get out of it easily! As far as both resorts go I'd rather ski in Tignes or Courchevel/ Val Thorens and Les Menuires.
I have to say the article is pretty uninspiring!
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You know it makes sense.
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I have been to Tarentaise frequent enough to report that both resorts are world class.
Val D is linked with Tignes and the 300km terrian suits everybody. Val D itself isn't very well linked but Tignes is as good as every large resort.
Meribel is part of the 4 valleys (Courchevel, Les Menuires and Val Thoren being the other 3) and where else in the world do we have 600km linked piste?
There is no surprise that two have been favourites among the the British skiers. There are many places with worse appearance than Val D. Flaine is a nice example for comparison. I think Val D for being the inner most resort in the Tarentaise tried hard to survive by offering good deals, making it an easily accessible resort to the British Skiing public. However in term of pure skiing these two places beat many posh resorts.
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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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Both are world class resorts.
The French just state all the facts, but do not really know how to blow their own trumpets.
Imagine if an American company was marketing these places ?
You would never the end of it. Hundreds of state of the art lifts. Biggest, best, blah,blah,blah...
Val' d'Isere also means Tignes. Yes it is ugly - but no worse than Snowbird and with considerably more scope.
If you need to book early and want somewhere snowsure it is right at the top of the list.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm with The Abominable snowHead on this one - Le Fornet run top to bottom is always relatively secluded - good for dabbling off-piste - some small jumps at the side of the piste - and available variety for the early intermediate to good intermediate all the way down the mountain, plus the chairlift up,over and down the mountain to access the valley is superb for views!
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