 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Guys,
Just joined the forum so hello to everyone. I am a keen skier of reasonable ability and my partner is getting better and better after each trip.
Whilst in the 3 Valleys last year we got stuck in an awful white-out over in the fourth valley (we were staying in Mottaret) and I had a hell of a job getting her back. It's entirely a confidence thing and so when we returned she informed me that she wanted to go away for a weekend prior to going for a week so she could get some lessons and build her confidence before we go away with our mates.
So I am beginning the search for a cheap weekend/midweek trip in December/January 2010 - does anyone have any suggestions of where to go and stay?
We live in Newcastle and can get Easyjet flights to Geneva so the obvious thoughts are to go somewhere fairly close to Geneva. I have done a bit of skiing in the Portes Du Soleil (Chatel, Avoriaz etc.) but does anyone know what the snow is like so here so early in the season? I am used to ripping it up in March/April?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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this is useful for finding resorts near major airports.
http://www.j2ski.com/ski_resorts/Airports/
For december you want to be looking high for 100%..
why not do a full week in Jan on a last minute package deal, might work out cheaper..and then you get a full week of ski practice
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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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Sunshine81, Welcome.
She cant be to bad a skier if she is covering that much terrain some of which is reasonably steep in places so as you say confidence is a big part and when you cant see where your going it can take a knock.
Grand Massif is worth a look too its close to PDS and not crazy money either. I enjoyed it in January this year. Samoens, Morillion and Lez Carroz are all nice places to stay Flaine is a little les charming its the biggest part of the ski area though and has lots of good runs. ZigZag ski school can be highly recomended if you stay in Samoens or Morillon. They have a good approach to teaching and tend to take a skills and technique approach rather than a follow me plant ze Batton bend ze knees approach. I learned a lot from one of their instructors in a 2 hour private lesson. They do a confidence building too and many of the slopes in the area are ideal for confidence building.
Jivebaby and Marcellus (both snowheads) may be able to offer accomodation here too.
In a whiteout the colour lens in your goggles can help. If its to dark you will not have enough contrast to see the bumps in flat light or white out. My personal favourite lense for these conditions is the Oakley high intensity yellow, if there is any thing to be seen you will see it with these which will increase confidence. be warned its not a general purpose lens and when the sun comes out it is way to bright. Some of the pink lenses are good all purpose like Bolle Vermillion (not the Vermillion Gun Its good but it is a mirrored lens with low transmitance so is best in bright conditions).
When your missus wants to do an extra ski trip your onto a winner. Enjoy
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The Grande Massif ski area is about an hour and a half drive/transfer South of Geneva over the boarder in France - with an early morning flight you could be on the mountain by lunchtime. Was there in March with a big group of beginners and intermediates and it was great. Nice ski area - nothing too threatening unless you go looking for it. Reasonably priced too. Would recommend staying in either Samoens (where we stayed) or Morillon for a good deal.
website is http://www.grand-massif.com/gm2009/?lang=en
EDIT: heh looks like RPF and I had the same idea!
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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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Sunshine81, while one naturally hope's we'll start the season like last year, if you're going in December before Xmas week you probably want to go somewhere with a Glacier. If you can e-jet to GVA then Tignes is probably your best bet. Stay in Val d'Isere accommodation more varied. Skiing pretty straightforward.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Sunshine81, welcome to Snowheads.  I agree with papasmurf; a cheapie week in early to mid January won't cost much more than a weekend. The key thing you're looking for is some top quality tuition, so that should really govern where you go. Can strongly recommend Charlotte Swift in Les Deux Alpes (have a look at easiski.com) who has a very good reputation on Snowheads and more reasonable prices than many - LDA would give you plenty of scope when she is having her lessons, too.
have a look also at Inspired to Ski - they do some specials for women, which might be appropriate depending on her style of learning etc. Loads of other alternatives, too.
weekends are always going to be a bit of a rush, very expensive "per hour on the snow" and leave you a bit more at the mercy of weather.
If you want to go in December could strongly recommend the bargain 3 day package with Mountainsun - details at link below. But I think it's pretty booked up already. There are a number of excellent instructors at Tignes. It's further from Geneva, but transfers are included in the package. We did that trip last year - stunning value.
http://www.skiandboardcamp.com/
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you looked into your nearest snowdome? Get out skiing now. I dont think the private lessons are cheap but you could always get a group of 3 or 4 and go?
Alternativly I learned at hill end, a dry ski slope in edinburgh come up here for a weekend and do some skiing. The edinburgh festival is on right now so accommodation can be more expensive but it means you can get some skiing in and catch a show aswell.
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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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Sunshine81, for weekend skiing to really work you need to be close to the Airport..... from GVA Grand Massif is less than an hour, Porte du SOleil is about an hour Chamonix over the hour so go for one of those.
To maximise the ski time I would look to fly out after work and then you're in resort ready for skiing lessons the next morning. You're right 121 lessons for 3 days will give your other half no end of confidence and skills........
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Sunshine81, We have been a couple of times to ski at Crozet in France, which is 20 mins drive from Geneva airport. We usually hire a car and have been known to be boarding the skilift 65 minutes after touching down in Geneva  We've been there for day trips at the beginning of a ski trip and moved on elsewhere on subsequent days. Crozet is a small-ish area in the Jura Mountains, with 6 or 8 varied and tree-lined runs with a decent vertical drop - more than enough to have your thighs burning! You can see the Crozet skilift as a vertical line in the trees on the mountains that are visible from the tarmac as you get off the plane at Geneva.
You could ski there on day 1 and try somewhere like Combloux (near Megeve) on subsequent days. It's a great ski area, very quiet on weekends, no lift queues and some excellent long runs - ranging from cruisey blues, blasting reds and some decent, challenging blacks. Oh, and the lift pass last season was only €24 a day. It's well worth a trip.
Our weekend trip involved an early Saturday flight out (Jet2 from Leeds), an afternoon at Crozet, a night near Megeve and then a full day's skiing at Combloux before an 80 minute drive back to Geneva for a pizza at the airport, a late flight home and bed by midnight. Not bad for no time off work 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Combloux would indeed be good place for a weekend (though not in December, perhaps). It's lovely. But not sure that you could guarantee a great instructor, unless someone can make a personal recommendation.
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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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If you do decide to do just a weekend then Easyjet do very late return flights from Geneva (9.30pm) allowing you to ski till about 5pm and still catch a bus back to the airport even from somewhere like Chamonix.
Your problem later in the season might be persuading hotels to take you other than Saturday-Saturday, but Dec or early Jan would probably be OK.
If you do go to Chamonix have a look at AlpyBus.com who deliver you to and from your hotel/Geneva Airport. for a very reasonable price. (exact time of pick-up from your hotel depends where in the Chamonix Valley you stay - Chamonix itself is the earlier drop-off and late pick-up).
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You know it makes sense.
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Sunshine81 - a trick I've used a few times is to fly out late-ish to GVA, then stay at the Holiday Inn Express overnight at the airport. Early get up, grab breakfast on the way to the resort and you wont miss any ski time.
Agree with other posters on Morzine / Portes du Soleil - great area for a weekend.
Cheers
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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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Sunshine81,
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checking to make sure we have enough leave from work
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No probs - book an appartment for a week, you can leave mid week for cheaper flights and be back for work Thursday / Friday. 5 days skiing, 3 days leave. "Its just a long weekend etc" (Mrs Haddock doesn't buy that line any more )
I'd also give the Grand Massif a vote as an area, but can't advise about ski schools there, but Ski Ecole International gets some thumbs up on other websites.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bergmeister recommends Crozet (http://www.lelex-crozet.com/Internet/LELEX-CROZET/sommaire.htm) , but it does have drawbacks. I lived near there last year and friends who were fairly novice got great value out of a season pass, but I found the day pass more expensive that the Grand Massif, for an immeasurably smaller area. On the plus side they gave me a discount for being 60 – most other resorts start at 65! The snow was great last year (best for 30 years according to locals), but the year before there was very poor coverage. As the closest resort to Geneva it gets very busy on weekends. Runs are as Bergmeister describes but a day is more than enough if you are any good. If the snow is good (and there was plenty last December) then it could be ideal for Sunshine81’s partner to get her ski legs.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sunshine81, How about La Clusaz, if you get a full moon you can ski well into the night, very close to Geneva, alternatively Flaine or the Grand Massif in general, Samoen, Sixt, Les Carroz.
We did a weekend to Sixt the chalet we stayed did transfers, worked out less than renting a car and less hassle, we took a late flight back and skied all day. Porte du Soleil, I only have experience of driving to Chatel and would say a good hour and a half to two hours.
Ski schools BASS in Porte Du Soleil, or the ESI school in Chatel, haven't used any in the other resorts try www.snowgurus.com used them to find an English speaking ski instructor.
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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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Sunshine81 - a trick I've used a few times is to fly out late-ish to GVA, then stay at the Holiday Inn Express overnight at the airport. Early get up, grab breakfast on the way to the resort and you wont miss any ski time.
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Or the formule 1 in Annemasse
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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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Once again thanks for all the advice.
Cant wait to get somthing booked and watch the dump alerts pop up in my inbox:)
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi All, I would probably head for Chamonix, close to Geneva, easy and cheap transfers and reasonable accom and lots of it. For lessons look no farther than Bass Chamonix ( check out their site). The owners Derek and Shona (former Scottish international) are some of the best in the business and also run the instructor training and assessment program for I.A.S.I. I trained with Dee o Brien AND SHE IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT, just the right mix of fun and learning for someone of your other halfs standard.Enjoy.
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Agree with much of what's been said re waiting and then getting a last minute week - probably cost you as much as a pre booked weekend and you'll be able to check out the snow. In previous years early Dec has been great for last minute deals - I always regret I never have any holiday left by then - esp last year when there was lots of snow pre-Xmas.
Early on in the season I would be looking for somewhere reasonably high - have been to Les Gets/Morzine and they are great but snow does suffer at times because they're not very high.
Also consider whether it's worth her booking onto a girls only coaching course - I too am a better skiier than my confidence gives me credit for and I really don't respond well to the "push you to your limits whether you like it or not" machismo approach that I've experienced from some ski lessons. So wherever you go make sure she gets an appropriate teacher - lots of people on here will be able to recommend suitable ones.
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so with a little more confidence there will be no stopping her.
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Sunshine81 absolutely seconded!! It's all about confidence IMV
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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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"push you to your limits whether you like it or not" machismo approach that I've experienced from some ski lessons.
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you've been to some rubbish lessons, then, Dr George. I've had loads of lessons and never come across that style. I'm quite sure that BASS Chamonix (as suggested above) would never dream of taking that sort of approach. There are indeed heaps of other recommendations available on Snowheads - but going for "girls only" would really restrict the possibilities. If that's what wanted though, Inspired to Ski do some which I'm sure would be worth looking at.
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Sunshine81, my suggestion would be Avoriaz, pretty snow sure and vast ski area... we've been in January and had great snow. Short break accommodation is available and affordable. Easy to get to from Geneva, we used ski-lifts for our transfer who we good too.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We're now looking at a short break to a chalet sat between Grand Bornard and La Clusaz, plenty of skiing between them, not far from Geneva so short transfer. We're doing late night flight out, three full days skiing and night flight back.... sorted 
p.s. we're planning on going in early feb
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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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We did 3 days with Mountain Sun in La Plagne. It was excellent and worked out at just over £300 for everything.
Recommended for a short break.
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You know it makes sense.
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I've never tried these folks but their prices seem pretty good. Seen their minibus often enough down in Brides-les-Bains.
http://www.skiweekends.com/
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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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Living in London it's quite possible to get flights to places like geneva, munich or salzberg on wednesday early evening, fly back late sunday night and get four full days skiing for 2.5 days leave.
I may have done it once or twice
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Poster: A snowHead
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| altis wrote: |
I've never tried these folks but their prices seem pretty good. Seen their minibus often enough down in Brides-les-Bains.
http://www.skiweekends.com/ |
The prices don't include evening meal or lift pass (I looked at Chamonix) but the accommodation looks above average. It should be do-able for £500ish, all in.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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mountainaddict,
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portable tope tow at Allenheads
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Is that similar to a rope tow by any chance? If so, I might try it. It's just that I'm a bit nervous about trying new types of tows...
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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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FAQ
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