 Poster: A snowHead
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Spun out from this thread - http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=54528
| saikee wrote: |
I think may SH like me have taken a car to Tarentaise Valley and ski all the resorts in two weeks. If one bases at Bourg St Maurice, which is the access point for Les Arc, it is 17 miles out of the valley to trois Valles and 17 miles into the valley to Tignes/Val D. One can knock up La Rosiere, La Plagnes, Ste Foy and Valmorel on any chosen day.
1600km piste in Tarentaise is really spoiled for choices. |
I've always wondered if you could do them all in one day!!
Definition of 'doing' being covering at least the highest point and the 'main bit' of the resort - so for les arcs it would be top of the Ag Rouge and into 1800, likewise La plagne would be glacier and then down to Plagne centre. Not cheap and not that rewarding skiing wise, but fun in a sado-masochistic challenge kid of a way. Doubt you could fit in Valmorel on the list above though/
Going only to 3v for and counting Le Praz, la tania, st M de B, as well as the 'big 4' is cheating a bit though - you wouldn't call Belle Plagne a different resort to Plagne 1800 would you?
Oh and we'd have to put in some kind of 'minimum number of lifts' criteria as well - say 5 to avoid places like granier sur aime being counted?
anyone fancy a go at this next season?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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 have only done a maximum of two resorts in a day. This was usually due to the resort small in size. Sometime the wife packs in after lunch. I would take her back to the accommodation and free to ski anywhere I fancy and that may not always go back to the same place.
When I did Tarentaise Valley I only skied one place at a time. As an example I reported in here I skied
Day 1 in Les Arcs
Day 2 in Tignes
Day 3 in La Rosiere
Day 4 in Valmorel
Day 5 in Val Thoren,
Day 6 in Meribel
Day 7 rest day
Day 8 in Val D’Isere
Day 9 in La Plagne
Day 10 in Courchevel
Day 11 rest day. Insisted by Mrs Saike.
Day 12 Back to La Rosiere
Day 13 Back to Les Arcs
Generally we woke up at 08:30. Started the car at 09:00. Arrived a resort 09:30 or 10:00. Skiing commenced at 10:30 would be an early start.
For 3 Vallees I drove to different locations to cover each area separately.
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saikee, interesting to see which resorts you did twice 
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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'm up for some sort of challenge;
For the #resorts in a day would you class Avoriaz as a different resort to Morzine?
I was thinking of #resorts in a week.
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Frosty the Snowman,
It is obvious to you, isn't it?
marcellus,
There must be many ways to classify a resort. I use something dead simple. If I can buy a ski pass exclusive for the area then this is a resort to me. Therefore for 3 Vallees I have 3 different ski passes each has its own piste map.
In Zillertal Vallley there are some 6 to 7 unlinked areas. Buying any ski pass for 4 or more days entitles me to ski all of them but I do regard each one separate because each has its own piste map. Mayrholfen, Hintertux, Zillertal Arena etc are all different resorts because one can't ski from one to another.
Thus Morezine and Avoriaz are two resorts to me. I haven't found out if Les gets and Morzine are separate or not because the two are so well linked together. To me Porte De Soleil, Chamski, Sella Ronda, Ski Amade, Dolomiti etc are skiing "regions".
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oh so sad in oh so many ways 
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saikee,
| Quote: |
There must be many ways to classify a resort. I use something dead simple. If I can buy a ski pass exclusive for the area then this is a resort to me. Therefore for 3 Vallees I have 3 different ski passes each has its own piste map.
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If I'm being pedantic I would point out that you can buy more than three area passes for the 3v. You can buy seperate ones for Val T and Les Men with seperate piste maps and I'm pretty sure though not certain that there are variations on a theme by Courchevel.
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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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T Bar, yep, and there at least 4 different passes available for the Meribel Valley alone.
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For number of resorts in a week, we have the following 'major' resorts within a max one-hour drive of home:
Méribel
Courchevel
Les Menuires
Val Thorens
Valmorel
La Plagne
Les Arcs
Val d'Isere
Tignes
La Rossiere
.... so fairly easy to do all of those in a week 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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saikee,
| Quote: |
There must be many ways to classify a resort. I use something dead simple. If I can buy a ski pass exclusive for the area then this is a resort to me. Therefore for 3 Vallees I have 3 different ski passes each has its own piste map.
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Not sure I'd quite agree with you - for example you buy an Arc 2000 pass separately from an Arc 1800 pass but would anyone consider them separate resorts. I think my 'definition' would be are they marketed separately - e.g Les Menuires is marketed separately too Courchevel for example. I would consider Morzine and Avoriaz to be separate but does that work under my 'marketed separately' definition.
Roll on December...
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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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Isn't there a Tarentaise circuit where you start in Espace Killy and take in Les Arcs and maybe La Plagne just using leg and lift power?
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| Arno wrote: |
| Isn't there a Tarentaise circuit where you start in Espace Killy and take in Les Arcs and maybe La Plagne just using leg and lift power? |
Indeed, but I think it's normally called the Tarentaise Tour:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=41573
Never done it though - yet.
And to quote someone we know:
| offpisteskiing wrote: |
| For a big day out the Tarentaise tour is hard to equal, starting with a descent from the Col du Palet in Tignes, a short taxi ride to the Champagny/La Plagne lift system and on to the North Face of the Bellecote, and finally to Les Arcs, with a choice of descents from the Aiguille Rouge down to Villaroger, and some well earned refreshments. |
http://www.offpisteskiing.com/offpiste.html
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You know it makes sense.
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On the classification of resorts by ski passes sold I believe there could be variations designed for beginners who will be happy to ski within a specific zone restricted inside a fully linked area. An average skier would have an interest to ski everywhere in a day until the resort is so large that it is simply impossible to do it in a day. Therefore I would not every ski pass type rigidly as the definition of a resort.
I haven't investigated myself by a place like La Tania is well defined as a leg of Courchevel and so it would be logical for the operator to sell a La Tania pass for the beginners. However I have come to know that the resort owners do not always have the visitors' interest at heart but want the maximum revenue so some may want to sell the whole 3V pass to the absolute beginners.
For 3 Vallees I think I would be in an informed position if I could spend at least 4 days each to cover Courchevel, Meribel, Les Menuires and Val Thoren separately. Courchevel itself is possibly the largest of the lot but since I have been there a few times, so a quick tour around the extremities will do me fine for a re-visit.
Personally I find it necessary to drive to Val Thoren if I want to ski all the way to orelle. Starting it from Courchevel will not leave me enough time to explore Val Thoren as I would be wasting time to go through Meribel and Les Menuires.
Equally each side of the Pardiski is more than a day's skiing and I am happy to treat Les Arc and La plagne as two resorts.
Although I often spend a day on a resort but I often re-visit it several times later on. It is just one's own choice of arrangement.
Last edited by You know it makes sense. on Wed 9-09-09 14:10; edited 1 time in total
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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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| Patch wrote: |
For number of resorts in a week, we have the following 'major' resorts within a max one-hour drive of home:
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Oo oo oo the how many resorts within an hour of home challenge;
Les Carroz
Flaine
Morillon
Samoens
Sixt
Praz de Lys
Les Gets
Morzine
Avoriaz (just)
Les Houches
Les Bossons
Chamonix
Argentiere
La Tour
Vallorcine (just)
La Clusaz
les Contamines
Megeve
St Gervais
Combloux
St Martin de Belleville
Notre Dame de Bellecombe
Le Grand Bornand
Praz sur Arly
Le Saisies
SHoudl keep you going for quite a while!! 
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Poster: A snowHead
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marcellus,
You can to your list add
La Planard
La Fegere
Le Brevent
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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saikee, lol.. I wa thinking they would all come under Chamonix!!
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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marcellus,
I take it you can always say that you mean Chamonix is the one for Vallee Blanc access from Aiguille du Midi. It is the Mecca for the off-pisters. There isn't any resort you can use to describe it, is it?
I got a feeling within an hour from Le Carroz you should be able to get to Courmayeur which is at the other end of the Mony Blanc tunnel.
I never complete the exercise but I believe within a 100 miles of Generva airport there could be more than 100 resorts available.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 9-09-09 14:16; edited 1 time in total
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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.
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Kel,
In some ski passes sold in Tarentaise it is common to give the holder options to ski a day or two at other places.
Thus if one purchase a 6 days pass for Paradiski and can spend a day in 3V where one has not been to then there is no harm to explore it. Nobody said 3V could be skied in a day.
Equally with 600km piste and over 200 chairlifts it can take several skiing holidays to enjoy 3V to the full. If we talk about an average skier doing a modest 30km piste distance a day 3V is a month's job to cover. I would rate anyone able to ski it fully in in a week as a hardcore who would need to know where to stay too.
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saikee, Each to his own, it would be boring if we were all the same. But personally I have only ever been to one resort in this area (Valloire) which I found the area was limited for a week, so I have therefore no inclination whatsoever to do ski safari. Just doesn't float my boat, but obviously it does yours.
When I went to Les Arcs for the 3rd time last year, I was initially disappointed that the VE was closed. But you know what even half of the Paradiski was enough to keep me happy for a week and I discovered places I had not seen before, which I probably would not have found if I was skiing to the far side of la plagne every day
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| Kel wrote: |
Would you go sightseeing to London, have a look at Trafalgar square then go home !!. No you wouldn't, so why do this !! 
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Tourist running into the Louvre: "Where's the Mona Lisa. where's the Mona LIsa, I'm double parked".
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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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Kel,
Think Valloire is in a different valley.
You have to pass the 3 Vallees to get to Les Arc. It is possible to access Orelle to get to the back of Val Thoren but the road is closed in winter after Val D'Isere so Tarentaise is a dead end valley.
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snowball,
You have brought out an important aspect of this argument. A visitor only does this if he/she drives.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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On the Sella Ronda it is easy to cover six or seven or more in a day without any driving, Ortisei, Santa Christina, Selva, Colfosco, Corvaro, Arabba, Canazei and home again.
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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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| saikee wrote: |
Kel,
Think Valloire is in a different valley.
You have to pass the 3 Vallees to get to Les Arc. It is possible to access Orelle to get to the back of Val Thoren but the road is closed in winter after Val D'Isere so Tarentaise is a dead end valley. |
Your'e not wrong, I didn't say it was in the same valley, I said it was in the same area, about 15 miles from Val Thorens as the crow flies. There is also the 3 valleys express lift from Orelle which comes out at the top of VT.
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| snowball wrote: |
| Kel wrote: |
Would you go sightseeing to London, have a look at Trafalgar square then go home !!. No you wouldn't, so why do this !!
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Tourist running into the Louvre: "Where's the Mona Lisa. where's the Mona LIsa, I'm double parked". |
you've done that too??
I once organised a trip from London to the Louvre and back...... you had to have dinner on the Saturday and Sunday Evenings in london and see Mona, Eifel Tower and the Palace of Verseille with photos to prove it....... some 400people in 150 cars took part!!
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You know it makes sense.
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Peter Ross,
Good point! I wonder if this has the largest number of resorts covered in one day.
Sella Ronda definitely has seaparate piste maps for Selva, Alta Badia Arabba and Canazei for its 4 corners as I went round to collect them. Thus if one starts at Ortisei, which has its own loop is separated from the main Slla Ronda circuit, and goes through Santa Cristina (I am uncertain if a different pass is sold here even I stayed there last time) then there are truly at least 6 skiing resorts skied in one day.
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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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saikee, I know you can get a Val Gardena or a Sella Ronda pass but not sure can you get one just for Santa Cristina or Ortisei. The great thing is the only time you need to take you skis off is to cross roads or get in cable cars, gondolas and funiculars. No driving, no waiting for buses. I think you could also cover more resorts in the Sella Ronda area although depends on definition of 'resort'. e.g. is Alta Badia separate to Corvaro?
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Poster: A snowHead
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Really depends on how you distinguish a village from a resort. As well as the Sella Ronda, I've done PdS, which I reckon must be more km.
Ardent, Chatel-Linga, Chatel, Torgon, Morgins, Champoussin, Les Crosets, Champery, Avoriaz and back to Ardent. With an Early start, one could probably stick Les Gets and Morzine on to that and access the loop via Super Morzine (and be prepared to take shortcut back over and bus if time is running short).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's all a bit silly this thread really, like the competition resorts have for the most kms in a day and you see this guy going up and down the same run all day and then heading over to the night skiing area, what's the point really!
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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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andy,
On paper PDS has 650km piste and claims to be the biggest in France, surpassing 3 Vallees' 600km. However the chairlifts in 3 Vallees are fully linked and a skiers can enjoy the 600km freedom without getting into a bus. Thus I always regard PDS as a "region" comparable to the Austrian Ski Amade or Italian Dolomiti. To compare like to like we have to compare the PDS 650km with Ski Amade 860km and the Dolomiti 1220km as one can buy ski pass for each of the regions and travel arround to ski the resorts inside.
Sella Ronda is actually like 3 Vallees with the 510km piste substantially linked together. It is formed by 4 main areas surrounding a big rock outcrop at the middle. For skiing the circular loop is more entertaining because one doesn't return to the same route which would be difficult to do in 3 Vallees. Also 3 Vallees is getting to a size that it is challenging to go from one end to the other end and return back in the same day.
I really think each "resort", area, facility or region has its own charm and features that can be unique and enjoyable to explore. I enjoy PDS skiing "region" because it is close to the Geneva airport, has two countries in it and has the challenging Swiss Wall for the hardcores. It does have above average number of drag lifts which I dislike. If the snow is lacking I would want somehwere with higher altitude.
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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saikee, that part of the PdS that I referred to is fully linked (if you know the "ski down the road" trick between Linga-SuperChatel). The Les Gets+Morzine part is no more than a 5minute walk across town, or "le Petit Train". Of the claimed 650km in PdS, I think only 1 village is not linked (assuming you accept a few minutes walk between 2 lift stations as "linked")
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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In Utah you can do a guided off piste tour called the Interconnect. One day includes Deer Valley to Park City to Solitude to Brighton to Alta and finally to Snowbird. It's great fun and that's six resorts in a day, no car needed. Of course, none of these are as big as the Europe resorts but the only two actually linked are Alta and Snowbird and that's only with a special pass.
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| Quote: |
Oo oo oo the how many resorts within an hour of home challenge
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Two - namely England's finest in the Pennines Massif:
Yad Moss
Swinhope Moor
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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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mountainaddict,
I have to be very careful in using the word "resort" for the skiing facilities in NE England. People can come down like a ton of brick for any misuse.
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mountainaddict, In the North West
xscape Castleford (ok its in yorkshire, but if I put my foot down can just about do it an hour)
Chil-Factore
Ski Rossendale
Pendle ski club
Cant think why I even bother with the Alps 
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FAQ
Waste of good skiing time! 
