 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi everyone. First post on SnowHeads this 'season' after finding it really helpful last year.
Unusually, we haven't sorted our holiday yet for 2010 despite searching high and low for the best deal - prices seem a lot higher to me this year.
Anyway, we want to try somewhere a bit different after exhausting the 3V's, Espace Killy, Lech and St.Anton over the past years.
The crucial needs are:
- needs to be good for intermediates and up.
- needs to be extensive enough - we're keen mileage bashers and like getting away from the crowds and having a different challenge everyday.
- I'm not keen on moonscapes like VT and love a bit of tree lined piste.
- needs to be high enough to have a good chance of snow.
I'm considering Les Arcs (preferably Peisey Vallandry, in trees, close to La Plagne) after being snowed in there 6 years ago and not really getting full value... it seemed like it had good potential.
I'd love to go to Morzine and surrounding area but I'm really concerned about the snow record.
Has anyone got any suggestions... doesn't have to be in France, although I am concious of price!!
Cheers
Dom
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dom74, sounds like La Plagne, with lower tree-lined options if the weather is a bit bleak. If you want to keep skiing different pistes every day your options are really limited and you are ruling out some very nice places.
another possibility might be the Dolomites - but you won't find "guaranteed snow" there either. There's nothing much wrong with Morzine's snow record - choose the right time of year.
Or for something completely different - take a car and visit lots of different resorts in the Ski Amade.
Or maybe the Grand Massif. Trees there, too, and the top of Flaine is pretty snow sure.
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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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or chamonix - take a car!
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Zillertal ?
3 large ski areas easily reachable by valley railway + Hintertux by bus.
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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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Dom74, nothing wrong with PDS (Morzine) snow record. I have only limited experience of the Dolomites but I suspect that the PDS would be a little more challenging/interesting.
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Try Serre Chevalier - great terrain and you can also ski Les Deux Alpes, La Grave and Montgenevre.
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Another vote for the Dolomites, for me particularly Arabba. Ticks everything on your list of wants, although it is a relatively quiet village compared to the areas you've been to before.
Agree with bfg, can't wait to go back. Might just have to see if I can justify a trip there this season myself.
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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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bfg, Exactly what I was going to say!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Serre Chevalier
- needs to be good for intermediates and up.
The area is noted for its off piste and challenging reds and blacks.
- needs to be extensive enough - we're keen mileage bashers and like getting away from the crowds and having a different challenge everyday.
250km split into 4 different areas that are all linked. There are far too many pistes to ski them all in one week.
http://plandespistes.serre-chevalier.com/
- I'm not keen on moonscapes like VT and love a bit of tree lined piste.
reknowned for its tree skiing and Monetier, one of the three villages is a charming traditional village with spa baths.
- needs to be high enough to have a good chance of snow.
Resort heights are 1300m - 1500m and the top of the resort is at 2700m. It has a pretty good snow record, have a look at last years snow report http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=42235&start=840. Admitadly the past two years have been very good years in the Alps. I think it is very rare until late April that you can't ski back down into the villages.
Also much cheaper than the likes of Espace Killey, 3 Vallees, Paradiski etc
what time of year are you going?
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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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Cheers guys.
Wherever we go its going to be on January 16th.
I've really not thought about either the Dolomites or Serre Chevalier.
We're really not bothered about rowdy nightlife... as long as the food in the chalet is good and there is a few shops to have mooch about in for the women thats about it!!
The MAIN things are:
....variety in terms of a bit of extent,
....variety in terms of difficulty (my wife has been skiing for 4 years and isn't gung ho, whereas I've been skiing for 10 and constantly want a challenge!)
So I'm willing to consider ANY suggestions and both the Dolo's and Serre sound good.
...so now I'm stuck between the two!!!!
Cheers though, great start.
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.... just had a quick look at one of the links that Christopher posted of the Serre Chevalier piste map.... it looks really good... and I can't believe I've not heard a lot about it before??
Whats its snow record like. The tree lined skiing looks very tempting too!!!
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You know it makes sense.
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Dom74, Most of the large Austrian areas would meet your criteria.
They aren't usually quite as high as the big French areas, but they don't need to be for the skiing to be as good (it seems to be generally accepted that you need roughly 300m less elevation in Austria than you would in France for similar skiability).
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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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Another vote for Arabba in the Dolomites, 510km intermediate paradise linked in the Sella Ronda area, spectacular craggy and forested scenery, reasonable prices, nice food, quite a bit of challenge in the immediate vicinity from steep reds/blacks up to off-piste itineraries and steep couloirs. Usually the best snow in the area with resort around 1600m and skiing up to 3250m.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Try Ischgl - huge area, great snow record, and undiscovered by the Brits.
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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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Dom74, the snow record I believe is good enough not to worry about it.
Even in 2006/2007 (a genreally bad season for the Alps as a whole) I believe the resort was just about getting by in the warm temperatures with skiing back down to all the villages (I didn't visit in 2006/7). Briancon suffered due to its aspect being genreally south facing. But you could miss out Briancon's ski area all week and feel satisfied with the amount of skiing. The majority of the rest of the ski area is north/north east facing.
Here is the snow report for the worst season for snow recently: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=20537
If you post on here about the snow record: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=55366&start=120
There will be people who have much greater knowledge of the snow record than myself.
The Dolomites is also somewhere I'm wanting to go to. I've been there in the summer and its a fantastic place. But I imagine I'll leave that for after Uni.
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| Dom74 wrote: |
The MAIN things are:
....variety in terms of a bit of extent,
....variety in terms of difficulty (my wife has been skiing for 4 years and isn't gung ho, whereas I've been skiing for 10 and constantly want a challenge!)
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Baqueira - http://www.baqueira.es Big enough area, plenty of off piste opportunities while the piste skiing is fine for your wife.
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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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Come to Les Arcs and ski the Paradiski. Meets all your needs, huge ski area, biggest cable car in the world, on and off piste to keep you happy for a season let alone a week. Good night life, best in Les Arcs 1800, but 1950 is catching up if you can afford it. Peisey Vallandry end is also good and near the connection for the La Plagne side. If you shop around it is not to expensive as there are bargins to be had. Hope to see you out here.
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Dom74,
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I'd love to go to Morzine and surrounding area but I'm really concerned about the snow record.
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Morzine actually has a pretty good snow record.
But I have said it before and no doubt will again you are going earlyish in the season and on a very low season week by far the most satisfactory way of getting good snow is to wait and see where it has fallen and book late. ANY resort can suffer, the worst snow I have encountered early to mid January was in Tignes which is normally said to be ultra reliable but the main run from the glacier was closed due to lack of snow and there were stones everywhere. Increased snow making makes this a bit less likely now but the fact remains it is better to wait and see.
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1. Zermatt;
2. Klosters;
3. Chamonix;
4. St Moritz;
5. Davos;
6. Serre Chevalier;
7. Verbier.
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Dom74
After 20 years/16 countries/120+ resorts I discovered Serre Chevalier 2 years ago. It's fantastic - and on a par with any of the perhaps more well known French mega areas. The tree runs are excellent - fast as you like blasts - and I'd say the area has got the lot.
We went twice - second time we skied back to low level Briancon in fresh powder in the April. Happy days.
We really liked Briancon - good value accommodation and the walled old town is really nice. Food and drink were quite a bit cheaper than the likes of espace Killy etc. I'd say go for it - you won't be disappointed.
Also there's a free ski bus that goes up & down the valley - it's good to get it to the far end of the valley from wherever you are staying and then ski back.
T Bar
When was??
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the worst snow I have encountered early to mid January was in Tignes
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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having been to the PDS (Portes Du Soleil) several times i cant recommend it highly enough. Personally i wouldnt stay in morzine, stay in avoriaz which is situated about 600m higher and you are always ski in/out and are right in the thick of it from your front door. Lots of different challenges and its massive. Ive done 4 weeks there and only covered about 65% of the PDS. Seriously give the place ago, one other bonus, with transfer times now down to under 1.5 hours (even less sometimes) if you book a morning flights from the uk going out and an evening flight home, an extra 2 days on the slopes!!!
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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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You know it makes sense.
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| luigi wrote: |
'Probably the most scenic car park in the world'
It's not Santa Christina, I'm pretty sure it's a view of Val Lasties from Lupo Bianco, just above the village of Canazei, you pass this point on the Sella Ronda route. |
But of course when doing so, you don't go into the car park, you go under the road (in both directions) to get to the "other" gondola.
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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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| Quote: |
mountainaddict, Quote:
T Bar
When was??
Quote:
the worst snow I have encountered early to mid January was in Tignes
1990 I think
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My first visit was '92 - excellent snow on about 10 trips since. '90 was hopefully a once in every 100 years event..... 
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Poster: A snowHead
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The Dollies for sure.  We've skied the Val Gardena valley at least once a year, usually more, for the last 8 seasons. We've never had a bad trip due to poor snow.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Try Bankso, but only if you want a vast ski area with no queues.
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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.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Another vote for the Dol  omites
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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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snowshine, luigi, glad you liked the photos  . I'm going back again this season. luigi, I may have got the photo location wrong as we were doing the Sella Ronda that day for the first time. If it helps you work out the location, the car park is next to the Pradel Rodela gondola.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Dom74, Hi. We love Serre Che too. Snow record is good. There is some nice tree skiing [on piste] across the whole resort. This is particularly good when the weather closes in.
Briancon has a nice old town for a mooch around, and the three main resorts have walking trails round the villages, with plenty of things to do if you don't want to ski.
Les Arcs is another you may wish to consider, as there is plenty of treeline skiing, but it is a bit more moonland at the Arc 2000 sector IMO, although the Aiguille Rouge run is one of those you would enjoy if you like to accumulate mileage.
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pokemon, that's the one, the Gondola station is just off the left of the photo. On the Sella Ronda you pass through so many places it's hard to keep track, isn't it?
Hope you didn't mind me giving your photos some exposure. 
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luigi, np
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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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pokemon, really liked the photos, so much so that they gave me the inspiration to book another trip to Arabba! You've got a lot to answer for 
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snowshine, I hope for you and for me, the snow is at least half as good as it was this year
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