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disaster - cancellation - where to rebook in a hurry?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi folks,

As the title suggests, we have a bit of a puzzler on our hands. Had a holiday all booked for next weekend, 8 days in Corvara at great hotel offering fantastic off-season value, my mum coming along and very happily going to supply childcare for our daughter, aged 18 months. Snow was falling, looking great, couldn't wait to escape. And then ... my mum broke her wrist in 3 places and knocked herself out in the process, now absolutely cannot travel. I should say at the outset that she is fine now, if incapacitated and more than a little disappointed, just in case you think I'm totally callous, shallow and uncaring wink

So, now I've got over the shock of my mum's accident and have dealt with the insurance claim, we now want to find somewhere else to go, same week (eg 12/13 December). We are really thinking somewhere with Esprit would probably be the best choice, but your thoughts as to where, and also other TO suggestions, would be very much appreciated.

Ideally we would be:

Somewhere with good, reliable childcare for our very attached 18 month old - totally essential and the key consideration above all else.

Somewhere with good current OK snow base but where the village itself is not too high (e.g., not val thorens) - as I have had altitude problems in Zermatt and Saas Fee Embarassed ;

Somewhere with easy runs -we are enthusiastic but unskilled intermediates (that's why we originally booked for Corvara).

Somewhere compact if possible, and at the very least, no clomping for 20 minutes across town/ half-hour bus journeys to get to ski runs.

Somwhere with just a little bit of resort charm , if at all possible


Would very much prefer a package with no car hire involved, because I just do not have the energy to do all the individual booking stuff again and we do not want to drive from airport to resort.

Ok, I know I am asking far too much but you've got to aim high in life wink

Seriously, any thoughts very much appreciated.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Robert, Have a look at http://www.snowbizz.co.uk/ I think they will tick all the boxes at the only resort they use in France - Puy st Vincent.
I have used them a couple of times and recommended them to friends in the past. Always good feed back.
Good luck.
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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?
Thanks very much Pollyperks for the extremely quick response. That looks like a good option - will investigate during my lunch hour tomorrow at work.
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robertsnerys, what a bummer for all concerned; commiserations.

As for where else to try, bear in mind that quite a lot of places don't open fully until 19 December, and quite a lot of the lower resorts certainly don't have an "Ok snow base" at the moment, as there's not been a lot of snow recently and the weather has been mild for a few days - several reports on other threads today talk of heavy rain to above 2000m.

La Rosiere might be a possibility - it's a good place for a family and apparently the nursery there is very good. And I think Esprit have places there too. Because La Rosiere is "pushed" quite hard by one person on snowheads it gets a bit of flak - but I think it would suit you well. We had two holidays there, and enjoyed it. It's high enough to normally have good snow, but not high enough to cause altitude problems.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
http://www.skifamille.co.uk/winterwarmupweek.php ?
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robertsnerys, If you want somewhere that's open that week and with Esprit then I'd have to suggest Les Arcs and probably Peisey-Vallandry as ticking most of those bases. Your criteria: -

Somewhere with good, reliable childcare for our very attached 18 month old - totally essential and the key consideration above all else. Yes

Somewhere with good current OK snow base but where the village itself is not too high (e.g., not val thorens) - as I have had altitude problems in Zermatt and Saas Fee Embarassed ; Village is at 1650 - current snow base is ok but not fantastic unitl you get into the 2000 bowl - check the snow reports thread for more info

Somewhere with easy runs -we are enthusiastic but unskilled intermediates (that's why we originally booked for Corvara). Perfect - lots of nice easy blues, wide open improvers area above the main lift and some trees to hide around if the vis is iffy.

Somewhere compact if possible, and at the very least, no clomping for 20 minutes across town/ half-hour bus journeys to get to ski runs.Yes - for a domain that's got over 200k of runs, it's quite a compact moutain and you can get home from most parts of it with a maximum of 2 lifts, 2 runs rule. The village itself it pretty compact and to get from the Esprit chalets you have to cross a road, walk down the hill 20 yds and up 20 odd steps and your at lift/ski-school place. Can ski back to here easily

Somwhere with just a little bit of resort charm , if at all possible It's not charming in terms of twee chalets in the woods, but then it's a hell of a lot nicer than the industrial carbuncles known as Arc 1800, 2000 etc
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Try this company, based in La Tania at 1300m (possible to ski down a green and/or a blue to get home or take gondola) but easy access into Courcheval. I've been with them and my kids for the past 6 years, the childcare, food and skiing have always been excellent.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
kitenski, did you forget the link?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Can you explain why you had to cancel the holiday you had booked? Couldn't you just claim on the insurance for your mum's no-show?
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robertsnerys, La Rosiere could suit you very well, it holds the Petit Montgnards award for family friendliness and is Ski Espirit's most popular resort in the Alps, they have a number of chalets in the village and a dedicated kids club with their own nannies. Chalet Schartzi is especially well located right opposite the main ski lifts and ski school meeting places and next to the nursery slopes. You can get more information on www.larosiere.net and Ski Espirit's website. We own a chalet in the village and my son's both run businesses there so we know the area very well and recommend it highly. The snow record is very good, it's consistently in the the top 5 French resorts, the skiing is ideal for mixed groups and families and the village is small, friendly and less expensive than the mega resorts nearby. At 1850 metres it's high enough to ensure good snow but not too high to cause altitude problems. the highest point in the domain is 2600metres and you can ski right down 1176 metres.
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Shimmy Alcott wrote:
kitenski, did you forget the link?


oops! Yes it's http://www.familyfriendlyskiing.com/
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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.
Wow, thanks everyone for the responses - and Pam W for your commiserations! I sense a definite leaning toward france Laughing. Oh well, I guess we might have to challenge our preconcieved notions about gallic skiing (OK, shoot me down now!) I will have a look at all the suggestions, and hopefully we can fix something up.

Bar shaker, had to cancel the hotel we booked because we really want to ski, at least a bit. My mum was going to be with our daughter while we went out. There is no other resort childcare in our original resort that I would be happy with, unfortunately, and no other family member or friend who can come in my Mum's place.

Thanks again everyone.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Quote:

our preconcieved notions about gallic skiing (OK, shoot me down now!)

what are your preconceived notions? We won't shoot you down till we find out. wink
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
robertsnerys, another "vote" for La Rosiere, having been there and used Esprit on 3 occasions. Only positive experiences. They also seem to have had some decent snowfall so far this season - 120 and 60 cm as reported elsewhere. A few chalets are ski in/out like Le Braconnier - best I stayed in.

Downside? Limited skiing if you stay on the French side which you may wish to in consideration of your daughter. Crossing over into Italy for La Thuile widens the options considerably - a definite upside.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Does that mean there is a cheap holiday going in Corvara????? Embarassed
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
robertsnerys wrote:
Somewhere with good, reliable childcare for our very attached 18 month old - totally essential and the key consideration above all else.


Avoriaz has a pretty central children's area.
http://www.avoriaz.com/ski-holidays/nursery.php
http://www.avorinet.com/families-and-kids/avoriaz-childcare.htm

Quote:
Somewhere with good current OK snow base but where the village itself is not too high (e.g., not val thorens) - as I have had altitude problems in Zermatt and Saas Fee


Avoriaz 1800

Quote:
Somewhere with easy runs -we are enthusiastic but unskilled intermediates (that's why we originally booked for Corvara).


Avoriaz - Especially if you stay in the Falaise apartments or chalets near the ski school meeting points when you can start on the green Proclou to Super Morzine which has plenty of nice flat roads ending in the very wide and gentle Zore.

Quote:
Somewhere compact if possible, and at the very least, no clomping for 20 minutes across town/ half-hour bus journeys to get to ski runs.


Avoriaz - ski in - ski out.

Quote:
Somwhere with just a little bit of resort charm , if at all possible


Avoriaz is to resort charm as Marmite is to delicious.

Quote:
Would very much prefer a package with no car hire involved, because I just do not have the energy to do all the individual booking stuff again and we do not want to drive from airport to resort.


Transfers by various means are available: http://www.avorinet.com/faq.php?id_faq_type=109

Quote:
Ok, I know I am asking far too much but you've got to aim high in life


But not so high you get altitude sickness eh?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
srhmart - hehehehe. Now, had you made your pitch before I'd cancelled the hotel and car hire ....

For all those who suggested La Rosiere - well, La Rosiere it is I think, pending agreement from my other half (he won't be able to resist).
percieved notions based on trips to france in the 80s and early 90s. So not only prejudiced but absolutely out-of-date no doubt. All I remember is pushy, ill-disciplined queues, shoebox appartments and lift companies who could have had 'do I look bovvered' as a motto Laughing Laughing Laughing But to be serious I have heard good things about La Rosiere and you lot have given me added confidence.

Chasseur, interesting point about not wanting to cross into italy in case we had to come back in a hurry. Hmmmm. We are lazy and habitual skiers anyway, so staying on one side of the mountain mightn't be that much of a problem for us.
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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?
Crosbie, your post made me laugh – thanks
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robertsnerys, you won't have to worry about lift queues in La Rosiere, even at peak periods there's very little waiting thanks to some significant investments in new chairlifts. Don't worry about going to Italy, you can get back using just 2 chair lifts in Italy and 1 in France, but there is ample skiing to found if you stay in France with some terrific long and interesting pistes, Fontaine Froide and Marmottes for example. To get the best from the area it's worth booking a day or even half day with an ski instructor to act as a guide, the ESF is happy to arrange excursions to Italy as well. You'll soon get to recognise the lifties and before the week is out they'll recognise you, I've skied for more than five decades and I have to say La Rosiere is one of the friendliest places I've ever visited.


Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Mon 7-12-09 17:22; 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.
davidL, I'm completely sold Very Happy . thanks for the helpful information.

If you see a ungraceful, bowling-ball-style ski-helmet-wearing, mid-30s couple in la rosiere sometime next week, say hello - it might just be us.
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Quote:

shoebox appartments

France still has plenty of shoebox accommodation - apartments which are very cheap, ideal for people on tight budgets and the front door is often just a few metres from the piste. It also has some stupendously luxurious accommodation which will cost you thousands of euros per person per week. And every permutation in between. It also has some vast linked areas and some tiny resorts where you might struggle a bit if you speak no French - and every permutation in between. Some of the best off-piste skiing is in resorts very few Brits will ever have heard of. In other words, it probably has more choice and variety than any of the other ski countries in the Alps but most British skiers visit a maximum of 3 or 4 out of hundreds of resorts and then generalise about "French skiing". I don't think people come up with these sweeping sort of generalisations about other Alpine countries.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
pam w, here here - pretty hard to beat the variety on offer in France ... and robertsnerys if you are not quite there yet on a decision we do have space in Reberty Village (300m below Val Thorens, might be enough to make a difference) inc childcare from Sunday as suggsted by Butterfly - for which many thanks!

I'm in Les Gets as I write this and there is quite a lot of the wrong kind of precipitation falling out of the sky at the mo - I'd be tempted to head as high as I could bear this weekend (and will in be in Reberty myself - although probably won't get my skis on Sad ). Image attached was taken in the centre of Les Menuires on Friday.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Oh dear, I knew I shouldn't have said anything about the gallic prejudices! points taken, Pam W. But I can come up with some generalisations about skiing in other european countries, too... wink
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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.
robertsnerys, I hope you sort out something nice. In somewhere with snow..... it's not looking too great out there right now. I am the granny for our lot at Christmas - if I break something vital they'll have to look after their own kids and cook their own dinners. wink
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
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Well, we are going to La Rosiere in the end tomorrow, with esprit. At this point, I am past caring about whether there is snow, etc etc etc, I just want someone to cook our dinners for us for the next week Very Happy (no dispiriting comments about esprit chalet catering now, thank you wink ).
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
robertsnerys, have a really great holiday, and enjoy the dinners. snowHead
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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.
Hope you have a great time - i'd be interested in what you think of Rosiere with Esprit - we have tended to stick with Esprit in Austria, but it seems like everyone we meet there has done Rosiere .
And the free wine helps, and has been quite pleasant the past 2 years.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Not read all of the thread but we're pretty near Corvara in San Cassiano - www.mountainsunltd.com/chalet/albergo-frohsinn if you're not sorted by now - right on the piste and nice for your mum looking after your 18 month old as it's easy to walk into the nice little town and there's a gondola right outside the door taking you up to a couple of lovely mountain restaurants where you can all meet for lunch and there's a play area up there too for the little one to have fun in the snow!

Emaill mail@mountainsunltd.com if you're interested. I'm off out next weekend for christmas and I can't wait!! My three year old will be making his skiing debut and he's been shuffling round the house with plastic skis strapped to his slippers for practice!
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Joanne Mountainsun - 3 posts above yours...... Laughing wink

robertsnerys wrote:
Well, we are going to La Rosiere in the end tomorrow, with esprit. At this point, I am past caring about whether there is snow, etc etc etc, I just want someone to cook our dinners for us for the next week Very Happy (no dispiriting comments about esprit chalet catering now, thank you wink ).
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Well, here we are, back from La Rosiere. Had a really, really great time - far more so than I anticipated. The chalet was full of very nice folks, all very sociable but not overbearing. It was bitterly, bitterly cold, but for the most part the sun shone and the snow was fantastic. Shame La Thuile link wasn't open but have discovered I am a half-day skier anyway these days Embarassed Really liked the Blaireau run up near Fort.

Esprit were great - childcare really excellent. Chalet Schatzi was, erm, somewhat eclectically decorated but served us just fine and we were lucky to have a properly trained cook in the kitchen, which I understand is not always the case Shocked . the resort itself was far nicer than anticipated: pretty attractive for a purpose-built place and it is very true, the people are incredibly helpful and friendly. Kids are treated very well by resort staff/ lifties.

Minus points were, there wasn't much to do off the slopes, the lifts are slow and need heating/ bubble covers, and there isn't a great deal of terrain if the international link is shut.

Thanks so much for all your advice. I took it and was grateful I did. Sorry Joanne Mountainsun, we had gone by the time you posted your email!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
robertsnerys, so glad you had a good time - it's certainly been unusually cold - we've been here for 7 seasons and this morning's minus 19 was the lowest temperature I've seen at morning tea time (I always look as soon as I get up). Thanks for reporting back - it's always good to hear how people get on. snowHead
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
robertsnerys,

glad you had a great trip, and that you did ok with Esprit - i'm realllllly intrigued to find out what the "eclectic decorations were "

And welcome back to 8 inches of snow - i (amongst others no doubt) was stranded out in the berkshire/oxfordshire countryside yesterday in snow that i would have been loving anywhere else anytime else yesterday; especially when followed by a loooong walk in the dark !!

Anyone manage to get their skis in use (old one of course !) yesterday today ?
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