 Poster: A snowHead
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That isn't LDA, Val Thorens, or Avoriaz.
Wife has come back to skiing after children and wants one with nice big greens and blues. Can find lots of resorts that fit the bill but they don't seem too good for easter. We're driving out and booked Dover-Calais Ferry but really need to book a resort soon.
We've been to the three resorts above and she's not too keen on any of these!
Any help appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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garethjomo, the next obvious choice has got to be Tignes - especially for your wife to have a great time getting her ski-legs back. There a loads of cruisey blues. Check out this thread which refers to Xmas timing but is just as applicable to Easter.
A good trick for your wife could be to spend the first day (or half day) on the free ski lift in Val Claret and save a day or half's ski pass while she gets her legs back. There's a free bus from Tignes Le Lac to Val Claret so it doesn't matter where you're staying.
Have fun.
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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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garethjomo,
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We're driving out and booked Dover-Calais Ferry but really need to book a resort soon.
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You really don't, you can afford to wait and see where has got good snow if you are driving out.
Serre Che has been pretty good to me down the years at Easter and should fit the bill.
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garethjomo, I recommend La Rosiere, it's one of the most snow sure resorts in France with a long season, opens 12th Dec and only closes the last week of April, it could stay open longer I've seen snow in the village up to the 1st week of June! The slopes are predominately south facing so Easter is great for skiing with long sunny days. Great village, small, friendly and less expensive than the mega resorts nearby - Les Arcs, Tignes and Val d'Isere, check out www.larosiere.net for more information. I must declare an interest, we own a chalet in the village and wouldn't want to go anywhere else in the Alps. If you're looking for accommodation my son has a few chalets in the village, see www.morealps.com for details but he gets booked up very quickly with returning guests, another chalet owner we can recommend is www.amountainchalet.com both Daniel, my son, and Tim and Becks of A Mountain Chalet live in the village and know the area very well, they both offer ski-hosting for guests.
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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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garethjomo, I agree with T Bar, absolutely no need to book now. If Easter conditions are good (as they often are) you don't need to head to one of those high, bleak, places. But if it's got very mild by the beginning of April, then it would probably be wise to do so. Easter is not a peak time in French resorts. How old are your children (assuming they're going with you so you have to go in the school hols).
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I will admit to preferring steep and wide to shallow and narrow as a confidence giver, as it's less hard actually getting up if/when it goes wrong, and poling is tedious when you aren't brave enough to go fast enough to glide over a flat section.
Tignes was great as a second week resort for me - some lovely blues into resort, a whole "cool zone" of greens over towards Val d'Isere, and there are some nice wide reds and blacks if she gets her ski legs back quickly and wants to do steeper stuff. Wouldn't recommend staying in Val d'Isere though as the home runs are more "entertaining" and it's nice not having to stand on a lift at the end of the day.
La Rosiere was my first winter week, and has a couple of lovely wide confidence giving blues into resort (especially Tetras into the main front de neige, as hit has a short well sited uphill section - great for giving you the confidence to go for it, with the added motivation of avoiding skating/poling) but it's quite a sunny resort so might get slushy if it's warm that week.
Les Arcs would probably be worth considering as well.
If you've got the transport element sorted, you have a lot more freedom of choice of resort - no-one has "unbuilt" the accommodation, so if you want self catered (easy with a car and a strategic supermarket visit en route) there should be loads of availability this year as the package TOs have reduced capacity.
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How about Montgenevre, a little bit further drive, but a gem of a resort. Took a mixed group a few years ago and everyone loved it. It's quite a small traditional resort, but is linked into the Milky Way so an extensive ski area if you want it. Nice runs into resort and a easy bowl higher up with options for everyone. Ooh and finally it's 1800 as well so a safe bet for Easter.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Have you not sussed out that she doesn't actually like skiing??
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Perhaps she actually does like skiing, but also likes a place with a bit more "alpine charm"? Not everyone is enamoured of big purpose built places.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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alexchapman, Surely you want to avoid the sun at easter?
I wouldn't have thought Alpe d'Huez was that a great shout. I'm sure you can have a wonderful time in April in Alpe d'Huez. But I wouldn't have thought it was one of the saftest bets.
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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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garethjomo, Does it have to be France? Zermatt in Switzerland is great at Easter. As is Verbier.
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I haven't been to either, but neither Zermatt nor Verbier seems tailor made for someone who wants plenty of nice big greens and blues. And she's been to Alpe d'Huez already, folks.
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You know it makes sense.
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Alpe d'heuz is high and has a glacier therefore is a safe bet in April. Is nice to have some sun especially if skiing isn't nessesarily going to be a first till last lift experiance!!! I think she has been to LDA (les deux alpes) not alpe d'heuz before?
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| I haven't been to either, but neither Zermatt nor Verbier seems tailor made for someone who wants plenty of nice big greens and blues. |
Errr yes sorry, missed that. Pam W, you are quite right. Neither is blessed with plentiful greens and blues.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Les Gets/Morzine would fit the nice greens & blues & also the tree-lined alpine charm criteria. But they are quite low...
But as others have said, if you're driving, there's no rush to book. See how conditions are nearer the time 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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garethjomo, Courchevel 1650 has lots of nice easy blues
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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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mountainaddict, She's not keen for various reasons with the resorts not all ski related - She liked Avoriaz but it's not the best if driving. because we've got a young baby we are taking a ton of stuff with us which is a pain because you can't drive to the apartment and have to load everything on to one of those sleigh things. She doesn't like fact that you cant get back to resort in LDA. Probably would go back to Val Thorens but blames me for putting her off there after taking her on too hard runs on her first ever ski trip! Just seeing what other options were. Gonna closely look at La Rosiere or one of the Tignes villages.
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gareth,
your problem is that Easter = high resort but that means purpose built and therefore limited alpine charm
I'd also recommend Tignes but don't expect pretty villages. Lovely mountains and loads of big blue runs
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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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garethjomo, St Martin de Belleville? You get Val Thorens with the sympatico village, nice easy runs, and easy car access.
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garethjomo, Go to Avoriaz, dont get one of those sleigh jobs and put her into a horse drawn sleigh thingies!!! 
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garethjomo,
One thing to watch a Easter if your wife is not a confident skier at La Roiere is that being south facing it is likely to be mainly fairly icy first thing and very soft later with a relatively narrow window of opportunity for really good conditions. If she is confident enough to ski to La Thuile which is connected and has North and East facing slopes this is less of a problem.
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your problem is that Easter = high resort
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Not necessarily. Our place is at 1550m, in an area where the highest lift is only 2000m and we have skied each of the last 7 Easters. Some have been really good, one really pretty mushy/slushy, and the rest OK. Particularly for a family where dawn till dusk skiing is not the be-all and end-all, Easter doesn't have to equal a high resort. However, given that there is no real reason to book now, if you wait till a lot later you have left open your options and could choose a lower, more family-friendly, resort where you can park outside your apartment, be a few yards from the piste, and from the shops, have loads of gentle skiing, easy meeting places in resort, etc etc. But if you HAVE to book now (some people just can't wait!) then going high is the only really sensible option.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| Mountain Haddock wrote: |
| garethjomo, St Martin de Belleville? You get Val Thorens with the sympatico village, nice easy runs, and easy car access. |
No. Too low for Easter. We go past there around that time every year and St MdB is well out for the count by then with only one well-worn artificially maintained track into resort. Would be especially rubbish for getting ski legs back. .... IMHO.
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Have a look at Les Contamines. Not super high, but has a great late season record and has some motorway blues and very easy reds. Also the village is traditional with loads of self catering places. We went in Easter and skied down to resort level all week with no problems.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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No. Too low for Easter. We go past there around that time every year and St MdB is well out for the count by then with only one well-worn artificially maintained track into resort.
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There's only 1 run into resort at any time of the season and that 1 run is open until 24th April, which is 3 weeks after Easter....
More than ok in my book as I don't think anyone is suggesting that the week is spent skiing down to 1400m. Plenty of runs in the 3 Valleys are over 2000m so there will still be a massive choice of skiing to go at.
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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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i'm with Liz, it Montgenevre for us this easter, a great new lift has been installed, and the village is now traffic free
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Yes, I was going to suggest Les Contamines too, but the village itself is pretty low. Might be a case of riding up to Signal on the gondola if it's a bit warm, but the top should be great (though mainly red). The runs on the Contamines side at the top hold their snow very well, though the Belleville side gets lots of sun.
Les Saisies might be better - at 1650 resort level snow is much more likely and it's more convenient than Les Contamines for ski in/ski out and a more compact village. And the easiest slopes are the most accessible. But I wouldn't book either at this stage.
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You know it makes sense.
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As is so often the case, I agree with the wise words of pam w. Accommodation is not normally difficult to come by around Easter and it would be sensible to get yourself your shortlist of resorts - some traditional easter bankers in terms of snow and some of the quaint and pretty your wife is possibly looking for and then wait.
As an example; we were in St Gervais last season, which certainly fits the kind of skiing your wife is looking for, if not the village access, but is low and by the end of March it really was getting pretty shot although still skiable.
The previous easter (12th April ish ) we were there looking at apartments and were skiing on good snow down to 1400m and great snow above about 1550! - and it was deserted!
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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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Bergmeister, the OP clearly states not Val Thorens.
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Poster: A snowHead
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based on past few years, if you are going the week of 27/03 or 04/04 I would not worry too much about snow. There are probably 100 resorts to choose from that are likely to have reasonable snow. If you are really worried, do have a look at Les Deux Alpes. You can still ski there in July so it should just be fine. For smaller resort linked to big ski areas have a look at link below. Going to Samoens myself for Easter family holiday and not the sort of person to take a chance on the skiing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My wife has got Val d'isere in her head now because a friend of ours has been last two easters. So will prob have a look at that. Reason i'm not keen to book late is because of awkward rooming arrangements. My mother is coming to child mind and need a three room apartment which are not always easy to come by.
Any reason why i shouldn't go to Val D'isere? If she chooses it she can't moan to me if the skiing doesn't suit her!
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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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The only reason is that the home runs can be challenging depending on conditions. For charm, it wins hands down over Tignes but isn't as convenient.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Ultra reliable Easter snow and pretty good for most standards.
Down sides; Pricey+++, More crowded than average at Easter, Not a very attractive place for non skiers in my view though if your benchmark is Val Thorens and Avoriaz it wins out. Good easy skiing high up but as pointed out the resort runs are ntothe easiest for nervous skiers, or the worst.
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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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she's assuming she can get a lift back down to the resort if the runs are difficult
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| garethjomo wrote: |
| she's assuming she can get a lift back down to the resort if the runs are difficult |
garethjomo, they are difficult (even the "green" one into La Daille) and it would be wise to get a lift back down. I've not skied there much, but I have often got a lift down. Very entertaining, watching all the people who thought they could ski Le Face, and then discovered they couldn't.  The only time I skied the "green" back to La Daille it was very crowded, with quite a lot of people who were finding it difficult, and there was a lot of very slick snow (ice, some people would have called it, though it wasn't) and bigger moguls than you expect to find on a green slope. I am a competent piste skier and I found it a challenge, constantly having to watch out and ski round people. then we had to queue for a crowded bus to get back to Val D'Isere.
No major reason why you shouldn't go to Val D'Isere. Minor reasons; it's expensive, quite big, very busy, very full of Brits and sprawls a long way along the road, and you might have to pay quite a lot to park your car (and you might not be able to park it right by your accommodation - depending on the accommodation.
Some people describe it as "attractive" and I suppose it is less unattractive than Tignes but for me it has zero charm. There are certainly some good, snowsure, not difficult, pistes - and a pretty good lift system which avoids many big queues. There are also some very good ski schools. And if your wife chooses it then, as you say, it won't be your fault if she doesn't like it. It divides opinion on SHs - some people think it's wonderful, some dislike it - it tends not to be one of those places to which people are indifferent.
It remains the only resort I've been to where I couldn't find anywhere to pee without paying extra (ie you buy lunch in a restaurant - then pay extra for the loo.  )
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She get's the lifts down in LDA anyway. And laughs at me from up on the lifts trying to ski down a packed valentine avoiding the fallers in slushy easter snow so i suppose Val D'Isere will be no different.
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laughs at me from up on the lifts trying to ski down a packed valentine avoiding the fallers in slushy easter snow
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garethjomo,  But there are places where you could have a nice ski together, back to your apartment just a little way from the piste, in a more user-friendly environment, and where your mum could bring the baby to meet you, have a coffee and cake, and watch the action! And where you could have lunch together easily. My mum did one of those baby sitting trips, when our youngest was little, and I'm doing it, in my turn, at Christmas. But no way would I want to do it somewhere where the skiers just boogerd off at 9 am and left me for the rest of the day.
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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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David L,
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The slopes are predominately south facing so Easter is great for skiing with long sunny days.
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it's one of the most snow sure resorts in France with a long season
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Say what is actually true not what you want to be true. It is not one of the most snow sure resorts in France, there are loads of resorts with glacier access and loads more without, especially those in the mont blanc shadow, that are more snow sure.
Yes, south facing is nice in january for getting a bit of sun and softening up the slopes. In easter it leads to ice in the moring where the previous days slush has frozen and slush by mid afternoon.
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Bergmeister, the OP clearly states not Val Thorens. Wed 09 Dec, 09
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I know.
That's why I was supporting a trip to St Martin....
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