 Poster: A snowHead
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I am giving this resort some serious thought and would like to know how accessable the other resorts are via bus and is skiing over to Chamonix possible with or without a ski guide ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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IncogSkiSno, I was there last season and although I stuck to Courmayeur myself, there were other people in my hotel who made excursions to other resorts.
Chamonix is pretty easy, there's a reasonably regular bus through the tunnel, although advance booking is recommended at peak times and it's only free if you have an MBU lift pass. La Thuile is also pretty easy, there's a free bus (with lift pass) that picks up from several parts of the resort and I think one or two days there are included on the Courmayeur lift pass. Ditto Pila, you get the regular public bus to Aosta and ride the bubble up.
Like I said, I didn't do any of this, mainly because I was enjoying the runs and conditions in Courmayeur and was only there for a week. Plus it made more sense for me to leave my equipment in lockers up at Plan Chécrouit. It was a long journey back to my hotel (bubble lift and 3km minibus ride) and I preferred to do this without having to lug everything about.
The other option for Chamonix is to do the Vallée Blanche. There's a cable car in three stages up from La Palud and regular guided trips. You end up in Chamonix somewhere and you miss out the infamous ridge walk from going up the French side. You'd need to get the bus back from Chamonix afterwards. I didn't do this, I'm strictly a piste only skier, but some people in my hotel really enjoyed it.
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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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IncogSkiSno, As queen bodecia, but there are a few threads on this which you should be able to find with a seach.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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IncogSkiSno, La Thuile is about 40 mins on the bus and Pila an hour. Way better if you have a car as it is only 20 mins to Pila on the motorway and just over an hour to Cervinia if you want a day up there as well
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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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Help researching this resort is really doing my head in, never before have I found it so hard to find out current info.
Need to know, will we need a guide to ski over to Chamonix, or is there a piste run over ?
Ski Passes:
again confusion, whether to get the Mont Blanc Unlimited and does this give access to other Aosta resorts ?
Aosta pass, covers Chamonix for I day, but not all of it, so again not sure 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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IncogSkiSno, There is no piste run over to Chamonix from Italian side it is all off piste, mostly glacial and I wouldn't do it without a guide.
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IncogSkiSno, there's no piste to Chamonix, just the Vallée Blanche which is off-piste and we were told a guide was essential due to the danger of crevasses, etc.
The normal Courmayeur lift pass covers two days in any other Aosta valley resorts for a 6-day pass (i.e. La Thuile, Pila, Cervinia, Gressoney). Pretty sure it doesn't cover Chamonix at all, just the three stage cable car from La Palud up to Punta Helbronner for the Vallée Blanche. MBU covers the whole Chamonix valley plus Courmayeur.
The Savda (Aosta valley) buses are covered on a Courmayeur lift pass but you'd need an MBU pass to use the Chamonix bus through the tunnel.
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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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queen bodecia, many thanks. I am being given totally different information by someone, which has confused my research results, which were as you have said.
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IncogSkiSno, I'm there on February 14th collecting M from her scholl ski trip. Let me know if I can collect any info for you.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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For some reason it is difficult to get info on Courmayeur. As said above you need a guide to get to Chamonix via the VB and it is currently in a very iffy state i.e. very open crevasses. There is an excellent bar called Bar Roma which does a really good free buffet from 6.30 to 8.30 pm. On piste restaurants are really lovely too.
Also there are several really brilliant off piste itineraries from the top (youla/arp cars) which I did for the first time last week - really superb snow and well worth doing but you'd need to get a guide or join a guided group as there are some proper terrain traps in there.
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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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Boredsurfing, thanks but I will be going on the 7th if I go.
firebug, cheers
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IncogSkiSno, firebug, i've done a pretty comprehensive resort review avalable via the A-Z list. Let me know if you have any more specific questions. Things do change, e.g. when I want the COurmayeur pass did give one day sking in Chamonix but it apprarently doesn;t now.
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You know it makes sense.
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| firebug wrote: |
| There is an excellent bar called Bar Roma which does a really good free buffet from 6.30 to 8.30 pm. |
Order your beers in Italian - Brits were being charged the advertised 8 Euros for a medio. Ordering in Italian, we were getting them for 5.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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So are there any lifts that can take you from Courmayeur and into Chamonix, without skiing dangerous off-piste ?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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IncogSkiSno, no. It's either a bus journey or the Valleé Blanche. No other routes.
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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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No. There is a lift linking the Italian side and the Aiguille du midi but it only runs in the summer for sightseers.
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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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Gsyfreerider, thanks for clarifying that 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| chrisdavis wrote: |
| Order your beers in Italian - Brits were being charged the advertised 8 Euros for a medio. Ordering in Italian, we were getting them for 5. |
Order it in your Interski uniform and you'll get it for 3... 
Great little resort. I say little, but there's plenty to keep most people occupied for about a week. As for all the info regarding passes and so on, queen bodecia is spot on.
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Ours were OK in price - maybe it helps to be blonde - ciao bella! try a wig?
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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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Do you have a car? If so, there's plenty around, but what do you want? It's an achingly pretty town, smooth and great restaurants. It's made for italians - high speed pistes and the best restaurants - Grolla and Chiecco are both fantastic. The off-piste is good but committing and needs good snow to be enjoyable, but you can get away from everyone. Can be windy. Small but lots of character. It is not La Plagne etc. in that you don't get the miles. But if you can build in the Funivie and Chamonix it's superb - include the glacier La Tour and there is little to beat it anywhere in the world. But you need a guide to get the most out so don't do it on a budget.
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FAQ
