Flaine - hints, tips, advice please....

A snowHead

Am going to Flaine on Saturday - late booking - and would appreciate advice. Although I have been before, it was mid nineties and I was a second weeker in the ski school that no one dare name. Not a happy experience. So can anyone recommend any good instructors, please?

Again, as a beginner, I didn't get anywhere near exploring the ski area, in fact the only things I can remember are the yogurt pots and a drag lift with a "dog leg" in it where, if one of our class fell off (usually Barbara - or "Slow Lady" as she was called by our instructor all week rolling eyes

) the rest of us would pile up on top Laughing

). So any advice on interesting places to ski, preferably not crowded, would be appreciated.

Lastly, any nice pubs, with or without live music, around Club Hotel Totem (Forum area)? Recommended mountain restaurants? Any must dos or must avoids?

Thanks in anticipation.

A snowHead

maggi, it's been a few years for me as well but the Gers bowl was always a good place to ski in the old days. Did I hear they were building a lift back up from Sixt some years ago? Dropping down into the various satellite villages makes for interest - in fact you may have to do that to find a restaurant, I only recall 2 "mountain" versions, one on the top ridge (Mont Blanc view) and one on the way to Les Carroz.

"Nice" pubs? Perdrix Blanc and Noir are the only pubs I remember. For Noir you would need to walk or get the shuttle lift from the Forum area, but it was OK as far as I recall.

Don't fall down any holes.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

we were there early last year, the tour op arranged a session for us wuth an instructor hwo I can highly reccomend. Not 100% sure on the name of the ski school I think it weas the International? In any case they had green jackets. HTe instructor was a blond English guy called david, about 5'8" or so. He was great,

You need to Login to know who's really who.

maggi, IIRC ise is the fount of all knowledge for Flaine. Pending his arrival, however, I would say the dog-leg drag was probably that in the Gers bowl - their off-piste paradise - except that's a bit advanced for a beginner. Before heading over there however, do make sure the drag is running, as it does break down rather frequently and the only other way out is down a long track to Sixt then bus to Samoen. The main Flaine bowl is great, with plenty of routes to find around the "diamant noire" run (under the DMC), and we also had great fun the next bowl over (the head of the valley above Les Carroz), served by the Vernant and Corblanche lifts. The Samoens area seemed a lot busier and less interesting.

I would recommend Yann Westerkamp as an excellent instructor (independent) and a great guy - but he's already committed for the full week (as he is most weeks) with a SCGB holiday (basic improvers level). You may be able to get him for Sunday though (or his sidekick Regis Ponchard if the SCGB holiday is poorly attended) - contact at http://www.flainesnowski.com/. BTW he's a great hit with the ladies too - looks just like Robert Redford, but 20 years younger.

The White Grouse (Perrdix Blanche) is about it in Flaine Forum, and is a bit livlier than the Perdrix Noir (Flaine Foret) which is fine for a nice quiet drink or quite good meal, and is the SCGB evening meeting spot. There's also a night club up in Foret, but I can't comment on it as I never went in. "Epicea" just above Forum is a nice mountain resaurant.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

And that remnids me, on our night out we went to the piza place in forum itself, can't remember the name but it's the sit-down place just near the tourist office. Really nice pizzas, Mrs NBT hads the "pierre chaud" sliver of meat that yo cook on a white hot stone (the eponymous pierre chaud) with sald and whatnot, excellent.

You'll need to Register first of course.

if you like good food try the restaurant that is accross the piste from the Totem, come out the door, turn right, walk literally acrosss the meeting type area (it is floodlite at night) and the restaurant is right in front of you (about 100-150M) Great food in a traditonal chalet type setting (good cheese board even!)

If you go to the International ski school and book group lessons, the instructor that takes the highest group is usually 'Bruno' a really great guy who will take you to the best snow conditions (on and off piste)in the resort. He will also kick you out if you can't keep up!! (good if you can, bad if not I suppose!!)

I'm going with a Ski club weekend arriving late thursday night next week. Snow conditions are perfecdt at present and with 3 days of snow forecast at the end of this week, i'm sure will be a welcome top up.

HAVE FUN Very Happy

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Any must do's........................

Ski 'Mephisto Superieure' a fantatic red from the top of the DMC lift, it's just a great piste.

Any must avoids.....................

The return run from the 6 person high speed Grand Vans chairlift. It links to the other resorts (Morillion, Samoens and Les Carroz) But in the late afternoons it tends to offer better waterskiing options than snowskiing!!!!

Toofy Grin

After all it is free

christianmurray, I have a feeling that restaurant burned down over summer. I'll see if I can find the report

If you neant the Bissac, then yes, it has

http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=5220&highlight=bissac

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

that's terrible news....it was arguebly the best restaurant i've eaten in at a resort for many many years.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

The Bissac ? Are we talking the same place here? Next to the three button lifts? The two longer of which maggi was referring to as having a dog-leg in it.

It was OK but nothing special. It could be me, I'm not very good with names of places really, I never really read the piste maps.

snow reports

i think we are not....well i hope not anyway!!!

the place i'm thinking of is basically at the bottom of the DMC in Flaine Forum, if you stood looking out from the DMC it would be on your left. and the only other lift nearby is the chair lift that runs up the kidergarden slope. no button lifts in site.

I love your images on your website, by the way.......please keep posting them.

is your website commercial, or are you just a ski nut???

I know the place you're thinking of christianmurray, we used to stop in there for hot chocolate etc. it was one of theplaces the reps recommended for our evening out but we never ate there

You know it makes sense.

Okay I give up, what's the DMC?

I used to ski at Flaine often late 80's - early 90's and don't remember anything called that. Is it new or is it something a day trip skier would not use?

Just curious.

CP

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

DMC is the big gondola from the forum up towards mont blanc

A snowHead

A snowHead

nbt, Got it, quite a view when you get out of the bulding at the top - If I remember correctly

Thanks

CP

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Help!!

Flaine - hints, tips, advice please....

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