 Poster: A snowHead
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We just booked a week in Les Houches for 10-18 April and have since discoved a great deal on Mont Blanc Unlimited passes for this time of year. As a family with 4 children and 2 adults, it will cost just €450 for 6 days unlimited skiing with a choice of 700km of pistes.
http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/pages/promo_ski_chamonix.html
We also got a great deal with Peak Retreats, staying at MGM Les Hauts de Chavants right next to the Prarion télécabine and école du ski francais, 8 nights for only £487 or €535.
Ski school is only costing €102 per child and €112.20 per adult for 6 days of 2 1/2 hours.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'm not sure there is quite 700km of piste in Cham and at LH you are realistically limited to LH, Brevant and Flegere.
Getting the bus to, and especially back from, Le Tour is something you may wish to do only once.
MBU does give you the AdM cable car and the train to Montenvers, both of which are worth doing.
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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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| bar shaker wrote: |
MBU does give you the AdM cable car and the train to Montenvers, both of which are worth doing. |
Also covers Courmayeur and Verbiers too. Although unless you have a car....
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MBU also covers the lift upto the aguille (don't know if I spelt that right), Courmayeur has a free bus link from Chamonix, and at that time of year the buses to Balme (Le Tour) and Grand Montets (also on MBU) should be no problem. So only Verbier should be any issue.
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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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We went to les Houches this Summer, did the Aiguille du Midi, Tramway, Monenvers, Grands Montets etc lifts, thinking we would never do them again. Well if the snow is bad by mid April, looks like we will be doing it all again to pass the time, plus we have friends just near Vallorcine so the free train along the valley is a bonus for us.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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mind you i see your in LH and doing daily ski school, but if it's mornings, and you enjoy skiing different areas i can't see why afternoons could not include GM, Balme, Brevent/Flegere and a couple in LH (maybe a drag to get to Italy whether it's worth it will depend on snow).
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Chamonix hasn't got 700km piste even if it includes Courmayeur and Verbier. It is possibly the most unlinked skiing area in the Alps. All these years I could only saw one one effort to link Brevent with La Flegere. Going round the valley on ski buses isn't ideal.
Les Houches for many years wasn't regarded as part of the Chamonix domain and always sell its own ski pass. It does not have the challenging steep slopes as Grands Montets and Brevent/Flegere which give the Chamonix's Mecca status. Skiing in Les Houches is a different experience to skiing in Chamonix. One needs to try out Grands Montet or Brevent/Flegere to appreciate what Chamonix is all about or hire a guide to have a go at the Vallee Blanc.
Day trip from Chamonix to Verbier isn't a realistic option as the 65 miles involves going through the Col de Forclaz and could take two hours in both directions even in good weather.
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| saikee wrote: |
| Day trip from Chamonix to Verbier isn't a realistic option as the 65 miles involves going through the Col de Forclaz and could take two hours in both directions even in good weather. |
Errrr it's actually 55km from Chamonix to Le Chable.
In good weather Argentiere to Le Chable takes 45 mins. Add 10 mins from central Chamonix. Add another 10 minutes if there's traffic. I do this drive regularly. It is not a big deal if you don't mind driving. The drive through the Col des Montets, Col de Forclaz and Trient is very beautiful. Particularly the view from the Col des Montets coming back to Chamonix when the Grands Montets and Mont Blanc open up ahead of you!
Skiing Verbier, Chamonix and Courmayeur in a weeks holiday opens up some of the best terrain and scenery on the planet.
I fully agree with you that skiing the Chamonix valley and surrounding resorts is much easier if you have a car.
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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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wildnoon, As said above, if having lessons its unlikely you will get out to the other areas for the afternoon. LH to Le Tour/Vallorcine is going to be 45 minutes each way by the time you wait for a bus or train. As there are six of you, I'm assuming you wont have a car. Its possibly worth the trip out one day and its certainly worth being in Flegere or Balme on a bluebird day, but it will make it a long afternoon and if you do do this, you can use all intermediate ski areas on the vanilla pass.
As you have done the AdM and Montenvers/Mer de Glace and as you are staying in the best area if there is bad weather, I would get the non MBU pass if there is a family saving to be had on that too.
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bobinch,
Think I have managed 45 minutes from Chamonix to Martigny in the summer in both car and motorbike. I wouldn't like to do it in such time in winter though. It is still a 15 to 20 minutes to go from Martigny to Verbier as the roads are quite twisty.
The Google Map report 27 miles from Chamonix to Martigny and Martigny to Verbier is 16 miles giving a total of 43 miles at least. Le Chable is 4 miles less but would still be 39 miles or 62km.
Think I mistaken the 65 km figure with miles.
It is a very fast journey if you did it in 45 minutes. I haven't counted the number of bends in Verbier area but between Chamonix and Martigny there are 10 hairpin bends on each side of the French/Swiss border.
I used to run a mobile home in Chamonix for 8 years.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I stayed in Argentiere for 2 weeks over New years- it was fantastic -as usual. I spent as much on a 14 day MBU pass as you are for a family one, so sounds to me like a good deal.
I met people in our hotel who drove to Verbier for the day & used the lift pass no issue. It took them 1 hour to get there. You can also take the train but its slower (approx 2 hours from memory- but its a nice trip).As Bobinch says Chamonix-Courmayeur-Verbier has some of the best skiing on the planet-how bad hey!?
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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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Family pass 2 adults + 4 children, 6 days, commencing after 10/4/10
Les Houches 590.40
Chamonix 500
Mont Blanc Unlimited 450
1 adult, 6 days, commencing after 10/4/10
Les Houches 164
Chamonix 200
Mont Blanc Unlimited 180
So it is CHEAPER to buy a MBU pass for a family staying anywhere in the MBU area, for an adult alone, cheaper for MBU if in Chamonix, Vallorcine, Argentiere etc, cheaper for Les Houches (only just) if you only want les Houches. So it's a great deal for adults too. Now we just need the snow to stay.
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| saikee wrote: |
| [b]I used to run a mobile home in Chamonix for 8 years. |
It can't have been a very fast one 
You don't go into Martigny if going to Verbier. The roundabout is a few km's short. And the road from there to Le Chable is very quick. I know the road and have been known to exceed the speed limit on occassions but you would have to be going slow for it to take over an hour. Winter or Summer no difference unless there is snow on the road (which there only is for a day or 2 after a dump when temperatures are very cold).
ps google maps is your friend.
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You know it makes sense.
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wildnoon, Your deal sounds great. Les Houches is lovely to ski. In mid April you will definitely find good snow in the valley but I think it's fair to say that the best is not guaranteed to be in Les Houches, as you already know. If you are staying right next to the Prarion, then there is a skibus stop there - that gives you options for travelling if you don't have a car. But ensure to grab a timetable - the buses aren't as frequent as they could be.
saikee, Daytrips to Verbier are very possible. I did one in Jan and setting off at 8:30, we were skiing (not quite from Mont Fort, but at the top of the cable car just before it whose name I forget) at 10:30. On that day there was a little snow on the road so we weren't going crazy over the pass.
bobinch, Completely agree on the views. As we were returning from our trip the sunset and the views were just spectacular - very special indeed.
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