 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello all, wondered if anyone could help with their experiences of the likely mix of crowds/snow etc. in the Southern French Alps this Easter. Hadn't planned a second trip this year, but very successful first go with our 3 year old in Samoens and Les Gets in January means we need to respond to demands for more (and we are not resisting). Only reasonably priced flight we could get from Newcastle for when we can go is Nice for the 3 - 10 April. Any thoughts on how busy the various s. french alps might be given that that area of France starts its easter hols then? Happy to drive a bit, and no need for loads of miles, just some reasonable blues/greens, but struggling to decide between Foux D'Allos, Pra Loup, Auron, Vars, Isola etc. Had even thought of a long trip via Turin up towards Val Cenis, but wonder if that just means i am going a bit mad in trying to decide on options. All 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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bailliesmiths, we've driven up to Serre Chevalier from Nice before. Took about 4 hours I think, which is not much further than from Geneva. Its autoroute as far as Gap, then a beautiful drive through some stunning scenery.
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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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In terms of proximity Pra Loup is probably your best bet - it's c.140km north west of Nice and so if you put your foot down you can do it in just over two hours. I haven't been but my mate said it's nice and quiet, which obviously means less crowds. Think it's weighted towards blue + green runs but you'd have to check that.
Beyond that, it looks like Serre Chevalier, Les Deux Alpes and Sauze d'Oulx + Bardonecchia in Italy are all roughly similar distance from Nice - ie c4 hours drive away.
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Les Deux Alpes is very reliable for snow at Easter, I've no experience of the others.
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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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Isola has a good snow record and is closest to Nice but it's not like Samoens or Les Gets ie. it's purpose built and not that pretty. Some choice of accommodation on www.skicollection.co.uk/Ski/Isola-2000.htm. Marseille area have their Easter holidays between 03-04-17/04 and they tend to pack resorts like Pra Loup and Vars. A bit more of a gamble with snow conditions but you may also get really cheap flights to the French Pyrénées (nearest airports are Tarbes, Toulouse, Pau) where accommodation lift passes, restaurants are pretty cheap. Otherwise Turin may have decent prices on flights too and resorts like Montgenevre (superb snow record) or Val Cenis are indeed worth considering.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 9-02-10 13:57; edited 2 times in total
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XPeak, unfortunately there are no flights to Turin from Newcastle (apart from a charter which stops in early March) , or I would be a much frequent visitor to my apartment in Serre Che. We have the choice of Geneva (winter only) or Nice (Spring and Summer only). Ryanair had a flight to Bergamo, but not any more.
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Hi bailliesmiths, I live in Le Seignus (on the same lift pass as La Foux but not lift linked) and it will be very quiet at La Foux at Easter. I don't know how things are in the rest of France but down south they seem to think you can only go skiing at Christmas/New Year or the February half-term.
The snow depths are pretty good at the moment but it's a bit too far out to give an assessment of how things will be at Easter as we haven't had the traditional February heatwave yet. Current temperatures are around 4C and if the daytime temperature stays below 6C or so most of the time then the snow will last 6 weeks without needing any fresh falls.
I'd say 4 hours from Nice to Serre Chevalier would involve torturing the car and a few tickets! Marseille to Serre Che would be much easier driving as it's motorway most of the way. If you do head north to Vars/Serre Che etc. plan your route carefully as a lot of the mountain passes are closed in the winter and most route planning sites don't seem to know this.
bw (past heavy poster now just a lurker!)
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benwright, long time no hear! I was about to post here suggesting bailliesmiths, contact you, but you beat me to it! Hope all OK with your lot? 
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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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Hi Anniepen, we're all well and halfway through the 18 weeks of the season and have been fully-booked for all but one week so far - I think we had 6 people then. We've got guests for all of the remaining weeks except for the very last one so Chalet Vallons is still going strong.
Monty's just started school (aged 3, poor s0d) but it's only 4 mornings a week and one of those is skiing! He's into helping make the cakes for afternoon tea but I try not to let the guests know this until after they've eaten them!
The snow's been really good down here almost all season although Christmas was disappointing - we had the rain that almost everywhere in the Alps seemed to get and it was too depressing for me to go skiing in.
bailliesmiths, I should have added that usually at that time of year the snow at the bottom of Pra Loup is a bit soft by lunchtime but once you get above the level of the first gondolas out of the resort it's tends to stay good and there's plenty of skiing at that height. The snow at resort level in La Foux tends to be a bit better than Pra Loup but there aren't as many higher altitude runs in La Foux.
I think that if you buy a Pra Loup lift pass you get a free day at Super Sauze - or you might just get a discount on a day pass there.
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benwright, there won't be flights from Newcastle to Marseille either.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Helen Beaumont, with so few routes to the Alps left from Newcastle then I guess it still leaves the drive to Cairngorm as an option  . Are Edinburgh and Leeds too far then, although not sure if a lot more choice from these?
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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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XPeak, Leeds isn't too bad, but again there isn't a lot more choice. I think there is now a Chambery flight from Newcastle, but only on a Saturday,and again it stops well before the end of the ski season. One of the reasons we drive to the Alps.
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Hello all, thanks for all the really helpful replies - much appreciated. Flight choices not great from Newcastle, though we had been hoping to go by train - just couldn't get the timings to work this time but plan to do it more in future. Sounds like some places need to be avoided given the Marseille crowds? Wasn't sure if the phrase 'french school holidays' - usually with 'avoid' in front - included easter but sounds like it might for Pra Loup etc. if not La Foux. Shame - Pra Loup 1500 had some promising places to stay with a pool - requested alongside a cable car/gondola by our daughter! Something to do with relaxing the muscles in those 3 year old legs after hours of snowplouging I am sure. We really like Serre Chevalier and have been in Monetier and Briancon in April - and Briancon pool is great. Any thoughts on whether that would be exceptionally busy then - cannot remember whether we went in easter weeks? One reaon we have liked Montgenvre, SC, etc. has been how quiet it has generally seemed compared to Haute Savoie etc. Still not ruling out the longer drive via Turin to Val Cenis - not least since we had a great first trip to Bonneval 10 years ago and loved it but couldn't really appreciate what it had to offer.
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You know it makes sense.
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bailliesmiths, we ski in Serre Chevalier most of the time, we have never found it too busy at Easter and have been on several occasions. We'll be there ourselves until the 4th April.
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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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bailliesmiths, I was in Pra Loup for the first time the weekend before last, it seemed a nice place.
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Poster: A snowHead
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bailliesmiths, I wouldn't be worried about the number of people in Pra Loup at Easter (it'll be minimal) just that the snow isn't brilliant low-down and it's a long drive from Nice - there's no way you'd make it in 2hrs as all the mountain passes are closed in winter, it's a very long way round, 4 hours plus. Because of that it'd be my last choice out of (in order of driving time from Nice) Isola, Auron and the Val d'Allos.
Deux Alpes/Alpe d'Huez would be 5-6 hours drive from Nice. Definitely not recommended if you have to fly to Nice.
My only experience of Auron is that it was shut in mid-March when I tried to go there on a recce before we bought our chalet in the Val d'Allos but I think that was exceptional and that it's usually open into April.
I think most of the southern resorts will be quiet at Easter (none of the UK tour operators dare mix it up with the Marseillaise so it's only French people that come here and they don't ski at Easter) so wherever you go you shouldn't have to worry about lift queues or crowded pistes. On past experience, that'll definitely be the case in La Foux.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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That's really helpful - thanks. Will start having a look at those in more detail - might even explore getting to them by public transport (there are train/bus possibilities to La Foux and others I think?). People's thoughts and ideas are really helping. And sorry i don't name people to say thanks specifically - I am not sure how you are all doing that as am a bit new to posting!
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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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bailliesmiths, click on the Users name, and it brings up the name in bold in your reply.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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ah, like this Helen Beaumont? thanks for your thoughts on SC and the technical advice.
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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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bailliesmiths, just like that, you're welcome.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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There's a combined train/coach option to La Foux (about EUR30 rtn, I think). Do a search for Chemins de Fer de Provence and you'll find some info.
Last winter there were buses from Nice to Isola for EUR1 but that was probably a promo as part of their bid to be France's candidate city for the Winter Olympics so I'm not sure if it's running this year - there'll probably be something on the Isola website.
There's an English guy in Allos who will do a transfer for up to 4 people for EUR220 rtn or if you stay at a certain chalet in the area the transfers are thrown in
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As i have mentioned previously i am going to Montgenevre via Turin with Neilson package, but all TCX flights north of Watford have been cancelled after March 20th so it Gatwick i'm afraid, initially i was booked on the Manchester flight, but it was such a good deal i was happy to change to Gatwick rather than loose the holiday, i got £50 back for the trouble!!!!!!
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bailliesmiths, Hi, would echo Helen Beaumont, recommendation of Serre Che. Friends of ours drove up from Marseille, and it is such a big area I doubt it would get crowded out. There's lots of nice places with 'up the mountain feel' that would fit the blues and greens options.
Enjoy it!
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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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| bailliesmiths wrote: |
| That's really helpful - thanks. Will start having a look at those in more detail - might even explore getting to them by public transport (there are train/bus possibilities to La Foux and others I think?). People's thoughts and ideas are really helping. And sorry i don't name people to say thanks specifically - I am not sure how you are all doing that as am a bit new to posting! |
There's allegedly a direct bus from Nice to Val D'allos but only on saturday and by prior reservation (45 euro return) . I say allegedly as i've booked for easter and they've refused to send me any tickets or confirmation insisting that it's unecessary...this is the outfit.
http://www.haut-verdon-voyages.com/
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| Quote: |
| direct bus from Nice to Val D'allos |
- be careful about the bus as it isn't timed to fit in with the usual aircraft turnaround times
e.g coming up from Nice the bus will leave the airport at 1200 - fine if you have a flight that lands at, as one of the UK ones does, 1010
going back down the bus arrives in Nice at 1230 - no good for the return of the flight you've come in on as it will have been turned round in 40 minutes and left at 1050.
nb the bus times quoted are made up but the principle is sound.
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