 Poster: A snowHead
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Next February I need to meet someone off a coach travelling from Courmayeur through the Mont Blanc Tunnel.
Unless you know better my plan is to drive from Montalbert up through Albertville Ugine Megeve etc and meet the coach . Where would be a good place to suggest to the Coach Driver that he stops and drops off? (and a place I can find easily, the only part of Chamonix I know is the Zoo)
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sun 7-03-10 17:58; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Boredsurfing, where's the coach going to? As Chamonix is a little bit of a detour. Suggest your mate gets dropped off at the Mercure on the road approaching the tunnel (Les Bossons) unless coach continues closer to you...
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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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under a new name, The coach is coming from Courmayeur to England, I am hoping to meet it the French side of the Tunnel
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Thu 16-04-09 8:00; edited 1 time in total
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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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There is a small service area between Les Houches and Servoz that may be better, the Mercure is on the wrong side of the road.
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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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boredsurfin, I got the direction from your OP, not the destination.
rjs, ah, better idea, it even serves coffee. It's a Total service station IIRC (don't pay that much attention as I drive past).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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under a new name, I'm coming from Albertville the coach is coming from Courmayeur, I guess the coach won't make a detour for me so I really need to meet the coach on it's route, 
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I'm still fiddling around with this idea, anymore suggestions?
There is a slight change to the plan in that the coach will leave Courmayer at 6pm so I guess we may spend the day skiing in Chamonix as well.
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Boredsurfing, admit the truth,
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need to meet someone off a coach
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should actually read
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am picking up a camper van for week to follow da powda
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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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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Boredsurfing, anywhere around La Feyette as you will probably come through from Megeve/St Gervais
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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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Thanks guys keep 'em coming, I'll probably wander that way in July on my travels.
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You know it makes sense.
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mountainaddict,
Camera just after Les Houches, me too - same story.
Boredsurfing,
Anywhere in Le Fayet would be off the A40 and, therefore not great for the driver as he would have to go through Le Fayet to get back on. The service station mentioned by under a new name, before the peage starts sounds the best idea.
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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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I think the most relax way to meet a friend coming from the Mont Blanc tunnel is in Sallanche Centre de Commercial. There is a big supermarket with a cafeteria, just before the Ibis Hotel on the main road. Your friend can do a bit a shopping too and have a proper breakfast while waiting for you. From Montalbert, via Albertville, Megeve etc will be a solid 2 hours plus driving so you could do with a stop too. The roads are well sign-posted after you pass Megeve. Right hand side to Chamonix and straight forward to Sallances.
Sallances is good for the coach driver as it is next to the motorway so little time is waste. The other way is to drop your friend in Chamonix town centre which is only a short distance from the Mont Blanc tunnel road junction.
In Sallances you may have a tough decision to pick where to sk as there are chices of Chamonix, Megeve/St Gervais, Les Contamines, Flaine/Le Carroz of Grand Massif , Les Gets/Morzine of Porte Du Soleil and Grand Bonard/La Clusza.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Are Boredsurfing, and boredsurfin, the same person?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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saikee, you are indeed mad are you not? Craziest place in the world to meet anyone! Especially if they're banking on a friendly coach driver dropping them off. Terrible traffic in and out, far from ideal (even with the new autoroute connections) crap autoroute connections...etc., et al., ad naus.
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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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under a new name,
I used to own a mobile home in Chamonix for 8 years and that would be my recommendation.
Drivers from Albertville can drive directly to Sallances via D1212. The Centre de Commercial Carrefour is exactly 1.1 miles from the end of D1212 and the autoroute is 0.9 miles thereafter from the Centre de Commercial/Cafeteria or Ibis Hotel.
The other route to Chamonix via D909 is much more challenging and goes through St Gervais but ending up at Le Fayet which is the starting end of Sallances or 5.5 miles from the Centre De Commercial. Would you prefer to drive up 12 miles uphill to Chamonix to meet your friend somewhere along a featureless fast road or nip into a cafeteria 5.5miles down a flat road in Sallances to pop in for a coffee?
With the exception of Saturday morning which is the market day in rural France there shouldn't be a traffic problem in Chamonix Mont Blanc area.
The entire length of Sallanches is 7.5 miles long right at the end of the Autoroute and at the valley floor level of Chamonix. Even before the fatal fire when the Mont Blanc Tunnel was heavily used as the preferred route by lorries the autoroute connection there wasn't anything you described as crap.
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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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saikee, Problem is you have to go through Le Fayet and then along the D road to Sallanches and then through Sallanches to the Centre Commercial. All in all this will add at least 20 minutes to the coach driver's trip compared to perhaps five at the service station. And a coach will not enjoy the entry and exit from the car park. Stick to the service station Boredsurfing IMV.
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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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saikee, Locals don't go through either Sallanches or St Gervais from Albertville, they just go straight down to Le Fayet. The Centre Commercial is still a silly place to suggest taking a coach.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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If the car from Albertville is to cross path with the coach from Mont Blanc Tunnel it can only do so at the end of D1212, which is in Sallance or at the end of D909/D902 which is at Le Fayet.
St Gervais is on the D909/D902 road.
If the locals don't use the D1212 and skip Dt Gervais in D909 they would end up in Les Contamines.
I accept going through Sallanches at 30mph will take 15 to 20 minutes to travel the end to end distance of 7.5 miles. However having driven the road between Chamonix and Albertville many times and I am confident this long, narrow and winding journey can take easily an extra 10 to 15 minutes if one runs into slow moving trucks. Thus it is hard to time accurately a meet up between the Mont Blanc tunnel to La Fayet unless one party is prepared to wait for the extra 10 to 15 minutes. The services stations on this road have no facility. Also there is a limited points for a vehicle going up hill of this 12 miles road to change over to the other direction to pick up a passenger.
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Whatever you do...you'll have to get the coach-driver to pick the least inconvenient drop-off point... you really can't expect the coach to lose much more than 5 mins in total for the drop-off...
I know, if I was on my way home, I wouldn't want to be faffing about dropping someone off anywhere other than a auto-route service station, rest- stop or the like..
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The coach driver will no doubt have done this route numerous times, and will tell you where the drop off will be. In my experience this is always motorway services.
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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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saikee, not that I think we need dicker about credibility but I own a business and home in Chamonix and have spent way more time at the Sallanches Ctr Comm (specifically Boite a Outils) than I care to relate.
OP suggests he might ski Cham for the day. He's asking for somewhere for a TO coach to meet him easily at. That suggests to me little or no detour for the coach. Total service station has a coffee bar. Alternatively there's a TIR stop just below Servoz that has a bar and restaurant.
Traffic in Sallanches on a Saturday is always awful. AFAIK, the coach would need to leave the A40 at at the new Bretelle d'Arve interchange/exit, drive through Sallanches to the CC and drive back through Sallanches to get back onto the A40 where it came off. You are looking at around a 45min round trip in Saturday traffic. At least.
Sallanches had totally crap autoroute connections - they are now better with the new BdA interchange.
I really, really don't think that's the best solution.
From Albertville, easy, D1212, then D902 onto N205 to Chamonix. Driving back is a little wigglier but not by much.
No idea what you're talking about re ending up in Les Contamines... 
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under a new name, If a supermarket was the best place to drop someone there is always the Intermarche in Le Fayet, turn off at the Bretelle d'Arve exit drop off then back onto the autoroute at the same place. It is still further out of the way than the places we suggested though.
The bit about Les Contamines was probably prompted by me, there is a shortcut down from the N909 to Le Fayet that doesn't require going into St Gervais, Route des Amerandes on the Google map.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Locals don't go through either Sallanches or St Gervais from Albertville, they just go straight down to Le Fayet. |
I now believe rjs was suggesting going through some farm roads (possibly via Roue de Amerands) along D909 as a short cut into La Fayet. I didn't realise this and assumed sticking with the trunck route D909 and D902. By not going through St Gervais it seems to me the only way is to turn left after crossing the river near the Le Chatelet gondola station. That would lead to Rue de Montjoie ending up in dead end valley of Les Contamines Montjoie.
Once reach the Centre de Commercial I never had an instance of not able to join the Autoroute 0.9 miles away than having to go 6.5 miles back to join the starting point of the Autoroute A40.
I do agree if it is Saturday morning avoid Sallanches at all cost unless one is after local produces.
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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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saikee, OK, if your priority is the OP driving you have some sort of point, as I see what you mean about the arrival from Albertville.
But if your priority is a coachfull of impatient punters, you are still bonkers.
Also, AFAIK, (I rarely have to do it so I won't state with certainty) you can't get back onto the A40 out of Sallanches going West until you get to Cluses. At least, not with the current road works.
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Dropping off in Sallanches is indeed bonkers - even if you can avoid the traffic, it's quite a detour for a coach. It would be unreasonable to expect the coach to detour like that.
Why not keep things simple and do the meet at the French side of the Mont Blanc tunnel which is only a few minutes drive from Chamonix? Not so much room for confusion there. Or at the roundabout at the bottom of the tunnel road (which avoids the possibility of getting stuck in a queue of traffic for the tunnel)? Or at the first service station on the road out from the tunnel heading upwards(already mentioned by someone I think) a Total station.
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You know it makes sense.
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2nd what cp1000, says. Car park on the French side of the tunnel. 5min drive from Cham centre.
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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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Just for informatiion even at half term Montalbert to Chamonix takes 2 hours 10 mins. (via Megeve)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Boredsurfing, You could have got him to ski over the top from La Thuile and picked him up in La Rosiere 
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FAQ
I hope 
.......still no ticket so presumably in the clear by now 
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