 Poster: A snowHead
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Just got back
Reasons to go again: NONE
Reasons to avoid:
Poor piste maintenance
Lift closures on upper slopes (where the snow is), whilst lower lifts kept open to service rock and slush covered slopes which should have been closed for safety
Lack of ski patrol so no control over lunatic out of control vandals -of both persuasions -(got wiped out by one- no injury this time)
Long lift queues with the usual re-run of the Battle of Agincourt
Unhelpful lift operators who prefer to keep lifts running rather than stop and help beginners who fall - saw several run-over incidents
Been there 3 times (for the guaranteed high altitude snow)- worse each time; went to Breckenridge in February, and California 4 times before - no comparison, only USA from now on.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Welcome docleaf,
Never been to LDA but I plan to visit La Grave soon. It depends on your poison but for me Europe wins over the US evertime.
Having said that Utah must be worth a visit soon, I think.
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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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I went to Les Deux Alps at the end of January/beginning of February this year for the first time. I was extremely apphrehensive about going as I had read so many negative reports. So much so, I even considered changing resort.
However, I was really impressed and loved every minute of it and would go back again.
Sorry you didn't enjoy it.
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Did a day trip to LDA from Alpe d'Huez and it sucked. Crap resort. Bottle necks and lift queues.
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I am not a big fan of Les Deux Alpes. Glacier skiing not as good as Tignes. When I visited late in the season half the mountain was shut. I would not go back either.
Good facilities in town though. Open air pool, bowling and cinema with English films. 'Rain Man' was the big film when I was there
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I worked a season there in the mid-90s and it was a bit disappointing. I've never been able to figure out why but I never really warmed to the place.
I've never planned on going back - although Easiski's posts have got me a little tempted for a summer trip 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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If anyone wants to try the other end of the spectrum --can I suggest Breckenridge - best skiing ever, excellent all round resort, altitude can be a bit of a problem -but can be sorted, discuss with an interested GP if you've got one; well worth the travel.
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Philip Prior, I think you may find DA fans theink the same about ADH
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Helen Beaumont, Philip Prior, I think you may find DA fans theink the same about ADH - you're absolutly right!!!
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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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docleaf, I'm very sorry you didn't llike it. when did you come? I'm amazed that you found the piste preparation poor - it's normally very good. Was there a storm when you were here? If so that'll be the reason the upper lifts were closed. They are NEVER closed for no reason, but if the wind is very high or it's so cold they're worried about frostbite then they do close. There could be no other reason for that happening. This year all the French alps had poor snow, especially early on. If you visited many years ago then your comments are as unfair as areLatchigo, s who was evidently here a very long time ago(Rain Man). However if you like Brekenridge I think it's unlikely that you'll ever like LDA as the ski-ing here is so much more challenging - not flattering certainly. In addition our lifties are nice - but Brits almost never bother to say "Bonjour" and so may be considered rather rude!
Philip Prior, If I could stop the influx from ADH and Serre Che on the liftpasses I would. Early and late season we have nothing but "visitors" who haven't had to sense to book high - yes sorry sarah@alpedhuez, I know ADH is higher, but the best ski-ing is lower. They clog up the lift lines and inconvenience those sensible tourists who come here!!!!! I also assume that if you found big queues you either came in high season, or didn't have time to get to know where to ski. Apart from the bottom (no queues on either the Village chair or the Belle Etoile BTW) there aren't many places where I would find queues except in bad weather or very high season - but then everywhere has queues in high season.
BTW I think I've always tried to be fair to ADH.
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easiski,
Agree with comment about Breckenridge being flattering. It always maddens me that the US will point a lift at the top of the hill and then cut 4-5 five routes down it to the bottom of that lift over the same terrian contours. You would end up skiing the same run over and over.
Agree that the top bowls are good but worth a visit? Not for me, Europe has so much closer to home.
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You know it makes sense.
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| easiski wrote: |
| but then everywhere has queues in high season. |
The trick, high season, is to go to places that have a poor ratio of accomodation to lifts/km pistes. This basiscally means getting a list of ski resorts, getting the Crystal/Thomson/Inghams brochures and crossing off every resort they go to (which is no bad thing some would say). Then rate what is left by no. of lifts, lift capacity and km of runs. There are a few resorts with reasonable pistes where there is little or no queing even in high season. (no queing I think is defined as less than 5 minutes wait by TOs).
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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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davidof,
That is the most important stat for me, I can remember when VD had only had 8000 beds prior to the Olympics...!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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easiski, that's a good point but I suspect that the lift companies themselves have been involved. A case in point is La Rosiere, where one of the conditions of the Val d'Isere lift company taking over the commune's lift installations was that resort capacity should increase dramatically, almost double actually. As I understand it, in the event the Savoie regional government have become involved and limited the expansion plans by refusing to upgrade the N90. It's a bit of a double edged sword, we all want the best facitilies, but we don't always want the change that usually accompanies improvement.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 10-05-05 11:47; edited 1 time in total
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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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Hmm wisper it, I know of a resort, near LDA, with no queues even at half term....
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David@traxvax,
True, Monterosa is having this problem. EU money has poored in and paid for lift expansion but Alagne only had about 100 pax when I was there and that was a typical week. How that would pay for the 8mill Eu lift they had just built I don't know. Now the region is having to try and get more people in to pay for the payment of the infratstructure without destroying the essence of why people went there in the first place.
The local guide want the aera to remain rugged but hoteliers and the like want more trade in a nutshell. Only time will tell how successful they have been with this conundrum
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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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easiski, Hi,
My son and I are low intermediate skiers, we have skied for a couple of weeks and we are doing parallel turns. In Bulgaria earlier this year we got onto red runs but I am sure the grading there is softer than in France. We would like to ski this summer, maybe from 31st July for 1 week. What are the conditions usually like in LDA in first week of August ? Are there many blue and green runs, how many Kms ? And reds ?
Are there any big hotels/clubs where there would be entertaimnent (l'animatuers) on in the afternoons/evenings ? My wife will also come and she doesn't ski so are there any swimming pools, will it be hot enough to sunbathe ?
We have had many enjoyable holidays on french campsites in the Vendee but we'd rather have someone else do the cooking if possible.
Anything you or any other reader can tell me would help.
Thanks,
Mike
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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mike.healy, The snow conditions vary, but the earlier the better. At the moment it's been snowing off and on high up and been relatively cold for this time of year, so things are looking a little more hopeful that at the end of March. I should think you'll be OK.
The majority of the glacier is blue (easy), with a red which is at least as steep at the black at Tignes. Whether the reds (2) and the 2 lower runs of Roche Mantel and Signal will be open in August depends on the weather between now and then. there is also a part of the blue run down that should be marked red/black, but isn't - again the weather will determine if that bit is still skiable by then.
The whole town will be buzzing by then, so there'll be plenty for your wife to do. Lots of activities and also daily/weekly animations inside and outside the hotels. It is normally too hot to sit outside in the sun in the middle of the day. Your wife can also come up to the glacier where she can enjoy the views and also take the Croisiere Blanche tracked taxi to the summit of the mountain (not accessible on skis). There is a large sun terrace at the restaurant at 3,200m.
Re: hotels etc. there are any number of them, from the Club Med in the Village end to 4* hotels in the town. If you'd like to pm me with an idea of what you're looking for then I can advise you better on this. Have you looked at the tourist office website? www.les2alpes.com has both summer and winter websites and is in English as well as other languages (also gives you a choice of Flash or HTML - very handy if you're not on broadband).
I hope this gives you plenty of information. 
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mike.healy, just to add a little, I've taken kids of various ages to LDA in July/August, from six to late teens and they all had a fantastic time, there's so much to do in the way of summer activities. They do need to enjoy the "active" activities though!
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easiski, I just called Club Med and they want £4,000 approx for 3 adults in 2 rooms, including meals but not flights or transfers, that's beyond my budget. That was for Cervinia but I think they have a place in LDA whcih would be a similar price.
We are looking for a large lively hotel that has it's own animation team, outdoor swimming pool, and close to town. My son is 18, but he makes friends very easily so larger hotels are likely to have some people of his own age. I will have another look at that website, I've seen it but found it difficult to navigate. I din't understand what you meant by "pm me". I prefer to book with a tour operator but the Club Med price above is a bit scary. If I get reasnable price with a TO I will take it, otherwise I'll book everything directly. I assume some ski schools will be open (indeed, I suspect you are in one).
Mike
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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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mike.healy, easiski is one! Highly recommended too, as numerous snowHeads will confirm, including myself ...
'PM' is the internal snowHeads messaging service, reached by clicking on "Send/Read Messages" under the snowHeads logo...
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PG, He did PM me, even though he didn't know what it meant!! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Saw lots of earthmoving going up in the Jandri cablecar earlier in this week, new pistes, pylons being erected, even an entire massive rock spur being demolished to make a narrow corridor less of a bottleneck. I'm sure easiski can fill you in on the details!
Great skiing Tuesday and Wednesday, almost a shame the glacier is closing this weekend.
Loadsa photos here...
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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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Hi, We stayed there the first week of August. Flew to Geneva on Saturday and took a hire car. Must be the most complex airport in the world, they give you a map just to find your way out of the airport ! Returning the hire car to the Hertz French side was a nightmare, we actually met 2 swiss guys who had also got lost trying to do the same thing !
On arrival in LDA we looked at Les Clarines which does need brightening up and as my wife would be there all morning on her own we thought it wsn't quite up to the mark, shame beacuse I enjoy french entertainment; I guess the place would be ok if one was out all day. We also had a look at Souleil D'or but opted finally for L'Oree Des Pistes which was full of Italians. I got a little altitude sickness but thankfully just on the Sunday; managed 3 runs down but then had to have a sit down, a slow journey down and an hour back on the hotel bed. Had a couple of bad weather days on Tuesday and Wednesday, wearing coats all day long. Lift closed on Wednesday with no refund ! Skiing was challenging for our ability level; crust, patches of ice, shallow powder and slush. It's all good practice I suppose. We thought LDA 1800 was a very bleak place but the 1600 area is nice, would be a good summer destination if the weather was better and maybe more animation. Thanks Peter and Charlotte for all your advice, we enjoyed ourselves.
Now the big decision on where to go next Feb half term.
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... as was the Souleil'Or where we stayed this week! Par for the course, L2A is always packed with Italians in the summer. Sorry to hear about the lack of refund, wonder what Charlotte will have to say about that - she knows the system.
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You know it makes sense.
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mike.healy, After the EOSB when we returned the hire car in Geneva we also got lost and pulled into a side road to turn round and ask for directions. The nice swiss bloke just got in his car and said follow me and led us round the round and into the hertz car park what a nice chap he was.
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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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mike.healy, hiring from the french side at geneva is a mug's game - stick with the Swiss side would be my advice
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Poster: A snowHead
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| mike.healy wrote: |
Hi, We stayed there the first week of August. Flew to Geneva on Saturday and took a hire car. Must be the most complex airport in the world, they give you a map just to find your way out of the airport ! Returning the hire car to the Hertz French side was a nightmare, we actually met 2 swiss guys who had also got lost trying to do the same thing !
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Don't know about being the most complex airport in the world, you should try Boston sometime, although I believe the 'big dig' is in it's final stages.
Geneva is pretty unique in that it has two countries operations on one site and as such are subject to the vagaries of Swiss/French boarder control and customs. Are there any other airports in the world that are similar? I used to work in Ferney-Voltaire and regularly flew out of GVA - getting from one 'side' to the other was a skill one aquired through experience over time. We always met friends flying in on the Swiss side as trying to explain getting to the French side, especially if one had hold baggage, was nigh on impossible.
CP
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Geneva airport thread anyone? 
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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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PG, Sorry Sir I'll go to my room 
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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easiski, They actually closed it when we were at the mid-station, I was taking 10 mins to acclimatise to the lack of oxygen/resuure whilst my son had a cigarette (I can't moan too much I did it myself) then just as were about to carry on up the stormtroopers pulled the shutter down and told us to go back down as the weather was too bad. Tried the tourist office by the Jandri Express, they offered an extra day, I said we were going home but they wouldn't give us a refund, ...c'est la vie I suppose. You are helping me to rule out L2A for half term week in Feb.
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mike.healy, I see. If pressed they will give you a refund, you just have to persevere, but the Tourist Office and the lift company are no relation to each other. The lift company (the DAL) are based in the "Caisse Central" where you buy your liftpasses. So long as you've got your freebie cert for next time, make sure you keep it safe.
Why do you want to go in Feb half term anyway? Even if you're stuck with school hols, you can go at Xmas (brilliant and that week is normally quite quiet, unlike NY week), or Easter. It's cheaper and there are less people. Actually I don't understand why anyone goes in Feb at all. You can be guaranteed decent ski-ing here at either end of the season. Half term is just a rip-off. 
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easiski, I would love to but my other half would probably boil over if I was skiing Xmas/ New Year.
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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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docleaf, What did you do about altitude sickness ? take pills, get fitter before you went ?
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FAQ
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