 Poster: A snowHead
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Just booked an apartment in Chamonix from 19th to 26th December, driving over through the tunnel.
Haven't been to Cham for a few years, any advice on happy hour?
Going with my OH who is a non skier. Anyone out there at that time fancies skiing together? The alternative is joining up with the SCGB rep in Argentiere.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Happy hours everywhere, 4-9ish, need to do a little tour to get where and when.
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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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Cymru am Byth, where is your appartment, if your in chamsud your can do a tour of happy hours without going more than a couple of hundred yards. The good news is xmas is usually reasonably quiet on the slopes. The bad news is that in a couple of years in the past 7 there has been very little snow.
Oh yes you will need some ear plugs!
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| jbob wrote: |
| The bad news is that in a couple of years in the past 7 there has been very little snow. |
I hope you mean in the town itself rather than on the mountains?
I've been to Chamonix a few times in March and April but this season we will be spending xmas and new year there, so there had better be some skiing!
Cymru am Byth, we'll arrive very late on the 24th (driving through the tunnel too), so can hook up with you for a ski on the 25th unless you object to skiing on xmas day. It will be myself and my snowboarder friend.
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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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Staying in Cham centre. The last time I skied there was over Xmas and they had had a dump of 50cm of snow the day before we had arrived, before that it was green fields all around. The main drawback of this was that they only sold half day lift passes to limit the amount of people on the slopes. The worst sound I heard that year was the scraping sound of snowboarders coming down with the boards paralell to the slope and taking what little snow was there off the ice.
Zero-G, Happy to join you on Xmas day, I'll get in touch closer to the time. You'll find that it's not very festive on the mountain.
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Hmmm... I'll be having a serious chat with my boarder friend about scraping what little snow there is off the mountain. But that's only precautionary because this year there is going to be loads of snow 
Cymru am Byth, I love skiing on xmas day because it's usually quiet and we have the slopes pretty much to ourselves while family types stay in and do the big feast thing.
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The last few xmas days we have traveled through the tunnel and done xmas day in Courmayeur, there is a bit more going on with all the little restaurants on the slopes.
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Christmas day on the slopes - you lucky bleeders! Beats an argument with the in-laws and realising you've forgotten the batteries for the kids toys.
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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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It's all about lifestyle choice, mobskaardal 
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Just a quick note that the top cable car is very seldom running at Xmas.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I spent New Year there two years ago this winter. My only advice is take an enormous amount of money and make sure you have farsends on your debit and credit cards.
I loved it (despite only hearing rubbish skiers scrape the snow off the ice) but jeees, it was expensive. We did £3500 in the week without doing anything extravagant.
I do love the place though.
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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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| bar shaker wrote: |
| jeees, it was expensive. We did £3500 in the week without doing anything extravagant. |
Season before last, I stayed in Chamonix (in a catered chalet with a proper chef) for 4 weeks and it cost less than £3k all in.
Last season, I stayed in a self-catering apartment for 2 weeks and it cost £1,6k all in. I think they saw you coming, mate.
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| Dypcdiver wrote: |
| Just a quick note that the top cable car is very seldom running at Xmas. |
I can live with that. But if there's not much good skiing on the resting the valley's mountains, we can drive to Courmayeur or Verbier, both which are covered by the MBU pass.
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You know it makes sense.
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Zero-G, sometimes you can get better snow at Les Contamines, which isn't a long drive (and saves the hefty tunnel toll).
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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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pam w, but it's not included on the MBU lift pass...
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Poster: A snowHead
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Must not post before 6am using my iPhone. That was barely English!
Does the MBU pass not also include the tunnel toll, or is that extra?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Zero-G wrote: |
Does the MBU pass not also include the tunnel toll, or is that extra? |
With the MBU there is a free bus through the tunnel or a big discount for the car, 50% I think. Get the discounted tickets from Montenvers not at the tunnel.
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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, I consider myself reasonably profligate but blimey, was it caviar and swan 3 times a day washed down with Margot 82?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Chamonix can be expensive, but on the other hand it does cater for budget travellers if you eat in the right places and make use of the happy hours.
Just looked at the price of lift tickets. Anyone know of a site for picking these up in advance for a discount?
Driven to Cham twice before, bought snow chains for the cars and they're sitting in my shed unopened. Wondering whether to risk it this year. At least I can get a snow report for the journey into the resort.
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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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Prices for the upcoming season: www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/pages/forfaits_ski_chamonix_gb.html
Season and annual prices: http://www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/pages/skipass_season_annual_chamonix_gb.html
jbob, have done the free bus to Courmayeur and it's a great service but with the disadvantage that you have to be off the slopes before the last lift in order to get the bus back.
Hmmm.... just thinking about Courmayeur makes me hungry - they have great food in their mountain restaurants and the bestest hot chocolate!
Chamonix is my favourite ski destination but the food in the mountain restaurants is exceptionally dire. The restaurant at the top of the Flégère téléphérique stinks of stale cauliflower and has the worst food I've come across so far out of all mountain restaurants and is only marginally better than the valley's other mountain restaurants. To be fair, the restaurant at the top of the Plan Joran has halfway decent food.
It's because of this that we started taking a packed lunch and discovered the freedom it affords you. You can be anywhere on the mountain at any time - no rushing back to a particular spot to eat. Now... if only the same could happen with 'bio' breaks.
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Les Houches has some good ones. Les Vieilles Luges is really good, be sure to book, no cards accepted. Otherwise the Cremerie du Glacier at Grands Montets is also nice, and I like the Refuge du Lognan. Plan Joran at GM is the only OK one of the CMB places, otherwise packed lunch all the way! At least they all have picnic rooms in case of bad weather.
Incidentally the smell at the Flegere lift is not cauliflower. It's the fosse
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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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Ha, no caviare but quite a few beers at €9 a pop. The hotel bar was cheap at a mere €7.50.
The cost was between two but we have managed two and a bit trips on that budget.
Don't get me wrong, I love the place but jeeeesz those Cham bars and restaurants know how to charge.
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| bar shaker wrote: |
| Don't get me wrong, I love the place but jeeeesz those Cham bars and restaurants know how to charge. |
Good enough reason to go somewhere else
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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bar shaker, you were in the wrong bars.
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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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bar shaker, that sounds a bit steep, sure you can find plenty of beers in Chamonix at less than that.
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And, by the way, IMHO, bertie bassett, is unfairly and unreasonably prejudiced and biased against Chamonix.
I, however, owning a business in the marvellous place am quite fairly and quite reasonably biased towards it.
Cheapest beer last season? €1 per pint happy hour. €3 per pint normally.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
Good enough reason to go somewhere else
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 well yes, if cheaper beer is more important to you than anything else.
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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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under a new name, As I'm there over Xmas please name this reasonable bar. What is the time of happy hour?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| nozawaonsen wrote: |
| bar shaker, that sounds a bit steep, sure you can find plenty of beers in Chamonix at less than that. |
You can buy beer in a supermarket and drink it on the side of the road for less than that.
If you want to go to good bars though, it is an expensive resort. We weren't looking at what it cost and had a great time. It could give someone problems if they were expecting to party every night but were not budgeting accordingly.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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bar shaker, fair enough! As long as you had a good time 
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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, we need that name.
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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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Cymru am Byth,
Monkey Bar, Cham Sud - a particular brand of beer whose name escapes me.
Happy hour, don't know for this year. Actually, it was happy 15 minutes, but still...
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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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Also look out for the Muster bar in Chamsud for happy hour. But yes we recommend the BIGOT in the Monkey bar summer and winter.
Towards the hospital as you leave Chamsud near L'impossible is the Jekyl which also does various happy hours. If I remember correctly its 9€ for a jug of beer 4.30 to 6, then later goes onto offers on cocktails then shots even later in the evening.
Happy hols!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Barratschamonix wrote: |
Also look out for the Muster bar in Chamsud for happy hour. But yes we recommend the BIGOF in the Monkey bar summer and winter.
Towards the hospital as you leave Chamsud near L'impossible is the Jekyl which also does various happy hours. If I remember correctly its 9€ for a jug of beer 4.30 to 6, then later goes onto offers on cocktails then shots even later in the evening.
Happy hols! |
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Barratschamonix, deary me, what is this place coming too...
MuNster Bar...
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Well you did ask for cheap.... 
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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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Barratschamonix, cheap means "I can't spell"? 
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That's what too many Cham-sud happy hours can do to you! 
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