St Gervais

A snowHead

I was looking at this as an option for this winter's holiday.

Can anyone tell me about the resort/ski area.

How easy is it to get to from Geneva (is there public transport?)?

Thanks

A snowHead

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jb1970, The resort is lovely, a proper small alpine town, with little shops, cafes, bars etc., but not - I would say - a party town. The ski area is great - lots of variety, even though we only scratched the surface last January, so we are going again in Jan 11 Very Happy

The scenery is stunning, with Mont Blanc part of it. Easy to get to from Geneva by road - less than an hour and only the last couple of miles that isn't motorway - but I don't know about public transport. There is a main train station there which brings people from Paris, but we used a transfer service (Ski Lifts - can recommend, cheapest of the options we looked at and very efficient/pleasant). PM me if you need more or some pointers for accommodation

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There are buses several times a day, but they are expensive. Train is not straightforward, as you generally need to change at Annecy.
More details here http://www.st-gervais.net/uk/acces_uk.asp

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jb1970, I am going there on 12th December with these http://www.snowcoach.co.uk/page.php?id=36&pid=4&mpg=greatplacestostay there are now 5 of us going by coach but you can can also fly or drive with them. They have a coach in resort so it gives you access to lots of the other resorts a main reason for going also 8 days skiing Very Happy

I skied around the Chamonix area last year and thought it was great with something for everybody.
Will let you know how we get on snowHead

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Thanks to everyone who responded. I was looking at this hotel: www.liberty-mont-blanc.com

Is the resort linked to any ski areas? How big is the ski area?

Thanks

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

jb1970, I've walked past this hotel and it's in a good location for the lifts and village - about equidistant from each. The ski area is big - details here (on the weblink you posted! http://www.liberty-mont-blanc.com/chapitre8_en_2.html) 420km in the Evasion Mont Blanc, between 1400m and 2400m, plus various distractions for snowboarders - you can see the linked resorts on the piste map

After all it is free

Linds, Assume your plan is to ski Chamonix again - Unless snowcoach know something about the snowfall that the rest of us don't, St Gervais/Megeve doesn't open until 18th and Les Contamines the day before.

jb1970, If you like very pretty, treelined, not too steep and with plenty of opportunities for chocolate stops you'll love it. St Gervais/Megeve/St Nicolas - around 235km are all linked by lift. Les Contamines, which is a lot more open and generally a bit steeper about 20/25 minutes by bus is another 120km. In addition there is Combloux/La Giettaz at around 100km (overlaps a bit with Megeve) which you can get to by either a combination of ski and bus or drive. In the unlikely event that that isn't enough for you, you can catch the tramway mont blanc up to Les Houches - although have to pay for both the train and the lift pass.

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St Gervais is part of the Domaine Evasion which is known to most skiers as Megeve.

On paper Domaine Evasion claims 300km piste and that is the size of Tignes plus Val D'Isere put together!

Domaine Evasion is well linked together with sevaral access points. St Gervais is the south most side with one gondolas going up to the mid level and then another leg to the top. Don't think it is skiable back to the town.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Annie, I'm quite interested in this area as an alternative to PdS or Chamonix this year; I take it you know it well? If one liked a beer of an evening, as well as a daytime ski, which do you think would be the best place to stay out of St Gervais, Les Contamines and La Giettaz? Not looking for anything rowdy, but preferably somewhere with an option other than just a restaurant for evenings....

snow reports

saikee, Yes, it is, sort of ......just not that often (red "St Gervais" piste) - open for the sum total of about 3.5 weeks when we spent the season there and that was a great snow year!

laundryman, Indeed. .........or so my 12 year old tells me. Embarassed

SO much more his bag than mine!

rainman, I don't think any of them could be described as a hotbed of evening activity! We were there as a family with a child that went to school, so didn't spend a great deal of our time checking out the watering holes. (had a permanent wine box on the end of the kitchen counter though!). Tough call. probably not La Giettaz, much though it is by far my favourite of the ski bits, I think (Miranda may come along and correct me!) it's very quiet on the nightlife front. Les Contas would probably be the livelier of the three, and has good skiing but it's more difficult to access the rest of the ski area with only one bus to the St Gervais lift each day at about 10ish I think - fine if you have transport though or if 120km or so is enough for you. St Gervais is a really pretty town has 3, 4 maybe 5 'bars' as opposed to restaurants (of which there are several) and also has Ice hockey at the ice rink which can be quite fun. - It's always my choice, though others will think Les Contamines has more to offer.

rainman, La Giettaz really is a mountain village (it makes me smile when I go to other places that are described as "village resorts" because they feel like towns in comparison to La Giettaz). In the village itself there is Chez Lulu, a French bar run by lovely people who don't speak much English but who will happily serve you and and try their best to meet you half way with a bit of franglais. The Refuge du Nomad is a great restaurant that also has a very cosy bar area with a pool table and a bit more English spoken than Chez Lulu... and then there is a bar at Chalet La Giettaz, where the very friendly bar staff speak fluent English and are known to enjoy a good chat wink

. There are a couple of other bars attached to hotels too. On the plus side, each of these places - and the restaurants - have a lovely ambiance because it is a tiny village and people get to know each other rather than bar-hopping... but that's because bar-hopping isn't really an option.

I'm obviously biased when it comes to La Giettaz because I live there, run a business there, and absolutely love it. But, I would never suggest it as a place to anyone for whom a lot of bars is a priority. It is a cosy, little retreat where you can get some great food in some traditional restaurants, have a drink or two and meet some very friendly people... but its authentic charm is a result of its small size, and that's something that people either do or do not want on a ski break. We've had a lot of guests aged mid-20s+ and so far everyone has loved the place but it's definitely horses for courses.

You know it makes sense.

miranda, yes, I have been browsing your very lovely website for a few days now! So Giettaz is definitely under consideration. And we're not looking for raucous nights out,particularly as we are all on the wrong side of 39, but I'm also aware that five men can be quite loud when a few drinks have flowed... we don't want to upset the locals. Anyway, thanks all for your thoughts. I'm definitely drawn to the idea of somewhere a bit off the beaten track.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

I drove through St Gervais twice today. A very attractive town - some great buildings. I haven't been through there for a few years as I usually take a short cut that avoids it - we had friends in the car who had never been there, so I went through - I'd forgotten how nice it was.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I think Annie,'s right in her descriptions. Maybe it's because we live in central London when we're in the UK so are used to being surrounded by lots of people and bars, but I wouldn't describe any of the smaller resorts as being "a hotbed of evening activity". We also spend a fair amount of our UK time with family and friends in the tiny highland village of Badachro, where there's only one pub for miles and miles... and we've certainly stumbled home from the local, after a very fun and boozy evening with plenty of chat from the locals and the passing tourist trade, on numerous occasions. Very Happy

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laundryman, O Booze - just after the DMC?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Annie, could well be, but I don't remember the name.

Help!!

St Gervais

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