 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi there,
I´m doing a bit of research into where to ski with our tribe of 4 children this season. Last year we went to Les Houches and found it just perfect for us, a great value apartment next to the télécabine and ski school meeting point and lift passes for the 6 of us cost around 100 euro per head for 6 days. Our children will be doing ESF compétition standard, 2e étoile and flocon. Les Houches is varied enough for all of us to go up the mountain together, our little 5 year old flocon could about manage the long blues and reds last year and the greens with the magic carpet were just perfect.
This year, we are considering Vallorcine for location nearer friends. But when enquiring with ESF, 2e étoile and flocon are held in La Poya, meaning having to transport 2 children there and back from Vallocine village, having to buy separate la Poya passes just for these 2. ESF said the Vallorcine ski area in Cham and MBU passes is not suitable for the é younger ones. The Cham pass works out round the same price as the Les Houches pass, ski hire and ESF prices are comparable to Les Houches, only the extra la Poya passes at 70 euro for the é little ones make Vallorcine a bit more expensive. But my biggest concern is that in the afternoons, Vallorcine area will be no good to ski on with our flocon and 2e étoile children. We do not want to travel along to Chamonix every afternoon in search of family skiing. Is this really the case? I see le Tour has small runs, can we get to them by taking the télécabine from Vallorcine and back with such inexperienced skiers? I would really prefer Vallorcine this year to be near friends, but not if it means having to travel along the valley, I really don´t fancy the ski bus or train with 4 children and 6 sets of skis, Les Houches is perfect with ski-in and -out
So anyone out there differ in opinion to that of ESF Vallorcine and tell me I CAN ski with little ones in Vallorcine, on tete de Balme and at le Tour, not just at La Poya???
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Le Tour and Vallorcine are way better than Les Houches in my Opinion. Perfect for all levels and aspirations.
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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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wildnoon, IMO, and it's rare that I would contradict SZK, but I reckon you'll be happier back in Les Houches. Logistically just much better, spesh with kids.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
a great value apartment next to the télécabine and ski school meeting point and lift passes for the 6 of us cost around 100 euro per head for 6 days.
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That's fantastic value!
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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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| wildnoon wrote: |
| I see le Tour has small runs, can we get to them by taking the télécabine from Vallorcine and back with such inexperienced skiers? |
Absolutely, Le Tour is perfect for beginner/intermediate skiers. And the run down to Vallorcine is a nice cruise through the trees.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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wildnoon, I'll suggest though, that Les Houches has more interesting "family" skiing...
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I think the accommodation needs to be clarified.
The end of Chamonix valley is of course where le Tour situates but there are only two unlinked areas of Le Vormaine and Col de Balme. The former has only a couple of surface lifts suitable for mainly the beginners. Col De Balme is bigger and can be skied almost to Vollorcine which is at the bottom of another valley from Chamonix to the Swiss border. As far as I am aware skiers can ski from Col De Balme to Vollorcine in in one only and there is no chairlift taking the skiers back to the Col de Balme. The train can take the skiers back to Montroc but that is quite far from Le Tour.
Chamonix has several very small areas like Le Vormaine, LesPlanard, Le Savoy, Les Chosalets and Les Bossons each with a handful lifts aiming for the local children and beginners. I have never skied Vollorcine but that is the impression I have of it as it wasn't even featured in the old Chamski booklet. Vollorcine is what I would call a one-horse village.
Col de Balme on the other hand is comparable in size to Les Houches which is exactly at the opposite but lower end of the Chamonix Valley.
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saikee, you can easily ski back to Le Tour from Vallorcine.
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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 wrote: |
As far as I am aware skiers can ski from Col De Balme to Vollorcine in in one only and there is no chairlift taking the skiers back to the Col de Balme. The train can take the skiers back to Montroc but that is quite far from Le Tour.
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Not sure when you last went saikee, but there is a newish (5 years?) bubble from Vallorcine back on to the mountain and then a chair (quite old) to the top of the Balme to get back down to Le Tour.
On the OP's query Le Tour/Vallorcine has some of the most cruisey runs in the Chamonix valley and have little doubt your young ones will cope from your description. As said the logistics are not great at Vallorcine for anyone unless you want to be totally out of the way! To be honest I don't actually know where La poya is but if I was going on terrain alone for myself (and myself only) I would choose Vallorcine over Les Houches because of the varying terrain (excluding mega steeps) on offer at Le Tour. Not much help but...!
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Hi there again, we'll either be staying right next to the télécabine in Vallorcine, or either we will arrive by train from just over the border in Switzerland. Vallorcine train station is next almost opposite the télécabine too. We will have the car but want to avoid using it.
I just would like to be able to take the télécabine up from Vallorcine, ski down the blue to the top of the Le Tour télécabine, then ski down the red which goes near the Le Tour télécabine down to the bottom, then take the télécabine and télésiege back up to the top, then ski back down the blue to the bottom of the Vallorcine télécabine. This with a 5 year old flocon.
I'm sure in fact that Les Houches will be slightly better suited for a family with skills from flocon to compétition level, but with friends in area, so long as the above skiing is possible, having the friends there more than compensates for the not so varied skiing.
We will go to other Chamonic valley ski areas, but with ski school in Vallorcine in the morning, we would like to be able to ski most afternoons in Vallorcine as a family.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think Saikee is somewhat out of date...
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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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Yes I did remember a new lift was mentioned.
I used to run a static caravan in Chamonix for 8 years. After the owner sold the site I have only back a couple of times in summer.
Think I am about 5 to 6 years out of touch with the area. In the past I had to drive through Col de Forclaz every time I visited Chamonix. It is an ideal place for a motorbike too.
Just wonder what's wrong with the resorts near to Vollorcine? Grands Montets and La Flegere/Brevent also have some decent runs for the family. Courmayeur is on the other end of Mont Blanc tunnel and Verbier is a short distance away in the Swiss side if you turn right in Martigny. Turning left is to access the Swiss side of Porte du Soileil.
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money and logistics of 4 children and "adopted" grandparents living right next to Vallorcine may influence us skiing only in the Cham pass area. Les Houches is fantastic for the whole family but it is an hour from our friends is quite far, so we would ideally like to be nearer them, just checking if the ski area is suitable.
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You know it makes sense.
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wildnoon, Stay in Vallorcine. Ski over to Le Tour and back for a nice afternoon skiing. Do the short drive to Grands Montets or slightly further to Flegere if you want a change of scenery. I doubt you'll miss Les Houches.
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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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wildnoon, go where your friends are! after all that is actually what skiing holidays are really about.
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Poster: A snowHead
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There is a problem with Vallorcine that should be considered, especially by a family. It is over the pass from Argentiere and the Chamonix Valley and occasionally in heavy snowfall the pass closes. When this happens the train is often shut down too. Also, we also found that the only lift out of Vallorcine also shut down in this weather. Sounds like fun, huh! We were stuck in Argentiere one night, until about 10:00 pm with lots of angry Vallorcine villagers. The mayor of Vallorcine came through and rescued us from the reluctant gendarmes, enabling us to drive our cars through the train tunnel. It was a fascinating evening, watching pitchfork democracy in action, and it was ok and maybe even fun for a group of older guys, but I'm not so sure it would have been so good with young ones. All this being said however, such conditions are rare, but it is food for thought.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks Jack, have driven over the pass quite a few times which often gets blocked during snowfall. Not surprisingly "papi" (our wonderful adopted grandad) has the weather forecast as the homepage on his pc, so he can avoid being stuck the wrong side of the valley, he's sometimes ended up driving through that train tunnel. It is another reason to want to spend most of the time in Vallorcine/le Tour and papi is just a few kms away in Valais with his trusty Rav, if we ever do get stuck.
Anyway, thanks for the helpful answers.
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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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wildnoon, I don't think the pass got dreadfully blocked last year for any appreciable period, as I think they're getting better at using the tunnel.
But I could be wrong and it wouldn't be something I'd reckon on...
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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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Le Tour is a cracking little ski area, the runs are indeed pretty cruisey. The apartments next to the telecabine at Vallorcine are fantastic.
Not much to do otherwise mind, but a nice wee place,
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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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In my 8 years running a static caravan in Chamonix the Col de Forclaz was shut only once. It happened in the year where a avalanche buries some houses in Le Tour and claimed a number of lives. We were diverted to use the train tunnel. Col de Forclaz is a major route between France and Switzerland and has been well maintained in winter.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hi
As Jack mentioned, the link between Valloricine and Le Tour gets closed in bad winds - a not infrequent occurence. I would prefer to be on the Le Tour side should that happen.
Decisions decisions...
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It would make no difference to us if the Col de la Forclaz road was shut as we shall be staying on the Vallorcine side, either in Vallorcine or the next village in Switzerland, it's the Col des Montets pass which often closes in times of high snowfall between Le Tour/Montroc and Vallorcine which could stranded. In fact I would LOVE to be stranded because Col de la Forclaz is closed, so long as it is in Papi's apartment, the idea of being holed up on the balcony sipping Abricotine is quite appealing.
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