 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
we are staying in les arcs for a week then dropping down into bourg for our 2nd week to board the various resorts ie, Val, Tignes, 3V etc.
I have seen Altibus do daily routes to Val etc but couldn't find anything to the 3V, is there a bus that goes or would it be a taxi?
Or is car hire highly recommended? i Am a little unsure as to drive in snow/ice conditions tho!
Also is there any hidden little resort gems close by we could go to even if its just 1 or 2 lifts but great snow & hardly any people.
Also we havent booked accomodation yet so if anyone knows of any which would be suitable for 4 adults details would be highly appreciated. (5th feb to 12th feb)
Thanks for any help that comes my way
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There are buses from Bourg train / bus station. Driving is much easier though. Driving to Le Praz (courcheval 1300) then getting the bus or lift means that most of the time youll avoid the worst snow/ice. Alternatively if there is snow low down park in Brides les bains and get the gondola up the Meribel.
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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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The station that serves 3V is Moutiers so the buses tend to go from there.
Jump on the train from BSM to Moutiers and the bus up to Le Praz, La Tania or Meribel will be only 20mins or so.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| ady944 wrote: |
Hi all
Also is there any hidden little resort gems close by we could go to even if its just 1 or 2 lifts but great snow & hardly any people. |
Ste-Foy is supposed to be good. Just three consecutive chairs and tons of off piste.
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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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| Quote: |
Ste-Foy is supposed to be good. Just three consecutive chairs and tons of off piste.
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St Foy has 4 chairs now, but its a secret so don't tell anyone how good the off piste is
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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don't forget la rosiere...
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bertie bassett, How could we ? 
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most efficient way to get around would be by car, both europcar and avis have offices in Bourg, the main roads are cleared very quickly even after a heavy dump
as other posters have said ste foy must be worth a go if the snows good
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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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ady944, i have the solution for you - there's a car rental available from the Super U in Bourg and it's meant to be cheap as chips.
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bertie bassett, is there a website for the SuperU car rental?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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ady944
Car hire will definitely work out very reasonable between four people. Daily transfers may be do-able but are likely to be expensive.
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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 all for the advice, think we will do car hire then we don't have to run to timetables i guess!
Heard plenty about st foy so we will deffo be giving that a go!
Just need to sort accomodation out now
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ady944
PM me if any interest in a nice, cheap , small, Tignes apartment, from which Ste Foye and La Rosiere can be reached within about 20 mins and 45 mins respectively.
Alternatively, as I know you fancy the Bourg experience, and now that you're getting a car:
- There are a few small hotels in Bourg. We've stayed at The Autantic - bit out of town but walking distance and good value.
- Moutiers would also be a good base. Hotel Ibis is fine and again, good value. 20 mins drive to St. Martin de Belleville for 3 Vallees access; about 45 mins to Tignes les Brevieres; and around 35 mins to Ste Foye. If no room at the Ibis there are several small, cheap hotels in town.
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You know it makes sense.
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ady944, if you have not found somewhere to stay yet send me a PM or post over on the Les Arcs thread in snow reports section or on my facebook info page (link below) and someone might have a place to rent you.
You can get all the latest up-to-date news and links about Les Arcs from my info group on facebook or by posting questions in the Les Arcs thread on snowheads snow reports section.
Bourg is a great place to hang out, hope we can meet up for a beer and maybe even ride some if you guys are into finding powder.
Oh yeah and renting a car is a must, buses are a real pain and with four of you should not be to expensive. But book early or you could be unlucky.
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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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snowcrazy sounds good its always nice to meet up with people in the know about resorts we go to etc.
we are deffo looking at car hire now, do you have any recommendations as to hire companies?
Think we might have got a apartment sorted just a 2min walk from funicular n station so should suit us. but i will pm you if it falls through for any reason!
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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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Thinking of buying a place in Bourg even though I have only ever passed the place! It seems the ideal location to be based, so many resorts close by, cheaper property prices than big resorts, easily accessable by train, airport etc. The idea of jumping onto the funicular and into Lea Arcs in 7 mins sounds great. Obviously I would get to know/visit the place before I would consider parting with money but what is Bourg like as a place, are there many eateries, bars, nightlife etc. Are there any hangups with the place? I'd appreciate if anyone could give me a low down of the place!
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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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Scoman - I bought a place in one of the villages 2 minutes outside BSM about 5 years ago. I did it for the very reasons that you set out above - proximity to multiple resorts, cheap property compared to in resort, and access. 5 years later I still think that it ticks all those boxes. From Bourg you can access Les Arcs (7 mins on the funi) La Rosiere (10 min drive to les Ecucets), Ste Foy (15-20 min drive), Espace Killy (35 mins), 3 Valleys (45 mins). There are also other smaller resorts which are easily accessible, plus a few other villages with 1 or 2 lifts only but which are great for getting away from crowds and exploring the off-piste.
In winter, I think that BSM functions much like any other resort i.e. plenty of bars / restaurants etc. However, there are plenty of year round locals in BSM which probably makes it more of a town atmosphere than, say, a resort like Arc 1800 which has a much higher tourist : local ratio. For this reason too, nightlife probably isn't as good as some of the resorts and overall there is a lower ratio of Brits in town. However, there is a base of ex-pats / English speakers. I would rather be in a place like Bourg though as, IMO, you get more of a French experience than you would in some resorts.
The town is about to go through a pretty major change in 2012 when the military base (which has trained the Chasseurs Alpins since the early 1960s) will be relocated. The town thinks that this will "displace" around 25% of the population (once you account for the families etc of the soldiers) so this might have a (negative) impact on property prices. I'd recommend talking to someone in the know.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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scoman, El Contador, its good to see people looking at BSM, we are looking into a chalet operation based in Bourg for all the reasons mentioned, the multi resort aspect being one of the main draws to BSM. We are planning to do all the transport for guest in Team Support Landrovers to get around the transport issues.
El Contador, I would love to know about the other paces with 1 or 2 lifts, I have heard of one on the opp side of Les Arc with a couple of lifts run by locals
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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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If coming to ski Courchevel I'd park down in Bozel and catch ski bus up, usually no problems parking at far end of village down by the lake and bus goes from there. For smaller resorts can carry on up to Pralognan, about 15km further on. Small, little known independent resort with glacier. Fair few runs.
Or go on to Champagny and get access to all of Paradiski area.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Livetoski - the place you are thinking of is probably Granier. It's on the Versant du Soleil side of the N90 above Aime and the other side of the valley to Les Arcs / La Plagne. The Granier "domaine skiable" is limited to one drag lift (if I remember correctly), but you have that whole side of that valley to explore on skins, and it is rarely busy.
I think that a good chalet operation would be great in BSM. For the off piste market who are keen to find good, untracked snow I think that offering a normal chalet operation but combined with transport and a guide would be a fantastic proposition, as you could literally offer the best snow and skiing in the area, every day of the holiday. No companies that are limited to a resort would be able to offer the same.
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El Contador, cheers sounds like we are on the same wavelength, if you have seen our website, you are spot on with the proposition and USP
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I lived in BSM for 9 months and had a great time. Getting to Val d'Isere and Tignes without a car is definitely easier than 3 V. R/T same day on Alti bus does offer some discount, but you have to tell them you are doing same day return. Bourg St. Maurice has a decent selection of French & Pizza places, but nightlife is limited. The town probably puts on some events outside of ski season so there is definitely more going on off season than in the resorts, but the resorts have more apre-ski in season. As the French seem to have laxer emission standards than some places, my only real complaint was having to eat some exhaust walking to the pool on the weekends with my daughter.
Chalet operation seems like an interesting idea if the costs can be kept reasonable. Paradiski is so big that few skiers are going to get bored with it in a week and there is a certain convenience to staying in resort.
Is the 2012 date firm? I'd like to make it back there at some point, so I will be interested to see how the base closing will play out.
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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 is either 2011 or 2012. I think a date has been set, but my knowledge is lacking. It will definitely give a different feel to the town, however apparently they already have plans for the barracks (again, not sure what). On top of that they are opening a French Centre of Ski Excellence in Bourg with, I think, the aim of training up-and-coming French kids. So this should attract more people.
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Thanks for taking the time to reply people, very much appreciated! The closesure of the barracks may well provide a decent opportunity to aquire something on the cheap. Can anybody recommend a decent estate agent in the area who you have used and are worthy of your recommendation?
I'm sure I will be back with some more information requests as I start to delve deeper.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Livetoski - the more I think about a chalet op based out of Bourg the more it makes sense. Most of the people I ski with have limited skiing time and they would much rather go somewhere, anywhere where they give themselves the best chance of getting fresh snow and challenging ascents / descents, rather than spending 1 holiday in Chamonix, another in Verbier etc. Given the how snow sure the Tarentaise / Vanoise is, and given how vast the area is, I really think you could tap into a willing market.
I fully appreciate MEFree30's view that there is a certain convenience to staying in a resort, but I don't think you will be aiming for those people. You will be attracting people who put quality of snow above convenience of being able to ski back to a chalet, or have a local bar next door.
I then remembered a thread I saw a while back on TGR - http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152910, which covers . This seems to be a camp run by a guy called Simon Christie (http://www.offpisteskiing.com/courses.html and http://offpisteskiing.blogspot.com/2...-nne-face.html). I have never met him, but a friend of mine has skied with him before and said he's a great guy. I have no idea how his operation works, but given he only seems to be running 1 camp a season from BSM it seems unlikely that he is running a chalet op parallel to the courses. It seems like he definitely knows the area well though, and would probably be a good guy to know.
Scoman - al the usual suspects are based in BSM - Century 21, Socogest, Solvimo, AB Serti, CIS Immobilier. I used Century 21 when I bought my place and they were fine. I'd recommend them, but I guess it really comes down to who has the right property for you! I can also recommend a Notaire, so PM me if you want details.
Ady944 - apologies for completely hijacking your thread. In answer to your questions:
1) Definitely hire a car. It's much easier to get to any of the resorts except perhaps Les Arcs, where the funi goes from BSM;
2) In terms of places to stay, someone has said the Autantic, which seems OK but it is a bit out of the centre. Otherwise I would probably say the Hostellerie du Petit St Bernard or the Angival which are both central. However, I have never stayed in either so probably worth checking out Trip Adviser
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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,
I live just around the corner from the Angival and it's a good, solid option with nice rooms and a friendly bar downstairs.
In terms of transport, the bus links to La Rosiere and Val/Tignes aren't too bad and you could do those without a car. For Sainte Foy, you can get the val/tignes bus up to Sainte Foy village, and then change to a little local bus which takes you to the resort - times are on the tourist office site from memory. The only way to do 3v by public transport is a train to Moutiers and a bus to resort, but this is a massive faff.
Not sure that I should recommend it, but loads of people hitch hike up and down to the resorts and it's not hard to get a lift. . . . .
Happy holidays!
Heather
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You know it makes sense.
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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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If you have a car La Petite Auberge ( http://www.hotellapetiteauberge.com/ ) on the edge of Bourg is very nice and astonishing value. The couple (or the wife, at least) who run it is (are) Brits. The Restaurant downstairs does good bistro style food (locals come there to eat). They do a set menu for people on half board - HB was €249 for a week in 2008 in the last week of February. I think it is so cheap because it is a long walk from the centre, and there are only a few buses, and being up a drive, a field away from the main road, not that obvious.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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scoman, you might want to hold off for a while, there is a strong military presence in BSM- Chasseurs Alpins who when the barracks was expanded a few years ago mopped up a lot of the rental market. I've been told that they're presence will be cut back so you could find a lot of properties coming onto the market. Make contact with the local agents, I can recommend Century 21 (near the post office) as they're sure to have their ears to the ground.
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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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When the Military goes, who knows? The Gendarmerie centre which is a bit further down the road has simply been boarded up and left since the Gendarmes moved to their new place a bit further along the N90. Presumably the barracks will be boarded up and left as well. I hope not but already the buildings that front the road are looking shabby.
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FAQ
