 Poster: A snowHead
|
I have skied a little (10 years ago!), and my wife even less. Two kids have never been.
Finally convinced the other half to take the plunge this Christmas. Basically, we want a smallish, quiet resort so that we can learn. Night life completely irrelevant to us - come 8 o' clock, we'll be on the balcony with a G & T and spag bol, not living it up in a nightclub! I picked Aussois because peakretreats recommend it, and the highest lift is 2750m - so I reckoned there ought to be some snow somewhere....
At the moment, looking to go for a 3-bed (we like space! - and only £100 more than a 2-bed studio) self-catering apartment including lift passes for £930 from 18 - 26 December through Ski Horizon. This seems like a good deal, despite the drive through France to the South Alps...
My questions are - is this actually a bargain? Has anyone been there? Anyone used Ski Horizon? Is there anywhere else at the same time and for the same money which would be a better bet? We are teachers, so have to go in holiday time...but have no preconcieved ideas about resorts, countries - we just want snow!
Would welcome any suggestions - have already been lurking on here and have spoken to Marc at Edge2edge, who seems very helpful in terms of renting equipment.
Thanks to you all in advance.
Nuck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Nuck_the_king, welcome to snowheads.  I don't know Aussois - but someone will. It does seem like a bargain and I should think you'll have a great time. Be sure to book in advance for lessons - they will probably be quite booked up. the only disadvantage of going to a small resort of the tour operator circuit is that you might find that most of those in lessons will be French - so even if the instructor can speak English, you might need to cope with a fair bit of French.
That's the case in our little resort too. On the other hand, private lessons are cheap and you can then specify you want English.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Sounds like a good price. You could look also on www.goelia.com as they are the owners of the apartments on Peak Retreats website, they have no availability for their Aussois apartments but availability at their other apartments in the area at other resorts le Corbier, la Norma, Termignon, La Toussuire etc.
Do price up buying lift passes in resort or online direct from Aussois - you can get a 7 day ticket for the price of a 6 day ticket over the week you are there, a family pass for 2 adults and 2 children costs 426 euro which is £364.
Do check out prices of ALL ski hire shops in the village and the location of shops. In a small resort, you should be able to get adult skis/boots for 50 and child for 30 euro per week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
I am overwhelmed by speed and helpfulness of all your replies. Thankyou.
Timbo - the resort looks lovely - but the cost of the skipass takes the price from £950-ish to over £1200; so maybe next time if we know that we like it.
Wildnoon - as it happens, I am a French speaker, so I had looked at their website. Ski Horizon's price was slightly more, but goelia couldn't confirm whether the 6-day skipass was in fact valid for 7 days, as per the skipass website. However, I think that I have got a bargain on the skis - through Snowell online, every adult rental includes a FREE child rental of skis, boots & helmet - so I got the lot for all four of us for 145 euros!
I was going to go to Edge2edge in Crawley - very local to me and (although we would have to take all the stuff with us) we would have the advantage of knowing that everything was "sorted" before we went - but I also wonder whether hiring onsite means that, if anything goes wrong, the shop you rented it from is there to sort out any problems - are all the rental shops much the same? We would be going at the start of the season, so presumably most of the stuff would be newish anyway.
Anything else from anyone before I press the "book" button?
Thanks again,
Nuck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nuck_the_king, Been there but not actually skied itas we were there very late season and it is south facing and the snow not to great. We were skiing the whole valley so this was not a problem.
It looked like there was snow making so you would be unlucky to get v poor conditions but Dec is always a bit of a gamble.
Village itself is pleasant set on a balcony high above the Maurienne up a smallish road, take snow chains to be sure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nuck the King has a bargain there. We've skiied in the same valley at Val Cenis and loved it, only met one other English speaking family all week, cheap ESF, cheap ski rental, cheap lift passes, cheap accommodation. I fancy the exact Goelia apartments myself, to me the only downside to the Maurienne valley is extra distance to drive.
The Maurienne valley is quite accessible by train instead of plane to Milan or by car. You can catch a TGV train in the morning from either Lille or Paris to Lyon, lunch in Lyon, then a regional train to Modane for arrival late afternoon. The price can be as little as 400 euro return for a family of 4 (with a Carte enfant + card). Then Aussois is only 20 minutes by coach from Modane, Transdev-Belle Savoie express, only 30 euro return Modane-Aussois for a family of 4. It's quite possible Eurostar might even sell cheaper through tickets to Modane with a change in Lille or Paris, since we live near Lille, I've never had to check this out.
Nuck the King, can't think of anything else to check other than the availability of ski school at your preferred time. One mistake we made once was to not book ski school in advance because there was an in-resort offer of combined ski school and ski pass for children, but when we arrived the ski school was booked up in the morning and we had to take afternoon ski school. I'm sure you will have a great time, you can sit on the balcony with G+T knowing the crowds in better known resorts have paid twice as much if not more for the same level of skiing and facilities.
I have yet to find a resort in the northern Alps that offers quite the same cheap prices as the Maurienne valley with everything we like other than les Houches, which is ski to door, ski passes less than 100 euro per head, 6 half-day ski school less than 120 per head, ski hire less than 50 per head and apartment less than 600 euro per head.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Only thing I would add is a slight word of warning about lessons. We skied in St Sorlin D'Arves a couple of times, it's in the Les Sybelles area also in The Maurienne valley. Good English speaking lessons aren't as common there as there are far fewer English visitors. The second year there I even booked 1 hour a day of private lessons for my daughter (still reasonably priced) and the guy's English and teaching wasn't the best.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tbar, Wildnoon & Colin,
Thanks for all of this.
Well, it's done and booked. 1030 euros for accommodation incl. skipass, 145 for the skis for all of us. Total outlay before we start driving and eating (drinking?!), 1175 euros, or a shade over a grand in pounds. For a week's Christmas skiing, I don't know how I could have done any better. And with the money I've saved, I have agreed with the wife that we will stop overnight on the way down.
I am really quite unnecessarily excited about it now...thanks again for all of your brilliant advice. Will post a review on my return.
Nuck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
...and I've now found the Best Western Hotel de la Poste in Troyes, which is about 1/2 way down France.
I've booked a "Senior Suite" (1 twin bedroom and a sofabed in the living room) for 94 euros. Well reviewed and people seem to think that the suites are reasonably big. Will probably book it for the way back as well....
N.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Nuck - I have skied Aussois many times before and given the type of thing you are looking for, Aussois will fit the bill perfectly. There is a fantastic 'first time' area which people who have come out to us have used when they are just starting off. When the kids have got the hang of the snow plough, jump on the main chairlift that take you upto the restaurant and there's a nice little slope to practice on and the restaurant does good basic food.
For you, once you've 'dialed back in' again, there are some fun runs and I've taken some fairly experienced skiers there for a day when the weather has been bad for other resorts.
Friendly town - not noisy but some nice restaurants and good sledging area to go and do in the afternoon early evening which our kids love.
Drive down is easy but I would make sure you have snow chains at the last 5km can be a bit challenging if there is snow about. I have to say my inclination would be to fly to Turin, Lyon or Grenoble and hire a car. You could fly to Turin and then get a taxi to the train station (Euro 25 I recall), TGV to Modane and taxi up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
alti - dude, Nah - the drive is half the fun!Nuck_the_king, make sure you heed the advice about chains - and practise putting them on before you need them!! If the instructions are gibberish, as mine were, type 'Put on Snowchains' into Youtube.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
All of you are wonderful human beings. Alti - I have bought snow chains. Ironically, I ordered them three days before the snow came here (in Sussex), and they were therefore not delivered until after the snow had gone...otherwise I could have had great fun fitting and testing them....
Spurs - thanks for the tip. Will definitely try to fit them BEFORE I get stuck...
Nuck.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| Quote: |
try to fit them BEFORE I get stuck...
|
try to fit them before you leave your house. Maybe do it twice. And then take them off again. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
