 Poster: A snowHead
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We were planning on going to Flims/Laax for half term 2012 but have been offered a holiday in Champery - bigger ski area but shared with French resorts so a bit worried about queues. I see UK half term doesn't coincide with Belgium/Netherlands (or Paris more importantly) next year but I would welcome any opinions on possible queuing problems and also the skiing from those who know the area. Never been but have always been interested. Thanks 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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AW, PDS skiing is generally terrific, although I'd submit that Champery wouldn't be my first choice as a base. The Swiss side is less up to date and being more south facing suffers more from sunshine, Or benefits depending on your pov.
If there's good snow, half term isn't intolerable.
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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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Busy and great.
Champery is right on one side so a long way to e.g. Les Gets but pretty quick to Avoriaz (45 mins) or Chatel (60 mins).
Two good lifts to get high (cable car from the railway station or a really comfortable chair from Grand Paradis). I dont really know the village at all but all the skiing is accessible and there is a decent beginners area below the cable car arrival.
Just over an hour from Geneva.
A poor season this year but having done 12 half terms I can confidnetly say the snow is usually very reliable.
under a new name, is right it is very sunny on the Swiss side
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under a new name, DJL, thanks for that. Does look an interesting area so will just have to start off early in the morning to avoid ski school and adopt the usual queue avoiding tactics - any info on bottlenecks gratefully received . Can cope with the sun - just hope the snow is more plentiful next year!
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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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Its quite qick to get up from Champery and the telepherique starts half an hour before the other lifts so you can be first on the slopes.
Once up at Planachaux you can get over to Les Crosets where there are four chairlifts so you can pick the shortest queue.
The best source of info would be Summer who posts here and teaches at the Champery ski school. You could try a pm to her.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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DJL, thanks
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laax is a pretty fantastic by and large unknown ski area. i would go back at the drop of a hat. tink it would be better at half term
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I went to Laax at half term 2010, it was also Fasching, and it was unbelievably uncrowded. Great skiing area though.
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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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Oh well, will go there another time We did like the look of Laax - there are so many places we want to try!
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went there this year, VERY busy, 40min + lift queues and rude frenchies! skiing was good off piste though, but was not as enjoyable due to the amount of people on the piste
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Togger,  Can I ask if you stayed on the Swiss or French side? I had heard of horrendous queues from Morzine at ski school time but was hoping to avoid any queues in Champery by going up early etc. Were these 40 min queues for certain bottleneck lifts or just generally? My nephew was on a school trip in Chatel at half term this year and claims not to have waited more than 5 minutes but they just skied in the Chatel/Linga area. Thanks for any info.
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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 with regard to half term and Champery. Its not too much of an issue really. Best plan get up early as around 9.30am the lifts are used by the ski schools and not too much room. Having said that, I have never waited more than one cabin so 12 mins at the most! If this is too much, hop on the bus to the Grand Paradis. It sits out side the cable car. 5 minutes and you are at the 6 man chair which lifts you up pretty quickly. Then hop on another and you are where the cable car arrives.....Far more fun than garlic breath and windy bottoms in the cabin!!
the only queues you will find will almost certainly be in Avoriaz at the main connections.
I worked in Morzine before and found it a real nightmare at half term getting anywhere. Champery is a breeze in comparison. The cabin also takes you straight up to 1500m which is higher than the slopes above Morzine etc. Hope this helps
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summer, thanks for that - very reassuring. Thought it wouldn't be in the same queuing league as Morzine and Avoriaz but good to hear it from someone in the know. Looks a great area - looking forward to exploring it .
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You know it makes sense.
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Hey AW, it was mostly bottle necks at key lifts, i was staying in morzine, the first 2 and 3 lifts morzine side to get any height were busy! would take about an hour and a half at least in the morning. Not too bad the avoriaz side. That was better i have to say, but coming back that side was worse! I would say early is definatley the best bet. we were up by 9 most times and if your up earlier it could be better
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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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Thanks Togger, I'd heard Morzine was busy; fortunately it looks as we may be going against the traffic most of the time. I fully intend to be on the lifts before 9 anyway. Hope it'll be like the M5 where we live - we usually sail past the queues going to Cornwall at holiday times as we are always going the opposite 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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I fully intend to be on the lifts before 9 anyway
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What time do they open?
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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AW is looking at Champery and I am pretty sure the cable car starts at 08.30. The key is to get up high before the ski schools pile on. From Planachaux you can get out and about into the PDS before those (the ones who manage to drag themselves out of bed first thing) from other resorts reach the higher lifts.
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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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Yes I think the cable car starts at 8.30 and the chair at 8.45 but I may be wrong. Will find out next year Setting off early used to work well in Haute Nendaz - could usually get to Mont Fort before the Verbier people reached it. Only 2 more years of half term anyway.
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The PDS is a fantastic ski area, you will suffer from queues during half term unfortunately, particularly in Avoriaz and at the entry points. The side you're looking at should be better. If the queues are bad you could try heading for La Linga and Plain Dranse which can be less busy. Some of the areas are worth queuing for, Col du Fornet for example and the run to the bottom of the Prodains Cable Car is particularly good, especially if you do the black from the top of the Grandes Combes chairlift (definitely be a queue there!). Be sure to have time to get back to Champery too!
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AW - in respect of half term dates, you were spot on in your first post - this is the first time in about 5 years that UK half term has not clashed with Paris holidays. In fact there is only 1 french zone on holiday (recent years there has been 2) and this zone is the least likely to make a big impact on traffic levels - slopewise, resort facility wise, roads etc. Add to this that the only other serious European market on hols the same week is some Scandies and brits next Feb can expect english to be the dominant mountain voice by some distance during their half term!
Because of this you'll notice that prices for the 11/2/12 are upto some 20% cheaper than 19/2/11 in some French resorts. Of course if you don't need to holiday at half term the overall experience will be better but compared to usual this is the year where enjoying France and/or ski areas connected to it will be a relative dream! Of course the next season its back to fighting the Parisians at eye watering prices again - so make the most of it this year!
Wherever you go - Enjoy!
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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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AW, Champery IMO is a lovely little town/village, it has some good bars/restaurants and is generally quite a pretty place. The downside is that it is generally necessary to take a cable car to reach the slopes, and to get back. There is a red run on the map that returns to the village but it runs very low so is often closed.
PdS at Feb half term is no worse than anyewhere else, yes Avoriaz can be a bottleneck especially early afternoon. Do not understimate the Swiss side, Champery/Les Crosets/Champoussin/Morgins, yes some of the lifts are a bit basic and there are still a lot of draglifts, but it is quieter so it evens out, and the runs are rarely busy. The CLCF pass (which covers the Swiss side as far as the centre of Morgins) is cheaper so you might want to get that for a few days snd the full PdS for the rest.
THe cable car and two chairlifts (both relatively modern) will get you to the centre of Avoriaz in well under an hour.
The other downside is the Swiss Franc exchange rate, at this rate next year we will be living on packet soup for a week 
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Thanks for all the comments; we've done France at half term for 5 years and honed our crowd dodging skills and are hoping next year will be slightly easier (no Parisians). Only 2 half terms to go now  . Don't mind draglifts as long as the queues are OK. I'm relying on my nephew's claim they didn't queue much last half term in Chatel, but may be a bit careful when we tackle Avoriaz and Morzine. Should be OK with the CHF rate as we are going on a group trip with everything included. Looks a fantastic area; getting very excited now - only 7 months to go! Does anyone know how the Wall compares in difficulty to ?Chassoure in Verbier (some people call it Tortin - the one under the télécabine)? Definitely not for me but my husband would be interested.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Tortin is much longer than the swiss wall, but not as steep, that said if you can do Tortin you will have no problem with the Swiss wall.
TBH I think a lot is made of the Wall, but actually is is just another black run!
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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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Chattonmill, I think it's having the cafe/ restaurant next to it - makes everyone either want to show off or recoil with a hot chocolate!
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Chattonmill, the problem with the Wall is that if it's icy and you fall at the top, it can be a long way until you stop. It's also unreasonably busy with many people who really shouldn't be there - which increase the risk significantly.
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You know it makes sense.
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Nadenoodlee, Trtin works in the same sort of way as the show offs can go down and the recoilers can watch them from the Bubble that goes over it!
under a new name, You could same the same of the couloirs in Courcheval or many other black runs, the problem is the Swiss wall now has a stigma attached to it, so people want to do it just so they can boast that they have done it.
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FAQ
We had a great warm up ski by the time we met up with the group. 