 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, Im off to do a season based in Brevieres in a couple of weeks, and my girlfriend who is at uni and very poor and has never skiied before is looking at coming out for a week in January. I was just wondring if anyone knew if there was any easily accesible free beginner slopes and drag lifts in or around Brevieres, as this would mean she could spend a couple of days on these, and save a bunch on a couple of days worth of lift pass. Also what kind of pass do they use in the EK, like a photocard one or just a bleepy pocket one?
cheers guys
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If there are free drag lifts in a French resort they must grow on trees. Can't see anybody invests into such a facility for free, supply electricity to power it and employ someone to man it all the time, even if there is such thing as maintenance free.
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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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Hi mxoli22,
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any easily accesible free beginner slopes and drag lifts in or around Brevieres?
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Yes, there's a nursery slope with a free draglift - called 'Pitots' - at Les Brevieres. It's right next to the main gondola out of the village and, as nursery slopes go, is excellent.
If your girlfriend can get there, there are also free lifts at Le Lac (drag and slow chair) and Val Claret (fast, comfy chair). The Val Claret chair serves a couple of runs (green and blue) so would give a bit of variation. The free Le Lac lifts are quite near to each other but (as I recall) don't link up with each other.
Enjoy your season - and let's hope your GF is converted to snowsports  !
PS: Here's the interactive Tignes piste map - the free lifts are shown as black and white dotted lines.
http://www.tignes.net/en/skiing-in-tignes/ski-run-map-28.html
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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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The chair to Les Boisses shouldn't be free, but is. Just smile at the lady who runs it. If you take you skis off, she will wave you on.
The track down is very shallow and ideal for beginners. There is a drag too, that is defo free.
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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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Many french resorts have 1 or 2 free lifts dont they? L2A certainly does (drags at village level).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The chair to Les Boisses shouldn't be free, but is.
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The resort bumf says it's free for pedestrians - so taking your skis off could explain it 
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Are the lift passes for EK/ Tignes photo ID ones?
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The nursery slope in Brev is quite steep, the free drags and chairs in Les Lacs are much better for someone who has never skied before. Our friends came last year, their first time and they were quite intimidated by the nursery slope in Brev.
Not sure about a free ride up to Boisses, you have to go through a gate to get on, you can try smiling at the lady.
The blue run from Boisses down to Brev is probably better than the 'nursery' slope
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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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No Photo ID required for Espace Killy or Tignes lift pass, EK gets you into the spa, very nice 
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Although I would guess you will need a photo for your season pass.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| mxoli22 wrote: |
| Are the lift passes for EK/ Tignes photo ID ones? |
If you're contemplating pass fraud - the person lending you the season pass for your gf will be pretty miffed when you lose them their pass/job for the season.
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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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Mmmm sorry fatbob, promise i wont...
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mxoli22, For a season pass you have to provide a digital photograph (easily done on line) - as you pass the gates the pass is detected in your pocket, the lift attendants PDA bleeps to indicate a season pass, your mugshot appears on teh screen and you normally get a reasonably hard stare to make sure its you. As for weekly passes up to 6 days don't require a photo - any longer they take a picture of you with the webcam. Not entirely sure how it works when you are an employee (if your company is organising the pass for you), if you are buying it yourself you will need a copy of your contact to get the seasonaires rate - significantly less than the public rate of just over a grand.
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You know it makes sense.
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mxoli22, The beginners' run in Brev served by the free drag lift gets steeper the further up you go but you can get off pretty much anywhere. We stayed in Brev last Feb(at the Chalet Chardons) and Mrs L and one son (who are nervous beginners) were quite happy gradually working their way up the drag lift, progressing to the top after a few days. We also made use of the chair to les Boisses with the beginners taking their skis off and smiling at the nice lady. From there, either take the bus up to Le Lac or ski back down the summer road. This is a lovely long confidence-building run for beginners. Up in Le Lac, you can ski between the two free lifts (chair and drag). The two beginners in the group didn't buy a lift pass for the whole week.
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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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saikee, I think every resort i've ever been to in France has had at least 1 free lift. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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That sounds brilliant Lockkeeper, thanks for the info! Also what did you think of Chardons last year? (as thats where i shall be living and working this year ) Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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stevomcd,
Sounds Ste Foy has one too, right?
Must admit I never tried to explore such freebies. Don't suppose many can manage to stay with one free lift for a week.
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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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saikee, true, but for the absolute beginner they can invaluable and save a lot of money. I've been on holiday with complete beginners before, two or three of whom didn't graduate beyond the slopes with the free lifts until the 4th or 5th day; that in itself probably saved them well over £100 each.
Of course it is more helpful when the slopes that the free lifts access are half decent. As has been said, Tignes is very good in that there are free lifts in all the village levels and the runs in Le Lac and Val Claret are all pretty decent for a complete beginner. Other resorts such as Les Arcs have lifts that are free only over the weekend.
But I'd suggest if you're confining yourself to the free lifts in your second week and onwards, you're perhaps doing something wrong.....!
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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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That (ie Le Lac) sounds brilliant Lockkeeper, thanks for the info!
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....And presumably also to all the rest of us who took the time and trouble to impart our knowledge as well
Anyway, IMO the comfier, faster chair lift at Val Claret would be better than the slow chair and drag at Le Lac.
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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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Yeah sorry mountainaddict, im always grateful for the advice i receive on here, always has proved very helpful 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
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That (ie Le Lac) sounds brilliant Lockkeeper, thanks for the info!
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....And presumably also to all the rest of us who took the time and trouble to impart our knowledge as well
Anyway, IMO the comfier, faster chair lift at Val Claret would be better than the slow chair and drag at Le Lac. |
You're right that the Val Claret chair is much faster; however I'd say le Lac might well be the better slopes for a complete beginner. Val Claret either has the blue back under the chair and down to the Bollin/Fresse lift station, which IMO is far too steep for a newbie; or it has the cross over past the restaurant, down and past Tufs lift and back round to Bollin/Fresse, which is often really busy at the top to get over, fairly steep for a green run, then the bottom half is a bit of a bind if you don't have too much speed up as its so flat. Le Lac is always pretty quiet on the slopes and on the lift.
Saying that though, the Le Lac chair must be the slowest chairlift I've ever been on! Gives the beginners plenty of time to rest weary legs though, I suppose.
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Dav, Agree - the important bit is that the beginners slope is segregated from the rest of the piste so nervous beginners are protected from people whizzing past.
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Are there any rules against carrying other ski equipment whilst using a surface lift even if you have one hand free for holding on to and for letting go of the surface lift or is it down to the Lift attendent's discretion?
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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, yes - the two magic carpet lifts in Sainte Foy are free.
You're not going to spend a week on them, but a total beginner might well spend as much as the first 2 days on them.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Anyway, IMO the comfier, faster chair lift at Val Claret would be better than the slow chair and drag at Le Lac.
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Hmmm... Up to a point Lord Copper
It's true that the Bollin lift at VC is somewhat quicker than Rosset in le Lac - although even then it is slowed down a bit by the complexity of being combined with the longer Fresse. However I would say that the Rosset slope is much more suited to beginners than the bottom section of Piste H/Prariond. The approaches to the gates next to the lift can get hideously gullied and crowded compared to the wide run-out on Rosset.
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