Staying in Annecy - resort advice needed

A snowHead

Hi,

I am looking for some advice, leaving for a week on the 2nd Feb and staying in a friends house in Annecy. We were thinking about potentially going to La Clusaz for 3 days and maybe Megéve as well for a bit of variety. We would be driving to the resorts. Just looking for some advice, would these be the best 2 resorts to go to (given that they are the nearest AFAIK).

Also, would there be enough skiing in La Clusaz to keep a group of intermediate - advanced skiiers busy for 6 days?

Thanks!
Michael

A snowHead

mickster, I expect paulio, who lives in Annecy and has been exploring the nearby resorts, will respond to this. Otherwise, send him a private message. He's done a lot of relevant research.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I'd have thought you'd have enough in the Aravis area to keep you happy for a week. This includes Le Grand Bornand as well as La Clusaz.

la clusaz is easily reached by bus from Annecy. I think you'd need a car to get to Megeve/Saint Gervais.

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We've only been up to Clusaz so far. Once we found our way around, and got our 2 year old used to the place, we couldn't be bothered to go through it all again.

The drive up is well easy so long as the roads are clear of snow etc (they always have been for me), but prone to bad traffic. So the commute can be a bit of a nuisance if the traffic gets too chewy.

As a group of - I'm guessing - "mileage hungry" skiers (?) you might find it limiting. Especially if you're drag-lift averse. We have found ourselves on the same half a dozen pistes over and over again.

Sorry I can't be more help. We've only been up there for 8 half-days, and nowhere else in the immediate vicinity of Annecy.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks for all of the advice! I didn't realise that ht Arvais ski pass also included access to le grand bornand so that increases the scope a little.

We aren't too 'mileage hungry' as we will also have 2 beginners in the group.

Regarding the traffic, I think we have avoided the UK and French holiday weeks with our dates, what time would you recommend leaving in the mornings to 'beat the traffic' if it's even possible? Also, is there free parking in La Clusaz by the lifts?

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Best parking is in the centre of town, very near the Cret du Merle chairlift. It's not free. Tenner a day or so. I'm not sure there's any free parking at all.

Getting out of Annecy at about 8am is a good idea, especially on Saturdays, it seems. You won't beat the traffic, but you will at least be in the car park (hopefully) before it switches to 'one out one in' mode.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

This car park.

Short walk to either the aforementioned chair, or an "acceptable" trot down to the gondolas - with plenty of lift pass offices and hire shopes en route.

After all it is free

mickster, If you drive a bit further than La Clusaz you can access the skiing at La Giettaz/Combloux, which looks interesting if the snow on the Combloux side is good. Likely to be much quieter- and cheaper - than La Clusaz.

What are you going to do with your beginners? Dump them in a ski school somewhere and go exploring?

If you were looking to go towards Megeve you might do well to turn off a bit earlier and head up to Les Frasses, the top area of Notre Dame de Bellecombe. Free (though not very big) car park at the bottom of a draglift giving fast access to the top of Mont Rond. Access from the Mont Rond base is much slower and though the parking is free it's often very busy. The crowds will build up steadily now each week, but that area will still be very quiet, as will Praz sur Arly (which you have to drive through to get to the busier and much more expensive Megeve wink

) In Praz sur Arly there is a large, free, car park giving you rapid access to the fast 6 man chair (Cret du Midi) with a superb run straight back down again, or up the top (Ban Rouge) chair which also gives you access to the top of Notre Dame de Bellecombe. If the snow is good there's some v good off piste off the top of the Ban Rouge and a black run which is often unpisted and feels like off-piste. wink

There are two excellent restaurants within a stone's throw of the top of the Cret du Midi.

Unless snow is good, those top areas are better than the Val D'Arly lower runs. If you are with kids or less strong skiers avoid the Seigneur drag at Flumet - it's very steep (66%) and long (1.5km) and if you fall off the only escape is to hike through the trees then down a moderately difficult black run, to the bottom of the same lift. Skullie

The traffic will tend to be bad on Saturdays, can be bad on Sundays if the weather/snow is nice enough to tempt the daytrippers but the weekdays should be pretty quiet.

paulio, for future reference, there is some free parking - the nearest lifts to us (i.e. up towards the top of the col, can't remember what they're called but there's a lift on either side of the road) have free parking on the street, though I guess it would be a scramble for space on a Saturday morning (never tried to park there during peak weekend times).... but it is free. There is another free car park somewhere too I'm sure as we've used it - but from memory it wasn't as convenient as the one you've been using.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Our choice of parking, and indeed our "choice" of *bloody everything* is dictated to us by a toddler, unfortunately.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

paulio, there is (or there was last time I noticed) a nice little magic carpet thing for toddlers, near the bottom of the Cret du Midi lift in Praz sur Arly. Free, I'd imagine, and much easier than cords for little ones. There were two very dear 22 month old twins, in cream ski suits and those little strap on plastic skis, having a ball with their mother. My friend asked if she could take a photo as they were so cute, and rather than scream and run for cover their mother was delighted to let her.

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paulio, if that sort of info is useful, there's a free magic carpet in La Giettaz too, and free parking.

You know it makes sense.

More excellent news. Thanks ladies.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

we put or 3 1/2 year old in the kids club and he had a blast, the people were friendly and the Jardin was fun. We were only there for 2 days but our cousins who have a chalet in St Jean de Sixt took us around and we were also told by them that if you want there is plenty of of piste and local guides around to show it to you. The best parking is as you arrive in Clusaz there is a small roundabout with a sign for busses to the right, if you follow this there is an underground carpark which is Euro 4 per day.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

rggdxb, thanks for the suggestion, is it far from the nearest lift?

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no it's about a 2 minute walk to the main Beauregard lift, what we did was dropped the wife and kids at Le Schuss shop in the centre to collect their stuff and get dressed and I dropped the car and walked, can't be more than 200m.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

This was in the Guardian recently:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/nov/18/skiing-resort-annecy-france-french-alps

it mentions Annecy being great for: La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand and two smaller resorts of Manigod and St Jean de Sixt .

You'll need to Register first of course.

the Massif des Aravis has rebranded as "Lake Annecy Ski Resorts"

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

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Staying in Annecy - resort advice needed

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