 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
I have been put in charge of booking a group ski hol for next xmas, but we will be taking along a few newbies so i was thinking of a resort with quite a few free ski lifts just for them i went to Val d'isere a couple of years back and there were a nice few free lifts there but i was wondering if anyone knew of other resorts that have the same setup (not just a couple of small free drags) which might be of interest to us.
Thanks
Ady
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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ady944, I've never encountered a free chairlift - but you never know your luck!
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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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Absolute beginners can often usefully buy "points cards" - if there are lifts suitable for them to go up once or twice, and take ages getting down nice long slopes.
However, they'll presumably be taking lessons, and often that means buying a pass (though not necessarily for a big or expensive area).
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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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pam w, There is one in Alpe d'Huez. Disadvantage of it is that it is completely flat  But there might be a compulsive chairlift rider out there that would be made up with it, you never know.......
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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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There used to be a couple in Avoriaz, but that was aeons ago, so I'm not sure if that is still true. They served the main nursery areas and we used one of them to get back up to our apartment at the "top" end of the resort.
I've seen/heard of any free chairs in the Austrian resorts I frequent, but that is not to say there are not any. There are Übungslifte (training lifts) in most resorts, mainly the rope-tow variety.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yep we have 4 free lifts (2 chairs and 2 pomas) here in Val d'Isere that are free and Tignes has many too (2 chairs, 1 poma and 1 magic carpet in Val Claret and Le Lac alone)... when im teaching beginners here who have never done it before, for the most part they do not need to get a lift pass until at least day 2 and sometimes day 3 which can save about €100 per person!
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If you are looking for free lifts in order to save money on a trip, then it might end up counter-productive. So far only Val d'Isere and Tignes as places with free lifts, but these resorts are not known as being exactly cheap are they? Try looking at where the French on a budget would ski. factor in travel to resort, ski pack hire, lift passes, accommodation. IF you don't fancy arranging an entire package yourself for a group, you could instead consider UCPA, if organising for a group of individuals without children.
We always ski on a budget (well it's that or no skiing at all). Accommodation and lift prices are always the biggest cost for us, so always look for family offers on lift passes and in the same resort cheap self-catering accommodation, of which there is plenty in France.
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ady944,
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If you are looking for free lifts in order to save money on a trip, then it might end up counter-productive. So far only Val d'Isere and Tignes as places with free lifts, but these resorts are not known as being exactly cheap are they? Try looking at where the French on a budget would ski. factor in travel to resort,
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So true ,, I think the best value for the money in french Alpes is Les Sybelles, and also Bareges/La Mongie in the Pyrenees is very good value,,
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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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IF you don't fancy arranging an entire package yourself for a group, you could instead consider UCPA, if organising for a group of individuals without children.
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good suggestion. Having an all-in week, including lift pass, equipment hire, good tuition and full board accommodation for less than £700 will save you a lot more than having free lifts for a couple of days.
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IF you don't fancy arranging an entire package yourself for a group, you could instead consider UCPA, if organising for a group of individuals without children.
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good suggestion. Having an all-in week, including lift pass, equipment hire, good tuition and full board accommodation for less than £700 will save you a lot more than having free lifts for a couple of days. You need to look at the whole package. It seems a waste to take beginners to one of those huge resorts. Apart from the fact that everything is expensive (even having a pee) they can be quite intimidating places for new skiers, with (people who think they are) experts whizzing around all over the place.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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There's 3 free lifts in Flaine - le Pre chairlift in Forum, Bissac conveyor in Foret and the "yoghurt pots" that link the two
First two support their own beginner slopes - the third links the two levels with a relatively long and easy green run
As mentioned before, you can then buy points for a few other lifts as you progress
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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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3 free button lifts and large beginners slope in Les Carroz centre but at altitude of 1140m. Beginner day pass at 18 Euros gives 2 return trips up Gondola to 1800m where there are 2 buttons and a chair serving greens and blues for those on their first week.
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Beginner day pass at 18 Euros
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that sounds like an excellent idea.
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You know it makes sense.
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Les Deux Alpes have a few free button lifts on the green slopes right by the village. I doubt any beginner would stay there for more than a day or two though before moving up the mountain...
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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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Do the Maths for any combination of reduced / free pass for beginners + further days of a regular pass.
For example day 1 at Les Carroz on €18 pass + 5 days "Massif" pass at €167 = €186. Compare 6 day "Massif" pass at €179.40 so more expensive to do this way. 2 days on Les Carroz pass at €36 + 4 days "Massif"pass at €133.60 = €169.60, saving only €9.80.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Cheers for the advice guys, Flaine & Carroz sound good for what we are after, i was thinking along the lines of free lifts as i am teaching 2 of our party to snowboard so it saves them paying for expensive lessons as i have always found group lessons a waste of time imo.
gonna look into the 2 resorts, which one is the easiest drive from the uk as we are maybe thinking driving for the first time! as snowboard carriage & extras just gets more expensive on flights, cheaper to hire in resort nowadays!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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forget the driving comment as i have just realised they are next to each other DOH! 
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