 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, I am Nana who has been delegated the task of sorting out a family trip Jan 1-5 2013. We are a family of 3 intermediate boarders, one beginner boarder, and Nana and Papa who like our feet firmly on the ground but will be very happy looking after our G'daughter of 15 months. Preference is for Chamonix as it has been recommended as good for our differing needs. Alternatively interested in finding out if there is anywhere close to Carcasonne which would be suitable. I am starting to realise that all places are not equal regarding snow at this time of year!
Re Chamonix, can I ask for help with general guides on where to position ourselves acommodation-wise for easiest access for the boarders to the slopes (buses) and ourselves for town shopping browsing, eating drinking type stuff.
We prefer self catering with eating out options, something clean and comfortable without bankrupting us all preferably.
Hope you can help me with some starting points, all info greatly appreciated!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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lizzyla, Hi, and welcome to  . You are right that all places are not equal with regards to snow at this time of the year, part of the problem is that prediciton as to where the snow will be good is not that reliable.
First point is that you are just giong for four days at about the busiest time of the year, you may well have to book a weeks worth of accommodation and arrange to occupy it for the four days. You will also have to make arrangements for transport and to pick up keys on new years day.
You will probably need to look at transport arrangements from where you are to see what is practical.
The obvious destination from Carcassone is one of the French Pyrrenean resorts, they have a reputation for variable snow at this time but I have no personal experience, a friend who lives close by says they getr very busy duriing school holidays and prefers not to visit at this time.
Chamonix is a fabulous resort, with wonderful scenery it is fairly pricey though. From the intermediates point of view it's slopes are no better and far more spread out than many others with a lot of bussing to be done. From the granparents point of view you should bear in mind that you are very close to the winter solstice and the valley is fairly steep sided if you are wanting to perambulate with the grandchild you will be doing out of the sun for most of the day and it can be pretty cold. A wider valley base or a resort on a balcony setting may be more pleasant from this point of view.
A personal favourite is Briancon in Serre Chevalier which has a town is in the Southern French alps so may be realtively accessiblefrom Carcassonne(Though it is still a fair distance) being in the valley it gets less light in winter than some but the valley is more open than the CHamonix one and is a bit better from this point of view. The slopes ae fabulous for intermediates but not being in the centre of the area you still have bussing to do. It has a pretty good early season snow record and has a very good snow making system to back it up.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 29-08-12 8:15; edited 1 time in total
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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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lizzyla, welcome to snowheads. Are you dates set in stone? Those will be awkward because they are part of the New Year week, one of the busiest - probably THE busiest in the European ski calendar. If those dates ARE set in stone you might need to rent a self-catering place from 29 December for the week - not the end of the world, though it will all be both expensive and busy.
I think there are quite a few places which would be suitable for your different needs. Chamonix is a fantastic place, in many ways, but one thing it's NOT good for is groups of people doing very different things meeting up (e.g. for lunch) during the day. How intermediate are the intermediate boarders? The crowning glory of Chamonix skiing is the Grands Montets - but that might be too severe for them, and there are plenty of better places for a range of well-linked intermediate slopes. Two very close ones are St Gervais and Megeve. Chamonix is not super-ideal for beginners, either. There are good beginner areas but they are a bit distant from the town. There are buses, but they are busy, and the distances are quite long.
There are a number of good options in the Pyrenees - which is much closer to Carcassonne. I know nothing about them, but there are snowheads who do.
Also good options in Austria, Switzerland and Italy - but can't advise on those, either.
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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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Hey,
I joined up here too for a similar reason, looking for a good family place. From past experience, Chamonix is pretty hardcore in terms of skiing, so maybe look for somewhere like Les Arcs or Tignes. They have a wide range of pistes and are a bit moe close knit/family orientated. I went with a company last year called ski ici. Pretty good, and cheap! www.skiici.com. We went to a place called Valmeinier which is ideal for families.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Les Arcs - you can take the funicular down the mountain if you want to stroll around Bourg Saint Maurice, it's a very family geared resort - for what it's worth, the French voted it the most family friendly resort recently - and the scope for intermediate skiing is vast. Cham. is great for hard-core skiing but it's too limiting for your purposes (as pointed out above). I also think that you have to have a car to get around Cham. which limits splitting up during the day (unless you really fancy chauffeuring everyone about). Couldn't agree more with Pam's Tignes comment.
You have not said how you intend to travel/where you are travelling from which could be material given the timeframe you have stated.
Look at Les Arc 1950 - The boarder park is highly rated by those in the kno' (not me). You can go snowshoe-ing in the woods with a guide if you fancy it and there is a resident pack of huskies nearby as well. It's all ski-in ski-out, all self catering and there are a number of good restaurants in the village and some that you can either walk to (have to walk to in one case) or which are a short bus ride away (for those not direct ski/board). If you are driving, there is covered secure parking and the place totally pedestrainised. I think it ticks all your boxes.
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From being in a valley point of view some of the Austrian resorts would be good and provide gondola access to various parts of the mountain to meet skiers/boarders for lunch. Mayrhofen is a nice enough town with an indoor pool, big ski area and gondola access to 1500 metres. Zell am See would be another good choice, although some people feel the ski area is a bit small. I had a ball but maybe I'm easly pleased.
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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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Hi everyone, thanks first of all for all of your swift replies and helpful suggestions. To answer a couple of things, we are tied to those dates and I am finding that some of the apartments/chalets I have enquired about in Chamonix are indeed saying we would need to book the place from the 29th December for the full week.
We will be flying from London.
We really are looking for somewhere like Chamonix where we can walk into the town and the boarders can get buses to the slopes. We don't want to be in a ski village, so are looking for somewhere with an interesting town close by or actually getting an apartment in a town with the good links to the slopes. Now checking out Briancon as a possibility, thanks for that. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for the suggestions and I will probably be here again when I get stuck again!!
Cheers
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Stay in Bourg St Maurice and the snow lovers can get the funicular up? Have you thought of Kitzbuhel in Austria, or Courmayeur in Italy also? Mayrhofen, Zell am See, all lovely. Soll has a nice little town and pool, too.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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lizzyla, some apartments in Chamonix are quite a long walk from the town and your boarders might find it difficult to play together in one area. Other possibilities might be Innsbruck - a lovely town, with easy buses to a range of ski areas. Or Kitzbuhel. Or, in France, Megeve and St Gervais. Or in Italy, Cortina and possibly Aosta.
If I were you I would decide quickly on an access airport and then book flights without delay. Flight prices will rise. Then you can do accommodation-hunting - though good apartments book up very early for that week and do you really want an apartment which is so difficult to rent out that the desperate proprietors will sell a short week in the busiest time of the year? 
Chamonix is an exciting place, surrounded by high and glittering (if you're lucky with the weather....) mountain peaks but unless you want to shop for ski and mountaineering equipment there are more interesting towns. Briancon, Kitz, Innsbruck and Cortina certainly qualify and in my view St Gervais does too (Megeve has a lovely pedestrian centre, delectable tea shops, superb restaurants and very expensive shopping, but it all depends what you are looking for!). What kind of stuff will you be wanting, in your town, that you wouldn't get in a "ski village"?
It's worth finding somewhere where you can easily access (with a pushchair if appropriate) a cable car or gondola to take you up the mountain. On a sunny day it's wonderful to go and sit up in a mountain restaurant and admire the view. In Chamonix there are several, though without a car you'd probably be stuck with the nearest. The restaurant at the top of the Flegere lift certainly has what must be one of the most stunning views in the Alps.
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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 just a quicky to say thanks for all of your help, after googling all over Europe and realising just how ignorant I was about winter holidays we have just booked a lovely apartment in St Gervais. Hopefully this will prove good for our boarders levels of compitence, it is within walking distance of the town centre, and we can get a train to Chamonix if we decide to go for a day out! Phew! What a relief!!
Thanks again guys, so much appreciated all of your suggestions:)
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FAQ
I wouldn't recommend Valmeinier either - though neighbouring Valloire could be a good choice.
