 Poster: A snowHead
|
hi,
organising a group of mixed ability adults for new year and the shortlist is val d'isere or tignes (val claret) or tignes (near the chaudannes lift?)
some nightlife (not all night partying necessarily but nice bars etc) would be good. We were in Meribel last year and loved it!
which option would people recommend?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Val every time for many reasons, but especially if you want even a modicum of nightlife worthy of the name.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
I would go for Val as well...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Been to Val (probably 5 times) and Tignes twice, you'll have a good time in both but Val is the winner.
That way you can stay till closing time at la folie
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
boo22, everything else being equal VD wins that contest hands down. Better atmosphere and better access to the best skiing
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Tignes for me every time, but get a Full area lift pass. They atmosphere is much nicer, the slopes generally better, especially for a mixed group, and less reliance on buses to get around. Oh and the party at Tignes les Lac on New Year's eve simply fantastic.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For a mixed ability group I'd go for Tignes; there aren't many easy runs back to VD. Val Claret is probably a bit more skier friendly as well in that respect.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
johnE, what atmosphere would that be? And in 5 trips to Val d'Isere I've used a bus twice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
| Mosha Marc wrote: |
| For a mixed ability group I'd go for Tignes; there aren't many easy runs back to VD. Val Claret is probably a bit more skier friendly as well in that respect. |
+1
But if you are going for the apres/nightlife then Val is the better bet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Done both. Agree with those that say Val d'Isère offers better nightlife. I also agree with those that say Tignes offers better access for mixed-group skiing. Some of the runs down into Val d'Isère are either difficult or crowded (though I do like the Face Olympique). If you're after "some" nightlife then Tignes le Lac will probably suit you. If you're a group of party animals that's not too bothered about the skiing, then stick to Val.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
I think that VDI has the much better 'nightlife', and village atmosphere. I think that Tignes has better pistes, and often better snow conditions. The ski back into Val D'Isere can be quite unpleasant at the end of the day. For on-piste skiing I think Tignes is better. For limited nightlife then VDI is much nicer, excluding some of the punters. If you want off-piste then VDI is the better option. La Folie Douce is good for watching clueless drunk poshos try to dance to house music - think JP and his mates from Fresh Meat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Prefer Val but the difference, especially from a skiing point of view, between the two is so marginal that I would just take the cheaper one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You are asking the eternal unanswerable question. The access to off piste is similar in both, depending on where your accom is in Val access to the pistes can involve a bus - this is unlikely in Tignes. Tignes has easier 'home runs' for intermediates. As for apres generally Val is more expensive (there are exceptions in both) the night life is different between the two and even between the different villages in Tignes. I do not recognise the Tignes that Dr John describes but then my idea of apres may be different.
You will have a great time which ever you go to. People will 'flame' my replies - most folk have very fixed opinions but after 10 years research my preference was Tignes - hence the location of my 'retirement pad'.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
Tignes is for losers.
Val d'Isere is for semi-losers.
Val wins.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
Val, 100% every time. Otherwise you have to leave La Folie Douce way before it closes to catch the Tommeuses!
To be fair, Tignes is fine. You'll have a blast wherever you stay, but VDI wins on nightlife.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Quite simply, if you want nightlife, Val. If you want absolute ski in/out convenience, Tignes. Acess to advanced skiing- either. Intermediate skiers in your group who want to be able to ski back to baae, Tignes. In Tignes I would say Val Claret
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
chocksaway, each to their own and all that, but what Val offers is a choice. You can go out to any number of quiet bars, loud bars, at least 3 late-night clubs, and restaurants from basic up to michelin starred. It's up to you which, if any, of these you choose to use. You don't have the choice in Tignes. It's quiet nights or nothing except the Loop, but no-one under 30 can go there after 9pm and not be laughed at.
You also get an actual village with Val, not an artificial construct. It's very conveniently placed for (some) of the EK, but then that's exactly what it was designed for so I'd be amazed if it weren't. Milton Keynes was built along the same principles, and with a similar result.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
I popped over to Tignes a few times when I was in the EK and although it's a great area, the town isn't a patch on Val. Val is a superb base if only because of the amazingly god Le Fornet section and the other tree areas - useful for when it closes in and you want to be close to home and without freezing your bits off in whiteouts
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Dr John, Clearly we are never going to agree over the nightlife in Tignes but there is a good deal of choice - great as the Loop is - there is a lot more to just Le Lac than you suggest - folks just have to explore the likes of the Alpaka, Jam Bar, Embuscade, Booolaylay, Bagus, Marmotte Arms plus a dozen hotel bars for different vibes and thats before you get on the bus to the more party orientated Val Claret or the seasonnaire orientated Lavachet. And yes there are at late night clubs - Crowded, Jacks, Blue Girl to name 3.
And yes we have a michelin starred chef in Val Claret for those that judge by that standard - personally I would go to The Clin D'Oeil (recognised as one of if not the best restaurants in the EK (best was quoted by the Telepgraph)).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
| Dr John wrote: |
It's quiet nights or nothing except the Loop, but no-one under 30 can go there after 9pm and not be laughed at.
|
Do you mean over? I thought Loop was for the young 'uns (ie, I think I'd get laughed at!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Piccadilly, yes I do. Senior moment there (or perhaps it's just me being laughed at. Getting used to it these days)
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Fri 23-11-12 14:43; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
chocksaway, I bow to your superior knowledge, thing must have improved in the last 5 years. Bet your Church isn't as pretty though...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spent weeks in each resort and as long as the links are open there ain't a lot of difference. You can move round so quickly that whatever individual opinions on the skiing in each resort that should not be the deciding factor. You can usually ski down to Les Brevieres - so there ain't much difference in the availability of "trees" in bad weather
They are equally expensive, have similar facilities. Neither place has architectural charm.
Nightlife - all I require is a comfy chair, a beer and good company. So I am not the one to advise.
So try one this time and the other the next!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Dr John, And that I cannot disagree with - though if it were in the UK it would now have a grade 2 listing. Luckily I can only see it if I stand on tip toes and look out of the back bedroom. Now if only they hadn't drowned the original.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| chocksaway wrote: |
| Dr JohnNow if only they hadn't drowned the original..... |
Then we would not have ended up with those two monstruosities. Maybe somehting much quieter and sedate... probably along the lines of what you find on the other side. I would say Courchevel and its minions and Val Tho would have taken most of the bulk that is now going to Espace Killy.
On the other hand it felt within the larger national hydro-electricity project of the times, some dating long before with plans es early as the begining of the 20th century for some dams on the Rhone river.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
... not even mentioning the factories down valley (Pechiney and the likes back in the days) requiring massive amounts of energy for their aluminium output...
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
can anybody tell me if the sache black run down to les brevieres gets mogully, or is it just black because its steep.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
compostcorner, you are in luck, though most of the sache is smooth there is one section where the piste narrows and steepens and that usually has some lovely moguls on it
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
compostcorner, top half normally bashed (to lull you into a false sense of security) and then just after the bit where you can cut right to escape onto a red run they leave it bumpy 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
).