 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Comedy Goldsmith, nothing new here... which travel journalists or newspapers actually pay for the trip themselves  How many broadsheet travel articles do you see that say 'don't bother, it's crap"...?
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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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miranda, some justification here though, since the Pyrenees are not crap, and they are in general less expensive and commercialied than the alps. So he's hardly lying.
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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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Well, absolutely, the good old Guardian [originally The Manchester Guardian, born 1821] is - at least - telling us quite clearly that the flights and accommodation were sponsored. Magazines and papers generally skirt around the exact relationship, using weasel phrasing.
And I was probably being misleading in saying that the author asked the question in the heading - it was probably a sub-editor's.
But, in essence, this is a promotional heading and a promotional relationship and - no - the Pyrenees may need the Alps like they need a hole in the head!
We get the media/journalism we don't pay for. The Independent newspaper began its life in 1986 by famously not accepting travel freebies, but I'm not sure that this policy continues.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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All forms of Journalism are biased by money or agenda
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| miranda, the Pyrenees are not crap |
Absolutely not what I meant to imply!
But...
Very few travel articles are all expenses paid for by the newspapers.
Very few travel articles say a place is crap.
The Independent may or may not accept freebies directly, but I'm pretty certain they accept articles from freelance journalists who've wangled freebies from a PR themselves.
That's not to say all travel articles are lying at all - I really enjoy reading travel articles.
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| Quote: |
| If some Alpine resorts can feel a bit like a production line of British visitors, from flights to chalets, with solid English spoken from boot hire to après-ski, this felt like a warmly welcoming, down-to-earth part of France. |
Ah, so that's what it's all about. As ever, in this kind of article, for "the French Alps" read "the handful of mega-resorts which large numbers of package tourists frequent". It's like writing an article about high prices and boozed up lads in St Anton as though that was typical of Austrian resorts.
Lazy, really, but readers like to keep it simple. Black and white, no confusing shades of grey, thanks. 
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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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I once wrote an article saying that a particular trip was crap - got sent straight back for immediate rewrite 
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
| If some Alpine resorts can feel a bit like a production line of British visitors, from flights to chalets, with solid English spoken from boot hire to après-ski, this felt like a warmly welcoming, down-to-earth part of France. |
Ah, so that's what it's all about. As ever, in this kind of article, for "the French Alps" read "the handful of mega-resorts which large numbers of package tourists frequent". It's like writing an article about high prices and boozed up lads in St Anton as though that was typical of Austrian resorts.
Lazy, really, but readers like to keep it simple. Black and white, no confusing shades of grey, thanks. |
Apparently you missed the word "some". You are criticizing a comment that, if anything, is understated. Some Alpine resorts can indeed feel much more than a bit like a production line of British visitors, they are a production line of British visitors. How many ski resorts in the French Alps can you find where 1% of the guests are British?
Last year, my cab driver (who lives in Bourg St. Maurice) from Bourg to Val D'Isere recommended that I try the Pyrenees and the reasons he gave were very similar to the ones given by the author of this article.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Having been out in the Pyrenees this year when he was there it's pretty well spot on!
We did find the whole "Pyrenean experience" truly different to the Alps, I never knew the French could be so friendly, that really did take us by surprise on more than one occasion 
It was no where near as expensive as the Alps, and flying to Lourdes, it was so easy with getting to Bareges only taking an hour or so.
Great in the summer and also close to the sea.
However we were blessed with silly amounts of snow and I'm not too sure what a more normal season would be like, as I suspect powder days are few, sure they might get the snow volumes but I suspect might often wet n'heavy, that said touring is meant to be good, and again I would have thought it to be warmer than the Alps so less chance of overnight freezing and spring snow conditions, but then what do I know ?
Where I did feel good was that a few of the French guys we skied with and got to know in the bar all praised dear old Serre Chevalier as being similar in in some ways to ski resorts a la Pyrenees.
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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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Coming in as a n00b to this forum, I think the Guardian were spot-on about how good the Pyrenees can be.
Mind you, I've never had a problem finding small and friendly places in the French Alps either. Bellevaux, Notre-Dame de Belleville and Les Karellis are all places I'd recommend to anyone. Les Sybelles is well worth a look too.
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Tony S, welcome to SHs. 
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You know it makes sense.
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