Chamonix studio renovation - build thread
Discussion
Gruffy said:
DoubleSix said:
Apols. Been looking at loads of places recently so have myself all mixed up 
Is the price shown per night regardless of how many people stay? i.e. A couple staying would pay that amount between them.
Yes, the price is the whole apartment, whether that's for one person or shared between four. Is the price shown per night regardless of how many people stay? i.e. A couple staying would pay that amount between them.
What's the location like for beginners? I'm experienced but my OH has only skied the once.
Looking at a blurry piste map it seems there's a big lift (Grand Montet) that takes you up to some black and reds, fine for me, but is there direct access to learner slopes without having to traverse tougher stuff?
Sorry I'm unfamiliar with Cham.
It depends what you'd class as learner slopes. There is a small network of blues at the top of the first lift and a kids bunny slope network at the bottom but generally speaking Grands-Montets is the steepest place in the valley.
I would recommend Le Tour for beginners. It has the largest network of bunny slopes and the largest network of beginner-friendly slopes for more confident beginners. Mostly shallow blues. Le Tour is the most easterly of the five ski areas, just after Argentiere and its where we did about half of our skiing last year. It's about 10 minutes on the free bus or 5-10 by car. There are a few places to stay in Le Tour but it's not really set up for that. I'm obviously biased but I'd definitely recommend staying in Argentiere rather than Le Tour.
I would recommend Le Tour for beginners. It has the largest network of bunny slopes and the largest network of beginner-friendly slopes for more confident beginners. Mostly shallow blues. Le Tour is the most easterly of the five ski areas, just after Argentiere and its where we did about half of our skiing last year. It's about 10 minutes on the free bus or 5-10 by car. There are a few places to stay in Le Tour but it's not really set up for that. I'm obviously biased but I'd definitely recommend staying in Argentiere rather than Le Tour.
Despite being born and brought up in Scotland I had never skied before the age of 20 - living in London however and sharing a house with a family that owned a ski business had me a cheap deal and on a flight to Geneva at the end of the ski season in the late eighties.
On the bus to Argentiere, the ski rep worked her way around the intermediate, advanced and off piste skiers, given them gen on what was open and worth skiing. She then sat down, leaving me a little non-plussed. I approached her and explained I had never skied before and she had a hairy fit!!
Perhaps it was because it was the end of the season and there was limited snow - almost nothing in Argentiere. I had a day on what little remained of a beginner slope at the bottom, then straight up to the top and onto reds.
Never looked back!
Perhaps the area is better for beginners these days, but back then it had a reputation as being intermediate and above.
On the bus to Argentiere, the ski rep worked her way around the intermediate, advanced and off piste skiers, given them gen on what was open and worth skiing. She then sat down, leaving me a little non-plussed. I approached her and explained I had never skied before and she had a hairy fit!!
Perhaps it was because it was the end of the season and there was limited snow - almost nothing in Argentiere. I had a day on what little remained of a beginner slope at the bottom, then straight up to the top and onto reds.
Never looked back!
Perhaps the area is better for beginners these days, but back then it had a reputation as being intermediate and above.
Leithen said:
Perhaps the area is better for beginners these days, but back then it had a reputation as being intermediate and above.
It's definitely considered intermediate and above. There's a good mix of blues (shallow to steep) that make a good playground for intermediates and more confident beginners to progress, but Le Tour is easily the pick of the bunch for proper beginners or nervous rusty skiers finding their feet again.It's also worth pointing out that Le Tour has some of my favourite off-piste in the valley, which makes it a great place for a mixed group. The off-piste is wide, relatively shallow and packed with features. It's also quite secluded and needs a bit of local knowledge to access, which keeps it in great condition while everybody and their dog smashes Grands-Montets to pieces. Plus the Café Comptoir at the bottom of Vallorcine is one of the best restaurants in the whole valley, especially their bargain prix fixe lunch menus.
really wish I hadn't bookmarked this thread, especially since its winter.
The problem is that for someone who's all thumbs, it would be hard to just hire people and end up with such a spectacular finish whilst adding value to the property. Quite like the idea of someone just over the border like Cormayeur, though thats a pain of a resort with gondalas to get to the top.
I can't remember, can you ski from Cham to Cormayeur?
Please please euro, keep falling and I might well get tempted!
The problem is that for someone who's all thumbs, it would be hard to just hire people and end up with such a spectacular finish whilst adding value to the property. Quite like the idea of someone just over the border like Cormayeur, though thats a pain of a resort with gondalas to get to the top.
I can't remember, can you ski from Cham to Cormayeur?
Please please euro, keep falling and I might well get tempted!
It's possible to ski from Chamonix to Courmayeur but it's backcountry lines using the Midi and Helbronner lifts for access. There are no pistes between. It's only 20 minutes through the tunnel though. I often ski Courmayeur. Mostly for tree runs and italian lunches.
The apartment is doing very well on Airbnb too. 70% occupancy in January, which is awesome given that Jan is the quietest month of the season, and the poor snow we had. Feb is already pretty full and now that the snow is awesome I think demand should go up further still. It looks like our assumptions about rental yield and appeal were accurate, much to my relief.
The apartment is doing very well on Airbnb too. 70% occupancy in January, which is awesome given that Jan is the quietest month of the season, and the poor snow we had. Feb is already pretty full and now that the snow is awesome I think demand should go up further still. It looks like our assumptions about rental yield and appeal were accurate, much to my relief.
Gruffy said:
Day 40
I finished the bathroom floor tiles this morning. Because of the self-unevening compound debacle, it needed around 20mm of tile adhesive in places. I've had an electric fan running on it for 24 hours now but it still may not be dry by tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed. I really hope I'm wrong.
Quick Q on the tiling/tanking - did you have to use a special board for the shower area, or is the tanking 'paint' + tiling sufficient for the shower floor itself?I finished the bathroom floor tiles this morning. Because of the self-unevening compound debacle, it needed around 20mm of tile adhesive in places. I've had an electric fan running on it for 24 hours now but it still may not be dry by tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed. I really hope I'm wrong.
V1 was simply tanked using a kit. It didn't work, despite doubling up on the layers. The plumber who helped with V2 reckoned you would need to do 3-4 times as much ranking as recommended to be confident. V2 was using preformed wedi boards, which dramatically reduce the time, offsetting their extra cost. The seams were then tanked really thoroughly and the job is really well done.
I would only use this method if I was doing another.
I would only use this method if I was doing another.
Gruffy said:
We've blocked some dates for ourselves but we're mostly renting it out. I'm typing this from Chamonix but we're only here for the weekend. Next visit is a week at the end of Feb.
Amazing snow right now. Yesterday was bluebird and deep with no wind at all.
What dates are available this season Amazing snow right now. Yesterday was bluebird and deep with no wind at all.
It's pretty clear from the second week of March onwards. The easiest way is to just report the airbnb link to the live calendar https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/4120521 People are typically booking 1-4 weeks in advance, so there's still plenty of availability at this stage. Given the high occupancy rates I'm prioritising longer bookings. I've had to turn down most weekend requests as it makes it much harder to fill the dates either side.
Gruffy said:
It's pretty clear from the second week of March onwards. The easiest way is to just report the airbnb link to the live calendar https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/4120521 People are typically booking 1-4 weeks in advance, so there's still plenty of availability at this stage. Given the high occupancy rates I'm prioritising longer bookings. I've had to turn down most weekend requests as it makes it much harder to fill the dates either side.
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