Who's going skiing and where? 23-24

[Jarcy]

deckster said:

UTH said:

deckster said:

March 18th isn't late season! If you were a month later I'd agree but mid-March will be absolutely fine.

Ok good stuff, for some reason I'd always had mid march onwards as late season, but you're right, more like april onwards isn't it.

Lower down and in a poor year you'd be right. But Meribel is high enough for late March not to be an issue even in an uber-stty season.

Meribel will be fine then, except the resort runs & slopes get a real hammering.
If you've had no fresh snow and the season's warming up, then you're into the freeze:thaw season. The runs into Chaudanne turn rock hard with all the traffic and are prone to stones showing through. Not a problem if you're a confident skiier, but I've seen others cursing the last pitch into resort, which also gets really crowded. Of course there's the green boulevard (Truite) down from Mottaret, but conditions are then the same getting into Mottaret.

[UTH]

Jarcy said:

deckster said:

UTH said:

deckster said:

March 18th isn't late season! If you were a month later I'd agree but mid-March will be absolutely fine.

Ok good stuff, for some reason I'd always had mid march onwards as late season, but you're right, more like april onwards isn't it.

Lower down and in a poor year you'd be right. But Meribel is high enough for late March not to be an issue even in an uber-stty season.

Meribel will be fine then, except the resort runs & slopes get a real hammering.
If you've had no fresh snow and the season's warming up, then you're into the freeze:thaw season. The runs into Chaudanne turn rock hard with all the traffic and are prone to stones showing through. Not a problem if you're a confident skiier, but I've seen others cursing the last pitch into resort, which also gets really crowded. Of course there's the green boulevard (Truite) down from Mottaret, but conditions are then the same getting into Mottaret.

Our family trips many years ago were to Meribel, and I do vaguely remember the runs into Chaudanne were tedious. Oh well, these days a few wines at lunch might make them slightly more bearable.

Yes yes, we have some drinks then ski, before the booze bashing commences.

[interstellar]

oddman said:

interstellar said:

We’ve booked for Feb Half term in Morillon near La clusaz. Looks nice.

Macron wouldn’t let the kids in last year so we had a BA vouchers but we had to add £500 more in uplift in flights and car hire.

Not so bad really, looking forward to it!!

Morillon is near La Cluzas as the chough flies but is on the opposite side of the Valley to the A40/Arve Valley and not linked

Morillon is part of the Grand Massif (Samoens/Morillon/Les Carroz/Flaine) Ski Area

Although the area is not high altitude (I think about 2400m in Flaine) it's got a pretty good snow record, and good snow making and lots of kid friendly skiing.

Yes I know, that’s why we booked it but thanks

[//j17]

UTH said:

//j17 said:

JEA1K said:

We've been going late season for 25 years (mid March) and have had basically all types of weather ... including some of the best and worst snow conditions I've seen. Its pot luck but chances are you'll get longer days, plenty of sun and won't freeze your nuts off

In my experience you often get the best conditions late in 'the season' - but then the modern 'season' is based around the Christmas/Half Term/Easter school holidays, rather than when the mountains have the best snow.

I've also been Feb half term skiing in the Alps and had to strip down to just my base layer sat in the sun eating lunch because it's been in the high teens in the sun.

These days me and my group are very much there for a sunny lunch on an amazing terrace as much as we are there for the skiing. I've skied most of my life, so I've done the 'up at dawn, first on the powder' type skiing, these days I know I'm good enough to cope with all types of snow but certainly don't feel the need to be trekking around looking for the perfect powder all day. As long as there's actually enough snow to get back to the hotel/chalet, then I'm happy.

Also late season the old "Poor mans powder" (slush) is much more reliable than trying to catch "Rich mans powder" the rest of the season

[eps]

We went 9-16 April this year to La Plagne. Conditions were amazing, although Europe had just benefited from that cold snap the week before we went. It was a little thin at 1200 and 1400 but fine higher up. I must admit I called it a day a couple of times when it was getting soft. We had the Paradiski pass which we benefited from in terms of having more options, as we could go across to Les Arcs. I haven't got much data to compare it to but we did around 24 miles each day according to We Ski. Although maybe it included the Vanoise Express in a couple of those!! We just made sure we were out early enough to benefit from the cooler conditions and lack of traffic on the slopes and went where it was quieter and higher most of the time.

We're booked in Les Arcs for the first week of Easter - curse school holidays!!

[oddman]

interstellar said:

oddman said:

interstellar said:

We’ve booked for Feb Half term in Morillon near La clusaz. Looks nice.

Macron wouldn’t let the kids in last year so we had a BA vouchers but we had to add £500 more in uplift in flights and car hire.

Not so bad really, looking forward to it!!

Morillon is near La Cluzas as the chough flies but is on the opposite side of the Valley to the A40/Arve Valley and not linked

Morillon is part of the Grand Massif (Samoens/Morillon/Les Carroz/Flaine) Ski Area

Although the area is not high altitude (I think about 2400m in Flaine) it's got a pretty good snow record, and good snow making and lots of kid friendly skiing.

Yes I know, that’s why we booked it but thanks

Cool. We did Flaine for about 10 years when schools got more strict about us extending half term so couldn't go to North America. We'd been rather spoiled by resorts and accommodation over there but Grand Massif didn't disappoint. We had one trip where there was no snow at all and they were bringing it in on trucks and had snowmakers going 24/7. You were still able to ski on strips of snow between bare hillsides. Whilst not ideal, I was impressed by the resort's commitment.

They've invested a lot recently in increasing uphill capacity but you are still going to get bottlenecks at half term. Aiming for an early or late lunch can be a good plan.

If it's cold or the light is bad, there is plenty to do below the treeline. The Flaine Bowl is excellent for balance training in flat light.

If you are reasonably confident off piste and have the suitable gear (shovel probe transceiver) then head over to the Gers bowl to lookers left of the the Flaine bowl. Theres one 2km drag lift which services it and a single row of poles making the Onyx black run down the middle. Outside of the marked run, the possibilities are endless. The black down the Combe de Veret served by a long drag lift and Agate off rickety Lindars Nord lift is a 'zone freeride' and well worth checking out if you are OK with self navigating through complex terrain.

Cascades which goes from the top of Flaine to Sixt is a 14km highway and a nice family trip. There's a few flat mild uphill sections which can be a bit of a drag for little ones and it can get icy in the switchbacks at the bottom but it's a mini adventure with, as the name implies close encounters with frozen waterfalls. Maybe a few rides in the easy and quiet Sixt area (with nice rustic restaurants) then bus ride back to the Samoens Gondola. Best to set aside a day for this one.

I don't know whether having kids helps but we found it quite friendly for France

[RC1807]

oddman said:

Cool. We did Flaine for about 10 years when schools got more strict about us extending half term so couldn't go to North America. We'd been rather spoiled by resorts and accommodation over there but Grand Massif didn't disappoint. We had one trip where there was no snow at all and they were bringing it in on trucks and had snowmakers going 24/7. You were still able to ski on strips of snow between bare hillsides. Whilst not ideal, I was impressed by the resort's commitment.

They've invested a lot recently in increasing uphill capacity but you are still going to get bottlenecks at half term. Aiming for an early or late lunch can be a good plan.

If it's cold or the light is bad, there is plenty to do below the treeline. The Flaine Bowl is excellent for balance training in flat light.

If you are reasonably confident off piste and have the suitable gear (shovel probe transceiver) then head over to the Gers bowl to lookers left of the the Flaine bowl. Theres one 2km drag lift which services it and a single row of poles making the Onyx black run down the middle. Outside of the marked run, the possibilities are endless. The black down the Combe de Veret served by a long drag lift and Agate off rickety Lindars Nord lift is a 'zone freeride' and well worth checking out if you are OK with self navigating through complex terrain.

Cascades which goes from the top of Flaine to Sixt is a 14km highway and a nice family trip. There's a few flat mild uphill sections which can be a bit of a drag for little ones and it can get icy in the switchbacks at the bottom but it's a mini adventure with, as the name implies close encounters with frozen waterfalls. Maybe a few rides in the easy and quiet Sixt area (with nice rustic restaurants) then bus ride back to the Samoens Gondola. Best to set aside a day for this one.

I don't know whether having kids helps but we found it quite friendly for France

Flaine / Grand Massif has been our resort of choice for a few years now. It's about a 6 hour drive from my home.

[oddman]

RC1807 said:

Flaine / Grand Massif has been our resort of choice for a few years now. It's about a 6 hour drive from my home.

I think it's really underrated because it's marketed as a kid's resort. Mate has a place in Les Carroz. When I go out for a long weekend, I don't feel short changed if we don't get out to Chamonix.

[JQ]

oddman said:

RC1807 said:

Flaine / Grand Massif has been our resort of choice for a few years now. It's about a 6 hour drive from my home.

I think it's really underrated because it's marketed as a kid's resort. Mate has a place in Les Carroz. When I go out for a long weekend, I don't feel short changed if we don't get out to Chamonix.

Les Carroz is great, we loved the covered picnic areas. We'd telephone order sandwiches, drinks and cake in the evening, then pick them up on the way to the slopes in the morning, dump them in the ski locker, and collect at lunchtime. You'd end up with amazing sandwiches and cakes for lunch at a fraction of the price of the mountain restaurants. I wish more places had them.

[oddman]

JQ said:

Les Carroz is great, we loved the covered picnic areas. We'd telephone order sandwiches, drinks and cake in the evening, then pick them up on the way to the slopes in the morning, dump them in the ski locker, and collect at lunchtime. You'd end up with amazing sandwiches and cakes for lunch at a fraction of the price of the mountain restaurants. I wish more places had them.

Les Carroz is lovely in summer too. South facing. Village still has some life with a few restaurants and bars open the occasional weird French fête and great walking, road and mountain biking.

In winter the Salles Hors Sac are a good thing to know about if you'retrying to keep costs down and taking a packed lunch

[Whoozit]

Heads up for anyone booked to Whistler, Canada this season. The new gondola from Creekside base will not be operational for season opening and Vail aren't giving an expected date. If you're staying in Creekside, they'll lay on shuttle buses (30-45 minutes at busy times, sorry) and then you'll get priority queue at Whistler/Blackcomb bases.

For those staying in Whistler/Blackcomb, expect longer queues.

It's a monumental f-up which they're blaming on "supply chain issues" aka we didn't get the haul rope on a ship in time and allegedly knew it was a risk back in September.

Edited by Whoozit on Saturday 5th November 10:14

[Rich_AR]

Whoozit said:

Heads up for anyone booked to Whistler, Canada this season. The new gondola from Creekside base will not be operational for season opening and Vail aren't giving an expected date. If you're staying in Creekside, they'll lay on shuttle buses (30-45 minutes at busy times, sorry) and then you'll get priority queue at Whistler/Blackcomb bases.

For those staying in Whistler/Blackcomb, expect longer queues.

It's a monumental f-up which they're blaming on "supply chain issues" aka we didn't get the haul rope on a ship in time and allegedly knew it was a risk back in September.

oooof amazing

[ATV]

Can anyone recommend a super small and lightweight AND CREDIT CARD sized and shaped iPhone portable charge to take on the slopes.

A lot of them are like big bulky items or else tube shaped that don't fit well in the ski jacket.

I'd like to slip it into an inside pocket as an emergency, what do you guys take in the slopes?

[malks222]

ATV said:

Can anyone recommend a super small and lightweight AND CREDIT CARD sized and shaped iPhone portable charge to take on the slopes.

A lot of them are like big bulky items or else tube shaped that don't fit well in the ski jacket.

I'd like to slip it into an inside pocket as an emergency, what do you guys take in the slopes?

I have one of these, it’s ok, really small/ thin, but is limited with battery capacity, that’s the downside of going small. only carry it if i really need a back up/ emergency power source. never bother carrying it skiing though, barely use my phone a day skiing

Auskang Slim Power Bank with Built-in Cable 2500mAh, The Most Lightweight Battery Bank and Thinnest Portable Phone Charger - Credit Card Size, only Compatible with iPhone Series https://amzn.eu/d/2KAQuyL

[JQ]

ATV said:

what do you guys take in the slopes?

My iPhone will last all day, so not something I’d really considered. If I was worried, I’d probably put it in Battery Saver mode at the start of the day.

[Dave3166]

Off to Lech , Austria.

[chandrew]

Winter is already here in the Engadin. One week I was hiking at 2500m in shirt-sleeves, a few days later we had about 20cm of fresh snow in the valley and probably more on the slopes.

It's stuck around for the last week and the snow cannons are running most of the day and night from what I can see. It's getting down to about -10 at night.

Winter ski-training has started on the high slopes for the local teams (yes, my daughter grew out of all her kit and now needs 2 pairs of new skis (slalom & GS) - I think the only thing that still fit were her shin and arm guards). There are Swiss Ski team cars in the village so I suspect that junior ranks are up on the mountains training.

Unfortunately she's not a fully-committed downhill skier and is also in the regional team for biathlon so of course more kit needed for that. Yes, the annual ski pass is massively discounted for locals (CHF100 for the year when they're young) but being a ski-dad is not cheap, even when you live near the slopes.

[UTH]

I've got 4 out of my 8 confirmed as happy with the trip I've put forward, hopefully the other 4 can confirm today and we'll get booked. Meribel, 18th March for a week, a lovely looking private chalet with a hot tub. Only slight drawback is it's not catered, so that's added cost, but life is expensive these days so I guess we can't complain too much.

[The_Doc]

UTH said:

I've got 4 out of my 8 confirmed as happy with the trip I've put forward, hopefully the other 4 can confirm today and we'll get booked. Meribel, 18th March for a week, a lovely looking private chalet with a hot tub. Only slight drawback is it's not catered, so that's added cost, but life is expensive these days so I guess we can't complain too much.

I hear that there are far fewer catered chalets around, with loads going B&B only because you can't get the UK staff out there easily to staff them.
For a long while there was a ready supply of UK snow bunnies and rabbits keen to "do a season" who didn;t need paperwork/Visa/etc
Now we've Brexited, and money is tighter, your chalet owners can't get Tabitha and Arabella over there.
Also, your chalet just made it through the pandemic without going to the wall, and the last thing you need now is more salaries to pay. Answer: mothball the chalet kitchen and go B&B.
I found the restaurants last season completely rammed every evening with loads more people not having dinner in the chalets, but going out.

[UTH]

The_Doc said:

UTH said:

I've got 4 out of my 8 confirmed as happy with the trip I've put forward, hopefully the other 4 can confirm today and we'll get booked. Meribel, 18th March for a week, a lovely looking private chalet with a hot tub. Only slight drawback is it's not catered, so that's added cost, but life is expensive these days so I guess we can't complain too much.

I hear that there are far fewer catered chalets around, with loads going B&B only because you can't get the UK staff out there easily to staff them.
For a long while there was a ready supply of UK snow bunnies and rabbits keen to "do a season" who didn;t need paperwork/Visa/etc
Now we've Brexited, and money is tighter, your chalet owners can't get Tabitha and Arabella over there.
Also, your chalet just made it through the pandemic without going to the wall, and the last thing you need now is more salaries to pay. Answer: mothball the chalet kitchen and go B&B.
I found the restaurants last season completely rammed every evening with loads more people not having dinner in the chalets, but going out.

Yeah that sounds about right, this chalet looks very much like the sort that would have been catered as standard, so maybe they've changed tactic. No big deal, we can fed for ourselves.