Who's going skiing and where? 23-24

[The_Doc]

There's snow on the hills outside my house, but it's the end of the 2022 Alpine season (in 2 weeks or so)

2022 Xmas and 2023 winter season.....

Who's in?

I've got flights booked in February half term 2023 (for £300 - 4 people !!! ) and we're going.

Also bagged 24th to 29th December as annual leave and might take Santa with us for a week, possibly to Les Contamines. My parents have been going there for a few years now and I only here good things about it for a short stay.

[The_Doc]

3 is fine for ski school. They will love it, but will you be able to drop them off and walk away?

[The_Doc]

prand said:

I booked a private transfer from Geneva to Les Gets via Findtransfer.com, not done this before but seems legit and decent price (€480 return for 8 in a minibus). Alps2Alps who i have used before were quoting over €1000!

For 8 people that's a good rate 480/8=Eu60

A weeks GVA car hire is rarely less than £350 these days for 4 adults, but you do get the car in resort which we like a lot.
It will take a while for the transfer companies to rebuild their fleets and then competition push prices down again. Ditto the Car hire companies.
Skiidyygonzales went from 80+ vans to about 5 I think.

[The_Doc]

prand said:

Amateurish said:

French energy costs are significantly lower than UK prices right now. I wouldn't worry about it. The cap for 2023 has already been announced.

Yes - what comes with a sensible Nuclear energy policy that also allows you to sell surplus electricity overseas.

I did notice in France this summer that general prices were up, so am expecting higher (i.e. food, drink etc) prices in resorts.

The French government legislated a price cap for energy, ie a law to keep prices down.
EDF is owned 85% by the French state, but EDF weren't too happy about being told what their prices were, so they have launched legal action against the French Government for €8.3bn !
Seemingly the 15% of EDF not owned by the People weren't too happy.
One wonders if the 85% were happy with the price of the legal action. The lawyers always win.
AND..... the French government has plans to buy up the remaining 15% for €9bn, thus doing away with a tiresome legal action. A renationalisation


I predict lorries parked on motorways and people burning tyres in yellow vests, or business as usual a la France....

[The_Doc]

You need to go high for reliable snow in December.
Minimum 1800 m in the French Alps.
My parents do 2nd to 4th Saturday in December every year, before the tourists arrive and sometimes there isn't enough snow to ski.
Although admittedly all she needs is some resort nursery runs which might be pisted. Or might not that early in the standard season.

Some years they have amazing empty slopes on very good early snowfall. Literally whole days without seeing people apart form on the lifts.

[The_Doc]

Carbon Sasquatch said:

RC1807 said:

Pondering on whether it's a good idea to get a season ski pass, which is half price if it's bought before the end of November (€550 per adult), vs. €274/week if bought in the same period. (Usually €320/week) If we buy the season pass and book off-peak weekends and a 2nd week after the Feb school holidays, we'd save.

And the more weekends you do, the more you'll save. It practically pays for itself

My parents have both just renewed their Portes du Soleil Season passes.

€57 each for over 75s,

they are 77 and 78 and both ski about 8-10 weeks of the year. Although that's a glorified ski up to his favourite bar for lunch for my dad!

[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.

[The_Doc]

snotrag said:

Tell me about Avoriaz.

Most of my Skiing has been in Tignes - I care not for 'prettiness' , treelined slops, shopping, spa's, etc etc, and I really dont want to be sitting on buses for hours or waiting for giant gondolas from a postcard village up to where the snow actually starts.

I just want loads of slopes, somewhere to get a menu-du-jour at lunch, a Beer and a Pizza for tea, two beds in a warm room and lots of SNOW right outside the door.

Tgines has hit the spot every year, Particularly right at the top in Le Lac, skiing right out the door from our cheap but perfect 3* Crystal Ski apartment. .
I'd go to Tignes again but fancy a change, takling a beginner mate with me inb March so looking for high altitude, easy access (min transfer time) and plenty of blue runs from the door. Avoriaz is also doable using LBA-GVA which is perfect for us rather than Chambery (Had some interesting Chmabery airport experiences!)

Avoriaz looks to be the one that hits the spot?

Avoriaz is purpose built. It isn't "real"

You arrive and leave your car/bus/ whatever in a car park 500m away, then you are at the mercy of the resort ! Most of it is owned by Pierre et Vacances

That said it has lots of ski in- ski out accommodation. And it's pedestrianised and it's all rather well organised. but don't expect a spontaneous variety of restaurants and shops. It's all very managed.

Its at 1800m, so relatively snow sure. There is a cool boarder's park and It's the gateway to the PdS, certainly over into the Swiss resorts and Chatel. There aren't very many blue runs into the resort like Tignes or Le Lac or Les Brevieres, but there is a nice valley leading to it with big open pistes.

We never stay there because I own something in Morzine, but it's very well packaged for a week's skiing.

It just isn't real

Edited by The_Doc on Tuesday 13th December 16:28

[The_Doc]

There it is, taken from Heli by my brother.

It's a bit "perched on a cliff" But who cares, I think it's a great place to base yourself for a week.

[The_Doc]

B0bajobbob said:

Thinking of trying to escape for 2 or 3 days after Christmas. I wondered if anyone can give me a snow report from Avoriaz area, Val D'Isere area and St Anton area?

Thks

From my parents (who are both 78) who went out to MZN last week:
"Morzine opens tomorrow. We're considering Avoriaz today but very overcast and still snowing a bit. Looks v cold!"
They only go up the mountain if it's nice

[The_Doc]

Morzine at 1100 m yesterday.

The quote I got was "we've never seen so much snow"

[The_Doc]

Leithen said:

LaserTam said:

bucksmanuk said:

Banff for me in a few weeks. I think this could be my last skiing trip as aches and pains are getting more frequent. Decided to have the last one in style.
Next year, I could be thinking completely differently of course….

Depends how much you want to do it. My Dad still skied in his 70's.

Hips, knees, they can all be replaced these days….

My parents are both 78, they ski 8 weeks of the season. They're both had a hip replaced.
They drive down sometimes
Age is just a number

[The_Doc]

//j17 said:

No idea where you went but only beer I saw anywhere near that price was for a jug in Robbo's (and nobody needs a jug of Old Larger).

€9.5 a pint in Opera last year.
Or if you're really nice they'll sell you a bottle of spirits put your name on it and give you free mixers.

[The_Doc]

shunt said:

From a friend in Avoriaz last week, 9am lift. Sod that I'll never go to France, an hour lift queue at premium prices is utterly ridiculous.

And that's why we don't go in UK Half Terms. Any of them, and my lot are off now. What a trap.

Get plenty for renting our ski place out though, in fact we have requests to book for half term next year already

Most other weeks are fine for lifts

[The_Doc]

//j17 said:

I've managed to go to Morzine for 10 years without ever setting foot in Opera - and have no intention of breaking that tradition! Closing time in the Cavern is more than late enough for me and still means enough sleep for first lifts.

What!?
Cavern closes, - - - > walk into Opera.
Home for sunrise.

Brunch in Opadcha.



OK, maybe not for a few years now, but you get my drift.
My brother lived in Morzine for 10 years and ran a pub.
He didn't pay for drinks
Opera is ace!

[The_Doc]

Mr E said:

I learnt to snowboard moguls two weeks ago in les arcs.
It’s doable. I’m not convinced it’s fun.

Moguls aren't for snowboarders
Like peeling a strawberry. You could do it, but why?

[The_Doc]

shirt said:

The slush partially caused my massive wipeout, proper head first 50m slide then 5mins retrieving skis and poles

Yard sale!

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ya...

[The_Doc]

Slush is good in a mojito

Nowhere else for me.

As a part time boarder it is particularly unpleasant to sit on (just over the brow of a rise) when we look cool.

[The_Doc]

I've done it.
No beds
Overnight train
No reclining seats
Arrived at 6am very tired and hungover, but got on the slopes at 9am.

I'd always fly, but avoid Geneva weekend days. Much easier. Do Mon to Mon and get speedy boarding

[The_Doc]

Paris to Bourg St.M is only 4 hrs 45 mins with TGV

I can't see the benefit of sleeping this short a time.

What we want is a sleeper from London to Aime-la-Plagne, but I can't see it happening, flying is too cheap a competitor service.

Same for the Motorail that used to run from Boulogne to Nice or Avignon, just no profit in it. What a shame, wake up in the south of France with your car on the back of the train. We used to do this in the 80s and 90s as a child with my parents. We'd then drive down to Tuscany or similar.