You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Grrrr, i typed a big reply then lost it when the page refreshed. Short version is it's great and you should do it, i would do it every time if the price was right.
@ranos. Just skied through it today, lovely particularly for beginners. Why not flying and drive up in a hire car, sorry if it's an environmental thing - this far out I'd imagine it's the lowest cost option. It's 2.5hrs mostly on motorways and while you may need chains for the last part it's an easy enough task
We have a week in La Plagne/Les Arcs booked for Easter. Driving out from Scotland.
We are looking at adding a 2nd week somewhere. I have seen cheap deals to Chatel. I know Chatel is low and runs to resort level will be sub-optimal on 2nd week of April, but what about the rest of PDS? I would imagine that the Avoriaz sector and the Swiss sector will have reasonable snow. I would appreciate any advice or knowledge-based predictions.
Other options are Les Sybelles or Val Thorens, but VT is double the price.
One of the latest opening resorts in the north west Alps is La Clusaz. Not sure if that’s because they get good snow or just that they chance it and hope they can maintain what they’ve got. I was going to go there at the end of April last year but glad I didn’t as the runs to the base were grass and mud. Went to Val D’Isere instead and could easily ski back to the resort.
I think my one day in Snowbird two years ago was one of the all time greats, a phenomenal range of skiing; sufficient to put an extended return visit high on the agenda. Heard good things about Snow Basin too.
Snowbasin was just weird. I recall lapping Strawberry express and each time we got to the ( empty ) lift two big blokes would come across and take our skis off us and load them onto the gondola for us.
Gutted that covid got on the way of a return trip with the whole family....
Loved Powder Mountain the most. Had the best snow and was sooooo quiet.
Did Canyons and something nearby, Alta, Bird then a few days bouldering then Slickrock, Porcupine Rim Portal Trail, Indian Creek,Supercrack of the Desert then back to Alta for a couple of days before flights home.
It really is the bestest place evah.
@ransos - In the last two years the only direct ski train from London has been a charter by Travelski, and you have to buy a package holiday.
It wasn’t available this year when we looked.
Own travel on Eurostar and TGV is very doable if you have time and inclination to plan it, either via Paris or Lille can get you to the Alps.
https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/eurostar-ski-train.htm
Now i'm on a proper keyboard, I can elaborate. We went to the Grand Massif by train in Jan 2023 - it was great. Like you, we're trying to avoid flying and having driven wanted to try the train
Getting to London was not ideal as there was a train strike in the UK, but that's not normal. actually, it probably is by now, but I digress. We drove to the outkirts then got a tube in the end
Eurostar was great. We paid about £20 extra far "Standard Premier" - nicer seats, fewer people, and a tasty meal. Well worth it. We didn't however think it was worth the £75 a head cost to upgrade for the return. We stayed overnight in Paris as we arrived late, we used the ibis styles opposite Gare du Nord. Small rooms and a bit noisy.
Metro to Gare de Lyon was dead simple, and we were easily on the train to Cluses.It was about €10 a head extra for first class tickets - nicer seats, fewer people, no food., VERY MUCH worth it, imo.
Return journey was once again brokenby an overnight stop in Paris, we had a walk from our hotel at Gare d l'Est down to the river to get food and back - did feel a bit uncomfortable at times, but then you can feel uncomfortable walking around Manchester city centre
If the price was right, I'd do it every time - it was WAY nicer than driving as you can just sit back and relax and let the train take the strain. Sadly though it is more expensive than flying or even driving
In you specific case, I'm sure you're aware that the TGV to Bourg Saint Maurice arrives at the foot of the funicular - your train ticket means you can use the funicular up to Les Arcs 1600 without having to buy a separate ticket. Intra-village transfer buses will get you to / from 1800
Sorry if this is done to death/before...
Anyone have recommendations of whereabouts to stay for a Whistler trip? Hoping to go at Easter with the family, teenagers like a bit of life... Not sure if whistler village is too lively, or if Blackcomb side is too quiet!? Close to lifts/ slopes is defintely preferred. Thanks!
Edit- what's parking like too? Planning on a few days in Vancouver first and driving up, so would it be a terrible idea to book something without guaranteed parking?
Budget will be a huge driver for where you stay. The central hotels in Whistler are ace but £££ (or $$$). You can get underground parking at those, but you'll have to shell out even more $. And may need to book a parking space in advance.
Parking in downtown Whistler is not easy but doable. Some public car parks but restrictions are enforced. There are places to leave a car for a week, but not in the town in short walking distance, so don't plan on using the car every day.
A family suite downtown should be just the ticket e.g. Crystal Lodge Whistler
But might need a mortgage.
Thanks @nbt yep, I've been to Les Arcs before by train but you could take a sleeper in those days and bag an extra day on the slopes, a real shame it doesn’t run any more. The ski train via Lille returns on a Sunday so no use for our accommodation, your Paris tips are helpful.
@TroutWrestler I’ve known PDS to be great that late in the season, I’ve also known it to be awful much earlier on and I would only book last minute if it was looking good. I’ve never stayed in Chatel itself in winter (usually choose Les Gets or Avoriaz) but access always seems a bit of a pain to get out of Chatel and to get any decent height, I might be wrong though?
End of season trips either go night or book last minute. You might be able to find accommodation in Les Menuires and access to Val T is easy.
Menuires was glorious today. We’d had 2 average days in La Clusaz & Megève and it was raining heavily at the end of yesterday so came up here. It was rain right up until the last couple of bends on the road to Val T.
We’ve bought 6 day passes so will keep an eye on the forecasts to decide where to head next.
That looks horrendous Phil, we're here for you! Also, please send more.
@TroutWrestler - We've been to Samoens/Grnad Massif a few times in April and its usually been pretty good. Don't get me wrong it's not -15 January snow but for the time of year theres usually still a decent covering. We went to Les 2 Alps last year and that was great as it's really high. The lower section to the bottom was still a slush fest but you only go on that once a day really, and I find it funny any way.
The Grand Massif isn't a high resort but it benefits from it's proximity to Mont Blanc, I'm not a weather guru but apparently that makes it quite good snow wise even though it's elavation isn't great.
I've just booked for a week in Samoens from 30th March to 6th April, so hoping for some decent snow again. Was going to go L2A again but found some bargain accomodation so that selaed it. End of the day until the kids are not at school any more we have to take the rough with the smooth.
If the suns out and the snow is crap, we'll stop for another drink!!
Given the weather forecast for next week we're thinking of taking the bikes rather than the skis. Local skiing (Massif Central) is definitely a no-go, poor sods have had another terrible start to the season with nothing forecast for half-term either.
If we go we'll head to the Alps for a few nights and get somewhere as high as we can, I don't mind slush in Spring but it's January FFS
Yeah off to Les Carroz next weekend and looks like it's going to be t-shirt weather!
Cold start to the week in Sainte Foy and some great snow but silly warm today and felt more like Easter. Not sure the forecast for the end of the week is going to improve things!
I'll wait and see, but might stick the bikes on the back of the van in easter as well!!....
Sainte Foy looking glorious, we went last year and loved it. I’ll be back at some point.
Proper spring conditions in 3 Vals today 🥵
Wife went briefly to VT and found a very thin, muddy piste.
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
[img] 
[/img]
Thanks for the photos.
Big round of applause Zac Carrick-Smith (son of Emma Carrick-Anderson and nephew of mtber Crawford Carrick-Anderson).
He has now won 2 medals at the 'youth winter Olympic games' and he's only 16.
We once had the pleasure of spending time on a chair lift chatting with his twin Freddie, also a great skier.
Spent last weekend in Les Menuires - part of the Three Valleys - and would recommend it as a budget way of getting into the area. Yes it was all built in the 60's but you can easily get up to Val Thorens or hop across to Meribel and Courchavel and you don't pay the premium of staying in them, if you're all about the apres then you probably want a more lively resort but it was ideal for our snowboard / apres / apartment for dinner, wine & whisky routine.
Snow sports will never be 'cheap' but we did a 5 day trip (3 days on the mountain) and all in it cost just shy of £900 each including the spend on food & beer while we were there, so if we'd curbed the apres a bit could have knocked £100 off it pretty easily.
Conditions were great, with a huge dump in the days before we got arrived and sunshine while we were there. I'm loving my new board although the factory wax seems to be a bit too grippy, so I'll get it redone when I get around to it. Might look at some new bindings in the post-season sales as the current ones are 18 this year.
26/1/2024 above. End of October 1991 below.
Same place, le col d'Aubisque, but looking different ways. I skinned up the pistes before they opened this morning as everything off piste is horrible. The ski down was on the ribbon of neige de culture (whatver that is in English) they've been able to make on the three days it's been cold enough this season. 10°C at 1350m this morning and close to zero at 200m.
First day in Les Arcs today. Glorious weather - clear, sunny, blue skies. The snow however is a bit rubbish. Plenty of it, but it’s been through a few freeze/thaw cycles. The off piste is like cast iron, the pistes still rock hard and were only just starting to soften by the end of the day.
still - it’s time in the mountains so I’m a very happy bunny.
@JonEdwards yep today in 3 Vals was the same, absolutely no fun at all on a snowboard 😞
It’s been the worst day since we got here 5 days ago, it has all got soft and frozen one too many times. Today it never got soft. I assume tomorrow’s going to be the same, then we’re off to Morzine for a couple of days to catch a friend.
My board is in for a service, I’m not expecting miracles but some slightly sharper edges might help!
Nice night for a dog walk
A couple of pictures from last week in Breckenridge. There had been a few good snowfalls, but there was still exposed rocks on the on piste areas.
Got back late last night from a 4 day trip to Les Carroz/ Flaine/ Samoens.
We were fearing the worst given the temps being above freezing for 2 weeks but we were pleasantly surprised at how good conditions were. Off piste was an absolute write off but the pisteurs had worked miracles on piste. They were in excellent condition and only the really low runs struggled late in the day but we had glorious sunshine for four days and excellent riding.
Off to Cervinia on Saturday. Looks like there's going to be a reasonable dump between now and Sunday which might make the drive up interesting 😬
It snowed heavily around Morzine yesterday I'm told. Family there now.
My sons off tomorrow on a school trip to Wagain /Amade. I know nothing of ski things but hope he takes some pics for me to post in a week or so.
It snowed heavily around Morzine yesterday I’m told. Family there now.
I was happy to see that also, heading to Avoriaz on the 18th Feb so was hoping for some good dumpage before.
Driving overnight tonight to Alpe Dhuez, straight after work. On the slopes for 9am. Forecast is snow all the way until Monday. Glad I bought some snow socks for the van the other day! Boards+Skis freshly waxed and edges sharpened. Hope its not too much of a white out on the slopes.
A couple of other observations.
falling over hurts more than it used to. My brain thinks I’m a teenager. My body reminds me I’m 45. I feel like I’ve been in a car crash
is it okay to be both proud and irritated when you you can no longer keep up with your kids?
@speeder I love Menuires and access to the 3 Vals from there is great. Even if the score lower down is sketchy Val Thorens will be good (OK it might be hard pack but there won’t be lack of snow).
We were there for 6 days last week and had an awesome time.
Just finished 6 days in La Plagne & Arcs - I won’t be going back to Plagne again, too much flat, too many people and absolute carnage at times. Les Arcs was much much better and had a great day today, even had an inch of fresh.
Last day tomorrow, going for a short day from La Tania, will probably just get a Courcheval pass but might get carried away and get a full one…
Are you in your van again Phil? I've not been on Facebook for a while so not seen any 'winterised' posts.
We did La Plagne early April last year (Easter holidays) and it was dead! I've done Feb half term there before and it was crazy busy!
Yep in the van been away for about 3 weeks.
Something like… La Clusaz 1 day, Megeve 1 day, Menuires / 3 Vals 6 days, Avoriaz / PDS 3 days, La Plagne / Les Arcs 6 1/2 days, Courcheval tomorrow, eurotunnel Saturday afternoon.
We stayed in the La Plagne Aire which is a great facility, I can see why people like it, but La Plagne itself, not so much. We a tayed in Les Arcs last night after getting the dog wormed in BSM, seems that it’s tolerated as there were a few vans up where we were at 1800.
We moved around a bit to see friends and stayed high due to lack of snow. We got a half decent powder day in Menuires at the beginning and apart from 2 days pretty much clear skies and sun, mostly too hot! 🥵
I’m in Alpe d’Huez this week, for our annual family ski trip. It’s been freakishly warm all week. Snow is getting very thin in places and quite a few pistes are closed, as some south facing slopes are almost completely bare. Conditions are icy hard-pack in the morning but softening considerably by lunchtime, with moguls developing on all but the shallowest slopes by early afternoon. We’ve been opting to ski until 2:30ish, to make the most of the conditions, then having a late lunch, and a relaxing the rest of the day.
In the 40 years I’ve been skiing, I don’t think I’ve been to a resort in February, where it’s so warm, with so little snow.
Forecast is a lite cooler next week, but still only -5C minimum overnight, hopefully cold enough for the snow cannons to get to work.
We stayed here in Arc 1800 https://maps.app.goo.gl/DQri2jF1i2BaURVG6?g_st=ic
But here https://maps.app.goo.gl/ui77aaysc3Ce5NYXA?g_st=ic would be better as it’s closer to the access up to the centre of 1800. Next to the roundabout there’s a lift that takes you up to the shops, bus station (decent toilets & showers, although the showers look like they need a swipe tag to get in to) and the bottom of the lifts.
It’s €22 for the first 24hrs, gets cheaper the longer you stay I think.
There might be free parking in 1600 but we didn’t check it out.
My body reminds me I’m 45. I feel like I’ve been in a car crash
I've hit 46 this year and I feel banged up despite not having been to the slopes yet this year, I'm hoping a) I can get into better shape and have a comfortable back again by mid March and b) there's a couple of weeks of snow fall between now and then.
I miss the mountains.
Rain , snow, rain ... status quo. Skinned up this morning until the wind got unpleasant. Statistically this is the coldest week of the year. It's really mild, birds were singing around the pistes before the wind got up, skiing is ****ed.
Gnommmmm
Go on son. I'll meet you at the bottom!
Snow bridges over two crevasses, I wonder why no-one had tracked that line before him (no question mark).
They're not crevasses.
Looks remarkably like a bergschrund for something that's not a crevasse.
Yeah. It opened up in December when they had loads of rain after a huge dump. Then it all froze up again just before new year. It pretty much exactly the same shape as it was when we were here for New Year.
I Defo wouldn't have let him do that over an actual crevasse.
Or in early december. Or indeed when it warms up again.
All good. Junior has got to a stage where I trust his judgement more than my own in terms what's skiable, and my own judgement as to whether I can ski it. 🙂
After years of skiing my lad has just switched to snowboard which had the unexpected benefit of mrsfoo joining us on the slopes for the first time in 5 years, she figured we wouldn't be going as fast and steep as we had previously.
We've mainly been at Port du Mont Blanc which has lots of pleasant tree lined blues but boy is it like spring conditions, the lower slopes are pretty soft by the afternoon and many home runs are closed. Megève home run is just hanging on but with no snow forecast until the end of the month it's looking a bit sad.
After bailing on the Jan trip have booked a 3v trip to La Tania for mid march.
Daily weather watching will now commence. If it's awful conditions I might have a 1/2 day lesson on a board 🤯
There's a bit more natural snow here and it was a lot better today both on and off piste than Monday which was particularly depressing. Valentine's day so up and down with Madame. Daffodils out in the garden.
Bump! It's snowed properly at last! No pics cos I'm posting from the phone but it's very white out I promise.
Off to Italy on Saturday where they've had well over a metre since last weekend. Looks like even more to fall this weekend then a week of bluebird skies😎
Change of plans for us as we couldn't find reasonable accommodation in les Menuires - so we're off to Tignes instead.
Haven't been there for nearly 15 years so pretty excited.
I like Tignes, something for everyone straight out of the door and 2000m
@Speeder, I was there last year and 2 years before that. It's probably had some decent lift/chair upgrades since you were last there, it's a very very good area.
10 of us heading to Tignes on Saturday. Apologies in advance if we're in the same restaurant.
St Sorlin d'Arves this week, in the Maurienne. Has exceeded our expectations, both for cover, which is excellent, and for the lifts, which are coping with a fair influx of French families. It's a proper wee village attached to a very large ski area, although not generally well known on the UK market.
We had a decent dump at the start of the week, around 10" in the village, significantly more at altitude and it's still white at village level, 1600m. The off piste is genuinely excellent and is not anything like as rapidly tracked out as in better known areas. This place is more extensive than we expected from reviews and the backcountry is surprisingly accessible. There's a refuge just outside the area at 3Lacs, downhill to get to it and a quick and easy skin back inbounds. That's also the start of some stunning touring opportunities, including up onto the glacier; perhaps on another visit. Prices are a notch down on better known French resorts and food both more generously portioned and a bit more reasonably priced.
Negatives? Minimal tree cover in some sectors and there are still a few drag lifts about but the majority of key lifts are modern six packs. There are not many mountain restaurants, so it can be just as well to return to a village for lunch sometimes.
Happy days.
Great to hear you enjoyed the area @highlandman
I ski a lot in the Belledonne, so the range on the other side of the col de croix de fer.
Before the middle of last week it had been looking like Spring and thoughts were turning to spring high altitude touring. However....
It's been (and continues to do so) dumping it down over in the east on the Italian border due to 'le retour de l'est'...so Haute Maurienne, Val Cenis, Queyras etc. Been sent some phenomenal photos. I was planning a day hit with maybe a night out over in the Queyras (I live in the Chartreuse) over the weekend as but now the avalanche risk is currently high. If not one thing it's the other right!!
I have a pal currently on a week long, hut to hut trip down in the Queyras. She's having fun.. although grumbling that it's not been built around hunting out the best descents, more focused on travelling than getting freshies.
Definitely looks like quite a bit of snow about across large parts of the Alps. Stability seems likely to be fairly sketchy for a while but hopefully sets up later season well.
On another note, does anyone know of a good place in the UK to buy skins? Prices seem to have crept up a lot and options fewer than in the past. I was looking at g3 gear ( https://genuineguidegear.uk/) for some cheaper options but can't tell if they ship from across the pond and are (a) gonna take ages and (b) get stung for taxes/duties. Has anyone used them? Or any other tips?
We were in Mayrhofen last week. Great snow up top but sod all down low. Thankfully they got a big dump the day before we got there.
Not skied there before but it's very good. Zell area is also very good, possibly better.Tux glacier was nice. Mixed weather whilst there but a good time was had
I took a comedy tumble and ripped my ancient Rab winter soft shell trousers. They were already heavily patched up from many misadventures.
Has anyone seen any good uninsulated ski trousers in the sales?
I am considering a week in Le Corbier (Les Sybelles) for the 2nd week in April (from Sat 6 April), but despite @Highlandman 's glowing report above, the webcams are totally putting me off.
https://www.le-corbier.com/en/webcams/
Especially the Front de Neige Le Corbier. Brown snow is not a good look...
Am I over thinking?
Has anyone seen any good uninsulated ski trousers in the sales?
Decathlon do some good Simond branded ones.
Le Corbier in April? Not really high enough I fear.....
Aye, I think that Le Corbier would be too low for decent skiing by early April. I found it to also be the least inspiring sector within the network, with all of the local terrain below 2100m, so quite iffy in anything less than excellent, full winter conditions. It's a long way to the higher terrain above St Sorlin. There are some good, north facing reds above Le Tousouire that are better placed but depending on what you are seeking, I would think carefully before committing.
Has anyone seen any good uninsulated ski trousers in the sales?
@ElShalimo what size do you take? I have some uninsulated Westbeach trousers, they "lost" the pair I sent in for repair so sent me a brand new replacement pair - but all they had left were uninsulated. I prefer insulated (I actually use merino leggins as well as insulation) so have never used them.
They are Westbeach Upstart in combat green, size small (about a 32" waist)
https://www.sportpursuit.com/catalog/product/view/id/1296217
yours for Not Very Much At All
@TroutWrestler considering the Maurienne got battered with snow over the weekend (Bonneval sur Arc in the Haute Maurienne had 140cm of snow!) that webcam looks awful. Have skiied Les Sybelles, but have never felt the need to return
My wife is thinking of a week early in April. This would be the latest she has ever skied. Is it just a case of picking a high resort like Tignes/Les Deaux Alps or is there another way of trying to get the best conditions? North Facing, Glacier etc?
@bentandbroken during April anywhere with a large proportion of pistes above 2000m would be wise.
For Les 2 Alpes, the resort itself is at 1650m, so it isn't uncommon to download at the end of the day later in the season because of the heavy going or lack of snow.
Le Corbier wasn't great on 17th March last year...
[img] 
[/img]
Wife took the dog for a walk instead of skiing...
[img] 
[/img]