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If Val is anything like Tignes, there is little pre-bookable parking but a lot of available on the day you arrive parking that you can then leave your car in all week so i would definately try in Val before you park in les brevieres.
We have driven up from bourg for the day quite a few times and always parked easily in La Daille in Val. More recently we have driven out for the week to Tignes many times and never pre book parking as they only offer covered expensive spots to pre-book and there aren't many of them, There have always been spots in the public carparks. PLus the parking people will always find you a space if you have accomodation booked for the week. I would have though Val is similar since they patrol the street parking quite aggressively.
I would ask the person who owns the air BnB you are renting
You can pre-book open-air car parks in both Tignes and Val d'Isere. There are a lot of places but on some very busy days, notably New Year everything fills up if there's good weather so if you try to book a week with those busy days in it the app will show full. Try booking just for the day you arrive or for shorter periods and see how you get on.
Thanks for the advice. The rental agency and the Tourist Office say contact the parking people. The parking people say:
Good morning,
I'm sorry, all online car parks are full for the requested period.
Thank you for your understanding.
Best regards,
Not exactly helpful or expansive. The Tourist Office said that there "may" be spaces available on the, but after a 1500 mile drive, I would like a bit of certainty. Currently I am certain I can park in Brevieres, and I am certain it will a bit of hassle. In the grand scheme of things it isn't the end of the world, but I would currently take ANY car park in Vd'I, as I could walk back to the apartment from anywhere in the resort. Getting a relatively short local taxi ride on changeover day may well be difficult.
There's a shuttle bus:
Edit: Oops that's very out of date. I'll try again:
Are you renting an Air BnB? I would message the owner if you are, they are generally really helpful and i would think its a common question!
edit: if you are parking in brevieres it’s relatively easy to ski across to Val. If you arrive in the morning you could drive straight to your apartment and unload, drive back to Brevieres and easily make it back to Val before the lifts shut.
The bus from Breivieres to Le Lac will be running even if the lifts from Breviere aren’t. From Tignes Le lac it’s basically two lifts and two runs into the middle of Val. The last lifts are quite late as people regularly ski between the two areas. If bad weather shuts the link then they put extra buses on.
Thank you @ceepers & @Edukator. I am not AirBnBing it, I have booked via a Val d'Isere based rental agency, but they can't help (they say on their website that can, but when push comes to shove...)
I have just had a call from a very nice lady at the Tourist Office who has told me not to worry. Only 40% of the Parking spots are available for pre-booking, so I should get a space and, even if the carparks are full, I am to talk to the Police and they will tell me where to park and not ticket me. Seems almost to good to be true, although I might end up in the layby at Pont St Charles! On her advice I am to cancel the Breviere parking booking.
The main issue with Breviere parking is I can't check in until after 5pm, by which time the lifts are closed and the bus up from Brevire to Tignes 1800 needs to dovetail with the not-very-frequent bus back the Vd'I.
We are overnighting it in Grenoble on 27th, so I will be unpopular turfing the family out of bed at 6am to make it up to Vd'I early, but needs must.
Plan is:
26th - Glasgow to Dover, cross channel, Hotel in Calais.
27th Calais to Grenoble, Supermarket, early night.
28th Grenoble to Vd'I early, aiming to ski for the day then check into apartment.
3rd Ski all day, then pack car and drive to Annecy.
4th Annecy to Ashford (Kent)
5th Drive back to Scotland
6th Back to work for a rest.
There you go! I would just trust the tourist office lady. It matches our experience in Tignes. We arrived late in Tignes Val Claret once ( 9pm) and couldn’t find a space in the main open car park. There was a parking guy waiting around who took us to a space elsewhere in the village ( & in the end closer to our apartment!)
Every other time ( all half term or Easter so busy weeks ) we have just found space in the obvious main car parks.
It’s a great area & already has good snow! Make sure you go up the Soleil side and do the “up n over” chair into the next valley. You need to experience an overpriced beer in the Folie Douce at least once also!
The last time we skied in Tignes we timed the journey to arrive at 05:00 (thus avoiding the trafic jams) and found a place in the underground car park at the Tignes chair lift. A few hours sleep in the car then up the steps to buy a forfait and off skiing. We moved to a cheaper open air car park as places started freeing off at the end of the day and left it there for the week. We left just just before New Year and the car park was full as we left.
I live down in the valley and drive up to work in Tignes and Val d'Isere throughout the season. I have a reserved parking place in Tignes but not in Val. I have never, even at New Year or during half-term, been unable to find a space in Val. I used to park in La Daille and get the bus to meet clients in the centre, but eventually realised it wasn't worth the hassle. The bus plus the walk from the car park to the bus stop meant leaving the house as much as 20 mins earlier while parking in the underground car park smack in the centre was only a couple € more per day.
The only exception to this was one Christmas/New Year period where there was a train strike going on so a lot of French and British tourists made last-minute decisions to drive instead and it was total chaos.
If you arrive mid-day, you may well find the car parks pretty busy. Before 9am or after 5pm you shouldn't have any issues (i.e. when all the day workers like myself aren't around). Definitely cancel space in Brev, you'll be fine.
EDIT: Why are you overnighting in Grenoble though? If you have friends / family there, fair enough, otherwise it's well out of the way. As well as being a pig to drive in/out of at busy times.
26th – Glasgow to Dover
I've done that journey many times but never on Boxing day. Even in the height of summer, it's always a disaster at some point.
Good luck!
Woah, that is a lot of driving to do, good luck Trouty!
I'm excited about heading out on the 18th, 1 month to go..
Looking forward to it. I have skied Espace Killy a few times. I was there for NYE 1997, and have been back a couple of times pre-kids. The last time I was there we booked from Teletext! This is the first time with the kids.
We are driving back out at Easter for a Paradiski week followed by an Alpe d'Huez week. They really do not know that they are born. Driving out makes 2 weeks at Easter decent value, and 2 weeks makes driving out bearable. We are always on the bargain prowl. The 2 weeks at Easter combined, accom and passes is £2250 for 4 of us. Bring on the Salle Hors Sac at lunch!
Forecast looking quite nice
Make sure you go up the Soleil side and do the “up n over” chair into the next valley.
It's a great experience. Last season I was lucky enough to be there on the day they opened the near-mythical TK3000 drag lift and the tunnel that was the original way in to the Fornet valley.
https://www.valdisere.com/en/experiences/top-5-most-engaged-ski-slopes/
Old footage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3uFDhBQj7Q
I've been skiing since the millenium and first skiied Val d'Isere almost 20 years ago, but that's the first time I've ever known the tunnel to open, and I can't say the teleski has opened all that frequently either. It was a great experience, worth doing if you're happy on a black piste
Classic standard wtap
Half cracker
Full cracker
Bag
Edit: love this forum software
Over a meter due in Tignes over the next few days, we arrive tomorrow night so getting marginally excited 😉
Looking pretty good out there right now - I'm following the webcams and reports from Flaine as that's our destination, and reports are that most of the resort is closed due to the extreme avalanche risk from the sheer amount of snow that's fallen.
Yeah looked at Tignes yesterday and everyone was in the village, with no lifts running. Looks similar this morning too.
My uncle spends each winter in Val D'Isere and has managed to find a friend who is away from the resort while we are there, and can let us have their space. The car park has a clearance of 1.85m. My Vauxhall Combo is now 1.81m high - I have just removed the roof rails, and will need to remove the aerial before entering.
I reckon in the '70s, 1.85m was plenty for a car. Today it will be too tight for many larger SUVs, and even smaller cars with a roofbox won't fit.
We were one and done yesterday - I got blown over three times and vis was awful.
Didn’t bother today as it was much the same.
Forecast for tomorrow is sunny, but I doubt everything will be open, will see what we can get up to.
If its a springy type aerial don't bother as it's a good audible height warning indicator.
Used to do that with the Mitsubishi l200 I had.
Bagofshit.
Solden has **** all new snow. Not that it matters much as we've spent much of the morning renting boots for son1.
Guy in the shop totally begeistert that the moron at Snow and Rock sold us narrow boots when the boy has 1 normal and 1 wide foot.
Back on the lift to see what the afternoon brings.....
That’s a lot shit @thegeneralist. I try and avoid Snow and Rock where possible, complete lottery on boot fitting so try and use a not so local independent shop in Otley near Leeds. Hope you can go and get your money back.
You're right. Shoulda gone to backcountryuk!
Thing is, it's not like he's a big Jessie or anything. For the first seven years or so skiing he used those Rocces Idea six sizes in one ski boots. Kept expecting him to moan about them but nothing.
Today however he wasn't a happy chappy. We rented some wider ones instead and I'll have to have a word with Slush and Rubble when we return
Driving back home tomorrow after a brilliant week in Les Arcs. We had something like 48 hours of snow at the beginning which made for perfect skiing under blue skies for the rest of the week. I reckon the kids are about three days away from being quicker than me.
Big shout for Rivington Alpine, excellent boot fitters. If they have nothing to fit you then they won't just make do, they'll tell you
Driving home from Val Cenis. Also snowed here for first 2 days so we had a good week. Always happy and relieved to be returning in one piece as I’m not the greatest skier but my family and the company we ski with always ‘encourage’ me to ski above my level!
Time to start repairing the board after last year. Really should do it a bit more in advance. Same applies to stretching 🙂
and, can anyone recommend an app for keeping track of where the rest of your group are?
and, can anyone recommend an app for keeping track of where the rest of your group are?
BCA Tracker..?
can anyone recommend an app for keeping track of where the rest of your group are?
Slopes.
RM.
Thanks, will take a look at both
WhatsApp group turn on location at the start of every day
WhatsApp group turn on location at the start of every day
This works OK but if you don’t know the resort particularly well it’s often difficult to relate the map to the terrain and be able to see where they’re likely to be in 10 mins when you catch up.
it’s often difficult to relate the map to the terrain
Yep, that's it. We normally use Glympse at festivals but on the slopes it useful to see which run someone is on to work out the lifts.
I’ve not been to Saas Fee for many years. In fact, not since the MetroAlpin was first opened, which granted people far better access to the glacier (previously you used to get towed up the glacier behind a piste basher on a series of anchor tow anchors, the stench of early 80’s Mercedes diesel engine working its ass off took quite a while to get out of your ski gear).
The intervening ~35 years has taken its toll on the underground funicular and they’ve had to replace the cars this year. Which seems to have been the most precariously bonkers operation I’ve seen.
First day done in Obergurgl.
I was warned it was going to be cold, it’s not.
Very quiet slopes, just about enough snow but could do with some more. Patchy between the pistes with plenty of rock showing.
We’ll go and check out Solden tomorrow or Tuesday.
Just home after driving from Val d'Isere to Scotland. We had a great week, although the snow was not as bountiful as hoped for, despite the storm the previous week. A lot of snow had simply blown away. Pistes were OK, just, but offpiste was too bony to contemplate. Sadly they were making artificial snow up on the Pisaillas Glacier, which is a sign of the times. We skied 6 days at Vd'I/Tignes, and then used the 7th day on the pass to get a ""discounted rate" at La Rosiere/La Thile (discounted was 41Euro per person). It was snowing heavily on Thursday night with maybe 25cm in Val D'Isere as we left for La Rosiere on Friday morning.
A day in La Rosiere with lunch in one of the restaurants in La Tuile is usually a nice treat 🙂
We're driving to Meribel at the end of the week again. One of my fave resorts. Easy to drive to as it's closer than Val d'Isere, Val Thorens etc, middle of the 3 valleys so fantastic/plentiful skiing and plenty of apres if that's ya bag.
I did a month living in Meribel just before COVID, playing Apres gigs.....my liver still hasn't recovered.
A day in La Rosiere with lunch in one of the restaurants in La Tuile is usually a nice treat
Have to call out the horrendous T-bars you need to take from La Rosiere to La Thuile
This is my 32nd year of snowboarding. I'm an extremely confident expert. I did a lot of freestyle competitions back in the day. I'll comfortably hit 50mph+ according to my gps. Nothing fazes me on a board. Rarely see anyone I think is genuinely better than me other than young freestyle groms.
However, those 2 T-bars from la rosiere to la Thuile are absolutely horrific on a snowboard. I cut my teeth in the early 90s on horrific icy Scottish button tows and T-bars but nothing comes close to how bad those 2 are. The uplift track looks like it's been subject to a heavy mortar barrage. They may be ok on skis but at every single point on a snowboard, the terrain wants to take you away from wherever the t-bar wants to go. Clinging on for dear life the entire way
Should you happen to make it over to La Thuile, I highly recommend Roxi Bar or Il Punto Gi
First day done in Obergurgl.
I was warned it was going to be cold, it’s not.
Mmm yes. We were there last week and warned of insane lows, but it was actually fine with a couple of thermals and a shell.
We’ll go and check out Solden tomorrow or Tuesday.
Be sure to go right up to the gletscher. I wasn't fussed at first as the queues were a bit pisch, but when we got there it was immense. Really great easy wide emptyish carving pistes.
Make sure you get the correct chair above the gondola station. There's two right next to each other but only lifty's right gets you high enough for the next piste to the glacier.
Also, if you descend past hochdolden then be sure to take the black. It's not hard, and is soooo quiet compared to the red.
2 weeks till Tignes, looking at the forecast it looks like some snow is coming over this week, so hoping the slightly slower drop of fresh carries on for a bit as opposed to the crazy heavy day and then nothing for ages.
Work is a mix of what I need to do and tutorial videos to try and learn to carve better!
@boardinbob There's an easy fix ya know... 🙂 It is a schlep even on planks. The main issue it's very open and when it's windy - ya bugger...
I'm off to Corbier second week in Feb. Not been there before, any tips? Family skiing, mainly blues and reds.
Spent the new year ski touring at Purcell mountain Lodge in the Canadian Selkirks with sweamrs and sweajnr (11).
20cm of fluff on a supportive base made for excellent conditions better than my previous (solo) visit last February.
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Had a day on NYD at Super Besse in the Cantal. A small resort and with only half of the area open it was pretty busy. Most of the runs were bumpy by 2pm. If the whole area was open, especially the link to adjacent Mont Dore I could see it being a decent enough place to ski for a couple of days and then maybe having a day or 2 at nearby Lioran. If it got a big dump there's lots of mellow side piste stuff to have a go at too. Reds were more blue level and the Black which was open was a not very challenging red.
Not as many button lifts as feared but the main gondola is a little on the slow side, the chairs were decent enough. A few slopeside places to eat and have a drink which weren't too expensive. Loads of camper parking nearby with a shuttle bus to the front de neige.
Lift price for the day was 42 euro incl insurance but a 4 hour pass would probably suffice at 36 Euro. I'd go 9:30 - 13:30 then stop for lunch as slopes are south facing and after lunch end up covered in bumps. There a zip line from the top and a luge on rails too if you're in to that sort of thing.
Turns out my 1st day of the season was probably also my last though as the arthritis in the hip complained a lot more than last year the day after.
Been dumping all day here under Salzburg.
Got my first bit of backcountry powder under my belt. Sunshine tomorrow then more snow Thursday & Friday
BoardinBob
C'mon dude, the button lift (not Tbar) to La Thuile is undeniably long, but it is slow and not steep. You don't have to take the second one.
Taken it dozens of times. Trivial compared to proper horrors like the Goose !
Managed to get the day off yesterday (Wednesday) and got up to Weardale. No wind and sunshine with sugary snow on the 'pistes'. A very good day out.
Looks good @slowol - anyone out touring round the tops? Love that far side when the conditions are good.
Had a good lunch skive today. Wall to wall blue skies, good snow and ended up being several hours. Added to some urban freeride with the kids last Sunday and maybe a tour tomorrow night and then skiing with the kids again Sat/Sun it's looking like a good week.
Snow was fairly deep but patchy in places from being windblown. The ground is well frozen so apart from rocks and gravel most of the tufted grass is probably skiable. The snow is very sugary and drifted in places.
Flying out early Saturday, this week is going slowly already, last week was snowy in the Alps, this week, seems to be a drought in Tignes all week and there doesn't seem to be any fresh on the way, still a week in the mountains beats a week in the fens anytime!
I'm excited, have started packing and have my boots ready to re-adjust my feet to in the evenings this week.
Has anyone ever developed discomfort with a well worn in boot (10/11 weeks of use and abuse), I had the fitters adjust them before the last trip but there's a pressure point on the top of my right foot. I'm wondering whether to replace or just have them heated and adjusted again? Talking ski boots of course.
Ha “drought in Tignes” …I’m not going to feel sorry for you as a mates just returned from his week there and been snow most days with no sun. So I think you’ve got the best of it coming. Jealous even though I’m not long since back from a cracking trip to cervinia/zermatt.
Had a great trip to the Grand Massif. Snow when we arrived, one day of poor visibility and snow then for the next 8 days blue skies and cold temperatures.
Found a new pizza place at Chez Lili in Flaine - pizzas are enormous. Hopefully, things will remain good until our next visit in March
Weeeellll... 3 Valleys were ace last week. 7 days of sun, light winds and blue skies - oh, and great conditions. Bit icy on the lowest couple of hundred meters of the runs but otherwise A1. It snowed during the days leading up to arrival and was a bit claggy up to around 10:00am on ski day 1 then miraculously cleared for the rest of the trip. And no aggro getting out of Meribel or driving back. 🙂
Visited a friend in verbier over the weekend. Stayed down in chabel rather than the town itself. It was a revelation! Trains from Geneva airport practically to the hotel front door. 10 Min on the gondola up to verbier. Sooooo much cheaper and stress free living down in the valley.
Runs were in mint condition with blue skies. Only sketchy bit was the initial drop in off Mont Fort.
Did some late Apres but didn't particularly like the crowd. I'm a bit too old and working class for that lot. My friend did introduce us to the Alp and Horn bar at the bottom of the high street. Great spot if you want away from the typical verbier punter.
Sounds great @cobrakai, which hotel did you stop in? Was considering it for our annual lads weekender but ended up in Avoriaz instead. I heard the gondola is classified as public transport too so runs until very late.
Off to Chamonix on Thursday for another long weekend but this time with the wife and a few friends so expecting a fairly sedate trip and I’ll be on skis which always slows me down too. Looks like a bit of snow Thursday itself and then a few warm days. No complaints from me but shouldn’t really be that warm in January.
This one @tuboflard. The room was clean but basic and we went for the cheapest option which ment shared toilet and shower with a couple of other rooms but I think we were the only ones using it. Breakfast was good enough too!
Download the SBB mobile app (swiss transport) and you can get all train tickets in one place.
The gondola runs from 5am till midnight up to verbier.
shouldn’t really be that warm in January
In Tignes and for the last 2 days the road in the village has been wet not icy in the afternoon. Saw +2 in Val d earlier today too.
Pistes are in generally good condition though with a few very compacted areas. Snow forecast for Wednesday night and most of Thursday, we'll wait and see what that really turns out to be like. Still better wing here for the week than in the office!
Just back from 5 days Boarding in Chatel. 1st time there and lovely little resort. What a shame Easyjet don't fly back on a Tuesday so had to go fri-wed. Thanks to my mates mate who put us up. Snowed before we arrived and it held for the great 4 days of sun and blue skies. Bit too many drag lifts for my preference in Chatel but easy access into Avoriaz etc.
I was genuinely surprised by cost of eating out. 3 of us, starters, round of beers and great filet steaks for 130 Euro. Think you would easily pay the same in the UK without being in resort. Anyway great trip as I hadn't been for 5 years and mate for 10. Came back like riding a bike. Garmin watch recording speed however is dangerous! Didn't need egging on to go faster.
Having an utterly brilliant time her in the Zillertal with some mates. Slopes are pretty quiet, good cold temps, snow is > a week old but it’s holding up well. It’s lush.
After a week of gorgeous sun, cold and hard packed pistes, it’s finally snowing (was raining in resort yesterday) in Flaine.
they’ve been blasting since 5am.
It’s looking good for anyone coming out this weekend.
Snowing in Tignes too after a melty day in the village yesterday. Waiting for slightly better visibility before heading out today. Window looks out to Johan Clarey and I can currently see it, couldn't 5 minutes ago though!
Legs are so tired too, we've been from side to side of the map here already this week, so mopping up missed runs and having some fun later today and tomorrow before the carnage that is Geneva on a Saturday in January.
If you guys like pizza, check out Chez Lili - pizzas are enormous. We're back out in March
Thanks Sprootlet, we tried to go 2 days ago after your recommendation (this was lunch time) but closed. Friends tried to go last night, but it was fully booked.
yesterday’s conditions were interesting. Everything from powder, porridge, proper ice to hard pack. Flat light and whiteout in some areas. This made for many empty pistes though 🙂
We might see you in March.
Hotdog Hans is back...
First day in the Chamonix valley yesterday. Think there was a reasonable amount of snow overnight the night before but it got very heavy through the day as it was very warm for a January day (was +9 in town yesterday afternoon).
Heading up to Le Tour today for a change of scenery and there’s more forecast for tonight and thankfully cooling temperatures.
No matter what the conditions though, there’s nowhere quite like Chamonix for the views, at least not where I’ve been personally.
Oh and the new skis (Elan Ripstick 96’s) are superb.
Let Tour was lovely. Relatively quiet and the new lift out the base has eliminated the massive queues that I remember of old. The sun was out most of the day and most lifts had a couple of minutes wait at most. It’s unseasonably warm still though, sat on the balcony now in short and a T-shirt drinking a beer. More like an April day.
I do like Cham. Just the whole vibe there. People off in all directions doing all sort of crazy stuff. Base, wing suit, mountaineering of any flavour, skiing, touring, crazy skimo racing, running, biking. Just adds to the whole setting really.
Just back from an awesome week “adventure snowboarding” with my friend James (Stentiford snowboarding) in Grimentz, Switzerland. Awesome lift accessed pow day on Thursday but we actually had fresh snow turns everyday via split boards / boot packing and James detailed local knowledge.
sadly my snowboards are currently still in Geneva! Another easy jet “win”
Roughly 20cm of fresh snow on Saturday night here in flaine meant VERY busy conditions yesterday. It got even busier after lunch when high winds shut the Aup de Veran and concentrated all the weekend crowds onto the one side, at which point Mrs NBT and i had an early finish
It's rained all night but the forecast is that it will turn to snow and keep snowing until late tomorrow, during such time the freezing level will drop. It's still windy today though
It's the week of the English Schoolgirls racing in Flaine - we avoid this week like the plague, it brings out socialistic tendencies I didn't know I had!
Left Chamonix in the pouring rain this afternoon. Should be snow up top but a bit depressing in January.
It rained quite a lot in flaine yesterday, with occasional dry spells, but as night fell so did the freezing level and it's snowed all night. Based on looking out of the windows, we've had about 25cm down here and it's still falling
Friday last week got back to Tignes Le Lavachet, the temp on the Sherpa sign was 11 degrees at 4 in the afternoon, that's at 2100m ish. So odd, on Thursday it had snowed, but warm sticky snow that was unskiable for me at least.
January is less reliable than it should be.
Hope the clouds clear on you get a powder day to play in @nbt - Crystal in fresh snow sounds tempting!