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Chalets Direct for out of season abnormal rental periods.
You place an ad with your requirements and the owners will get back to you if they have any availablity.
If you cannot get anywhere then book F1 or Etap near the slopes. I have stayed in Annecy and driven up each morning , coffee and a croisant then off we go. Bucket seat to GVA , then rent a car and Etaps are £20ish a night. Good to explore small resorts that tour ops dont bother with.
Yes DD, but will Mrs DD be skiing in her undies, or will you finally have bought her some ski trews?
Ah, no igm, Mrs DD is coming on the family trip on 30th Jan. The March outing is a sausage party! 😀
Where are you going on 30th Jan, DD? Might see you at the airport - we're off to La Plagne! Morzine mid-March this year for us.
We're headed for Reberty (just up from Les Manures) in the 3V. Flying with Sleazy to Lyon at silly o'clock in the morning of 30th - 0650 IIRC. What time are you guys there? Fancy taking a toddler for the week if we leave him with security? He's great fun, honestly. No trouble at all. 😮 😆
Snowed in Tirol last night - nice surprise when I woke up, but could do with a lot more...
Haha! Er, no thanks! 😆 You went there last year, didn't you? Looks fab.
We will be on the 0600 to GVA. Hadn't thought of flying to Lyon in winter before - will check that out next time.
New jacket recommendations please!
Requirements;
Shell
Vented
Removable powder skirt thingy
Goggle pocket
Thumb cuffs
Removable hood
Black or dark grey, with minimal branding, as I'd like to be able to use it as a jacket in normal life as well
To replace and old Eider Tahoe that's leaking like a sieve now!
Oh go on, go on, go on, go on wallop.
Lyon flights stay cheaper for longer than GVA (IME). Can't remember what we paid but not more than £150 for three of us (excl luggage). It's similar driving time to 3V from either. (Think similar to La Plagne too actually so could be an option.) Plus they do that nice early flight. Much less options though and return flight means leaving resort at stupid o'clock on the Saturday as well.
Ha, nearly posted that question myself Flashy.
Ended up in a shop and bought on the spot. Salomon for me, a brand I seem a bit of a whore for these days.
That's really cheap! We paid £250 for two pax including 1 x ski carriage - and I booked them in March last year! 😆
It'd be a much more straightforward transfer to the Tarentaise than from Geneva as well.
I would take him (because he's so cute) but I don't think we'd fit him in our hire car...
Dainese Grual in black? Can get them for half price on Sportpursuit.
And while I've mentioned Dainese... I noticed quite a few people wearing back protectors last week (especially kids) - mostly when they had their jackets off at lunch. There was only piste skiing available due to lack of snow and it wasn't too busy.
Why and what for?
Probably the local racers. To reduce spinal injuries as you'd expect. Junior uses one whenever he goes out.
These were kids out with their parents. Watched a couple of them, they didn't look too race ready.
Just checked wallop - it was £140 for the three of us (obviously dd does go a little cheaper) not incl bags, so takes it up to £200ish. That was booked in October. IIRC car rental from LYS is a bit cheaper than GVA too. Definitely an option from Bristol. I'd never considered it until I was looking at where Reberty was from GVA last year on Google Maps and thought, "hmmm, Lyon...wonder how much that would be..." It was pricey enough as we booked in Feb for March but still £350 for 2 + 1 + 2 bags for flights booked only 3 weeks before we left. By that stage GVA was £500+++
DD - I'd gladly look after Master Darcy for you. I'm unable to ski this year so drop him off. Mrs D. can borrow all my gear if she likes.
Can't for the life of me work out who the 'big boned' chap is 🙂
4 of us did this Xmas return brizz to Geneva and back for £550 return with one bag for one leg for £36
I've booked a Tues/Mon return in early Feb for just £57 return BRS>GVA , an absolute steal.
Even managed a March Saturday to Friday for £85 return.
Given it costs me £75 return wverytime I take the train to London, flying to the alps always looks good vfm
And then there's the cost of transfers....
The whole Sainte Foy helicopter thing is being massively over-reported and people are getting very much the wrong impression. Many seem to be under the impression that snow was being brought-in from some glacier or something.
The snow was coming from a stockpile of snow-cannon snow produced by the resort. It was being moved to elsewhere in resort, out of reach of the cannons.
It may well have been 100 trips, but each trip was about 5 seconds.
I think the poor resort/tourist-office people are having a hard time of it. They made a big deal of it in a "look how much effort we're putting in to make sure you have a great time skiing!" and they're getting a big, misinformed backlash over it!
Similarly, the request for locals not to ski was just that, a polite suggestion, not any kind of rule. It was intended to reduce over-crowing in one resort where there were limited runs open, not any kind of wide-spread edict.
These things make great stories, but the truth is usually a bit less impressive....
Thankfully, the story now is "Holy &&*&! Look how much snow there is!". 
Transfers €22 e/w
GVA to Morzine transfer is peanuts.
Thankfully, the story now is "Holy &&*&! Look how much snow there is!"
Not quite, there's a lot compared with last week, but it's still way less than they'd normally have by this time in the year.
great stories, but the truth is usually a bit less impressive
It is puking again right now though...
Holy CRAP I'm so excited.
I'm heading out in the 16th jan so very pleased to see the forecasts.
I was getting a bit twitchy!
I wear a back protector in resort. I spend a lot of time trying to ski trees and I'm not quite good enough. Some of our friends children spend plenty of time in the terrain park (sweamrs got a set of twin tips for Christmas 😀 ) so it's also in case I end up in there and partly to set an example. Do personally know one person who was badly injured skiing at Louise which also changed my perspective.
Ironically the only time I've been really glad I was wearing it was for a DH mtb crash.
I either wear my Forcefield motorbike back protector or my Leatt MTB full body armour these days. Got 2 dodgy shoulders to look after and I've also landed on my back on chunks of ice before (side piste) serious painful.
Thanks for the replies everyone. We've taken on board your suggestions...it looks like we've worked out a way of getting transport and accom in France relatively cheaply. However, it's lift passes and ski hire which is tipping it over into poor VFM at the moment - a full week away is more or less the same price.
13 sleeps to two weeks of dangerously out of control high speed hoonery.
Considering having a few boarding lessons this time out, pretty sure I saw touring options at the resort too.
ski hire
Have you looked into brokerage companies? I use snowbrainer.com to arrange my hire and it's pretty good value.
As for lift passes, well, nothing much you can do about those. The most you can get sometimes is a discount for buying two...but that'll only be a few Euros at best.
for ski hire , intersport website is often the cheapest .
ski passes are always expensive . you will struggle to find anywhere with discounted prices .
Flashy - I've got a Berghaus Goretex Pro shell in black that I might not be using if you can lower yourself to secondhand (but virtually unused) - SPursuit came calling with silly prices on Sweet Protection. 45" chest though.
45" chest though.
Probably gonna be too small.
[url= http://www.decathlon.co.uk/C-33117-snowboard-and-ski-wear/N-106086-gender~kids ]Just for you, DD. 😉 [/url]
Thanks, IGM, but not really my bag. I have an ill founded, but strangely strong, dislike of Berghaus dating back to the mid-90s!
Your link is bringing up what I think you'd hoped. Wipe the pie off your blackberry before posting again. 😉
[img][url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1523/23808251429_be110ec2e3_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1523/23808251429_be110ec2e3_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
It was a beautiful day in Colorado yesterday.
Woohoo! Last minute long weekend away booked: flying late next Thursday to Geneva from Bristol; ski Fri - Mon in Avoriaz; and return late Monday night ready for work on Tuesday.
Whoop whoop! I'm SOOOOOO EXXXCCCCIIITTTEEEDDDDD!!!!!!!!!
I wear a back protector in resort. I spend a lot of time trying to ski trees
Do you ski backwards? 😉
EDIT: And I refuse to allow the term "switch" to be applied to skis. You can have backwards or arsewards.
Not intentionally 😀
Hopefully managed to sort out a midweek half term trip at a reasonable price. Anyone been to Bad Kleinkirchheim?
Thanks for the replies regarding back protection. Seems like I don't need to worry for myself as I do very little park, tree skiing or racing.
twelve more sleeps til two weeks in chamonix 🙂
Off to morzine on the 16th! Can't wait should have decent snow by then. Though currently on crutches getting sprained toe and sesamoid to heal
I'm tempted to say "balls, off home tomorrow", but the truth of it is that I have been here for two weeks and have had only one day away from the slopes. I am tired and have a lot of small injuries, so I am slightly glad I am going home tomorrow.
It's just been snowing though, so part of me wants to stay.
About a weeks worth of blue bird days now in Whistler, but a wee bit of snow forecast for the next day or two. Huge difference compared with last year. 80% of last years total snow fall already, and (the big difference) consistently low freezing levels so happily avoiding the freeze thaw cycle that ****ed what little snow we had last year.
[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1684/24101673071_2715e33b1f_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1684/24101673071_2715e33b1f_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/CHMnHr ]Cougar Chutes[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/75523014@N08/ ]Jamie Carson[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1698/24101674721_0c17709361_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1698/24101674721_0c17709361_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/CHMocT ]Horstman Hut View[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/75523014@N08/ ]Jamie Carson[/url], on Flickr
Umm..... isn't a bluebird day a sunny day after a big dump of snow? Or am I getting confused?
That's a bluebird POW day
twelve more sleeps til two weeks in chamonix
Well Winter has seemingly returned to the valley, so hopefully you should have some pretty decent conditions.
Have you got any particular objectives to tick off?
That's a bluebird POW day
Unsurprisingly, there appears to be heated debate on the issue!
http://www.epicski.com/t/122173/bluebird-faux-pas
Unsurprisingly, there appears to be heated debate on the issue!
Yes - I've observed an increasing trend towards using the term to describe a day dominated by blue sky, but without any recent storms. I guess if it gets used enough, that will eventually become the meaning ...
rather like the term 'boarding' ... 😳
I'd call any day with wall to wall sky a bluebird day and I think that's pretty common in Canada.
So, after a week of skiing grass and stones in Avoriaz, my existing skies are down to the metal base plate in places and are being retired.
So, I'm after some new skies for 80% on piste 20% off piste, and these look pretty good value at £350 with bindings:
[img] http://media.salomon.com/products/L37787500.jp g" target="_blank">http://media.salomon.com/products/L37787500.jp g"/> [/img]
My current skies are Salomon with Z10 bindings and they're been very good carvers although they don't float well off piste as they're very thin underfoot.
Thoughts? Not sure I can be bothered to try loads at a snow dome....
Just got back from a week in Champagny, Paradiski. Very average conditions overall, actually that's probably looking at it optimistically. The pistes were ok, but off piste looked like a big no no. Saying that, it starting puking down on the night before we were leaving, and looks like it hasn't really stopped!
Was like this on our first day.
[img] 
?oh=873114306b518b58d4b2ebcd3d623555&oe=568DF5AC[/img]
Woke up to this on the day we were leaving.
[img] 
?oh=47fbcb79ad8f50275277b9ff74d4c817&oe=568E2544[/img]
So while I stayed at home to look after swejnr sweamrs went for a tour on the icefields parkway near Lake Louise with a photographer friend under what I'd happily describe as Bluebird conditions.....
[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1631/24110180661_f2d84bd98b_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1631/24110180661_f2d84bd98b_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= http://www.mckerrellphotography.com/ ]Credit: Graham McKerrell photography[/url]
[url= https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1711/23565979063_5e113bf521_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1711/23565979063_5e113bf521_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= http://www.mckerrellphotography.com/ ]Credit: Graham McKerrell photography[/url]
[i]My current skies are Salomon with Z10 bindings and they're been very good carvers although they don't float well off piste as they're very thin underfoot.
Thoughts? Not sure I can be bothered to try loads at a snow dome....[/i]
well, I'm no expert but they look like carvers too, so should behave much the same??
I'm after some new skies for 80% on piste 20% off piste
Those ones do look a bit pistey. Just a thought - if you went for something that was intended for more 50% piste/off-piste you'd still be able to enjoy the piste but it would transform that 20% off-piste into something much more enjoyable, as well as those days when it's dumped on the piste. I've had good reports of the Salomon Q90, for example (although I haven't tried them myself).
I'm in the progress of being tempted by some good prices on EkoSport.co.uk
There are some 20014/15 skis which seem quite a good price..
Footflaps, re mount the bindings from your old skis with Quiver Killer inserts and then you can remount them on your old ones if you have another shocker of a week or for using on the local golf course!
OOps
I'm after some new skies for 80% on piste 20% off piste
These were a little more 65/35ish, but the best ski I've used in ages.
[img] 
[/img]
Nordica NRGy 100
Enough of a carver on the groomers, but still plenty phatt enough for off piste stuff as well. As ever, a compromise, as a pure piste ski is better on piste, and a phatt powdaplank is better in the fluffy stuff, but this ski is as close as I've found to being a balanced compromise.
[img] 
[/img]
[url= http://stylealtitude.com/the-7-ages-of-(mountain)-man.html ]Linky for the article around the picture. [/url]
Booked a week in Serre Chavalier . Anyone been ?
I do actualy know the answer to that and expect a list of bars and guides to magically appear in the next few hours.
Bit of a gamble but he forcasts look good for the next week+ and it was only £298 , flight ,1/2Board accom and transfer .
Going on the 23rd so enough time for future snow to build on the existing base . If we get enough for any over the horizon adventures remains to be seen.
Booked a week in Serre Chavalier . Anyone been ?
No. Heard it's rubbish, though.
🙂
😆
I've been too STM. It's very good, but can't give many recommendations, we just skied a bit and stopped where we fancied. It was all good.
We bumped in to Luc Alphand in Carrefour though. He seemed to have a penchant for Chicago Town pizzas.
Just booked flights for a cheeky 4 dayer in March, group of 9 or 10, any recommendations for self catering accommodation in Chamonix?
Serre Chevalier - there's a super restaurant opposite the bottom of the mickey lift - does a fabulous cheval burger. Restaurant might even be called Mickey's.
10 sleeps
La Grotte Du Yeti for apres ski beers. (Aravet)
Say Hi To "Borough" for me.
STM, on a more serious note.....!
Food on piste;
Le Bercail at Aravet. Delicious.
Cafe Soleil at Serre Ratier. Great pizza.
Avoid the place at the top of the Frejus bubble. It's awful.
Good coffee stop in the Village de Frejus, however. Seen here;
[img] 
[/img]
Food and drink in resort;
Which village are you in? If you're expecting loud, partying apres-ski, I hate to disappoint, but.....There isn't any, really!
We prefer Chantemerle. Good bars at the foot of the Alphand to rest the legs and watch the stragglers struggle.
It's been dumping in Les Arcs apparently. My mate doing a season out there says he's been in waist deep powder the last couple of days. More coming too apparently.
It's been dumping in Les Arcs apparently. My mate doing a season out there says he's been in waist deep powder the last couple of days. More coming too apparently.
Yep, can confirm all of this!
Not at all happy that :
1. I have a written exam on Friday and have had to study all week.
2. I have picked up a minging chesty cough from somewhere.
😉 Was that sympathy you wanted Stevo? 😉
Sainte Foy on Sunday. just booked some off piste guiding to take advantage of all the POW!!
Serre Che is pretty good, I have a mate who has a few apartments in Briancon and we have been twice, with another trip coming this March. I really like the mountain (probably helped by having knee to waist deep powder for a week the first time we went, every day), but I can't help on mountain places to eat - can never remember that stuff! Briancon old town has got some good restaurants though and is quite picturesque.
9 sleeps to arriving in Couchevel 8)
Just checked the 10 day forecast and like here, its getting colder next week, continuing to snow, but on the day I arrive......its sunny! 😀
(obviously I am very dubious about such good fortune)
singletrackmind - Member
Bit of a gamble but he forcasts look good for the next week+ and it was only £298 , flight ,1/2Board accom and transfer .
That's a great price. If you don't mind sharing, where did you find that deal?
Sainte Foy on Sunday. just booked some off piste guiding to take advantage of all the POW!!
Nice! Soooo tempted by a last minute trip to see my mate with all this powder around but I've just booked about three holidays. 🙂
I'd recommend a look at The Serre Che webcams.....
TURBOPUKE!
Not an answer to your question, but just caught a tweet from Alpine Elements this morning advertising some pretty nice prices for departures this weekend. Seemed to be plenty under £300 (didn't look any further than those prices though - I imagine they'll somehow hike them up when you go to actually book).
As for us, not going till 30th to 3V. Over 1m of snow forecasted and temperatures staying low for now so hopefully good conditions when we get there.
These were a little more 65/35ish, but the best ski I've used in ages.
Thanks, will investigate.....
A review says "Go for head height to get the most out of it."
Does this mean your full height? I'm 176cm, my current carvers are 170cm.