Finally pulled the trigger on the first Akers family ski trip. Off the Les Deux Alpes.
Living in the London area, our 2 boys have only ever seen a couple of inches of slushy snow, they'll be over the moon when we get there.
Having not been myself since 2010, before the eldest was born, I'm looking for to getting my skis back on and making it a regular thing again.
Always had great service from skiidy gonzales over many years and many transfers. There's usually an early booking discount code knocking around - 15% off or so. Avoid easybus and alpybus...
Booked up for Cervinia in January. Anyone been before? I'll be boarding. Must be nearly 20years since I've boarded abroad. Cannae wait 😬
On another note, I'm after a jacket. Any good online shops?
Booked up for Cervinia in January. Anyone been before?
Yes, for the past 3 years - usually later in season, but going for new year this coming season. Any specific questions, fire away.
Is it good for boarding? I take it you like the place. Lifts ok like q wise? Any place s for good food? Staying in the Hotel Breuil.
I’m plotting to better my 30 days from last season – it will all be in Fernie BC as its the only place we’ve been to in the past 10 seasons and we’ve still not skied it out
Fernie is great isn't it? I spent 6 weeks there last winter and had a real blast!
Anyone know how to make their own liquid wax from a block? i.e. grate the wax then dissolve in some sort of solvent?
I hot wax at home then usually rub and cork a couple of times during the week. With 2 pairs of skis and 3 boards this year, I figure a liquid top up might be easier.
Depending a bit on the snow but it shouldn’t need a top up for just a week, unless you are racing or the snow is super sticky.
YoKaiser, my son boards and seems to manage OK. Cervinia is virtually completely open, so very few trees. There's some good off piste and there is a park if you fancy getting some air. And of course head up to Plateau Rosa and wander down into Zermatt for a day.
Ymeltrob is probably the best bar in town - great service and enough nibbles to ruin a decent appetite. The restaurant below is OK, but not as decent as the bar. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187864-d3879114-Reviews-Ymeletrob-Breuil_Cervinia_Valtournenche_Valle_d_Aosta.html
Wood Restaurant is the very best in town - fine dining, with prices to match. Worth at least one evening though https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187864-d5263104-Reviews-Wood_Restaurant-Breuil_Cervinia_Valtournenche_Valle_d_Aosta.html
Grivola is my favourite restaurant in town. Traditional, but more of an upmarket feel to the service than others. https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187864-d4068257-Reviews-Grivola-Breuil_Cervinia_Valtournenche_Valle_d_Aosta.html
Pit Stop is my favourite stop on the hill - just beside the Pancheron Chair https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187864-d9810879-Reviews-Pit_Stop-Breuil_Cervinia_Valtournenche_Valle_d_Aosta.html
Folk rave about Chalet Etoile - it's got a good location, but service is meh IMHO https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187864-d2702719-Reviews-Chalet_etoile-Breuil_Cervinia_Valtournenche_Valle_d_Aosta.html
Webcams suggest that a new place at Plan Maison is being built to replace the cheap and cheerful if slightly rundown snack bar that was there before https://www.lookr.com/lookout/1292518449-Breuil-Cervinia#action-play-day
A bit of a wild card is Ristorante Hotel Baita Cretaz which has a skidoo taxi service to get you up to it in the evening https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187864-d8259971-Reviews-Ristorante_Hotel_Baita_Cretaz-Breuil_Cervinia_Valtournenche_Valle_d_Aosta.html
Finally, for coffee cake and ice cream, The Sweet Side of the Matterhorn is very nice - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187863-d7761600-Reviews-Sweet_Side_Matterhorn-Aosta_Valle_d_Aosta.html
IMHO though the best coffee is at Tasty Cervinia https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187864-d12815918-Reviews-Tasty_Cervinia-Breuil_Cervinia_Valtournenche_Valle_d_Aosta.html
Equipment hire from here https://www.alpinresorts.com/en/ski-rental/italy/valle-daosta/breuil-cervinia/top-one-ski-rental (use code SNOWBALL for discount).
oldtennisshoes, many thanks 👍👍 appreciate it. Will definitely add to the itinerary.
@Earl - liquid wax will have rubbed off in one run so pretty pointless tbh. Ex-ski tech and I only wax skis if I'm away more than a week. Depends on the conditions and how long you're skiing each day but every 4-5 days is about right for most folk (so near enough a week that i don't bother taking stuff or paying for a wax for one day).
Just booked a five night (8) boys trip to Morzine in early March. Not been there before so something to look forward to!
Morzine confirmed for new year week. Hope for better snow than 3 years ago, albeit not on the roads as we drive there!
Just picked up one of these :
Friend’s 50th this year so we’re doing 3 days in Whistler and 4 days Bella Coola heli boarding. Starting to get slightly excited and it’s not until March......
4 days Bella Coola heli boarding.
rrrrrrrrrrgh!
Starting to get slightly excited and it’s not until March……
I bet you are! Hope it's awesome for you. Here's a little something that won't help to dampen the excitement.
Yeah. That's not made me unexcited!
Season should be starting for me in a few weeks at Kaprun. Boarding one day, DH bike at Leogang the next. Win.
I've finally bought my first pair of skis... I've previously been using a borrowed pair of Stöcklis that weigh more than the moon so I'm hoping to feel the difference.
Picked up a good deal on last year's Rossignol Experience 84HD as they got universally good reviews. Hopefully this year I can really get the hang of it, and leave the board at home for powder days...
The cost to take skis on Easyjet for our five night trip is £72, so still not seeing any point in buying skis currently.
Morzine / Avoriaz advice please...
I have been landed with organising a trip for 12 walking / biking friends. Not everyone knows everyone and I had a tall order to fill: Catered Chalet, big ski area, twin ensuite rooms, ski in ski out...
I have found somewhere that nearly ticks all the boxes, but its not ski in / out. It is near the bottom of the Podrains lift and they run a private shuttle door to door...
How 'bunged up' does the Podrains lift get in a morning? Is it possible to ski back down at the end of the day (snow permitting)? How much of a ball ache is it going to be being 500m from the lift without a bus...? Any experience? The private shuttle only runs 8.30 to 10.00 and 16.00 to 18.00.
If it was just for myself and close friends I'd do it without a problem... but for the folk who wanted easy / quick access - am I totally missing the mark??
Any info would be great as I need to book soon...
Jo
Couple of things to note about Prodains - it's miles from Morzine and there's not much there, so if you want to get out for a beer or meal in the evening then options are limited (couple of bars but not much else from memory).
The new Prodains lift they put in a few years ago is pretty slick these days - occasional queues at peak times but not too bad. Yes you can ski back down, but the run can get a bit icy at times.
As for walking 500m with skis - your call, but if folks are expecting ski in / out, then that wouldn't really tick the box for me.
Avoriaz might be a better bet if you want ski in / out, but lots of self catered apartments up there, but sure there must be catered stuff too....
for ski-in/out chalets your best bet is the Front du Neige in Morzine itself, but as that is at 1,000m you're going to be snow dependent. Any higher ski in-out will be in smaller hamlets and limited aprés-ski. Have a look at Lindarets or Ardent. Family ski in Ardent is likely to be around £1k pp for a week in March. But ski in/out. Two bars in the hamlet.
Twin rooms will be hard to get hold of.
You may have more luck with somewhere like Chalet Montana (lots of twin rooms) and use the skibus that goes from the end of the driveway (literally, 40m walk) and takes you direct to Ardent (one of the main base stations into the heart of the PDS ski area) only 5 minutes away. A basic bar in the chalet, good bars & restaurant 5min walk away, but you're still outside of Morzine itself.
@gmail.com?subject=Skiing!!!!!!" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.chaletmontana.org
We go to Morzine a lot and I’d pick a central Morzine location over ski-in ski-out every time. We often go as a big single sex group - we’ve stayed in Chalet Serac (Mountain Highs) a couple of times and the bedroom arrangements work really well. Few yards from the Super Morzine.
Ok- I'll stick to my rub on and cork method.
Unless it's back to back days of fresh pow I do find a mid week wax makes a difference - on my board at least. And I hate the look of edge burn.
A week last year started off with a daily 500m flat bomb. Fresh wax on day 4 got me a lot further. Considering the cost and scarcity of a snow holiday, spending a little time during the week maintaining my gear for best performance is not a big deal.
In spring slush i would<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> was every day if I could.</span>
The contract and bill will be arriving next week BUT .... going for the season (except for the french school holidays when we'll come back to work).
Off to Flaine again to ski bum and do a little bit of online work (outside of ski hours obviously).
Has anyone been to or used Ski Bartlett ? Thinking of a trip over there to try some boots and just wanted some first hand experiences before battling the M25. We have the polar opposite of shoe sizes, I'm a 34 (mondo 21.5) and he's a 47 ! To this day I don't think I've ever skiied in a pair of boots the right size, I probably won't be able to ski if they actually fit.
Thanks
Linda
Ski Bartlett, good reputation in the racing circuit. I'm sure they have some good fitters. Leave loads of time, don't rush or be rushed, take your own socks, take the liners out and see how much space you have in the shell, do your homework, be honest about your ability. (Sorry if you know all that)
Ski Bartlett fitted my Tellie boots and new NTN bindings last year.
Young lad fitted the boots and knew his stuff, even although they're a bit if a niche product.
The bloke from the workshop who fitted my bindings was great. Could've spent all day blethering with him. Spent 20min explaining set up and maintenance and gave me good hints and tips for servicing.
Met Jenny Jones whilst she was picking up all her new picture gear.
Going to.Ardent for the 2nd year in a row.with family ski. Their child care set up is 2nd to none and it's a great spot for getting up into the ski area before the hordes arrive from morzine! Probably my 10th trip to PDS in 6 years.
Anyone need a new jacket?
Westbeach Bull, reduced from £180 to £55
https://westbeach.com/collections/sale/products/bull-jacket?variant=23292636231
It's bloody snowing!
Got flights booked for a long weekend in feb (4.5 days on the slopes if flights / transfers go as planned)
Any recommendations for a ski area close to Geneva? Not PdS as I’m there at new year.
currently looking at Grand Massiff and Chamonix. 2 of us - Intermediate snowboarder - piste and slack country. Intermediate skier - piste only. Never been to either
3 yr old had his first proper ski lesson today at ml and loved it. God job as he is in the ski famille nursery with ski lessons at the end of jan. Just a shame they won't do board lessons that early. Hemel coming up for a board lesson so we can work with him on holiday.
Can't wait now, but getting tempted to try a stiffer board as my typo is fairly flexy
Kingisdead, St Grevais, part of the Chamonix Mt Blanc area and links with Megeve.
Grand Massif, is nice, not too many trees so not great in bad vis. Be careful off piste above Flaine, lots of big holes to fall in. We have stayed in the Best Western in Morrillon, kind of self catered hotel with pool, it was nice.
Chamonix, quite spread out, some love it some hate it. I love it. Off piste is less accessible and gets tracked out quickly, lots of good and serious skiers and boarders. Lots of accommodation options.
St Gervais already recommended for you but a little further up the valley is Les Contamines which is quiet and very nice.
Grenoble flights booked for mid January, but that's it so far - I've seen quite a nice apartment in Meribel for me and Ms Oliverd, but I'm not sure if we should try somewhere a bit less obvious. Open to suggestions at this point
Just a shame they won’t do board lessons that early.
The thinking may have changed, but I thought snowboarding was supposed to be a bit more physically demanding than skiing so children need to be a year or two older before starting to learn.
Seems to be an open argument about toddlers boarding.
Hemel will do sessions on a board and mint snowboarding in morzine do lessons as do a load of American resorts.
Honestly I have no idea but keeping a 3 yr old interested for an extended period is a mission to insanity anyway.
We are going to book him in for ski lessons next winter if he wants and take his little board with us so he can have a play, worst case he can go sledging on it
We’re doing similar mid-March. So far only flights booked.
We’ve done Chamonix before and tbh it’s a bit of a ball-ache on a board. If you’re going to pick one area and session it, it’s fine. Otherwise you need local knowledge to avoid long traverses or a bus home.
I've successfully taught kids as young as 5 or 6 to snowboard. Even taught a 9 year old to ride powder pretty well! A lot of it depends on the kid when they're that young. If their adventurous, active kids who are happy to take a few bumps, they'll love it. If not, maybe not so much...
I would say though that trying to run group snowboard lesssons for tiny kids would be super-hard, so I wouldn't really recommend it. For 2-3 max it's pretty doable - they need a lot of hand-holding to start with!
Colorado resorts already opening!
I've got a couple of snowboards that are now surplus to requirements, is eBay the best place to sell them on?
Colorado resorts already opening!
Im trying to decide if I want to go ski this weekend at Loveland. They’re opening at the weekend. Could be fun, most likely be terrifying! I went to day after opening last year so I may shot for that on Sunday.
PSA Horizon tonight at 2100. Inside an avalanche, may be of interest.
what type of boards are they?
No, it wasn't meant to be, they are Burton Custom X 164 and 158 (2013/14 season.)
5 year old boards, popular brand and model, but in an over saturated market. Ebay is probably the only place you'll get a definite sale. If you can hang on 'till the webcams go white you'll probably get a better price.
Prepare to get stung on postage though!
Good article - might pivot the February trip to one of these.
Anyone been to Grand Tourmalet, la mongie/garages skiing or snowboarding?
Think I'm going there for a few day after Christmas, not expecting the best snow as it's early in the season but I'd be interested to know what people thought of the it if you've been?
sprogeny no.1 will require new ski-wear (pants & jacket) this winter, (although she's 5'10 so firmly in adult sizes)
Where is good to look online?
I will also be making a trip to TK max as have heard they sometimes have good kit.
I will also be making a trip to TK max as have heard they sometimes have good kit.
They used to, not seen much lately when I've been in. Sometimes you have to try a few different branches.
I've had some great bargains from the O'Neill outlet in Cheshire Oaks too.
https://www.mountainwarehouse.com/womens-ski-package-p18327.aspx/one/
I have my jacket from there which has been fine. Not really going to set the world alight but good vfm
@ads678 I haven't been to those resorts but I have been to other French Pyrenean stations and early season the snow can be better than the Alps! Obviously nothing is a given 2 months out.
FWIW I'll be 1000km further south just before Christmas and I fully expect to be on slopes of Sierra Nevada for the 3rd year in a row.
After 5 years of a posh, all inclusive, catered chalet type jobs, we need to find a cheap alternative this season.
Up until 5 years ago I always just went on my own with the lads. Ive skied since I was about 17, we used to book allocation on arrival deals with Airtours, pitch up at the airport with no idea where we were going! For me its always been about the skiing, I couldn’t give a shit about fancy hotels or catered chalets, id honestly sleep in my van and eat bread and cheese all week if I could ski every day!
Unfortunately this sentiment is not shared by my wife and kids. For them its very much about the salubrious digs and nice food and less about time on the slopes.
But, having been out of work for a large part of this year, and now earning a chunk less than in recent years we cant afford to go with our usual crew. In fact, being a bit more skint lately an looking back at what it normally costs ‘all in’ was quite a shock and not an amount I ever wanna spend again regardless of circumstance.
I need either very cheap catered, or really nice self catered. I am considering driving down not only to save on flights but also make the location less of an issue? Need to prove to the mrs that a SC ski holiday is not the hell she imagines it will be..
Ideally I’d like to be anywhere between Les Arcs and Val up the Tarentaise Valley. Our regular patch is Sainte Foy so would like to ski there one day at least… maybe even meet up with our mates if the dates align…
were not restricted to half term, but gonna need equipment hire and kids lessons.
Any advice great fully received.
Noticed some great apartments on Airbnb!
We're preparing to drive from the midlands to Morzine again this new year. We're luck enough to have a mate with accommodation there, but I imagine there's loads of Airbnb options in Morzine/Avoriaz?
Did it 3 years ago and it works well - albeit we didn't encounter any bad weather or traffic. Loitering on the snow heads forum is a good source of info. One thing that seems a consensus there is the need for winter tyres on car so that's an added expense over what you may think is a good price compared to flights - Actually it's not a cost overall as you only wear 4 tyres at time and so the summers last longer but it's cash up front initially.
One thing I'd say about self catering is it works so much better if there's two families - you can alternate and feel like you're being looked after a bit. This obviously requires two families that get on well enough to share for the week and produce similar standards of meals to prevent disharmony.
ps i'm in exactly the same boat re lack of budget/desire to ski/would happily rough it/need to keep wife on board!
I've done self organised and used Crystal. If you are going to fly, then Crystal can be a chunk cheaper than DIYing IME.
Can I just leave this here for Cervinia 🙂
https://www.lookr.com/lookout/1292518449-Breuil-Cervinia#action-play-day
@Mahalo, We've used Peak Retreats a few times and they have good quality apartments in good areas. If you are driving the cost can include the FlexiPlus Tunnel in both directions which takes loads of stress out of the crossing (at a cost)
They are very helpful if you call them and actually have a conversation about what you want and how far you are willing to be from the slopes / lift.
Peak Retreats looks great. thanks
@ads678 I haven’t been to those resorts but I have been to other French Pyrenean stations and early season the snow can be better than the Alps! Obviously nothing is a given 2 months out.
Yeah I've been a few of other Pyrenean resorts in France, Andorra and Spain, but this one is new to me. It looks like it could be good. Fingers crossed. It did have a dump of snow a week or so ago but that all gone now 🙁
Will have to get to Seirra Nevada some time as I've always fancied it, but never made it there apart from a quick trip up there one summer to have a look. Wasn't any snow though....
@Maholo, if you like Sainte Foy, I'd suggest just going back there SC as it's now somewhat over-supplied with SC apartments and prices are pretty reasonable if you can go outside of school holidays. Most of the apartment blocks have pool/spa facilities, etc. so are good for kids. The MMV block is probably the cheapest and the apartments are really nice.
Don't know who you've been staying with in the past, but if you want to stick with catered at a lower budget, our friends at www.whiteroomchalet.com (note, that's not me any more, I have no direct ties to the ski holiday side of things these days!) are a lot cheaper than some of the other Sainte Foy options and without doubt have some of the best food around (head chef Matty has worked at Michelin star level).
If you have kids to get to ski school, I wouldn't recommend staying out of resort unless your budget is super-low. Other than Bourg, the other valley destinations have very little going-on.
@ads678, I've been to La Mongie / Bareges (albeit a very long time ago!). La Mongie side is a pretty soulless concrete-fest of a resort, but has some pretty good terrain. Bareges is a very nice spa town but the terrain is pretty flat. The lift-link is pretty seamless, but riding all the way down to Bareges takes a while and is pretty dull.
I have the green light to go for a week ski touring in March, looking at an organised tour group. I have done a little day touring, and am a confident skier, reasonably fit but lack mountaineering skills.
So far looking at a Silveretta Ski tour with Glenmore Lodge anyone have anything else I should look at?
I want to go hut to hut not valley based. Already going with the family at Easter so can't go later than March.
Great service from Ski Exchange in Dry Drayton (Cambridgeshire) last night. The guys spent an hour tweaking boot fit for my wife and she was happy at the end of it, so hoping she has a better time with them on the slopes this season.
Essentially just wanted to say that should you be in the market for some new kit or a fit/refit then give these guys a shout. I'm not affiliated with them in anyway by the way 🙂
TheDTs wrote
I have the green light to go for a week ski touring in March, looking at an organised tour group. I have done a little day touring, and am a confident skier, reasonably fit but lack mountaineering skills.
So far looking at a Silveretta Ski tour with Glenmore Lodge anyone have anything else I should look at?
I want to go hut to hut not valley based. Already going with the family at Easter so can’t go later than March.
I believe @Grum has done a couple of weeks with the Eagle Ski Club in Zinal, with guiding / instruction from these guys
https://www.frostguiding.co.uk/blog/626
https://www.eagleskiclub.org.uk/
I'd bookmarked them for when I get the chance to do something. Looks like this year's trips are busy
NBT, Thanks, my dad's mate has toured with Eagles, it had slipped my mind. Will look into that. Cheers.
Has anyone been to Madonna di Campiglio?
yep, skied Madonna a few times on a trip to Folgarida. really liked it always wanted to go back.
Mrs NBT's done Madonna a coupel of times. Very "fur coat and no knickers", apparently. I'm not implying anything, honest 😉
Well that sounds right up my street, nbt! Not quite sure what that means for a ski resort though 😂
it's popular with the "in-crowd" from Milan and Turin - people who pop up for the weekend, wearing fabulous gear, but who may do very little or even no skiing
Ah! Should keep the slopes nice and quiet then. Any Russians?
Not sure how I feel about this one, but there's some cheap Spyder gear on SportsDirect at the moment e.g.
https://www.sportsdirect.com/spyder-alpine-full-zip-hoody-jacket-mens-402254?colcode=40225441
Doesn’t our OP, CFH, have some views on Spyder?
Are you fat, moustachioed, Austrian, wearing a race helmet & sunglasses combo and do you answer to the name Hans?
If so, then by all means, fill your boots with cheap Spyder gear.
^ ha ha
If anyone is interested I have a _lovely_ Spyder jacket and trousers for sale having been gifted a complete wardrobe of new gear !
id probably go for some sypder smalls at £15, fully concealed!
Just got confirmation through for our week in Les Arcs beginning of February.
Staying at the Goat Shed in Peisey - slightly out the way, but very decent price, great food - we've stayed there before (former home of Trail Addiction) and I know Gordy passably well as he does the Trans Provence catering.
Proper looking forward to it!
Jon- it’s a great spot, I went to uni with Sophie and worked a season in Vallandry- their place is great and they are fabulous hosts. You are also at the heart of paradiski so can go either way. Have a great time!
Les Arcs
Been to 1950 for the last 3 years, great ski area and start of Feb is usually a pretty good time to go (usually go last week of Jan).
Anyone stayed at Club Med La Plagne? hugely conflicting reports on Tripadvisor...
