I have a reputation for litter picking on the slopes (I like to think of it as mountain wombling) so this trip picked up a new iphone and managed to return it to the young man who lost it in the off piste where it was about to be covered. There was just a corner poking out of the snow so I picked it up and waited for it to ring..... returned to the young man via the incredibly friendly lift pass office staff.
Also the usual chapsticks for lips and a squishy/collapsible hydration bottle by salomon.
Other trips have been big tube of clinique SPF cream, a gopro which we spent the rest of the holiday trying to return to its owners and the weirdest one - a hard plastic sunglasses case which turned out to have the biggest, most perfectly rolled spliffs I have ever seen ......
Anyone else a bit of a womble on the slopes ?
Peak time for wombling is Easter. Usually though, it's nothing more exciting than half consumed packets of frutella, right hand gloves and single ski poles.
Yep I tend to stop to help people up, and to collect chocolate bar wrappers, yet to find anything returnable or all that interesting. Also been guilty of loosing at least a couple of gloves that I should clipped on!
I've done well then 🙂
A question for our Flaine regulars. I am in the resort late-February, staying in a chalet. Only been there once before, for a weekend so long ago I have just about no recollection of the resort. The usual rules apply, I think, and there will be one night where we have to fend for ourselves food-wise, which raises the question of where do the regulars recommend?
am in the resort late-February, staying in a chalet.
Do you know where your chalet is, or what it's called?
Ah yes, because it’s strung out isn't it. All arranged through Ski Club GB, so I’m a bit in the dark, but I think it is the bit they call Hameau towards the top end.
I'm out, in that case - I can recommend a few places in Forum, but not sure you can easily get to / from there if you're up in Hameau. In case you can make it down there then I've enjoyed meals at 1967, the burgers at Bistro F are eninently acceptable, and Chez Lili do GREAT pizzas. Sabaudia up in Foret is also worth considering
OK, thanks. I’m sure we’ll magic something up when we’re out there.
If you can walk down to the upper part of the village there's a lift to the forum section that runs late (so you can get home after a meal).
The Bam pub did great pizza when we were there a couple of years ago. There was also a fancy looking place in one of the brutalist buildings on the piste, but I can't find the name, it was great though we went twice.
Edit: it was Totem. 1967 were really helpful on a busy night and squeezed us in early too one night.
@blackhat - feel free to message me. We did our seasons staying in the Hameau. We only stopped going there because the lady we were renting from inconsiderately sold it 🙁
We have just got back and will be returning in March
Nice when it snows low down. The Braca, a bit too deep for skate but a delight on classics. Take care on descents if you chain the front of your car and have Summer tyres on the back, two cars span.
The hameau, is a walk and a ski down to Foret or the bus. L'Ancolie is the Hameau local bar (its a lovely place, comfy seating and a roaring fire), it does a happy hour and the food is good but expensive.
For cheaper options head into town on the last Navette, the chalet staff will give you the number for Serge (the local ski shop owner and instructor) as he has the taxi contract. When you are done in town, ring Serge and he will pick you up from the Galerie Marchaud usually.
Hotel Totem - this year is having 2 happy hour nights - Tuesday and Thursday 5-7pm, Tues was fairly quiet, Thursday not quiet.
Chez Lilli - lovely pizzas but not very big inside. You must book a table if you want to eat there. There is another pizzeria in the precinct, chez Pierrot which is also pretty good.
Brasserie des Cimes - has a menu which has something for everyone on it
Chez Daniel - classic french mountain menu with lots of fondue, tartiflette etc.
The Eloge and Michot are a short walk across the piste. Friends say it was great but very expensive.
On the mountain - Croc blanc at the top of the tete de saix/corbalanche chairlifts has the cheapest coffees on the mountain but no toilets. The snack bar in morillon looks nothing special but they do surprisingly good food and the owner is lovely. La combe just below it does great hot chocolate and pizzas.
Diane, the head instructor, is amazing - it's all about improving your skiing and you having a good time rather than her proving she's a ski goddess.
Feel free to ask away if you have any more questions.
Thanks sprootlet, couldn’t have asked for any more than that. I’ve never been with SCGB but Mrs BH did a right mischief to her knee on our first ski trip so I have had to find a route to a solo trip.
@blackhat - as another option, I've been with skivolution/skivo2 as a single traveller and the quality of the instruction was fab. I went to le Praz with them before they split into the 2 companies. They made sure everyone in the group was a very similar ability and the skiers in my group very kindly asked me to ski with them for the rest of the week which was fantastic.
I think you'll have a great time with SCGB though. We try and get a Diane for a day at the weekend once a season, it's intense but we have been to some beautiful places.
Snowheads run several trips through the season and while you can pay extra for a single room, you'll be allocated a room share with someone suitable and there will always be someone to ski with - instruction and / or guiding is usually available.
Sort of a PSA for anyone who hasn't done it before, I booked via travelski this year to use the train, just two of us so you'd anticipate seating on trains to be next to each other, seems we are in the same carriage, but not next to each other on 2 of the 4 legs now that the tickets are through. Doesn't matter hugely, but it's a bit odd.
Off to Verbier in the morning for 6 days.
Flying to Geneva then getting the train up like last year.
Ive seen the horror stories from Dec about the EES system delays at Geneva. They mostly looked like a combination of weekend/teething problems.
Anyone been through mid week recently that can shed a light on what its running like now?
I've just spent the last week in Saalbach - we've mostly had wonderful skiing conditions and not too cold. Area ski pass is great. Slopes above Zell are in fine form as are Leogang.
Salzburg airport arrival process for UK passport holders was very efficient. First time I've travelled since it was introduced
Does anyone know what is going on with the new Biometrics scanning that is supposed to be coming in?
We were expecting to have to do it at the Chunnel in January but didn't need to and we're going again in March.
We were wondering the same Sprootlet.
I'm back from a different week in Les arcs.
LGW with sleazy jet to Lyon then coach transfer to Bourg . The funicular up to 1600 is very quick and efficient. The bus to 1800 frequent and free .
Eventually found the gite we rented for the week. Bit of a hike but massively refreshing and different to the shoe box high rise flats that are everywhere.
Other guys were very late as a train broke down in front of their train causing big delays. Should be easy enough to get to the Alps from London with 1 change at Lille then Bourg .
Skiing with newbies is so tricky, the level of faffing around is painful. Ie bring yellow goggles as the weather forecast is snowy, flat light. So they ignore me and wear sunglasses. Costume change almost every lift. More layers , less layers , lippy , boot adjustment,
I was very patient and encouraging but picking up skis for the 10th time after explaining that throwing the shoulders is causing the spin outs becomes tiresome
Monday much of the same. Turns out their idea of a holiday is drinking copies amount of alcohol till gone midnight and then being unable to move before 0900. I'm out grabbing baguette and pains at 0800 then hanging around boiling in ski gear while they slowly get up and dressed ( not in ski gear, just normal clothes so they need to change again in 20 mins )
Nice tour over to la plagne, but nowhere near enough time to explore as we didn't get over till 1100.
Also it's impossible to hustle along when you turn every 5 seconds and traverse on a flat blue run rather than let the skis run and relax the legs.
Wed fresh snow so got out and about with the least experience but most enthusiastic member of our group. Got him carving down wide open slopes and did some decent runs. Got ill with manflu at this point which meant less energy and balance as ears full of gunge which refused to equalise on lifts and was painful at times
Thursday. More powder so took all the drugs and off I went solo. Had enough faffing about coupled with the awful cooking ( we agreed to cook an evening meal each night , ) I did spaghetti Bolognese , but got inedible vegetarian chilli one night and inedible vegetarian stew another . I blamed my sore throat but food that one mouthful makes you start sweating and lose all sensations in your mouth apart from burning isn't funny at all when you are really hungry
I went up high and just skied the black runs which were hard but in great condition. Did some off piste under chair lift stuff but knackered myself out due to illness and not eating, french bread with a sore throat is a test. Then I ate a load of soreen and the blood diverted to the stomach and my hands and feet went really cold . Had to stop and get gloves off and put them in my armpits to warm up. Took ages to get going again.
Friday . More snow with fog . Gave my persimmon gogs to the enthusiastic newbie and skied in a dark grey iridium lense which helped him immensely but I had to use the force to get down. Got him off piste and in the trees but he's only a 3 week skier and it all gets a bit fast and furious with the need to make many adjustments to lines and technique of not going too slow, not getting lost and not getting into a bowl that requires a hike out is intense
I missed my friend Richard, I got quite emotional at times as I know how much he would have loved the conditions
Getting home very simple, navette to funicular , alti bus to Lyon then sleazy jet home. I allocated a spare 4 hours as I know how busy sat morning can be out of the tarantaisse and we were about an hour late. Lots of people on the coach really worried about missing planes . Roads in gridlocked as well by 0900 . The other guys had a midday train to London arriving at 9pm
I don't mean to laugh stm, but I'm an experinced intermediate skier and faffing has become the norm now I'm older. I have to get up earlier to put on the 7 (yes 7) layers of clothing needed, as I really feel the cold now. Glad you had someone to ski with in the end.
We had a week in Andorra visiting our daughter who is working in resort with Crystal Ski. Was brilliant seeing her little community, meeting her friends and trying to keep up with her on the slopes. We were staying in Arinsal and you can connect (via a unreliable gondola) to Pal. Different vibes in each area. Not the range and options available in big Alpine resorts but plenty to keep you entertained, especially as we had some newbie skiers with us. Lots of snow and only one day where weather, dumping snow and visibility defeated us so we bailed out early to the cafe. Luckily this was the last day but we had, by then, already had several days of 10k - 12k vertical so feel like we did enough.
Andorra is a bit of trek, long transfer but really, really good value. For the week it worked out under £1k per person for flights / transfers, dinner, bed and breakfast, lift passes, equipment hire, lunch passes and ski school for x2.
However for a combination of big birthdays I've had my arm twisted for a trip to Georgia, cat skiing. Its costing that same arm plus a leg but my word if it delivers on the promise I'd say it'll be worth it.
Well, that was quite the trip of a lifetime.
Well, that was quite the trip of a lifetime
Go on you big tease, let's have some more details...
On the train on the way home from La Rosiere, was mostly a great week, a couple of cloudy mornings that cleared, one due to a savage cold wind that had me wearing an extra layer for once, then snow all day Friday leaving very low visibility and not much fun for those that like to see where they are going. An enjoyable week at a smaller resort with my wife rather than my run-hungry snowboarder mate. Still managed to pick up my now traditional snow holiday cold by Wednesday, streaming today. Some pistes really needed the new snow on the LaRos side where the wind and people slowing before a dip had left the grass showing.
Looks like there are some storms and heavy snow coming for next week and beyond though.
Not got anything booked for half term (14-21 February) as I thought work was going to trash it for me.
The work thing might be falling through.
So the question is where’s good to find last minute deals?
Obviously checking the big tour operators but are there any last minute specialists any more?
Needs to be relatively cheap as I just paid off a car. Three of us, intermediate snowboarder, intermediate skier and a 25 year old who puts us to shame on skis.
All booked for last week in march when both boys (one 6th form one uni) are on hols. Driving to Maurienne valley to re-run the aosta go to a different area each day depending on conditions style trip at a different location. Orelle into Val thorens for some snow surity and then 4 or five other resorts if good snow. 6 days skiing for about £800 pp all inclusive of ski hire and lift passes. Gite in valley, self catering and driving keep a lid on costs.
What you're doing is what I'd suggest to igm, pedlad. Driving is less CO2 than flying with three in the car and means you're mobile and can ski different resorts. I quite like being in a valley town and heading up early enough to get a parking space. Accomodation is going to be tight as it's peak holiday time but a call to the tourist office might get something.
@Pedlad I assume you know that if you buy a 6 day pass at any of Val Cenis, Bonneval, La Norma, Aussois & Valfrejus you will get the whole week at the resort-of-purchase, and 1 day at each of the others. Actually, La Norma and Valfrejus are twinned so you get unlimited skiing at each when the 6 day pass is purchased, plus the chance to visit the others. You can buy in advance to save up to 40% too. I don't know what the discount is when you pitch up at Orelle.
Les Karellis is worth a visit.
@Edukator - not daft. We normally drive out, and will be doing so at Easter, stopping in an Ibis on the autoroute the night before will give us 8 days on the slopes for 7 nights in the resort. Simply staying the a hotel / apartment in the valley might work.
Got the skiogrande passes sorted so already discounted inc extra discount for 4 (got a mate along too).
yes Les karellis on the list along with valloire and val cenis
Ferry to Caen and EV with 4 up to slightly offset climate guilt of the sport as an energy consumer.
Sort of a PSA for anyone who hasn't done it before, I booked via travelski this year to use the train, just two of us so you'd anticipate seating on trains to be next to each other, seems we are in the same carriage, but not next to each other on 2 of the 4 legs now that the tickets are through. Doesn't matter hugely, but it's a bit odd.
Correction - based on the numbering and 4 seats one side of the carriage and 2 the other we were in fact together for the whole trip. Would recommend the train as a slow but relaxing trip. Point of note though, breakfast served on the train on the way out and thought there was a lunch too, but there wasn't. The GF options are limited from the cafe on board!
Went out on rando skis and looking the west there's a wall of bad weather coming in. Our mates are leaving the resort for a few days in Salou the forecast is so grim here. We've given up on the idea of driving over to the Tarentaise and will just ski locally between storms. Sorry to be a bringer of bad news but the Alps are going to be a whiteout and the Pyrenees a washout for the next week or so.
I'm not one for Facebork vids, but having been a snowboard learner in the past, I found this most amusing. Poor sod 😆
(Oh, it's Youtube. Came up linked on my FB)
Poor sods, plural.
There's only one tire fesse left here that's opened up for the race club to use a black run, you dangle in the air at one point if there's not much snow.
We were out in the Jungfrau ski region last week. Everything was open, but the pistes were very hard and scraped, so having to work hard on the edges the whole time. I fell more last week than I have in years of skiing and acquired some very interesting bruises. We're heading back to Saas Fee at the end of March, so keeping fingers crossed.
That's all 5 of the Scottish resorts now open and all offering good cover on the terrain they have managed to open. Glenshee in particular has had a massive dump of snow over these last three weeks, all on an easterly wind, leading to excellent/epic cover on the west facing slopes and pretty decent everywhere else. The operators are working to get Glas Maol open in time for the coming weekend, when from Friday we are due a break in the weather, some sunshine and lighter winds from the north. Plus half-term crowds. Might be a good time to break out the climbing skins but with a keen eye on the avalanche danger; two folk having been hurt that way this week already. Drifts on the Caenlochan drag uptrack have been measured at around 40' deep, so if anything, there's almost too much snow on that side of the hill.
Cairngorm has superb cover over most of the hill, despite a slight thaw yesterday at lower levels and lots more new snow forecast today and tomorrow. Touring conditions are about as good as we have seen at any time in the last 5 years. The new management structure do seem to have made a really big difference to the culture at Cairngorm and now it's Nevis who are a bit in the doldrums... Although even there, there's near full cover from just above the gondola station and just enough lifts running to reap the benefits.
Glencoe has some decent cover too, despite having the greatest need for depth to make the most of the rocky terrain. The Lecht has been plastered, has lost a little, plastered, lost a little... I've almost lost track! Lots of lifts running, anyway.
Happy days...
Cousin has lived in Bourg St Maurice for near on 30 years and works down in Albertville. He’s going to stay in Albertville after work Thursday as he says there is no chance the road back home will be open!
Dumping at the moment there but a break in the weather on Friday and Saturday. I”m hoping the report is accurate as we’re driving out Saturday.
Good luck/bon chance @Cobrakai Snow forecast have some big numbers for the next few days and into next week (LaRos is just above Bourg).
Yeh, we're off to La Tania with 2 families. Kids are decent wee skiers so we'll see how they cope with loads of fresh!
