 Poster: A snowHead
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This will be our 28th family trip after:
March 2009 - Les Menuire (3V)
December 2009 - Aime La Plagne (Paradiski) - snowmaggedon on the outward journey
April 2010 - Oz-en-Oisan (ADH)
December 2010 - Oz-en-Oisan (ADH)
April 2011 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2011 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
April 2012 - La Norma
December 2012 - Les Contamines
April 2013 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2013 - Oz-en-Oisan (ADH)
April 2014 - MISSED - OMG!!
December 2014 - Tignes Le Lac - snowmaggedon on the return journey
April 2015 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2015 - Montchavin (Paradiski)
April 2016 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2016 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
April 2017 - Oz-en-Oisan (ADH)
December 2017 - La Tania (3V)
March 2018 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2018 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
April 2019 - Les Menuires (3V)
December 2019 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
December 2021 - Les Coches (Paradiski) - COVID ABORT
February 2022 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
April 2022 - Les Menuires (3V)
December 2022 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
April 2023 - Les Menuires (3V)
December 2023 - Les Coches (Paradiski)
Thread about before kids ski trips
On the trip will be me, the strife, son (18 soon to be 19, first year Uni), daughter (16, first year 6th form), my oldest skiing buddy, a sexagenarian, and his twin sons (mid-20's). Last year we did a trip with my buddy and one of his sons which everybody enjoyed and so we are going for a repeat with the addition of the other twin, who couldn't make it last year. We are staying in apartment block Lauzes which is in the Croisette district below the Brelin. Booked via Agence des Alpes. One thing to note is that the agency price was cheaper than that advertised on the tourist information booking website. Apartment is this one and cost 804.58 Euros including tourist tax.
Our daughter is only doing half the trip as over the Easter weekend she youth volleyball tournament in Italy. We have to pick her up from Lyon on Tuesday afternoon.
As the start of the trip was Easter we were going to go out this evening, ski a day at Valmorel and spend the night in Albertville but getting my daughter on her flight to Italy today coupled with having my mum here for several days post her full knee replacement meant it was too much to take on and we needed the rest of today and tomorrow to get our shit together. I haven't even serviced the skis yet for example.
Because of the cost of the tunnel we are doing the outbound journey via DFDS Dover-Calais (£117.50). 18:05 departure, arriving 20:35. We'll eat on the ferry and drive straight through. The return, early Sunday 7th April we want the quickness of the tunnel so coming back that way (£163).
Lift pass wise we got a discount via the agency and have paid 392 Euros for 7 days 3V pass each. Agency said they couldn't load the cards we had, they will have to give us fresh ones. We will ski on Saturday but buy a local pass which is 40 Euros and half the price of getting another day 3V. My buddy is doing a two weeker and in La Plagne this week. He will ski there on Saturday and drive over in the evening.
Current weather forecast seems to indicate some decent snowfalls Sunday and Monday which would be great timing if it comes off! Just need the roads cleared for the drive to Lyon on Tuesday!!
We are planning to get a new car soon after this trip. This Mondeo has approaching 180k and has a few niggles. My son did ask the other day if the old girl will make it on another trip to the Alps. Well, fingers crossed.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Looking forward to your report as always.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Layne, just a heads up, our friends had a daughter who joined them on a ski trip from Paris and had an accident which the insurance refused to help out with as her trip originated from a different point to the rest of them and from a different country. They tried all sorts of appeals but it was apparently in the fine print!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@kitenski, cheers. Do you know which insurer?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Layne, this is a common requirement from many insurers. You need to check your specific policy.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Layne, no sorry buts it’s pretty common so check the small print and have a great holiday!
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Left MK 1.30 ish. Drive down no issue.
1h 45m wait to get through passport control. Ferries are catching up time after earlier delays and we left about 20 minutes late. Pretty much drove straight on after check in.
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Looks nice and cosy for seven of you!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Arrived in Les Men. All lifts are closed and Apartment not available for occupation currently. Wife looking for gloves
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@Layne, oh dear. Nearly lunchtime, though.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Managed to get keys before the agency shut at midday.
Apartment a bit quirky. Entrance goes straight in to some steps down, fairly narrow, then straight ahead is room with 4 bunks. Turn back and shower room on right and then more steps down to toilet and then open kitchen. Then straight to large lounge and dining area.
Everything from the car and unpacked in the apartment. Lunch and tea drunk. Now time for some music and a beer.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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After a dabble of rain through the afternoon it's now proper snowing.
Pisteurs were saying 50/50 for opening tomorrow! First time in 30+ years I've been in a resort where all the lifts were closed.
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@Layne, can you claim lift pass cost back if everything shut?..
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You know it makes sense.
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| kitenski wrote: |
| @Layne, can you claim lift pass cost back if everything shut?.. |
Apparently so but you have to wait until your last day because in theory you could have missed more than one day.
Also slight confusion as agency said we should ask at lift pass office and they said would have to claim from agency.
Hopefully we will get to ski tomorrow anyhow.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Layne, fingers crossed… I’m in Reberty and the wind is blowing pretty hard this morning, and there lift pass office was only selling passes yesterday if you signed a waiver!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Layne, are you sure everything was shut all day yesterday? Websites were showing Bruyeres 1 gondola, Menuires chair and lower lifts open from around lunchtime.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Layne, we are currently in VT, they had two lifts operating yesterday, and the same today, am assuming so you cannot claim against non use of lift pass.
me and my daughters have abandoned ship on skiing yesterday and today, youngest is catching up with all her schoolwork, so does not have anymore to do this week, and i am food prepping for the week.
fortunately due to a technical hiccup on my part i had not bought the lift passes online by friday eve 
but we can ski all day next Saturday, so can still get 6 days skiing in from Monday (dependant on conditions).
it looks like there are more lifts open in LM today on the 3v app.
a couple of the other groups we are with was going to ski down to LM, via the bld cumin and ski round LM, then get the bus back. normally you cannot use the inter resort bus with ski equipment, but i saw the VT to LM bus earlier getting loaded up with skiers (presumably they don't know the route down) so am assuming it will work the other way  or a taxi back for them
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We did a lap of bruyeres (and toured up a bit further from the top in search of good snow).
You didn’t miss much.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Layne, not the best of starts (especially for an Easter trip when you'd expect better weather). I hope things improve for you - well, they have to really!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Layne, better luck tomorrow, keep the reports coming.
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A bit of fresh snow overnight and wind has relented.
Can see Masse cable in slow running so optimistic.
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Very interesting day.
We were up with larks and on the Menuire lift at 9:15.
Went over to Val T and had a couple of hours of good powder skiing in good visibility.
Things then degraded for a period and at one point the snow got quite heavy. Making skiing very difficult and tiring.
But then it cleared up again and we hit the off piste off the top of the Moraine lift.
Skiing home was tiring for various reasons. Legs tired, light coming and going, and some of the snow on and off piste bit iffy. But not complaining it was great to have a full on day after the last couple.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Awesome day of powder skiing today. It had snowed again a bit overnight and was still first thing. But by the time we hit the lifts at 9:30 that had cleared away. So up Mont de la Chamber and straight over the back down into the Mont Vallon sector. Skied the off piste there all morning.
A packed lunch later the wife headed back to the apartment to drive to Lyon to pick up our daughter. Meanwhile we headed over to VT and up Peclet for more off piste adventures.
Lovely sunny evening now and tired legs. Forecast is for a few more centimetres tomorrow before it starts to get seriously warm on Friday.
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Out at 9:45. Very snowy day. Hard to know where to go. Higher up not much vis. Lower down a bit warm/rainy.
We did a scoot over to La Tania. Mixed bag. I enjoyed Dou de Lanch as nobody was on it there was enough powder to ease the bumps and ice underneath.
Had lunch at the top of the Tania cable car which has a couple of undercover benches.
Decided to start heading back. Snow was getting quite heavy at this point. When we got back over into Les Menuires the son poked his head out so we did a couple of off piste runs.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Awoke to blue skies. Out at 9:30. Went straight over the top to the off piste, right side looking down under Cote Brune and then up Mont Valon doing several laps of the off piste through "the gap" just down from top of the lift. Great adventure, great fun, great skiing.
Had lunch at the lift station and then headed over to Peclet above Val T. Did a great bit off piste that necessitated a bit of a boot pack but was well worth it. Long, tiring but great data skiing.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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It’s been a remarkably good week all round I think, considering the crazy wind and weather early on. Tuesday and Thursday were fantastic-Mr P I spent all of Tuesday morning having a ball in various locations off piste above St M- a huge boost for me given the broken arm earlier in the season. We didn’t ski today and my guess is that it was pretty grim low down.
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As expected warmer today.
We did the off piste route down from Masse to Lac de Lou. Type 2 fun I would say but first time I've done it and a pleasant itenary.
We waddled about and then ended up having our picnic lunch in Orelle sector at the main junction. Then headed up the two chairs and did the high traverse over to do some decent off piste in the circus
Went back up to Caron and skied Col de l'audzin a couple of times which was fantastic. Dobbed around since more and ended up skiing a full day.
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You know it makes sense.
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Quite a decent final days skiing despite the tropical weather.
After clearing and cleaning the apartment we hit the slopes at 9:45. Skied Venturon first off which was great then down into Val T down Chardons which was boilerplate.
Then skied the reds off Cascades and Lac Blanc which was so nice we did them twice.
We then went to the top of Caron and skied l'audzin again before going up Caron again and skiing the off piste ski route down to Lac de Lou. Very enjoyable despite the less than ideal snow.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Layne, were you at the Lac de Lou refuge yesterday late morning by any chance? We enjoyed watching the skiers waterskiing the gap across the unfrozen end of the lake. We hiked up there with the dog (hairy Jack Russell).
Last edited by Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name: on Mon 8-04-24 14:28; edited 1 time in total
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Perty, we were indeed and yes we had to do a little water skiing. I have some vid to share - hopefully this evening.
I haven't posted any photos or vids yet because there was no easy access to internet. In fact I had a relatively light week in terms of photos and filming because for the most part I was having too much fun. Also the 25's and under don't hang about much! But I do have some.
We stopped skiing a bit earlier than I would have normally on Saturday. Took our skis off at 15:40. Partly because my mate was a tad anxious about making his early morning ferry but also because of the balmy conditions. When we got to the bottom of the valley around half 5 it was 27 degrees!!
All in all it was a fantastic weeks skiing. After the initial disruption of high winds we had reasonably cool weather, a fair bit of fresh snow and lots of good off piste conditions/skiing.
The apartment was a bit quirky - when you went in there was some fairly narrow stairs down to a room with 4 bunks in and then doubling back a shorter flight of stairs with first a shower a room on the right then the toilet, then the kitchen opening up to a large lounge area and balcony. But it was perfectly adequate for what we wanted/needed. A couple of slight downers. The ski locker wasn't secure so we decided it was best to trek the skis up and down to the apartment each day. And it wasn't ski in ski out but a 200 meter walk to and from the slope/lift. Perhaps in the height of winter it might but not easy.
The drive back as you would expect flawless on account of the weather and driving overnight. I'd originally booked us on a 07:36 crossing but we arrived around 5:30 and got bumped up to 06:16. Minor wait at passport control and then drove straight through and on to the train. Was in the second carraige so was off in the blink of an eye too. With the time change was back in MK just after 8!
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