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Portes du Soleil - Avoriaz/Morzine/Les Gets/Chatel etc - 19/20

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@karin, so much for my bright idea!
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:

@karin, so much for my bright idea!

I wasn't saying it wasn't a good idea at all, just that I hadn't thought of it
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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?
Still quite busy around town. Good to see social distancing observed by the locals queueing up outside Lhottys



Took a trip around the nature reserve between Ranfoily and Samoens. Some nice spots to stop for a picnic.



And finished up on Mont Chery looking back towards MB.


Despite missing some UK visitors and the cancellations of all the big events, it's been a very good summer for local businesses. Bike shops, parapente, restaurants etc are reporting record revenues. My mate is trying to buy a bike but all the shops are sold out of stock, and even their fleet of 2020 rental bikes have all been pre-sold.

Summer lifts are running until Sep 6th, with further partial opening until Sep 19th (Chavannes and Nauchet only).


Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Fri 21-08-20 13:00; edited 1 time in total
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@polo, interesting, "Bike shops, parapente, restaurants etc are reporting record revenues" - is not what I am hearing (on very limited data) in Chamonix ... although the cars parked where they shouldn't be is definitely record breaking.
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@under a new name, it's been very busy here, I missed the worst of it during the last 2-3 weeks, but apparently the queue for Chavannes Express was 300-400m long, all the way back to the old town, behind the Marie.

Chatting to locals at Bar Bush last night hearing the stories of some businesses cleaning up. Was surprised, but every time I'm up there the roads are crazy...probably mostly day trippers.
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@polo, you very definitely must get a different clientele than we do. Happy
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Lot of Swiss, Belgian, Dutch, German, UK plates in Nendaz last weekend. Bike shops, especially e-bikes are doing a roaring trade. The guy in Vevey said he’s literally never been busier. I guess many people have swapped overseas, beach holidays for road trips to the mountains this year
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@under a new name I'd say it's 90% French, 5% Belgians and plenty of UK reg cars, but they could be semi-permanent. How is Cham different? Also been huge numbers of visitors around lac Leman...thank Macron for mentioning it as a staycation option.

Btw, for those like me who have no time for queueing, there's no need to join the Chav Express lines if you have an electric bike (which is easily 50% of the market now). Cycle up to the school / lake and take the forest path to the Nauchet. Takes 7-8mins and you're in the bowl.
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It's been mental in and around Morzine for six weeks, brits tailed off now of course but mainly French, Belgian and lots of Germans. We've also noticed (perhaps as a result of people bringing their cars and maybe a feeling of needing "space") lots of people are staying further out, driving around and in and out of town constantly, not using the navettes, the roads have been packed. Can't wait for them to all bug ger off!
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Quote:

it's been very busy here, I missed the worst of it during the last 2-3 weeks, but apparently the queue for Chavannes Express was 300-400m long, all the way back to the old town, behind the Marie.

Interesting. I've been up Chavannes 4 times in the last 2 weeks. Twice we went straight through the ticket gate, and twice the queue was a few people beyond the gate. Walked straight onto Mont Chery gondola today, and haven't waited more than 5 minutes the 3 times we've been up Pleney.
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On a different note, can anyone recommend anywhere in or near Morzine to get a car fixed tomorrow? Probably just needs a new battery, but would be useful if we could check that with a garage first. And then where do we get a battery from? Is it a drive down to Cluses?
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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.
Looks like all the garages are closed on Saturdays, you could try calling Dave, he's a lot more reactive than most:

https://www.facebook.com/DaveTechnik/

The big Carrefour has most common battery sizes, otherwise Norauto Thonon.
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So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@polo, Cham (apparently) gets loads of day trippers, even now, and lots of self caterers - who don't spend much. Bro in law and colleagues reckon they are turning in the normal amount from the French but revenues down due to lack of Brits and Yanks. I hear lots of english voices - but we are not norkally here in August so my observations are skewed.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@under a new name, sounds similar, the bar I was in is heavily reliant on it's UK regulars, both locally based and those that visit annually, so it's struggling to catch up with lost revenue from end of last season and now the UK biking groups. Other businesses as mentioned have done much better. It's surprising to hear of the volume of bikes being sold (3-5k eur range) / and rented (for 110 eur a day)...there must be a lot of money floating around even amongst the French visitors, who traditionally might be considered more conservative spenders than others.

As for the lift queue story, well I heard it from local hero John the Horse....his apt overlooks the lift line so no reason not to believe him, straight from the horses mouth as it were Very Happy
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@polo, the "truly" anglo bars around here seem to have enough saisonaires to be busy as usual. B-i-l's shop is very summer climbing and winter skiing so have found it a bit tougher with all the refuges closed in confinement.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@shep, Thanks muchly. Phoned Dave, asked his advice, got a new battery from Carrefour, sorted by 10.30am!

Now we just have to drive home tomorrow and quarantine for 14 days Sad
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@polo, I saw the lift queue photo - it was EPIC!
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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?
karin wrote:
@shep, Thanks muchly. Phoned Dave, asked his advice, got a new battery from Carrefour, sorted by 10.30am!

Now we just have to drive home tomorrow and quarantine for 14 days Sad


snowHead . Dave's a good guy, send him business as and when you can (what goes around comes around Toofy Grin )

Good luck with the quarantine, not too disruptive for most folks in practice I suspect...
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@Nadenoodlee, epic or tragic? Very Happy

Heard they moved along pretty quickly as it's only 2 people per chair and they were all lined up with reasonable spacing.
Guess it's something we will have to get used to in winter as well.....but there will have to be better control and cordoning off to stop the queue skippers.
There really should be better advise given out at the bottle necks too as there are nearly always alternative routes.

Pretty chuffed to have the split board option now....ski touring is bound to get even more popular this year.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@shep,
Quote:

Dave's a good guy, send him business as and when you can (what goes around comes around )

Will do, although the last time we needed any kind of garage services in Morzine was about 15 years ago.
Quote:

Good luck with the quarantine, not too disruptive for most folks in practice I suspect...

Won't be too bad, most of the team work from home. I'm supposed to go back to work on the 1st, but it's a dry ski slope, so we're not exactly busy... The hardest bit is going to be not being able to go out and run/walk/cycle/climb at all after having spent 2 weeks doing something every day.
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Quote:

Guess it's something we will have to get used to in winter as well.....but there will have to be better control and cordoning off to stop the queue skippers

Going to be very interesting to see how lift queues are managed. Without a proper queuing line (a la Disneyworld kind of thing) you'll never stop people bunching up to try to stop other people getting to the front first. But queuing lines repeatedly switchback on themselves, which could be carnage with skis on.
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We left Chatel yesterday after being there for 6 weeks and it’s the busiest I’ve seen it in the summer. Mostly French families on ‘staycations’ taking advantage of the outdoors in head-to-toe Decathlon kit. We left via Germany in order to make the UK 14 day French departure so kids can attend school. I am doubtful Brits will be able to ski on France next season due to the Foreign Office travel warning and possible hard Brexit which will make it next to impossible to obtain travel and health insurance in France. Decided not to buy season tickets that are on sale today until end of August.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
We were in Morzine for 2 weeks. It did seem pretty busy, but to be honest we barely went into town apart from the supermarket. We did go to the market briefly on the first Wednesday we were there, but all felt pretty uncomfortable being in such close proximity to so many people.
What was very noticeable was how many fewer British we saw in the second week, with no new people coming out, and presumably lots of people going home at the end of the first week to avoid quarantine.
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[quote="karin"]
Quote:

The hardest bit is going to be not being able to go out and run/walk/cycle/climb at all after having spent 2 weeks doing something every day.

Well... I tend to follow the spirit not the letter of the law, quarantine wouldn't (and didn't) stop me doing socially distanced exercise - just leave your phone where it should be, incase big brother's watching... wink

I predict queue line rules will be by signage only, and left to the individual to follow or not, with no enforcement by lifties or anyone else after a few days of pointless shouting at people.

Ozboy, Maybe. I'd say there's a good chance France will be off the list again by then, and anyway there are already uk insurers offering travel and non-covid-related health cover to countries on the list. No doubt Brexit will balls up the EHIC cover, but accident insurance will be available and carre neige etc. will still work. Covid related holiday cancellation will not be insurable (I believe) but T&Cs for refunds will be generous and some people will take the chance.
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@shep, I truly hope you are right and hopefully number of cases will settle down after the summer holidays. Christmas is only 4 months away(!!) and we will be there as EHIC will still be valid and if kids don’t have to quarantine.
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@Ozboy, snowHead
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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.
Quote:

Well... I tend to follow the spirit not the letter of the law, quarantine wouldn't (and didn't) stop me doing socially distanced exercise - just leave your phone where it should be, incase big brother's watching...

Yep, that's pretty much our view too!
Not sure what the point is of this immigration/contact form that we all had to fill in before getting back to the UK - the 8 of us came back in 3 separate vehicles on 3 different days, and no-one had to show their forms. But I digress from relevance to PDS..
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
[quote="shep"][quote="karin"]
Quote:
and anyway there are already uk insurers offering travel and non-covid-related health cover to countries on the list. No doubt Brexit will balls up the EHIC cover, but accident insurance will be available and carre neige etc. will still work.


Any idea who these UK insurers are?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@smclean0, you forgot the magic word...
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I bought our season passes for next year, included Carre Neige, so at least we're covered getting off the mountain.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Good man, me too, at least there'll be two of us up there! Laughing
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Am i reading it right that the 'boarder' PDS 20/21 season pass is lots cheaper than the standard adult price and that the term boarder relates purely to your age rather than any desire to actually use those wider plank things?
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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?
@smclean0,
Quote:
Any idea who these UK insurers are?

Don't know if they are any good but Staysure appear to be offering Covid-19 cover and cover for everything other than Covid-19 when travelling against Foreign Office advice.

@toyah807,
Quote:


Am i reading it right that the 'boarder' PDS 20/21 season pass is lots cheaper than the standard adult price and that the term boarder relates purely to your age rather than any desire to actually use those wider plank things?


No you're not reading it right. Unless they've fixed it it is "Border Pass". It is just age related, under 26.
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toyah807 wrote:
Am i reading it right that the 'boarder' PDS 20/21 season pass is lots cheaper than the standard adult price and that the term boarder relates purely to your age rather than any desire to actually use those wider plank things?


Yep, it’s a season pass for the yoof. U26, €391 before next Monday (31/Cool. Bargain.
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@shep, make that 3 of us, our season passes arrived in the post today.

There was a covering letter saying the vouchers (Verbier & Aletsch Arena) would be sent by e-mail, so hopefully that'll happen before mid-November, when Verbier opens.
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@WindOfChange, ours arrived this week too. Now have to hope our builder gets our apartment finished or we’ll be looking for a few rentals.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I hope to be out there too. Depends, as ever, on circumstances.

We’re not renting the apartment out this season so have a free hand, maybe Christmas, a late January week and then mid-March.

Annoyingly I can’t quite justify a season pass.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Me too we passed on the season pass this year due to uncertainty bit will re-evaluate at Christmas.

I stated a PDS 20/21 thread and suggest we move the conversation:

https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=153387#4636138
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@Ozboy, there’s a long tradition of PDS types posting on the wrong thread, me as guilty as any! Embarassed
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@DJL, is this the PDS not the weather thread ?
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