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From Geneva by train

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Coming from US on short trip for a few days. I've skied Arlberg, Zermatt and Verbier all by train from airport.
I want to travel by train from Geneva because flights are good. . Champery (Portes du Soleil) is on the list right now, but it's a three hour train ride. Does anyone have other big resorts to consider that I could reach by train from Geneva in 1-2 hours?
I guess I could get a transfer but I worry that I'll sign up for a ride, and then find myself waiting way past scheduled leave time?? I'm arriving at 7:30am and want to be skiing ASAP. What's my best bet?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@glenncz, Les Diablerets is just over 2 hours away. Not that big, but nice.
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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?
glenncz wrote:
Coming from US on short trip for a few days. I've skied Arlberg, Zermatt and Verbier all by train from airport.
I want to travel by train from Geneva because flights are good. . Champery (Portes du Soleil) is on the list right now, but it's a three hour train ride. Does anyone have other big resorts to consider that I could reach by train from Geneva in 1-2 hours?
I guess I could get a transfer but I worry that I'll sign up for a ride, and then find myself waiting way past scheduled leave time?? I'm arriving at 7:30am and want to be skiing ASAP. What's my best bet?


Get a bus transfer to Chamonix if you haven’t been. It’s 1 hour and they are frequent.
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Shared minibus like Skiidy Gonzales. Something like an hour, 90 mins to Morzine IIRC.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@glenncz, if you want train rather than bus, then St Gervais or the Chamonix valley. In both cases take the train from Geneva central to Le Fayet ("Leman Express").

For St Gervais you are essentially already there, there is now a gondola from the station car park which connects via onward gondolas to the top of the mountain but more realistically the main town is at the top of the first gondola.

For Chamonix you change to the narrow gauge railway ("Mont Blanc Express") continuing along the valley. As well as going to Chamonix town there are stops for Les Houches (to be fair, not that close to the ski lifts), Les Praz (Flegere gondola), Argentiere (Grands Montez) and Vallorcine.

The descriptions of both trains as "Express" is inaccurate, neither is particularly fast but they are a pleasant way to travel.
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@glenncz, for Chamonix check out

https://www.swisstours-office.ch//REGULAR-LINE/Geneva-Chamonix-(Regular-line)/Regular-Line/TS0153BT/regular-ligne-shuttle-transfer-service-from-geneva-to-chamonix-464.html

Www.flixbus.fr

https://www.blablacar.fr/bus

Regular, scheduled services.

I'd be inclined to stear clear of "AlpyTransfers", their reputation is not 100%
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
I'm thinking I'm just going to rent a car. It's only an hour drive and I don't mind paying a little extra. They drive on right side same as US which helps and I'm used to city driving. My two big close choices are Chamonix vs Portes Du Soleil right? And they a number of tows in PDS, does anyone have a recommendation for town and simple hotel where I can walk to lifts?
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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!
@glenncz, You could drive to Châtel in PDS which is around 90 mins abd a very scenic drive along the north side of Lake Geneva. Rent a car from the Swiss side from airport and very straight forward from there. From Châtel you can access both Swiss and French side of PDS and do a loop. You can ski from directly fromtown or take a 10 min ski bus to Linga area.

Other option is to take a train to Verbier from the station to Le Chable (change at Martigny) at the base of Verbier. From there you can gondola to the main village. Very easy and integrated transport.
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You can go from the airport to thonon les bians then up to resort by bus
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Ski the Net with snowHeads
Your flying from the US.. why limit to 2hrs? Why not Murren/Grindelwald?
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If I'm driving, what town in PDS is most central to all the lifts? When I stayed in Le Chable, It was in a corner and I had trouble skiing the whole thing because the other side was so far away and I was always worried about getting stranded when lifts closed.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
@glenncz, Avoriaz is most central but may be difficult to get short stay accommodation. Chatel gives you access to Swiss and France and is also central in the next valley. It also has its own areas and the area just above Pre La Joux is great in itself and the PDS is vast and you’ll be able to get good skiing. From Châtel village you either go up the Super Châtel gondola from town or have choice of short bus rides to Linga or Pre La Joux that take you to various starting points, but all are accessible from Super Châtel. We normally start at Pre La Joux if we are heading to Avoriaz or Super Châtel is skiing locally or heading to Swiss via Morgins. The PDS is vast and you will get a sense of travel and navigating between villages or even doing the PDS loop.
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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
When are you travelling?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I will be arriving the first weekend of February.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Ah. If that/s 1/2 February, it's the week before the manic four weeks of French school holidays, and will improve your chances of find accommodation for less than a full week. Chamonix sounds a good destination and having a car might help with visiting the different ski areas.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
glenncz wrote:
I will be arriving the first weekend of February.


Rent a car and stay somewhere in central Chamonix with parking. Try Pointe Isabelle or the other reasonable options on Booking.com. With the car you can avoid the busses and drive to Argentiere, Brevent/Flegere and Le Tour for a day each. If the weather is good you could also do a guided day on Vallée Blanche and if it’s snowing (and cold) try out Les Houches. You could even drive over to Verbier for a day of necessary.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@glenncz, what Bob says. I love the PdS (but live in Chamonix) and if you want a few days of iconic skiing & mountains (you've done most of the rest) you really want to have a few days here (in Chamonix).

Pointe Isabelle is v. nice. But there are many hotels to suit (I have no other recs). Just make sure they have easy on site parking!

A scheduled 07h30 arrival, you could reasonably be skiing by lunchtime?

Full disclosure, bro-in-law is a partner in, Concept Pro but their rentals are top notch. (Behind Aiguille du Midi tram).

I don't think I'd be excited about Les Houches, but if the weather works, Courmayeur is a good alt day (esp. as you've "done" Verbier). And the food is way better, being Italy.


Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Fri 8-11-24 16:41; edited 1 time in total
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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?
glenncz wrote:
I'm arriving at 7:30am and want to be skiing ASAP. What's my best bet?


If you want to ski the day you arrive then I'd be renting a car and driving to the car park of the closest/biggest ski area. From Geneva P51 rental car park (Swiss side) you can be be in the Grand Massif (Combe de Vernant car park or Samoens Grand Massif Express) in just over 1 hour. With a bit of luck you could be making first turns around 10am.
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do you want to hear something ridiculous? i've been skiing for 50 years and have been all over on thousands of lifts. Somehow I've developed a "fear" of heights on the chairlifts. Some of these chairs are super high and I wonder how they would get me down if the lift broke. Also I was on a lift once (Loveland, CO) in super windy weather, no bar, and I couldn't believe they let me on it how it was swinging. If was near the top and of course! I kept getting on it and just cradled the side bars while my skis blew around. But I keep pushing through it. Also at this age my ski buds are gone and i've been skiing solo, I'm not stopping!!, and maybe too many chairlift rides alone... Anyway, that's my confession. But back to thread, I see Le Massif has 25 T-bars, ha ha ha, I should be able to handle them once I get to them.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
glenncz wrote:
Also at this age my ski buds are gone and i've been skiing solo, I'm not stopping!!, and maybe too many chairlift rides alone... Anyway, that's my confession. But back to thread, I see Le Massif has 25 T-bars, ha ha ha, I should be able to handle them once I get to them.

I don’t know where in the US you ski to be riding chairs alone! I ski mostly solo in the US, it’s rare I get to ride a chair alone.

I’d rather ride a chair alone than to ride a t-bar alone.
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When I saw this post, I thought Verbier... Is that too far?
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
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Oh, he's already done it Eh oh!
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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!
ive caught the train to Bourg st Maurice pretty straightforward and takes around 3 ish hours .
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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.
@jimdonut, still better to just do 1hr car to Chamonix ...
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