Ski season 2015/16

Quick word of warning for anyone traveling with Crystal Ski/Thomson.

We flew last week and they were being very strict with weight limits on check in. Normally they don't pay any attention. They're charging €16/kg. Stung a few friends for almost €100 before we'd even started.

I managed to prop my bag up with my leg and do the same with my skis.

jvan wrote:

Was that going into Innsbruck?

Yep.

Eurovisionmad wrote: »

That's mental, last time we flew with Topflight is was actually with Ryanair & they were very lax! (Although that could have something to do with it being Christmas Eve!)

Yea. Normally very relaxed. 20kg normally tons for any trip, but with ski boots etc its easy to blow passed it!

dogsears wrote: »

Heading off to Zell am See in the morning (bright and very early). Can't wait!

How was your trip? Heading there next weekend. Never been to Zell before

Just back from La Thuile in Italy and have to say it was one of the best weeks skiing I've ever had. We booked this last minute through Crystal and got a great deal. The snow had came heavy in the week before we got there so we had lovely fresh powder and some super skiing. The days were clear, sunny calm which made it even more enjoyable. It's not a hugely lively resort but that suits us and If anyone is thinking of going fell free to ask any questions.

The ski area is huge,very well planned runs,lots of reds,blacks and more than enough blues to keep learners busy.The liftpass gives you access to La Rosiere in France,which you reach by skiing from La Thuile!!!! Totally recommend it.

maddness wrote: »

La Thuile is a gem of a resort. Small and quiet town but great skiing and great Food and wine in some lovely restaurants in the town.

So true,those little restaurants and cafes were so nice,very much what I'd imagined "oldstyle" Italy to be-will do another trip for sure

Just had 5 Irish ladies here for the week who love to ski the off piste and an absolute pleasure to host them, especially as they got some of the best conditions of the season.

willah wrote: »

How was your trip? Heading there next weekend. Never been to Zell before

Super trip. The town is very nice and has some classy places to eat/drink - some can be quite pricey for sure though. If you're staying central the gondola up is very close and you ski back down to the town in the evening.

On the Weds we hired ski bikes for the day - what a blast. Those things just go so fast yet are easy to ride and control. Would definitely recommend that if budget permits. Its not well advertised though - we just bumped into the guy during one of the days and got talking to him that way.

The skiing itself benefitted from recent snowfalls including a fall during a couple of nights in the week, so the snow was great. There's a real advantage in being up on one of the first lifts when the slopes are just groomed (same as anywhere I suppose) but it wasn't all that busy at all so never got overly rutted/mogully.

Have a look into Gunthers on the way down to the town at the end of the day. Take the blue 5 down - its a road through the woods - rather than the black and you'll find Gunthers for a final beer/schnapps/kaiserschmarrn before finishing up. Beware of staying too long though - skiing back to the town in the dark might get a bit scary if you have any inexperienced skiers in the group!

If you're absolutely loaded you should go to the Ginhouse. You get a menu of gins - millions of them, and about 25 different tonics to put with them. Expensive but definitely classy.

olaola wrote: »

Thanks Last time I was preggers, we all went to Westendorf and I did a good bit of snow-shoeing & hiking. And then I'd meet the lads up in the mountain huts for lunch. Was lovely and relaxing & I got my 'snow fix' for that year.

Ah I remember that!! Great news on both counts- baby AND snow ;-) xxx

fannymagee wrote: »

Ah I remember that!! Great news on both counts- baby AND snow ;-) xxx

Thanks FMcG! Looking forward to many hot chocolates & treats in mountain huts

fannymagee wrote: »

The aul' Skiwelt scrubs up well! ;-)

https://www.facebook.com/SkiWelt/videos/1111061212237619/

3 and a half weeks (and counting)

Just back from a week in Val Thorens, overall a great holiday, but with some minor complaints.

Based on a day trip there, prior to this trip, I had formed the opinion VT was a dump, upon arrival I warmed a bit to it, but by the time I left I'd reverted to my original opinion. It's like Temple Bar with snow, it's probably a great place to go if partying is as important to you as the snow.

Skiing/boarding there is OK, there are some really nice slopes (I really enjoyed the Cristaux and the Combe de Caron pistes, both off the Cime Caron lift) but you're sort of locked into the VT ski area, as getting back there from other parts of the 3V can take a long time in the evening, with long queues forming for lifts to take you back there.

The first three days were bluebird conditions, absolutely fantastic, great snowboarding and I enjoyed every minute of it. On Wednesday it was dull, the light was flat, with no shadows, which wasn't ideal. On Thursday the snow was wearing thin (it didn't snow all week), and was packed, on Friday I had returned to the apartment by 2:30pm such was the progress I had made with sliding on my arse on packed snow, with grass and small rocks starting to make an appearance on the snow.

Eating/drinking out wasn't awful, prices were reasonable enough. €6 for a large beer in the pub we went to, and a main course would be €16-20 in a restaurant, but we mostly ate in the apartment.

If I was going back to the 3v again I wouldn't go back to VT, I think I'd pick somewhere more accessible - Menuires, St. Martin, Meribel etc, because it really felt more like being stuck in just one medium sized resort than being in a massive ski area, as it had when I stayed in St. Martin.

Now, approximately 45 days until Chamonix...

Top tip - in the evening go up the Glacier lift (on the Glacier de Peclet), take the glacier piste down to the Les Aigulles de Peclet restaurant/pub and have a beer or two there while the sun sets (photo below) - the view is surreal. Then when you're ready to go there is a fantastic, wide red, the Christine that takes you back to VT, and it will be completely empty. It's a lovely way to end a day.

maddness wrote: »

Interesting to read your report Cormee as I have always thought that Val Thorens looked awful. I've skied into it from other parts of the valleys four or five times but have no interest in staying there. Apart from the ugliness of the place the lack of tree skiing for bad light days is a negative for me.
If you want to ski the 3 valleys on a budget Meribel Village and La Tania are good bets.

Yeah, I was the same as yourself, I'd snowboarded in from other parts of the 3v, and in fairness to the place, there are prettier parts than those you see when you're skiing in. I did go down to St martin, which is around the tree line and things were getting slushy, so it's a trade off, I suppose.

Just booked a flight to Grenoble for the 27th Feb. Just need to decide between Tignes or Les Arcs, looking to do off piste in the UCPA in one of those places. Help me decide!!

I'll have to check that out, Ben's bus to Tignes seems to tie in with the flights alright.

Anybody been to either Tignes or Les Arcs, just looking for opinions on either, particularly for off piste.

cormee wrote: »

I was in Les Arcs (2000) last year. Every one in the group, including myself, hated it. Monstrosity of a settlement, no night life, and the snow was awful. OK off-piste though.

Thanks, I was leaning towards Tignes anyway and this has just confirmed it!

Seifer wrote: »

Looking to get away for my second trip of the season the second week of March. Gonna go with the UCPA again as I loved my week with them last year in Val Thorens. I've narrowed it down to either the Off Piste course in Les Arcs or the Intro to Off Piste in Argentiere.

Anyone have experience with the intro / versus non-intro? I skied with the confirmé group last year and felt it was about my level; we did a lot of off-piste.

I see Cormee's opinion on Les Arc above. Any others? Or comments on Argentiere?

If you want good off piste you'll defo find it in Argentiere! Biggest risk will be avalanche risk though ha! Town itself has about 2pubs so taxi needed down to Chamonix for any sort of nightlife ha. I've no idea about the intro or non-intro, however drop the action outdoors a quick email about it, they are very good at replying with detailed enough answers.

Seifer wrote: »

Looking to get away for my second trip of the season the second week of March. Gonna go with the UCPA again as I loved my week with them last year in Val Thorens. I've narrowed it down to either the Off Piste course in Les Arcs or the Intro to Off Piste in Argentiere.

Anyone have experience with the intro / versus non-intro? I skied with the confirmé group last year and felt it was about my level; we did a lot of off-piste.

I see Cormee's opinion on Les Arc above. Any others? Or comments on Argentiere?

Yeah, my vote would be for Argentiere, my Spring trip is always to Chamonix, that area is lovely at that time of the year and the slopes tend to be fairly quiet. Chamonix town can be nice and mild - so skiing/boarding during the day, then heading out that night into a bright and mild Spring evening is a lovely way to spend a day.

cormee wrote: »

Just back from a week in Val Thorens, overall a great holiday, but with some minor complaints.

The absence of trees is definitely a problem, but in defence of VT when I was in Les Menuires start of Jan, everything below 2500 was slushy and raining. Was very glad to have access to VT to get higher. If you're starting off at 2100 or 2300 (can't remember height) in a period of high temps (which I think is going to become an increasing problem going forward) you're in a good place. The other 3vs don't really have that. Courcheval and Meribel probably top out at 2800 mostly.

Its also not as bad as I remembered it either, in architecture terms, and certainly not as ugly as Tignes. Personally I don't think Meribel and certainly not Les Menuires are attractive resorts visually or architecturally.They're not as ugly as VT but not really nice either. Parts of Courcheval certainly cuter. I tried to book St Martin this year but didn't even get one hit back on the search engines, not sure why.

There is a good range of restaurants too - two michelin starred places down to a delicious 8 euro vegetarian stir fry noodle dish I got on the slopes which I was very surprised to get in France.

Absence of trees are the main problem. But if you have to go that high in the first place its because snow conditions are so bad that you can only ski enjoyably above the tree line. If sun comes out you're in probably the worlds best piste playground (although Mottaret probably better placed for avoiding queues at the junctions, but no atmosphere there).

Rew wrote: »

We did Méribel-Mottaret twice, you have a direct lift to VT, another to Courchevel and a piste down to Méribel.

I think, if you have snow, somewhere central like that in the 3v has the makings of a perfect location.