France - March 2022.

[Tony Crocker]

It's odd that airfares to Europe are so much cheaper than to US or Canada considering the longer distance.

Remember also that if you are trying to keep lodging cost reasonable, don't schedule into high profile ski resorts until after the holiday season. With New Year's being Sunday in 2023 that might mean holiday rates in effect through January 7.

 

[Sbooker]

I thought Les Arcs skied quite well (from my limited single-day experience in April 2018) and would be a great selection for a longer stay for the reasons you stated. Especially its train/funicular/transportation hub connections.

I parked/started day at Arcs 1800 - it's centrally located, close to La Plagne/Arcs 2000, with forested lower slopes, huge amounts of intermediate terrain, reasonable lift passes, more French/fewer Anglos.

I liked Les Arcs/La Plagne a lot more than I thought I would. Think people sell the complex short. The only architecture I did not really care for was La Plagne Center. And ski-wise, the access to the La Plagne Bellecote glacier was a 1970s relic gondola and should be improved.

Still the same old gondola to the glacier.
The big problem with the La Plagne side is the Plagne Bellecote area. It has four major lifts and many runs converging there. I’m not that risk averse but it’s carnage at most times. I would avoid that intersection at all times possible.
The whole domain apparently caters a bit more to the family clientele than some of the nearby big areas. When I was there recently there were huge amounts of areas of really nice soft spring snow at times. They were untouched. I’m hoping the competition for powder is a little less intense than 3 Valleys or Tignes/Val.
There area also a lot of really nicely spaced trees above the 1800 and Vallandry areas.

 

[Sbooker]

I did minimal research on Cub Med Val Thorens. My friend Richard went there with his sister in February 2020. Based on his favorable review and that I was about to ski the Alps solo in March while Liz was rehabbing her shoulder in Florida, Club Med seemed a logical choice. For a couple the $2,500pp for a week compares to about $2,000pp in one of weather-to-ski's 3 or 4 star hotel half board recommendations, so in the same ballpark when you consider Club Med's 5 days of guiding.

For a family of 4, Club Med is not a good deal vs. any arrangement where the family shares one unit of lodging.

For sbooker's family trip next year, if it's indeed 4 weeks, I would think you would want to move around some. The Tarantaise seems a logical region for such a massive amount of ski terrain. Given Val d'Isere's terrain quality and logistics, I think it's worth trying to spend one of the weeks there. In terms of logistics, the high rise apartments at La Daille would be ideal. I have no idea what they cost. And I'm sure Les Arcs is a worthy option for one of the other weeks.

And you should consider Trois Vallees also. I always thought being in the middle valley at Meribel or Mottaret was the logical choice here. But there are really 4 valleys, Orelle being beyond Val Thorens, and I spent most of Tuesday there. And of course this week Val Thorens' altitude makes a big difference in ski quality, when it's quite sloppy below 2,000 meters. FYI there is time to ski Couchevel from Val Thorens, as we did today. Allow about 1.5 hours in transit through Mottaret each way.

I’ve always thought Meribel would be the best area to stay too. Good info.

We expect we’ll be meeting friends at some point in January. Probably only for a week. And my daughter will more than likely have one of her friends who she has studied French with for the past 6 years come along. She’s never been on skis……there are logistics to consider.

 

[Sbooker]

It's odd that airfares to Europe are so much cheaper than to US or Canada considering the longer distance.

Remember also that if you are trying to keep lodging cost reasonable, don't schedule into high profile ski resorts until after the holiday season. With New Year's being Sunday in 2023 that might mean holiday rates in effect through January 7.

I can’t work out the airfares thing either.

I’ve taken your advice on the timing. We’ll have a few days in Paris first and plan to get to the mountains about the 7th. Tom will start school a week late I guess. Emily won’t start uni until late February so that’s no issue.
Incidentally a stay of 4 weeks through Airbnb - even if overlapping only part of New Year week - seems to attract no cost penalty in some apartments.

 

[ChrisC]

And you should consider Trois Vallees also. I always thought being in the middle valley at Meribel or Mottaret was the logical choice here. But there are really 4 valleys, Orelle being beyond Val Thorens, and I spent most of Tuesday there. And of course this week Val Thorens' altitude makes a big difference in ski quality, when it's quite sloppy below 2,000 meters. FYI there is time to ski Couchevel from Val Thorens, as we did today. Allow about 1.5 hours in transit through Mottaret each way.

My first visit to the 3 Vallees was back in late Jan 2006 and we stayed in a newer Mottaret apartment. It's a great location - only 1 or 2 lift rides from almost anywhere in this vast complex. The best skiing is probably in Courchevel, Val Thorens and La Masse. Mottaret in general is apartments with only a few restaurants - but there are free buses to Meribel proper.

My 2nd visit to the 3 Vallees was in late April 2018 based in Val Thorens. Meribel/Courchevel closed - so I skied Val Thorens, Orelle, and parts of Les Menuires that had not melted. More than enough terrain for 2.5 days.

 

[Tony Crocker]

I think La Masse is outside of Les Menuires, not Meribel. My view is of course biased by the extreme degradation of snow below 2,000 meters over the last month. That whole north face above Les Menuires has great off piste powder potential though it's lower third is a bit threadbare now. Garry Klassen spent a lot of time skiing there in better conditions 3 years ago.

 

[ChrisC]

I think La Masse is outside of Les Menuires, not Meribel. My view is of course biased by the extreme degradation of snow below 2,000 meters over the last month. That whole north face above Les Menuires has great off piste powder potential though it's lower third is a bit threadbare now. Garry Klassen spent a lot of time skiing there in better conditions 3 years ago.

Yes, La Masse is part of Les Menuires. My point should have been - the better skiing generally exists outside of Meribel (fewer north-facing runs, lots of through traffic, a little lower).

My January 2006 trip was a bit low tide - around a 100-150 cm base. That did not cover off-piste rocks in Val Thorens and Mont Vallon (Meribel). You could pick your way down a few areas. The couloirs and other areas in Courchevel, meadows from Meribel ridge to St. Martin, La Masse skied the best. Grassier or wind-fill in areas.

 

[Tony Crocker]

It goes without saying that people's recommendations are based on their level of price sensitivity and the assumption that others have that level of disposable income. Discussions about staying in really nice hotels or multi-day cat-skiing are so far out of my fiscal reality, it's like watching an episode of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous."

As a generalization, these options become viable to some avid skiers in their 40's. As of age 44 in 1996 I had skied twice outside the US: 4 days in New Zealand in 1982 and 6 at Whistler in 1991. The only other time I had been out of the US for any reason was a week in England in 1980. My ski area count was 62 and I had one day lifetime each of cat and heliskiing (now 84 and 31). By my observation the core age range in remote multiday cat and heli lodges is 40-60.

I notice that EMSC, presumably in a similar age range as I was in 1997, is now expressing interest in cat/heli skiing. I think ChrisC is also in that age range and has perhaps gotten an earlier start at it than EMSC or I.

Unfortunately these premium ski options are increasing in price faster than inflation. Cat skiing is about triple what it was in 1997 (that's 4.5% annual increase). The Antarctic ski cruise has doubled since Liz and I did that in 2011 (that's 6.5% annual increase). That's one more reason to get on the Warren Miller plan: "If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do!"

 

[Sbooker]

I am 50 in a couple of weeks and I expect the next 10-15 years to provide me with good opportunity to ski more than I have even though I’m from Brisbane (about 1000 miles from the nearest snow). The main reasons for this is that my kids are getting older so a little more independent and I am in a position to have the 6 weeks off work per year that I’ve been planning toward for many years.

I plan on one big trip each in the Northern Hemisphere winter. Sensibly that would be the last half of January/early February in Japan or February in North America or March in Europe. The other week on skis will be in August (outside of school holidays) in Oz or New Zealand.

At some point in the few years I’ll do one extended stay (January to the end of March) at a favourite hill.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

For the collection, someone on Alpinforum posted this one. Interesting that I don't recall any of the other Alps countries building these photo-op signs.