Nendaz - anyone been or know much about it?

err.. actually I have and more recently than you've been to Haute Nendaz as well where I've also been recently. Both at the less interesting end of places I get to go though.

ise wrote:that's a bit unfair, Bracknell really isn't that bad

Okay, I take back the Bracknell comparison. I'll say Salford instead

I could improve the layout and appearance of the resort with a lot of dynamite

I've not been to Salford for a long time High Wycombe and Oxford are next on the UK trip list

To make sense of the choices look at a 4 Valleys map like http://ski.intermaps.ch/printze/index.swf?lang=en Nendaz is OK, but if I had the choice, I'd rather be located in either La Tzoumaz (directly connected to Verbier) or Veysonnaz (larger area) as the link to the rest of the Four Valleys is via a single congested cable car (Plan du Feu - see http://homepage.ntlworld.com/msej449/photo1_laforet35_FromPlanDuFeu.jpg - That one car has to accommodate everyone who wants to get out of Nendaz to the 4 Valleys). The route back is either a black or the cable car back down.

I've flown into Sion on a Gatwick 'flight only' charter from one of the big package companies, but these only run Saturdays. These flights are often buried deep in the brochures but made the transit much shorter.

We now tend to get the train from Geneva Airport rather than hire a car. Last year it cost about £50 return. The local Tourist Office will usually work out connection buses and trains etc. We find that you usually have to catch a 7-8am flight out of the UK to make the connections to the resort comfortable. On return, you would probably go for a flight after 2pm if you wanted to leave yourself with margin of error.

An alternative friends have used in a larger group is to hire a car to carry luggage and use as a taxi at the other end, but the bulk of the group take a train. This works well if you have people arriving at different times and so the vehicle can act as a shuttle. There are transfer companies in both Martigny and Sion but these can work out expensive.