J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by Mark Allison

Hi there, it might look like there's only a double chairlift out of Morzine, but there's a gondola too (as well as the one up to Avoriaz and the funicular direct to Nyon) which moves people fairly quickly. I'm not sure about morning, as I use Les Gets, but it has been pretty quick to get out of Morzine when I've been down there. Hope that helps.

Hi Iceman,
Very jealous of your trip out to Les Gets. Looks like you got the timing bang-on. Spoke to our friend in town this week and she says winter has really arrived there at last and looks like there will be a large amount coming down at the back end of this week.
I have driven up to Gets countless times, but only needed our snow chains once. This is mainly because they are so good at clearing the snow, but also because the last few miles are quite sheltered so the trees catch most of the white-stuff.
There are lots of Aires de Chainage (lay-bys for putting your chains on), but nothing prepares you for trying to put the things on in a blizzard. They are cold and wet and like trying to wrestle an octopus in oven-gloves. Hopefully you will not need them. My advice is watch the cars coming down from town. If they have them on, get yours on too. Also, stay on the motorway all the way to Cluses. Come off any earlier (as SatNav may suggest) and you may encounter the snow on A roads even earlier.
Fortunately, not only is the road sheltered, it never gets too steep, but even the slightest incline is enough to stop you when the snow is really piling down.
Of course, you could always stop for a nice meal in Taninges and wait for the madness to stop and the snowploughs to do their work, but what you really want is to get to Gets and see the powder!
Have a great week. Hope the sun comes out and you get wonderful skiing. No better place on earth when it's like that.
Cheers,
Mark

Thanks for the response, Bandit. It's in "Ski Forum Index" - "Snow Forecasts and Snow Reports" - top two choices.

It gives a two week forecast of expected temperatures and precipitation in Vienna area and Geneva area. It's very good at predicting weather patterns, in my experience. The Geneva one just seems to be a bit stuck at the moment and I'm watching (with everything crossed!) for any break in the current dominant High Pressure system. Seems to be no end to it :(

I was hoping the Admin Man might know what the problem is?

Is anyone else having a problem with this useful forecast tool? I seem to be only getting daily updates, rather than the 6-hourly updates that I used to get. The Vienna forecast gets updated 6-hourly. :?: Any idea why?

The Boomerang is reasonable and has a great location, as are the Bel Alp and Stella Alpina. They're all two-star hotels and will do B and B outside of their busy weeks. A bit cheaper - but just as nice - is A La Bonne Franquette. It's a 2-star hotel on the edge of town near the Perrieres lift and is cheaper because of its less central location. You'll probably struggle to get a self-catering place for just a few days - they tend to be let for the week. You can find info on the above on the Les Gets website www.lesgets.com or just Google them.

Schladming in Austria is great for tree-lined runs. I would say that approaching 80% of the runs are tree-lined. It's lovely. Skied there last February in fantastic conditions. The ski area extends over four big mountains and all four are similar - if you like trees, it's the place for you. The peaks are above the tree line, so there's a bit of variety. Sauze is OK for trees, but not in the same league as Schladming or many of the other lower lying Austrian resorts.

I assume by B2 Olympic Rep, you mean the Rossignol Bandit B2 41 Olympique Limited Edition retro - the wood-effect ski? If you do, it is a top ski which goes anywhere. Very stable at speed on piste and copes with just about any off-piste condition. Flexible enough for bumps too. Can't speak for the Black-eyes though. £271 is a good price for the Rossies.

Hi there - highly jealous. Les Gets is a fantastic place and the seasonaires there always seem to have a great time. It's not as expensive as some have commented earlier - you'll get to know how to have a good time on the cheap. Night life has been pretty well covered - Boomerang was certainly popular last year, but the seasonaires seemed to hang out in lots of places. Skiing-wise, for quiet (but a bit slow) lifts, empty pistes and tough skiing, the place to head is Mont Chery, particularly if you've just got a few hours to spare. It's got 3 pretty tough blacks and some nice off-piste, plus the snow-park. Even during school holidays it stays quiet, mainly because it's not linked to the rest of the ski area by lifts. Enjoy!