Messages posted by : andyoneil
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done
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I'll stick to my Dare2Be Spyder rip off methinks!
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Nah - its a posh golf club in Florida where Tiger plays and GMac has his restaurant..... |
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No problem BB
I've chalet'd in VT before and am again this year (though with Crystal who you say you want to avoid and I probably don't blame you but not much choice at all if one flys from NCL) Def chalets in the town (mine is on the Chalets des Neiges complex) and at Balcons on the ridge. All of these are ski in/out or near as makes no difference I've also done a hotel in VT - the Val Chaviere which was fine (basic rooms but EPIC food and cheeseboard at night!)and couldn't be any more ski in/out as its right by the green that runs through the centre of town I've made it to C1850 from a 9(ish) start in VT by 11:30 doing only blues as I had beginners (going this way you have to work all the way across the valley past Les Menuires to the top of St martin before dropping into Meribel. If you can ski reds then you can go straight over from VT into Meribel and thus take an hour off that. Obviously lift queues COULD slow you but I go in January so rarely see a soul A rep mate of mine has a circuit that covers all the points of the 3V (including the 4th valley) which covers around 50 miles on piste and 25 on lifts which he says can be comfortably done in a day by a strong intermediate starting and finishing in VT. I've never been mad enough to try as it involves eating on the hoof and no hot choccy stops - I'm not a big lunch eater but I like a stop! |
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Usually in a Spyder Jacket that cost more than my first car! |
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Having done the 3V a few times as well as the EK several times I can tell you that you'll love it BB!
I've always stayed in VT so cant really comment on Meribel other than my observations: it is more central which should be a good thing but is not a deal breaker to be honest as you can get from VT to Courchevel in about 2 hours without pushing too hard and no black runs involved. Equally whenever I've skiied through Meribel or Mottaret then I've always thought "some of this accom seems a long way out". It may not be - the paths may be more direct than the pistes, the bus may be frequent but its an impression I have had and hence have never bothered staying there as VT suits me better (There's a VT review thread that I've contributed to) Piste grading in the 3V is more consistent than EK so the better half can be assured that reds really are red and that some of the black runs are very manageable (that said if you ever go back to EK then the black "Trolles" into Tignes is very "do-able" with only the last bit steep but then there's a long, flat run out to recover oneself on) I digress though: you'll love the variety in the 3V and, even more than EK, the feeling of travel as you cover some almighty distances with options at every turn if you're (the Royal plural!) feeling tired or less confident at any point. Avoiding moguls is usually ok in 3V though, because its such a big area, they can't piste it all so some of the black runs are left "natural" and thus get bumpy but you can usually spot these from the lift (as a reference in EK think of the red Arcelle run of the side of Solaise - the black next to that is not a problem IF it has been pisted but I'd always do the red first and then come up the chair over it to check out the condition) Get thee to the 3V, wherever you stay you will LOVE it If you want any more info then PM me Andy |
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I've hired from Ski republic in a couple of different resorts and always found them very good - exactly what I'd ordered and no problems with any changes during the week
I too vaguely remember something about them getting a "doing" a few years ago but have seen no sign of any trouble when I've had anything to do with them Their financials may be a different story of course.... |
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As shown by 3 different posts in this thread - the French Mega Resorts are NOT expensive if you don't choose to make them so - just like just about every resort |
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