J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by factual

I didn't think the requirement for the A. T. might have changed for this year. Don't know. It was in place last year (and as far as I remember before that) and was enforced - wardens around the mountain asked me if I was going off piste and did I know it was not allowed unless I have a transceiver. To be honest, I can't remember if I saw the rule last year before I read the rules which are given in the literature when you buy a skipass.

There are some off piste areas forbidden altogether in S.C. (particularly Briancon) - many resorts don't bother to do that - leaving it up to the skiier to ski where wanted or jump off the mountain if they want.

I have asked in the past, about the Recco Reflectors which are relatively cheap and also come free on some outdoor jackets. These were not considered adequate.

As you can't find the rule this year, it's a good idea to contact someone and ask - the Office Du Tourism is a good start and should answer the enquiry or direct you to the company who run the slopes. Prices may be dearer, actually, I was mentioning the cheapest I saw around a year or more ago at about 60 pounds.

--------

Edited addition: Yes, I'm wrong, as I remember, that was a price for an Ebay / similar transceiver. Sorry about that. The prices were much more. I remember now some people told me that 100 pounds would be the cheapest but it would be very hard to find a transceiever at that price. Re: using an old one / buying second hand - it is right that it should be tested first. If the transceiver works O.K. and you know that, fine, but it's hardly worth risking it, and there may be a requirement that it's new, recent or recently checked anyway for to use the slopes, I don't know. Maybe a ski warden could tell you if yours is transmitting when you arrive - it's likely - it's normal to say you want to make sure before going off piste. However, if you contact the resort in advance to ask about this, they may say they do not provide this service and the transceivers should be professionally checked first.

If you find a regulation about this year and the requirement for having an ARVA (as the French say), please post.

Thanks Ian. Though does that bus finish to bring the skiiers home after the lifts close and a while after that? Or does it carry on later, and when - 9 p.m., 11 p.m.? I'm thinking of going to Kitz. by myself so getting taxis back to villages near Kitzbuehel if I stay out would be the least favourite option.



**15 December addition**. A pension hotel in Aurach has alerted me to the times and I found them on the Kitzbuehel resort website.

The buses go all around, to neighbouring villages, but stop around 7 p.m.
Which is pretty bad, especially considering the popularity of Kitzbuehel centre and that it's at times so hard to find accommodation in the town itself. Why, why why? Why not a circular evening bus at around 9 p.m. and another about 11, and, let's be human, another at 12.30 or so?

It's not unusual. The only resort I can remember which had any evening buses was 3 Valleys in France, around Meribel.

I'm surprised at Kitzbuehel not having one night bus anyway.

Some of us aren't going to hire a car, as we have a ski bus for days and at nights we like to drink alcohol drinks. The large Serre Chevalier is busless after 6.30 or so, meaning people wanting to go to Europe's highest city, Briancon, from Villeneuve are unlikely to bother as it's around 30 minutes drive in a taxi. And there will be a strange conflict for people staying in Briancon, St. Chaffrey, maybe Chantemerle who want to go to the new Monetier spa baths, as they may be deciding whether to ski daytime or experience the warm baths and return on the last bus.

The web site doesnt' seem to be up and running this year yet. I don't know why - I think it was by this time last year.

It was www.serre-chevalier-ski.com

I've got various error messages this year. I'm thinking maybe it's my computer - I get messages sometimes that I don't "have access" to this site, recently!

If you need to know this try emailing the tourist office at Serre Chevalier or Briancon (www.ot-briancon.fr). As far as I am aware, from looking last year, you can buy Avalanche Transceivers for around 60 pounds minimum, online and for example around Serre Ch's shops, maybe less elsewhere like Ebay, Amazon, I don't know. I guess that it's obvious - it's about being located if you fall and can't get up.

The usual site is up and running - serrechevalier.com, but it was not much on the site I listed above last year.

I read above that someone thinks estate agents are expensive - it's the opposite - they're inexpensive for lets by the week. You could save 40 percent on a 2 star hotel for an ensuite studio room which includes cooking facility (and perhaps a coffee machine!).

For Serre Chevalier try:

www.skihorizon.com

www.urbania-vacances.fr

and for Monetier

www.les-agneaux.com

Tony_H,

You ask about Villeneuve and if any good. I'm guessing that you know by now there are four biggish ski areas. Villeneueve and Chantemerle are the two middle ones and the two best. The top and near the top of Chantemerle is one of the best ski regions in the world I.M.H.O. Villeneuve always surprised me as being more popular than the nearby Chantemerle, especially in the top half of the mountain, where slopes get thin to the Monetier side.

Villeneuve (or La Salle des Alpes) is joint 1st best part of S.C. to stay in with Chantemerle, or 2nd best after Chant., who knows? Strangely, although Briancon is the highest city in France (I read somewhere recently, in Europe), it is much quieter, though much more charming and much more rewarding for someone who is not a resort only fan. Monetier is really, really quiet at nights but the new spa resort centre has opened (at 10 to 20 times the size it was last year). Accommodation prices are going up. Last year, staying in Monetier was a really, really quiet affair, and nice (very unlike the 2 next along towns of the 5 - St. Chaffery is quiet too, but if driving or getting a taxi Briancon is v. close, and its only a 25 minute walk from Chantemerle).


Skiing wise: Villeneuve, Chantemerle and Monetier are great, whatever your ability, for the gorgeous green, winding slopes. They should always be tried after a red or black, even blue, to remind you you are in the fresh mountains, in lovely, foreign scenery. Actually, the greens can be rarely touched. If you have a flask of coffee, you might enjoy all of it on a green without seeing a person. It can be rare to find yourself skiing with others or many others through the miles of undulating, relaxing, pleasant green slopes. But I really feel Serre Chevalier will be catching on very soon in terms of popularity. I realised enjoying the greens is a substantial part of what skiing is about - enjoying the mountain and not fretting - as well as experiencing what your technique is on steep slopes.

Briancon has both reasonable and moderate slopes, and fast, undemanding intermediate skiing, but only one of the greens (near the top) that the other 3 areas have.

You seem to be an experienced skiier and so you would benefit from the Nordic area in Monetier. You go right (facing upwards) rather then left at the top of the lifts, and just find your own way through the miles of extremely steep slopes around here. I' m really not quite solid intermediate yet at all (have been beyond that, but am far from it now). So it frightens me to see the leagues of ski impressions on the unpisted laden, sometimes sheer cliff mountains as you go up the Monetier lifts. It's black and black.

And you are required to have a transceiver for any Serre Chevalier area where you go off piste, whether the 'more welcoming' off piste areas of Briancon or these intimidating areas which run for miles and miles at Monetier. (Not just a 'reflector' - it's not enough).

Does anyone know about buses around the Kitzbuehel area? For example, are there buses to Kirchberg or Jochberg, or further places, and are there buses after 6 p.m. and until what time. I'm thinking of a few nights in a budget pension, but enjoying the Kitzbuehel Aquarena mud spa and sauna etc., and wondering if I'd have to take a taxi after 6 p.m. out of Kitzbuehel town>

Also, I've tried quite a lot of pensions in Kitzbuehel, but all seem to be full up for my dates, a few days between Christmas and New Years Day. Does anyone know of any? I know I've heard of more in the years before than I found so far this late autumn.

Sauze D'Oulx is a great place for a moving experience - there are a few good smaller, really enjoyable Italian resorts close - Bardonecchia, Sestriere, Montgenvre. And the joint 2nd biggest resort in Europe is just over an hour by bus from Oulx town bus station - Serre Chevalier, just across the border in France, lots of greens, blues, reds, blacks and a Nordic area at the far end (Monetier) with ski parks. The bus leaves around midday (Autocars Resalp) drops you at Briancon, which lies between a few mountains, on the foot of the small, French part of Montgenevre mountain.

If you're into Nordic skiing, Nevache is worth visiting for a day or more from Briancon.

Whether to go to Kitzbuehel or Saalbach Hinterglemm kind of depends on the weather at the time. It's a case of balance scales between the two, depending on snow at the time. Though one is much better and nicer than the other, the nicer one, Kitz. isn't renowned for early snow.

Though it's the best resort in the southern Salzburgerland area by quite a distance, with a good amount to travel to which isn't far also. Saalbach is nice, a good amount to ski around but far less than Kitz (though Leogang is small but isn't far, and snow is more reliable, and actually the Zell/Kaprun area is 25 minutes drive from Saalbach, also on the superskipass card). Kitz. first, but if snow is not great, Saalbach's a good option, with Zell/Kaprun close.