Messages posted by : Coop
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I've been to Andorra twice now and both times it was due to a tight budget. And both times the snow coverage was poor. I'm not going to risk a third time to see if it was a coincidence or whether the snow is generally poor (when compared to the Alps, of course).
The skiing is ok, a bit limited and nothing much in the way of steep and fast. In the ol' days, Andorra's biggest appeal was that it was cheaper than the Alps. I don't think that's the case anymore, as you can get to most French and Austrian resorts on the same budget. I often wonder why people would choose to pay the same and go to Andorra but it does have a cult status as being 'Magaluf in the snow'. |
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I'm off there at the weekend. Was getting a bit worried because the last snow they had had was just before christmas and since then it's been all man-made snow and no forecast for decent snowfall.
However, this week Baqueira (and most of the Pyrenees) have had over 2 metres and it looks like continuing over the next couple of days. Cannae wait, just need to work out this muscle I've pulled in my glutes. Lesson to be learnt here, take it easy with the physical activity in the week before you go skiing! |
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....you can still walk on those dodgy knees
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Agreed, I can't see the enjoyment in skiing along. I've done it a few times, whilst the kids were in ski school, and it's not something I would do out of choice. I prefer skiing with similar ability mates, have a laugh and a race on the way down. Except for waiting for snowboarders, why do they have to come down the mountain so slowly?
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Hi guys, just got back from a 4 day trip to the Les Gets/Morzine area and thought I'd share my experience.
The village - we stayed in a chalet just outside of Les Gets so can only comment on Les Get itself. The village is small and sleepy, predominantly aimed at families, with very few bars and decent restaurants. The supermarkets are very expensive and of limited choice. Local transportation is hit and miss and the local taxi drivers (it would appear) prefer to sit around smoking and drinking coffee to earning a fare. In my opinion, your own transportation is essential to make the best of the area. Although we didn't make it into Morzine itself, the reports were that it's quite lively and a better base to enjoy the Portes du Soleil and also for apres ski. If you do plan to stay in Les Gets, I would recommend driving there and loading up with groceries en route (or take out a second mortgage to buy food in resort) or to stay in a catered chalet. The mountain - although we'd bought the Portes du Soleil pass, we didn't actually make it to Avoriaz. There is plenty of very good skiing to be had in the 'local area' which encompasses Morzine & Les Gets. There are plenty of easy slopes for the timid and beginners and also plenty of challenging terrain, including a lot of off piste potential. The 'mountain' is effectively split into two sectors, the Les Gets/Morzine sector which is well linked and the Mont Chery sector on the other side of the village. The Mont Chery sector clearly has the better skiing, with some super fast reds and blacks, together with some heavy moguls and untracked off piste. We easily spent a couple of days doing the same 10 runs over and over again, with Mouflon being my favourite...a very long, steep, relentless mogul field which destroys the legs and leaves you with a smile on your face at the achievement of finally making it to the bottom. The reds on the other side, which take you back into Les Gets are very fast and would easily be blacks in other resorts. The Chamossiere sector in Morzine also has some brilliant blacks and reds, ideal if you like a challenge and going fast! The weather - as a skier, you pray for lots of snow. But damn, not this much! It snowed constantly for the 4 days we were there, easily a metre of it. This car had a couple of inches on it when we arrived and this is what it looked like when we left! 
Visibility was horrendous in places but I enjoy this, as it adds a sense of danger and challenge. I skied the Arbis red (Chamossiere sector) with visibility limited to about 5 metres, and although I was in need of a nappy for most of it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 
Would I go back again? I definitely would, as the skiing is great and we'd only skied a fraction of the whole area. I wouldn't want to stay in Les Gets again, especially not without a car. |
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In which case, I forgot to add: Baqueira-Beret - 31 sleeps Les Gets (again :roll: ) - 68 sleeps |
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Les Gets - 1 sleep. Yeh, that's right, 1 sleep.
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Next Thursday Bandit, Les Gets for 4 days skiing. This'll give me enough time to test them out and get them tweaked before my next trip second week of Feb. It was refreshing to be sat opposite someone trying to sell you something, for the person to not try and sell you a dearer product. I would have bought a £500 pair of boots, had he said they were the right ones for me. But instead, I 'only' spent £220 on a pair that were cosmetically different to the latest model. However, the cost of custom footbeds pushes the price up somewhat so we'll see if they do make a big difference. Also, one final point to make to others looking to buy. I thought I had 'normal' feet but Colin informed me otherwise. Thin ankles, narrow heel but wide forefoot meant that most boots were unsuitable for me, in that I wouldn't get a close fit. After much considered deliberation, he came up with a pair of Salomans that he felt would be right for me in terms of both fit and ability. Morale of story, it pays to get someone like Solutions4Feet to fit you out properly. |
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