J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by andyhull

bedrock barney wrote:So who are the good TO's then Andy?

The last TO holiday for me was in 1984 to Ibiza as a teenager! Summer and winter since then we've gone down the DIY route.

We've used Skiworld for many years, they've always been good, but in recent years they've become excellent.

I've stayed in Les Menuires, Val Thorens x2, Meribel x2 and Meribel Mottaret
For me, Meribel Mottaret wins hands down in terms of position and accessibility.
Meribel is just a short bus ride away if you want some more lively nightlife.
I don't understand the wish to avoid TO's, they aren't all the same you know. I keep seeing people getting dreadful value for money on diy holidays and I just don't get it.
Now I avoid Crystal like the plague, but that doesn't put me off TO's. It just makes me choose one that values its customers and looks after its staff.

Yes, I have stayed in it, back in 2000 when it was run by Skiworld and was called Chalet Bonne de neiges (or something along those lines)
It's not the easiest to access, it's part of the Des Neiges complex, made up of a hotel, the chalet and some self-catering apartments. The chalet is accessed via the hotel entrance, though the hotel then via a covered walkway, so is a bit of a trek with your luggage.
The piste can be skied to, however it's not pisted so not suitable for all, hence I guess the reviews, wouldn't be an issue for some, but a nightmare for others. I couldn't tell you how long the walk is as I didn't do it, but it's not ideal.
There's a bit of an uphill trek back to the chalet too, which I know some of our group hated. Some of us did manage to ski back but it's an off piste route.

The chalet was nice, but the access would put me off a return.

We stayed here in 2011, http://www.skiworld.co.uk/ski-resorts/france-ski-holidays/val-thorens/abricot and can thoroughly recommend it. We had all three chalets (Abricot, Clementine and Poire) for a big group of 28.

It's not far from the Sommet but the access is really easy. You can ski to within about 80m then a short walk on the flat.
The piste is accessed via a pisted path 25m from the ski room. I posted a couple of pictures in a thread a few weeks back.

Still a bit of work to do, but the lift itself looks ready. Looks like they have dug down to put the lift on the flat, which should make it much more user freindly.

Above average temperatures from Friday.

I bought a hard case for mine about a decade ago and have never regretted it. Not cheap, but 100% sure they aren't going to get damaged in transit.

tonypants wrote:Just been looking at Tignes cam, looked, looked again and realised that the Aeroski has gone or changed and there is a new lump of concrete there?

Has it been modernised and lowered so those stairs need not be climbed?

It does look a bit drab with all that concrete

TP

The new replacement lift goes from ground level, with 10 seater cabins.
This will be a big improvement, while the old lift had just enough capacity to keep ahead of the queues, it had become prone to breakdowns.
After skiing top to bottom, not having to clamber up those horrible steps will be nice. Being able to sit down will be even nicer!

Snapzzz wrote:

andyhull wrote:What does the brochure say?

It doesn't but i have an answer now.
They drop you off in the resort car park and transfer your luggage by whatever means. You are expected to walk to your accomm.

I hope its not far!

That's the down side of a traffic free resort. Small price to pay if you ask me.